Friday Food Story

Ah, a chill in the air has come to Florida, which basically means that instead of 75 degrees at 6 am it is now 68 degrees.  This doesn't change the fact that by noon it still be in the 90s, but for those brief couple of hours we are reminded that fall is here and the holidays are soon approaching.  What does this mean to me?  It means that it's time for Chili, and if ever there was a food that deserves its own story, it's Chili.

I am proud to say that my Chili has won contests.  It is probably the one recipe I am not willing to share yet, because I am so darn happy with it, and really still want the accolades that come with serving this wonderful dish.  But, as great as it is, and it is great...it almost didn't happen.  This chili, started as an accident, but some of the best dishes are.

You see, back when Heather and I were stationed in Korea, we were coming toward the end of our time there.  I had a bunch of food in the freezer and in the cupboards and was quickly running out of time to use them.  Then our unit, AFN-Korea, decided to have their own chili cook-off.  Perfect!  Most of the things I had in my kitchen would work in a chili.  So, armed with a crock pot and a knife, I went to work chopping, measuring, and pouring everything I had until it was simmering to perfection.

Luckily, most of the ingredients were traditional to chili.  I will give away this secret because it is an easy way to add to almost any chili recipe.  I use two meats, ground beef and ground pork sausage.  Yum!  there was tomato sauce, spices, onion (of course) and I think I even had a jalapeno.  But some of the ingredients were not as traditional.  They were just a part of what I had used over the 3 years we had been in Korea, and I didn't feel like lugging them to the states or throwing them away.

The chili became known as "Cupboard Chili" because everything in the cupboard went into it.  When we went into the competition, I was confident that it could compete, although I didn't know if it could win.  There were some tough competitors, including a couple of 20 year Army Veterans who had seemingly spent their entire careers perfecting their chili recipes.  Was I in over my head, or did I have something?

Turns out, I had something.  The heat level and taste gave me the edge and I ended up winning 2nd place that day.  Apparently, my chili was a little too thick, or I would have won.  It was a nice $15 gift card to the PX.  I can't remember if there were other prizes, or who beat me.

Over the years, I have made some adjustments to the recipe, and a couple years ago I won our churches chili cook off.  It is still "Cupboard Chili," but now it is much more precise.  I even serve it with a Cilantro Sour Cream and Cornbread Crackers just for that little extra.

I tell that story, basically to say this...creativity is in your kitchen.  When you find yourself with nothing to eat, but a lot of ingredients, just start throwing things together.  You never know what you might come up with.  It might be award winning.  It may become your signature dish.  It might taste disgusting.  It doesn't matter.  Dominos is only a phone call away!