Those who know me, know I love food. Those who really know me, know I'm a dern good cook. (Ok, enough with the modesty.)
I won, I won, I won. Hehehe. This past weekend, Integrity Church of Burlington, NC held its annual chili cook-off and Trunk-o-Ween. Last year I entered the chili contest with a 100% organic, high vegetable chili made with buffalo. Well, one of the judges... a redhead who's getting married next Friday but shall otherwise remain nameless... torpedoed me because she didn't like the idea of eating buffalo.
This year I was smart. Going for a laugh and figuring she might judge again this year, I didn't put my own name on my entry. Instead I titled the entry "Nacho Mama's Chili". (Pun intended.) With the enhanced name and a killer recipe - made with a base of a cured and smoky pork essence, chipotle and mole poblano - I knew I had all the right buttons pushed. Not too hot, not too spicy... a little hint of smoky... a dash of earthiness. It was ~98% fat free, contained 2 whole servings of vegetables per bowl, and all organic meat and produce.
Luckily I didn't have to wait long. The judging happened before anything else. Bingo! Nacho Mama's Chili won first prize in the Healthy category. And having tasted the winner in the hearty category, if I'd had another pot to enter I would have been a strong contender there too.
Yum yum. Whoo hoo! I won.
