First chili cookoff - some tasty stuff

Earlier this fall, we had a chili cook-off to celebrate the end of summer, beginning of fall, and my husband's 31st birthday. A few people brought chili, a few brought soup, and a few brought some other delicious creations. We had some really good entries! we had everything set up with signs and people painstakingly voted on their favorites. First place was taken by Kelly with her Polish Mistakes, neither chili or soup, but totally scrumptious. Below are some of the winning recipes.
 Polish Mistakes by Kelly S
(seen on the photo to the right at the bottom left side)
I used 1lb turkey sausage (you can use regular sausage and ground beef)
1lb ground chicken meat
1 medium onion chopped
oregano
garilic salt
velvetta cheese
rye cocktail bread (small squares)

Preheat oven 350
Brown the meat with a little olive oil and  add onions
Add oregano and garilic salt to taste (don't have exact measurments)
add the velvetta cheese until melted(i used about 1/2-3/4 of a block of velvetta chesse cut into cubes)
Stir together until well blended
Add a spoonful of mixture to each cocktail square and place on cookie sheet
Bake for about 10 to 15 minutes until toasted and enjoy!

Chipotle Chili by Joe H.
1 LB Ground Meat

1 Red Onion, Diced

4 Garlic Cloves, minced

1 Can Diced Tomatoes with Jalapeños, Drained

1 Lrg Can Tomato Sauce (~30oz)

1 Can Light Red Kidney Beans, Drained, Rinsed

1 Can Dark Red Kidney Beans, Drained, Rinsed

1 Chipotle Chili Pepper, Minced (or Chipotle Chili Pepper Powder)

1 Bay Leaf

Chili Powder, Salt & Pepper

 

Brown the meat and season lightly with chili powder, move meat to crock pot and leave about 3 tablespoons of fat in pan. Sauté onions and garlic in fat until soft, add to crock pot. In crock pot, add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, beans, and chili pepper (or 2 teaspoons of chipotle chili powder, to taste). Add bay leaf, 4 tablespoons of chili powder, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook on low at least 5 hours. Add more spices to taste.

 

Chilli Mac-Attack  by Me! (first photo at the top)

1 onion chopped

1 green pepper seeded, veins removed, and chopped

1 pound of ground beef or turkey

1 packet of chili spices

1 tsp chopped garlic

1 large can of tomato juice

1 can of chopped tomatoes in their juices

1 can of black beans (drained)

1 can of red kidney beans (drained)

1 can of chili beans in seasoning

1 Tbsp cumin

salt and pepper to taste & macaroni and cheese, prepared as package says. 

Brown meat in a large pot, drain off grease. Add onions, garlic and green peppers. Cook for 4 minutes or until they have softened a bit. Then add spices, tomato juice, and tomatoes. Bring to a boil then turn heat back down and cover and let simmer for 20 minutes. Add the beans and let them heat up for 5 minutes or so before serving.  Scoop some mac and cheese into the bowl, then top with chili and add some crackers or cornbread to the side. This kid-friendly chili-mac attack, is the only way I can get my kids to eat chili, and also by crushing up the beans so they are hidden in with the meat. Its good with shredded cheddar cheese or sour cream. 

Thanks for submitting recipes friends!

Summer is over TOO SOON!

This summer went by entirely TOO FAST! I still am not into the swing of things: the kids' school, volunteering @ school, weekend work, puppy time, volunteering after school, soccer practice, parent club meetings, attempting to exercise and eat right, cub scouts, and attempting to keep the house semi clean. Not that I am complaining, I love my life, it's just a bit insane right now and I need to get my schedule worked out a little better.



This summer we kept the kids pretty busy, which is essential in keeping myself sane. I didn't have a lot of time to do arts or crafts, but there are a few things I made that I am pretty proud of. I made a whole slew of crochet critters for a Benefit for my friend's son earlier in the spring. They turned out quite cute, went up for auction or raffle for a great cause, and contributed to the final total of over $30,000!


My favorite is probably the robot or the beaver....maybe next time I could combine the 2?

Most of these patterns I got from 2 books by my favorite author and Amigurumi crochet guru, Ana Paula Rimoli. Her books are wonderful, that is where I learned how to do Ami, and her blog is adorable and funny http://amigurumipatterns.blogspot.com/



I have been attempting to design a few of my own Ami designs lately, I hope to put them up on my blog or Ravelry eventually.

One of my friends from high school recently started a wonderful do it yourself craft blog, howd.i.y. blog. It is a great blog, with tons of cool do it yourself projects, gift ideas, and crafts. Check it out. (: