Brrrr.... the cold is here!  Yesterday, the schools in our area closed because of the windchill!  Maybe today I'll just curl up with Oliver, put a heating pad on my back, and read a book.  I'm currently working on Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier.  It's sooooo creepy!  Or maybe I'll watch 5 episodes of Cutthroat Kitchen- ​oddly, also creepy.  I guess I have a theme going.

I know it's been a while since I posted here in Table.  Between teacher-ing, mommy-ing, wife-ing, master's degree-ing, and a inexplicable puzzle obsession, I just haven't had the time.  We spent the holiday season in a flurry of activity, eating as much as possible, seeing the local holiday sights, and spending quiet time at home by the Christmas tree.  It was glorious. ​

Now the holidays are over and the cold is here to stay!  And that means it is time to cash in on that turkey hunt Jacob and Reed did back in the spring.  The turkey breasts have been in the freezer since April, waiting for the cold to come.  Waiting to become this creamy, spicy chili.

Jacob and I (mostly Jacob) perfected this turkey chili recipe a few years ago.  It is loaded with ingredients to fill your body and soul on a creepy, chilly day.  If you aren't a hunter, feel free to substitute store-bought turkey or chicken for the turkey in the recipe.  I won't tell anybody.

Lots of ingredients are needed for this flavor-filled chili!  Turkey, corn, bell peppers, heavy cream, cannellini beans, kidney beans, olive oil, garlic, onion, chicken stock, flour, and a few spices.  Yes, those are habaneros.  If heat isn't your thing, feel free to substitute jalapenos or just take them out altogether.  Again, your secret is safe with me.  This is a safe space.  Although, it is getting a bit crowded.

Give yourself about an hour to put this beautiful chili together. (See the bottom of the post for complete recipe.)  It's a bit of a commitment, but totally worth it!

First, cut the turkey breasts into small chunks and set them aside.

Heat the olive oil on a large pot on medium-low.  Dice the onion and saute it in the oil for a few minutes.

Meanwhile, dice the bell peppers.

Add the turkey to the garlic-oil mixture and brown, increasing the heat to medium.  Add the cumin and chili powder once the turkey has browned.  After about a minute, add the garlic and stir.

Now it's going to start smelling wonderful.  Add your diced peppers, a bay leaf, and the flour.  Stir until the flour is coating the turkey.

Next, pour in the chicken stock and add my favorite ingredients: corn, beans, and heavy cream.  Oh yeah!

I love heavy cream.

Don't forget to rinse the beans before you add them!

Almost done!  Look at all of that yummy goodness crammed into this stew!

Let it thicken up a little, then slice a couple of slits in each habanero.   DON'T DICE IT- you're going to pull them out later.  You would be very, very upset if you diced them.  Cutting slits in the peppers adds a nice kick, but doesn't overpower the chili at all.  Reed (3 years old) eats this chili with no problem.  We let them simmer in the chili for about 10 minutes and then pull them out.  Allow the chili to simmer and thicken for another 35-45 minutes. Taste-test, and add salt and pepper as you like it.

It's finished!  We like to serve ours with tortilla chips.

Cooking really good food with the meat that we hunt is the best part of the process of teaching Reed the value of hunting.  This delicious chili is one of many wild game recipes I hope to share on the site in the coming months.  Field to table- it's a proud, unique way of life, and one that I am still learning a lot about.  What I do know for sure: it's bowl-lickin' good!

Ingredients:
-1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 turkey breasts
- 3/4 tablespoon cumin
- 3/4 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
- 2 bell peppers, diced
- 1 bay leaf
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 quart chicken stock
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 10 oz frozen corn
- 30 oz cannelini beans
- 8 oz kidney beans
- 2 habanero peppers
- salt and pepper, to taste

Heat olive oil in large stockpot on medium-low heat.  Saute the onion until tender.  Add the turkey, raise heat to medium, and brown.  Add cumin and chili powder, cook one minute, add garlic and stir.

Add peppers, bay leaf, and flour.  Stir to coat everything with flour so it is all soaked up.  Add chicken stock, cream, corn, and beans and stir.  

Slice 2-3 slits in each habanero pepper- DO NOT DICE.  Let the habaneros float around in the chili as it thickens, about 10 minutes.  Pull out the habaneros.  Allow chili to simmer for another 35-45 minutes, pull out the bay leaf, add salt and pepper to taste.  Serve with tortilla chips.

We are home from our trip at last!  There is nothing quite like home, sweet home.  We got in late and I kissed Oliver about a million times.  I sure missed that guy.  The fish are all still with us, thanks to my sister, but I didn't kiss them.  My sister also bought us a massive amount of donuts and left them on the counter.  THAT is a true friend, right there.

Our stay in Des Moines was lovely.  We slept in at the hotel and drove to the state fair for one last day of crazy fun.  

4 hours, 3 snacks, 5 rides, and 50 tractors later, we headed home.  The Iowa State Fair was an amazing fair- bigger and better than any fair I have ever attended.  I don't think we saw a third of it, but we wanted to get home early enough to get a decent night's sleep.

Before I complete the blog posts about our vacation, I wanted to share the yummiest meal we had on the whole trip- even better than all of the restaurants we tried in the wild west.  For real!  We made steak tips once and campfire potatoes twice.  They were delicious and oh so satisfying.  Both times we made the potatoes we couldn't get enough of them.  Reed ate two at each meal.  We went through an entire bag of potatoes in one trip.  
Dang.

On our way into the Bighorn National Forest, we stopped at a grocery store and picked up potatoes, a sirloin, and a marinade in a bag.  

We love this stuff.  We put the steak in the marinade bag and put it in the cooler until dinnertime.

Poke plenty of holes in each of the potatoes.

Rub the potato skin with plenty of canola or vegetable oil.  This give the skin a great texture and flavor.

"Can I help, Mommy?"

"Well, I'm pretty sure I just saw you grab a cow patty, so that's gonna be a big no.  Sorry, bud."  Oh, the glories of camping.

We are going to wrap the potatoes in foil, too.  Jacob and I are in love with Reynold's Wrap non-stick foil.  It is thick, heavy duty, and great for the grill and campfire.

Sprinkle each potato with salt and pepper.

And wrap 'em up!

The first time we made our potatoes, we had a grate over the campfire to put the potatoes on.  Later, in the prairie, Jacob made a coal bed for the potatoes to sit on.

Go ahead and get the potatoes started and give them about an hour to cook.  After about 30 minutes, you can get started on the beef tips.

Heat some oil in a cast iron pan or dutch oven.

Chop up an onion and add it to the hot oil.

Let the onions brown, and meanwhile, chop the sirloin into bite-sized pieces.  Then add that beautiful, marinated beef to the flavorful, browned onions.

Now we're cookin'!

Cook the beef until it is done to your liking.  We prefer medium/medium rare.

That's all!  We ate our potatoes with some butter, salt, and pepper.  As I said before, Reed just loved them.

Both in the mountains...

And in the prairie.  I love to watch that kid eat.

We have found our first campfire staple!  As the we enjoy the last days of summer and the cold nights of fall roll in, I am looking forward to enjoying this meal a few more times.  Even if it's just to get more pictures of Reed eating them.  Ha.

Campfire Beef Tips and Potatoes

Ingredients:
Sirloin or London Broil
Russet potatoes
​1 onion
Salt
Pepper
Butter
Canola or Vegetable Oil
Jack Daniel's Marinade in a Bag

Instructions:
Marinade steak for at least one hour.  Start your campfire and get it nice and hot.
Wash your potatoes and poke them plenty of times with a fork.  Rub each potato with oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and wrap in foil.  Place the potatoes over the campfire, turning occasionally, for 45-60 minutes.

Chop the steak.  Heat 3-4 tablespoons of oil in a cast iron pan or dutch oven over the fire.  Dice an onion and simmer the onion in the oil until brown.  Add the steak to the oil and cook until the steak is cooked to your liking.

Check if the potatoes are done by poking with a fork.  The potato should be soft and easily pierced.  Serve the potatoes with butter, salt, and pepper.