Oh my gosh you guys. I am horrible at keeping secrets. Before I get into my news, let’s just go back a couple months, shall we? They always say things in life happen for a reason!
Remember my Beef Counsel weekend in Chicago in early October? The best and final stop for me was when we cooked at The Chopping Block. We were put in groups of four, and one of the women I was paired with was Heather. Out of all the women I met during that weekend, Heather is the ONLY person who became my friend. I thought I had made a connection with a few other women too. When I got back home I started following their blogs, sent emails saying how nice it was to meet them – no response at all. Except for Heather!
Fast forward a few weeks and she linked to a recipe contest that Spark People/Spark Recipes was having. It basically asked for your best crock pot recipe, and the Grand Prize would be $5,000 dollars and not only that, I could pick a hunger relief charity and donate another $5,000. I actually said to myself when I read the rules and that they would be announcing the winner in early December that “$5,000 really would be nice if I won that!”
So I entered my Buffalo Chicken Chili as a crock pot recipe. Dozens of people who have made it have it and entered it into chili contests have won, so I thought I would give it a go! About a week and a half ago, I got an email that said my recipe made it to the top 15! The would be spending the week of Thanksgiving making each and every entry, and then based on those results would announce the winner on December 2. Well, because of the holiday, they needed one more day, so the winner was to be announced on Tuesday. All day I kept my cell phone at work, kept refreshing my email. Nothing yet. Then around 3 I got really busy and didn’t have a chance to refresh my phone until I was leaving to go to the restaurant. I got half way out our front door when I read this:
“Biz, I ‘m happy to inform you that you;’ve been chosen as the Grand Prize Winner of the Spark Recipes Split-the-Pot Slow Cooker Contest!” WHAT???!!!!!!!!!
I ran right back into my office and showed it to my boss asked her to read it and see if it was true what I read. I believe I ran into the office with my phone over my head, jumping up and down saying “I think I won $5,000!”
Oh.My.Gosh. Here is the article about my winning! I still don’t think it will hit me until I get the check though! (And Heather, I need your address, you’ll be getting a nice holiday gift from me!)
It literally couldn’t have come at a better time. While a good portion will be for paying bills, getting ahead and savings, it completely takes the weight off my shoulders about how I was going to make ends meet. Starting this second job certainly will help too, especially since our insurance deductible that we both met for 2013, will now start over January 1. 🙁
So earlier in the week we had sign up sheets at the restaurant asking which days we could come to a Chef’s tasting – you had to pick 2 of 3 days. I chose Tuesday and Wednesday, so I told Tony that we should meet at our small Italian restaurant in town, grab a bite to eat and have some Boddington’s on tap. I send him this text in the early afternoon. It’s one of the few
At about 4:15, I got a call at the restaurant. They apologized and said that last nights Chef’s tasting was mandatory, as the Chef was going to go into more detail and that I had to come in. I called Tony and told him we’d have to post-pone our date. He told me not to sweat it.
So a couple things I had that were delicious?!! Burnt pasta, chopped salad and balls. Meatballs that is!
The burnt pasta sounds weird, but it’s delicious. It’s pasta that’s sautéed in butter and fried crispy. And the chopped salad isn’t your run of the mill chopped salad. This one was Gorgonzola cheese with crushed butter toffee nuts and it’s served with a mango Chardonnary dressing. AMAZEBALLS. And speaking of balls, these are delicious – these are the “regular” balls meaning they weren’t spicy (I would have added crushed red pepper), but these are a side protein you can order with any dish.
Then a few of us were able to hang out with the Chef and GM and get more information about this weekends soft opening. I enjoyed a nice glass of Merlot.
I got home around 9:15 and Tony said “check the fridge!”
I got my Boddington’s after all! Thanks Tony!
So I am actually taking half a day at the law firm. Since it’s the first “day” I need to be there at 1:00 and the doors open at 5:00. After tonight and tomorrow night, I found out my schedule for next week is just Thursday, Friday and Saturday – perfect! Tony and I will just have to have our date night out early next week.
Alright, I have to fly – I slept in a bit longer knowing I was going to have a busy day today. Wish me luck! Make it a great day!
!!!!!!!!!! amazing!!! I am late learning all of this, but!!!
Biz,
This is Joe from SparkPeople. I wanted to pop over and tell you how thrilled we are you shared your recipe with us, and how happy we are you won. We’re talking to Common Threads tomorrow, and I’ll let you know when we get the donation over to them, and what they use it for. 🙂
Merry Christmas, and thanks again.
Thanks Joe! I appreciate it – have a wonderful holiday!!
Congrats! You deserve it. What a great time to win such a large chunk of money, too! I’m going to have to try this recipe out. I tried a different buffalo chili recipe a few weeks ago and though I had high hopes for it, it didn’t turn out like I hoped. I wish I had known about your recipe first.
I think I basically tear up at anything these days [go me!] but it’s so nice to have a GOOD cry, for the best girl in the world. I am so FREAKING HAPPY for you. I am ::skippyhappydancing:: in my heart.
You rock Mrs. Bizzy. Absolutely.
And after Pooldad and Wallene saw the Oreo cake they left for the store for ingredients to make it. Hey – my favorite cookie AND it’s a snow day.
What do we do on snow days? Eat, nom, nom, nom – and what goes better with fried chicken than Oreo fuck*n cake?
I am so happy and proud of you. Don’t wear yourself out with the jobs and exercising and remember the importance of eating healthy. Hard to do, especially when you are working at a restaurant. [says the woman who has wiped out her caloric and cholesterol intake for the week in approximately 2.3 days with the snow.]
LOVE YOU!
HOW DID I MISS THIS???????????????????????????????
Vat, I’m soooo excited and thrilled for you!!! Big giant hug!!!!
Just catching up on your blog now and am SO EXCITED about this!!! I stand by my belief that you could win Master Chef. I think you should TOTALLY apply the next time that show has casting calls in Chicago/the Midwest. Congrats my friends! I hope you do some thing super awesome with that $5K!!!
[FYI (though you may already be aware): when you did your blog switcheroo, it seemed to have made a change in your posts being delivered to my inbox! Now that I realized it though, I’ll rescubscribe with your new feed. Sorry that i was lost for a bit, there!]
How awesome is that! Congratulations! I’ve just been trying to catch up on your posts…for some reason I haven’t been receiving them in my email for a couple of weeks. I’m not sure if they’ve been going to my spam or what. I’ve had that problem lately with a few blogs going there. Now, I’m off to figure out why the internet or my email has eaten your posts!
Congrats sweety! If anyone deserved to win this prize, it was you! So happy for you and don’t forget to buy something nice of the money for YOU! If I know you a little you will forget that and give everybody else a nice present for Christmas.
WOW!! Congratulations!!!
WOW!!!! Congrats! That’s so awesome!!!! I’ve got to go make me some 5K chili now!!
Congrats Biz…$5,000 will come in handy especially at this time of the year and take a load off yours and Tony’s shoulders. I must look up that recipe and try it!! Your chef at Zeal sure has some exciting recipes for you to try!!!
Those meatballs look sooooo good!!! Have fun at the soft opening and watch those tips roll in 🙂
Congratulations! I am not surprised you won 😀 And what a fabulous time of year to get an extra cash bonus!
I am still completely miffed that these other people didn’t even acknowledge your email. Maybe the message went to spam, but my God, how RUDE! Oh well, you won $5,000! You should have been a recipe developer…oh wait, you ARE one! 🙂
That burnt pasta looks awesome; just like my Mom used to make me as a kid. When I was homesick in college, I would make spaghetti noodles (ok ok, it was Ramen cuz I was poor college student + poor single mom) and chill them overnight, just so I could sauté them in butter and crisp them up. So comforting! I’ve never seen them on a restaurant menu…
Good luck tonight! You will be fabulous!
SO excited for you!!!!! I went and got all the ingredients and am making this chili tonight I’m so excited! I’m going to call it the $5,000 chili!!!!!
Yay! Congrats!
CONGRATS!!! I must try that recipe when all the holiday hectic stuff is over with. Enjoying my day off catching up on blogs and my shows, first day off in 7. Gotta love retail.
So unreal! Keep up the great work in the kitchen and just think about all the new inspiration your going to get from ur new path! CONGRATS (shouting from the rooftops)
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Congrats!!!! <3 <3
Winner – winner!!!
Congrats, that is so awesome!!! Glad you won!
Have fun at the soft open – you will be a fabulous addition to the staff!!
WOW WOW WOW!!!! That is wonderful news. One it affirms what we already know-that you are a superb cook and two that everyone else knows it! And now you get to bask in the glory and I’m sure all kinds of good things will come with it! I think the new job will also be much appreciative of all this blogging about it. Their food looks awesome and I love the creativity! Good things are gonna happen for Tony, too. I just feel it! Congratulations, Biz!
I was SO happy to read this – CONGRATS!!!!!!!!!! That recipe rocks and you totally deserve this – what perfect timing. Yippppeeeee!
Now I want to make your buffalo chicken chili again….! 🙂
You deserve it! Congrat’s, right on, fabulous!
That’s just great news! Very happy for you to get a little financial relief!
CONGRATULATIONS, BIZ!!!! I am so incredibly happy for you! I’ve made your Buffalo Chicken Chili before and know how awesome it is. This just confirms it! 🙂
Happy Friday, my friend! Looking forward to hearing about your first day at Zeal! *hugs*
Wow! Congratulations!! I just started reading your blog recently & really enjoy it. And now that I know you have an award-winning recipe under your belt, I’m gonna go ahead and try out some of the delish recipes I’ve seen in your posts, LOL.
I’m so happy for you! Enjoy your prize money, and it’s wonderful to see that the same amount went to a wonderful cause. 🙂
Congratulations Biz!!!!! Smiling and very happy for you.
WHAT????? That is such awesome news. Really, really happy for you.
Wow Biz, that’s such awesome news!!! Now, I’m totally making that chili next week, to celebrate!!
I love when good things happen to good people – congrats!
Congratulations!! So happy for you! That really is awesome!
Good things happen to good people. 😀
Hope you have a great 1st day at the new restaurant!
Congratulations!!! What great news, and what a relief to have some buffer during this time. 🙂 🙂 🙂
Yayayayayay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So exciting – congratulations! You totally deserve it!!
Have a great weekend!
What a neat surprise! Congratulations! And the win has something to do with what you enjoy doing – COOKING. Hope all goes well tonight and tomorrow night with your new job!
CONGRATULATIONS!! That recipe is totally deserving, so are you! Good luck tonight, hope it goes well.
Woohoo!!! Congratulations on the big win! I am definitely trying the chili and I can’t wait! Good luck at your first day of work at the restaurant. Who knows what exciting new doors this opportunity could open for you!
I am soooooo happy for you!! You deserve that 5k. Please buy yourself something that you’ve always wanted.
Yay! Congrats,s Biz!! Perfect timing too 🙂
Congratulations! It couldn’t have happened to anyone better! I’ve actually been meaning to try that chili of yours… But do you think that I could use pork chops instead of chicken breasts? I’d love for Rob to be able to try it. Why does he have to be so difficult? 😉
What a fabulous surprise for you winning that money! I’m so happy for you. I am going to have to try that recipe. 🙂
Congratulations, Biz! I know I haven’t been commenting, but I do read every day (and keep up with you on Facebook & Instagram)
I AM SO, SO, SO, SO HAPPY FOR YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
😀 😀 😀
WOO HOO!!!!! Yeah for winning, yeah for money, yeah for Heather. I think the universe puts people in our path for a reason. Heather has not only become a friend but she opened the door for something else you needed in your life. Today is a fantastic day. Thank you for the great news.
Awesome!!You deserve some extra cash. Good things come to those who wait…Good luck with your opening.