On Sunday, March 6th we had a chili cook-off and potluck lunch directly after church. 13 people brought their ‘A’ game and made a delicious crockpot of chili. This was a great opportunity to get to know people, enjoy some chili, and celebrate all the volunteers who serve relentlessly here at Turningpoint and beyond.
A restaurant gift card was awarded to the winner of each category:
- All-Around Best: Bruce McGuire
- Most Original: Lisa Kennedy
- Kid-Approved: Meshelle Hicks
Check out the recipes below to make a winning chili recipe yourself!
Bruce McGuire’s Winning Chili
Voted All-Around Best
Ingredients
2 lbs ground beef
2 packs of Chili-o mix
Spaghetti noodles
1 large, tall can of tomato juice
Beans of your choice
1 large onion
1 cup water
Instructions
- Brown ground beef and onion, then drain the resulting grease.
- Add 2 packets of Chili-o mix and 1 cup of water to the meat/onion combination.
- Put the mixture into a large pot and bring to a boil.
- Add pasta and lower heat to a simmer until the pasta is done.
Lisa Kennedy’s Buffalo Chicken Chili
Voted Most Original
Ingredients
1 pound of ground chicken (I “de-boned” a large rotisserie chicken form Kroger and shredded the white meat instead)
1 can white navy beans, drained and rinsed
14.5 oz can hot chili tomatoes, drained
4 cups chicken broth
1/4 – 1/2 cup buffalo wing sauce (start with 1/4 cup and add more at end if needed)
1 package ranch dressing mix
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
1/2 teaspoon dried cilantro
1/4 teaspoon salt
8oz cream cheese
Blue cheese crumbles (optional)
Instructions
- Brown ground chicken until fully cooked and place in crockpot (or brown ahead of time and store in fridge until ready to assemble) (I plopped the de-boned chicken in the bottom and poured the juice from the chicken on top to add some extra flavor).
- Add remaining ingredients (except for cream cheese and blue cheese) and stir to combine.
- Add block of cream cheese on the top and cover.
- Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.
- Stir to incorporate cream cheese and add additional wing sauce as desired.
- Top individual bowls with blue cheese crumbles if desired.
Meshelle Hicks’ Under the Sea Chili
Voted Kid-Approved
Ingredients
2 lbs ground chuck
1 cup chopped Vidalia onion
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 can Busch’s mild chili beans
1 can dark red kidney beans, drained
2 cans crushed tomatoes
3 Tbsp brown sugar
1 pkg McCormick mild chili seasoning
1 cup water
2 cups uncooked pasta shells
1 package of Goldfish crackers
Instructions
- Brown beef and onion together, then drain the resulting grease.
- Season and add the remaining ingrdients (except the pasta shells).
- Cook for 30 minutes on medium heat.
- Cook pasta, drain, & add.
- Top with Goldfish crackers!