Domestic Goddess

i've been cooking up a storm lately! i've had domestic energy building up for a while now and cooking seems to be the method of choice lately for getting it out.

today's dinner:
Turkey Chickpea Chili with Cornbread Casserole--a great hearty warm comforting Fall meal!

Turkey Chickpea Chili- (45 min. total)
1 lb. ground turkey (i think the 7-15% is better than the 99% fat free...)
1 green bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
1 small sweet/yellow onion
1 clove garlic
1 c. shredded carrots (julienne, not think sliced shredded)
1 can chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
1 lg. can stewed tomatoes
1 c. chicken broth
1/2 c. ketchup
1/4 c. flour to sprinkle in for thickening
1 tbsp. cumin (adjust to taste)
1 tbsp. chili powder (adjust to taste)
1 tsp. cayenne powder (adjust to taste)
salt to taste (i prefer sea salt)

chop the onion, green and red peppers. mince the garlic clove. cut or break up the carrots into smaller pieces. drain and rinse the chickpeas twice.
in a soup pot, short stock pot, or large sauce pan, saute the onion on med-low heat in a bit of olive oil until it begins to brown.
mix in the garlic.
push the onion and garlic to the outsides of the pan and add the peppers. cover the pan and let the peppers sweat for about 1-2 minutes.
move the peppers out of the middle to the outsides of the pan.
add the carrots, cover and let sweat for 2 minutes, stirring them at 1 minute.
move all vegetables to the outsides of the pan and turn heat up to medium-medium high (depending on your range and whether it is gas or electric...).
add the ground turkey, sprinkle about 1 tsp. of salt over the meat. stir the meat to break it up and cook until it is cooked through and no longer pink/raw. (cover and stir at intervals)
stir to incorporate meat and veggies. sprinkle on another tsp. of salt or sprinkle salt to taste.
add the cumin, chili powder, and cayenne powder, mix in well.
add the chickpeas, the stewed tomatoes (including tomato juice), ketchup, and chicken broth. stir to incorporate.
sprinkle chili with 1 tsp. of flour at a time, stirring well to incorporate, until the desired thickness is reached. taste and adjust salt and spices to your personal taste.

allow the chili to simmer on low heat while you prepare the cornbread casserole.

Cornbread Casserole- (35 min. total)
1 box cornbread or corn muffin mix
1 scant c. yellow cornmeal
1/4 c. butter
1 can sweet kernel corn
1 can sweet cream style corn
1 egg
1/4 c. heavy cream (+ extra for serving, 1-2 tbsp. per serving)
1 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese

melt butter in casserole dish or baking dish (i used a 9" round casserole)
combine all ingredients right in the baking dish
bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until just golden on top

To Serve:
spoon Cornbread Casserole into a bowl, pour a little cream over the Cornbread Casserole, spoon Turkey Chickpea Chili over the Cornbread Casserole, sprinkle with some sharp cheddar cheese, and ENJOY!

Home, sweet home

standing in front of a sink full of dirty dishes and steamy hot dish water, i stare lazily out the dark rain spotted windows in front of me. my hands automatically scrub and wipe, rinse and put aside the dishes that are a product of the fantastically large meal that i cooked and just finished eating with my family; dad, sisters, brother, and nephews. i'm visiting at my parents house in Indiana for the weekend because the residential school where i work is on a long weekend break. mom's not here because she's doing some traveling nursing and is currently stationed in Norwalk, CT, but we all got to talk to her on the phone earlier, so it feels like she was here, at least for a little while.
as i scrub chocolate off mixing bowls and cheese sauce off the large stock pot that, about an hour ago, held 2 lbs. of my fantastic home-made macaroni and cheese, i am composing this post in my head...

i find that i often become "chef sarah" when i'm home; my passion for cooking large semi-elaborate meals re-emerges because i actually have people to cook for. today, for a Sunday afternoon family dinner, my nephew, Michael, requested macaroni and cheese (home-made of course!) so macaroni and cheese it was...and for dessert, the flourless chocolate cake that i saw on the food network the other day, mmm, yummy! of course i can't leave the serious meat eaters without a meat option, so i also made some applewood smoked turkey tenderloins that i found in the freezer...they were actually pretty good.

i've come to love weekends like this. sometimes it's hard to leave my space and my day-to-day routine behind, but as soon as i walk through the door of my Indiana home and am greeted by Sid and Nilly (our dogs, a black Labradoodle and a yellow Lab), or my 21 yr. old "little" brother who, in a silly semi-lispy voice, greets me, "hi sissy," i'm right as rain again...because i'm home.