Red Hawt Chili Cookers

My co workers and I entered the building wide 4th Annual Chili Cook Off that was held this past Thursday.  If I remember right my department had had the most entries by a single department with six. We had five individuals and our boss entered a chili for the department. We were in it to win it all! Six entries mayne! Six! It was the first time we had participated in anything this big in almost a decade. Yeah you read that right a decade.

Why do long?! Well we always get the shaft and the chili cook off proved that theory entirely. But I’m not gonna go into a post long rant about how we shoulda won and how all of our chilis were the shizzle ma nizzle. Seriously yo! We broke our feet off in each batch of chili. And what do we have to show for it?!?!?! A whole lotta compliments but not the grand prize or 1st, 2nd or 3rd place. I’m not overly bitter but I am because even though we were competing against each other and worked our asses off making our chilis, we had fun as a department which doesn’t always happen and hasn’t happened in a long while.

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Here’s me and my other co worker’s entry for the chili cook off. We were called the Red Hot Chili Cookers. Hopefully, you see the reference to one of the best alternative punk bands EVER! She was red and I was hot and that was our chili and cornbread entry. 

Lemme talk to you guys something about our entry. This. Was. The. SHIT!! The co’nbred was made from scratch. The chili was made fresh that morning. We just knew we had that shit in the bag. In the effn bag Gina!! I haven’t made a batch of chili that damn good in a long time and lemme tell you since each batch seems to come out different, ima be so mad if I can recreate this at a later time. It had texture. Spice. Flavor. It had ground beef and sausage. It was GON before lunch was done being served those who wanted food. My co workers (both in the dept and outside) and friends loved it and sent other folks to get some. Yep utter hit. Boosted my ego a bit. Okay a lot! 

But it was fun. It was the first time I actually wanted to enter my cooking into a contest. I typically don’t go out on a limb like that because like with everything I do, I get too much into my head about the outcome. I over analyze my position and second guess everything. I lose sight of the fact that I know what I’m doing and have proven that on several occasions. But I’m human and it’s normal to have some doubt. 

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I can’t say that I or my department will enter a competition like this again. I secretly hope we do but at the same time no because it costs quite a chunk of change to make our chilis. I can’t speak for my co workers but I usually spend approximately $35 on all the ingredients for my chili recipe. I can only imagine what the others spent because they used bigger and more expensive meats. One guy, who I call the Hacker, made two maybe three batches before deciding on the final entry. All of which were amazing. And the cornbread he made… Jesus lawd have murcy on us all! Lawd that cornbread! It. Had. BACON!!! I ain’t saying nothing else about it. You’re just gonna have to use your imagination cuz my tummy is already feenin for it. 

I should prolly end this before I get hongry again! 

 

Thanks for reading…

 

The Southern Yankee

Day 11: Something People Seem to Compliment You Most On

Ugh…

Here I thought the first ten prompts of this 30 Days of Truth challenge were relatively hard. This one: Something People Seem to Compliment You Most On is by far the absolute hardest of them all.

Let’s get something straight if I received a lot of compliments on any aspect of me or the way I do things then I would have an over abundant amount of things to write about right now. But the truth of the matter is I do not receive compliments often. at least none that are told directly to my face.

But if I have to really think about it which I have been all fucking day I suppose the one thing people have indeed complimented me on the most in my lifetime would be my cooking. Jesus it took the whole day to think of that?! my brain must be really frozen.

For those reading my 30 Days of Truth posts, you will remember that on Day 3, proudly professed my love for my ability to cook. I have to say I absolutely love cooking. I plan to have a gourmet kitchen that will closely resemble Paula Deen’s kitchen when I buy a home. Ima city gal in love with a big country kitchen.

I started cooking and learned how to cook when I was younger. Most of my “staple” recipes have been recreations or modified versions of family recipes. I remember the first time I made my aunt’s spaghetti recipe. I invited two of my friends to have dinner with me in my dorm room at Baylor. Needless to say, the spaghetti was a hit. So much so they both had seconds and thirds if I remember right.

It’s a little funny how much people really enjoy my cooking because it is just something I do. Yes I am an avid watcher of the Food Channel and the Cooking Channel. Yes I enjoy looking up recipes on Pinterest. And yes I do indeed buy cooking and food related magazines when I can spare $5 to $10. Cooking seems to be rivaling my love and passion for writing. Either which way I do not do either nearly as much as I would like.

In recent years, I have tried my hand at making a spicy hearty chili. Not only do I make it differently each time I make it but I’m pretty certain I forget to add an ingredient as well. I do not cook from a written out recipe. I’m pretty sure I have never made a clearly written out recipe the way the recipe instructions. Call me a rebel but my version usually comes out way better. Perhaps once I have finished this challenge, I will devise a cooking challenge.

Thanks for reading,

 

The Southern Yankee