Dad's Turkey Chili - Comfort Food Numero Uno

It's no secret that I'm my dad's biggest fan. It's also no secret that all of my siblings are his chili's biggest fans. I know it seems cliché, because everyone's dad makes chili, even if they don't make anything else, but my dad makes everything else. He's a top notch cook (and a top notch father, which is entirely beside the point), but his chili is especially fantastic. He has spent years both making it wonderful, and adjusting it to all of our preferences. Many of the eaters in the Yeagley spawn household were giant sissies where heat in the food was concerned, so Dad spent a long time trying to the get the heat just right. Just enough so that you definitely know it's chili, but not so much that any three-year-old, or my milk-toast sister, would turn it down either. There were a lot of little feet and noses finding their way into the kitchen while the chili was being made to sneak a taste.

Well, today is my milk-toast sister's 30th birthday, and she requested what I think we both consider to be our number one comfort food. You guessed it, my dad's chili. Now that cooler weather is settling in, and all the best thoughts of fall are coming to the forefront of our Pavlovian little brains, comfort foods are high on our minds. I think the first signs of fall caused my sister and I to have a freaky ESP chili moment, and here I am making this chili for her. I want you all to experience comfort Yeagley spawn style too, so here it is -- my dad's chili. And I promise, there's not a lick of gluten in it.

Level of difficulty: Emily

2 lbs. ground turkey
1 large red onion, diced
3 15 oz. cans dark red kidney beans
1 15 oz. can light red kidney beans
1 15 oz. can pinto beans
1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
1 TBSP sea salt
2 TBSP chili powder
1 TBSP cumin
Ground pepper to taste

Saute the ground turkey and onion on medium heat in a wok or saucepan. Stir and break the ground turkey while it is cooking so that it becomes crumbly with no large chunks. In a large stock pot, add the beans, including the liquid. Add the tomato sauce, cooked turkey, and spices. Simmer for 20 minutes, then check taste to make sure that it is salted and peppered to your taste. Simmer for another 30 minutes. Serve with crackers or bread. (Can be cooked in a crock pot).