Happy Halloween Chili Cups

These chili cups are a mix of several ideas and recipes all mashed together to make a fun presentation with a great tasting chili. You can change the cheese cut outs to be anything from pumpkins and cats like I used to scary jack-o-lantern faces or witches with cauldrons. This chili is mild and has extra veggies thrown in for a healthier meal but if you are running short on time and don't want to make your own chili from scratch you can use your favorite premade chili. Apparently, some stores also sell refrigerated cornbread dough made from companies like Pillsbury but I couldn't find any in my local stores so I made mine from scratch and included the ingredients for you to make them, too.

Serves: 4-6 (approx. two chili cups each)
Start-to-Finish: 50 minutes
Recipe By: Chili recipe was from Taste of Home. Chili cups idea was from Pillsbury

Ingredients:

Chili:
1/2 lb ground turkey
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper, any color
1/2 cup diced carrots
1 1/2 cup tomato sauce (or 3/4 cup tomato sauce and 3/4 cup salsa for extra zip)
1 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin

Cornbread Cups:
1/2 cup butter, melted
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Cook turkey and garlic over medium heat.
2. Add onions, pepper and carrots.
3. Cook and stir for 4-5 minutes.
4. Stir in tomato sauce, beans, chili powder, cumin, and oregano.
5. Bring mixture to a boil and reduce heat to low.
6. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
7. While chili is stewing, grease a muffin pan.
8. Beat together butter, sugar, eggs, and baking soda.
9. Mix in cornmeal, flour, and salt until mixture resembles a coarse dough.
10. Press dough into muffin pans along the bottom and sides to form a cup. (Make the bottom and walls of your cups thin. They will thicken and puff up a lot during baking.)
11. Bake at 375F for 10 minutes or until golden brown.
12. Spoon hot chili into the cornbread cups.
13. Top with cheese cutouts right before serving. (The cheese melts and loses it shape with time so you don't want to do this step too far in advance of serving.)