Leigh vs. Chili

I'm usually not a fan chili.
On a sensory level,
it grosses me out to eat
soggy vegetables floating around in broth.

So you can imagine my shock
when I saw a recipe for Two Tomato Chili
in the October issue of Better Homes and Gardens
and actually wanted to make it.

I knew that it was going to be a challenge.
as it was a pretty involved recipe

It was going to be me against the chili,
a bitter battle in the kitchen!

Things started out strong
when I unloaded all the vegetables onto the counter.

The colors were so bright and cheerful
and I felt like one of those ladies
who grows all of her food
in a garden and then carries
the vegetables to her kitchen
in a cute straw basket.

Except I got mine at the grocery store
in the non-organic section.
I needed to save money,
mama needs a new pair of shoes.

I digress...
I felt all earthy and good about the situation
as I set to the task of chopping a ton of vegetables.

Thirty minutes later my carpel tunnel
was acting up and I felt a bit grumpy.
The chopping never seemed to end.

I try to put love into my cooking
but at that point I was starting
to resent the vegetables
for needing to be chopped in the first place.

Eventually, it was time to cook and as the
oil heated in the pan
I heard Roger gently call to me from the living room
"Hey, maybe don't cook it all on high!" he shouted.
(How does he know me so well?)

Sound advice from my sweetie.
So I turned the burner knob down from 8 to 6
and felt very capable as I cooked
up the ingredients.

I dumped it all in the trusty ol' crockpot
and before I knew it...

I had made some pretty awesome chili!!
I even went a little crazy
and made some buttery biscuits for dippin'.

I actually enjoyed eating it
and would say that it was a huge success.

Let's check in with little Sally who
is keeping score!

Sweet Victory!

Let me know if you want the recipe.
My poor hands are too tired
from chopping up those pesky vegetables
to type it up.

Trust me though,
it's worth all the work!