Are you ready for some football?

This Sunday is the big day, and there is nothing more fun than watching that game—except getting together with friends and enjoying all the snacks, dishes and delights people prepare for game time.

But there’s always that big challenge. How do you make something that is super simple so you don’t have to babysit it during the game, still fits most diets and is satisfying for everyone?

It’s simple. Take the Easy Way out.

My go to meal for Super Bowl Sunday is always a chili which can be enjoyed in a bowl, or strained a bit for a big platter of nachos, tacos or tostadas.

The easiest thing to do is to put the chili into the slow cooker in the morning and set up a chili, nacho or taco bar when it’s game time.

My favorite chili fits for dieters and football fans alike. It’s also as easy and fast to put together as any chili recipe I’ve seen.

But you can always make a hearty traditional Texas-style chili with seared steak as the base of a rich tomato chili. The beef chili recipe below may be a touch complicated, but it is a winner from the days when all the fire halls in Rutherford County competed in chili cook offs for charity.

As always, I suggest you feel free to add your own twists to either recipe—with your favorite chili ingredients.

For a truly fun and easy Super Bowl viewing party, try making chili. Then set up a chili, taco and nacho bar with corn tortilla chips, grated cheeses, sour cream, green onions and guacamole. Let your guests choose their own style of eating—by the bowl as chili or by the plate as nachos or tacos.

White Bean Chicken Chili

½ cup green enchilada sauce
2 teaspoons minced garlic
½ cup chicken stock
1 can golden and white corn, drained
1 can tomatoes with green chilis
1 can cannellini beans, drained
2-4 cups chopped grilled or roasted chicken breast meat
1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
½ teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon complete seasoning, such as Badia or Tajin
2 Tablespoons minced jalapeno peppers (optional)
2 Tablespoons brown sugar (optional)
¼ cup minced fresh cilantro or parsley

Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker. Cook on high for 2-3 hours or on low for 5-6 hours. Serve hot with sour cream and sharp cheddar cheese for garnish.

Murfreesboro Fire Inspectors Chili Cook-off Recipe

(This is a recipe designed to feed a Fire Hall crowd. You may want to cut it back by halving the ingredients.)

4 lbs. Sirloin Roast
1 lb. pork sausage
2 large white onions
5 dried New Mexico chilies
4 chilpotle chilies (canned in adobe sauce)
4 7-oz cans whole green chilies
1 head garlic (not 1 clove)
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 can tomatoes and chilies
1 can tomato sauce
2 cans light kidney beans or chili beans
1 red bell pepper
2 Tbs. chili powder
1 /2 tsp. dried tarragon
1 /2 tsp. dried basil
1 /2 tsp. dried oregano (1)
1 /2 tsp. dried thyme
1 /2 tsp. white pepper
1 /2 tsp. black pepper
2 15-oz cans chicken broth
1 tsp. ancho chili pepper
1 tsp. ground cumin seed
1 tsp. Mexican oregano (2)
steak rub—your choice
Whickers Brand Marinade

Slice sirloin in 1/4 inch slices. Season the slices with your favorite steak rub, then marinate in Whickers Marinade or a similar steak marinade. Marinate for at least two hrs. Grill sirloin slices just to sear. Cut the slices of sirloin into small pieces.

In a large pot, melt 2 TBS butter, and sauté 1 chopped onion and the head of garlic (peeled and crushed) until the onion is soft. Add the sausage and sauté until brown. Add the sirloin and ½ can of chicken broth. Add the white and black pepper, tarragon, oregano (1), basil, and thyme. Simmer covered for 1 hour, salting to taste.

While the simmer is going on, prepare the chili sauce. Cut off the tops of the dried New Mexico chilies to remove the stems and the seeds. Rinse out the seeds but leave as whole as possible. Cut the tops off the chipotle peppers and cut lengthwise to extract the seeds. Set all these chilies simmering into the remaining ½ can of chicken broth. When the chilies are soft, (about 45 minutes) remove the New Mexico chilies from the broth and cut lengthwise. Carefully scrape the inside pulp with a flat knife, angled away from the direction you are scraping. Discard the skins. Scrape the pulp into a blender and add the remaining chipotle peppers and blend it all into a sauce. Chop the remaining green chilies.

Add the remaining green chilies, 2 Tbs. chili powder, can of chicken broth and the chili sauce to pot and simmer covered for another hour. Now after 2 hours of simmering, chop the bell pepper, peel and chop the garlic and onion. Add all the tomatoes, tomato sauce, green pepper, and garlic into the simmering pot. Add the beans, ground cumin seed, ancho chili pepper, and Mexican oregano. Now simmer 1 more hour.