Let Me Help a Sister Out.

Each weekend Logan and I cook a couple new dishes to enjoy throughout the week. We're wild and crazy like that. Plus it passes the time while we wait for his daddy to walk through the door and take us skiing or something.

Last week we made the delicious breakfast casserole that I shared with you. While our mornings weren't completely stress free, they were easier because I didn't have to worry about breakfast. It was already done.

That's not to say there wasn't any drama in the morning. Especially when Logan learned about Brett Favre's retirement and our morning sounded like this: "Whyyyy can't I have a Packers jerseeeeeey." But anyway.

In addition to the breakfast dish, we also made the.best.thing.ever. I like to call it a Little Taste of Heaven. But it's really just Turkey Chili Cornbread Casserole. Could you just cry reading that? I know! Me too.

If you're a mom who works outside the home like Miss Amy, you will want to drive through the snow to Traverse City and give me a hug of gratitude. Because, sister, it warms up so nice and yummy and you'll sit in your office eating this for lunch while reading people.com and feel oh. so good.

If you're like my girl Nester and stay home with your kids, you'll want to pack those twerps up in the back of your mini van and come to my house and snuggle me too. You might even ask if we can braid each other's hair and be BFF's. Because when you put those babies down for their naps and heat this bad boy up, it will be an escape to someplace delightful. A place that doesn't include diapers and dishes and a Nascar Room.

Or, if you're a chiropractic-practicing, home-school-teaching, politics- and-health blogging kind of mom like the Good Doctor M, you will cry like a baby and offer up a thanks of praise in my name.

You're getting a bit impatient with me, aren't you? Are you ready for it? It's really easy. At least when I make it because I take a little shortcut or two. I'm nothing if not a lazy cook.

Here's what you need, and you probably have it all in your pantry and fridge right now. Except for the cute, smart-mouthed kid. He's in my pantry.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon vegetable oil, plus additional for ramekins
1-1/2 pounds ground turkey
2 cups coarsely chopped onion
2-1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
1 can (28 oz.) crushed tomatoes in thick puree
1 box (10 oz.) frozen corn

1 can (15.5 oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained
Cornbread (This is where I cheated. Instead of making the cornbread from scratch, I used my Jiffy Cornbread Muffin Mix. You do whatever you want. )

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degree F and lightly oil 8 ovenproof ramekins (about 2-cup capacity) or glass dishes. (I did 3 ramekins and put the rest in a casserole dish)

2. Heat oil in a 5-quart pot over moderately high heat. Add turkey and cook, breaking up with a spoon, until no longer pink. Transfer turkey with a slotted spoon to a bowl, leaving fat in pot. Add onion to pot and cook, stirring, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add chili powder and garlic; cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add tomatoes with puree, corn, and turkey; simmer, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes. Remove pan from heat and stir in beans; salt and pepper to taste.

3. Prepare your cornbread. Do not bake it.

4. Spoon about 1 cup chili into each prepared ramekin and evenly top with a spoonful of corn bread butter. Bake on a sheet pan in middle of oven until corn bread is golden brown and chili is bubbling, about 25 minutes. Makes 8 servings.

Oh, one more thing! The pretty Valarie Lea tagged us this week. I have to choose the book that is closest to me and turn to page #123. Go down five lines and then post the following three lines. So, for your reading pleasure:

"...though more secret agent than crack utility worker. His own father was a meter reader and had been in the hospital four times with dog bites. He had two shiny scars on the calf of one leg and..."




And now I am tagging The Cool Chicks and Saint Seester. And as an added bonus Bringing Up Mary (and it must be told from Mary's perspective!).

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