User post: Team Spirit Soft Chocolate Pretzels

Sports fans are at their annual crossroads again, the intersection of baseball and football. It's that time of year when DVRs threaten to overload, team loyalties are tested and I feel totally left out.

The fact is I am devoid of athletic prowess and have no real interest in professional sports. I got over the fact that I will never thrill to the idea of a last minute softball game back in my camp days when I prayed to be put in left field so I could just think my thoughts or inch my way towards the girl in right field before the counselor reprimanded me for gabbing and sent me back to my spot. But sometimes I think rooting for a home team would be nice. Well, not so much rooting as caring. You have to care to root and I just don't have that deep seated team spirit that interferes, I mean guides, the social plans of so many who really do care. I'm not proud of the fact that I usually don't know who is playing in the World Series until the games are well under way and often don't know the warring champions of the Super Bowl until I tune in to watch the good commercials. What makes all of this even worse is that I have four dear friends who work in sports broadcasting-you'd think I could muster an interest just to be able to support them. But I can't.

It's not that I haven't tried. I went to a baseball game once. It was the Mets, I can't remember who they were playing but I do remember that I ate a terrible, soggy pretzel and our seats were so bad I was only able to make out what was happening by the very loud body language of the players. I knew one guy had just caught the ball because his arm was up in the air and another guy had just been called out because he stomped his foot. Kind of hard to care when you can barely see the action. But I do appreciate the romance of America's favorite pastime and have always enjoyed when baseball is used as a backdrop or metaphor in other art forms. I loved the Natural, Eight Men Out and Field of Dreams. I just don't want to watch an actual baseball game for three hours.

The other night I was sitting on my couch getting ready to watch the season finale of Mad Men when I heard cheering from a neighboring apartment. I don't know whether they were watching the Colts vs. the Redskins or the Giants vs. the Phillies (confession-I had to dig through my recycling to look that info up in the paper) but all of a sudden I felt a little lonely steeping myself into the make-believe past of Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce instead of embracing the wins and losses of today. There is something really nice about the community of the like-minded and the sporty set seem to really enjoy each other's company when rallying for their favorite teams.

And now I'm in somewhat of a bind. With Mad Men gone for who knows how long what am I supposed to do on Sunday nights? Ideally wouldn't it be nice to think I'd finally crack open Anna Karenina? She's still here, three years later, sitting on my shelf. Somehow I don't think that's going to happen. Extreme Makeover Home Edition always makes me cry, I stopped watching Desperate Housewives years ago, and there's no more Sopranos. Maybe this is the time to watch an entire football game from start to finish-try and figure out what a "down" is, why the announcer just yelled despairingly, "OHHHH!" and why one play is better or worse than another. Oh please, I need to be realistic. I should probably start with something football themed, just to dip my toe in the action before I contemplate the NFL. I've got it! Friday NightLights Season One on DVD!

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Team Spirit Soft Chocolate Pretzels
from Everyday Food
Printer Friendly Version
Ingredients-Chocolate Pretzels
1 pound store-bought pizza dough, at room temp.
All-purpose flour to sprinkle on work surface
1/2 cup chopped chocolate
olive oil, for bowl and baking sheet
3 tablespoons baking soda
2 tablespoons coarse sugar

Directions-Chocolate Pretzels
Place dough on a lightly floured work surface; sprinkle with the chocolate and gently knead to incorporate.



Transfer to an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rest 1 hour.
Divide dough into 8 equal pieces.
On a lightly floured work surface, roll each piece into an 18-inch-long rope. NOTE: if dough won't roll out to full 18 inches let it rest for a few minutes and try again. It will be more cooperative.
To shape dough into pretzels, form each dough rope into a U-shape and twist ends twice. Fold twisted end down and pinch to secure. Transfer pretzels to an oiled baking sheet and let rest 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to a boil; add baking soda.
In batches, boil pretzels until puffed and slightly shiny, about 1 minute. With a slotted spoon, transfer to a wire rack to drain.

Return pretzels to baking sheet; sprinkle with sugar. Bake until golden brown and cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes.

Yield: 8 pretzels