Admittedly, as a Baltimore Ravens fan and a natural Pittsburgh Steelers rival, I rejoiced in the nail biting conclusion of the last night’s game when the Green Bay Packers took the Super Bowl Championships!  Congrats to both teams for the honor of playing this incredible game that brought about 10 million viewers together around a love for the football culture.

My Ravens Football Loving Family!

For me, of all the organized major league sports, football is my favorite.  It gives my family something fun to watch together and celebrate in the cold winter months. It provides pride for our local team’s players.  We hear edifying stories about many of the players, while providing authentic and wholesome families discussion opportunities when hearing about the wayward actions of some other players.  Competition and organized sports needs a theological perspective which can come only when parents, who love God above all things (including sports), communicate that to their children.

Ultimately, I love the sport because of the tailgating traditions of food, drink and cheer!

Me and some chefs who participated at the Big Brother Big Sister Culinary Event at Baltimore's Ravens Stadium.

Originally I was going to post a recipe for my beer-becue Italian Sausage.  In the interest of organizing tailgate recipes, I’ll simply direct people to watch the webshows that are based around tailgating.  Great dining and fun guests on those webshows.  Instead, I’ll post that recipe and a few others in my “Menu Inspiration” email that I send to subscribers next month.  If you haven’t signed up to receive these emails, join the fun by subscribing and receiving these complimentary messages of faith, inspiring information and mouthwatering recipes – like this one!

Beer-Becue Italian Sausage, Caramelized Onions, Blue Cheese and Fresh Cilantro. Recipe to come in next month's "Menu Inspiration"

For now, I must admit that I’m not the biggest Packer Fan either, although I’m very, very happy for them! But my excitement for them is not just because I’m a Steelers Fan rival, but because so many of the fans wore cheese head hats!   As a foodie, I tend towards supporting food inclined teams, i.e.,  those whose love for cheese is just as great as their love for football!  I guess one of Wisconsin’s slogan, “Cheddar is Better” was true for last night’s game.

Granted, that was pretty “cheesy” of me to say.  Then again, I’m also a New Orleans Saints fan, even though I can’t tell you the name of more than one player on that team.  But, how I can be against the Saints?  Besides my love for the “Holy Ones”, I also really love New Orleans cuisine!

A "True" Saint Fan!

To all the NFL teams, the families that love and support their teams, the ones who are rejoicing and those who are weeping: I think we can all celebrate together, despite our rivalries.  And what is the one thing that can bring us together?  You got it – a big plate of love, and a big group of people who love the excitement of the sport more than they love boasting about winning!

A Sloppy Mess of Food, but DELICIOUS Dining for the Super Bowl Game!

How did your family celebrate the big Super Bowl game?  What cuisine did you serve?  Are you rejoicing or weeping after last night’s game?   Share your insights by posting your comment.

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