Okay, I admit it- I am in a sad state of denial that we are still in the deep throws of summer. It's just that we've been having such crisp, pleasant weather I had nearly convinced myself that Autumn had arrived. I've been drinking hot tea all day long, wearing scarves and long sleeve shirts. We've even been sleeping with our bedroom door open to our patio. It's been wonderful. But of course I was kidding myself, for when I stepped outside this afternoon I was reminded about how wrong I was. Today it was a solid ninety-one degrees and the air was thick with humidity. A classic Philadelphia summer day. But it didn't matter because I had already decided to make this Turkey and White Bean Chili and no sweltering summer heat was going to stand in my way.
I am so happy I did because it turned out delicious. Dan and I adjusted the recipe slightly- we added a bit more cumin and chili powder, one jalapeño pepper, fresh sweet corn and approximately one third cup of maple syrup, which might sound odd, but it sweetened the chili ever so slightly while rounding out the flavors of chili, cocoa powder and cinnamon quite nicely. I will make it again, but there better be crunchy fallen leaves on the sidewalk and gourds sitting on my window sill.
