We tried a new thing last year at our big annual Ropte Family GTG: A chili cookoff!
You guys - it was a blast! While some of the guys kinda pawned off the chili making onto their wives ::ahem, Mark and Dan:: the other guys got really into it, even naming their chili. All the names were pretty much inside family jokes, so that was kinda fun too lol
All the chili was pretty tasty, but this one stole my vote. And really, who would have guessed it: My baby brother (a bachelor who has just recently decided to start cooking instead of eating out, living in an apartment in Des Moines) was the chef who introduced me to it! The name of his chili "Mars Garlic Attack" was actually on account of him slightly mis-reading the recipe, and instead of 1 1/2 TSP of garlic powder, he added 1 1/2 TBSP. He was worried that it was ruined, but it was AWESOME!
I had heard about White Chicken Chili for years, but it never really sounded that good. I've changed my mind: It's DELICIOUS! I know he said he found it on my sister's Pinterest, but I searched and searched to no avail to find it. If you know whose recipe it is, please let me know so I can add a reference!
This past Christmas was a first for us: Not only did we host a fun gathering (which is normally held at Dad and Pam's house), but we decided to forego the traditional Christmas ham and did a Chinese Christmas with homemade Chinese dishes.
It has been a family tradition over the past 3 years that when we are decorating for Christmas, we get Chinese takeout, decorate, listen to Christmas music, and then watch Christmas movies when we're all done. I guess I just didn't get my fill of Chinese this year :)
I decided to make two of our favorite "go-to" Chinese food recipes: Sweet & Sour Chicken and Beef & Broccoli. To be honest, I felt like they both kinda flopped, but everyone else said they were great. I tried this Kraft box of sweet & sour mix to make things easier on myself, but I prefer my own recipe for Sweet & Sour Chicken (I'll post it below).
The Beef & Broccoli ended up getting a little singed, what with me planning a little poorly on the prep work (lesson learned!). Once again, everyone said it was great, but I think they were all lying lol I also felt the sauce was a little too bold, as I prefer a more mild sauce where the beef and broccoli are the stars with just a little flavor. I wouldn't make the recipe again, especially since it took such random ingredients that we don't typically keep on hand.
I actually discovered an incredibly more awesome Beef & Broccoli recipe earlier this week, so instead of giving you the wretched one we used this particular night, I'm going to give you the incredible one I made Monday evening. I actually ended up doubling the sauce because there wasn't a ton once it simmered a while, and that ended up being about perfect. However, it also added a TON of sodium from the soy sauce, so keep that in mind. It was probably fine just for us, but with a 1 year old with minimal teeth, he needed a little more sauce to get it down.
I got this recipe from a co-worker friend a few months ago, and since I cannot pin it through an email, I'm putting it on the blog! Thanks, Debbie, for this great recipe! This was the recipe we used for Kendrick's 1st birthday cake, although we used a cream cheese frosting for the frosting. It was so decadent and moist, and I had no problem finishing up the extra cupcakes. This is the only picture I have of the cake.
As a side note: This probably isn't a great cake for a mold haha. It didn't really turn out great from the mold. It's dense.It'll be nice to have this in my back pocket this winter when I'm craving something sweet that doesn't pack quite as many calories.
Enchiladas for me are typically hit or miss. I'm not overly fond of the typical enchiladas you'd order at a restaurant, but these ones are in a whole different ballpark!
I first had them at Grandma Vi's a few years ago, and she had found the recipe in a magazine (although she can't remember which one, so if YOU happen to recognize it, please let me know so I can give credit where credit is due!)
The recipe actually calls for turkey, but I have only been making them with chicken: Both are awesome, and this would be a really great way to use up leftover turkey from Thanksgiving!
I'm not going to lie: This is a pretty involved recipe as far as enchiladas go. Most of the time, it's "throw a few cans in a bowl with some shredded chicken or ground beef" for the filling, but this one has a LOT of stuff in it. But that is really what makes this so delicious, and I promise you won't regret it!
My boys just absolutely LOVE these enchiladas! (This was Cashel's "THIS STUFF IS SO GOOD I COULD SCREAM!" face on Valentine's Day)
There really isn't a good way to photograph this sandwich that truly does it justice. I mean, chicken is kinda a boring food to look at anyway, so add white on top of white on top of white, and well...it's pretty visually non-stimulating. But this sandwich is incredible!
