Hot Suppa!

It is Winter in the Village.........brrrrrrrrrrrr...........
The Maine House is warm, and cooking up some comfort food. The darlings have flown south for the winter months. We shall be warm and toasty by the fire with the aromas of chili on the stove and cornbread in the oven. Please come join us for a winter comfort food dinner!

For chili lovers, behold your season and please pass the crackers and the cornbread! Every family has their own personal family favorites...Estelle's loves all the comments that make THEIR FAMILY FAVORITES the best recipe ever!!!!!


Nothing says welcome on a cold winter night more than the fragrance of a pot of chili simmering on the stove. While the chili flavoring remains a universal, other ingredients vary from ground beef to chunks of white meat chicken, beans or no beans, and, in most recipes, some form of tomatoes.


A call to Max Bauman, son of  " The News" ever-so-popular "Farm and Fancy" columnist, Jane Bauman, produced Jane's recipe, along with anecdotes. (See Max's comments enclosed in parentheses.)

"This recipe was printed on the blank side of a Christmas card," Max wrote. "Mom dated the recipe Jan. 1, 1994." His mother always liked to date everything that she wrote down, including her recipes (and she sometimes noted what she was doing at the time and what the weather was like).  At the top of the recipe card, she printed, "Matt and Max said this was the best chili I ever made. So, since I made changes from the old recipe, I had better copy it (during the Rose Bowl parade) before I forget it." She used a large, heavy cast aluminum cooking pot with a perfect fitting lid!


This chili just has lots of flavor without being hot (of course Matt added hot sauce to his bowl). I've never used poblano chiles before but I really loved its mild taste. For the corn we used MN sweet corn that I had frozen when it was in season last year. Really, it had the most incredible sweetness & crispness that played well with the other more savory seasonings.You can serve this chili with any of your favorite toppings. Matt liked it with some mild grated cheese, like Monterey Jack. I liked it with a scoop of plain yogurt (my substitute for sour cream) because it added just a touch of tartness.


Very VERY good! This soup was so easy to make and wonderful with some crusty warm bread. Perfect weeknight dinner! The fresh cilantro added the perfect touch.

Turkey Black Bean and Corn Chili
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 pound ground turkey
1 large onion, chopped
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves, crushed
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 3/4 cups  Chicken Broth
1 cup Chunky Salsa
1 tablespoon sugar
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (16 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained


Heat the oil in a 4-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the turkey, onion, chili powder, cumin, oregano, black pepper and garlic powder. Cook until turkey is well browned, stirring frequently to break up meat. Stir the broth, salsa, sugar, beans and corn into the saucepan. Heat to a boil. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 30 minutes. Stir the chili occasionally while cooking.

Chicken and Black Bean Corn Chili
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, cut in 1-inch cubes
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
4 teaspoons Chili Powder
2 teaspoons Cumin, Ground
1 teaspoon  Garlic Powder
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 can (15 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (15 ounces) great Northern beans, undrained
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (8 3/4 ounces) whole kernel corn, drained
1/2 teaspoon salt


 Heat oil in large skillet on medium-high heat. Add chicken, bell pepper and onion; cook and stir 7 to 8 minutes or until lightly browned.
 Heat small nonstick skillet on medium heat 2 minutes. Add chili powder, cumin and garlic; toast 30 seconds or until aromatic, stirring constantly. Add to chicken mixture.
 Stir in remaining ingredients. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer 20 minutes.

Miss Judy called me the other day and said, "Miss Connie brought me her version of chili and let me tell you, I will have to send you her recipe....it is one of the most delicious chili's I have ever tasted. It has black beans in it which I really don't care for, but I am definitely making her recipe this weekend!" Connie is this precious and feisty silver fox who lives with her kitty, Dorothy and her adopted love bug, Molly, who is her greyhound puppy in Florida.

Connie's Black Bean & Corn Chili
1 to 1 1/2 lb ground sirloin (cook and drain)
 1 can Rotel tomatoes with chiles (drain)
1 cup diced celery (saute in oil and drain)
1 cup diced onion (saute in oil and drain)
 1 small pkg frozen corn
 1 can tomato bisque soup
1 can tomato soup
1 can black beans (drain)
 Add 1 cup of water ; cook till heated through.
Stir occasionally. Add 1 pkg chili seasoning mix.

"Winter is the time for comfort,

 for good food and warmth,

 for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire:

it is the time for home." Edith Sitwell