falling into football

I would be lying if I said I didn't totally geek out for Fall.  I usually geek out for the start of every season - it's always so great in the beginning - but something about Fall just makes me a little extra giddy.  For instance, it is the most perfect hair weather that I could ask for.  No fighting frizz, just enjoying the low humidity.  And as much as I love summer, I start sweating at just the thought of being hot.  It's nice to wear jeans and still be a little cool.  Preferable, in fact.  But one of my favorite things about Fall is the start of football.

I am a huge football fan.  Like, dorky huge.  I convinced my mom to drop an extra chunk of change so that we could have the NFL network.  That may seem like a waste to some people - who is going to have time to watch every single football game on Sunday?  The answer: Me.  Yes, last Sunday I sat in front of the TV flipping between 6 games at a time.  It was wonderful.  I also convinced my dad to buy me extra-dorky fake yellow and red flags like the referees and coaches throw during the game.

The yellow flags are wielded by referees and signal a foul on the play.  The red flags are wielded by coaches and are used to challenge a call made my the referees.  Basically the flags facilitate an argument between the refs and coaches - and let's face it, isn't that half the fun?  So not only did I sit in front of the TV watching 6 games simultaneously, I also threw a flag (color-coded to whatever call was being made) at the TV whenever a flag was thrown in the game.  If I was even a second late on the throw, my dad would shake his head and laugh.  "You aren't quite in midseason form yet, Al," he would joke.

My red and yellow flags - in all their glory!

I admit, I can get pretty riled up when it comes to football.  Like yelling-at-the-TV, getting-looks-from-my-mom-for-inappropriate-language riled up.  So it's a good thing that with football season comes football snacks.  A girl's got to keep her stamina up for all that game time yelling...er, game time watching.  Last Sunday, it was cheesy mushroom and sausage dip, hot wings, chips - basically anything unhealthy.  So, I thought my contribution for the football "tailgating" would be one of my favorites, and healthy to boot: Roasted Red Pepper Hummus.

Weirdly enough, for being such an OCD chef-of-sorts, I never measure anything when I make this hummus!  I just throw in the basics and taste it until I got it how I want it (totally win-win).  So have fun with this recipe: it is fool proof!  A little hint: you will need more salt and spices than you think.  Chickpeas are a lot like potatoes - they are a great base but need some seasoning up!

 This hummus is great with pita chips, baby carrots, and even spread on sandwiches instead of mayo!  Simple, tasty, and quick (and somewhat healthy) - what could be better to whip up on Football Sundays?

The base: chickpeas

Not the most visually appealing, but darn tasty!

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

1 can of chickpeas, drained
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons Tahini Paste
1/2 of a lemon, juiced
4-6 slices of roasted red pepper
1 teaspoon of chopped garlic
1-2 teaspoons of oregano
1 teaspoon of cumin
Salt and Pepper, to taste

1.  Blend chickpeas, olive oil, Tahini Paste, and spices in food processor until smooth.

2.  Add lemon juice and roasted red peppers, blend until smooth.