Need a dinner idea?  Since one of my last posts was a dessert, I thought I would bring you a dinner recipe this time.  If you haven’t made the Guinness Chocolate Cake yet, it will be the perfect sweet treat after my Chili with Cornbread- what could make your taste buds happier on a cool fall day?

Here is a simple chili recipe that I threw together for my own dinner the other night, so I thought I’d share it with you.  For those of you who know me,  you know I don’t do well with following recipes or even writing them down while I am creating them.  So, this is being written while cooking, so I don’t forget what all went in!

Cooking Notes: I like to simmer my chili for as long as possible before serving, the flavors meld well and it becomes thicker without adding more tomato paste.  I will often put my chili in the crock pot if I can’t be home to watch the stove.  If using the crock pot, put all ingredients (except beans) into pot in order.  Cover and cook 6 hours on high.  Then stir well, add beans and cook another hour on low.

Turkey Chili:

1 lb ground turkey

2-3 stalks celery, diced

1 large onion, diced

3/4 cup carrot, finely diced

Over medium high hear, brown all ingredients above in a large pot.  Add next 11 ingredients-

1 Tbsp olive oil

2 tsp chili powder

3 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 1/2 tsp coarse ground Kosher salt

1 tsp dried parsley

6-oz can tomato paste

4-oz can diced green chilies

2 quarts stewed tomatoes (or 2- 28 oz canned stewed tomatoes plus 16 oz can)

Simmer all ingredients for 45 minutes (or up to 2 hours), then add beans below.

2-16oz cans chili beans (I use mild sauce style)

2-16 oz can northern beans

Simmer for 20-30 minutes more.  Serve with shredded cheddar cheese and/or sour cream.

Easy Corn Bread:

I use the basic recipe from the box of the cornmeal that I buy, with a few alterations of course!  I like to use a cornbread/scone divided pan, so everyone gets an individual piece of cornbread, the crunchy edges and the moist middle.  It’s a simple cornbread, perfect with butter and honey.

1 1/4 cups flour (I use whole wheat pastry flour)

3/4 cup cornmeal

1/4 cup sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup milk

1/4 cup oil (or if you prefer- 1/4 cup applesauce plus 1 Tbsp oil)

1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Spray 8-9″ round, square or divided pan.  Combine dry and wet ingredients in 2 separate bowls.  Stir them together, mixing until dry ingredients are moist, but not over-mixing.  Pour batter into prepared pan.  Bake 20-25 minutes for round or square pan, 15-20 minutes for divided pan.  Don’t over bake, bake until toothpick inserted comes out clean.  When done, cool slightly, remove from pan and serve warm.  Butter and honey insure there will be no leftovers.  (9 servings with round or square pan, 12 with divided)

There you have it, a simple, healthy dinner that is sure to please. It’s a dinner that can be made when you don’t know what else to make, as the ingredients are basics that should be in a well stocked pantry, fridge and freezer.  Make life easy on yourself by allowing those food storage areas to work for you.

Let me know what you think of the cornbread and the chili in the comments below. If you have some add-ins or some alterations, please note those as well.  Enjoy your dinner!