My Tummy, It Is Happy

Sometimes I'm a pretty good cook. I'm also capable of being a pretty good hostess. And in those moments I am even capable of being *gasp* organized.

I know.

It surprises me too.

Nevertheless, it happens. So when a few weeks ago my darling mentee S. suggested we have a lunch group Harvest Potluck today (as in the Friday before Halloween, in case you're clueless--check the calendar!), somehow I was nominated as the official organizer of said lunch.

So I wrote the emails and kept track of who was bringing what and sent out reminders, and yesterday I hauled myself through Walmart (while keeping myself amused by texting Joe) and bought all the ingredients to make my fabulous and very harvesty Pumpkin Turkey Chili.

Before you start gagging, please believe me that this chili is AWESOME. And today even the doubters in my lunch group had to agree. This chili is so GOOD, TeacherMommy! they exclaimed, and they went back for more. Well, they didn't exactly call me TeacherMommy, but I'm not giving away my identity that easily.

(Though I realized while going through some old posts that I did once mention my actual last name. Hmm...)

Anywho, here's some pictures of what we ate (and ate and ate and ate), because I enjoy torturing you with visions of gastronomic delights:

The chili. Best served with cheddar and sour cream.

 

One end of the spread...

 

...and the other.

 

And of course, dessert.

And in case you are now salivating and would like to know how to make this really, really yummy, healthful, and (best of all) easy chili, here's the recipe:

TeacherMommy's Pumpkin Turkey Chili

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 
• 1 cup chopped onion 
• 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper 
• 1/2 cup chopped yellow bell pepper
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 2-3 cups chicken broth
• 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
• 2 cups pumpkin puree
• 1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can corn, drained
• 1 package McCormick’s chili seasoning
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 dash salt  

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat and saute the onion, green bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, and garlic until tender. Stir in the turkey and cook until evenly brown. Drain. Mix in chicken broth, tomatoes, pumpkin, beans, and corn. Season with seasoning packet, chili powder, pepper, and salt. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 20 minutes. Serve topped with Cheddar cheese and sour cream.

I made twice this amount and served about 12 people with some left over. I cooked it the night before, kept it in the refrigerator overnight, and then heated it back up in a crockpot the next morning. FABULOUS!