Food and Friends

...two things I love! Put 'em together...even better.

The hubby and I had been wanting to have a house warming party for basically forever. We bought our house in July and it was more than time. We wanted to show off the fact that after hours upon hours of sweat, blood and tears, our house had gone from this:(Yes, that wall on the right IS crackle-finished. The yellow was even brighter than it looks, and don't even get me started on that wallpaper. For the love of Pete/future owners of your house...don't use wallpaper. Ever.)
To this:

Also, I just turned 25, so the time had come!

After much debate, we settled on a chili cook-off. Planning a big party for a lot of people can be tricky when you don't have a lot of money and you have to eat gluten-free. Chili is awesome because people's recipes are often naturally gluten-free, or can easily be altered to be so if your friends are sweet and dear enough to think of it. (My friend J. even made an AMAZING gluten-free cornbread casserole, when I get the recipe I'll post it.) There's something for everyone! I'm a little phobic of gluteny food in my house, so this worked perfectly. I put out a gigantic bowl of corn chips and lots of little bowls of salsas, sour cream, onion, cheese and jalepenos. Folks brought their dishes in big pots I stuck on the stove or crock pots around the kitchen. Add a salad, make some gluten-free cupcakes, put out plenty of plastic bowls and spoons and voila; food and fun all around!That's not even all of it! (Isn't is special that our gluten-free home has a beautiful tile backsplash of a wheat-inspired still life? We certainly think so. We also thinks it makes an even better statement to draw a big X over it.)


Yes, random things in my house are writing surfaces. Another post for another day.

Aren't they adorable?

We have incredible friends, so catching up with everyone was a blast. Everyone's chili was so good. We meant to take a vote for a winner, but totally forgot. Honestly, I don't know how we would have chosen! Stacy D.'s recipe had cinnamon in the spices that really brought out the delicious flavor, E. cooked the beans in her dish in bacon drippings for a yummy smoky flavor, S.J. and her hubby made their dish pop with hot sauce and bay leaves, my mom added jalepenos to the recipe I grew up with for a nice kick, and C. made a turkey chili that smelled incredible, but I was too stuffed to even try!

So, I'd say it was a success. How about making it annual?