The super-bowl is getting closer and closer. And there is no better way to celebrate the biggest game of the year, than to eat until you fall into a coma and hopefully never wake up. The go-to plan for most super bowl parties is: buy a large variety of chips, various dips, pizza, wings, and maybe a 6 foot sub. While these are all very convenient and generally satisfying options, why not change things up a bit for the big game? Setting up a hot dog or chili bar is an easy and fun way to feed your guests with actual food. Just by cooking up a large number of hotdogs and keeping them warm beside a variety of toppings, such as chili, sliced jalapenos, melted cheese, diced onions, and of course the basics (ketchup, mustard, relish, sauerkraut, etc) you can keep your guests happy for the entire game. No fuss, no muss!

If you’re looking to feed an army of sports fans and make your house smell like heaven, cook up a large pot of chili. Here is a great chili recipe that is simple to make:


Ingredients
1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes, chopped
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1 onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/4 cup white wine
Crushed red pepper flakes (flakes get hotter when cooked, use accordingly)
1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/3 cup steak sauce
5 slices bacon
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 package chili seasoning mix
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
Directions
In a pot over medium-low heat, combine tomatoes, tomato paste, onion, celery, wine, pepper flakes, bell peppers and steak sauce.
While mixture is simmering, cook bacon until crisp and drain.
Cook beef in bacon drippings until brown; drain.
Stir chili seasoning into ground beef.
Stir seasoned beef, cumin and bacon into tomato mixture.
Continue to simmer until well blended and add beans and parsley then serve.
You can make a whole batch of corn bread or biscuits to serve alongside the chili or you can serve with the typical crackers, tortilla chips, and bread. These are just 2 simple ideas for your super bowl party, the point is to be creative and not follow the chip and dip trend. By differentiating yourself, you can be sure your friends and family won’t forget game day at your house.

Comfort Food, Public-Access Style

On PBS.org there was a great piece on comfort food, those great dishes that take us all to a better place. It gave the opinions of a variety of chefs and food critics. Some chefs included David Machado, chef and owner of Lauro Kitchen in Portland, OR. He lists his favorite comfort food as Portuguese chicken and rice, this is similar to the Spanish arroz con pollo (you can find a recipe for arroz con pollo on this site). Lynne Rosseto Kaspar, host of “The Splendid Table” lists pasta and tomato sauce as her favorite comfort food saying “When time is short but dear friends must be fed with joy and not pressure, I make pasta with tomato sauce” Those words make a simple pasta and tomato sauce sound all the more better. All of the chefs and writers listed, had great entries, but it was the recipe submitted by John Pence, of “Cooking with Caprial and John” for beef stew and polenta that gave me a warm, fuzzy feeling inside.

Beef Stew with Polenta
Serves 4
2 pounds beef stew meat
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
4 cups beef or vegetable stock
1 medium onion
3 potatoes, diced
2 carrots, diced
4 cloves, chopped
2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
2 shallots, chopped
2/3 cup finely ground polenta
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme, or 1/2 tablespoon dried
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Springs of thyme, for garnish

Trim the excess fat from the stew meat. In a large stockpot over high temperature, heat the olive oil until smoking hot. Add the beef and brown well on all sides, about 2 minutes per side. Add the flour and cook for about 2 minutes. Briskly stir in the 4 cups beef stock thoroughly. Add the onion, potatoes, carrots, and garlic and cook over low heat for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the beef is tender.
About 10 minutes before the beef has finished cooking, prepare the polenta. In a heavy saucepan over high heat, bring the 2 cups vegetable stock and shallots to a boil. Whisk in the polenta slowly so that no lumps form. Season with salt and pepper to taste, Cook the polenta about 3 minutes, or until it becomes very thick. Stir it well to avoid scorching the bottom. Remove the pan from the heat, cover, and set aside.
When the stew has finished cooking, add the thyme, 1 teaspoon pepper, and salt to taste.
Divide the polenta among 4 bowls and ladle the stew on top. Serve immediately, garnished with sprigs of fresh thyme.

Here is the link for the great story by Marina Gordon and Brad Smith

http://www.pbs.org/opb/meaningoffood/food_and_life/comfort_foods/