award winning chili

and it's not your typical chili. i know i posted the unrevised version.

this year our neighborhood had a chili cook off to help earn money for the local scout troop. i wanted to have a different chili that still had all of the chili components. beans, meat and tomato base.

so, i revamped the chili dumpling stew, and would you know, I WON! ecstatic i was. so here you go:

chili stew with dumplings

2 cans red kidney beans, partially drained. ( i got out most of the oil but left a little for flavor)
2 1/2 c. cubed potatoes raw (now, i use raw a lot, but if i am in a hurry i use canned diced potatoes and you can't tell the difference. there aren't many vegetables i like to use canned, but potatoes are wonderful. if you do this, you can skip the boiling stage and just add the beans and potatoes to water that has warmed over the stove.)
5 c. water
1 lb. jimmy dean HOT sausage
2 cans condensed tomato soup
1 TB. salt
1 t pepper
1/2 c chopped onions ( you could also use a dried onion 2-3 TB)
2 TB chili powder
1 c. sour cream

if your potatoes are raw, boil the water and cook until tender. add the kidney beans the last few minutes to heat them. add a pinch of salt and pepper to the boiling potatoes so you are seasoning each layer of the soup. while this is going on, saute your sausage and onions with 1 TB of chili powder, 1 t. salt and 1/2 t pepper in a skillet over medium heat until meat is no longer pink.
(i only drain my meat if there is a ton of excess oil, the oil adds so much of the flavor)
add the cooked meat mixture to potatoes and kidney beans adding the tomato soup also. add another 1 TB chili powder, 1/2 t pepper and 1 t salt at this point.
this needs to simmer for 1 hour covered.

after the hour has passed, try not to slobber all over yourself, it smells really good at this point. cover the soup and bring to a boil. (be careful not to burn the bottom, use a really good pan)
drop the dumplings onto the boiling stew at this point. let them cook for about 10-15 minutes. cut thru one and check to see if it is nice and fluffy inside.

need the dumpling recipe? here you go:
Egg Dumplings
sift together:
2 c flour
4 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
in another small bowl mix together 1 egg and 3/4 c milk.
mix all together.
your dough will be sticky but not runny. be super careful with your measurements and don't guesstimate here. i tried that last night and had to start over because i overestimated on my milk and ended up with a runny mess. anyway. they will be uneven and will puff up quite a bit.

now after you have cooked the dumplings remove them and put them on a plate. once you have your naked soup, add the 1 c sour cream to the soup and then put the dumplings back in the soup.

enjoy!