Brrr and Some Turkey Chili

It's cold outside. There is frost on the ground and it's downright chilly and I've decided I'd rather be hot than cold. I'll change my mind next summer when it's 100 outside again, but right now I wouldn't mind an 80 or 90 degree day.

We put Lucy in the garage the past few nights, not that it's that much warmer in there but it did rain a little on Monday night and there is that frost thing on the ground this morning. Yesterday I found her laying on an old towel on top of a dirty workshirt which was on top of some books and tools, but she seemed comfortable enough. She has her blanket lined basket in the garage with her but preferred the lumpy towel bed apparently. The other cats get a little annoyed that they can't go into the garage at night, but they'll survive. Buddy always thinks there is some party that he is not invited to going on in there or something when the cat door is blocked off. He's like a little kid who doesn't want something until he sees someone else playing with it.

So, turkey chili in the crock pot the other night. I go back and forth using the crock pot, then being disappointed in how the meal came out, then trying another recipe. We had some chicken cooked in the crock pot that was so dry we couldn't eat it, so I'm always a little leery of crock pot recipes. However, the turkey chili came out pretty good. Keith said the recipe was a keeper.

And here it is.

Crock Pot Turkey Chili

I cut the recipe in half for us, which came out just the right amount of food for two people.

1 1/4 lb lean ground turkey
1 lg onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 envelope chili seasoning mix
1 12oz can beer
1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped- I substituted a yellow pepper for the green since green seems to not agree with our stomachs the older we get
1 28oz can crushed tomatoes- I substituted tomato sauce since I don't like cooked tomato chunks in my food (gag) and always pick them out
1 15oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 8oz can tomato sauce
3/4 tsp salt

toppings of shredded cheese, onion, sour cream, or whatever you like on your chili

Cook first 4 ingredients in a large skillet over md/high heat, stirring often, until turkey is cooked. Stir in beer and cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Spoon mixture into your crock pot and add the rest of the ingredients until well blended. Cover and cook on low 6 hours. Done!

I am home alone today, and after having Keith around so much it feels kind of strange. He is taking some classes in Shafter that are put on by the community colleges for safety training and cpr and stuff for people working in the oilfields or wherever. Yesterday he took what they call passport training and when he first mentioned that he needed a passport to work in the oil fields I was like a passport? Like the one the government gives you so you can travel to other countries? What?

No, it's a passport onto oil leases that shows you kind of know how to be safe.

Today he is taking a first aid and cpr class that lasts all day, yesterday's was only 4 hours. The fees are very reasonable, at $30 for each of these classes and we can write them off on our taxes. He wants to get all of his safety cards updated in case he does need to take an oilfield job and regardless of what field he ends up in, it looks good to have all of your safety stuff up to date. So, anyway, I've got the house to myself today.