Recipe of the Week: Modified Halftime Chili

I am a heavy sleeper. Like, sleep-through-an-earthquake-or-typhoon-or-symphony-of-howling-wolves heavy sleeper. My mother is actually pretty concerned that someday a tornado will strike and I'll miss the siren and sleep through the whole thing, but the fact that my bedroom is in the basement eases her nerves a little. This morning, I was woken up early by the sound of my roommates talking upstairs in the kitchen. My alarm wasn't set to go off for another hour, but Rose tends to go to work much earlier than the rest of us, so it wasn't unusual for her to be moving around in the still-dark morning hours (except that I usually sleep through it). For some reason, I immediately thought to myself, "Oh man, it must have snowed overnight and that’s why Rose is up so early...to shovel the driveway." Then I promptly rolled back over and went to sleep, totally forgetting that it’s only the second day of October. It was pretty cold in my room, so maybe that’s why I thought it had snowed? Golly, who knows. I’m probably just crazy.

But that is a good (sort of) transition into my Recipe of the Week, because EVERYONE knows that beans beans are good for your heart, and chili is a yummy dish for both chilly fall and frigid winter, no matter what season your sleep-befuddled mind believes it is at 6 o'clock in the morning. This particular recipe has been through the works...it started off here (and won some awards and stuff) and then my friend and LOST-compatriot Maren modified it a bit, so below is the recipe including its modifications. Because I like it that way. And I WILL like it that way for the next five years, since that's how long it'll take to eat it all (you think I exaggerate, but you are WRONG in this case, just come over and look in my freezer).

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
8 large garlic cloves, chopped
2 lbs. ground turkey
1 1/4 lbs. hot Italian sausage
5 tablespoons chili powder (add extra for more spice)
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
28-ounce can crushed tomatoes with added puree
14 1/2-ounce can low-salt chicken broth
12-ounce bottle beer (Guinness Stout or something else dark)
6-ounce can tomato paste
16-ounce can chili beans
16-ounce can pinto beans
16-ounce can black beans (chipotle seasoned)
A couple squares of Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate
2 tablespoons corn meal
1/4 can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped
Cayenne pepper to taste

Instructions:
Heat oil in heavy large Dutch oven (which to me means "big pot") over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic. Sauté until onions are translucent, about 8 minutes. Add chuck and sausage and sauté until brown, breaking up meat with back of spoon, about 5 minutes. Add chili powder, cumin, basil, oregano and thyme. Stir 2 minutes. Add cayenne pepper to taste. Mix in crushed tomatoes, chicken broth, beer, tomato paste, and chipotle peppers. Simmer until thickened to desired consistency, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Mix in beans and a few chocolate squares. Simmer 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 3 days ahead. Refrigerate until cold, then cover. Rewarm over low heat before serving.)

My Own Improvements:
-This is where I need to admit that I am HORRIBLE at reading directions sometimes. My eyes just like to skip ahead, and then my brain forgets things I've already read, and then disasters occur. Thankfully, there were no exploding pots of chili on this occasion (my OCD inner-demon would have made me bleach everything in the dang kitchen). But I did add the beans and chocolate before I allowed everything to simmer for an hour. I know, SACRILEGE! I had visions of pinto, chili, and black beans being hurled like fireworks out of the pot, dropping like tiny bombs of messiness all over the countertops and kitchen floor. But everything turned out a-okay instead. PHEW!
-Also, maybe there is another way to do this, but I bought Italian sausage that looked like sausage. Like, in link form. I tried to cut an uncooked one into pieces, and it fell apart and nearly turned me off of sausage/brats/hot dogs forever (which would have been a tragedy). So instead, I threw those sausages in a skillet with a little olive oil (because it was nearby) until I could cut through them without ruining my love of processed meat. They were still a smidge pink on the inside, but they finished cooking in the pot. Oh sorry, the Dutch Oven, as I now call my big pot, which is probably big enough to cook babies in.
-Use whatever dang beans you want. Amount of meat can also be adjusted or eliminated completely.
-Other than that, the only thing I can add to the recipe is that you may enjoy your chili with sour cream or a little shredded cheese, so feel free to throw that in there too! Corn bread is also delicious! And there is a recipe for that on the back of the corn meal container, you lazy bum.
-The spices can probably be played with a bit, since there are about a frillion of them. (Hint: if your grocery has a Mexican section, as Giant Eagle does, buy your spices there! They are SO much cheaper than in the McCormick Expensive Seasoning Section!)