A crazy thing happened this week. Lillian, being the very well-connected-to-the-Longmont-community person she is now, asked for my help in entering a chili cook-off, benefiting a local non-profit, Annie and Millie’s Place, and held at a local brewery, GrossenBart (invitation complements of our friends of Absolute Vinyl Records and Stereo). I didn’t think much of it. But, because I have been badgering my kids to spend some time with me in the kitchen for the last year +, of course I said yes.
I asked, “Do you have a chili recipe? Or do you want to use my wonky one?”
Lillian said, “Yours is good.”
I’ve been making essentially the same chili for years, but it’s not exactly a recipe, it’s more of a theoretical chili that exists only in my head. Confession: this is how most of my cooking and baking goes. I find two or more recipes I mostly like, I think that I can combine them, along with some of my own spin. I save them all to my AnyList and when it’s time to make whatever the item is, I add all their lists of ingredients to my crazy long shopping list and set off to the store to see what inspiration I can find there. Some things are found, some are missing, some are substituted, some I just decide I don’t agree with that day. Back at home, I throw everything together without reading any of the recipes instructions, without measuring, and mostly just going by what feels good in that moment.
We borrowed a kitchen, Lillian and Clayton followed my commands to stir, chop, and simmer. And we had a lot of laughs. This quality time with my family is winning for me. Some of my best memories are of these times with family, creating – either in the kitchen or some elaborate craft or sewing project – always making a HUGE mess, and feeling so much peace. The creating and the cleaning up after is all so fun. The chatter and resulting inside jokes keep me going. I’m stunned to realize how much these times have been missing from my life of the last couple of years, due to a lack of space or resources. When I think now of all that I have lost, and how I want to re-build my life, these are the times that I think of the most. How can I create more of these times in this period of transition (and some semblance of normalcy for me and my children)? And how will I create these times when I can carve out a space for us sometime and some place in the future?
I’m reminded of this photo (right) and caption, one of my favorite Facebook memories from 2015 that pops up every holiday season: “This photo IS the holidays to me. Sewing and crafts with three generations, twinkle lights, food, drink and a huge mess. It’s been a great winter break!!!” But it’s not just the holidays. It’s every day. Every day of my life that I spent planning, shopping, and gathering my people into these moments. I thought it was normal old boring life, but you absolutely don’t know how rich that life is, until the time and place is gone, as it is now, for me. It is absolutely soul crushing. And at the same time, it is what motivates me to keep fighting. I will fight for these small moments, and I will keep fighting until I am back to that normal old boring life. And I will never again take any of it for granted.
But back to our chili cook-off experience: We were a last-minute entry as it was, well, a less-than-18-hours-entry. And very late, we learned that we could name our chili! What a fun time. We consulted our list of funny sayings (aka possible band names or album names), actual band names, Valentine themed names, and more. Our short list included:
Chili Nelson
Spicy Bites
Midnight Chili
It’s a Matter of Chili
Dirt Road Smuggler Chili
Chili Wonka
Chili Joel
Love Potion #9
Cupid’s Cauldron
Not Your Mama’s Chili (which is funny because being entered by Lillian, it IS Mama’s chili)
And…. the winner… Chili Vanilli
The next afternoon, we met at Grossen Bart and Lillian took her spot to serve the chili, with Clayton by her side as backup. I mostly was there for moral support, and to test the beer and other chili entries. I’m so proud of both of my children for interacting with so much care and joy at their workplaces and here. And I’m so grateful that their work and initiative to be a part of the Longmont community has trickled down into my life in the most amazing ways. The feedback we overheard about our chili, and the people praising it was unexpected. We started to believe we might actually have a shot at a prize. We found some old friends in both the other chefs and in the tasters that showed up to participate in this wonderful event. In the end, we did win 2nd place! I’m still shocked.
I love seeing our community like this. It was relaxed and fun. Some of the chefs were talking smack to each other, and we all laughed. While I was away from our serving spot, someone asked, “Can I have your recipe?” and Clayton said, “Will you sign an NDA?” He was joking, but I wasn’t able to find that person again to explain to them that I would absolutely share my recipe, if it was a recipe at all… It all felt wonderfully supportive, and perfectly Longmont.
And the best part: this quality time with my children resulted in a prize that included gift cards to a handful of Longmont restaurants. We’ve had a hard couple of years, struggling to have a home where we can share our time, and the best way for us to spend time together lately has been at restaurants, food halls, coffee shops, the Longmont Library, and plane-spotting at Vance Brand Airport. It’s expensive, but the time with my family is priceless. As Lillian said, “I can’t believe how much this prize fits our life right now!” So, this prize feels so perfect, will allow us more time together, and for that I will be forever grateful!
So, for those that wanted our recipe, for my children, and anyone else who is interested, I spent some time actually trying to piece my recipe together into something share-able. I hope this finds its way into your kitchen, and creates some time that fills your heart, as this experience has filled mine.
xoxo,
Janna
Mama’s Silver Medal Chili
aka Chili Vanilli
INGREDIENTS
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1 Medium Yellow Onion
- 4 Cloves Garlic
- 1 Yellow Bell Pepper
- 1 Red Bell Pepper
- 1 Green Bell Pepper
- 6-8 Slices of Bacon
- 1 Pound Ground Beef
- 1 Pound Ground Pork
- 1 28 oz can Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes (preferably Muir Glen Chili Starter, Medium with Jalapenos)
- 1 28 oz can Fire Roasted Crushed Tomatoes
- 1 can Black Beans (WF spicy)
- 1/2 Jar of Medium Green Chili
- 1 can Kidney Beans
- 1 can Refried Beans
- 1 cup Pale Beer or Chicken Stock
- 1 Tablespoon Cumin
- 4 Tablespoons Chili Powder
- 1 Tablespoon Chipotle Chili Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Smoked Paprika
- 2 Teaspoons Dried Oregano
- 1 Tablespoon Tabasco
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
- 1 Teaspoon Pepper
- Sour cream
- Mexican blend cheese
- Lime wedges
- Tortilla chips
PREPARATION STEPS
- Finely chop the onion, garlic, and bell peppers. In large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven, add the olive oil on medium heat and saute the veggies, salt and pepper for 3-5 minutes.
- Chop bacon into thin pieces, and add to the pot along with ground beef and ground pork and break up and cook until no longer pink, about 5 minutes.
- Add spices, beans, green chili, beer or chicken stock, and tomatoes. Simmer for at least 20 minutes, preferably up to 1 hour. Alternately, saute veggies and meats and then add to a slow cooker to combine with the remaining ingredients. This chili gets better cooked low and slow (or the next day). Just make sure it doesn’t get too dry.
- Serve it up in bowls and top with your choice of lime wedges, sour cream, cheese, tortilla chips.
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This recipe was sent from the AnyList app. If you already use AnyList, follow the steps at the link below to open the attached file and import this recipe directly into the app. https://help.anylist.com/articles/open-recipe-file
