Can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen!

The contenders in the salsa contest

   It's Saturday.  It's a catch up day.  After two weekends full of food, friends, fun and frivolity, I am feeling at peace with a day of writing, cleaning, grocery shopping, cooking and baking.  And since the weather may cooperate, there may be an extended dog walk in my future.  But for now, I am sitting on the sofa, Edwin by my side, writing and listening to Joanna Newsom, who I must admit, is growing on me.
   This past weekend, I spent a good deal of time at The North Market for their Fiery Foods Festival.  On Saturday, we were there for the Chef's Chili Challenge.  This chili cook off consisted of twenty professionals (including Cooking Caravan).  Here's how it worked for tasters:  You paid five dollars to taste all of the chili (remember twenty).  You got a small bowl and spoon.  You stood around with a crowd of people waiting for the judging to finish.  All sorts of announcements were made which you could not hear.  You waited some more.  The winners were announced (which you could not hear).  Then you were let loose with your little bowl.  If you were smart (and I was not) you brought a bottle of water with you.  You made your way from chili to chili, trying not to pass out from heat and the crowd, savoring each chili individually.  Until, you reached the point where your lips began to burn and you began to sweat.  Twenty chilies is a lot - even when tasting only a small amount of each.  In the end,  I made it through about eight including the first and second place winners.  All of the ones I tasted were acceptable.  I enjoyed the second place chili (which had hominy in it) quite a lot and would have picked it as a favorite of the ones I tried. I also liked a green chili with chicken chorizo and a chili that was served with jalapeno grits (hot!!).  And Cooking Caravan's chocolate-chipotle wild boar chili as very tasty.  But in the end, I would not have chosen the winner as the winner.  It was a fine chili but not the most exciting of the ones I tried.  And to be honest, I am not sure how much my judgement could be trusted by the end as my lips felt like they were going to fall off of my face from the heat.
   On Sunday, I coerced my friend Amy to enter the amateur salsa making contest.  I think she entered primarily to shut me up.  Her salsa is the bomb. And I felt like this would be super fun.  So the salsa contest worked in a similar way (except I had to do a little prejudging and tweaking chez Amy).   There were thirteen salsas entered in the contest.  They were all presented for judging.  We waited around again although there was a far smaller crowd.  This helped with the ability to hear what was going on.  The winners were announced.  Amy's salsa was not one of them.  That was kinda a bummer but she seemed okay with it.  After the winners were announced we were able to taste each of them.  It was at this time that I concluded - Amy was robbed.  Once again, I liked the second place winner and I would have put that salsa on my short list.  And while, the winner was good, it was not my favorite.  The major difference between the chili contest and the salsa contest became clear during the salsa tasting.  There were a few salsas that I would call bad.  All of the chili that I tasted was good.  Some I preferred over others but it was all good.  I could not say the same thing for all of the salsa.  But in the end, it was a good time.  And followed up by a scoop of Jeni's Brambleberry Crisp ice cream.  What could be better?
   Now back to my recovery weekend.  Back to writing.  Back to baking.  Back to Joanna Newsom (who I think I now like).  Back to making a pie.  Not sure what kinda pie it will be.  But there is certainly pie in this weekend's future!