Football Season: Referees and Chili

By Britny Burton [self-proclaimed craft freak]

Not only is this time of year known as fall, it's also football season. The biggest news this year in the NFL is by far the referees. Although, for us Indianapolis fans, the lose of Peyton Manning may be a close second. Nonetheless, while the referees are back, I wanted to take a look at what the big deal was.
Chili is also a staple for every Sunday football game so in lieu of showing two sides of the NFL referee lockout, I'm including two chili recipes. One is my own personal white chicken chili recipe and the other is courtesy of my boyfriend, Aaron's firehouse chili.

The referee lockout was a labor issue between the NFL [National Football League] and the NFLRA [National Football League Referee Association] that began in June 2012. The previous agreement  between the NFL and the Referee Association expired in 2011; however, due to the players lockout last year, the referees were put on hold. Referees want retirement plans, but the team owners argued that most part-time jobs don't offer benefits.
An agreement wasn't reached before preseason so replacement referees from the college division were officiating for the first three weeks. The rules for college and professional are fairly different causing the replacement referees to not have the knowledge nor experience to properly officiate a game.
An agreement was finally reached on September 26 and officials took their place on the field again. The lockout ended with salaries increasing from $149,000 to $173,000 on average and 401k for officials after twenty years of service. Also, five officials will be hired to be trained to make the program better in the long run.
Fans and players alike are glad that the officials are back. Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri said, "At the end of the day, we just want to have the best product on the field for the players and for the safety of the players."

Aaron's Firehouse Chili
-4 cans fire roasted tomatoes
-4 cloves of garlic
-2 hot chili seasoning packets
-3 cans chili beans [1/2 hot and 1/2 mild]
-1-2 lbs ground beef [we used 93% lean, 7% fat]
-2 extra large portabella mushroom caps; diced

1. Brown the meat with some of the chili seasoning and all the portabella mushrooms.
2. Throw everything into a crock pot and let cook on low for three to four hours.


White Chicken Chili
-3 to 4 pieces of chicken breast, chopped
-2 cans great northern beans
-1 can condensed cream of chicken
- 1/4 cup verde sauce
-1 packet taco seasoning
-1/2 to 1 container of chicken broth [can use 1/2 container and water]
-1 can white corn

1. Throw everything into a crock pot and let cook on low for six to eight hours.
2. Can be served over noodles to extend the meal.

We like to put sour cream and shredded cheese on both our chili's. Let us know what you think. Also, if you have you're own chili posted online, let me know and I'll link it to this post!