Pantry Chicken Chili

I love chili. I think it is one of the perfect foods. I love the fact that it is a one pot meal and it freezes really well. It can be made relatively cheaply and cheese makes it even better. Cheese makes most things better, but especially chili. I decided that I wanted to make a chili for the new year, but I didn't want to go store; I wanted to make a chili with what I had. I usually have black beans on hand (they may be the perfect food). I had a some tomatoes and a pepper and I definitely had some frozen chicken. Again, I don't have exact measurements on things, but I will give you a list of what I scrounged to throw in the chili.

Ingredients:
3 pieces of Grilled Chicken (with no salt magic seasoning blend of spices) cut into squares
4 cans 16oz black beans, rinsed (I really like black beans)
1 large can diced tomatoes
1 onion, diced
6 cloves garlic, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (chopped)
additional herbs and spices, including smoked paprika, cracked red pepper, black pepper, salt, cayenne pepper, and cumin; couple of teaspoons of hot sauce

Prep everything above. While the chicken is grilling, I usually prep everything else. I separate each food into piles, and put them in the order they are supposed to go into the pot (I may be a little bit ocd...)

Chicken cut up into little pieces

Sausage, White Bean and Kale Soup

Sausage, White Bean, and Kale Soup is one of my favorite soups to make. It is thick and stew-like, healthy and quite filling. It is a perfect soup to take to work for lunch and freezes really well. The soup is based off a recipe from Rachael Ray's magazine a few months back. Although I don't have exact measurements, since I kind of wing it, I will write out approximates for this soup. 

Sausage, White Bean, and Kale Soup

4 cans of low sodium White Beans

1 bunch of Kale

10-15 Baby Bella Mushrooms, diced

1 red onion, diced

5 turkey sausages (I prefer Hot) 

4 cloves of garlic, diced

4 cups low sodium chicken stock (add more water as necessary)

1 cup whole wheat (mini) shells pasta

2 tablespoons of flour (more may be necessary)

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon herbes de provence

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cracked red pepper (optional)

1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika (optional)

I usually start by prepping everything. I like to chop and dice all the things I will need for the soup. 

My First Thanksgiving

I am hosting my first Thanksgiving this year and I am surprisingly relaxing about the whole endeavor. Food and cooking is kind of a sanctuary for me, and to be able to share this with friends (my Chicago family) makes me extremely happy. There will be between 6 and 10 people at my house tomorrow, a tight squeeze but cozy.

On the menu for our holiday extravaganza: