I don't watch a ton of television, but I love the premise of the the Food Network's show, Chopped.

Four chefs compete in three rounds of competition to see who can create the best appetizer, main course, and dessert.  Each round features four unrelated ingredients and access to a pantry of additional ingredients.  For example, when I tuned in last time, chefs were being challenged to use Vodka, Sesame Seeds, Crescent Roll Dough, and Blueberry Jelly Beans to make dessert.

And, there is a serious time limit, too.  No sitting around and pondering how one might combine their unusual ingredients and no flipping through cookbooks or googling suggestions about how the h-e-double-hockey-sticks you are supposed to prepare bone marrow or whatever other whacky ingredient they conjure up!  No way.  They have 20 minutes, from beginning to end, for the Appetizer round and 30 minutes for the Main Course and Dessert rounds.

The idea for this show shines, because it is simple, creative, and it forces chefs to push the envelope on their own creativity and what they view as their own potential.

Come to think of it, that is the perfect recipe for Shine.  Simple, but distinctive, and pushing limits on what we think is possible.

My husband, Richard, likes the show as much as I do.

So I decided to host my own version of Chopped this Superbowl weekend.  We are having a low key weekend at home, so my version will be scaled down quite a bit.  It's Richard against Richard competing for culinary bragging rights.  The time limit will still be thirty minutes and three of the ingredients have been decided.  They are...

A secret.

I can't tell.  Sometimes Richard stops by the House of Shine and I don't want to run the risk that he will tune in and see the ingredients ahead of time.

However, I am still in need of one ingredient and I am hoping you will help.  Visit the comment section and make a suggestion for the fourth ingredient Richard must use when making his appetizer.

Shining off until tomorrow...