It doesn’t matter how far removed I am from the Lone Star State, being a native born Texan means football is in my blood. I can’t tell you how many high school football games I’ve attended, how many Super Bowl parties I’ve tossed back shots at but my better half isn’t the most sporty person. Her dad is a major sports fan but she never really got into herself. So over the years I’ve not made a big deal about Super Bowl parties or attending sporting events because ya know….choose your battles right? So you can only imagine my glee and utter excitement when she woke up Sunday morning, rolled over and asked me, “Hey, you wanna go to Khol’s and pick out Eagles Jerseys and then go to Philly for cheesesteaks?” First of all, I ALWAYS want to go to Khol’s and secondly, I will ALWAYS be up for cheesesteaks so that was a no brainer. I was rather surprised she was paying any attention to the Super Bowl though so I got noisy of course and ask her why she cared. Apparently, (since she’s a Massachusetts native) a lot of her high school buddies were trash talking the Eagles on Facebook. Amy does not like the Patriots (nor do I) and we both visit Philly quite frequently. It’s one of our favorite cities and is practically in our backyard. So she got fired up to show some support for the Eagles to counter all the Patriot bla di bla going down on her newsfeed. Whatever her reasons, I was super stoked!

 

After picking out a couple Eagles shirts, we made our way towards Philly for lunch. On the ride over we sorta both started feeling a bit disappointed that we wouldn’t be able to watch the game, as we don’t have cable. Last year we were really bummed we missed the Lady GaGa Halftime Show, and now that Amy was actually showing some Eagle pride I suddenly felt determined to find a way for us to watch the game. As always, I turned to the Wise and Wonderful Great Wizard of Google and started searching for a way to stream the game. Low and behold NBC decided to release the streaming rights to the game this year! How benevolent of the mega media corporation! Apparently, CBS All Access, Xbox Live and Hulu received permissions to stream the game. I’ve got all of the above, being an Xbox gal but since I recently downloaded the CBS All Access app to watch Star Trek (nerd alert!) live streaming seemed the way to go. So for the first time in 10 years I was gonna be able to watch the Super Bowl game with my wife! Hallelujer! Let’s Go Eagles! Let’s Go!

With Super Bowl streaming sorted out, we finally arrived at Tony Luke’s. She got a steak with wiz and onions and I ordered the roast pork with wiz and onions. Tony Luke’s was electrified with dozens of excited Eagles fans and needless to say the local favorite was stuffed to the seams and standing room only. So with sandwiches in hand, we made our way over to a nearby parking lot, turned the engine off, pumped up RuPaul Pandora Radio and dove unapologetically elbows up into the best sandwiches of our lives! The cheesesteaks at Tony Luke’s are enormous and one sandwich could easily be enough for two people but leftovers taste even better so order what ya like! My recommendation is to try their traditional cheesesteak or a roast pork with broccoli rabe.

After swimming in ummai bliss, we made our way back towards Maryland, stopped for Super Bowl appetizer ingredients and then prepared for the big game.

6:15pm rolled around and we settled into my Batgirl cave and started cheering for the Eagles. It felt amazing to thaw my hibernating love for football out with each and every touchdown the Eagles made. The game was super intense but shopping for Eagles gear together, the excitement we felt during lunch in Philly and then rooting for the same team with my wife for the first time ever meant more to me than the Patriots getting knocked off their celebrity high horse. But sweet baby cheezus I’m not gonna lie, the Eagles winning the Super Bowl felt pretty spectacular!!

Fly Eagles Fly!

Super Bowl Southwest Guacamole 

Ingredients:

1 Florida Avacado

Juice from 1 Lime, or to taste

1/2 cup Black Beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup Fire Roasted Frozen Corn, thawed

1/2 Red Onion, diced

2 Jalapenos, diced (or to taste)

1/2 tsp Cumin Powder

1/2 tsp Chili Powder

1/4 tsp Garlic Powder

1/4 cup Fresh Cilantro, optional

Salt and Pepper to taste

Method: 

Half the avocado and carefully remove the pit. Discard the pit. Scoop out the avocado and add to a serving bowl. Mash the avocado until chunky with an avocado masher or fork. Stir in the remaining ingredients, taste, and adjust seasonings as desired. Serve immediately with chips, corn tortillas or raw veggies.