"Gridiron Cookery" & "Gourmet Game Night" - Chili and Oven-Baked Potato Chips with Onion Dip - Super Bowl 51

Date I made this recipe:  Sunday, February 5, 2017 – Super Bowl 51

Gridiron Cookery – The nation's most resourceful hostesses – the wives of football coaches – skilled at taming (and feeding) victory-mad mobs – or reviving a few low-spirited losers – break out 250 and more of their treasured recipes for wonderful food – Edited by Frances S. Daugherty and Aileen C. Brothers

Published by David McKay Company, Inc.

© 1960

Purchased at Barnes and Noble (Used) for a whopping dollar!

Recipe:  Chili – recipe submitted by Mrs. W. W. (Woody) Hayes, [The] Ohio State University – p. 75

Gourmet Game Night – bite-sized, mess-free eating for board-game parties, bridge clubs, poker nights, book groups, and more by Cynthia Nims

Published by Ten Speed Press

ISBN: 978-1-58008-088-0; © 2010

Purchased at Powell's Chicago

Recipe: Oven-Baked Potato Chips with Onion Dip – p. 22-23

Okay then, the Super Bowl was played two weeks ago, and I am obviously behind on all my reporting, but I am happy to say that I managed to make some awesome dishes for the big day (or any day, really):  Chili (what football game would be complete without chili) and Oven-Baked Potato Chips with Onion Dip.  Think "back-to-back" touchdowns."

And of course, the winning recipes came from two winning cookbooks, one old and one new:  Gridiron Cookery, published in 1960, and Gourmet Game Night, published in 2010.  Both books need a bit of explanation and so let's get right to it.

I've heard the term "gridiron" my whole life, usually in the context about talking about college football, but didn't really know what it meant until now.  According to Google, a "gridiron" is a "field for football, marked with regularly spaced parallel lines."  Please file this away for future use.

Gridiron Cookery is a compilation of recipes submitted by (primarily) college coaches' wives, all of whom are referred to in the book as Mrs. [insert husband's first name here] Coaches' Wife, for example  "Mrs. W. W. "Woody" Hayes, [The] Ohio State University," or "Mrs. Hugh Duffy Daugherty, Michigan State University."

This rankles.  Look, I know this was a sign of the [1960's] times, but 160 women submitted recipes for this book and not a one of them was listed by her first name/given name.  Not a one.  And here's a little tidbit of interest:  back then, and for many, many years later, the only time you ever learned that a woman had a first name was when she was widowed or divorced (gasp!) in which case she went by Mrs. Betty Jones.  Ridiculous!

At any rate, so coaches' wives from all over the U.S. and Canada (with a smattering from NFL coaches' wives] submitted recipes and you would think that a book about the college gridiron would feature some of the more prominent football schools but you would be wrong.  As a for instance, and please shout out if you recognize these teams from a Bowl Game appearance:  Furman University; Ferris Institute; The College of the Holy Cross; Springfield College, and Susquehanna University. 

You can't, can you?  No worries, reader, because neither can I.  I have never heard of any of these colleges much less of the prowess of their football teams.

On the other hand, I am well acquainted with these college football powerhouses: 

• University of Alabama coached by Paul (Bear) Bryant, with recipe submitted by Mrs. Paul Bryant, no first name given!
• University of Mississippi (a/k/a "Ole Miss" and by the way, "ole" is not the Spanish "ole" but rather "old" as in "Old Miss.")
• University of Nebraska
• University of  Wisconsin
• University of Michigan (Patriot's quarterback, Tom Brady, is an alum)
• Michigan State University
• [The] Ohio State University coached by Wayne Woodrow "Woody" Hayes

And this is just a short list! 

Other interesting cookbook tidbits:

• Today's Super Bowl battle pitted University of Michigan graduate, Tom Brady, against Boston College graduate, Matt Ryan but only the University of Michigan was featured in this cookbook.  Hmmm...foreshadowing of the game results? (Hint:  Matt Ryan got creamed.)
• The proper way to talk about Ohio State University is to say The (pronounced "thee," never, ever "thuh.") Ohio State University because that is the official name.  I'm serious.
• Speaking of The Ohio State University, Head Coach Wayne Woodrow "Woody" Hayes was a household name during my prime college football-watching years.  In fact, he was the enemy to my Michigan State Spartans and the University of Michigan Wolverines.  Woody was a great coach which is why I recognized the name right off the bat and I was happy to make the Mrs. Woody Hayes' (given name is Susan) most excellent chili recipe.
• This is odd:  throughout the book, I would see often a listing such as "Mrs. Henry R. (Red) Sanders" then on the next line "Formerly University of California at Los Angeles."  Now kids, there is no such thing as a "former" University of California at Los Angeles.  The school continues to be called UCLA (University of California Los Angeles), just as Harvard was, is, and will always be Harvard University and not "Formerly Harvard University," perish the thought!
• Also:  Seems to me that a book that includes a list of Contributors in alphabetical order and a [recipe] Index in alphabetical order should also include a list of "contributing" colleges and/or NFL in alphabetical order but they didn't because that would be too easy?  Had such a list existed, I could have ascertained quite easily that Boston College was not on the list rather than flipping through page after page to see if I spotted the name. 
• There are a handful of recipes submitted by NFL coaches' wives and I learned the following:
• The Los Angeles Chargers (as listed here) started as the Los Angeles Chargers, then they moved to San Diego where they played for many years, and are now on deck to become the Los Angeles Chargers again this coming season.  (Meanwhile, back at the ranch, there are also the Los Angeles Rams who started in LA, went to St. Louis for many years, and are also back in LA.  I cannot keep up with this stuff, I cannot.  To this day, I will always think of the Colts as being the Baltimore Colts and not the Indianapolis Colts because that is just wrong and it messes with my head!)
• The current-day New York Jets went by the name "New York Titans" from 1960-1962.  I did not know that and so there goes the theory "Once you're a Jet, you're a Jet all the way from your first cigarette to your last dying day!"  (Lyric from the Jet Song, from the musical/movie West Side Story).
• And then there's the Cleveland Browns and this is hilarious:  the Browns' head coach from the 50's to the early 60's was Paul Brown, no relation.

You know, I've remarked several times that reading cookbooks is like reading history books as I learn so much about the time and place and football!

And now on to our second featured cookbook and recipe, Gourmet Game Night and the fan-tab-ulous recipe for Oven Baked Potato Chips with Onion Dip.  Damn, was this good.

Now some of you may have surmised from the title that this cookbook is intended for game nights that include card games or board games.  But since betting figures in mightily for the Super Bowl, I included it here and do believe that was a most excellent play call on my part. 

The thing I liked about this cookbook is that it features all kinds of bite-sized and non-messy bites to be eating while game playing because who wants something messy? For that matter, who wants to watch a game while eating messy food that might plop all over the floor or sofa, causing one to take a break in the action during which time, the "home" team almost inevitably scores and of course you will have missed it because you were doing cleanup on Aisle 9? (My problem isn't necessarily food but with drinks that seem to upend themselves at the worst time!)

This book's Table of Contents is broken into categories that make it easy to find a recipe in a snap.  The Table of Contents categories are:  Dips and Spreads; Skewers and Picks; All-Edibles; Sandwiches; Pastries; Small Dishes, and Drinks.  And the author also includes suggested menus for all kinds of game nights and that is fun.  A sample Game Night for Two to Four Menu includes "Rosemary Martinis;" "Salmon Poke in Endive Leaves;" "Oven-Baked Potato Chips with Onion Dip;" Lamb and Olive Kebabs," and "Nutella and Banana Galettes."  The author notes also games that you might be playing that evening such as Canasta, Mah-jongg, Scrabble, Bridge, or Pinochle.

Now I have never been a game player as I can't stand to sit still that long, but I do love food and must say that this onion dip recipe was so freaking good that I'm including it on my annual holiday party menu from here on out!  That said, there is no game night, football, baseball or other, during which I would ever serve "Salmon Poke in Endive Leaves" as I am not fond of salmon and is that dish just a tad precocious, or what?

So there you go folks, a game-winning Super Bowl menu.  In case you missed the game and care about these things, all good things came to an end for the Atlanta Falcons who were leading the New England Patriots at the half by a large margin, and then they weren't.  The Pats came back, tied the game, sent it into overtime and won.  This was definitely not my hoped for outcome but so it goes and hey, at least I had good food to take the sting off! 

These two dishes are great fare any time of the year so never mind that I posted them too late for the Super Bowl or any "bowl," really.  By the way, I was "this" close to making "Jackpot Casserole" from Gridiron Cookery just because I loved the name but in the end, it had to be chili or bust.

Chili – 6 servings – from Mrs. W. W. (Woody) Hayes . [The] Ohio State University

1 large onion, sliced

1 green pepper, finely chopped

2 tablespoons melted butter

1 pound ground beef

1 No. 2 ½ can tomatoes (Ann's Note:  27-29 ounces, or 3 ½ cups)

1/8 teaspoon paprika

3 whole cloves

1 bay leaf

1 ½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon (more or less as desired) chili powder

1 No. 2 can kidney beans, drained (Ann's Note:  20 ounces, or 2 ½ cups)

Fry onion and green pepper in melted butter in Dutch oven or deep skillet.  Add ground beef and cook until brown.  Add tomatoes and seasonings.  Simmer about 2 hours, adding water if necessary.  Just before serving, add kidney beans.

Oven-Baked Potato Chips with Onion Dip – Makes 8-10 Dips with Chips

Onion Dip

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 ½ teaspoons minced fresh thyme, or ½ teaspoon dried

½ cup beef broth, preferably reduced-sodium

2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

¾ cup top-quality mayonnaise

½ cup sour cream

½ teaspoon Tabasco, or more to taste

Salt

Potato Chips

2 russet potatoes (about 1 ½ pounds)

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt

To make the onion dip, heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat.  Add the onion and thyme and cook, stirring often, until the onions are very tender and nicely browned, 10 to 12 minutes.  The onions shouldn't brown too fast; reduce the heat to medium-low if needed.  Add the broth and garlic and cook until the liquid is completely evaporated, about 5 minutes.  Set aside to cool.  When cool, stir in the mayonnaise, sour cream, Tabasco, and salt to taste.  Transfer the dip to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate until you are ready to serve.

Preheat the oven to 350F.  Line 2 baking sheets with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.  Set 2 oven racks at the centermost levels.

To prepare the potato chips, half-fill a large bowl with cold water.  Peel 1 of the potatoes and cut it crosswise into 1/8-inch thick slices, preferably using a mandoline slicer.  Add the slices to the water and repeat with the second potato.  Use your hands to swish the potato slices around in the water to remove the excess starch. (Ann's Note:  I hand cut these and despite best efforts, my slices were thicker than the 1/8-inch thick slices as noted in the recipes.  That said, I rather liked our thicker chip that wasn't really a chip but a nicely-baked potato slice.)

Dry the potato slices well on a clean kitchen towel.  Rinse and dry the bowl and return the potato slices to it.  Drizzle the olive oil over and toss to evenly coat the slices with the oil.  Arrange the potato slices in a single layer on the baking sheets and sprinkle lightly with salt.  Bake until the slices are lightly browned and crisp, 30 to 40 minutes, turning the slices over and switching the baking sheets about halfway through for even cooking.  Keep an eye on the progress near the end; some slices may be done sooner.  Transfer them to a wire rack to cool.  Ann's Note:  my chips were definitely not crisp but they were great nonetheless.  To "serve," I put some in a bowl and then spooned the dip on top and ate them as I would a baked potato.  Shall I just say that my dip ration was far, far greater than the potato?

To serve, spoon the dip into individual dishes and set them on a platter or tray.  Set the chips in a bowl alongside for your guests to serve themselves.

It is best to make dip at least 4 hours ahead, but it can be made up to 1 day ahead and kept covered and refrigerated.  The chips are best made not more than 2 hours before serving.

"Rival Crock Pot Cooking" (Beef Tacos with Mexican Sauce) and "Culinary Arts Institute Crockery Cooking" (Spanish Rice) - Super Bowl 50!

Date I made these recipes:  February 7, 2016 – Super Bowl Sunday

Rival® Crock Pot Cooking

Published by:  Golden Press

© 1975

Purchased at Goodwill

Recipe:  Beef Tacos with Mexican Sauce – p. 45

Culinary Arts Institute Crockery Cooking (part of Adventures in Cooking Series)

Published by the Culinary Arts Institute

© 1976

Recipe:  Spanish Rice – p. 38

There is no perfect time to pull out a crock pot or two than during the Super Bowl because between the commercials and the pre-game and the game itself, who has time to prepare a meal the old-fashioned way?  Not me (even though I have a TV in my kitchen).  Besides, it's still winter out and that is a crock pot's moment to shine. 

Finding the right recipe combination is also essential to game-time and crock pot enjoyment.  Think Goldilocks:  not too basic, not too fancy, just right.

And this is how I ended up reviewing endless recipes for things like frank and beans, brats and beans, beans, hamburger and beans, hamburgers in the crock pot, chili verde, chile with meat, chili with beans, killer chili, hot dips and even mac and cheese.  I mean, there's no rule that says Super Bowl food has to be selected from one of these recipes groupings, but that tends to be the type of food people crave and I am all about giving the people what they want.

And by "people," I mean me and my husband.  I can count on one hand the number of times that I've watched a Packers game with friends (it's best if they don't see me go all full metal jacket during a Packers game) and by the time we get to Super Bowl Sunday each year, the thrill of football is (nearly) gone and I just want to hang out, be free without having to entertain.

Besides, as it happened, we went out for dinner with my mother-in-law for her belated birthday celebration and so making something in the crock pot to be eaten later was just the thing.  As it turned out, we almost ended up back at our house to eat as several of the restaurants she wanted to dine at were closed for the Super Bowl.  At zero hour, we found a place that suited and we got home just in time to see the half time show, our trusty crock pots nearly done slow-cooking our second dinner for the day.  Okay, true confessions:  we had it the next day.

The crock pot came into existence in 1970 and I don't think popularity for this wonder cooker has ever waned.  Every year, more and more crock pot (or slow cooker) books, like the ones I used hit the market, and new and improved recipes for everything under the sun keep popping up all the time.  The few crock pot cookbooks I own are not fancy-shcmancy but they do the job.

One crock pot cookbook (more like a booklet) that I used to death is the one that came with my Hamilton Beach crockpot which I purchased circa 1978 or so while I was in college.  My three other roommates and I, all college juniors and seniors, had a very busy schedule and so we took turns plugging in the crock pot so we'd have dinner ready after work or after class.  To this day, the beef dishes from this booklet, especially the beef in wine, are some of the best dishes I've ever made. (Can you go wrong adding wine to a dish?  No.)  These two dishes were good but not without some problems that I will address momentito.

As between the two books, the Rival cookbook had more recipes geared for the "common" man and I selected a lot more potential recipes from this book than the one from the Culinary Institute.  Some of the recipe names grabbed my attention until I looked at the ingredient list, for example:  "Bologna-Baga Bake" that contained bologna and rutabaga (ew) p. 64 or "The Babysitter's Favorite" – p. 65 that would not have been my favorite under any circumstances as it contained frankfurters, apples, sweet potatoes, cinnamon, nutmeg, etc.  Are they kidding?  What teenage gal or guy wants that kind of food to eat while watching a bunch of kids?

On the other hand, "Camp-Out Chili Dogs" – p. 65 – sounded delicious and definitely Super Bowl-worthy.  There were a bunch of casserole recipes that sounded good but not for a football celebration.  The last chapter of this book was dedicated to breads and cakes and again, sounded good but not for tonight's repast.

And then there's the Culinary Arts Institute cookbook and I have to say that never, ever associated the term "crock pot" with a culinary arts school.  (Do note that the Culinary Arts Institute is not the same as the famed CIA – Culinary Institute of America® – but the model is somewhat the same).  This cookbook took more of an around-the-world approach, showcasing dishes from other countries such as "Bouillabaisse" – p. 70 or "Solianka" from the (former) Soviet Union – p. 54.  And while a lot of them sounded tasty, I had to work hard to find something to fit my football dinner theme and finally decided on the Spanish Rice recipe – p. 38.  It paired very well with my Beef Tacos with Mexican Sauce and since I have two crock pots, I put them both to work to make this dish.

Because it needed a longer cooking time, I started the taco recipe earlier in the day and then refrigerated it until serving time.  My only complaint, and it could be my palate, was that I thought the dish was a little salty and I even used "No Salt Added" pinto beans.  I also made half the recipe and kept a close eye on the cooking time because I was worried I might burn it if I left it in for the required 8 to 10 hours (full recipe).  I think I pulled the plug after 6 hours and it was fine.  In fact, I'm not even sure why this dish needed to be made in a crock pot but mine was not to wonder why.

The Spanish Rice dish cooked for a shorter time (4-6 hours) but folks, for the first time ever, ever, ever, the rice did not cook.  I don't know why that is but I wonder if it didn't need more liquid to fully develop as the recipe is heavy on meat, tomatoes and tomato paste but not really on water.  Since the rice in the crock pot didn't cook, I made a batch in my rice cooker and it came out great but then again, the water ratio was dead on accurate.  And so if you decide to make this at home, add maybe ¼ cup of water and see how that works.  Aside from the fact that our Spanish Rice had a crunch to it, it was a pretty good recipe.

Oh—and the game?  Broncos 24, Panthers 10.  And by the way, I read that the NFL will return to Roman numerals next year and sweet merciful heavens, as if I don't have enough fun "translating" all the copyrights listed in Roman numerals in my older cookbooks, now I have to figure this out?  Next thing you know, we'll have to do the same with the score:  So let's see, the Broncos had 24 so that's XXIV and the Panthers had 10 so that's X and so then add the two, carry the two, divide by two and you get...liftoff?

Enjoy.

Beef Tacos with Mexican Sauce – makes about 2 ½ quarters, enough to fill 2 to 3 dozen taco shells

Taco Filling

2 lb. lean ground beef

2 medium onions

1 to 2 tablespoons chili powder

1 teaspoon leaf oregano (Ann's Note:  I used Mexican oregano)

1 teaspoon paprika

2 teaspoons salt

1/3 cup taco sauce (Ann's Note:  since I halved the recipe, I only needed 1/6 cup and that was not enough to justify buying a bottle of sauce so I used water.  We are not regular taco eaters in this house.)

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 can (16 oz) pinto beans or green peas, drained and pureed in blender

Taco Shells

Mexican Sauce

Mexican Sauce

2 cups chopped peeled tomatoes or 1 can (16 oz.) whole tomatoes

1 small onion, quartered

1 clove garlic

1 tablespoon chili powder

½ teaspoon leaf oregano

1 teaspoon salt

1 small jalapeno pepper, fresh or canned (optional)

In a large skillet, brown ground beef and onions; drain well.  Place beef and onions in Crock Pot.  Stir in remaining ingredients except taco shells and Mexican Sauce.  Cover and cook on Low setting for 8 to 10 hours.  Ann's Note:  since I made half the recipe, I cut the time down to 6 hours for fear of burning the mixture.  It's pretty much ready to go as soon as you mix all the ingredients but this is just a slow way to warm it up.  Taste for seasoning.  Fill taco shells and serve with sauce. 

Spanish Rice – 8 to 10 servings.  Ann's Note:   Be warned, the halved recipe still made a lot of Spanish rice.

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 large onions, peeled and finely chopped

2 green peppers, cleaned and finely chopped

1 clove garlic, peeled and minced

2 pounds ground round steak or chuck

2 cans (28 ounces each) Italian-style tomatoes (undrained)

1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste

1 tablespoon wine vinegar

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (optional)

1 dash Tabasco (optional)

2 teaspoons salt

Pepper to taste

1 ½ teaspoons chili powder

Few grains cayenne pepper

1 bay leaf

2 or 3 whole cloves

2 cups uncooked long grain rice (Ann's Note:  As stated above, the rice failed to cook at all and I have no idea why this happened.  To be on the safe side, make the rice separately and add it to the ground beef mixture when ready to serve.)

Heat olive oil in a large skillet.  Add onions, green pepper, and garlic; cook over medium heat until tender and lightly browned.  Remove vegetables with a slotted spoon to an electric cooker.

Add meat to oil remaining in skillet.  Cook over medium heat until lightly browned, stirring occasionally.  Add to cooker with tomatoes, tomato paste, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, salt, pepper, chili powder, cayenne pepper, bay leaf, cloves, and rice; stir thoroughly to blend well.

Cover and cook on Low 4 to 6 hours.

"NBC Sunday Night Football Cookbook" - Baked Eggplant with Mozzarella and Parmesan - for the Super Bowl

Date I made this recipe:  February 2, 2014 (Super Bowl Sunday)

NBC Sunday Night Football Cookbook, introductions by Faith Hill and John Madden – 150 Great Family Recipes from America's Pro Chefs and NFL Players

Published by:  Time Inc. Home Entertainment

ISBN:  10:1-60320-797-X (2008)

Recipe:  Baked Eggplant with Mozzarella and Parmesan, created by Chef Tony Hanslits, Tavola di Tosa, Indianapolis – p. 153

I just KNEW this was going to happen when I selected this recipe.

This year's Super Bowl matchup pitted AFC Champions, Denver Broncos, against the NFC Champions, the...Green Bay Packers (Kidding. Sadly)....the Seattle Seahawks.  But despite a plethora of recipes in this book for each NFL team, I could not bring myself to choose one that favored either team, but most especially not the Seahawks.  Remember the "Fail Mary" pass from the Packers/Seahawks game?  Yeah.  That's why I can't root for them.

After a long (booth) review of the book, I decided to slightly favor Denver by selecting a recipe for quarterback Peyton Manning's former team, the Indianapolis Colts.  Even better, thought I, the game was being played in New Jersey, home of every Italian and Sicilian who did not stay put in either Italy or Sicily, and so why not eggplant parmesan?

Well, I knew that this was tempting fate and I was not proven wrong as the Seahawks trounced, and I mean trounced Denver.  Oh my word, the Broncos were embarrassed.  At one point, I finally pleaded with the Broncos on Facebook to just score – anything, any number at all because "0" was embarrassing.  At the time I posted it, the score was I forget for the Seahawks and the Broncos had a goose egg.  Shortly thereafter, the Broncos scored a touchdown, elected to go for (and made) the two-point conversion and so avoided the unspeakable – a shutout.  There has never been one in Super Bowl history.  Way to go...Broncos.

I know I am not alone when I say that a Super Bowl game should be interesting. A Super Bowl game pitting the Best Defense in the league (Seahawks) against the (hahahahaha) Best Offense in the league (Broncos) should be outstanding. It should be a close game, bringing us to the edge of our comfy chairs (like we're going to sit outside in that weather). It was boring.  Really boring.  Even the commercials lacked luster.  I don't know—maybe the continuous polar vortex of the past few weeks took its toll?  (As an aside and speaking of being a boring, slow-moving game, how hilarious is it that the Super Bowl teams were from the two states that have legalized pot?  Very.)

Lucky for all of you, this recipe is not boring.  In fact, it was pretty yummy.  But the making of it thereof was messy, people, messy.  One minute the oil in the pan just seemed to sit there (like the Broncos) but then seconds later, it got all fired up (like the Seahawks) almost to the point of smoking (and thus a Lost in Space "Danger, Will Robinson" moment).  But then the minute I put the eggplant in the pan, it was like all the oil disappeared, leaving me with a dry pan, and in some cases, almost burned eggplant.  It was very frustrating.  I think the oil problem might have been because the cupboard in which I store my oils is cold (it's on an non-insulated wall of my vintage kitchen) and so it took too long to heat and then when it did, like I said – smoking.  I ran the exhaust fan the entire time.  But luckily, the end result was great.

This recipe says to use "prepared" tomato sauce which is code for "store bought," but no self-respecting Sicilian gal like me is going to settle for that so I took some previously-made Verme family sauce out of the freezer and used that instead.  You are not required to do the same, of course, but a homemade sauce always tastes better than store-bought.

And so we munched and we groaned and we sighed and we sighed some more and finally the game was over and there was much rejoicing by Seattle and much dismay by Denver.  Final score, you ask?  43-8.  Ridiculous, of course, but it could have been worse:  Seattle could have scored even more points.  Although a bronco is not a racehorse, it was clear that this year, for Super Bowl XLVIII (48), they were the day's "also ran's."

Better luck next year, Denver.  And congratulations, Seattle.  Heckuva game.

Baked Eggplant with Mozzarella and Parmesan – serves 4

1 Sicilian eggplant (see Note below)

2 large eggs

¾ cup fresh bread crumbs

Salt and freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil, or more if necessary

2 cups prepared tomato sauce

8 ounces fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Chef's Note:  Sicilian eggplants are fat and globe-shaped rather than oblong, but you can substitute a long, thin Italian eggplant or a small regular eggplant in this dish, as the flavor of each variety is nearly identical.  Choose a male eggplant if you can (Ann's note:  ???!), one that does not have a deep indentation in the flower end (the opposite end of the stem) – it will have fewer seeds than a female eggplant.

Preheat the oven to 400F.  Butter an 8-inch square baking dish.

Cut the eggplant crosswise into ¼-inch-thick slices.  In a shallow bowl, lightly beat the eggs.  Put the bread crumbs in another shallow bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Dip the eggplant slices in the eggs, then coat with bread crumbs.  When all the slices are coated, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Working in batches if necessary to avoid crowding the pan, and adding a little more oil if necessary, add the eggplant slices and cook, turning once, until browned on both sides, about 4 minutes per side.  As each slice browns, remove it to paper towels to drain until all the slices are browned.

Spread a thin layer of tomato sauce over the bottom of the baking dish.  Arrange a layer of eggplant slices over the sauce, then top with some of the mozzarella and Parmesan.  Continue layering sauce, eggplant,  and cheeses until you have three layers, finishing with the cheese.  Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until bubbling and lightly browned on top.  Serve hot, garnished with the parsley.

"San Francisco Firehouse Favorites" - (Super Bowl) Chili Beans

Date I made this recipe:  Sunday, February 3, 2013 – Super Bowl Sunday

San Francisco Firehouse Favorites – Great Recipes by the Bay City’s Famous Firemen Chefs by Tony Calvello, Bruce Harlow, Georgia Sackett & Shirley Sarvis

Published by:  Bonanza Books

© 1965

Recipe:  Chili Beans – p. 142

Well, it’s Super Bowl Sunday and you know what that means, right?  Chili!!!!  (Or Mexican—you should have seen the Mexican food ingredients flying off my grocery store’s shelves.)

This year’s Super Bowl game between the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers was played in New Orleans, a city with phenomenal food, and so I thought about splitting the difference and featuring foods from the host city instead of one of the team cities.  And yet the books and recipes in my collection featuring New Orleans food were a little highbrow for a football game.  I mean come on, Oyster’s Rockefeller?  No.  Crawfish?  Not in these parts.  And so I scrapped those books for now, reserving them for an event more suited to New Orleans food – Mardi Gras!

So with Plan B in place, I set out to find suitable food from either Baltimore or San Francisco and even that proved to be a challenge until I unearthed this San Francisco Firehouse Favorites from the back of a shelf.  And right there, just when I needed it the most, was a recipe for Chili Beans.  (I was rather bummed it wasn’t Five-Alarm Chili to fit in better with a fire-fighter theme but beggars can’t be choosers).

Now truth be told, I only favored slightly the 49ers for this game but only by a smidgen.  The 49’ers beat my beloved Green Bay Packers to advance to the next round of the playoffs and so that did not make me happy BUT they are part of the NFC Conference and so I suppose I should be loyal to my own conference, right?

On the other hand…the Baltimore Ravens (or Baltimore “Raisins” as one friend’s 7 year-old dubbed them) beat the Evil Empire a/k/a the New England Patriots, the team I love to hate the most to get to the Super Bowl.  For that alone, I salute them.  But I wasn’t sure I could root for them seeing as how they represent the AFC and all and so when the San Francisco cookbook landed in my lap, there it stayed.

Still, I have to tell you that I (and my brother) am a very superstitious football viewer and I felt like I was almost asking for it by favoring one city’s food over another.  And sure enough, San Francisco was in danger of being embarrassed when the third quarter score was Baltimore 28, 49’ers 6.  The 49’ers looked a mess.  My chili clearly was the cause. Oh Lord, what had I done, what had I done?

And then

The lights went out in the Superdome (not to be confused with The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia, a popular song in the 70’s and most certainly not with The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down by The Band – yes, the band’s name is The Band.).  For 35 minutes, players sat on the sidelines, did warm-ups and just generally hung out while Superdome workers and the electric company scrambled to get everyone out of the heart of darkness.  The danged thing, of course, was that commercial ad sponsors thought that – and this is so silly, really – the game would be going on during that 35 minute period and so nobody bought ad time and so there was nothing to watch except the non-game.  This was bad but no use crying about it now.  In case you were unaware, two brothers ended up as the head coach of each of these teams, and conspiracy theorists posited that the San Francisco coach, Jim Harbaugh, “arranged” for the power outage to give his team a chance against his brother, John’s team, the Ravens.  Huh. As far as conspiracy theories go, this is not a bad one because...

…The 49ers took this downtime as an opportunity to get their mojo back and once power was restored, scored touchdown after touchdown until – can you believe it – they pulled within 3 of the Ravens.  Well, this was beyond exciting, folks!  BUT as these things go, the 49ers failed to score in the final minute or so which meant that they failed to go ahead of the Ravens which meant that they lost the game. 

But the chili was saved!

And speaking of saving, there is no job more admired in American than fire (or police) and these brave men and women know a whole lot more about saving things than I do.  This book, San Francisco Firehouse Favorites, is enhanced by black and white photos of men (in 1965, it was all men, all the time) in action, putting out fires.  Way too cool for school if you ask me!  (As are the “retro” fire trucks pictured in the book).  These photos remind me of my hometown’s volunteer fire department.  Every 4^th of July, the fire station divides into teams for a water fight in the middle of what we consider to be our Main Street.  It was a 4^th of July tradition dating back to when I was a kid  and it continues today, as does the sounding of the 9:00 fire alarm signaling curfew for young girls and boys -  talk about retro!

Although this chili will not set off any fire alarms, it was darned good but the instructions were a little off.  Instruction one was to cook the beans for 3 hours and this makes sense as you don’t want to break a tooth on a hard bean.  Instruction number two was to cook the chili for 3 more hours (or until beans are tender) and this didn’t make any sense at all.  I don’t want to break a tooth but neither do I want overly-mushy beans.  I think my total elapsed time was about 4 hours or so and that made everything just right.

As to ingredients, I have to admit that “stewed tomatoes” threw me for a loop when I got to the canned vegetable shelves because there were about a million different brands!  (Okay, slight exaggeration.)  When I was a kid, stewed tomatoes were just tomatoes that had been cooked a long time but I guess somewhere along the way, the recipe got all “fancy” because now they come with onions and celery and peppers.  Figuring that a few more ingredients couldn’t hurt, I added a can to my cart.

The “red chili sauce” proved to be a harder nut to crack because I wasn’t sure what it was.  Once again, grocery has grown up right before my very eyes because there were all kinds of variations of a red chili sauce, not one of which was the right size or the right level of heat (which is to say “none!”) for my recipe.  You may recall I mentioned earlier that Mexican food items were flying off the shelves while I was shopping and the chili sauce aisle was decimated.  So I improvised and bought a small can of red tomato sauce and then added cumin and Mexican oregano and garlic and a few more things I had on hand to try to approximate what I failed to purchase.  I think the result was okay but you should probably go with the real deal if you can.  And I’d suggest you not make this recipe on either Super Bowl Sunday or Cinco de Mayo because you’re gonna be in big trouble at the checkout when the item you want is not on the shelf.

And finally, remember that just like the ocean, one should not turn one’s back on a stovetop, especially when cooking greasy items like ground chuck.  Not that I did but fire safety is fire safety folks! 

So to recap Super Bowl XLVII, otherwise known as Super Bowl 47 (I hate when they use Roman Numerals; it messes with my head because I can never remember what the hell “L” stands for):  the Ravens were poised for a near blow-out over the 49ers when the lights went out, not in Georgia.  Meanwhile, back at the chili ranch, Ann started cooking the beans that took three hours to make.  The lights came back on, Ann added the additional chili ingredients, San Francisco started to pull even with the Ravens, Ann checked the chili to make sure the beans were not burning (cook responsibly, people), many commercials were aired after the lights came back on but not during since nobody planned on there being a 35 minutes outage (except maybe the 49ers coach), San Francisco had a chance to pull ahead with minutes left but they didn’t, and San Francisco’s coach was all mad and was yelling for the refs to call “holding” (“was it holding or was it not holding?”) and it was not holding and Ann served her chili, added some cheese (because it’s chili after all), the 49ers lost, the brothers shook hands, the parents were a mess (I mean where DO your loyalties lie at a time like this), the Super Bowl ended, I went back to watching a Law & Order marathon, cleaned my kitchen and called it a day and we are now enjoying leftovers of our San Francisco chili.  Amen.

See you next year!

Chili Beans – makes 8 servings – recipe from Charlie Radford, Engine Company No. 32

1 pound (about 2 cups) dry pinto beans

Water

1 pound ground chuck

1 large onion, chopped

1 small can (1 pound) stewed tomatoes

1 small can (10 ounces) red chili sauce

¼ cup vinegar (Ann’s Note:  It doesn’t say what kind to use so I went with “white” vinegar)

1 tablespoon chili powder

Dash of liquid hot pepper seasoning

Salt and pepper

Cover beans with cold water, cover, bring to a boil, then simmer for 3 hours.  (Add water if necessary.)  In a frying pan, slowly brown ground beef and when crumbly, add onion, and sauté until limp; add to beans along with remaining ingredients except for salt and pepper.  Cover and simmer for three hours or until beans are tender and liquid cooked down to consistency desired.  (Ann’s Note:  three more hours will incinerate your beans, necessitating a call to the fire department.  Don’t do that.  Check after another half hour to an hour then serve.)  (Cook uncovered if necessary to reduce liquid).  Add salt and pepper to taste.  (Some people like me, like to add cheese and maybe even some sour cream.  It’s the Super Bowl – go for broke!)

"The Pioneer Woman Cooks" - Simple, Perfect Chili

Date I made this recipe: February 5, 2012 (Super Bowl Sunday)

The Pioneer Woman Cooks – Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl by Ree Drummond
Published by: William Morrow
ISBN: 978-0-06-165819-8
Recipe: Simple, Perfect Chili – p. 82-83

Today is Super Bowl Sunday and as a lifelong Packers fan, I can’t say I’m all that impressed with today’s teams – the New England Patriots and the New York Giants. The Giants, after all, beat my Packers (in one of the most surreal Packers games ever), knocking them out of the playoffs with a huge thud. And yet, I didn’t want the Patriots to win and they did not in fact win and so life was pretty good.

But even though I didn’t give a rip about the game (and to prove it, I watched Law & Order reruns all night!), I do care about celebrating the Super Bowl with “Super Bowl” food and so this chili recipe came in darned handy!

When this cookbook came out a few years ago, I put it on my “Looks Interesting” list and thought it would be a while before I bought it, but a friend of mine got it for me as a hostess gift for my annual holiday party. (Thank you, Nan!). I’m a sucker for a good story and lots of photographs and this had them both.

And then last year, the book was made into a TV show on the Food Network – The Pioneer Woman - and now every week or so, I get to see Ree Drummond actually make these delicious recipes.

I should tell you though, that I almost didn’t watch her show. Color me jealous (because I am) but when the Food Network advertised it, they stated that something like millions of people read her blog. What?? I can guarantee that millions of people don’t even know mine exists!

So of course she turned that hit blog into a hit book that is now a hit TV series featuring Ree and her handsome husband, “Marlboro Man,” and her adorable kids and her dogs and her cattle and her second kitchen that she has to drive to in order to get there as it’s in another building on the ranch. My kitchen, although not the smallest I’ve cooked in, is at the back end of my house—no driving needed. During a typical Minnesota winter, this is a good thing! (By the way, my husband's nickname is "Dude" and he is also handsome. He does not however, round up steer for a living.)

So I had every reason not to watch her show, right, except I tuned in to the first episode “just to see” and I actually like it. And when I read that she chose to do her own hair and makeup rather than get up early to have it done for her, I grudgingly decided to keep watching. You’ve got to respect a female television personality who wants to do her own thing!

Out of all the shows that I’ve watched so far, my only complaint is about the last one I viewed on February 4th. Call me crazy, but I do not want to see kids holding up bottles of pond water while she’s trying to make something - ew! (The kids’ science project was to collect water samples.)

And out of all the recipes in this book (complete with step-by-step photo instructions), I had a hard time choosing one as they all looked fantastic. But nothing says “Super Bowl” like a good chili and so that was that!

Ree gives you the option to add beans, jalapenos and tomatoes with chili to the recipe. I used beans (pinto and kidney), skipped the jalapeno and added tomatoes without green chilies since I am a northern Midwestern gal and I don’t “do” tongue-searing food. I’m happy to report that it was all good – every last bite of it!

As for my Packers, they’ll be back. In fact, during the 70’s and 80’s, that was the team mantra: “The Pack Will Be Back!” (True fans know to add the word “someday” to the end of that sentence!)

By the way, Ree met her husband while on a stop home on her way to Chicago where she intended to apply to law school. As a “second-career” attorney who went back to law school after years in the workplace, let me just commend your husband for stopping you from doing something foolish by proposing!. A law degree ain’t cheap and in today’s economic market, it’s hard for many attorneys to find work. But everybody needs cookbooks, right? You done good, Pioneer Woman!

Simple, Perfect Chili – makes 6 servings
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 teaspoon ground oregano
1 tablespoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 pounds ground beef
One 8-ounce can tomato sauce
1 teaspoon salt
¼ cup masa (corn flour, found in the Mexican food section of many supermarkets) (Ann’s note: I got mine at a co-op and measured out only what I needed – sweet!)
Optional ingredients:
1 can pinto beans, drained
1 can kidney beans, drained
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely diced
1 can diced tomatoes and chilies (the author recommends Rotel brand)
For serving:
Shredded cheddar cheese
Chopped onion
Fritos

Begin by measuring the spices: chopped garlic, oregano, cumin, cayenne and chili powder.

Place the ground beef in a large pot and throw in the garlic. Cook until the beef is brown and then drain. (Ann’s note: I had myself an Oprah “Ah Ha!” moment in the kitchen. I put a colander over an empty pot and threw in all the browned ground beef. Well this was just slick as all get-out and eliminated the need to drain the beef spoonful by spoonful. I am a GENIUS!)

Pour the tomato sauce into the beef mixed, followed by the spices and the salt. Stir together well, cover, and reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. If the mixture becomes overly dry, add in ½ cup of water at a time as needed. (Ann’s note: water was needed if I didn’t want to scorch the bottom of my pan!)

After an hour, place the masa in a small bowl, add ½ cup water and stir together with a fork. Dump the masa mixture into the chili. Stir together well. Taste, adjust the seasonings, and add more masa paste and/or water to get the chili to your preferred consistency, or to add more corn flavor.

Add the beans, jalapeno, and tomatoes if desired. Simmer for 10 minutes.

Serve with shredded cheddar, chopped onion, and Fritos.

Ree’s Helpful Hint: To freeze the chili, allow it to cool completely, then place it in 1-cup portions in freezer bags. Flatten the bags for easy storage in the freezer.

"The Tail-Gate Cookbook" - Salt-fried Hamburgers with Cheese Sauce

Date I made this recipe: February 6, 2011 (Super Bowl Sunday)

The Tailgate Cookbook by April Herbert
Published by: Funk & Wagnalls
© 1970
Recipe: Salt-fried hamburgers with Cheese Sauce – p. 21-22

Okay, fair warning: I will get around to talking about today’s recipe but first a word about my (Green Bay) Packers: Woo Hoo!

Okay, I suppose that was really two words but who cares? My boys won Super Bowl 45 (I don’t do Roman numerals) last night against those evil Pittsburgh Steelers. Wow. Double wow!

So of course I watched the game but then again, I didn’t. See if you can follow this logic: I’ve been to Lambeau Field three times in the last couple of years, the last time being this fall against the Detroit Lions. And each time, I go in full battle gear: Cheesehead, green and gold beads, Packer jersey or t-shirt or sweatshirt, depending on the weather. Short of dyeing my hair or painting my face, I am good to go. (By the way, my husband inadvertently wore a “Lion’s blue” (team colors) shirt to the game and was lucky to walk out of Lambeau alive. It was cool enough for him to wear a jacket the entire game and that was a good thing!)

But when it comes to watching the game I get superstitious as does the rest of my family. I used to wear my Cheesehead while watching but then we’d lose the game. And I used to wear my Packers apparel but then we’d lose the game. And so I quit wearing anything Packer-related since I wanted them to win their games, particularly this one.

I also believe, as does my brother, the ultimate Packer fan (and shareholder), that if we watch the entire game on TV, we will jinx them, especially if things aren’t going well for us. Yes, I know, rather odd. On the other hand, we could both argue that it’s nothing more than brilliant strategy on our part. My solution is to flip between one channel and the next during the course of the game; my brother’s solution is to leave the room for a while!

So…the game started out great and my husband, the world’s most reluctant Packers fan there ever was tuned in as well. He never watched sports before marrying me and cannot believe the person I become when I watch the game. (For the record, when you marry a Verme, you marry the Packers. That is just the way it goes. It’s a total 2 for 1 deal).

Anyway, he says I go crazy and I totally disagree. I mean, define crazy? I am just an exuberant fan. I yell at the TV, I armchair coach--is there a Packer fan out there who doesn’t do that? Nope.

Okay, so as I was saying, the game started out great. We got a touchdown and then we intercepted a pass and got another touchdown. FAN-tastic! But then the Steelers came back and got a touchdown right before halftime and Grrrrr. This was not so fantastic.

So the halftime show started and Zzzzzzzz. Don’t get me wrong, I love the Black Eyed Peas but they were not their best and really - was it too much to ask that we just get on with the game already?

The Packers came out to start the 2nd half and got the ball on the kickoff and within minutes, mere minutes, they got three penalties. They looked sloppy, very, very sloppy. And my stomach started to churn. And then the Steelers woke up and started playing better and my stomach really started to churn. And so I told my poor husband that it was time for me to start flipping the channel because to my logic, if I quit watching the game so intently, we would prevail. And people believed it or not the man was peeved—peeved! He was peeved because he didn’t want to watch the game in the first place (because I get “so crazy”) but now he invested all this time and effort only to have me flip a station to channel 10 so I can watch a rerun of The Closer, one of our favorite shows and then flip back again. There’s no satisfying some people.

Anyway, if you ask me, the Packers should be damned glad that I did that. I watched The Closer for a few minutes and then flipped back to the game. “Well this is much better” thought I, as the Packers got another touchdown. So back I went to The Closer. But then I flipped back again and again and ouch—things were not so hot. And so I got myself into a “to watch or not to watch” conundrum (that is the question) and was just totally undecided about what to do and what to watch and oh….did I mention that I went and poured my first martini? (Talk about being thrown off one’s game!)

By this time, I was giving the “Last” button on my remote a workout. And now Pittsburgh was closing in and the score was 25 to 31. Holy crap! Time for more gin!! And then I flipped back to the game Pittsburg had the ball…and so I flipped back again and again and damn it—Pittsburg still had the freaking ball and the clock is ticking down to the 2 minute warning…and then it’s a minute something. I could hardly stand it. Never has a minute seemed so long! I started welling up and praying (as Packer fans do) “Oh Lord, please. Pleeeeeeeeeeeease.” And apparently God heard my plea because the heavens opened up their quarterback threw an incomplete pass that landed in Tramon William’s hands (he’s a Packer) and voila! We got the ball back with about 30 seconds to go in the game and….Victory!!! (For the record, I do know their quarterback’s name but the spelling is hard and he is with the enemy so what do I care? I call him something else anyway…and it’s not nice so I won’t print it.)

And there was much rejoicing and rejoicing and rejoicing! Wow. Super Bowl champions! I love it!

As to the meal, this was an absolute no-brainer. Last year, a friend gave me a used copy of today’s book – The Tailgate Book. I must say that I know that tailgating menus have ramped up a bit but honestly—cold cucumber soup at a tailgate party? Beef Bourguignon at a tailgate party? Peaches with mincemeat at a tailgate party? It just seems so…well, let’s say it’s not likely on a tailgate menu in Green Bay, home of beer and brats and cheese.

And so, the winner of the Green Bay Packer indoor tailgate party was…burgers with cheese sauce! These were easy to make and fun to eat. And my husband, the world’s most reluctant Packer fan, inadvertently cemented this dish in the Packer (tailgate) Hall of Fame by adding green pickle relish to the top of his cheese. It was so pretty with that green and gold and I teased him that he really was a true fan after all because I sure didn’t think to add the relish! He says “not” and has already asked me when the season starts up again (“Duh honey – August”) but not out of interest, oh no—he’s dreading the start already! On the other hand, I cannot wait. In the meantime, I am basking in the glory of that win, an absolute bright spot in an otherwise cold and grim February (as was my green and gold burger.)

Life is good.

Salt-fried hamburgers - serves 4
1-2 tsp regular salt or garlic salt
1 pound ground beef or hamburger
Buns

Sprinkle 1-2 tsp salt in frying pan, and place on very high heat until salt begins to brown. Add 4 large hamburger patties, and sear on both sides; lower heat and cook to desired doneness. Add cheese sauce.

Cheese sauce – serves 4
1 ½ Tbs. butter
1 Tb. Flour
½ cup milk
Dash garlic salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce
4 oz. cheddar cheese, slivered

Melt the butter over very low heat. Add flour and then milk (add the milk gradually) and then the spices (garlic salt, pepper and Worcestershire). Add cheese, stirring constantly and remove from heat as soon as cheese is melted. Serve immediately. (You should start making the cheese sauce while your burgers are cooking).

"Three Guys from Miami Cook Cuban" - Cuban Pot Roast (Boliche)

Date I made this recipe: February 7, 2010 (Super Bowl Sunday)

Three Guys from Miami Cook Cuban by Glenn Lindgren, Raul Musibay, and Jorge Castillo
Published by: Gibbs Smith, Publisher
ISBN: 1-58685-433-X; © 2004

Recipe: Boliche – Cuban Pot Roast – p. 112

So today was Super Bowl Sunday, one of my favorite days to watch TV because as we all know, it’s all about the commercials. And the game. But if we’re honest, it’s really about the commercials, right? The thing that cracks me up is that I didn’t want to leave the room during the commercials but I didn’t want to miss key plays of the game, either. And for the record, it was quite the game. I liked both teams (the New Orleans Saints v. the Indianapolis Colts) but was leaning toward New Orleans (especially after they beat the evil Vike-Queens and stopped their advance to the show) and toyed with making something from one of my New Orleans cookbooks but thought that would be rather unfair, seeing as how I don’t have anything to represent Indianapolis. (Although I do have cookbooks from Baltimore and seeing as how I still think of Baltimore Colts as the home of the Colts (not to mention Johnny Unitas), that would have worked…except it wouldn’t, you know what I mean?).

So to even the playing field, I made a recipe from a Miami cookbook to represent where the game was actually played and since Cuban food represents a big part of Miami’s edible offerings, I went with the three guys from Miami (one of whom is originally from Minnesota – guess which one!).

Now in the interest of full disclosure, when I first got the cookbook, I made the recipe for the Tres Leches (3 milks) cake but it didn’t work out very well, in all likelihood because I had dry ingredients that were just past their “use by” date. Baking is a funny thing as fresh ingredients are often keys to the recipe’s success whereas in regular cooking, they often don’t make that much difference.

Now I have to say a word about the Spanish chorizo called for in this recipe. Although the recipe itself didn’t say anything about what kind of chorizo to buy, the back of the book said that chorizo is a “dry, hard sausage” and I know this to be true since I bought some dry links one time at El Burrito Mercado in West St. Paul. But the day I went shopping, we were pressed for time and so I bought chorizo from my local Rainbow Foods that was not dry but rather very wet, just like regular sausage and it did not come in a casing as the other sausage did. And this made the recipe greasier than would have otherwise happened. The taste was still the same, which is to say it added a little bite to the meat, but we could have probably done without the grease. So just be aware of that when making the recipe.

The other thing I have to say is that I thought this dish would be more flavorful the next day but having just polished off some leftovers, I can say that the dish was tastier yesterday when it was fresh from the stove than it was today. That’s not to say the dish still wasn’t delicious, but it wasn’t what I expected.

What I liked best about this dish was that it involved my favorite cooking task—stick it on the stove and ignore it for a couple of hours. And seeing as how I had the Super Bowl commercials to watch (all 68 of them – yikes!), I just couldn’t be bothered with something more complex to make (even though I have a TV in my kitchen. But I mean one wrong move when watching the game or the commercials and I could have lost a thumb!).

So congratulations, Saints, better luck next time Colts, and Betty White, you made me want to go out and buy a case of Snickers bars, you were so funny in that commercial. And to see Abe “I thought he was dead” Vigoda was priceless. (For those who don’t know, for years now, radio shows have been doing this “Dead/Not Dead” contest featuring celebrities and someone always assumes that poor Abe has died when in fact, he’s still going strong. Abe is best known for his role as “Fish” on the TV show Barney Miller). I’m going to have to track down a recipe for Snickers pie or something or maybe go the deep fried route like they do at the Minnesota State Fair where there are two food groups—things that are deep fried and things on a stick. We love us our sticks!

Boliche – Cuban Pot Roast – serves 6 to 8
6 links Spanish chorizo
3 to 4 pounds chuck or rump roast
7 cloves garlic, mashed
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
Flour
½ cup olive oil
1 (14 ½-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon oregano
4 medium potatoes, quartered
1 large onion, sliced
¼ cup green olives
1 cup water
½ cup red wine

Remove casings from the chorizo. Cut a slit in the beef and insert the chorizo and some of the garlic inside. Salt, pepper and lightly flour the roast; brown on all sides in a frying pan with the olive oil. Place all ingredients except the water and wine (including the roast and the oil you browned it in) in a large covered pot or Dutch oven with the potatoes, onion slices, and green olives on top.

Mix the water and the wine. Add just enough of this mixture to cover the bottom 2 inches of the pan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer partially covered (leave your lid slightly ajar to let some of the steam escape) for approximately 3 to 4 hours. Check the roast occasionally and add the water/wine mixture as necessary. When the roast is fork-tender, remove it from the pot. Remove bay leaf and discard.

Arrange meat and potatoes on a large serving platter. Garnish the plate with the cooked onion slices and green olives. Slice beef at the table.