Sunday food and football

Ah, fall Sundays, when a young girl's thought turn to the sneak, the screen, and the long pass. I really enjoy football, but I don't understand it as well as I'd like. A book that has done much to alleviate that is Get Your Own Damn Beer, I'm Watching the Game: A Woman's Guide to Loving Pro Football by Holly Robinson Peete. The author, who has been in some TV shows I've never seen (I was probably off reading somewhere), married an NFL quarterback and writes about the game from the perspective of not only the fans (she was from Philadelphia and loved the Eagles even before she married Peete) but the players and their families. I found her style a bit labored in places--she tries too hard to sound all down-to-earth and real sometimes--but the book was fun, on the whole, and I know a lot more about football now than I did before I read it. I really liked the chapter where she explained what all the positions actually do, and she gave a lot of history that I found fascinating. Now my husband's reading it--he actually wasn't much of a football fan before we got married, but I've converted him.

Chili goes well with football, and this is my favorite chili recipe. Try it while you're watching (or reading about) the game:
1 lb ground beef
3 cans chili beans (hot or mild, however you like)
3 cans of tomato sauce
1 green pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped.
2 cloves garlic
2-4 tablespoons of chili powder (it depends on how hot you like it, and how old your power is)
1 tablespoon turmeric
1 tablespoon cinnamon
salt and pepper to taste
Brown the ground beef and drain it. Toss it and everything else back in the pot, and simmer it for half an hour or so to combine the flavors.

I like the additional flavors of the turmeric and cinnamon (although I rarely get to include the latter if I make it at home because my husband doesn't like it). Be careful, though, because turmeric will stain clothes and old countertops. This chili is also more rich in tomato than a lot of chilis, but it's still nice and thick--I can usually get my spoon to stand up in it after it has simmered.

Drop us a comment about football, good books about football, or your favorite chili!