Recently, my workplace held a Chili and Soup contest. Honestly, I hadn't planned on participating because I'm not competitive in that way. I believe if my family enjoys what I cook, that's reward and recognition enough. However, when I learned there weren't many entries, I decided to contribute a crockpot of chili to the lineup. I wasn't focused on "winning"; I just wanted to ensure there was more variety, so the "table wouldn't be empty," so to speak. Years ago I was introdu