When Tyler and I got married we had a problem seeing eye-to-eye on one specific thing: football Sundays. How was I supposed to give up an entire day of Netflix and deep conversation so that my husband could yell at the TV with a cold drink in his hand? Especially when he cheers for the Chargers over my Bills! We had to come to a compromise, and ours turned out to be one we both liked: he watches the game while I cook.

I love cooking. It’s therapeutic and brings out the creativity in me. But my favorite part of cooking always lies in the presentation. If I could host every holiday at my house I would. Planning a menu, setting the table, and buying fresh flowers – the entire process is so fun.

Since having Fox this past February, there’s been a bit of an amendment to our compromise. We both take turns watching the baby if he’s not down for a nap, meaning that whatever I cook needs to be quick and easy, but thoughtful with all details thought through.

Enter the chili bar!

Let me preface this by mentioning that I created the spread above in under 20 minutes hot off an airplane from Nashville. (Tyler helped with the beautiful sign while I got everything on the table.)

I stopped on the way home to get some Progresso Chili (we chose Smoke House Pork & Beef, although they also offer a meat-free Roasted Vegetable Chili with 3 Beans and Southwest Style White Chicken Chili with Beans) and chose a few favorite toppings. I went with jalapenos, tomatoes, onions, shredded cheese, sour cream, green pepper, cilantro, and lime wedges. The best part is that the Progresso Chili only takes 5 1/2 minutes to make and the rest can easily be purchased ready-chopped. I chose to wedge my limes and dice my own peppers and tomatoes, but the rest came as-is.

I also served with a side of white rice and tortilla chips.

Make sure to leave out some writing tools so guests don’t mix-up dishes!

One of my favorite parts about this chili bar is how versatile it is. Just choose a Progresso Chili and any toppings, and you can create a variety of dishes. Tyler started with nachos on his first #ProgressoGameDay dish.

I created a chili rice bowl. This is all of the ingredients listed above with the exception of the green peppers. 

If you have any leftovers at the end like I did, grab a casserole dish and layer your ingredients for an amazing chili dip! I layered (from bottom to top) rice, Progresso Chili, peppers, sour cream, onions, tomatoes, cheese, jalapenos, cilantro, and lime. I find this dish is best served cold with tortilla chips.

For more information on the entire line of Progresso products, and new game day-ready recipes and serving ideas, go to www.progresso.com/gameday. Don’t forget to snag a buy 3 get $1 off coupon here, and share your Progresso Game Day moments on the Facebook page (#ProgressoGameDay)!

Thank you to Progresso for sponsoring today’s post and inspiring me to try a new chili recipe!

**GIVEAWAY**

Progresso has graciously partnered with me to host a giveaway worth $25 so that you guys can experience Progresso Chili for yourselves! Included in the package are Progresso’s new Chili and Stew flavors, Progresso Ladle, and a Game Day Cooler Chair. Here’s how to win:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

That’s it! Winner will announced on Oct. 20th, 2015. Good luck to everyone who enters. Can’t wait to hear what you think!

XO, Sarabeth