Deer Chili(and some random thoughts)

Those of you who come from a background similar to mine know that it's deer season. And it's this time of year that you switch from the usual ground beef, pot roasts and steaks to ground deer burger, venison, and deer roast. Deer can be a bit tricky to cook since it tastes a little more game-y than regular beef. Easily fixed as long as you know what to do with it. It's not like burger you can just throw on a grill or a steak you broil. It needs to be seasoned and/or mixed with other meats because it is very lean. So I made my first crock pot of deer chili and here's the recipe I used.

1 lb of ground deer
1 packet chili mix
3 tbsp of chili powder
2 tbsp cayenne pepper
1 can of stewed tomatoes
1 can of black beans
1 small white onion
1 tbsp of garlic
1 tbsp of fresh ground black pepper
1/2 tbsp os sea salt
and a dash of Worcestershire sauce.

Now, I love my crock pot and I am a firm believer in not having to cook anything before it goes into said crockpot. So I actually started the chili last night. Let it cook on low until this afternoon and it switched to warm(it has a timer). Served tonight and the husband loved it, as did I.

Random thoughts,
My extension got kicked back because it was the wrong format. NBD. It got redone at drill weekend and has been resubmitted. Apparently they're not worried that I'm less than 60 days from my ETS(the day I get out). *insert nervous laugh*

We played volleyball tonight. It was MUCH more fun this week. "All-Star" seems to have quit, as we guessed, along with our "captain" who broke her wrist. We got 3 new girls all of which are super nice, know pretty much what they're doing and our communication vastly improved. I look forward to the rest of the season now.

I think I've convinced IG to turn our hallway closet into a pantry. My friend Em's pantry looks about the size of our closet so I want to mimic hers. That's what I'm asking for for Christmas! :)

Turkey Crockpot Chili!

Chili in the summer is kind of weird, but still fabulously delicious. After the following conversation, the husband admitted my chili was good. This is a huge accomplishment for two reasons. 1) He almost always makes the chili. 2) He rarely tells me anything is good. The normal response is "It's ok." because he has lost about 80-90% of his sense of taste and smell. So for him to say "It's pretty good!" Is like winning an award. The convo we had was....

Husband: Well it looks like chili
Me: Smells like chili
Husband: But it can't be chili
Me: Why? Because I made it?
Husband: No. But you used that ground turkey stuff instead of hamburger.

So, I completely winged this recipe but it turned out really well. Should be fairly low points since I kinda went off a WW recipe found on www.skinnytaste.com

First I browned some ground turkey.
Then in the crock pot I added...

1 can of whole kernel corn(undrained)
1 can of whole tomatoes(undrained)
1 can of tomato paste
1 can of pinto beans(undrained)
1 can of black beans(undrained)
1 small can of mushrooms
1/2 C of fresh chopped cilantro
1 ea. chopped red, green, yellow and orange bell peppers

Then I added the meat. Stirred everything together and added the spices. Now when it comes to spices, I know how we like things(spicy and lots of flavor) so I go off the taste but here are my approximate measurements.

1 tbsp Adobo salt
2 tbsp taco seasoning
2 tbsp Chili powder
1 tbsp of ground cayenne pepper
1 tbsp of black pepper

Cook in crock pot on low for 8-10 hours then switch to warm. Or high for 6 hours.

My theory is as long as you know your audience, you can pretty much throw anything together. Start off with a little bit of spices then as it cooks, take a taste. A little bland? Add a bit more. It's all about your personal taste and experimentation. :)