The smell of victory

So do you know who just you are dealing with here?

Yes, yes, people, after much preparation, sweat and hours of hard cooking, I am victorious.

I won the first annual church parking lot chili cook-off, reigning over 11 other fine chilis, including one made by *snicker* Mr Stapler, who put up a mighty fight but could not prevail. Which pissed him off because he is the most competitive person on earth. Too bad he's not the best cook on earth. I am! HA!

My prize? $55, which is slightly more than the cost of the ingredients because I was a lazy bad cook and used canned beans.

The recipe? A slightly modified version of this Epicurious recipe. I left out the chicken, used about 1 tsp instead of 1 Tbsp of hot sauce, added 2 tsp smoked Spanish paprika (my favorite ingredient) and my super-secret ingredient, 1/2 a dark chocolate bar (about 2 oz).

Sounds weird, huh? It didn't taste like chocolate. I just took a hint from the Mole Negro of Oaxaca, knowing how chocolate adds a deep, mysterious flavor to that legendary sauce.

Even though I roasted my own chiles, I think it is a waste of time and suggest the canned Ortegas. Blasphemy? I don't think anyone would ever know the diff.

Even though it was vegetarian, the full cup of sour cream renders it high-fat, so it isn't for the diet-conscious. But that's why it won, dear readers. No low fat recipe ever won anything that was judged by a popular vote.

Finally, new links are up at Linkateria. Enjoy.