turkey chili recipe | DesignLively

If there is any “rule” in my book to hosting a dinner party, it’s don’t make it too complicated!

What’s the point of preparing and hosting a get-together if you’re going to miss it all?

For our Lumberjack Party I knew I wanted a hearty menu to live up to the ruggedness of the theme. What’s a universal man meal? Meat and potatoes.

Lumberjack Menu: All Recipes/Links in this Post

Turkey Chili
White Chicken Chili
Baked Potatoes
Cheddar Jalapeno Cornbread
Maple Bacon Cupcakes
Maple Flapjacks Cupcakes
S’mores on a Stick

The best part of this menu? I made most of it 1-2 days before the party to minimize day-of preparation craze.

I made two pots of chili – a traditional tomato based chili with beans and ground turkey. I also made a white chili broth-base with chicken and cannellini beans.

Turkey Chili Recipe:

Ingredients:

3 lb ground turkey
2 large onions, diced
3 15oz cans kidney beans
2 15oz cans black beans
1 15oz can Mexicorn
60 oz diced tomatoes
30 oz tomato puree
30 oz water
3 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
5 tsp taco seasoning
4 T sugar
Tabasco to desired taste

Brown the turkey, garlic and onions first, then add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 45 minutes.

White Chicken Chili Recipe:

Modified from the Tennessee White Chili at FoodRepublic.com

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 large onions, diced
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1 1/2 pounds diced chicken breast
3 15-ounce cans cannellini beans
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 15oz can Mexicorn
1 15oz can black beans
1 container chicken broth, to desired consistency

Saute the chicken, garlic and onions first, then add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 45 minutes.

Baked Potatoes

Baked potatoes were the easy solution to the potato part of the meal. After I scrubbed some yellow potatoes, I wrapped them in aluminum foil. I cooked them on a cookie sheet at 300 degrees for 90 minutes.

Since I made the chili two days in advance, an hour before the party, I stuck the chili on the stove and the potatoes in the oven. Everything was self-serve.

I created a toppings bar on the sideboard of our dining room:

For the Toppings Bar

sour cream
shredded cheddar
chopped up bacon
black beans
diced chives
assortment of hot sauces.

Cornbread

I rounded out the meal with some Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread. I made Jiffy Cornbread, adding 2 de-seeded, diced jalapenos and 1/2 cup shredded cheddar per box of corn muffin mix. (For our party I made 3 boxes). Cook per box directions.

Beverages

I had several bottles of water on the table and several bottles of pop in the fridge. I also picked up some fun drinks: Maine Root Handcrafted Soda-Pop in Blueberry and Mandarin Orange (YUM! The Blueberry is my favorite. We discovered it at my cousin’s Maine wedding this summer!), Angry Orchard Ciders and some Summer Shandy (hopeful thinking – it’s almost summer, right?)

Maple Bacon Cupcakes

Recipe modified from The Fresh Fridge – for in-depth directions, check out her tutorial.

Maple Bacon Cupcake Batter: (This recipe yielded 24 cupcakes)

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoons ground ginger
1 stick unsalted butter, softened (I replaced 1 tb with bacon fat)
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup maple syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk

**NOTE: Keep an eye on these cupcakes while baking. I over-baked mine just a touch. Due to the maple sugar/brown sugar consistency it’s harder to tell when they are finished.

Maple Frosting:

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 stick (8 tbsp.) unsalted butter
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups sifted confectioner’s sugar

Candied Bacon

Fry bacon as usual in a frying pan – add brown sugar to pan while frying. Watch carefully to prevent burning. When finished separate bacon to dry and harden. I chopped into smaller pieces for the cupcake topper. I used 8 slices of bacon.

I sprinkled the tops of the cupcakes with cinnamon and plopped the cooled-down bacon on top.