• 3 avocados, pitted & chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, smashed and chopped
• 1/4 c. freshly chopped cilantro
• 1 small jalapeño, seeded & minced
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• Juice of 1 lime

In a large bowl, combine lime juice, cilantro, onion, jalapeño and salt. Mix.

Add avocados and mash together until it reaches your desired consistency. Test for salt.

Enjoy!

• 3 cups shredded cooked chicken or turkey
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 4 tortillas or sandwich wraps (10 inches each)
• 3 cups lettuce or baby spinach
• 1 large tomato, thinly sliced
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 avocado, thinly sliced
• 1 can (15 ounces) drained and rinsed black beans
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 2 to 3 tbsps pickled jalapenos, chopped
• 2 tbsps fresh lime juice

In a bowl, mix sour cream, jalapenos, and lime juice; season with salt and pepper.

Spread sandwich wraps with sour-cream sauce, leaving a 2-inch border.

In center of wraps, layer lettuce, shredded chicken, black beans, tomato, onion, and avocado. Don’t overfill. Fold two sides of wrap over filling, then roll tightly, ending seam side down. Enjoy!

• 1 lb. macaroni noodles
• ½ stick of butter
• 1 ½ cup milk
• 1 pouch Velveeta cheese sauce
• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar
• 1 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese
• 1 cup shredded smoked cheddar (It is important to make sure it is smoked cheddar – for the flavor!)
• 1 egg
• 1 sleeve Ritz crackers
• ½ lb. sauteed shrimp
• ½ lb. cooked lump crab meat
• Seasonings: salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, seasoning salt, Old Bay, and paprika (Feel free to add or subtract whatever seasonings you prefer!)

1. Bring a pot of water to boil. Add a pinch of salt and a splash of olive oil to the water.
2. Add noodles to the water and cook until soft.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a large baking dish.
4. In a mixing bowl, combine milk, egg, seasonings, and shredded cheeses. If you want your mac a little richer, add a splash of heavy whipping cream with the milk.
5. Stir half of the ½ stick of butter and Velveeta sauce pouch into the noodles until well combined.
6. Pour the milk and cheese mixture into the noodles and mix. Pour into baking dish.
7. Add sauteed shrimp and cooked crab meat into pan.
8. Melt remaining butter, crush Ritz crackers, combine and top the pan with mixture. If you don’t like a lot of crust, you don’t have to use the whole sleeve of crackers.
9. Bake 20-25 minutes.

Tangy and spicy!

My love of Thai food predates my marriage to my Thai husband. You really can’t go wrong with any Thai dish because it’s all amazing. However, my marriage does come with perks: cooking lessons. I am now trained in making one of our favorite snacks – Thai beef jerky. Whether you eat it by itself or with a pinch of sticky rice, this dish won’t last long at your event.

Most of these ingredients can be found in your regular grocery store. BUT I would highly recommend visiting a local Asian market for some items on this list such as the chili flakes and fish sauce for a more authentic taste. Also, the rice needed to make sticky rice usually is found only at an Asian market. I have not had much luck finding sweet or glutinous rice at Kroger or Wal-Mart.

Probably the most important tip for this recipe is your beef. Lean cuts like sirloin aren’t going to work for this. You’ll need something with a different texture like tri-tip or skirt steak. Either is fine but my husband and I are fond of tri-tip. It’s great for beef jerky, Thai beef salad, or just grilled and sliced.

• 1 lb. beef
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp ground white pepper
• 1 tsp chili flakes (or to taste if you’d like it spicier)
• 1 tsp sugar

1. Cut the beef into strips about 4 inches long and an inch wide.
2. Mix the wet ingredients and seasonings together and marinate overnight.
3. Preheat oven to 200 degrees and like a baking sheet with foil. Spread strips onto baking sheet.
4. Bake for 20 minutes.
5. Take beef strips out of the oven and flip. Return to oven for another 20 minutes.
6. Repeat twice, then remove from oven. The strips should have a dry texture.
7. Pour remaining marinade into a pot and bring to a boil on the stove until it thickens.
8. Heat some oil in a wok or skillet.
9. Coat the beef strips in the thickened marinade and fry for 1 to 1 ½ minutes.

1. Soak 3 cups of sweet rice in water for 4-6 hours.
2. Rinse rice and place into rice cooker basket.
3. To measure the amount of water needed, place your middle finger on top of the rice and fill until the water touches the first joint on your finger. No matter what kind of rice you’re steaming or how much, this trick will always yield the perfect amount of water.
4. Steam for 20 minutes.

Serve the jerky and rice together on a platter. Take a pinch of rice with a piece of jerky and enjoy!

Ada is home to the Wilson football factory, where all footballs used by the NFL are made. Since 1941, Wilson Sporting Goods has supplied every ball for every point, every fumble, and every touchdown that has been made in the U.S. on the professional field.

Most of Wilson’s employees have spent their lives making the footballs you see every week during the season. Each ball is carefully made by hand in a streamlined, assembly process. No football leaves the factory until every employee has touched it in some way.

The Superbowl is a big event for the factory. They open the doors late at night after the last playoff game is over to burn the names of the teams competing in the Superbowl on the special game balls.

Watch how the factory prepares the special Superbowl footballs:

The next time you’re watching a game and the ball is thrown high and hard across the field, take a moment and think about Ada, Ohio, and the proud workers that each had a hand in that play.

10) O. J. Simpson

One of Hollywood’s most notorious figures, O. J. Simpson played football at the University of Southern California, winning the Heisman Trophy in 1968. Simpson went on to a highly-successful football career with the Buffalo Bills and the San Francisco 49ers. As an actor, he is best known for his role in The Naked Gun. In one of the most shocking celebrity trials, he was accused and acquitted of the 1994 murder of his ex-wife Nicole Simpson.

9) John David Washington

The son of Hollywood legend Denzel Washington, John David Washington has been widely celebrated for his role in Spike Lee’s film, BlacKkKlansman. He didn’t start out following in his father’s footsteps, though. Washington played running back while attending Morehouse College, then was drafted as a free agent by the St. Louis Rams. He then spent four years as a running back in the United Football League’s Sacramento Mountain Lions before moving on to acting.

8) Dean Cain

This television heartthrob is best known for his role as Clark Kent, aka Superman, in the TV series Lois and Clark. Before he was making hearts melt, Cain was setting a record for most interceptions as a free safety for Princeton University. An injury at training camp with the Buffalo Bills ended his career in football, but put him on the path to acting stardom.

7) Jim Brown

A true Hollywood veteran, Jim Brown’s acting career began in the 1960’s, but his football career started at Syracuse University in 1954. He played nine seasons in the NFL after being drafted by the Cleveland Browns in 1957, setting multiple records that would take almost 40 years to break. Brown would go on to a successful career in Hollywood, starring in blockbusters like The Dirty Dozen and The Running Man.

6) Terry Crews

Athlete, actor, activist, and all-around lovable guy, Terry Crews has made a name for himself on both the big and small screens. This star of Brooklyn 9-1-1 and The Expendables was also a star on the football field. After a stint at Western Michigan University, Crews went on to play linebacker and defensive end in the NFL, for the Los Angeles Rams, San Diego Chargers, and Washington Redskins.

5) Carl Weathers

Carl Weathers may currently star in the Star Wars series The Mandalorian, but he will always be remembered for his iconic role as Apollo Creed in the Rocky franchise. While Apollo Creed was tough, Carl Weathers may be tougher. After playing football at San Diego State University, he went on to play for the then-AFC Oakland Raiders and in the Canadian Football League for the BC Lions.

4) Ed O’Neal

Ed O’Neal is remembered by millions as Al Bundy from Married With Children, a character IMDB says is “the most iconic working class character on television since Archie Bunker.” Before making television history, O’Neal was a defensive lineman at Youngstown State University (YSU). He was signed in 1969 as an undrafted free agent by the Pittsburgh Steelers, but was cut during training camp. His loss was our gain, as he returned to YSU to study theater, going on to play his first role opposite Al Pacino in Cruising.

3) Mark Harmon

Son of football player and broadcaster Tom Harmon, Mark Harmon has scored hit after hit both on and off the football field. On the field, Harmon played quarterback for the UCLA Bruins, graduating cum laude and receiving the National Football Foundation Award for All-Round Excellence. Off the field, Harmon was named “Sexiest Man Alive” by People in 1986, and has appeared in long-running shows like St. Elsewhere and N.C.I.S.

2) Burt Reynolds

Best known for his roles in the iconic films Deliverance, Smokey and the Bandit, and Boogie Nights, Oscar-nominated actor Burt Reynolds once played halfback for Florida State University. He was being scouted by the Baltimore Colts when he suffered a knee injury playing his sophomore year. After a car wreck that injured his other knee, Reynolds gave up football, and later developed a passion for acting.

1) Dwayne Johnson

Anyone familiar with “The Rock” probably knows he started his acting career after huge success with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). He made his big-screen debut in The Mummy Returns in 2001. This role showed Hollywood he was a bona fide movie star. However, Johnson’s career didn’t start with wrestling. Johnson got his start as a defensive tackle for the University of Miami. He didn’t make the NFL draft, but went on to play with the CFL’s Calgary Stampeders in 1995.

All photos obtained from © Wikimedia Commons

One of my favorite pizza recipes is this barbeque chicken pizza. Where else can you get a taste of American food prepared with an Italian style? Although barbeque sauce can be traced back to it’s beginning with African heritage, I still think of it as being an American food.

Ingredients:

• 1 boneless chicken breast
• 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tbsp. cooking oil
• 3/4 cup barbecue sauce (your choice)
• 1 prepared pizza dough
• 4 oz. Monterey Jack shredded
• 1 jalapeno sliced (optional)
• 1/4 sliced red onion

Instructions:

1. In a small bowl, combine the smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Season both sides of the chicken breast with the spices or use your own flavors to spice the chicken.
2. Heat a skillet over medium. Add the cooking oil and swirl to coat the surface of the skillet. Add the seasoned chicken breast and cook for about 5-7 minutes on each side, or until cooked. Move the chicken to a cutting board.
3. Let the chicken sit for 5 minutes, then chop into small pieces. Add ¼ cup BBQ sauce to the chopped chicken, and stir to coat the chicken in the sauce.
4. Preheat the oven to 450ºF. Place the prepared pizza dough or crust on a pizza pan, then spread about ½ cup BBQ sauce over the surface.
5. Add the cheese, BBQ chicken, sliced jalapeños, and sliced onion to the pizza.
6. Bake the pizza for 10-12 minutes, or until the crust and cheese are golden brown. Slice and serve. (Suggestion: Cut into slices with scissors. It works best.)

• 2 lbs ground beef or venison
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tbsps good chili powder
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper (or to taste)
• 1 1/2 tbsps cumin
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 2 tsps salt
• 1- 28oz diced tomatoes
• 1 – 6oz can tomato paste
• 4 cups of water
• 1- 4.5oz can diced green chilies (or 3-4 roasted poblanos)
• 2 – 15oz can kidney beans, drained
• 2 – 15oz can pinto beans, undrained
• Suggested toppings (shredded cheese, diced onions, jalapenos, sour cream, diced avocado, tortilla chips)

In a large pot over medium-high heat, brown ground meat with onions until no longer pink. Drain excess fat, if desired.

Lower heat to medium-low. Add garlic, chili powder, crushed red pepper, cumin, oregano, and black pepper. Cook 2-3 minutes, stirring, until spices bloom and become fragrant.

Add salt, tomatoes, tomato paste and water. Stir to combine, scraping the pot bottom to remove browned bits.

Add canned or roasted chilies and beans. Rinse cans with ½ can of water each and add to pot.

Bring pot to a simmer (if not already simmering) and turn heat to low. Cook one hour, stirring occasionally. Taste for salt, and add if needed. Serve hot with assorted toppings.

Serves 8

Recipe by Beth Sturges

It’s February! That means Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Groundhog Day, Valentine’s Day, and…National Chili Day? Yes! Chili!

Every year, National Chili Day is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of February. All over the U.S., people pull out Dutch ovens, Crockpots, and Instant Pots to cook up some warm, comforting chili-goodness.

While there is some controversy over where chili actually originated, many historians say chili can be traced back as far as the 16^th century. In 1529, Franciscan friar Bernardino de Sahagún wrote about stews seasoned with chili peppers in Tenochtitlan, the Aztec capital which is now Mexico City.

In The Chili Cookbook, author Robb Walsh describes an 1850s recipe using dried beef, dried chili peppers, suet, and salt, which was pounded together into bricks and dried. Easily carried and stored, it could then be reconstituted by boiling pieces of the dried mixture.

Today, chili is revered as a western tradition in the United States that has spread around the globe. Chili competitions are held everywhere, with categories like “best flavor” and “most spicy.”

The biggest controversy surrounding chili: beans. Traditionalists argue that chili is nothing more than meat, chilis, and time. Not-so-traditionalists say that beans are a must. The International Chili Society says that while Traditional Red Chili and Chili Verde are never made with beans, pasta, or rice, for other chili recipes, anything goes!

If you are ready for a delicious bowl of the good stuff, try our recipe for Family-Style Chili. You can decide whether to leave out the beans.

Outside linebacker Anthony Hitchens began his NFL career in 2014 with the Dallas Cowboys and signed on with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2018. Despite losing to Tampa Bay in Super Bowl LV, Hitchens gave his best performance. In the first half of the game, Hitchens rejected a touchdown from Tampa Bay which could have created a crisis for the Chiefs that early in the game. However, as it turns out, it really didn’t matter. However, the block by Hitchens was still an awesome one.

1. Touchdown stopped by Anthony Hitchens

Great stop by Hitchens!

2. Touchdown blocked by Damien Wilson at 3rd yard line!

In 2015, linebacker Damien Wilson also began his NFL career with the Dallas Cowboys. He signed on with the Kansas City Chiefs in March of 2019. Check out this great play by Damien Wilson keeping Tampa Bay’s running back, Ronald Jones II, from getting into the end zone. This play earned him the NFL’s “Way to Play” award. This award recognizes the best examples of playing techniques for each week of the NFL regular season and the playoffs.