The Family That Plays Together…

So, the College Football season has started. For most well-adjusted sane people the first weekend of college football can be a good thing if for no other reason than you can sit on the sofa in your “at home” sweats and do absolutely nothing. In my family, however, it means so much more. It means that on Thursday, August 30, I received no fewer than 19 emails regarding College Football and the favorite teams of those “fortunate enough” to be on the recipient list, all of whom were members of my family. There were no outside players on the list. One of them is also my boss.

If you were thinking that these emails contained innocuous messages like “Go Bears! Beat the Wolfpack!” or “I Love My Ducks!” or even “Gee Dad, I hope your Trojans play well on Saturday” you would, alas, be way off base. No, in my family, it means that the no holds barred mudslinging and linguistic acrobatic smack talk has begun. It can, has and will get quite ugly. No topic is out of bounds. Coaches. Schedules. Bands. Questionable DNA pools (though that gets complicated when you consider we’re related).

To make matters worse, we actually like to get together when our favorite teams play so that we can have said “conversations” face to face. This past Saturday was no different. The entire family gathered at my sister’s for some BBQ and to flip back and forth from one game to the next. We have one Golden Bear, One Trojan and Two Ducks in the family so we have to split the TV time. (There is also one vicarious Buckeye but we don’t talk to him much. He is forced sit quietly in the corner – even though I’m married to him.)

While the channels are flipping we do manage to eat pretty well. The Sancho’s Dip from our cheese department is a must have at every get together or tailgate and there is usually something fabulous on the grill for halftime. Below is a tasty item plus a family favorite Hors D’Oeuvre. Try them at your next viewing party or tailgate and if by some chance you are in the store some time during the season and hear the dulcet tones of a school fight song being blasted over the intercom, you’ll know why…GO DUCKS!!!! 

Spicy Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork
Adapted from of The Pioneer Woman

There are a bunch of different versions of this recipe out there. This one is my favorite. Add your favorite coleslaw to the roll and you have an outstanding sandwich.

Prep Time: 5 Minutes
Cook Time: 6 Hours Servings 18

Ingredients
1 whole large onion
1 whole pork shoulder (about 5 To 7 pounds)
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 can (11 Ounce) chipotle peppers In adobo sauce
2 cans Dr. Pepper
2 tablespoons brown sugar

Instructions
Preheat oven to 300 ºF.

Peel the onion and cut it into wedges. Lay them in the bottom of a large dutch oven.

Generously season the pork roast with salt and pepper. Then set it on top of the onions in the pan. Pour the can of chipotle peppers over the pork—be certain to use all the sauce.  Add both cans of Dr. Pepper, then the brown sugar and stir it all in.

Place the lid tightly on your pot and set it in the oven with the lid off. Cook for at least six hours, turning roast two or three times during the cooking process. Using two forks to pull apart the pork, check it after six hours—it should be absolutely falling apart.  If it’s not falling apart, return to the oven for another hour.

Remove the meat from pot and place on a cutting board or another work surface. Use two forks to shred the meat. Discard all the large pieces of fat•. Strain as much of the fat off the top of the cooking liquid as you can and discard that as well.

Return the shredded meat to the cooking liquid, and keep it warm until ready to serve. Serve on warm buns or rolls with your favorite coleslaw, or as tacos in warm tortillas with your favorite fixings.

* Alternately, you can refrigerate the meat and the liquid in separate containers and remove the hardened fat once it is cold. Then heat up the liquid on the stovetop and return the meat to the liquid to warm.

Hot Cheezy Things
Yep. That’s what we call them One of our favorite snacks while watching football! Unfortunately, I watched my Mom make these as a kid but I don’t have an actual recipe for it so I just wing it. You really can’t screw them up though. I mean it’s cheese and mayo. What could go wrong? Feel free to add/ change the type of cheese you use.

Ingredients
Equal parts shredded Cheddar cheese & Monterey Jack cheese, shredded Swiss cheese or Emmenthaler (Optional)
Grated Parmesan
Chopped green onions
Mayonaise
Sliced baguette

Instructions
Mix ingredients together until the mixture is spreadable but not too wet. Spread mixture on baguette slices. Place the slices on a cookie sheet and melt under the broiler until bubbling and golden.

Eat while still warm but with caution. These things are hot!