This was the day we loved to hang out with my dad. His enthusiasm for the Super Bowl made me smile. After all, my dad was a star football player who scored the winning touchdown in the Sugar Bowl on January 1,1943. He played for the University of Tennessee and was then drafted by the Washington Redskins. He grew up in Brockton, Massachusetts (where he and Rocky Marciano were sparring partners) and defected to Knoxville during his college years. Devastatingly handsome, his hands were the size of baseball mitts and his appetite leaned towards primal: boiled lobsters, corned beef hash, steaks at Peter Luger, White Castle hamburgers, jelly beans, and pecans. This recipe is dedicated to him.

You can prepare these pecans with Worcestershire sauce as I did for years, or use Thai fish sauce, as I do now. Either way, they are very, very good. Pecan trees may live and bear edible nuts for more than three hundred years. Somehow it's amazing to think about that. They are also an excellent source of protein and unsaturated fats and are rich in omega-6 fatty acids, so enjoy.

Devilled Pecans (adapted from Entertaining 1-2-3) 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 tablespoon Thai fish sauce (or Worcestershire) 1/2 pound pecan halves

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in a medium skillet and add fish sauce. Add pecans and freshly ground black pepper. Stir and cook over medium heat for several minutes until pecans are coated in the mixture. Transfer pecans to a baking sheet and bake 10 minutes, stirring twice. Drain on paper towels. Make about 2 cups