1 Medium to large onion (yellow or white), diced very fine
4-6 Cloves of garlic, minced fine
1 Green pepper, small dice
1 Poblano pepper, small dice
1 Serrano pepper, small dice
1 Jalapeno pepper, small dice
2-3 Tablespoons chili powder
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
1-teaspoon cumin
½ to 1-teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
½ to 1 teaspoon dried cilantro
2 cups chicken stock or broth
2 large cans of fire roasted tomatoes, whole (if you can find fire roasted get regular, not seasoned canned tomatoes)
1 can tomato sauce or juice
Juice of 1 lime
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 pound of ground turkey

Don’t be afraid to use a food processor/ mini chopper for the onions, garlic and peppers.

So this chili is all about texture. Start this off like any normal chili, on medium to high heat throw the ground turkey into a large enough pot. You must stir the meat constantly. You want the meat to be all broken up. Gradually stir in the fresh garlic, onions, all the peppers, the chili powder, onion and garlic powder, the cumin, salt and pepper, cilantro and the limejuice. Cover and cook for about 3-5 minutes, then add 1 cup of chicken stock/broth. You want the texture of the tomatoes to be sort of torn up, so what I do is squish them into the pot with my hands. Do that, then cook for about 5 minutes covered, then add the other cup of the chicken stock/broth. Cook for another 5 minutes, and then add the tomato sauce/ juice. Finally, put in the beans; turn down to a simmer and let cook for at least 1 hour. You may need to add more salt or heat (you can add a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce). Do this to taste, then finally…. ENJOY with some crusty bread, or a tamale, or my favorite, elbow macaroni! A sharp cheddar pairs well as far as a choice of cheese! Never put sour cream on this chili.

I guess those spice racks that you purchase at a major bed, bath and kitchen supply store are sleek and have everything that you need to spice your food with, but my question is……How long has that spice rack been on the shelf and where did those spices come from?   And what do you do with half of those spices really? 

Well if you are crafty enough to cook and use those spices, then you are crafty enough to go to a hardware store or a craft store and find some really cool looking jars to store your spices in.  But the whole point of my blog here is to make sure that your spices are less than a year old, and when purchasing spices, don’t buy those $.99 spice that don’t have any taste.  Spend a few bucks on the spices I’m going to list below, because if you really want to make a tasty meal, you need spices that have taste.

Must Have Spices:     $ (under 4 bucks)  $$ (4-6 bucks)  $$$ (over 6 bucks)

Parsley $
Oregano $$
Basil  $$
Thyme $$
Bay Leaves $$
Paprika $$
Smoked Paprika $$$
Cumin $$
Cinnamon Sticks $$$
Onion Powder $
Garlic Powder $
Cayenne $$
Sea Salt or Kosher Salt $$
Whole Black Pepper $$
 

Stay tuned for dishes you can use a variety of these spices in……