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Cooking Class is a hit!

I had put it off too long... way too long.  It's been two years in coming... I planned, started and stopped the series of cooking classes I wanted to share with whoever wanted to learn... now after many, many months of umming and ahhhhhing,  I'm very happy to announce that our "Whats For Dinner" cooking group is on it's 4th class tonight (Thursday).

Here's pix of the first night (9/22/11):






I promise to get better at making sure everyone receives the recipes either as they stagger out the door at whatever un-godly hour we wrap it up, or email the day after each class.
Promise.



A side note before I get right into the meat and potatoes of it all (cue husband's eye-roll) It's with a heavy heart I express the sadness felt by the loss of two iconic folks in the past couple of days... one we didn't know personally but was intuitive to our needs and made it easier for all of us to connect to one another;


...and one we did know and who will be horribly missed every day...




 ... it really makes me ask myself "am I living life to the absolute fullest each and every day?"  Now I'm not talking about partying like a Viking every night (thank you Renee)... I'm talking about really enjoying the day; take the time to reflect and improve, and be the best me.



 I don't know how many times I've said "oh gosh, I just don't have time to...(fill in the blank)".  Really? What is it I'm in such a huge hurry to get too?  I now stop and give the pups extra scratches behind the ears and just one more chicken treat; I REALLY look at the mountains around my home, especially after the rain when the clouds are still hanging low and there's a rainbow;




I make sure we have fresh oranges and bitters so I can mull a lovely Old Fashion for my brilliant husband while holds up in his man-cave and either writes the next hit TV series or kills zombies. I can go back and think about how many times I should have taken MORE time, but we can't change the "what if's"... we can only be present in the now and make it the best "now" we can.

Okay, enough of all that...  tonight I thought I would share the Turkey Chili recipe with our cooking class ... maybe throw in the Bacon/Cheddar biscuit recipe too!  Why not, right? Delicious! So for those of you who can 't make it to Shadow Hills tonight, I give you the Turkey Chili Recipe !


Turkey Chili



Ingredients

•   1/4 cup olive oil, divided
•   3 cups chopped yellow onions
•   3/4 cup diced red bell pepper
•   3/4 cup diced green bell pepper
•   2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
•   1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
•   3 pounds ground turkey
•   1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro stems
•   2 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
•   2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
•   2 teaspoons ground cumin
•   1 1/2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
•   3/4 teaspoon crumbled Mexican oregano
•   1/2 teaspoon sugar
•   1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
•   1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes with their juices
•   1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
•   6 cups chicken broth
•   1 1/2 cups cooked and drained kidney beans
•   1 1/2 cups cooked and drained black beans
•   1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro leaves
(Grandma Deller would add one dark ale to this recipe so naturally, so do I! )

Directions


Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a 4 quart large, heavy saucepan and, when hot, add the onions and both the red and green bell peppers and cook until vegetables are soft and lightly caramelized, about 6 minutes. Add the jalapenos and garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and the turkey, cilantro stems, chili powder, cocoa powder, cumin, salt, oregano, sugar, and crushed red pepper and cook, stirring to break up any lumps, until the turkey is cooked through and the spices are very fragrant, about 6 minutes. Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Add the kidney beens, dark ale and black beans and cook until the flavors come together and the chili has thickened, about 30 minutes longer. Add the cilantro, remove from the heat and let sit for 10 minutes before serving.  Server in bowls with some shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream (if you like it!).

I'll post photos from tonight's class on our Facebook page under the Group "What's For Dinner?"  Thanks for reading!




Location: Shadow Hills, Los Angeles, CA, USA

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