SUPERBOOOOOWL!!

"The spirit, the will to win, and the will to excel are the things that endure. These qualities are so much more important than the events that occur." - Vince Lombardi

I celebrated this past Waitangi Day as any patriotic New Zealander should - by drinking Budweiser and watching the Super Bowl. For those of you that live in a box, the Super Bowl is the greatest event on the American sporting calendar. It is the ultimate in American gladitorial sport - when the NFL culminates in its final match of the year. Two battling titans who may have potentially not even played each other in the current season.

The sport is American Football. It is NOT called Grid Iron as some think in New Zealand, although some in the US refer to the pitch up which they play as the grid iron. Bright lights, huge crowds, colossal brands, exceptional athletes and often some dropping play. Many of you won't understand the game, it can be slow, overly technical, full of advertisements and probably even seem a little over hyped. Like all sports, it takes some time to buy into the culture, and ultimately I am not here to convince you to appreciate the game for its finer points. It is fair to say, though, that for genuine fans of the game it is a huge deal, and a shitload of fun.

So why should you care??

Mostly because it's a good excuse to party. American Football has a great sense of occasion. The smallest ground in the NFL is Soldier Field, home of my beloved Chicago Bears, and holds something in the order of 65,000 loyal fans. Some college games get attendance of 90,000. The Dallas Cowboys stadium holds over 100,000. We are talking about teams, brands and an engrained lifestyle that drives enthusiastic Americans to the brink of Sanity.

Those of us a little more removed from the madness, however, can enjoy the excesses of American culture for just one day. We do this by getting into a bit of game spirit, drinking American beer, and making a variety of snacks we probably wouldn't otherwise bother for. It is the sense of occasion and adventure that brings a more fun and jovial nature to these sporting parties - even for those that don't enjoy or understand the game!!

Here's what we did at our place - a small apartment in Auckland, where we managed to squeeze in 11 people.


DECORATE

PICK A TEAM
This makes ANY sports game more enjoyable. Note, I am a Bears fan, but support any team playing against the Patriots. So ... GO GIANTS! It also helps to throw a little cash at the game to give you a vested interest.

 

You'll note that I chucked $50 on the Giants to win by 6 points or less, paying $4.75, netting a nice little win!


DELICIOUS FOOD
This is the best part of the day. Myself and my flattie whipped up a few delicious treats: Football Meatballs with chilli glaze, pigs in a blanket, homemade guacamole with corn chips, spicy wings with blue cheese dressing, and pizza wheels. A friend of ours also brought some EPIC Cheesecake Brownie. Throw in some Oreos and Budweiser, and you have a recipe for an awesome day!

DRINKING GAME

You can look your one up on the net, however I made one up that required people to draw a player's name out of the bowl, and consume based on how often that player was mentioned or what specific plays happened in the game. Some people will always be luckier than others of course!

Of course all that mattered in the end was that everyone had a good time, but I must say I was pleased with the result and the little cash win. Tom Brady can suck it for another year!!

Foods.

Haven't blogged for ages, but need to be updating a lot more regularly. Simple and short tonight!

Myself, my flatmates and a few friends have recently tried something called the 'Slow Carb' diet. It's an eating plan we got from the Tim Ferris book entitled 'The Four Hour Body'. I won't go into the principles (you can check the links for that), but suffice it to say that almost everyone who has adhered to the plan properly, has lost a tonne of weight - a lot more than initially expected.

A huge negative factor that I have been reading about across various forms of literature is WHEAT, and this way of eating is a fantastic way to avoid wheat. Another is 'Paleo'. Both of these diets rely on reverting to whole foods and eliminating much of the processed stuff we eat today - I really recommend that you give this lifestyle some thought and investigation, as it helps immensely with weight loss, weight management and overall health.

Anyway, my final note on tonight's blog is just a dinner that I had... One of the more delicious Slow Carb meals  I've made over the last few months - but only if you're a fan of fish, I guess! Hah.

Fish & Parsley Salad with Cashews & Mustard Vinaigrette:


Ingredients

• White fish (I scored a nice piece of Trevally for $2.70 from the super!)
• 40gm cashew nuts
• Parsley
• Spinach
• Tomato
• Canned lentils
• Capers
• Mustard
• Red Wine Vinegar
• Olive oil

How

• Sauté your piece of fish gently on a medium heat (pro tip - throw a lid over it to help it steam & stay moist). Should only need about 3min each side.
• Whilst the fish is cooking, finely chop capers, and combine with 3 tblsp each of olive oil & red wine vinegar, 2 tsp of your favourite mustard. Give it a vigorous stir & set aside.
• Drain & rinse lentils in a sieve
• Roughly chop as much spinach as you like, and a whole bunch of parsley, add to salad bowl
• Remove fish from the heat, roughly chop and add to the salad, as well as chopped cashews and the drained lentils
• Pour over your vinaigrette, toss the whole thing together, and serve
• Garnish with a finely diced tomato