There are quite a few holiday traditions in our household, some that are purposely done and others, like this one...just happen year after year. When the luscious Thanksgiving leftovers have lost their luster,  we find another way to continue enjoying the turkey! This recipe is sure to hit the spot! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of smoked turkey, coarsely chopped
• 2 small onions, chopped
• 2 poblano peppers, chopped
• 2 (16 oz) cans of navy beans, drained & washed
• 1 tablespoon of canola oil
• 16 oz of Italian chicken sausage, casing removed
• 1 teaspoon of ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon of chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of dried oregano leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon of fresh ground pepper
• 1 (14.5 oz) can of reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup of 2% milk
• 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 bundle of fresh cilantro

Steps:
1. Chop the turkey, onion, and peppers. Drain beans. Preheat a large stockpot on medium high for 2-3 minutes. Place oil in pot, then add peppers and onions, cook and stir 2-3 minutes or until tender. 

2. Reduce heat to medium. Remove casing from sausage and add sausage to the pot. Cook 5-6 minutes, stirring to crumble or until sausage has browned.

3. Stir in cumin, chili powder, oregano, pepper, beans, and broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cook and stir for another 10-15 minutes or until thickened. 

4. Stir in turkey and milk; cook 2-3 minutes to blend flavors. 

5. Top with shredded cheddar, cilantro and serve! 

This Apple Cider Margarita is perfectly festive for a fall night. It has a wonderful taste, and is a great way to savor the last few days of fall! 

Apple Cider Margarita Recipe:

• 1 ounce Grand Marnier
• 1 1/2 ounces gold tequila
• 5 ounces sweet apple cider
• orange or apple slices
• cinnamon, cane sugar and coarse white sugar for rimming the glass
• cinnamon sticks for garnish

Combine the Grand Marnier, tequila and apple cider in a shaker. Next, in a small bowl, prepare the rim mixture by combining the cinnamon and sugars together. Dip the rim of each glass in a bowl of water, then press the rims into the sugar mixture to cling. Carefully place ice into the glasses, and pour the combined beverage, from the shaker, into the glasses over the ice.  Garnish with an apple slice and/or cinnamon stick. Enjoy lakeside by a warm fire! 

As seen in our October issue, here is the recipe for a favorite Fall dip!
​

• 8 oz of cream cheese
• 16 oz bar of cheese
• 1 lb of chorizo
• 1/4 cup of 2% milk
• 1/2 teaspoon of garlic salt
• 1 can of mexicorn
• 2 cans of rotel
• scoops or crusty bread for dipping 

​Steps:
1. Cut cheese into small cubes and set aside. 
2. Remove chorizo from casing and brown in a skillet. Drain well. 
3. Reduce to medium heat, adding cheeses, milk, and garlic salt.
5. Cook and stir 8-10 minutes or until well blended. 
4. Drain corn and rotel, adding both to the mixture. 
5. Cook 5 minutes and serve from skillet. 
​6. Enjoy! 

You asked and we listened! Subscriptions are now available to The Lakeside Life. Since our publication is free, your cost is essentially paying for convenience, shipping and handling - the magazines are thick and heavy, so they cost more to ship and handle than most. 

The Lakeside Life is presently published tri-annually - Spring, Summer and Fall/Winter.  Pre-COVID we released traditional quarterly style - in Spring, Summer, Fall & Winter. We may eventually return to a 4-times-a-year conventional quarterly magazine, but honestly we've enjoyed the larger 3 issues a year, so who knows?  3 does kind of fit our brand after all (i.e. - triangle logo).  Anyway, to subscribe, simply click here. 

See you lakeside,
The Lakeside Life Team 

Article originally dated 11/6/2017, updated 4/6/2023.

A very special thanks to Mandy & Shawn Crider for opening their beautiful and unique home to the Smith Lake community. Their home truly exhibits the best in fine modern living on Smith from top to bottom! Contributing writer, Stephanie G. Lepore, sums it up quite elegantly in one statement, "An inventive iron, brick and reclaimed wood structure makes the most of birds-eye views and natural light."


​Video of the gorgeous one-of-a-kind home on Lewis Smith Lake in North Alabama can be seen below, or follow these links on Vimeo and YouTube.  Enjoy!
​
For the complete article - see our 2017 October Premiere Issue of "The Lakeside Life" online: https://issuu.com/lakesidelife/docs/tll_digital - you can also download the issuu app to your phone or iPad for easiest magazine viewing on iOS or Android.  

BLOG ONLY - Now revel in some new, not previously released photos, from the Crider shoot below.  Photo Credit:  Craig Hudson, Hudson Photography LLC.  

If you've been ready to get your hands on a copy of The Lakeside Life, but haven't been successful ... you are in LUCK! 

Our digital versions are now live! You can access digital magazines in the future by using the link below. Enjoy! 
  
The Lakeside Life