Football season is here; you watch the game while I make the dip | Suzy Fleming Leonard

I guess there's no denying it. Football season is officially here.

My hometown pal Jane Germany has been keeping a steady countdown of football memes, including one that says: "All Spring and Summer, she was a sweet Southern lady ... And then LSU Football Season started ...."

At the Leonard household, we've gone to great pains to make sure the TV on the lanai will get the college games, and the husband has started discouraging me from making Saturday plans that involve him.

I'm not anti-football. I went to all the games when I was in high school and college. I was in the band, trumpet in hand ready to blast out the fight song at any given moment. But as an adult I have a hard time figuring out how to muster that same enthusiasm week after week.

So while others plan when and where to watch, I plan the food.

That's where knowing a chef/pro football player comes in handy.

Molly Winsten plays on the offensive line for the Boston Renegades. The Women's Football Alliance won its fifth straight national title in July, beating the St. Louis Slam 35-7.

More about Molly: Former Viera resident brings her A-game to 'Tailgate Takedown' on Food Network

Molly's not just a winner on the field. The 2011 graduate of Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy now lives in Boston and runs Freedom Gluten Free Bakery. Since being diagnosed with a gluten allergy while in college, she has devoted her career to creating delicious dishes without gluten.

I've been dying to get a hold of her Italian Sub Dip recipe since I tried it at a party at her parents' home in Viera last December.

"I literally get recipes spur of the moment, sometimes in the middle of the night," she said. "I got this idea near the end of the Renegade football season of 2022."

She was planning what to bring to a post-season party, and since the whole team loves sandwiches, she wanted to make something everyone could enjoy.

"I started writing down all the things I love in an Italian sub," she said. "I love the vinegar, the peppers, the mayo, the cool, crunchy veggies, the meat."

But she can't eat the sub bread.

"I realized that if you cup all those things really, really small and make a salad dressing with everything you like on your sub, it becomes dip-like."

Molly serves the dip with scoop corn chips, but it also works with thick-cut potato chips or toasted bread. Going low-carb? Try it on a sliced cucumber or as an extra-rich side salad.

"One of the nice things about it is you can prep all the things the night before and mix it up right before you want to serve it," she said.

It's a definite crowd-pleaser.

"I've never made it and had any left," she said.

So go ahead and start chopping. It's almost time for kickoff.

Molly Winsten's Italian Sub Dip

Yield: About 6 cups

For salad

4 cups finely chopped iceberg lettuce

1 cup finely chopped tomatoes

1 cup finely chopped red onion

½ cup finely chopped dill pickles

½ cup finely chopped pepperoncini or banana peppers (optional)

2 teaspoons fine salt

2 cups chopped Italian meats of choice (Molly likes a combination of Genoa salami, pepperoni, prosciutto and ham)

½ cup chopped provolone cheese (can substitute sharp cheddar)

For dressing

1 cup mayonnaise (Hellman’s is Molly's preferred)

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar or vinegar from pepperoncini or banana peppers (add more or less to taste)

2 teaspoons dried oregano

Salt and pepper to taste

Mix lettuce, tomatoes, red onion, pickles and peppers until combines. Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons salt and mix well.

Let veggies sit for at least 20 minutes. Using a paper towel, press the mixture to absorb any standing liquid. The veggies should still be nice and moist.

Mix in meats and cheese.

Just before serving, stir in dressing and toss until well combined.

Serve room temperature or chilled with toasted bread, tortilla chips or potato chips.

Suzy Fleming Leonard is a features journalist with more than three decades of experience. Reach her at sleonard@floridatoday.com. Find her on Facebook: @SuzyFlemingLeonard or on Instagram: @SuzyLeonard. 

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Here's how to make Italian Sub Dip for your next football party