Chili Cook-off: And the winner is?

2012 Annual E. G. Simmons Chili Cook-off winners:

3rd Place - Dillon McClure and Robert McDonald

2nd Place - Jerry Stuber

1st Place - The Butcher Boys aka Tracy McLellan and Ronnie Barnes

The Butcher Boys also won the People's Choice Award and Best Decorated Booth.

Congratulations to everyone!

So many food things this weekend, you won't know where to start!

• It's time again for chili enthusiasts across the county to gather their spiciest ingredients for the annual no-holds-barred E. G. Simmons Park Chili Cook-off on Saturday, Feb. 25. I'll be judging again; wish me luck. For the sake of my stomach, I hope there will be less than 15 competing pots of the spicy stew. E. G. Simmons Park is located at 2401 19th Ave. N.W. in Ruskin.

• Flan has a party of its own in Ybor on Saturday, Feb. 25. Sprawled across Centennial Park, the 9th Annual Flan Fest takes place in conjunction with the weekly Ybor City Saturday Market from 11 a.m to 4 p.m. The Flan Walk and Eating Contest takes place at 2. Forty contestants will be competing for the Top Flan in Tampa Bay. Judging begins at noon.

• Eat, shop and help the Ruskin Woman's Club at its annual bazaar from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., Friday and Saturday, Feb. 24-25 at 503 U.S. 41 S. The event features a baked goods sale of homemade cakes, pies, brownies and cookies. Cuban sandwiches, Spanish bean soup, collard green soup and black beans and rice will be available for purchase both days, beginning at 11 a.m. Of course, there will also be a large rummage sale of donated household items, jewelry, books, clothing and more. Sounds like fun.

South Shore Market is getting bigger and better!

As if having a market in South Shore isn't awesome enough already, the fact that it's growing offers additional excitement. Here are a few photos I took at the January market. You can read more about it in this week's Table Scraps column on tbo.com.

Super snack that will bowl you over

Super Bowl Sunday is here, and if you're like me, your mind is on one thing: snacks.

How does this sound for a quick munchable:

Cinnamon-sugar covered pretzels served while they are still warm. They are sweet and a tad salty and pair perfectly with an ice-cold beer. Oh, and this recipe can be made in about 10 minutes flat!

SWEET PRETZEL NUGGETS

1 package (16 ounces) sourdough nugget pretzels

2/3 cup canola oil

1/3 cup sugar

1 to 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Place pretzels in a microwave-safe bowl. In a small bowl, combine oil, sugar and cinnamon. Pour over pretzels; toss to coat.

Microwave, uncovered, on high for 1 - 1 1/2 minutes; stir. Microwave 2 - 3 minutes longer, stirring after each minute or until oil is absorbed. Cool to room temperature. Store in an airtight container. Yield: 12 - 16 servings.

Source: www.tasteofhome.com