New York Giants

This week the Bears face the New York Giants. Who has a suggestion for the menu? It can be confusing because the New York Giants are actually from New Jersey. I've been thinking deli or Italian; Pastrami or Italian Beef or .... Help me here folks.

Green Bay Packers

This is a biggie; it's our arch rival Green Bay Packers. I had to pull out all the stops on this one. Of course, I knew it had to be cheese something. After talking with friends, I decided to modify a recipe to create Cheesehead Chowder. It would include Cheese, Beer and Mike Ditka Hall of Fame Salsa. A no fail approach I was certain.

I began in the afternoon so the soup could simmer and be warm when I returned from an early evening meeting. I wore my jersey to the meeting and hustled out of there arriving home just minutes before kick-off. The door was left open for the rest of the fans to hurry in and take their places for kick-off.

My apologies to Robbie Gould. I was slow handing out the soup which may have caused him to miss the early field goal but, once we started eating, the Packer mistakes just kept coming. 18 penalties, wow! Even more impressive was Hester; it's so great to watch him run! It was a perfect ending, when Robbie had the chance to show off his skills by kicking the winning field goal moving the team to an awesome 3-0!

The recipe for success follows:

Cheesehead Chowder

3 cups peeled and diced potatoes

2 1/2 cups water

Step 1. Placed potatoes in a bowl with the water, set aside.

1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup chopped onion

1 minced garlic clove

1/2 cup chopped celery

12 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced

Step 2. Melt butter in a 5 quart Dutch over, saute vegetables over medium heat for about 10 minutes.

2 cups cauliflower, cut in small pieces

Step 3. Add potatoes, water and cauliflower to the pan. Bring to a boil then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

1/2 bottle of beer (you can add the whole bottle if you want)

Step 4. Remove pan from heat, add beer.

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup flour

1 1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp dry mustard

1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

2 cups milk

1 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

3/4 cups Velveeta, cut into cubes

Step 5. In medium sauce pan, melt butter. Stir in flour, salt, mustard and pepper. Cook 3 minutes stirring constantly until smooth and bubbly. Slowly stir in the milk and Worcestershire sauce. Cook until thickened. Add cheese, stir until melted. Add sauce to the potato mixture.

16 ounces canned, diced tomatoes with juice

1/2 to 1 tsp Mike Ditka Hall of Fame Salsa

Step 6. Add tomatoes (with juice) and salsa to the potato mixture. Heat stirring frequently but do not boil.

Enjoy and Go Bears!

Dallas Cowboys

With my narrow escape last week, I was determined to create a menu that would handily defeat the Cowboys. Not an easy task because the Cowboys needed this win after their loss to Washington last week.

Here's how the thought process went: Dallas is the home of Tex-Mex so let's go with Nachos enhanced with some real Mexican ingredients. Luckily there's a Mexican grocery store just around the corner. I made a simple plate of bean nachos with cilantro, Queso Rancherito and Queso Oaxaca. Of course, the Mike Ditka Hall of Fame salsa was included in every bite.

The nachos were good and the Bears were fantastic! Bears win 27-20!

Detroit Lions

My grand experiment began kind of weak. The Lions were coming to Chicago but a friend wanted to bring the food. I should not have agreed because she brought Chicken Soup. It was yummy but I didn't think it had the required oomph to win the game. I was right. "What's a good hostess to do?" I wondered.

Then I remembered my secret weapon, Mike Ditka Hall of Fame Salsa was in the house! Just as Calvin Johnson jumped and caught what looked like the winning touchdown, I passed around the very tasty and spicy salsa. Whew! The catch was ruled incomplete. The Bears won and Mike Ditka Hall of Fame Salsa became a Football staple in my household.

Here's The Theory

I've always enjoyed watching and cheering for the Chicago Bears. Some years were tougher than others but all were great fun. Over the years, I've tried a variety of home experiences to assist the Monsters of the Midway but I keep coming back to the menu. Unlike the unwashed jerseys (okay, mine is) or the face paint (mine isn't) or any other superstition, I am convinced the menu is the all important home ingredient.

When I was a kid we always had tamales when we watched the Bears. They were delicious but not very effective in the win column. During the 1985 season I perfected my technique and then, somehow, didn't realize what I'd done. It's all about respecting the other team enough to honor their city by eating the appropriate food and - Wait for it - therefore, taking away their power. This season, I'm going back to the basics.

This blog is all about the recipes that offers respect to the opponents and then, by consuming their power, helps da Bears win, win, win!

Feel free to chime in as we determine the best possible recipe for each week's opponent.