Years ago Americans barely knew about soccer. My kids played on school teams on the weekend, but it wasn’t a TV sport.

Now the World Cup is news and everyone’s talking about it. There are official Soccer Bars all over the country so you can watch with other fans. Go to www.bigsoccer.com for details about events in your area.

If you’re home and entertaining though, here are some snacks to make for the first game, played today,  June 11th. I am going to match the food with at least one of the teams playing each day.

First game between South Africa and Mexico. This is an easy one. Make Guacamole!

Here’s a recipe:

Guacamole

1 habanero pepper

1 medium tomato

2 medium ripe avocados

2-3 tablespoons lemon or lime juice

salt to taste

chips

Discard the stem, white parts and seeds of the pepper. Chop the pepper into small pieces. Chop the tomato into small pieces and add to the pepper. Peel the avocados, discard the pits and add the flesh in chunks into the bowl with the pepper and tomatoes. Mash the avocado, incorporating the pepper and tomato into the mixture. Add lime juice and some salt. Taste and add more juice or salt as needed. Serve with chips. Makes about 1-1/2 cups

Afternoon match is between France and Uruguay. For that you could make Piperade with Eggs, spicy, delicious and filling. Serve it with crusty French bread of course.

Piperade with Eggs

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 medium onions, chopped

2 green bell peppers, deseeded and chopped

2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped

5 tomatoes, deseeded and chopped

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

cayenne pepper

8 eggs

1 cup chopped ham

salt to taste

Heat the olive oil in a large, deep sautepan over medium heat. Add the onions and peppers and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and tomatoes and cook for 10-12 minutes or until vegetables are soft and most of the liquid has evaporated. Sprinkle with parsley and cayenne pepper to taste. Beat the eggs and pour them over the vegetables. Cook, stirring gently until the eggs have the consistency of scrambled eggs. Scatter the ham on top. Sprinkle with salt to taste and serve. Makes 4 servings

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