Chili Challenge

One of the things I love most about the fall is the change in what I cook. I love that I can use the oven again without making our apartment miserably hot, and I love to eat all of the hearty, delicious comfort food of the season. I think that the food that defines our family's fall eating habits is CHILI. There's not much in this world more satisfying than a big steaming bowl of chili and a cornbread muffin. Every year I search for more chili recipes in hopes of finding the best. I've got quite a stash, so I've decided to make it once a week this fall and share the recipes on my blog.

Here's my first recipe of the season. I made pinto bean chili with corn and winter squash on Friday. It was really easy and used my prefered method of cooking chili - the crock pot. It was a hit with Scott. Madeline tried a couple spoonfuls of the leftovers for lunch today. She thought it was more fun to smear it on the table than eat much of it. I enjoyed it - I thought the squash gave it a really interesting autumnal flavor. Also, I used black beans instead of pinto. Why? Because I had a pound of cooked black beans sitting in the fridge needing to be eaten.

Pinto Bean Chili with Corn and Winter Squash

2 1/2 cups peeled and cubed butternut squash

1 onion, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 Tbsp chili powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground cumin

2 16oz. cans pinto beans, drained

1 16oz. package frozen corn

1 15oz. can crushed tomatoes

1 4.5oz. can chopped green chilis

1 1/2 cups water

Combine all ingredients in slow cooker, cook on low for 8 hours. Or, if you start it too late like I did, cook on high for 2 hours, then on low for 6. Serve with lime wedges.

I'm always looking for more chili recipes, so if you have a good one feel free to email me and I'll try it one of these weeks.