New Years Eve Eve

Yep, since Friday night seemed a better option than Saturday night for a party, our New Years gathering earned the double "eve" moniker.  We sure enjoyed the company of all those who attended.

Kamela posted a number of photos of the event in her blog here and here so feel free to look there for more detailed coverage.

Several years ago we had a chili cool-off which seemed to go over well.  Someone mentioned recently it might be time to do that again so we decided to try a variation for New Years eve eve.  The theme was chili and soup. There was no contest this time, just a lineup of crock pots filled with a delightful variety of meats, beans and other assorted vegetables.  With a little planning and small portions, it was possible to try each and every one on the table!

I decided to try something different from my normal chili.  A recipe I'd seen for seafood chowder sounded good but there was no seafood readily available when I finally got started preparing something to take.  A quick look in the freezer yielded some venison cajun brats, a pheasant and smaller amounts of rabbit & squirrel so the seafood chowder turned in to a woodman's chowder.  There were enough people that tried some and enough compliments on the stuff I'd make it again.