Chopped!!

My girls have never been huge cartoon fans. They are always happier re-watching Chrissie Wellington rock the Ironman World Championship or Mike Rowe sink up to his elbows in mud. They also have a penchant for cooking shows and, if allowed, they would binge-watch Food Network whenever we visit the Grandfolks and the magical Land of Cable TV. Giada, Rachel Ray, and Guy Fieri are household names around here.

So when our dear friend Steph suggested we have a family "Chopped" event, we were all. over. that.

The rules were simple...
1.) Moms vs Dads
2.) Kids = judges
3.) One family provided a mystery meat and spice, the other family provided a mystery vegetable and starch.
4.) A full meal had to be created using the 4 mystery items plus anything else we could scrounge up in Steph's kitchen.
5.) And you had better work well under pressure because there was 30 minute time limit.

Cue the chaos.

The kids watched from the doorways as their parents dashed around the kitchen; chopping produce, pawing through cupboards, and tossing dishes in the sink. I'm pretty sure we wielded knives and hot pans in a fairly reckless manor. Happily, there were no injuries to report.

In the meantime, the kids ran amuck and amused themselves by taking extremely blurry photos, doing cannonballs off the couch, and darting through the kitchen to get cooking updates and keep a running commentary.

The mystery ingredients of the evening were chicken burgers, cilantro, couscous, and parsnips. (Mental note: add parsnips to The Great Vegetable Experiment.)

The Moms created:

Chicken Couscous with Roasted Parsnips and Carrots 

Greek Tzatziki Sauce with Toasted Tortillas. 

It...uh... did not photograph well. It definitely tasted better than it looked. I swear.

The Dads prepared:

Chicken Stuffed Bell Peppers

Cilantro and Tomato Couscous 

Caramelized Parsnips 

The Judges took their jobs very seriously.

Honestly, if this competition were based on presentation alone, Steph and I would have failed miserably. But the judges were true foodies and very concerned that the Dads' couscous didn't have much flavor and Toby was especially disappointed that the peppers were not spicy enough. But man, those parsnips were out of this world. 

So it was a close call but in the ends the Moms pulled out a victory. Certain Gentlemen have already declared a rematch. 

To that we say: Bring It.