CHECK OUT TONY PINK'S
CHILI RECIPE BELOW -

Here's some more important details - and Tony Pink's secret recipe - from the Feb. 20 community chili cookoff held at the middle school.

Over $1,000 was raised for the Bluffton Community Assistance Program's food pantry.

Eleven chili entries, representing seven area churches, were tasted by over 120 participants. 

The winner of this year's People's Choice Award was Nancy Yeager, with second place winner (and last year's winner) Tony Pinks. 

Other chili chefs included, Diane Winebar, Beth Buist, Leslie Freed, Kim Best, Don amd Cathy Carroll, Cheryl Sommers, Patty Bunch, Missy Pilash and Jim King.

In addition to the money raised from the chili tastings and concessions, food and personal items were donated to restock the Food Pantry.

The event was sponsored by the Bluffton Presbyterian Church Mission Committee. 

The project included the support of members from Bluffton Baptist, Ebenezer Mennonite Church, Emmanuel United Church of Christ,  English Lutheran Church, First United Methodist, and St. John's United Church of Christ.  Entertainment was provided by Dancers Elite and Krysti's Music Studio.

The Icon previously posted Nancy Yeager's chili recipe. Click here to view it.

Tony Pink's Chili Recipe - we won't tell how we obtained it

Ingredients:
3  pounds ground chuck beef
Salt and pepper to taste
Large can tomato juice
15 oz can tomato sauce
15 oz can red kidney beans
15 oz can white kidney beans
15 oz can black beans
3 cloves garlic (minced)
Large Vandalia sweet onion diced
Green bell pepper diced
Red bell pepper diced       
2 or 3 – jalapenos seeded and diced (leave the seeds in for some serious spice )
8 – 10 tablespoons hot chili powder (I use Gordon Foods seasoning) depending on how spicy you like it, you can add or subtract from this ingredient.
 
First, I start dicing all of the vegetables. Then I start cooking the beef and add all of the veggies and salt and pepper while it cooks.

Next open cans of beans and juices. Drain the juices off of the cooked beef and veggies then return it to the pot.

Add all other ingredients to the pot and bring to a boil stirring constantly. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for a few hours. Taste it from time to time to see if you want to add more chili powder or even some dried crushed red peppers for some heat.

We serve ours up at home with tortilla chips and peanut butter sandwiches.

Please feel free to share with anyone and definitely add your own items to the recipe to the soup if you like. Some people love mushrooms in theirs, I enjoy mushrooms, but the rest of my family doesn’t so I leave them out.