Chili & Football!

Though most of last week was still quite summery with temps in the '90s, when I found out it would be in the low '70s and rainy on Sunday, I thought that was enough of a weather change to make my favorite fall/football meal -- chili!

To make things more exciting, the Colts game was actually aired locally, so we set up both our TVs in the living room to convert our place into a sports bar. Great idea, right?

Also, puppy Reilly -- in her new Redskins gear -- made her first visit to our place to enjoy the afternoon (and eat hot dogs for the first time!)

While in the past I've used our crockpot to prepare this chili recipe, I a) woke up too late for the 6 hours of slow cooking it would require, and b) wanted to use the beautiful Le Creuset 5 1/2 quart round dutch oven (in Caribbean teal!) that John got me for my birthday.

I went with Paula Deen's Taco Soup recipe which has always been tasty and involves some nice shortcuts (e.g. Taco seasoning!) that don't sacrifice any flavor or deliciousness.

Huan brought up hot dog supplies and also some pâté chaud (courtesy of My Chau!) to complete the Sunday feast. We ate the chili out of a bowl, with Fritos, for our late lunch/snack portion of the day, then for dinner we finished off the chili on hot dogs.

Despite another disappointing Redskins loss, it was a nice afternoon of football and food... two of my favorite things!

More images available on Flickr.

Week 52: The End!

The End: The last weekly SP, the end of 2009, and the end of the Colts' perfect season. Hard to believe I've finally reached week 52 and thus my last SP of the year, but here we are!

I ended the year with a short visit to John's hometown of Indianapolis, Indiana. We were lucky enough to be able to attend a Colts game at Lucas Oil Stadium, which is a very nice venue, as sports arenas go. We were thankful for its retractable roof since it was a brisk 20 degrees with strong winds and falling snow throughout the day.

Unfortunately, the Colts decided to sit most of their starters for a big chunk of the second half with only a 5 point lead, so I had the disappointing distinction of witnessing their only loss this season, their first regular season loss in 23 games, and the end of their pursuit of perfection, which has been pretty exciting to follow this year. Alas, the playoffs are still ahead so Colts fans needn't dwell for too long.

Either way, it was a great experience and thanks to my new Dallas Clark jersey (received as a Christmas present from the Canganys), I was able to blend right in and support the home team. Don't worry (I'm looking at you, Auddie), I'm no traitor. I was tuned in later to watch the Redskins take on Dallas in their Sunday night game and pretty much seal the deal on a fairly dismal season. I'm already looking forward to 2010 and a fresh start for my hometown team!

Here's to new beginnings and exciting adventures, both in football and in life!

Week 45: More Football!

On Sunday, I went out to Skelbs & Erik's new adorable and homey home in Reston, VA for an afternoon of football, chili, delicious snacks (like Heather's Chex Muddy Buddies!) and good company. You'll note in this photo I opted to wear my new Colts tee instead of my Cooley jersey just to change things up. We still did watch and root for the Redskins, and after another disappointing (but not surprising) loss, we decided to head to a nearby field to see if we could practice to be on next year's squad. It was a nice fall day, and despite the dismal state of our DC's football team, we all had a great time!

Pictured here with me is Riley, Skelbs & Erik's lovable black lab, who is enjoying a rubbery UVA football in her mouth.