I'm a contestant in the Harmons Sliced Cooking Competition!

So out of over 100 entries, I was selected to be one of 15 contestants in the Harmons 'Sliced' Cooking Competition!

It's a competition that's a lot like the Food Network's Chopped.  There are three divisions with 5 of the contestants cooking appetizers, 5 preparing entrees and 5 making desserts.  Guess which one the guy with a blog named That Means We Get Pie is in.... yes, desserts. 

 Each group will be given a black box with 4 mystery ingredients that must be incorporated into the dish you prepare for a panel of judges.  One person will be declared the winner in each category, win a $250 Harmons Gift Card, and will move onto the Final Dinner on May 10th.  Those three finalist will prepare their meal for 65 people and those diners will decide on one winner, who will win $500.  Also, there is a Judge's Award of $500 as well.  So if everything works out perfectly, you could walk away with $1,250.

They'll be filming the whole thing and releasing it on YouTube a few days later.  There's also a few promo spots that have been filmed as you can see at this link here.

I have a few ideas of what I could do, but there's are some definite obstacles.  There's a two hour time restriction, which makes a cream pie a little difficult.  Also, we're limited to their kitchen.  They have a pretty LARGE kitchen, but that could limit my options.  Basically.... I'm over-thinking it at this point.  I just need to calm down and be ready for whatever they throw at us.

So watch for more posts about the Sliced competition in the coming days.  Also, if you want to see me in action, I'll be cooking at the City Creek Harmons from 7:00 to 9:30 on Friday, May 2.  You can peer through the giant glass windows and watch the "magic".

Crock Pot Chili, Perfect for Smothering Potatoes

OK, we've done a few chili recipes on the blog already.  There's the Basic No Bean Chili that's thick, chunky and will feed the masses.  Then there's the Red Hot as Hell Chili that uses a little beer and whole lot of heat from habanero and jalapeno peppers.

Both of those are great for feeding the masses and work great in a large stock pot. But since they have large chunks of meat, they might not be the best for a dip or a topping for a giant baked potato.  And if you're going to be taking it to a party, why not use a crock pot?

You will need to brown some meat and chop a few vegetables, but beyond that, it's just filling the crock pot and cranking up the heat.

There are a lot of spices in this recipe.  If you don't have a lot of chili powder on hand, then I'd suggest going to a spice store or a grocery store that sells bulk spices.  As we talked about in our Spices post, it'll save you 80-90% if you buy spices in bulk and store them in small jars.  For example, the large bottle of chili powder needed for this recipe will be around $5.00 at the grocery store.  The price at WinCo for enough bulk chili powder to make this chili and another batch for your family in a week or so: $1.00

Crock Pot Chili

1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground pork or country sausage
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 large green pepper, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 chipotle peppers from a can and 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons of the adobo sauce packed with the peppers
3 14 ounce cans finely diced tomatoes
3 14 ounce cans crushed tomatoes
9 ounces (1 1/2 cans) tomato paste
1/2 cup chili powder
3 tablespoons cumin
2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon oregano

Brown the sausage and the ground beef in a large pan.  Drain off the fat and then pour the meat into a large crock pot.  Chop the onion, green pepper, chipotle peppers and garlic, then add them to the crock pot. Drizzle the adobo sauce over the vegetables, then pour all of the tomatoes over the other ingredients and stir to combine.  Add all of the spices and sugar to the chili and stir one last time.

Cook on high for 4-5 hours, stirring about every hour or so to spread the heat around.  Then, drop the heat to Keep Warm and allow it to cool down for the next 1-2 hours.  This will allow it to thicken up to a consistency perfect for ladling over potatoes or serving in a bowl topped with cheese.