Travel Destinations & Culinary Adventures

smoked

Lone Star Turkey Chili with Sour Cream and Chives

by Leave a Comment

Looks yummy, doesn’t it?

When you’d rather get dinner on the table so you enjoy time with the family outside, this is your new go-to meal. Chili is not just a winter meal. It’s a versatile dish with many options for eating it: layered on top of a grilled hotdog, poured over bowtie pasta, inside an empanada or as the base of Frito pie.

I prefer a thick tomato based chili served as the base for a multitude of toppings. Lone Star Turkey Chili with Sour Cream and Chives is not a overly spiced chili, but if you want more heat you can add a couple smoked ancho peppers (that will crank up the heat!) to the pot or top a bowl of chili with fresh sliced jalapenos. Because people like their chili with different levels of heat, I keep it simple and provide options for toppings, like a “buffet o’ heat” ranging from bottled sriracha to sliced peppers. The sour cream cools of the heat and balances the acidic tomato flavor.

My recipe gets its name from using Texas Jet Lone Star Chili Seasoning, a packet of spices brought home by my boyfriend after a trip to Houston. However, you can make your own chili seasoning with this Taste of Home recipe, if you need it.

Saute the garlic and onions in a tablespoon of melted butter until soft before adding a pound of ground turkey. Over medium heat to medium-high heat, stir the meat with the garlic and onions continuously until it is cooked thoroughly, Because there is no grease to drain (healthier!), you can then add the canned ingredients, mix well, cover and allow to cook on a medium-low simmer until the chili reaches the consistency you prefer for serving (typically about 30 minutes).

Remember to provide options for toppings for your chili fans. I grow fresh herbs in container pots so adding fresh chive was as easy as chopping some and sprinkling them on top of added sour cream and cheddar cheese.

Chives are super simple to grow as long as you provide them partial sun, maintain moist soil, and give them drainage.

This dinner recipe will serve about 6-8 bowls of chili. If cooking for two people, like me, you will have a couple days of leftovers available to pack for lunches or freeze for later use. By preparing Lone Star Turkey Chili with Sour Cream and Chives for dinner tonight, you’ll free yourself from worrying about future meals because you’ll have extra servings on-the-ready when you’re ready to heat and eat. Free up yourself from the confines of the kitchen this summer by making a big batch of this yummy, stovetop chili to feed your family for days!

(no affiliates in this post)

Lone Star Turkey Chili with Sour Cream and Chives

onedelightfullife.com
Chili is a hearty, make-ahead meal that helps keep dinnertime chaos-free for you and your family.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Course dinner, Soup
Cuisine American
Servings 6 -8 bowls

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cloves chopped garlic
  • 1 chopped white or yellow onion
  • 1 T butter
  • 1 pound ground turkey
  • 1.5 oz half a package Texas Jet Lone Star Chili Seasoning
  • 1 can tomato paste
  • 1 can chili-ready canned beans or pinto beans undrained
  • 1 can chili-ready diced canned tomatoes undrained
  • 1 cup water optional, if you think the chili is too thick

Instructions
 

  • In a large pot, melt butter and then add onions and garlic over medium heat. Stir continuously until garlic and onions are softened. Add in ground turkey and continue stirring until cooked thoroughly. Add the remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly. Cover the pot, reduce the heat to low, and allow the chili to simmer at least 30 minutes. Serve in bowls garnished with sour cream, cheddar cheese and chives.

Notes

Crank up the heat by adding a pinch of red pepper flake or sriracha while the chile is simmering.

Smoked Jalapeno Poppers with Gorgonzola and Buffalo Sauce

by Leave a Comment

Nothing says Super Bowl Sunday like stuffed jalapeño poppers and this recipe is a game day winner.

Nearly everyone serves stuffed jalapeños at their tailgate parties but what separates my recipe from theirs comes down to one added ingredient. Hickory smoke. These spicy bites will still satisfy game day guests even if you can’t smoke them on a Traeger because of the added gorgonzola and buffalo sauce flavor. And everything tastes better wrapped in bacon!

Watch the droolers gather around the kitchen when you bring in a platter of perfectly smoked poppers. The heat of the jalapeño, not the hottest on the Scoville Chile Heat Rating Guide for peppers, still brings noticeable mild to medium heat. If you’re serving beer, I strongly recommend you try a few of my more recent favorites Old King Krolsh (purchase a growler at Bricktown Brewery) or Boulevard Brewing Company’s Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale. They’re considered approachable beers by most craft brew drinkers and pair well with this appetizer.

If you leave the pepper’s membrane or seeds inside you’re guaranteed to light your mouth up with much more heat. Remove the insides with a metal spoon prior to stuffing them.

After mixing the cheese ingredients, you can begin stuffing each pepper with the filling.

The key to preparing this appetizer before game kick off time is to make sure you’ve prepped and preheated your smoker. We used Pit Boss’ BBQ Hardwood Pellets in Competition Blend pellets inside our Traeger the day we smoked these beauties.

Beginning at one end of the pepper, tightly wrapped the entire pepper in a slice of center cut bacon. You don’t need a toothpick to secure it.

While this recipe is meant to serve two people using three large halved jalapeño peppers you can certainly multiply it if creating more poppers for guests. I chose to include a small amount of store bought buffalo sauce into the mixture. If you wanted to crank up the heat even more, you could simply drizzle it on top making for a more colorful presentation too.

Should your team fall to the opponent during the game, you’ll still feel like a winner knowing that you served a delicious appetizer that everyone loved. Now, go fire up the smoker!

Smoked Jalapeno Poppers Gorgonzola and Buffalo Sauce

onedelightfullife.com
Your guests will rush the kitchen when they see you're serving smoked jalapeno poppers on game day. Touchdown!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Appetizer, grilled
Cuisine American
Servings 6 poppers

Ingredients
  

  • 3 large jalapenos
  • 1/3 of a 8oz cube of cream cheese softened
  • 2 T. gorgonzola cheese
  • 1 T. buffalo sauce
  • 6 sliced center cut bacon

Instructions
 

  • Turn on the smoker according to directions to 350 degrees. (If you're not using a Traeger, prep your smoker according to directions.)
  • Half each jalapeno with a knife.
  • Hollow out each jalapeno halve using a metal spoon to rid of all membrane and seeds.
  • Using a fork, mix the filling ingredients in a small bowl.
  • Fill each jalapeno halve with cheese filling.
  • Gently wrap each jalapeno halve with one strip of bacon. Tuck the ends under the pepper and place end side down on the grill.
  • Smoke the jalapeno poppers with the lid closed for 15 minutes.
  • Remove and let rest a couple minutes before serving.

Apple Wood Smoked Teriyaki Pork Loin with Grilled Pineapple and Cilantro Rice

by Leave a Comment

What good is warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness.” – John Steinbeck

I admit it. I’ve got the end of summer blues. But my mood was lifted while eating Apple Wood Smoked Teriyaki Pork Loin with Grilled Pineapple and Cilantro Rice from the grill yesterday. The sweetened pineapple and smoked meat flavors from the Traeger helped me hold on to summer just a little bit longer.

While I’m offering a confession, I also have to admit something else. I’ve fallen hard for our Traeger Tailgate smoker. You could easily prepare this recipe without smoking the meat, but I prefer the sweet smoke flavor the apple wood pellets give the pork loin chops. My mad crush on our Traeger is a win-win for everyone in our household since my boyfriend refuses to use our Weber propane grill and our lonely Bubba Keg sits untouched in the corner.

I hope this recipe helps you enjoy the final fleeting moments of summer as well. It’s an easier-than-it-looks recipe to execute on the grill and is forward in flavor. I’ve enjoyed sharing summer delightful recipes with you this season. Sign up for the ODL monthly newsletter and get newly released fall recipes, travel tips, and DIY ideas straight to your inbox.

grilled-pineapple-cilantro-rice
Trim and core an entire pineapple and cut it into spears before placing on the grill. I actually grilled these using a cast iron grill pan indoors to leave space available in the Traeger.

grilled-pineapple-cilantro-rice2
Trying to eat “light,” I didn’t want to make pineapple fried rice and instead combined grilled pineapple chunks, cilantro, and lime juice with white microwaveable rice. Easy!

Teriyaki is typically made with soy sauce, sake, and honey.
When grilling in a Treager, place the pork loin chops and don’t move them until cooking time expires. No matter what type of grill you use, a meat thermometer should read 140 degrees before chops are removed. Allow the chops to rest at least 5 minutes before serving.

I encourage you to use leftover pineapple to make my Grilled Pineapple and Peach Silver Tequila Cocktail to go alongside your pork loin dinner. Love this recipe? Tell me about it below in the comment section or pin it to make it again.

Smoked Teriyaki Pork Loin

Apple Wood Smoked Teriyaki Pork Loin with Grilled Pineapple and Cilantro Rice

onedelightfullife.com
Layers of sweet and tangy flavors make your mouth water between bites as you eat this Hawaiian inspired grilled entree.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 1 day 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 1 day 40 minutes
Course dinner, grilled
Cuisine American

Ingredients
  

  • Teriyaki Marinade for 2.5 lbs pork loin chops:
  • 1/2 c. soy sauce
  • 1/4 c. water
  • 2 T. rice wine vinegar
  • 1/4 c. brown sugar
  • 1 T. honey
  • 3/4 tsp. ground ginger
  • 1 minced garlic clove
  • Rice:
  • 1 c. white rice
  • 1 c. water
  • 2 c. diced grilled pineapple
  • 1/2 c. chopped cilantro
  • juice of 1/2 lime
  • pinch red pepper flakes optional

Instructions
 

  • Mix all marinade ingredients in a medium bowl and transfer to a large Ziplock bag.
  • Place 6 pork loin chops (2.5 pounds) inside of bag and seal tightly.
  • Place bag in refrigerator for at least one hour.
  • Removed outer pineapple surface and core pineapple.
  • Slice the cored pineapple into large spears. Set aside.
  • In the meantime, turn on wood fired grill and insert apple wood pellets (Traeger) or turn on propane grill to medium heat.
  • Place pineapple spears on the grill surface. Turn when grill marks appear on each side. Remove pineapple and allow to cool before cutting it into chunks.
  • Cook white rice according to microwave directions.
  • Remove rice from microwave and allow it to cool slightly.
  • Add cilantro, chunked grill pineapple, and lime juice. Stir well with a fork.
  • Remove marinated pork loin chops from bag and place on 400 degree hot grill.
  • Grill each side about 7- 8 minutes. Check for doneness. No matter what type of grill you use, a meat thermometer should read 140 degrees before chops are removed.
  • Remove the pork chops from the grill and allow them to rest on a plate for 5 minutes.
  • Serve hot with the pineapple rice on the side.

Notes

Add a small pinch of red pepper flake to the cooked rice, if you like it spicy.

Smoked Pork Loin

error: Content is protected !!