Who knew 1/2 tablespoon would make such a huge difference?
I am a huge fan of spicy edibles. The spicier, the better. If it can make me sweat bullets, all the better. But, I do have limits, as I discovered last night, when half a tablespoon more nearly did me in.
My turkey chili recipe calls for 1-2 Tbsp of chili powder. But what the hey, why not 2-1/2 Tbsp? Can handle!
After all was said an done, the result was flaming fireballs emitting from my mouth and beads of sweat pouring down my face. It was so good, I took seconds. Hubby’s entire head was soaked by the time he was done with his bowl of chili. But a few minutes later, I felt simply awful — like I had eaten a handful of habaneros. Fiery embers burned in the pit of my stomach, my face was flushed and I was still sweating 15 minutes later. Surely, I thought, that second helping did me in and I was going to suffer a sleepless night of heartburn and agony.
After I emerged from the bathroom, Hubby looked at me and asked with genuine concern, “do you need to go to the emergency room?”
“No,” I muttered, feeling absolutely miserable as I flopped myself on a chair. Can you imagine? Showing up at the ER and telling them my reason for being there? “I ate a batch of chili that was too spicy. Now I think I’m dying.”
After dousing the flames in my tummy with generous amounts of water, I felt substantially better. I even managed to make it through the rest of the night without so much of a tummy ache or slight heartburn. Can handle!
The question being, will I ever make that recipe with a half a teaspoon more? Probably not. 2 Tbsp is good enough for me.
Here’s the recipe for my healthy turkey chili recipe, if you want to try it out. Will you make it with half a teaspoon more?
Easy & Tasty Turkey Chili (Champuru style)
Ingredients:
2 T. shortening
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. ground turkey
1-2 T. chili powder
1/4 t. cayenne pepper
1/2 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
2 cans tomato soup
1/2 cup shelled edamame (soybeans)*
1 can corn
1 chopped green bell pepperMelt shortening. Add onions, garlic, and turkey; brown slightly. Add remaining ingredients. Cover, cook on low heat for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally.
*NOTE: I use edamame instead of kidney beans. If you prefer kidney beans, substitute with 1 can of kidney beans.
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11 Responses to Half a Tablespoon
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Hubs was telling me about this this morning when I asked him you were doing…esp. your spicy ramen you had for lunch…LOL…yikes!
Yep, it was a spicy kind of day. Mmm-mm good! Even if it nearly ended my life!
I once heard that spicy food induces labor (when the time is right)…you’d better keep this recipe handy!
This recipe is also much less complicated than the one I use, so I am going to give this one a try!
Sounds like a good recipe. The edamame sounds like a nice addition. I’ve made “authentic” chili that called for meat (chili ground chuck and pork), masa (corn meal for thickening), beer (gotta have that), several kinds of dried/powdered chiles (ancho, cayenne and de arbol), fresh diced jalapenos, diced onion, minced garlic and tomato sauce (actually not that authentic for real chili con carne). NO beans – that ain’t Texan! I thought it came out great but my wife and kids didn’t like it. I ended up eating most of it, hehe.
By the way, nice updated look to your site, Donna.
This looks good! I’ll have to copy it.
I told my wife about it, and she said for me to bring it on! Coincidentally, I just made my chili last night. It’s almost like yours, but it regular ground beef. Here’s my spice list: 3 and 1/2 teaspoons chili powder, 1/2 tsp oregano, 2 cloves garlic minced, 2 habaneros minced and 2 jalapeños diced. Secret spice added on top of that: 2 drops of Dave’s Ultimate Insanity sauce!
It cures what ails you!
Also, yes I recognized the font: I love using Zapfino on certain projects. It looked really good on a Valentine’s card I made for my wife some time ago!
@April: I will definitely keep that in mind (about spicy foods inducing labor), if I find myself in that predicament!
It’s a simple recipe, try it out and let me know if you like it. It was passed on to me from a friend, but I tweaked it a little for my own preferences.
@Mark From Hawaii: Your chili sounds like AUTHENTIC chili! Mine is a “whip it together quickly” recipe. And you’re right, I’ll never win a Texas Chili Contest, that’s for sure.
@ChrisW357: Habaneros AND jalapenos? And something called “Ultimate Insanity” sauce? Wow! I think my chili will probably but bland fare compared to your recipe. My chili is having an inferiority complex!
looks awesome! too bad i’m a raw vegan, but i can still try to make this for my wife. btw, love your latest site design!
Can handle!
@randomguru: Kudos to you for being a raw vegan. That takes an awesome amount of discipline! How do you do it??
@Felix: If can, can. If no can, eat bland.
Maybe the chili will be more subtle after a day in the fridge? Most tomato based dishes (stew, spag, portuguese bean soup) taste better the day after.
@joo: Actually, the chili gets increasingly more spicy in the fridge. Had to add another can of tomato soup to tame it. Didn’t need another fire-breathing episode and possible trip to ER for me. hehe