I’ve posted this chili once before (and just updated the pictures because oh my gosh were they terrible), but it definitely deserves a re-post. Especially this time of year, when it’s cold and snowy and the superbowl is right around the corner. (What is it about chili that makes it such a good football food? I couldn’t come up with anything, but when I asked Mike he came up with 4-5 different reasons. Maybe it’s because he actually watches football.)  We love this chili. And even though I’ve never eaten it while watching football, I think that you should.

Things that I love about this chili:

1. Chipotle Seasoning – One of my favorite flavors, this seasoning gives the chili a great smoky flavor and a spicy kick!
2. It’s made with ground turkey! That makes it healthy, right?
3. It is incredibly simple to make – a 30 minute meal.  I was telling Mike how I made it and he said “wow, I could even make that.” True, but I don’t think we’ll be seeing it anytime soon.
4. Black beans – I don’t like kidney beans at all, so any chili that calls for black beans immediately gets a higher rating in my book. And the corn.  I know there are different ideas out there about corn in chili, but in this chili it just seems to work.
5. It seriously tastes amazing. Serve it with some cheese, sour cream and tortilla chips, and I can’t get enough of this stuff!

p.s. For a great cornbread recipe to go with your chili, check out the original chili and cornbread post! Definitely the best cornbread I’ve had!

Chipotle Turkey Chili

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground turkey
1 small onion chopped
2-3 stalks of celery chopped
2 pablano peppers chopped
2 cloves of garlic smashed and minced
1 teaspoon dried chipotle pepper
1 tablespoon chili powder or to taste
½ teaspoon ground cumin
1 packet of chili seasoning mix
Salt and pepper to taste
1 can (12 oz.) crushed tomatoes
2-3 cups chicken stock
2 cans of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can of corn, drained or about 2 cups of frozen corn
sour cream and cheese for topping

Directions:

Heat a large soup pot to medium-high. Add ground meat and a little salt and pepper (and a little oil if using all white meat) and cook, stirring and breaking up, until there are no pink spots left in meat (about 5-8 minutes). Remove meat to a bowl or platter. In the same pot add the onion, celery, pepper, garlic and a little more salt and pepper. Lower the heat to medium and cook until translucent (about 5 minutes). Add the meat back in. Then add the chili seasoning mix, chili powder, cumin, and the dried chipotle pepper. Stir all ingredients until blended. Add the can of crushed tomatoes and stir. Add chicken stock to desired consistency. Bring to a simmer; cook about 10 minutes, then taste. Add a few dashes of chili powder and/or salt if needed. Add the canned beans and corn. Simmer for 5 more minutes. Serve in a bowl or mug with sour cream and cheese on top and tortilla chips on the side.

from Ellen Swaney

I have a confession. I have a fear of cooking seafood. It’s sad but true. If you look back at the history of this blog you will find zero (zero!) seafood recipes. Can anyone else relate? I mean there are so many intimidating questions – Where do you buy good seafood? What type should you buy? How do you cook it? How can you tell if it’s done? My seafood world has been filled with fear, but I’m here to say that I’m tired of it. What good is a food blog if it doesn’t force me to stretch outside of my cooking comfort zone and try something new? And so I took the seafood plunge. The result? A warm, creamy and delicious salmon chowder. And rest assured – if I can do it, you can too!

The secret to overcoming my fear of salmon was Alaska Seafood. When Foodbuzz (my ad network) asked if I wanted to try some seafood from Alaska, I jumped at the chance. This stuff is a fearful cooker’s dream! Alaska Seafood is a marketing board that represents Alaska’s sustainable seafood industry, so you know you’re getting a quality product. It takes some of the guesswork out of buying fish. And best of all, no there were no scales – at least on the salmon I received! (I am completely grossed out by fish scales; yes I’m a wimp) It’s easy to cook – you can grill it, saute it, broil it, pan-fry it, etc, and you don’t even have to thaw it! Actually, it was so easy that Mike helped me cook it! 🙂

Yes, this is in fact the first thing Mike has cooked in months (years?). Let that fill you with hope –  you can’t go wrong. p.s. isn’t he cute??

Now, on to the recipe. This is a recipe with a history. Mike’s coworker sent me this recipe for salmon chowder months ago. It’s one of her family’s favorites, and she thought we would enjoy it as well. I thought it sounded great – I love the idea of salmon chowder, and Mike was really excited to try it. Just one problem – I had no idea how to cook salmon! So I didn’t make it. For months I let it sit in my inbox, where it continued to make me feel guilty for letting fear keep me from trying a great new recipe.

Well, let me tell you, this recipe was worth the wait. We loved it! I made it on the first “fall-ish” day  of the year, and it was so nice to sit out on our porch on a cool evening and enjoy a bowl of steaming hot chowder!  Ambiance aside, this soup is delicious. It’s thick and creamy without being too rich, and it has enough vegetables that I was able to fool myself into thinking it’s healthy. I made a few changes to the recipe based on personal taste and to make sure I could utilize the convenience of my frozen salmon. I think you could make any number of variations to this recipe and still have it turn out great. And best of all, I have increased confidence in the realm of seafood. Well, at least in the realm of salmon. What’s next…shrimp? scallops? lobster??? The sky’s the limit 🙂

Adirondack Salmon Chowder

Ingredients:

2 cups chicken broth
½ cup chopped onion
½ cup diced celery
2 cups diced carrots
1½-2 cups diced potatoes
2 Bay Leaves
1½-2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon old bay seasoning
1 teaspoon parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried dill weed
½ stick butter
1/3 cup flour
1 qt. (4 cups) milk
1 teaspoon cornstarch
6 slices bacon, cooked and diced
1 - 1 1/2 lbs frozen Alaska Salmon (not thawed)
1 cup frozen corn
1 12 oz. pkg. Cream cheese

Directions:

To cook the salmon: Heat a heavy nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Brush both sides of the fish with canola oil. Place fish in the heated pan (skin side up if the skin is still on). Cook uncovered 3-4 minutes or until browned. Turn the fish over, season with salt and pepper, and cover the skillet. Reduce the heat to medium and cook 6 more minutes. Let salmon cool on a plate, then flake apart into bite sized pieces. Set aside.

Simmer chicken broth, onion, carrots, celery, potatoes, bay leaves and other seasonings for 15-20 minutes in a covered medium saucepan, until vegetables are soft.

Heat milk in microwave for 2 minutes. In a separate large-sized stockpot, melt butter then add flour and pepper. Cook together for a couple of minutes, then whisk in warmed milk. Stir and heat together on medium-high heat until the mixture starts to thicken slightly, being careful not to let the it boil. In a small bowl, mix 1 tsp cornstarch with a little bit of water to create a slurry. Add to the pot and allow to thicken slightly.

Remove the bay leaves from the chicken broth and add the chicken broth and vegetables into the milk mixture.

Stir in corn, bacon, salmon, and cream cheese. Cook on medium, stirring frequently until heated through and cheese has completely melted. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary.

from Mike's coworker Allison, adapted from Musky Bob's Adirondack Series

*Note: I received Wild Alaska Seafood from Foodbuzz expressly for this post. I was not compensated in any other way for this post, and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is a great summer salad.  It’s fresh and unique, and the combination of summer vegetables is delicious. We had a family cookout last weekend and I was assigned a salad. Someone else was already bringing a veggie tray, so I knew I wanted something other than a traditional lettuce salad. I’m usually terrible with salad ideas, so I turned to twitter for suggestions. Maria came through once again with her recipe for sweet corn salad. This colorful salad was the perfect addition to our cookout and everyone seemed to really like it. It would be a great side dish to pretty much any summer meal, and it’s a great contribution to a potluck. Enjoy it while the summer produce is fresh and delicous!

Sweet Corn Salad

Ingredients:

3 ears sweet corn, husks removed
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1/4 red onion, chopped
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
1 small jalapeno, diced, seeds removed
Juice of 1 lime
4 oz fresh mozzarella cheese, cubed
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

In a large pot, bring water to a boil. Add the sweet corn to the boiling water and cook for 2-3 minutes. Remove from water and let cool. Remove the corn kernels with a knife and discard the ears.

In a large bowl, add the tomatoes, red pepper, red onion, cilantro, and jalapeno. Stir in the sweet corn. Add the juice of half of the lime, salt and pepper and stir again. Taste and adjust lime juice/seasonings as necessary Gently stir in the fresh mozzarella. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod