Whether you will be cheering from Mercedes-Benz stadium in the heart of Atlanta or shouting from the sofa in your living room, IT IS TIME! I am so ready to hear Battle Hymn from the North End Zone… but first there is some cooking to do. This week’s menu is inspired by the food and culture of the Pacific Northwest which is perfect for the end of Summer in the South.

At my house, we’ll be breaking out the fryer to serve up some beer battered fish and chips and I’m going to make this Creamy Crab Dip from The Oregonian on Friday afternoon so it has time to really come together in the fridge overnight.

Oregon is the home of my favorite brand of Chai tea and it is the largest producer of hazelnuts in the US – so I’m going to toss together some Georgia pecans and hazelnuts with some Chai powder inspired by this recipe from My Baking Addiction. The other sweet treat for the game will be Coffee Brownies.

No trip to Oregon is complete without a visit to a local craft brewery and another to the Willamette Valley where some of the world’s best Pinot Noir wines are created. I’ll be sipping a glass of wine, but my Love has been sampling Chattanooga’s local brews and he might even let me use a little from his latest growler to make the fish batter.

Whatever is on your table, I hope you have a great time and Goooooooo Dawgs!