Tonight was our ward's chili cookoff, which was a judged event. This is one of my favorite ward parties, no hokey stuff, just food and people hanging out. Not that there wasn't pressure, Conni won best mild chili last year, and this year she was hoping to repeat her success with white chicken chili. The competition is friendly, but still fairly intense. No one makes any apologies for trying to win, but everyone is pleasant about it, too.
For the setup...I got home at 5:40, we had to be at the church for CJay's Arrow of Light ceremony at 6pm. Conni was frantically trying to open cans without a can opener, Gavin having thrown away our good one, and our backup was bent and broken. The boys were trying their best to help, grating cheese and pouring the whipping cream. Conni was a whirlwind of culinary ninjitry, Iron Chef right in our kitchen. She literally poured the hot chili from the stove into the crock pot on our way out the door, grabbing cheese and cilantro on the way.
Conni threw the chili into the car, as I helped get the kids strapped in, and we were gone.
Conni and I put the cliantro and cheese in the pot just before the judging, and we were worried that the judges would know whose was whose, but it didn't seem to be a big deal. Then it was time to eat and relax, as well as taste the chili for the first time. Conni didn't even have time to sample the chili before the judging.
The event itself was good, we met some new people, and then the judges had the results. Conni took second place!
I spoke with the judges after the event, and they said that she would have won, but they each took a point or two off for not being a traditional chili! Not too shabby for a 1/2 hour effort, finished at the very last second.
Conni said that the boys were a tremendous help, and they were proud of their mom's success, too. I was disappointed, there was no chili left for me to take to work!
1 comment:
Maybe Conni should post that recipe?!
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