It's Fall! (Sort of, anyway...)

The official arrival of fall has those of us in the south eagerly anticipating some cooler temperatures.  Though we are in for some very nice weather this weekend (morning lows in the 40s!!), I'm afraid we can't turn off the air conditioning just yet.

So what do we do when all the stores have out pumpkins and winter clothing?  We fake it!  We dutifully buy our pumpkins and mums and begin to pull out long-buried pants and closed-toe shoes.  We wear hoodies and sweaters for the cool mornings, then shed them by lunchtime when we start to sweat.

Y'all might be able to guess that one of my favorite things about fall/winter is the food.  I love soups and stews, and the idea of a warm dinner simmering in the crockpot all day makes me giddy with excitement.

I have already broken out the fall recipes in our house (faking it!), and I thought I would share one of my favorites.  Plus, I don't think I have it written down anywhere and I am afraid of forgetting it one day, which would be nothing short of tragic.

I feel the need to add the disclaimer that I have no idea where I originally saw this recipe, but it has been adapted just a bit from the way I originally remember it.  If by chance I got it from you, thanks!  Also, I do NOT eat regular chili, so if the idea of chili turns you off but you like Mexican-style soups, this is definitely for you.

White Bean Chicken Chili

 2 or 3 cans Great Northern Beans, drained

16 oz. jar of salsa

8 oz. Pepper Jack cheese

chicken breast, cooked and shredded

10-12 oz. chicken broth
Edited to add:  CUMIN, 1/2 tsp.  (kind of important here, duh!)

Cube the cheese into small chunks, combine all of the above in the crockpot, and simmer at least four hours on low.  Top with shredded cheese and/or sour cream and serve with tortilla chips.

A couple of notes:  I use a small-ish crockpot, and this recipe fills it up.  I usually do two cans of beans and maybe about 3 cups of shredded chicken.  I add the chicken broth last, using however much it takes to fill the pot, usually a little more than half of a 16 oz. box.  

I could seriously eat this stuff at least once a week.  If you try it, let me know!

Now tell me...

What's your favorite cool-weather recipe?