And the Winner Is . . . #15

We won the ward Chili Cook Off! Actually Matt won, but I did stir the pot a time or two and dice the onions. I was totally prepared to make the chili. Matt had left for work early and had been battling a cold all week. He called as I was doing my prep work and asked me not to do too much before he got home.

I'm sure the chili would have been edible if I would have made it on my own. I would have probably been given an award for valiant effort, but Matt has a way of transforming an average recipe into something truly delectable. He smoked the chicken on his green egg, I would have boiled it. He used our new grinder to grind the coriander to make cumin, and other herbs and spices were also fresh ground. I would have grabbed whatever was handy in the cupboard. He has away of cooking the onions with the spices so everything gets extra yummy. He takes care as he adds each ingredient. I dump it in and hope that I don't miss anything. He cooks for the joy of it, I cook because my family needs to eat. (Although I must admit I have been enjoying trying some new recipes lately.)

The chili was finished just in time to be ladled into a crock pot and transported to church. There were 23 chilis entered. Small cups were provided so that everyone could sample as many as they chose. They could then vote for their favorites. There were three official judges. Every chili received an award, and I must say the activities committee was quite creative in coming up with 23 different categories.

We made a white chili and at first I was sure I would have leftovers to take home. I went to the kitchen to help serve pie. Someone came into the kitchen raving about Matt's chili. The word spread and within minutes I was left with an empty pot and no dinner for the following night. I'm glad I had a bowl before the word got out.

I tried to tell myself it really didn't matter which award we received, but I must admit I grew a bit nervous and hopeful when I realized there were only a few awards to go and we hadn't received one yet. Maybe we had won.

The overall winner was announced, our number was called and I graciously accepted our award. My performance was worthy of an academy award acceptance speech. Matt didn't feel up to attending so I did accept the award on his behalf. There were a few grumbles that the white chili should have had its own category and wasn't really chili. If you want to get real technical, chili doesn't have beans and everyone should have been disqualified.

P.S. Not a good idea to blow into the spice grinder when it is pointed at your face to clean it out. I got powdered spices in my eye. Ouch!