Chili Champ

Here I am disguised as Scotty McLean feeding a sample of my championship chili to some of my chums. (Nice legs, Scotty!) I spent two days cooking up Maui Chili (chicken and pineapple with no beans but with a volcanic afterglow) and Black Bean Chili Surprise for the ward chili cook-off and pie baking contest. The Maui won first place as the most original. It was gone in a flash. Even the little kids liked it in spite of the volcanic afterglow. The Black Bean Chili Surprise won first place as the best hot chili. That was really a surprise since I thought it was a rather mild chili. You can see better the chili, the first place buttons on my chest, and my great moustache if you click on the picture.


I went incognito just in case the chili was so bad I could shift the blame to Scotty. Some say that Thompsons are a wee bit too competitive. At least we have fun trying. The two days of slow simmering was the key. I had sampled so much of my own chili for two days that I couldn't bear the thought of trying anyone else's. I'm still getting complements a day later. Don't ask me for the recipes. It was a pinch of this and a handful of that. You know how great chefs operate!


I also made a heavenly Dutch apple vlaai (pronounced "fly") topped with a thick layer of apple Bavarian creme. That was our favorite dessert when we lived last year in Holland. I thought the name made it a perfect entry for a Halloween pie baking contest. However, the judges were traditionalists and gave the first places to the more traditional American apple and pumpkin pies.


My corn bread was a flop. I think the baking powder was too old so it was like chewing on corn leather. Well, you can't win them all. I think Scotty can take credit for the corn leather. Does that sound like a Scottish delight?