Venison chili.

Since it's now undeniably fall here (we got pumpkins in the CSA box!), we were in the mood for comfort food last night. And no, we didn't actually use venison in the chili, though out of spite for the garden I imagined this was so), this is one of our favorite easy and quick chili recipes for using up the caribou in the freezer (my father lives in Kenai, AK and brought us goodies down last time he visited).

Venison Chili (from Cooking Light), only slightly adapted for Pacific North West ingredients

Cooking spray
1 pound ground venison, ground beef, or caribou
1 cup chopped walla walla onions
1 cup chopped bell peppers
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 (15-ounce) can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1. Heat a small Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add venison; cook 3 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Remove from pan with a slotted spoon. Cover and keep warm.

2. Reduce heat to medium. Add onion, bell pepper, garlic, and jalapeño to pan; cook 10 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Stir in chili powder and next 4 ingredients (through black pepper). Add venison, diced tomatoes, chicken broth, and tomato paste, stirring until well combined; bring to a boil. Cover; reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes. Add red kidney beans; cook, uncovered, 15 minutes.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 cups)

Then we curled up on the couch and watched the newly released on DVD movie, Mondovino, about the power struggle between big wine makers and artisians. But after some cammomile tea, I fell asleep partway through it, so I'll update you when I finish watching!