THE "ALMOST HOMEMADE" TURKEY CHILI RECIPE-GLUTEN AND LACTOSE FREE

We all like to think we are Paula Deen. You would be lying if you said you don't.

Whether you are a stay at home mom/dad, work full time, or even have two full time jobs and have kids, I think we would all like to think we are supermen/women in what we can accomplish for our families and those who depend on us in a single day.

The reality is; sometimes you do not have enough hours in the day to be an exemplary employee/mom/dad and a gourmet cook. This is where this recipe comes in handy! 30 minutes tops, and people will think you have slaved away over a hot stove just to make them this tasty meal. Chili is a comfort food, and good on a chilly fall day. Lean turkey meat makes it even healthier. Like my other recipes, this is completely gluten free and even lactose free. With a small amount of effort and some already made items, this is ready to go in a snap.

You will need:

• 2 packets of lean ground turkey
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 cup of "already made" pico de gallo
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 can of black beans
• 2 cups frozen corn
• 4 celery stalks
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 3 teaspoons paprika
• 3 tablespoons Gebhardt's Chili Powder (this is very important!)

1. Open up your two packets of turkey. Mix all of your dry spices in a bowl. Sprinkle those spices generously on both sides of the ground turkey.

2. Place your teaspoon of olive oil into a medium sized pot and turn on medium heat. Let it warm up for a few minutes.

3. Dump both seasoned turkey packets into the pot. Start breaking up the meat with a spatul. It will look like this:



4. Keep breaking up the meat and turning it over in the pot until the turkey is cooked through (should turn white and no pink should remain). If you keep doing that for a few minutes, it should look like this:

5. Once your tukey is completely cooked through, lower your heat setting to medium low on your stove. It is time to add your remaining ingredients. Slice up your celery in 1 inch bites, and drain the black beans and the diced tomatoes.

6. Dump into your pot the frozen corn, chopped celery, black beans, sliced tomatoes, and pico de gallo. Cover it with your pot lid and let it cook on low for about 10-15 minutes until thorough heated and ready for serving.

I'm going to let you all in on a little secret. The secret to many of my cooking successes:

This little bottle contains a powerful punch of flavor. It has enough kick to add some southwest smokiness to your dishes, but not so much that little ones or the faint at heart can't eat it.Very very flavorful. I can't say enough good things about Gebhardt Chili Powder. If I was on a remote desert island and could only pick one spice for the rest of my life to take with me, it would be this. We Texans have been using it since 1896.

Now you have a 30 minute meal that you can be proud of. You can even tell your family that you chopped everything by hand. Just remember to hide the evidence :)

Recipe-Yummy Slowcooker Gluten Free Stewed Ranch Beef, Potatoes, and Veggies

Something you should know about me is that I have to be more creative than the average cook when it comes to meals. I adhere to kosher dietary laws (well, let me specify; as kosher as I can get in West Texas). Not only that, but my fiance is lactose intolerant and gluten intolerant. This often makes for some interesting dishes as we are relatively limited in our food choices.

I cook a large amount of food on the weekends to last for all week, since I keep a full-time job and also have 2 Etsy shops that take up most of my time. This is by far one of my favorites.

You will need: 2 lbs beef stew meat, package of celery, 4 potatoes, package of mushrooms of your choice, package of ranch seasoning, package of onion soup mix, one medium onion, 2 cups baby carrots, butter, olive oil, salt, pepper, steak seasoning, one cup of water, one large crockpot

1. Turn the crockpot on low. Add about a teaspoon of olive oil in the bottom. Open the beef stew meat, sprinkle an ample amount of steak seasoning (I use Savory Steak by Red Monkey) and rub it in. Dump into the crockpot, then add the water.

2. Thoroughly wash the mushrooms and dump in crockpot over the meat. Sprinkle ranch seasoning (I used a Hidden Valley packet) and the onion soup mix (I used Lipton) over everything. Cover with the lid and cook for 3 hours on Low. Go watch an episode of Hoarders and get motivated to clean your bathroom.

3. After your meat has been simmering for 3 hours and your bathroom is clean, chop your celery and onions and get the two cups of sweet baby carrots ready.

4. Take your mixed vegetables and lay them on top of a sheet of aluminum foil. Place two teaspoons of margerine or butter (that may not seem healthy, but in Texas, that's how we like it ;) Wrap up the ends so that the vegetables are fully enclosed.

5. Thinly slice the potatoes so that they form pretty little circles. This is going to add the "oooooh...ahhhhh" factor later.

6. Wrap up the potatoes just like you did with the vegetables. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and a teaspoon of butter before closing up.

7. Place your wrapped vegetables on top of the stewed meat (you heard me: in the crockpot, on top of what's already cooking). Close of lid again and let it continue to cook on low for another 4 hours.

8. After the 7 hours is over, take out the wrapped foils and open them up. You should have some wonderful smelling tender vegetables ready to go. Also ready should be a wonderfully flavorful and tender stewed beef. What's even better, you can use the stewed juices later for future soups and cooking and even freeze them :O)

I pretty much spent about $40 for the whole thing, which is not bad for the weekend dinner/lunches for all week. Enjoy!