Bell County Mama: Barefoot in the Kitchen

A few weeks ago we had the 1 year anniversary of CHOPPED! Unfortunately we could not afford to have Ted Allen there to commentate and host but we did have a barefoot pregnant lady in the kitchen and lots of yummy food concocted.

A little background on Chopped... My husband and I got the idea to "play" chopped from his sister and her husband. While we have always enjoyed the TV show version, we both love getting creative in the kitchen and it was suggested as inexpensive date night. If you are playing with just two people, you go to the store and each pick out 4-6 ingredients for your mystery basket. When you get home switch baskets and you each have 30-45 minutes (depending on your preference) to create a meal out of what is in your basket. You can use anything in the fridge or pantry to supplement. When we have more than 4 items we allow for at least one veto of an item.

Our first solo chopped experience we created Siracha pork meatballs over a prickly pear poblano hash and pork street tacos with a baby corn relish and ginger cheesy potatoes!

So delicious.

Since joining up with a group Chopped has evolved somewhat and we have created numerous sauces, delicious fried everything, multiple salads and all kinds of meats. I have to say chopped has really helped me to be more creative and adventurous in the kitchen.

I would highly recommend Chopped as inexpensive group date night as long as you don't mind people digging through your pantry and using all you cherished kitchen gadgets. When we play with a group each group is assigned a course to cook and a basket to bring (appetizer, entree, dessert). Obviously you bring a different basket than you are cooking, baskets are revealed right before cooking each course and those not cooking can partake in conversation and spirits while waiting to sample each delicious course.

I would say Chopped is very similar to a traveling dinner just all in one house. Sometimes we even have guest judges show up, which revs up the competition factor. We don't always pick a winner but usually there is a clear consensus on whose dish is the best.

Some of our more interesting/unusual ingredients have included:

Crickets

Goat Meat

Venison

Chicken in a Can
Marmite (a salty cracker spread)

Frozen dinners that had to be re-purposed

Our Anniversary Chopped included the following:

Appetizer made by Matt and Meredith: a deconstructed hamburger salad with a brown mustard vinaigrette

Basket provided by me: Frozen burgers, spinach, green chiles, harvest shandy, crackers

Entree made by yours truly: venison and bacon meatballs over a garlic/lemon cauliflower mash with a cranberry wine sauce, creamy alfredo/mozzarella egg noodles, and cornbread on the side.