One of the first things I realized when I moved to Colorado is that a lot of people living here aren’t from here. Much to the chagrin of native Coloradans, most of us are imports. I migrated from the east coast, trading the Atlantic Ocean and deciduous trees for true mountains and evergreens; humidity for a lack thereof; proximity to what was familiar for new and unknown adventures.

We all bring different traditions and bits of home with us when we move, and one that most Marylanders carry with them is Old Bay. Basically, Old Bay is season salt. But really, it’s so much more. Old Bay is summers out on the Chesapeake, crab boils and crab cakes and crab soup. It’s capture the flag and fireflies and sunburns and bonfires on the beach. Maybe that sounds cheesy, but this yellow can makes me think of the first place that was ever home and those perfect snapshot memories that can never be touched.

Being from the eastern seaboard, I have a thing about eating seafood in landlocked states (I don’t do it), but luckily Old Bay is great on non-seafood items (we seriously put this stuff on everything. Every. Damn. Thing.). So here is my Maryland-rooted take on chili, which this time I made with local produce gifted from a friend. I put everything in the crock pot around 7 PM and at 6 the next morning it was fragrant and ready to go.

Old Bay Chili

*requires a crock pot

**needs long cooking time, overnight is best

1 pound ground turkey (90/10)

1 pound garlic chicken sausage, coined

1 yellow onion, rough chopped

3 stalks celery, rough chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 pound carrots, peeled and coined

1, 28 oz. can Muir’s Glen Fire Roasted Tomatoes (including juice)

3 medium green tomatoes, cored and chopped

12(ish) whole cherry tomatoes

3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and rough chopped

½ t. garlic powder

½ t. black pepper

1 T. Old Bay (minimum!)

Tabasco (to taste)

Coconut oil

1 small bunch dinosaur kale, leaves only, compost those stems!

(incidentally, if you have time to kill at the gym and want to bother Michael, ask him his thoughts on kale)

Sauté onions and celery in small amount of coconut oil until translucent. Add to crock pot.
Cook turkey and sausage and until browned/cooked through.
Put everything (except kale and Tabasco) in your crock pot, set on high.
When you go to bed, bump the temperature down to low and dream lovely chili dreams.
Wake up, stir in kale and Tabasco, turn off crock pot but leave covered for 15 minutes or so.
Portion out chili and let it cool. It freezes really well!

As I’ve said before, if you’re unsure about what kind of flavor profiles you like, add spices and sauces later! You can make this with just salt, pepper, and garlic and add Old Bay or chili powder or whatever else you might like after the fact. Don’t get stuck with a week’s worth of chili you don’t like…although if you made it with Old Bay please give me a call and I’ll take it off your hands with pleasure.

Cooking with Louisa | CrossFit Kids!