2nd Annual Chili Cook-off was held on March 1st. 
FIRST PRIZE WENT TO THE SUNDAY SCHOOL KIDS - for the ST. MARY'S SHELTER
SECOND PRIZE WENT TO THE SEWING CIRCLE
THIRD PRIZE WENT TO SCOTT MAGUIRE - for HABITAT FOR HUMANITY
Here is a message from Pastor Susan~
 
Hello Chili Cookers!

A big "congratulations" to everyone - we had a great event on Saturday.  We raised a lot of money for charity; we had a lot of fun being together; and we had the best chili experiences we have ever eaten!!!  You should all feel really good about the evening.  A special hooray to the Sunday School Kids and Barbara DeWilde - they had a super chili recipe which they should definitely share in our upcoming cookbook so our St. Peter's family and friends can try to reproduce it at home. Still, it would never taste quite the same as what you can get at our yearly Chili Cook Off - especially when you consider all the extra goodies the kids had to add to your bowl.  We are really proud of their efforts and St. Mary's Shelter will certainly be happy with their contribution to their mission work. 

Now, to all the rest of us - let's be proud of our contributions and the menagerie of sensations they caused in our participants.  Sally & Kathy had another great chili entry this year for the Sewing Circle who are well-known for being superb cooks.  Good job and congratulations on your 2nd place win!  And kudos go out to Scott Maguire for his 3rd place win and a fascinating "sweet and sassy" chili that I personally thought was a first class entry.  Ken & Dawna's chili reminded me of real home cooking and it warmed my heart.  The Breiling's chili contribution, advertised as the "best chicken chili ever" was fabulous and their whole extended family turned out to support them. which I thought was great.  I thoroughly enjoyed Linda Sinisi's bean chili over risotto and considered it a top contender.  Next to her was Kathy Woodruff and the Stein family with a chicken chili that had a brew-ti-ful secret ingredient that made the flavor quite stunning. 

Then there was Dan Gorge's wonderful spicy chili that really cleared our throats and sinuses and sent us to the front table to get a bottle of water to cool us off before moving on.  Good job Dan - that was incredible!  The Blue and Barry family kids had a really unique chili that included black olives and it was great!  Who would have thought? They really showed how passionate they are about their mission, too - the Main Line Animal Rescue Center - with tender pictures of some of the residents who are waiting there to be adopted. (Hint, hint)  I think there should be an award just for Tracy and Brian Neiman who brought two entries and they could not have been more different from one another.  The first was made with Buffalo meat and something so spicy I went back for a second bottle of water and couldn't decide whether Dan's chili or this one was "hotter".  My daughter pointed out they were a "different kind of hot" but both really hot in their own right.  Okay - you're both really hot - are you happy? 

And then, the Neimans offered a second recipe of a sort of corn chowder mixture that, as Brian put it, calms down your taste buds so you can move on to the next table.  Thank goodness - because Jen Wachsmuth's chili was worth being ready for - it was really yummy.  And then, right next to her, your taste buds got treated again by Dana Duffield's recipe that had something in it no other entry had - thyme.  It was really an intriguing taste.  Finally, I still kept coming back to my own recipe - which was handed down to me from my mother and she probably got it from Betty Crocker.  With a fresh loaf of hearty bread and a mug of mead, it is just what you need on a cold winter's day.  All I know is that I really like it and enjoy making it.  That's why we were all happy to share our recipes in this year's Chili Cook Off.  In the end, that is the mark of a truly good recipe - when the cook enjoys the making and the eating and the sharing of their own creation. 

We missed the Warner family and their promised "Cincinnati Chili" who couldn't come due to illness - but we hope they are all better soon.  And  a challenge has already been issued by Pete Wilson who couldn't be with us due to the change in date, but who says he has a great recipe that will be "very competitive next year".  So, we all better get creative and start planning now.  Personally, I was thinking maybe "Chili Pizza" or perhaps "Chili Pie" for something different next year.  What do you think?

Finally - I want to say a big thank you to Lisa Blue for her work behind the scenes getting this event planned.  Thanks also to the Youth Group members and parents for their contributions that helped make this a great evening for all of us.  It was a "chili" evening that helped us all feel really "warm" inside. 

Thanks to all and see you next year!  Pastor Susan