A Very Merry Christmas

We began our holiday with an evening mass on Christmas Eve. The next day, I awoke to a stocking full of goodies and of course Eddie had many surprises for him also. Fortunately, my gift selections this year were a hit, including cuff links made from the original Yankee stadium seats. I love my Nook, watch, and single serve coffee maker. We decided to head out for a 4 mile Christmas run by the ocean, hopefully a new tradition. It was a perfect day with slightly overcast skies and nice cool breezes. Thanks to my slow cooker, we were able to enjoy a hot bowl of chili with fresh baked cornbread when we returned. Perfect after being outside. We have dinner reservations tonight at a hotel nearby where we'll enjoy a 3 course meal. A delicious ending to a great day.

Our tree looks a lot better this year. We're starting to get the hang of it.

Post Christmas Dinner

Our Christmas Day lunch - homemade spicy chili with cornbread

·        Prep: 15 min. Cook: 4 hours

· Yield: 8 Servings

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground extra lean turkey
• 1 hot chili peppers of your choice (optional)
• 1 can (16 ounces each) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1/2 green pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoonscider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoongarlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoondried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoonpepper(add more to taste)
• 1 can (14-16ox) diced tomatoes with green chilis
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper (Add more/less depending on your heat preference)
• 1 teaspoon hot pepper flakes (optional)
• 2 teaspoon salt
• ½ cup water

Directions

• In a large skillet, cook turkey over medium heat until no longer pink. Transfer to a slow cooker. Remove seeds from the chili peppers if desired; chop peppers. Add to the slow cooker. Stir in the beans, ½ tomato paste, onion, green pepper, seasonings and 2 diced tomatoes with juices.
• Cover and cook on low for 4 hours or until heated through, add water if needed to achieve desired thickness.
• When I made this on the weekend, I saved ½ the can of tomato paste and then added the ½ cup water when there were 20 minutes remaining so you can alter the thickness of the chili. If it's too dry, just add water. If it's too watery, add more paste.