Lazy Cooking

"I'm pretty sure that if it has the word 'casserole' in it, I know how to make it." -My Younger Sister

While I can prepare a variety of dishes, I am often too tired or lazy or busy knitting and watching old episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer on Netflix to make something that requires constant attention. I love risotto as much as the next girl, but standing in front of a stove for as long as an hour and a half stirring and cooking and adding and fretting is for the birds, and I'm too much of a purist to cheat with orzo or rice-a-roni. Tonight is one of those nights, and I have no excuse. All I accomplished today were trips to Target and Old Navy for hair products and new work clothes. The rest of my day has been spent reading books and surfing the 'net. So if there's any day in which I should be making something impressive and complicated, it's today.

But I don't wanna.

So I'm not gonna. On tonight's menu is white chili. It's a pretty simple dish, all told, as most chilis are.

Ingredients:

• olive oil
• 1 medium white onion
• 1 pound of ground turkey OR one package of MorningStar Grillers if you're vegetarian
• 1 large bottle Tiger Sauce (or whatever spicy marinade you prefer)
• 4 cans Great Northern white beans
• garlic powder
• Lawry's Seasoning Salt
• black pepper
• cayenne pepper
• sour cream
• tortilla chips

Directions:

• Chop onion. Heat enough olive oil to coat the bottom of a non-stick pan over medium.
• Saute onion and turkey until onions are soft and turkey is cooked through. If using MorningStar, cook until onions are soft and fake-meat isn't frozen anymore.
• Add Tiger Sauce and 1-2 tablespoons of garlic powder and Lawry's. Saute for 2-3 more minutes, or until powder and sauce have been absorbed by the meat/fake meat and onions.
• Add undrained beans to mixture. You may or may not want to add water here, if you prefer your chili to be runny. Bring up to temperature, then reduce heat to simmer.
• Simmer 1-2 hours, adding black and cayenne pepper to taste.
• Serve with sour cream and tortilla chips.

Pretty easy, yes? That's why I'm a fan. It helps that it's one of Matt's favorite dishes (figures: he's more impressed by the fifteen-minutes-of-prep chili than the aforementioned complicated risotto). Also, since most of the action happens in one pan, cleanup is minimal.

Props go to my mom, whose recipe this is.

Now that this post is done, I'm off to watch last night's episodes of Bones and Grey's Anatomy. Try not to judge me.