Chili Cook-Off Party

Let’s welcome Autumn and the cooler weather it brings by hosting a chili cook-off “contest” party – it’s a unique way to get together with friends and have some fun!

Have your participants bring their special chili in an electric slow cooker. Try to end up with 6-8 chili entries, not everyone you invite has to enter. The more the merrier!

If possible, have the contestants drop off the chili earlier or the day before so the entries are anonymous. If you have a long table or a large counter space, arrange the cookers in a row, and number them. Place 2-ounce plastic portion cups along side each slow cooker with plenty of plastic spoons, so that everyone can get one or two samplings of each chili.

On your computer you can make up voting ballots, and be sure to leave space for tasting notes for comments about aroma, texture, color and spiciness. The chili with the most awarded points wins! Have a prize for the winner, a nice bottle of wine, a small bowl for salsa or nuts or a gift certificate to a local restaurant.

Make sure to have a few side dishes available and the finishing toppings for the chili. Corn bread, salad, cheddar cheese, salsa, cilantro, diced avocado, tortilla chips, sour cream, sliced jalapenos and sliced green onion.

Having a variety of different beers or a chilled white wine on hand goes well with the theme of this gathering and is also fun to sample!

Good luck!

Culinary pleasures and entertaining with friends and family refreshes the soul, revives the spirit, and makes new memories.

Caution: Slow cookers can consume a lot of  amps  and most electrical circuits max out at a certain level of  amps, so to avoid the potential risks associated with overloading you circuits, you may want to acquire some power strips that allow for overload protection, and/or spread the cookers among multiple circuits. Extension cords may be needed to reach more than one circuit.