Welcome Fall!

Chili and cornbread just scream "Autumn," don't they? In honor of October arriving, we thought we'd celebrate by trying a pumpkin version of chili. Wayne wasn't too sure he'd like chili with pumpkin, but it's actually quite delicious. 

Pumpkin Chili

• 3/4 to 1 pound chorizo sausage (or any other type)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 cans (15 ounces) fire-roasted tomatoes, not drained
• 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can (15 ounces) kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 3/4 cup pumpkin puree (or one 15 ounce can)
• 2 cups chicken broth

Cook the sausage with the onion, pepper and garlic. Then add everything else and simmer for at least 30 minutes for flavors to meld.

Note that Wayne suggested making a Curried Lamb Chili sometime, by substituting lamb for the sausage and curry powder for the cumin. 

As mentioned before, we're not terribly fond of cornbread, but we do like cornmeal biscuits. My adaptation of this recipe turned out well, and was even better than the Red Lobster biscuit clones we tried a while ago.

Cheesy Corn Biscuits

• 1 1/2 cups white flour
• 3/4 cup wheat flour
• 3/4 cup cornmeal
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons herbs and spices*
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup cold butter, cut in pieces
• 1 1/2 cups grated Cheddar cheese
• 1 cup creamed corn
• 1/2 cup half and half

Combine the dry ingredients and cut in the butter until crumbly. Mix in the cheese until coated. Combine the corn and milk, then fold into the dry mixture. Very gently knead and pat, then cut into biscuits. Place on a baking sheet and freeze for at least 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake the biscuits for 15-18 minutes until golden. Serve warm. Makes about 12.

*While the inspiration recipe called for something called Spice Hunter's Chef's Shake Blend and Garlic Pepper, I used 1/2 teaspoon each of Italian seasoning, garlic powder and lemon pepper.