The Good Times: Chili Cook-Off

This past Saturday, Alex's office participated in the Junior Auxiliary's Annual Chili Cook-off here in Columbia. Little did we know, we were NO WAY prepared for what we experienced. We knew we needed 6 gallons of chili to serve those who attended. 6 Gallons, really? My crock pot is 6 quarts (that's 1 and 1/2 gallons), I borrowed 1 crock pot, bought a new one and that's STILL not enough chili. His sweet staff all made some too, and we had found a tent to borrow plus some fall decor. End...of...statement.

We showed up early as instructed around 9am to set-up. Whew, that was an experience. Might I add it never got above 48 degrees here Saturday and this was all held in the middle of a field...FRIGID! So the first spot we thought we were going to set up, we quickly learned was reserved for the beer truck. Come on people, its NINE in the MORNING. That's the LAST thing on my mind! So after some shuffling of tents (all of which are full of propane tank cookers, pots, pans, and raw meat while those occupying the tents are cooking away!), we finally found a plot of grass to occupy. Forget all that cook-on-site mess, wait til I show up with our 8 crock pots, the generator to plug them into, enough extension cords to light a house like on Christmas vacation, and our cute chili tablecloth! Getting the picture????

Now, the chili for the actually competition had to be beanless, so I had prepared the Goodman family recipe of Beer chili minus the mushrooms and beans. It was a winner, at least to all who sampled it. When Alex (team captain of Dr. Goodman's Tasty Tooth Chili) went to the captain's meeting and got the paper for the men's category, an older gentleman pulled him aside and said, "Now son, the men's category is for those who cook ther chili here on site. I see you aren't cookin any and I assume yur bringing crock pots. That just won't work. You'll need to enter the 'Locals' category if yur gonna be judged. The men's category isn't fur you."

Ok, right? Who knew there were categories and who cared honestly! The booth next to us had their championship jackets on from the 1978 chili cook off they had won in podunk, whoknowswhere! I mean, could they not tell we were just there to advertise Alex's office and enjoy the fall festivities! I could go on and on about this experience, but I think I've painted the picture well. Overall, it was great fun had by his office staff and a great chance to put himself out there! Check out our AWESOME decor below.