Cold/gloomy days= chili for dinner

I spent all day cleaning and doing laundry in anticipation of my Aunt Beth, my cousin Danny (who is home for 3 weeks from Alaska) and my sister coming to visit for a few days. With a lot to do and the weather being crappy out I decided to make a pot of chili for dinner. I found a recipe from cooking light earlier in the week that looked good and it was spicy! (perfect for the guys)

• 6 ounces hot turkey Italian sausage 
• 2 cups chopped onion 
• 1 cup chopped green bell pepper 
• 8 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 pound ground sirloin
• 1 jalapeño pepper, chopped
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar $
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 1/4 cups Merlot or other fruity red wine 
• 2 (28-ounce) cans whole tomatoes, undrained and coarsely chopped
• 2 (15-ounce) cans kidney beans, drained 
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese

1. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Remove casings from sausage. Add sausage, onion, and the next 4 ingredients (onion through jalapeño) to pan; cook 8 minutes or until sausage and beef are browned, stirring to crumble.
2. Add chili powder and the next 7 ingredients (chili powder through bay leaves), and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in wine, tomatoes, and kidney beans; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
3. Uncover and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Discard the bay leaves. Sprinkle each serving with cheddar cheese.

• Calories: 375
• Calories from fat: 29%
• Fat: 12g
• Saturated fat: 4.6g
• Monounsaturated fat: 4.1g
• Polyunsaturated fat: 1.1g
• Protein: 28.9g
• Carbohydrate: 33.7g
• Fiber: 8.2g
• Cholesterol: 59mg
• Iron: 5mg
• Sodium: 969mg
• Calcium: 165mg 

I chopped everything up and added it to my dutch oven and let it simmer for an hour.

before cooking

after cooking

It made the house smell oh so yummy! And of course with chili you can't forget the cornbread so I whipped some up.

It turned out sweet and delicious! Since I haven't done any baking in a while and I have been meaning to make these pumpkin ale cupcakes for a few weeks I decided to whip up a batch!

Off to relax before the family comes tomorrow!!