eating my words...in a good way

So a couple of weeks ago I mentioned that we don't really experience fall here in Southern California. Well, maybe it just takes a little longer to get here than most places but it's finally arrived (now let's hope it sticks around). I am certainly enjoying the cooler weather and the chance to wear my cardigans (I have built-up quite a little collection...). Last week I made this:

It's Slow-Cooker Beef and Black Bean Chili. I like to add a chopped red pepper to my recipe and this time around I substituted the chili powder for a chopped chipotle pepper. Not a good idea...my poor husband. It was pretty spicy. Good, but spicy. It was comforting though and it was perfect for this weather we're having. To contrast with the heat of the chili I served it with a fresh corn and tomato salsa on top and for a drink we had a very refreshing pomegranate and lime spritzer.

The corn and tomato salsa was delicious. I really need to learn more about the true seasons for the various vegetables. I think I've just grown up in a time when you can get just about any vegetable at any time of the year. So I've never really learned what is in season and what's out of season. But, we've been getting some really lovely tomatoes lately and I'm not a big tomato person so I think that says something.

I should also note that I am a complete slow-cooker newbie. My mom didn't really use hers when I was growing up so it's kind of a new concept to me. I got one earlier this year as an experiment and I gotta say, I'm liking it so far. If the weather stays cool I think I'll be using it a little more. But I'll be sure to stay away from the chipotles...for now.