As I was wadding through a healthy collection of emails
today, I found one for a blog I subscribe to. After clicking on the link to the
blog I began to read the current post. The blogger had received an email asking
if she would be willing to provide a list of blogs she followed, so in turn
there was a list provided of blogs that were important to her.
I allowed my mind to wander as I finished reading, thinking
about how great it would be to not have to work, to be able to stay home, read
blogs, test recipes and write here in my own blog. But that is not a possibility
at this time, for now I continue to put in many hours at the restaurant,
helping care for my mom and volunteering at the church. Recently we have even
added the trial of having family members living with us temporarily while they
get on their feet. Grandpa still babysits one day a week, as well as returned part
time to the workforce for the time being, to help provide the means to continue
on our house project.
It’s been a year of changes and challenges, but all in all,
it has been a pretty good year. This last week we celebrated Thanksgiving, and
I find it easy to be grateful for my sons and their wives, my wonderful three
(soon to be four) grandchildren, still having my parents with me, and even with
all its issues, we have a home that we can share with others. We have jobs to
go to, food in our cupboards and frig, and gas in our cars. There is always something
we can thank God for, and when we take the time to give credit to Him, our
lives are better for it. When I focus on all the things I don’t have I loose
perspective of the things that are truly important. I doubt I will ever have the
money that I would need to do all the things I want to do, but I seem to always
have enough love in my life to make it not matter. I pray that the same rings
true for you.
This week we have eaten enough cold turkey sandwiches to
satisfy us for a while, and yet there was still a leg, a thigh and a bit of
white meat still Ziploc’d in the frig. A friend posted a video of turkey
butternut squash chili on Facebook which got me to thinking, I also remembered another
friend that used to make a white chili (but it used canned cream soup which is
something that I can say I’m not a fan, as well as something outside my eating
plan) but gave me the idea for that leftover turkey, and the result became a
hardy rich stew that was enjoyed on a cold night. So if you are looking for
something to use the last of the Thanksgiving turkey, give this a try. My family gobbled it up and went back for more.
White Turkey Chili
4-5 cups Turkey leftovers, diced
Small dice following vegetables
1 Onion
1 cup celery
1 cup carrot
1 cup cabbage
1/2 to whole jalapeno fine diced (veins and seeds removed) depending on your taste (we used 1/2)
2 Tblsp Cummin
2 cans Cannellini beans (15oz cans)
1 can Fire roasted green chilis (7 oz)
1 can Green chili enchilada sauce (large)
1 Qt Vegetable or Chicken stock (I had turkey drippings)
Salt & Pepper to taste
12 oz cream cheese
6-10 Quart heavy stock pot (my favorite is a cast iron roaster that holds even heat)
Saute the diced vegetables over medium heat in a little oil until onions and cabbage are translucent and carrots softened. Add turkey, spices, jalapeno, beans including liquid, chilis and sauce. Add enough stock to ensure all the vegetables are covered. Bring to a simmer and allow to cook for 10-15 minutes. Add cream cheese and stir until it has completely melted into the chili (while the chili simmers cube up the cream cheese to allow it to come to room temp faster as well as incorporated into the chili more easily).
Serve with gratted cheese, sour cream, chips, or whatever your favorite chili toppings might be.
