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Yummy New Recipe
Last night for Sunday dinner I made a most delicious Turkey Chili that I would like to share. It was the last night of football playoffs, so chili seemed like the perfect treat. As it turns out it's gonna be the New England Patriots Vs. the NY Giants in the superbowl. My friend Mike O'hara is probably very happy and excited cause he is a Giants fan. If the Patriots win, my friend Marion Grace will be all over it, and Boston proud.
I just wish the Chicago Bears were going to the Superbowl. But they're not. Not this year. Now we have to wait a whole 'nuther year to see them. Stupid Bears. Stupid, stupid Bears...(through teary eyes)...

This recipe could be made vegetarian simply by eliminating the meat, or by using the vegetarian soy meat crumbles from the freezer case at your store. If you use the soy meat, go straight to the browning of the onion phase of the recipe, and add the meatless crumbles at the end.

Turkey Chili

Ingredients:
I Lb. ground turkey meat, or 1 package soy meat crumbles
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 med onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, presseed thru a garlic press
1 large carrot, chopped
1 small zuccini, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 can whole peeled tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
1 can kidney beans, rinsed (but use a little of the clear juice from the top of the can, about 1/4 c. in the chili broth before rinsing, this thickens the chili nicely)
olive oil
1/2 bottle of beer
1 tsp Homemade chili powder*
1/2 tsp.paprika
1/4 tsp. celery salt
1/4 tsp. store bought chili powder
1/8 tsp cinnamon
dried basil
dried oregano
freshly ground black pepper

Step 1)
Brown the turkey meat with a little olive oil in a large skillet, adding a little salt and pepper as it browns. Stir gently to break up the meat into crumbles. When the meat is fully cooked, drain in a colander, if it has fat, or just set aside on a plate, if it's fat free.
step 2)
Add another tblsp. olive oil to the pan, add the chopped onion and chopped carrot. Stir. Add a tiny bit of salt and freshly ground pepper. Add chopped pepper, celery, and crushed garlic. Stir and gently sautee on med. heat for a minute.
When your veggies are cooked a little, but not too soft, add the cooked meat, the whole peeled tomatoes, sliced into slightly smaller pieces, the tomatoe sauce, the juice from the top of the kidney beans, the rinsed kidney beans, the 1/2 bottle of beer, drink the other half of the beer, add the chili powder, paprika, celery salt, store bought chili powder, cinnamon, pinch of dried basil, a pinch of dried oregano.
Stir and simmer. Add zuccini last as the chili simmers cause it cooks fast and will turn to mush if you add it when you add the other veggies. This is also the point where you would add the soy meatless meat crumbles if you like.
Simmer and taste. If it isn't to your liking, add a tiny bit more salt and pepper. Stir and taste. It gets sweeter and more flavorful as it simmers due to the carmelization of the tomatoes. Is it still not spicy enough? Add a little more chili powder and possible a 1/4 tsp cumin if you like it spicy. Add your extra spices a little at a time so as not to accidentally overdo it and ruin the batch.
Serve over any kind of cooked pasta with grated sharp cheddar cheese. Yum!! Lucky for me there are leftovers in the fridge for lunch, cause writing this made me very hungry.