More Bowl Game Food

I'm always looking for an excuse to make food for an occasion and there's no better a reason for me than football.  For me, bowl games provide a much needed opportunity to think creatively in the kitchen.  This year, however, BYU played in the Miami Beach Bowl at noon my time.  Not exactly the ideal time to whip up something special.  After realizing I couldn't combine the bowl game with a nice Christmas dinner, I had to change my line of thinking; quickly!  I eventually landed on the idea of doing bagged lunches.

THE MENU:

Turkey, Bacon, Avocado sandwich

Cucumber and pepper salad

Chips

Soda

Black bottom strawberry parfait

First into the bags were the salads.  I actually had my mom make them because she's the one who first introduced me to this salad.  It's super easy and super tasty.

It's basically a mix of sliced cucumbers and bell peppers tossed in olive oil and balsamic vinegar with feta cheese mixed in.  Again, it's amazingly simple and the flavors blend beautifully.  Around here we love it as an everyday side dish and it makes a perfect item for any potluck gathering.

After my mom made the salad I put dished it into smaller containers to be put into the bags.  These little containers are the perfect size and for $1 per 4-pack they're pretty irresistible.

Next up were the desserts.  I made a black bottom strawberry and whipped cream parfait.  It would have been easier if I had picked up ready-made whipped cream at the store, but I prefer home made whipped cream.  I also used hot fudge sauce on the bottom of the parfait and as a little embellishment on top.

On a snowy December day I was amazed at the freshness of the strawberries I was able to find.  These beauties made me feel like it was a warm Summer day and made me forget for a minute about the howling wind and falling snow outside.

No bagged lunch would be complete without chips.  Ideally, I would have made the chips from scratch, but I ran out of time and ended up just grabbing an assortment of bagged chips from the store.

Next up were the sandwiches.  I wanted to get mini baguettes at the store, but they didn't have any so I ended up with ciabatta bread.  It ended up working out well and the sandwiches tasted amazing!  I got some hickory smoked peppered turkey from my local deli and used provolone cheese.  I also used pre-cooked bacon.  Lettuce, tomato, avocado and sprouts topped the sandwiches.

After finishing the sandwich, I wrapped it in wax paper and added a BYU label before putting it in the bag.

Once the sandwich was in the bag, I used BYU napkins to wrap up a set of silverware and attached them to the bag using baker's twine.

The silverware, bags, plastic tumblers (what the dessert is in), and the salad containers all came from the dollar store.  The rest of the other items (wax paper, labels, baker's twine, etc.) I already had around the house making it a relatively cheap food experience.

Once the bags were finished I let everyone choose their drinks and they were able to enjoy their lunches and the game!

Yeah BYU!!!

Sports have long been touted as ways for kids to develop a team mentality, learn hand-eye coordination, and build habits to promote healthy living among other things.  With my dad out of town this weekend, though, I realized something else sports do; they bring people together.

Watching sports together is one of my dad's and my favorite pastimes.  It's one of the only ways we bond anymore.  And when he's gone, the game just doesn't feel the same.  So after Brigham Young University won a big game, I didn't feel much like celebrating.  I turned the TV off and moved on to something else, then I got a text from my dad, "Yeah BYU!!!"

The game wasn't aired in Louisiana, but he saw the score scroll across the bottom of the screen and wanted to share his happiness with me.  This isn't the first time we've had to share post-game bliss from miles apart.  We try to text each other at the end of the game every time one of us is out of town, because we know the other was watching, alone.

I was also reminded of the other times I've used texting about sports to build rapport and strengthen relationships.  Last Sunday I texted a friend whose team got spanked.  The text simply read, "Mother effing Broncos."  She replied and our conversation ended with us deciding we will need to form a support group if we are going to get through the season.

Football talk has also helped build a new relationship with a former co-worker.  He consoles me when my team loses, and I celebrate with him when his team wins. :)  I cheer for the teams my friends like, and jokingly tease the friends whose teams are my team's rivals.

If you ask me, sports brings people together better than a dinner party, better than mani-pedis with the girls, and better than gossiping over Sunday morning brunch.