Turkey and Three Bean Chili

I love making chili on a cold winter's day. It's warming, hearty, healthy, and there's always plenty of leftovers. This bath made enough for two dinners for three of us and five of A's lunches. Three he had right after it's made, two I froze. Those are for when we don't have anything handy for his lunch. They are huge servings, too. Enough for him to have lunch and a bit for a snack later. My special ingredient in chili is cinnamon for a Cincinnati chili-like twist. This recipe can easily be made in a slow cooker as well.

Turkey and Three Bean Chili

• 2 lbs. ground turkey 85% lean
• 2 16 oz. cans of light or dark kidney beans, drained
• 2 16 oz. cans of chili beans or other beans of your choice, drained if not chili beans
• 2 16 oz. cans of pinto or other beans of your choice, drained
• 1 16 oz. bag of frozen chopped onion and green peppers
• 2 large cans of diced tomatoes
• 2 large cans of tomato sauce
• 6 T ground cinnamon (or to taste)
• 4 T chili powder (or to taste)
• 2 T sugar
• Shredded cheddar cheese
• If you like spicy foods, add hot sauce to taste

Brown ground turkey in skillet until fully cooked
Drain grease from meat
Combine all beans, tomatoes, tomato sauce, spices, and cooked turkey into a large pot
Cook on medium-low heat until beans are soft, at least three hours
Stir every half hour to keep ingredients from sticking and burning to bottom
Add shredded cheddar cheese to top of individual bowls before serving
Cool leftover chili before refrigerating and/or freezing
Freeze chili in individual portions for easy serving later