Game Day With The Slow Cooker

About author / Pamela Chester

Mom of two; graduate French Culinary Institute; kids cooking program instructor; Master's degree in food studies. Creates kid friendly foods and loves her slow cooker.

For many people at this time of year, all thoughts turn to football. Now I am not a big sports fan by any means. In fact, I have often embarrassed myself by mistaking a major league team for a minor league team, or thinking a game was being played on the competitor’s turf rather than the home stadium. Out of necessity I have learned just enough to keep up with my husband. He's an avid sports fanatic who can quote statistics going back to his childhood. We are both from the Philadelphia area, a place notorious for not having won any professional sports championship since 1983. It's a challenge to ride out the football season especially, given the ups and downs experienced by family, friends and, most of all, by my significant other.

Nonetheless I am a good sport about it. For me watching football is an excuse to chow down on some great food. When a big game is on, I know my Sunday afternoon will involve lots of cooking—my enjoyment of the game is all about the food. While everyone else’s attention is on the game, mine is on what type of food is being served. I may not be able to cite who had how many receiving yards in the third quarter of the championship game that led the Eagles to the Superbowl in 2005 (according to my husband, the second best day of his life), but I can remember the delicious food we had while watching the game—spicy pulled pork sandwiches and homemade coleslaw.

My idea for the next big game get together will be to make a big crockpot of chili that morning and keep it simmering all day. Once it’s game time, we will have bowls of various condiments such as chopped jalapeño peppers, chopped onion and scallions, grated cheddar cheese, lime wedges, avocado slices (It is said that more avocados are sold on Super bowl Sunday than any other time of the year), and sour cream. That way each person can mix and match and have fun making their own unique bowl of chili. On the side I will serve tortilla chips and a cheesy bean dip which can be made in another borrowed slow cooker. When serving all the different condiments on the side I prefer a very basic chili like the recipe below, but you may want to experiment by adding different ingredients and spices that will enhance the chili’s taste in a slightly different way. I was recently at a Sunday chili festival/competition that featured 50 competitors and each chili had its own distinctive flavor!

If you are taking your football festivities outdoors for a pre-game tailgate, you can also bring the crockpot with you. You can use an electrical converter/inverter that plugs into your car lighter with an extension cord. Or if you tailgate every weekend, you might consider Coleman’s propane powered slow cooker that keeps food warm for ten hours on low and five hours on high. You and your fellow tailgaters will appreciate having a warm, slow cooked meal, especially as the weather turns colder.

It’s going be an exciting season!!

Serves/Makes: 6

• 1 1/2 pound ground beef
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 2 cans (15 ounce size) kidney beans with liquid
• 1 can (28 ounce size) whole peeled tomatoes, with liquid
• 1 1/2 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• salt and pepper, to taste

***Toppings***

• chopped jalapeno pepper
• chopped onion or scallion
• grated Cheddar cheese
• lime wedges
• sour cream