New World Chili

This is a great soup, full of unexpected flavors.  It is also very convenient, because you can put it in your crock pot and forget about it until you're ready to eat.  The ingredients lend this dish more toward serving in the fall, but it's delicious any time of year.  Pair it with cornbread, hot out of the oven, and you are on your way to a whole new world of yumminess!!

Ingredients:
1 lb. turkey breast tenderloin, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 cup peeled, seeded and cubed butternut squash or pumpkin
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup frozen whole kernel corn
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1 clove garlic, minced
   chicken broth
2 cups baby spinach
4 oz. Monterey Jack cheese with jalapeno peppers, shredded (1 cup)

Directions:
In a 5-quart slow cooker combine turkey, undrained tomatoes, beans, tomato sauce, squash, onion, the 1/2 cup chicken broth, corn, cranberries, jalapeno pepper, chili powder, and garlic.  Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 10-12 hours or on high-setting for 5-6 hours.  If desired, stir in additional broth to reach desired consistency.  Stir in spinach just before serving.  Sprinkle each serving with cheese.

Snow Cream

The snow has brought with it many wonderful memories, both past and present.  One of these memories is the making and eating of snow cream.  I remember my grandmother making this for me when I was a young girl, growing up in Tennessee.  It always seemed so magical that she could change that beautiful, crystalline substance, that silently fell from the sky, into something that tasted so sweet and delicious in the bowl.  It seemed only right to share this wintertime right of passage with my children and now with you.

Ingredients:
1 cup of evaporated milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
8 cups of fresh snow

Directions:
Mix the evaportated milk, sugar and vanilla together until the sugar dissolves.  Then mix with 8 cups of snow, adding 1 cup of snow at a time.  Mix until you get a thick consistency.