I would love to know how many vats of chili are being made today.  Chili and Super Bowl just seem to go together – even if you’re not feeding a crowd.

And we’re definitely not feeding a crowd today.  The game just starts too damned late on the east coast for me to even think about a party.  By 7:00pm on a Sunday night, I want everyone going home.  I probably would be feeling a bit differently if San Francisco had made it, but a 7:00pm kick-off is still too late even for a game I’d be excited about.

My vote is for a 1pm Pacific/4pm Eastern start.  But that ain’t happening this year.

And while I’m totally ho-hum on the two teams playing, I’m even more down on Indianapolis.  I can’t stand the place.  I opened the Westin Hotel there circa 1989 and I tell ya, the city was one of the most racist, bigoted,  and intolerant places I have ever lived.  It just sucked.  It’s the kind of place that promotes “Family Values” while having skanky strip clubs on every other corner.  Not to mention the anti-gay married politicians getting caught in their pay-for-gay trysts… (ooops!)

But I digress…

Chili.  I love it.  I even like canned chili.  I tend to live on chili dogs and chili burgers when Victor has to travel for business.  (My otherwise relatively-good eating habits go straight down the tube when I’m left on my own…)  I figured if I made a huge vat o’chili today, I could freeze some and live off it when he travels to Dallas in a couple of weeks.

I don’t use a recipe when making chili – I just make chili.  This batch started off with a pound of small red beans that I soaked overnight and cooked this morning.

Into another pot went 2 chopped onions, 1 yellow bell pepper, 3 chopped jalapeño peppers, and 2 cloves of minced garlic.  Then went in cumin and chili powder.  Cumin and chili powder both really need to be cooked to get rid of the otherwise “raw” flavor they can impart.

Next went in the ground beef.  When it was cooked, I added 1 jar of Sofrito sauce, 2 large cans of tomato sauce, 1 can of diced tomatoes with green chilis and a small can of green chilis.  I added some chipotle powder, salt and pepper, and Mexican oregano and let it all simmer.  When the beans were cooked, I added them to the pot and let everything simmer for about an hour.

Heaping bowls were topped with shredded cheddar and dollops of sour cream.

We have chips and dips and other junky foods for later today.

Not to mention more chili, of course!

And, if the game is boring, there’s always 31 Days of Oscar on TCM…