for a rainy afternoon...

CHILI.

Like mother like daughter… I often cook like she does. A little bit of fresh, a little bit of frozen. Part home-made, part convenience. Sometimes recipes, sometimes creations. Here's something we enjoyed yesterday.

Saute:

• 2 tbs. olive oil
• 1 tbs. garlic (pressed, or fresh jarred)
• ½ c. chopped onion

Add:

• 1 lb. ground turkey
• 1 tbs. dried pepper (or more, if you like it HOT. we do.)
• Cook until browned.

Then, the cans!:

• 1 can red kidney beans (drained)
• 1 can black olives, sliced
• 1 can sweet corn
• 2 cans ‘canned chili’ any brand (with or without beans… i like beans. the more the better)
• 1 can chicken broth (or 1 bullion cube and 2 cups water, if you are cheap like us)
• 1 can roasted tomatoes

Then, the spices (to taste):

• cumin
• garlic salt
• coarse ground black pepper
• AND for some extra pizzazz- cinnamon!
• Mix everything and bring to a boil. Then let it simmer....the longer the better.

Top with (optional):

• sour cream
• avacados
• cheese

Yum.

BREAD.

Also, a great way to give new life to that day-old bread that may be getting a little too dry!

This time we used a small crispy white loaf with multi-grain crust…

• Slice into ¼- ½ inch thick pieces
• Heat 2 tbs. olive oil in a skillet.
• Using tongs, quickly ‘toast’ the bread in the hot olive oil, turning once.
• While still warm, top with a few crumbles of your favorite cheese, or a sprinkle of garlic salt.
• Perfect to dip in our chunky chili!

(we also added a little balsamic vinegar when we made this to pair the bread with Italian dishes.)