I'm A Broken Record + A Fall Recipe

This weather!!! I'm in love and I think you all know it (maybe you're ready for me to stop fawning about it), but I can't help it. There's something special about a day that doesn't get out of the seventies and even better if it lingers in the sixties, but I'll wait for the latter until fall is officially here. 

Any who, my main point in bringing the weather back up is how it has affected my meal planning. It's hard to eat summery foods when there's a cool breeze blowing through my home. I want hot and hearty meals these days to equal out these uncommonly cool summer temperatures. And accordingly, this week has been all about the slower cooker, which has been stored away in my cabinets for far too long (think February). 

I have so loved using it again, not just because it makes dinner so quick and easy, but because sometimes the best meals come from slowly simmering all day. Tuesday night, husband and I were inspired by our fall-like days and made a healthy fall-like chili. It was so healthy you couldn't even taste it, really that's how delicious it was. And paired with sweet, yellow corn muffins...oh my word was I in food heaven. (A salty thing must always have a sweet counterpart; this is very much my motto at every meal!) 

Plus, this recipe is super quick and only dirties one pan (a kitchen miracle!)

• What You'll Need:
• 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
• 15 oz. can tomato sauce
• Two 5.5. fl. oz V8 low sodium vegetable juice
• 1 can black beans
• 1 can red beans (not to be confused with Northern beans)
• 4 oz. can chopped green chilies
• 1 small bag of frozen corn (add as much or as little of it as you like; I used the whole bag!)
• 1 lb. turkey burger
• 1 small onion
• 2.5 heaping TBSP chili powder
• 1/2 TSP garlic salt
• 1/4 TSP onion powder
• 1/4 TSP salt
• 1/4 TSP cumin
• Shredded cheddar cheese (for topping)
• Thinly slice shallots (for topping)
• Sour cream (for topping)

• What You'll Do:
• Chop the onion up and sauté in very little olive oil; when they start to become translucent, add the turkey burger and cook until done.
• In the meantime, add all of the other ingredients into the Crock-Pot. 
• Once the turkey burger and onion is cooked, add to the Crock-Pot. Stir well.
• Set the Crock-Pot on high for 4 hours. 
• Top the chili with shredded cheddar cheese, sliced shallots, and sour cream!

For cornbread muffins, I go with Martha White's yellow cornbread mix; you'll just need 1/2 cup of milk and one egg. Instead of baking it in a 9x9 dish, I use muffin tins and bake them for 12 minutes. A slice of butter tucked into their middle and you're golden! I also insist you wear some type of flannel pajamas while eating this chili, because it just seems so appropriate! 

Happy fall....umm summer!