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Why am I the tailgate goddess?

Maybe because my first outing as a baby was to a high school football game when I was a few weeks old. Maybe because I was a cheerleader. But I think the biggest reason is that I love a good party in the great outdoors and what better excuse for a party than football.



We love to tailgate for the Hoos at The University of Virginia. And some days the tailgating is the best part of the day. But football season is just too short. So we "tailgate' at the river, when we're kayaking, shooting skeet. Any excuse for a party!!



Enjoy the recipe and the other helpful hints I offer for tailgating year round.

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Chili Cookoff

Everyone decided to fix chili for the Miami game. And amzingly enough UVA actually won the game!! Trick on Miami and a trat for us.

Here is our award winning Chili Recipe. I've never fixed chili with pork and with chunks of meats. It was Yummy!!

Chili Con Carne




Ingredients
• 2 1/2 pounds beef stew meat or beef chuck, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 1/2 pounds pork stew meat or shoulder, cut into 1- inch cubes
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup corn oil
• 2 large Spanish onions, chopped
• 10 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup chili powder, plus 2 tablespoons
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 (15 1/2-ounce) cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• Serving suggestions: White rice, chopped cilantro, shredded Cheddar, chopped tomatoes, minced fresh or pickled jalapeno peppers
Directions
Pat the meat dry with a paper towel and season with the salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large stew pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sear the meat, in small batches, until well browned, adding more oil to the pan as needed. Transfer meat to a bowl and reserve.
Discard all but 2 tablespoons of oil from the pan. Saute the onions over medium heat for 10 minutes, scraping up the browned bits with a wooden spoon from the bottom of the pan. Add the garlic and saute for 2 minutes more. Stir in the 1/3 cup chili powder, cumin, and oregano and cook for 2 minutes. Add the canned diced tomatoes and whisk in 4 cups of the stock. Add the meat and any accumulated juices back to the pot. Bring to a gentle simmer. Season the chili with the salt and pepper, cover, and cook for 30 minutes.
In a food processor or blender puree half of the beans with the remaining 1 cup of stock. Add the bean mixture to the chili along with the whole beans. Let simmer, uncovered, 1 hour more or until the meat is tender. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons chili powder and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve with rice and suggested condiments.

I also added a can of corn drained to this recipe!