Sammamish Community & Aquatic Center

Carmen Arriaga-Bucher:

The Sammamish Community Aquatic Center is starting to come out of the ground! The construction of the underground stormwater vault is almost complete; what an amazing structure that nobody will ever see. The building is starting to take shape with some of the concrete shear walls going up.

Yellowstone National Park Canyon Village Lodging Redevelopment

Andy Stein, LEED® AP:

After a fast and furious summer of construction, mother nature has swept in to reclaim the Canyon Lodging Redevelopment Project at Yellowstone National Park. The job was officially closed this past Monday as roads were unpassable. It’s hard to believe that in 6 short months this site saw the erection of three 35,000 square foot lodges. Each lodge was built from 54 modular units that were erected on site over the course of two months. Roofs and weatherproofing were finished without a minute to spare. The jobsite will reopen in April and the construction teams hope to have the first three buildings open by the 4th of July, so make your reservations now!

UCCS Student Health & Wellness Center

Jennifer Jursnick, LEED® AP BD+C:

BRS recently attended the groundbreaking ceremony to kick off construction of the University of Colorado – Colorado Springs – Recreation and Wellness Center. The 50,000 square foot addition to the existing campus recreation center will house Student Health and Counseling Services plus additional gym, fitness and weights spaces for the constantly expanding student population at UCCS. On track for LEED® gold certification, the addition will use skylights and clerestory windows to light the gym and fitness areas so that that electric lighting will not need to be used during daylight hours. We are excited to see the design begin to take shape and come to fruition.

Metro Caring Hunger Relief Center

Keith Hayes, AIA, LEED® AP BD+C:

GH Phipps has made great progress on the Metro Caring project. The building is enclosed and all site work was installed before the onset of winter weather. Crews are now working inside the building completing interior partitions, finishes and installing utilities. We hope to see the green house installation commence in December: Metro Caring plans to use this as a demonstration garden and grow food for patrons all year long.

From traditional ground beef chili to quail and partridge chili and even a moose meat chili, we had an incredibly wide variety to choose from. 

There were red chilis and green chilis, jamaican jerk chili and indonesian style chili.

Many of us were overwhelmed with making the decision on which chilis to taste, so we tried them all.

Here are some fantastic recipes that you'll be making again and again:

Sirloin Black Bean Chili

1lb. Black beans cooked (or 5 cans of black beans drained)
3lb. Sirloin (1/2 inch diced)
1 tsp. Toasted whole cumin seed
2 tbsp. Chili powder
1 can (6 oz.) Tomato paste
1 Onion diced
1 can (4 oz.) diced green chiles
3 cloves Garlic, minced
2 Jalapenos, minced
2 quarts Beef stock
1tbsp. Salt
8 oz. Butter
1 cup Flour

Melt 8 ounces of butter and 1 cup of flour. Place in a small baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, stirring often. Set aside.

In a heavy skillet, sear sirloin, with salt and pepper until well-browned. Deglaze skillet with beef stock. Add onions and green chiles. Simmer for 15 minutes. Add all remaining ingredients except butter-flour roux to achieve desired consistency. Simmer for an additional 20 minutes.

Jamaican Jerk Chili

1lb. Beef Stew Cubes
1lb. Ground Pork
1 Turkey Kielbasa Sausage
6 tbsp. Jamaican jerk marinade
1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste
1 can Kidney beans
1 can Pinto beans
1 can Red beans
1 Large onion
2 cloves Garlic
3 cans Diced tomatoes
½ c. Chicken or beef stock
1tbsp. Chili Powder

Marinade beef stew cubes and ground  in Jamaican Jerk Marinade (1 – 2 tablespoons per pound of meat) for 12 or more hours. Overnight is best.

Brown the meat, one large onion and 2 cloves of garlic. Cut up one Turkey Kielbasa Sausage. Place all ingredients in a large crockpot.

Cook on low (10 hour setting)

Uncle Paul’s Chili

4lb. Boneless pork loin
1/2lb. Bacon, finely chopped
40 oz. Chicken broth
2 Fresh poblanos
4 jalapenos
3 cloves Garlic, peeled and crushed
2 Large onions, peeled and chopped
3 can Pinto beans (optional)
3 tbsp. Ground cumin
1 tsp. White pepper
10.5 oz. Cream of mushroom soup
14 oz. Whole green chile peppers, drained and chopped
16 oz. Salsa verde
¼ c. minced Fresh cilantro
Velveeta cheese

Broil/grill fresh poblanos, turning frequently with tongs until skin is black and blistered. Wearing rubber gloves, peel and discard skin, stems, and seeds. Cut away and discard stems (and seeds) of jalapeno peppers and cut lengthwise.

In electric blender, add poblanos, 3 jalapenos, 2 garlic cloves, half an onion and all of cumin and white pepper. Add generous dose of chicken broth and process to a smooth puree. Set aside.

Warm skillet and add chopped bacon, cook stirring frequently. Add remaining jalapeno and 1 garlic clove. Drain bacon and reserve drippings.

Return cooked bacon to saucepan and add the pureed poblano mixture and 3 cups of chicken broth. Stir and set pan over low heat.

Return bacon drippings to heated skillet and add cubed pork. Cook, stirring occasionally until all sides of pork are browned. Drain meat cubes and reserve drippings. Transfer pork into saucepan with the bacon
and chicken broth.

Fry chopped onion in remaining bacon fat. Drain and add to growing pot of chili.

Turn up heat under large pot and add cream of mushroom soup, canned chili peppers, salsa verde and chopped coriander leaves. Simmer for about 30 minutes.

Add a 2-inch thick piece of Velveeta. When cheese melts, add in beans.

‘I Moose Eat This’ Chili

1 lb. Moose meat
2 Onions
4 cloves Garlic
1 can Garbanzo beans
1 can Pinto Beans
1 can Kidney Beans
1 can Tomato sauce
1 can Crushed tomatoes
1 can Chopped tomatoes
1 jalapeño
2 tbsp. Chili powder
1 tbsp. Cumin
1 tsp. Paprika
1 c. Red wine

Brown meat and then add in garlic and onions. When onions are translucent, add to separate pot. Add in all other ingredients and turn stove to medium heat. Bring to a boil then cover, turning the heat to low. Simmer for 45 minutes.

‘Hopefully Not Raw Potato’ Vegetarian Chili

1 large onion, chopped
2 bay leaves
1 ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons dried oregano
1 tablespoon salt
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 green bell peppers, chopped
2 jalapeño peppers, chopped
1 cup mushrooms, bite sized
1 cup carrots, sliced
1 cup snap peas, bite sized
4/5 cloves garlic, chopped
2 (4 ounce) cans diced green chile peppers
4/5 red potatoes, bite sized
3 (28 ounce) cans whole peeled tomatos, crushed
¼ cup chili powder
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans
1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans
1 (15 ounce) can black beans
1 (15 ounce) can pinto beans
1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn

Cut/chop/dice all vegetables.

Sautee onion with olive oil or butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Season with bay leaves, cumin, oregano, and salt. Cook and stir until onion is tender, then mix in the celery, green bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, garlic, green chili peppers, mushrooms, snap peas, and carrots. If at this point it is too large for your skillet, transfer to a large pot. Add potatoes.

Mix the tomatoes into the pot. Season chili with chili powder and pepper. Stir in the corn, kidney beans, garbanzo beans, black beans, and pinto beans. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 45 minutes.