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My Attempt At Baking Double Cheddar Biscuit Sandwiches with Cajun-Spiced Ham And Why Doesn't MY Food EVER Turn Out Like The Picture In The Magazine???

9/29/2012

So I picked up this Better Homes and Garden

Holiday Recipes Magazine

the other day..

Inside the magazine was this picture and recipe for
Double Cheddar Biscuit Sandwiches.

Looks yummy, yes?

Lets take a closer look at THEIR picture of this biscuit in the magazine.

Now,
this was mine.

Now my biscuit looks NOTHING like THEIR picture and I made it exactly, exactly according to the instructions!!!

Theirs.

Mine.

Seriously, WTHeck????!!

And what are those red things in the biscuit in THEIR picture??
Cuz the recipe has nothing RED in the ingredients...
NOTHING!!!

And to top it off, MY biscuits came out thin and not thick like the picture.

I swear I followed the directions perfectly!!!

I
HATE
BAKING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Maybe I went into it with a bad attitude though.

But the Cajun-Spiced Ham I made from the same magazine rocked!!!!

Pure deeeeeliciousness is what this ham was.
Here's the recipe for the Cajun-spiced ham.

Here's the fixins for this super tasty Cajun-Spiced Ham.

Measure up the spices in a bowl here....
brown sugar,
garlic powder,
onion powder,
oregano, thyme,
paprika,
cayenne pepper,
salt, lemon peel,
black pepper.

Yup,

put that big ol'
5-7 lb. fully cooked ham
on a rack in a roasting pan.

And rub, rub, rub this delicious Cajun rub on all sides!

Cook for an hour and a half and remove from oven....LOOK!

YUM!!!

Slice this cajuny-spiced meat up.

Plate up that yummy ham between the Cheddar Biscuits of which I need therapy for and eat away!

Again, this is a delicious way to season up a fully cooked ham!!! Ima definitely use this ham recipe again.

Look at the biscuit recipe though; where is ANYTHING red in it...anything?

These biscuits, even though there were thin, were complimentary with this ham. On their own, not a ton of taste, but with this ham....fantastic!

So these are the fixins for the Cheddar Biscuits....

Shred up that yummy white cheddar cheese and yellow sharp cheddar cheese...

....like this!

Now mix up the dry ingredients...

Throw the cut up butter into the dry ingredients.

Cut in with a pastry cutter.

My pastry cutter is actually called
a

"blender."

I hate baking.

Mix the shredded cheese into the dry ingredients...

Add the buttermilk and
heavy cream....

So spread the dough out on a flour covered counter or surface.

And this is about the time this note came into play.

Yeah
Yeah
Yeah
Get out the rolling pin.

Yawn.

Roll the dough out on the counter.

The dough actually rolled easy,

I thought I was doing well.

Use your biscuit cutters and cut out biscuits.

Again, this was easy.

Spread them out on a prepared pan.

Add the thyme and spread some cream on the tops.

Bake 16-18 minutes until golden.
By the way, my biscuits never got golden either.

And this is what you get.

A saucer.

With some thyme on it.

You know, frankly, these biscuits were good,
not stunning, but good
and we did eat that DEEEELICIOUS AS ALL GET OUT HAM between the "biscuits" as sandwiches. I may have loaded mine up with mustard and drizzled with real maple syrup.

Let me tell you, it didn't matter that the biscuits weren't big and fluffy when I did that;
it was allll good!

Okay, sometime this week I'll share the drama-free wild rice recipe from the same magazine.

Fantastic and so easy to make!!!

Okay gotta go...
Heading to St. Louis shortly for a concert at this venue tonight...The Fox Theater.
Built in 1929 in all it's opulence,
this is a view from the stage.

A couple VIP tickets (tickets set aside for the promoter and band) came open to this sold out show two days ago and I lucked out and was the first to call in and see if any were available! A few had just opened up just moments before I called!
*insert Angie doing a happy dance*

Billboard.com

This is who we're seeing...
The Avett Brothers...
a rock bluegrass band out of North Carolina.

Our favorite band ever.
Besides AC/DC of course.

Bluegrasstoday.com

Soooo looking forward to seeing these guys perform live again!

Love it!!

This is off their new album The Carpenter...

This last video was taken at the Iowa City concert
in March.
This is a gospel "Just A Closer Walk With Thee."
...they'll usually do one gospel a show. It's awesome!

Okay guys, catch ya later...now I really have to go, running late!!
Again!
What's new!

Have a great Saturday!!
Go Hawks!

College Football Game Day Predictions Week 5 2012

9/28/2012

Here we are!

College Football
Game Day Predictions!

Week 5 2012

Some big games this week...let's see what some fans have to say about their team...

Okay, let's start with Bill from BILL'S BIG 10 CORNER and his game day predictions....

Big 10 was 7-3 last week with Iowa, Michigan and Illinois losing. Conference play starts this week with the following match ups (pointspreads in parenthesis):

Minnesota at Iowa (-7) Minnesota has looked better than Iowa so far so I will take Minnesota and the points.

Penn St at Illinois (-1.5) Again, I’ll take the road team and the points.

Indiana at NW (-10.5) Indiana was off last week, but not enough NW to cover.

Wisconsin at Nebraska (-11.5) Wisconsin has not covered yet this year and Neby could be the best team in the Big 10 (take the Huskers).

Game of the week:
Ohio State at Michigan St (-2.5) Wow, I don’t know what to make of this game. I’ll say Michigan St pulls it together and wins by more than 2.5 at home.

Looking Forward (next week):Nebraska at Ohio State

Now see what Wisconsin Steve has to say about the WISCONSIN Badgers this weekend...

Injuries hit Badgers defensive ends hard going into biggest challenge yet. University of Wisconsin football players are supposed to have a "next Man in" mentality when it comes to injuries. But what happens when it becomes the next man in, for the next man in, for the next man in? The Badgers came out of the UTEP game with injury issues involving four of their top five defensive ends, although they hope to get a couple back for Saturday night's game at Nebraska. The timing couldn't be worse against an explosive Cornhusker's offense averaging a Big Ten Conference best 48.5 points per game. The edges of UW's defenses will be tested in two significant ways, in the option game and by the elusiveness of speedy junior quarterback Taylor Martinez. It's going to be a hard pressed win for the Badgers this weekend but Wisconsin Steve still has high hopes.

BEVO jr with his *BIG 12* TEXAS team has his thoughts on the game with Oklahoma State.....

Bevo jr– Big 12 conference play starts for real this weekend; Texas at Okie State in Stillwater. Now we find out if we’ve improved or not – time to “man up” Longhorns & play some real “D”! Texas’ running game is a 2-headed beast with Bergeron & Malcolm Brown and should make the difference in winning this conference opener.Texas wins 31 – 24.

HOOK ‘EM HORNS!

Now moving back to the
*Big 10*....
Turnkey Tim with IOWA, whatch ya got on this week's game...

The upcoming game between the Minnesota Goophers and the Iowa Chokeyes in my mind is a very interesting matchup. Today, Iowa's 2-2 record has shown some glaring weaknesses of the team as a whole. Iowa has yet to play some real stout competition but then I ask what does Minnesota bring to the table. They bring a 4-0 record and confidence but if you consider last week's game against Syrasnooze, I mean Syracuse, a challenge, think again. UNI could have put up 60 points on Syracuse's defense. I say this because I think I saw Syracuse's defense sleeping on the sidelines last week making it an easy game for Minnesota. Make no mistake about it, a 4-0 record along with team confidence and the fact that they want to beat us bad because they could possibly be ranked after this if they win, make no mistake Minnesota wants to win this game bad. Coach Jerry kill has made a point to the team of the rivalry games and how they are important to win.

What does Iowa bring to the table? Iowa brings a good offensive line and the addition of a bulldozer that rushes for over 200 yards a game (Mark Wiesman). If Iowa can slow the game down and rush the ball and take advantage of the shots it will have in the passing game, then this will be a close game. Minnesota likes to bring the pressure and blitz a lot, especially against a team like Iowa that struggles in the passing game. Vandenberg has a tendency to stare down receivers and not find the open receiver. I look for both teams to be very fired up tomorrow and it should be a great game atmosphere, good weather, great game day. The only thing I don't understand is what does Vegas know that we don't.
They have Iowa by 7.

When I analyze the game, what I come up with is Minnesota 20 - Iowa 16. I hope I'm wrong. GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!

Black and Gold Girl with IOWA just sent in her short but sweet prediction. She says...
It kills me to say this, but…Minnesota by ten.

I was hoping we would hear from Ace of the MINNESOTA Gophers and we did.
Waz up Ace, I know you're on some boat somewhere in the Pacific Northwest but something more important than fun and sun and fish and beverages is your prediction of the Minnestoa-Iowa game....Ace writes in....

Seattle is a great town. Sorry Hawkeyes, the Gophs will continue to expose the weakly talented Hawks and remain undefeated an go 5-0 for the first time in a long time. Maybe since Nagurski!

Okay, this is Angie's aside....Nagurski of which Ace talks about, was a rather formidable player in his day. Here's the link to Wikipedia on this rather interesting player....click here for Nagurski

espn.com

More predictions will be posted as they come in!

If you would like to submit a prediction for your team's game,

just email your analysis or prediction to me (Angie) at salesturnkeyauto@aol.com.

Dick Butkus, Mean Joe Greene, Gale Sayers and Brian Piccolo Assist In A Curry Powder/Turmeric/Curcumin Primer and Curry Rubbed Chicken Thighs with Sorghum-Chile Glaze. Try to say THAT three times fast!

9/25/2012

Are you confused?

Does wondering about the difference between curry powder
and
turmeric
hurt your head?

Well,
it doesn't confuse
Dick Butkus, linebacker with the Chicago Bears circa 1965-1973.

Sports Illustrated put Dick on their cover in 1970 and called him
"The Most Feared Man In the Game."

He look a little scary to me.

In fact, Dick Butkus was so mean, that even Mean Joe Greene spit at him on the field in 1971 after what Mean Joe Greene considered a dirty hit on his teammate.
Mean Joe then challenged Butkus to a fight.

Mean Joe Greene was a defensive tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers, one of the members of the famed "Steel Curtain," along with LC Greenwood, Ernie Holmes, and Dwight White.

The four of them formed a defensive line that contributed to the Steeler's dynasty of the 70's.

You may remember Mean Joe Greene from his famous Coke commercial,
one of the top commercials of all time.

But anyway, getting back to Dick Butkus, Dick grew up on the south side of Chicago.
He played college ball for Illinois.
He was drafted in 1965 by the Chicago Bears and played nine seasons in the NFL, all for the Bears, until his retirement in 1973 due to knee injuries.

That's Gale and Dick with George Halas, famed Chicago Bears coach and owner.

Dick Butkus
and
Gale Sayers,
the running back out of Kansas,

were drafted by the Bears in the same rookie class in 1965..

Chicagonow.com

Gale Sayers was the unanimous NFL Rookie of the Year in 1965, scoring an NFL record 22 touchdowns in one season.

Gale Sayers tied Ernie Nevers and Dub Jones for most touchdowns in a game his rookie year as well.

Here's Dick Butkus and Gale Sayers at a pre-game ceremony at Soldier field in 2009.

You remember Gale Sayers, right?

From Brian's Song....the story of the friendship between Brian Piccolo and Gale Sayers.
The movie from 1970.

Billy Dee Williams played Gale. James Caan played Brian Piccolo.

I dare you to watch this snippet and not tear up at the 1:30 mark...go ahead, try to watch this.

This was the trailer to the movie.

Did you know the movie was shown on tv first but it was so popular,
they later showed it in movie theaters?

So apparently Brian Piccolo is kneeling bottom right and
Gale Sayers is standing top right.

Doesn't that look like Dick Butkus over on the far left standing?

I could not find confirmation date on this photo and all the players.

Here's Brian Piccolo #41 and Gale #40 in action for Chicago.

redeyechicago.com in archives

And here's them off the playing field.

Brian Piccolo played college ball for Wake Forest. Even though he led the nation in rushing and scoring his senior year, he never got drafted. He walked on a as a free agent in '65 with Chicago.

Anyone need a tissue yet?? sniff.
What??? I was chopping onions. Geeez Louise.

So what does this all have to do with the difference between turmeric and curry powder?

Nothing! See, that's the kicker.
Absolutely nothing.
But have you ever gone online and googled something
(in this case "turmeric")
and it led you to something and then to something else and then to something else after that and the next thing you know you're watching sad Brian's Song videos over and over and over
and your husband asks what you're doing and you respond that you're looking up information on turmeric
and he looks at you weird and asks, "Is that Brian's song?"

And you casually respond, "Oh, yeah. Huh."
And to get him off your sad, blubbery Brian's Song scent,
you say, "Hey, did you know Dick Butkus and Gale Sayers were drafted as rookies the same year 1965?"
And it works cuz then you listen to him tell a few stories of how Gale Sayers wanted to go to Iowa but Jerry Burns, the Iowa coach, didn't make time to meet Gale at his Iowa campus visit so Gale went to Kansas.

Now where was I???

Oh yeah, the difference between turmeric and curry powder.

Here's the deal:

Picture of turmeric from Time.com

TURMERIC is an INGREDIENT in CURRY POWDER, and curry powder is simply a mixture of spices.

Curcumin is the actual compound in TURMERIC that gives TURMERIC the famous golden yellow color as well as the anti-inflammatory qualities that TURMERIC is so famous for.

CURRY POWDER originated out of India and is a BLEND of spices but the mainstays are turmeric, coriander, cumin, fenugreek (whatever the heck that is) and red pepper.

And because curry spice is so good for you, I decided to make these
Curry Rubbed Smoked Chicken Thighs with Sorghum-Chile Glaze

Can you see the delicious, healthy metabolism-boosting rub and the sweet sorghum-chile glaze?

These were absolutely fantastic!!!

Tim's exact words when he took his first bite were...in this order:
HOLY ****!

HOUSE ON FIRE!

What's making it so hot?

I need water.

It's great!
It's awesome!

Yeah, we're the King and Queen of Always Appropriate Language-Land here.

For the record, these chicken thighs are not hot!!! They are just full of flavorful curry spice by the way!! Don't let Tim's extreme words alarm you!

And these are the fixins for

Curry Rubbed Smoked Chicken Thighs with Sorghum-Chile Glaze.

First of all, I bought several new items the other day.

In the lower right hand corner is Dried Chiles De Arbol.

See it?
This recipe called for that ground up.

So I put some of the dried chilis in my coffee grounder....

...and ground them up.

And this is ANCHO PEPPER I had to look all over heaven and earth for this at the grocery store.

So anyway, Ima give the abbreviated edition of this recipe cuz this post is already a mile long....

Pour salt and sugar into water into a pan and bring to a boil.

I see my fine cleaning skillz are lacking again on the stove.

Let the water cool and pour over the chicken thighs in a bowl.

Refrigerate 30-60 minutes.

This is called brining the chicken.

Of which I have never done before,
I have read about,
but have never done.

Combine the ingredients of the curry rub together...
ancho chili powder
corander
cumin
ground fennel
salt
turmeric
cardamon
ground cloves
black pepper
chile de arbol

Mix the spices all up together to form one yummy Curry Rub...

Meanwhile heat up the sorghum,
chili de arbol, and salt and pepper until it forms a glaze.

Okay, now rinse and dry off the chicken thighs and lay them out on a baking sheet, cuz you is a gonna rub these thighs with the curry rub and grill these babies.

Okay, now take the 1/4 cup canola oil and brush it on all the chicken thighs....

Okay, so throw these on the grill.

Now you know,
I DO NOT GRILL WELL AT ALL!!!
I'M TERRIBLE AT IT!!!

SEE! TOLD YA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh well,

I just scraped the burnt stuff off the six chicken things.....

...and threw more curry spice on the scraped off, burnt chicken thighs.

Now pour some of that sorghum-chili glaze on the thighs...

Like this....

No really, do you like this?

Cuz you should.

They're gonna be THAT good.

Now go put them back on the grill.

After the thighs reach a temperature of 160, take them off the grill and drizzle a bit more glaze on these meaty pieces of goodness.

Look them over carefully and take the two best ones and plate them up...

That rub and glaze caramelizes into a nice slightly crunchy texture on the skin. The actual thigh meat absorbs the spicEs and the whole thing put together creates a finger licking, taste bud kicking experience.

I plated the thighs up with sauteed red peppers and onions and brown rice.

This is definitely one of my favorite meat dishes I've made. Ever.

As you can tell.

Okay,
have I bored you enough into oblivion that you can't wait the heck for this tortuously long post to end?

Well, that doesn't make Dick Butkus happy.

chicagonow.com

In fact, he's a little steaming that you are bored and probably confused why Angie would tie him in with curry powder, turmeric and curcumin.

He thinks everyone should know the difference between the three and cook accordingly.

chicagotribune.com

But he's over it now.

However, you have some 'splaining to do to Mean Joe Greene.

Okay guys, here's the recipe....don't let all the spices dissuade you from making this!!
The printable version is after.

Curry Rubbed Smoked Chicken Thighs with Sorghum-Chile Glaze
www.foodnetwork .com from Bobby Flay’s Show ‘Bobby Flay’s Barbeque Addiction’, Excellent show!
Courtesy www.turnkeyqualitycars.com

Ingredients

Chicken Thighs:
    1/2 cup kosher salt
    1/4 cup sugar
    12 chicken thighs, bone-in and skin on

Sorghum-Chile Glaze:
    3/4 cup sorghum
    1 teaspoon chile de arbol
    Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Curry Rub:
    1/4 cup tablespoons ancho chile powder
    1 tablespoon ground coriander
    1 tablespoon ground cumin
    1 tablespoon ground fennel
    1 tablespoon kosher salt
    1 tablespoon ground turmeric
    1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom
    1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
    1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
    1/4 teaspoon ground chile de arbol
    1/4 cup canola oil
    Special equipment: 1 cup apple or hickory wood chips, soaked in water for at least 2 hours Angie's Note: Huh? I just used my grill.

Directions

For the chicken thighs: Bring 4 cups water, salt and sugar to a boil in a medium saucepan. Cook until the salt and sugar dissolve, about 2 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and cool completely. Put the chicken in a bowl and add the cooled brine. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes and up to 1 hour. Remove the chicken from the brine, rinse well and pat dry.

Meanwhile, for the sorghum-chile glaze: Combine 1 tablespoon water, the sorghum, chile de arbol and sprinkle with salt and pepper over low heat in a small saucepan. Cook the glaze until syrupy. Set aside 1/3 cup glaze.

For the curry rub: Combine the ancho chile, coriander, cumin, fennel, salt, turmeric, cardamom, cloves, pepper and chile de arbol in a small bowl. Rub each chicken thigh with some of the spice rub and brush with the oil.

Prepare the kettle grill or smoker for indirect grilling, with medium-high heat over the coals. Put the chicken skin-side down over the direct heat and cook until just crsipy, about 5 minutes. Flip the chicken and cook, about 2 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a platter.

Scatter the apple wood chips over the coals. Return the chicken to the grill over the indirect heat. Cover the grill. Cook the chicken between 250 and 275 degrees F, until a thermometer inserted in the chicken registers 160 degrees F, 45 to 50 minutes. At about 30 minutes, brush the chicken with some of the sorghum-chile glaze. Just before removing the chicken from the grill, brush with more of the sorghum-chile glaze again.

Transfer the chicken to a platter and drizzle some of the reserved sorghum-chile glaze on top.

CLICK HERE which will take you directly to Bobby Flay's Curry Rubbed Chicken Thighs recipe!!

Okey Dokey, that's all I got for today!!
Another beautiful Fall day in Iowa huh!!!

Have a good Tuesday and we'll talk at ya soon!
Find some leaves and pile them up and jump in them for me! :)
Nobody will think you're weird, just playful :):):)

Bacon, Onion and Cheese Stuffed Burgers...YUM!

9/23/2012

Bacon, Onion and Cheese Stuffed Burgers
*So you take these thin burger patties*
and top them with sauteed onions, cooked crisp bacon and some super yummy, white sharp cheddar...

Throw another thin burger on top and walla!!!!
A Stuffed Burger! Stuffed with crispy bacon, white cheddar and caramelized onions. Yum!

Throw them on the grill for a few minutes each side...

See that cheese oozing out of the burger?
See it? Do ya? Looks tasty, yes?

You have complete taste and yumminess!!

This is Sunny Anderson and I love her cooking show
Cooking For Real.

Love!

Her recipes are down- home deee-licious!

This is her stuffed burger recipe.

Sunny Anderson’s Bacon, Onion and Cheese Stuffed Burger
From the Food Network show Cooking For Real with Sunny Anderson
Courtesy www.turnkeyqualitycars.com

Ingredients
    1 1/2 pounds ground beef
    1 clove garlic, minced
    1 teaspoon hot sauce (recommended: Frank's Red Hot)
    Salt and freshly ground black pepper
    4 strips bacon, diced
    1/2 onion, chopped
    1 cup grated sharp Cheddar
    4 burger buns
    Lettuce, tomato, pickles for garnish

Directions

Preheat grill to medium.

In a bowl combine beef, garlic, hot sauce, salt and pepper, to taste, being careful not to over mix. Warm a skillet over medium heat and fry bacon until crispy. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Keep heat on skillet and fry a pinch of the beef in the bacon fat to test seasoning. Adjust seasoning, if needed, then form 8 even thin patties, about 1/2-inch thick and set aside. Saute onions in bacon fat in skillet until tender, 5 minutes. Place onions and bacon in a bowl with cheese. Form a spoonful of bacon-cheese mixture into a ball, then place in the center of 4 patties. Top each with another patty and seal the edges. Grill burgers over medium-high heat, flipping once until desired doneness is reached, approximately 4 minutes each side for medium. Serve in buns with garnishes. Alternative: In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, sear the burgers 4 minutes on each side.

And these are the fixins to create these super yummy stuffed burgers.

Not much here, eh??

Pretty.
Simple.

Little Boy Blue says,
"Trust me, so easy even an 11 month old could make these.

With one hand."

Well, what better way to start this burger than frying up some bacon in the pan.

Sssssiiiizzzllle.

Splat.

Ouch!!!

Cook the bacon until crisp and remove from pan. Leave a few drippings in the pan of course cuz you-is-a-gonna-be sauteeing some onions.

Crumble up the bacon, shred the cheese if not shredded already (I used white cheddar) and remove
the onions to a bowl.

Now mix 'er all up!!!

Don' it look goood!!

Don' you like my improper use of spelling and grammar today?
It's even driving me nuts but I can't stop.

Meanwhile,
throw your garlic and
hot sauce
into the bowl with the ground beef.

Season it up real gooooood with salt and pepper.

Aaaand mush it all up.

With your hands.

Looks like a whole chicken here, doesn't it?

Now make eight THIN patties out of the ground beef.

Thin people,
thin.

Cuz you-is-a-gonna-be stuffing these and slappin' two burgers on top of each other.

Okay FINE, I'll stop with the annoying grammar!!
I don't know what the matter with me is today. All I wanna do is is put on one of those dumb beer hats, chew some tobaccy and spit it out on sidewalks.

Makes ya wanna come to my house for dinner, doesn't it?

Anyhooo,

set four thin patties on a plate.

Dollop the onion, cheese, bacon mixture on top of each patty.

Now put the other four patties on top....

Now you have four hamburgers stuffed with that lovely onion, bacon and cheese filling.

OH!!!! Seal the edges of the hamburgers with your fingertips real good.

Okay, now go put these lovelies out on the grill.
But beware, these
DO NOT TAKE LONG TO COOK at all because the patties on the top and bottom are so thin!

Okay the following pictures are so dark.
I think I was so starved and it was close to 10pm....

Here's the cooked burger on a plate with some cheat night fries.

These burgers taste fantastic with that filling!! Honestly I couldn't really taste the bacon as much as I wanted to; all the flavors of the caramelized onions, cheese and bacon seemed to meld together but it was fantastico!!!

And here's a super dark picture of the inside of the stuffed burger.

See that cheesy, oniony, bacony goodness??!!

Oh it was yummy though!!!

My plate after a couple bites.
Still dark, still looks weird but ya gotta trust me on this one...

these were great.
They were even excellent the next day cold!!!

Okay, I gotta end with a good looking picture so Ima use this one,
with that ooey-gooey cheese inside the hot sauce, garlic and salt and pepper seasoned burger.... just waiting to be eaten up.

Fortunately I was up to the task :).

Okay, that's all I have for now!!!
Hope everyone is enjoying this beautiful sunny Sunday!!!
Talk to ya soon!!!

College Football Game Day Week 4 2012

9/21/2012

Yowza!!!
College Football Game Day
Predictions

Week 4 2012

Bill over at BILL'S BIG 10 CORNER...what ya got this week???

Big 10 was 10-2 last week with only Michigan St and Indiana losing. Continuing with a lot of home games this week in preparation for conference play starting on Sept. 29.

Let’s look at my Big 10 power ratings:
1) Ohio St (3-0)
2) Michigan (2-1)
3) Nebraska (2-1)
4) Michigan St (2-1)
5) Northwestern (3-0)
6) Wisconsin (2-1)
7) Purdue (2-1)
8) Iowa (2-1)
9) Illinois (2-1)
10) Minnesota (3-0)
11) Penn St (1-2)
12) Indiana (2-1)

Okay A'maize'n Blue of MICHIGAN is checking in with this big game...

#18 Michigan vs. #11 Notre Dame

Well I admit I took a week off from football last week…but the Wolverines didn’t! Michigan steam-rolled over UMass last week 63-13 (as they should have) in a brush up game getting ready to kick off the core of the season, and here it comes in the form of a visit to the Fighting Irish.

#11 Notre Dame, coming off a big win in a 20-3 upset over then-ranked #10 Michigan State, is seeking to start 4-0 for the first time since 2002, and the Wolverines will definitely give them a true-grit, down-to-the-wire game. How close can it get you may ask? The last 4 games have each been a come from behind, win by 4 victory in Michigan’s favor. The go ahead TD’s have been scored in the waning moments of the game…I’ve seen most of them, talk about your nail-biters!!

The Irish’s strength clearly lies with its defense. This D has only given up 30 points over its first 3 games… amazing! But, (yes there is a “but”) last week they lost an outstanding safety in Jamoris Slaughter when he tore his Achilles’ Tendon, abruptly ending his season. So, the true test for this Defense comes multi-faceted this week: Can they compensate for the loss of their top safety, and the even bigger question…can they stop Denard? They haven’t yet…

The Michigan offense finally looked to be putting it all together last week. Robinson put up 397 offensive yards last week, and while he may not reach that milestone again this week, he should reach another one. Denard needs just a paltry (for him) 191 yards to pass Chad Henne (9,400 yards) as Michigan’s all time offensive yards leader. He should have no issue this week putting up those numbers. That Fighting (or flopping) Irish defense may be good, but it’s never proven worthy enough to stop the Wolverines. Also taking a positive step last week was Fitz Toussaint, rushing for 85 yards and a score of his own. He needs to put up those numbers again this week for the Wolverine offense to be successful. It should happen, no, it will happen. The O-Line has been improving each week, they aren’t quite where they should be yet, but each week shows a definite improvement. If they take another step forward this weekend it should be a very good day in the Wolverine Nation.

Fact of the week: Michigan owns this rivalry series against Notre Dame with a record of 23-15-1. Bonus fact (in case you didn’t already know) Michigan not only owns this series, but they are, in fact, the all time wins leader in the NCAA at 897 wins!! (Do I hear an 8-9-8?)

Predictions:
What I would like to see: The Wolverine offense is clicking on all cylinders again and Robinson proves to be the Irish-killer. Denard racks up his 4th career 200 yard passing/200 yard rushing game and Michigan runs away with this one in the 4th quarter. Final score Michigan 38 – Notre Dame 21.

What we will most likely see: Like I stated above, a hard fought, down to the wire game, teams trading 3 and outs, turnovers, TD’s, a field goal or two, a big play here or there. In the end, history repeats itself. Denard hooks up with TE Funchess in the final minute of the game and Michigan takes 4 point lead to down the Irish, who fail on a desperation Hail Mary (no pun intended, well maybe a bit) from their own 45. Final score: Michigan 27 – Notre Dame 23.

Yo, Ace.......waz up with MINNESOTA this week?

This will be brief as I'm trying to pack for a trip. The Gophers will be without starting quarterback M Gray but the back up (some big red headed guy) is a much better passer, so I think the the Gophs will move the ball and squeak out a win and head to Iowa City 4-0 for the first time in a long time. sorry but I got boatin and fishin and a pretty girl on my mind!!

Angie's aside......AWWWWWWWWWWW:):)

Red 5 Standing By with the
UTAH UTES in the Pac 12, what's going on with this week's game....

Conference play begins for the Utes this weekend when travel to Tempe to play Arizona State. Utah has already been hard hit by injuries in losing their two best offensive players (QB Jordan Wynn and RB John White), although White may be able to play this weekend. ASU has a stout defensive front, and Utah might have a hard time running the ball. I expect a close game, and in a close game kickers matter. Unfortunately for the Utes, the kicking game leaves a lot to be desired. ASU 24, Utah 17.

Our TEXAS guy Bevo jr has some thoughts on this bye week for Texas....

Saw some real offensive upside in the BIG win over Ole Miss last Saturday nite, but the Horns “D” looks less than excited; got outran & poor tackling.

No game this week for the Longhorns. We’ll need the extra practice to get ready for High-octane Oklahoma St next weekend, followed by High scoring West Virginia after that, then followed by High-powered Oklahoma – WHEW! The Horns may shed some tears (and blood) during that 3 week siege.

Big 12 game to watch this week is Kansas St @ Okla. Home field advantage to the Sooners, 39 – 31. See ya next week….

HOOK ‘EM!

Black and Gold Girl has her say on this week's IOWA game....
I liked the offense we ran last week, and I hope we keep improving on it. As long as the O Line steps up and does what it's supposed to do, I think things will open up for our QB and allow him to make the big plays that lead to touchdowns. My prediction: Iowa, 17-3.

Hey, where's our Iowa guy Turnkey Tim??? He'll be checking in too....:):):)

'Barbecued' Baby Back Ribs For Special Occasions Because They're So Awesomely Finger Lickin' Rich!

9/20/2012

SEE THESE
BABY BACK RIBS?
They were REALLY expensive to make!

The sauce is so deeeep and riiiich and smoooooth.

Barry White kind of smoooooth....

Actually I have a love/hate relationship with these ribs.

The sauce is so rich, so velvety good, you can't stop eating them, even though you hate yourself cuz you're eating them.

And eating them.

And eating them.

And eating them.

And eating them.

And eating them!
Aaaarrrgh!!!

It's almost like this recipe should only be used for special occasions,
it's that darn fantastic!

Okay, so let's recap the CONS.....

Cons
#1 Expensive to make - recipe feeds 4
$25 baby back ribs if not on sale
$3 celery, onions, carrots, garlic, apples
$1 cup of Worcestershire
$1 cup of soy sauce
$3 a whole cup of REAL Maple syrup
$2 can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
$10 bottle of red table wine, whole bottle!
$45 Total

#2 The sauce is so deep and rich and smooth, you overeat.
The sauce is so deep and rich and smooth, you overeat.

Okay, now here are the PROS:
#1 The sauce is deep and rich and smooth, Barry White smooth.
#2 The sauce is so velvety good, you can't stop eating.
#3 Sauce and meat is so special, perfect for special occasions.

Oh who am I kidding,
Ima not wait for a special occasion to make these again.
Unless a "special occasion" means it's Thursday.
Or Monday. Or Friday or Tuesday or Sunday....

Okay, here's the recipe...pictures follow :)
This recipe is from Chuck Hughes and his show
Chuck's Day Off on the Cooking Channel!

Direct link to Chuck's Day Off recipe:
Click HERE.

Barbecued Baby Back Ribs
From cookingchanneltv.com Chuck’s Day Off Show with Chuck Hughes…love this show, his dishes tend to be more flavorful than most, a tad gourmet and high end, and typically amazing

Ingredients
    2 stalks celery
    2 onions
    2 large carrots
    2 heads garlic
    3 apples
    3 tablespoons canola oil
    3 lbs. (2 racks) baby back pork ribs
    Salt and freshly ground black pepper
    Flour, for dredging
    1 cup Worcestershire
    1 cup tomato ketchup
    1 cup soy sauce
    1 cup cider vinegar
    1 cup maple syrup
    1 (7 ounce) can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
    A few fresh thyme sprigs
    A few fresh rosemary sprigs
    1 (750 ml) bottle red table wine
    Water
    2 tablespoons potato starch
    Baby greens, for garnish

Directions

Cut the vegetables into nice thick chunks. Halve the garlic and quarter the apples. Don't worry about the skins, seeds, etc. All will be strained later.

Take the racks of ribs, and cut them in half, and season with salt, and pepper. In a large bowl, dredge the rib racks in flour on all sides. In a large wide pot, on high heat, add the oil, let it get hot, and sear the ribs, until brown on all sides. Don't tamper with them. Let their surface maintain a nice contact with the hot pan. It will take about 4 to 5 minutes, per side. Remove the meat, and drain the excess oil, leaving behind all of the solid meaty bits that are stuck to the bottom of the pan.

Add all the vegetables, apples, and a few sprigs each of herbs to the pot. Let them caramelize by leaving them to sit without tossing, for a few minutes, then toss to turn them, and let sit a bit longer. Return the ribs to the pot, and place them over the vegetables. In a large bowl, combine the Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, cider vinegar, soy, and maple syrup. Add the chipotle peppers with their adobo sauce, to taste. Stir. Add the liquids to the cooking pot. Add the wine, and add enough water, if needed, to ensure that the ribs are just barely covered. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover the pan with foil, and place in the oven until the ribs are barely fork tender - but not so tender they are falling off the bone, about 1 1/2 hours.

Remove the meat from the pot, and cut into rib sections, and set aside. Strain the solids out of the liquid. Return the liquid to the pan, and reduce by half (about 15 minutes), to make the barbecue glaze. When nearly done, remove a 1/2 cup of liquid and place it into a medium bowl, add the potato starch, and whisk till smooth. Whisk the mixture back into the pot. This will help thicken the glaze and give the shiny look and syrupy texture.

Toss the ribs back into the glaze to warm and coat them. Mound the ribs up on a platter, and garnish with a handful of baby greens or sprouts, and serve with Warm Potato Salad.

That's a lot of fixins for these 'Barbecued' Baby Back Ribs!

Schnikeys!

It's worth it though!!

Okay, there's a lot of steps here,
so let's get going....

Salt and pepper up these lovely goodies...

Dredge the ribs in flour...

And brown on one side...

And then the other side.

Chop up the apples, carrots, onions, celery and such...
these are just going to caramelize and be strained so it's okay to leave seeds in and skins on and such.

Throw the veggies in the pan....

And begin caramelizing..

So now in a separate bowl combine the Worcestershire sauce,
ketchup,
cider vinegar,
soy sauce
and maple syrup together.

Now add in those chipotle peppers in
adobo sauce.

So add the sauce into the caramelized veggies in the pan.

Bring to a boil.

Add a WHOLE GOSH DARN BOTTLE of red wine into the sauce and vegetables.

A WHOLE GOSH DARN BOTTLE!!!

.......I interrupt this super mesmerizing post to share...puleeeeeeze don't use a $5 bottle of wine!
Don't do it. You meal will taste like crap. I typically use Apothic Red which you can find anywhere from $8-11. Not bad! Any red will do as long as it's a
quality red. Okay, now back to enchanting you with my extremely winsome words and pictures.... *cough cough*

And this is everything melding together in the pan except....

...the pan kind of overflowed and I had to use a second pan too.

So when it came time to put the ribs on top of the veggies in the pan,

I had to recruit an even larger pan.

And I placed the ribs on top.

And poured just enough water in to cover the ribs.

So cover and throw everything into the oven for about 1.5 hours.

And this is the yummy goodness after removing from oven.

So take the meat out of the pan.

Now strain the vegetables out...

See the yummy liquid there that you're going to reduce.

Now add the drippings to the pan....and BE SURE TO SPILL ALL OVER THE FREAKING STOVE!!!

Unfortunately all these veggies will get thrown out. Weird.

Add a little bit of thickening agent into some liquid...in this case, potato starch is being used and whisk into the pan...

Okay, cut up the ribs...

Throw the cut up ribs back in the pan....

Ladle that yummy, rich, layered sauce over the ribs....

Looks a little ultra fantastic, yes??!!

Hey!!

Could someone clean my stove
please?

If you could only taste the
rich,
layered,
velvety sauce
on these ribs....Mmmmmm.

Here.

I'll plate ya some up.

Make sure you have napkins though,

because these are
super rich,
super textured,
super flavorful, and
super want to jump on that nice white blouse you're wearing.

Now this sauce is not sweet at all, that's why the name has 'barbeque' in parenthesis. I would say this is more like a wine reduction sauce. Truly fantastic.

All I can say at this point is

CAN SOMEONE GO GET ME MORE NAPKINS PLEASE??!!

Now, I took one for the team and made baby back ribs THREE TIMES in two weeks using
THREE DIFFERENT RECIPES

This recipe came in at.....

I will be sharing the other two recipes as well down the road. One was a sweet, oniony, finger-lickin' barbeque sauce and the other was just your standard, run of the mill homemade bbq sauce.

Okay that's all I got for today guys...gotta get on the paperwork now, selling lots of cars in quick spurts here.
Have a good Thursday!
Talk at ya soon!!!

Week 3 College Game Day Predictions

9/15/2012

Week 3 College Game Day Predictions
2012

Only a few predictions this week.
Let's see who checked in with their thoughts on this week's games....

First we have Bill with
Bill's Big 10 Corner,
let's see what his thoughts are on the games this week:

Not a good Saturday for the Big 10 finishing 6-6 (the Wisconsin and
Nebraska loses particularly surprising). Let’s take a look at some close games on this Saturday.In fact, after looking at the schedule, all of the Big 10 teams are at home this week so I am predicting they all win (12-0)!!!!! Next week I’ll have my first Big 10 power ratings.
UNI at Iowa –
Ball St at Indiana –
Notre Dame at Michigan St
W. Michigan at Minn –
Boston College at NW –
Navy at Penn State –

Red 5 Standing By checks in with the
Utah Utes:
Very disappointing overtime loss
for Utah against Utah State last week, made worse by the fact that the first
half injury to Utah’s starting QB, Jordan Wynn, turned out to be a career-ending
event. Four shoulder surgeries was too many for Wynn, and he announced his
retirement at a press conference this week. This means Utah will be using a
backup QB the rest of the year, and things don’t get any easier this week
against arch-rival BYU. BYU is now ranked, and they have looked pretty
impressive in their two victories so far. While it’s a home game for Utah, home
field advantage hasn’t meant a whole lot in this series over the past 20 years.
As such, look for a close game but probably a BYU victory.

Ace with the
Minnesota Golden Gophers
has his thoughts on the game this week:

The Goophs play the Broncos? Western Michigan is the Broncos? Shouldn't they be the Salmon or the Trout or something. Anyway looks like the Goophs could go 3-0 for the first time in a long time. If Marquis Gray can settle down and play consistenly they could be 4-0 heading into Hawkeye land in a couple of weeks. He's a big QB that can run which will give a lot of team fits. So if their passing game comes around they could actually cause some problems in the Big Ten this year. And their punter is an Aussie so that's always a plus. Maybe a Foster with another victory! GD Day.

And BEVO jr's checking in with the
Texas Longhorn's game:

Bevo jr likes what he sees after 2 cupcakes, but the bar gets raised some at Ole Miss on Saturday nite; they are nasty old SEC. And their QB can multi-task!

Look for Horns to run often & pass as needed.Longhorns over the Rebels 31 – 21! (Hawkeyes need to ‘strap it on’ this weekend)

HOOK ‘EM HORNS!

Black and Gold Girl said about the
Iowa Hawkeyes:
Whatever happens, I hope it isn't half as painful as watching the Hawks last week!

If anyone would like to participate commenting on their favorite college team's upcoming game, just send me (Angie) a quick email at salesturnkeyauto@aol.com.
All team commenters welcome!

One Of The Best Things I Ever Ate! Turkey Sausage And Apple Stuffed Acorn Squash

9/12/2012

Fall is coming and my life is complete cuz I found the
PERFECT FALL
COMFORT MEAL!

Please allow me to introduce you to...

Sausage and Apple Stuffed Acorn Squash!!!

Now tell me this plate doesn't look like a
caaaauuuuuute little edible autumn flower
has fallen on it!!!!

And this is a SAVORY, not SWEET dish.
So much of the time, acorn squash recipes are sweet...I wanted hearty and savory.

Who would think these little cuties could be stuffed with such deliciousness????

I have no idea why these are so good, but the taste is so comfy flavored, so fall-like.

Maybe that's because I used Turkey Sausage instead of regular sausage.

And here's the real kicker.....the recipe calls for mushrooms but Tim doesn't like mushrooms so I begrudgingly left them out.
And it was still fantastic!!!
I can only imagine how much more wonderful it would have been WITH yummy mushrooms!

So anyway.....

Fall
is here!!!

Country Living Magazine

Don't ya just want to go out and buy some pumpkins right now?

And streamers?

Country Living Magazine again.

Or set a fall table?

HEY! I have those gold goblets, I literally just noticed that as I was typing this!

Cool.

I think this image is from Country Living, I'm not completely sure though.

Well step on up,

come on in...

and let's get started on this lovely fall acorn squash dish I made last night.

So these are the fixins for this blanket-hugging, candlelight, fireplace,
mood enhancing dish.

I grabbed my apples off the dining room table.

Disregard the fact that there's a cat on the table.

Makes ya wanna eat at my house, doesn't it?

By the way, this spice...the garlic salt...

the most random of recipes will call for this.

I never had Garlic Salt in the spice cabinet but just out of the blue, recipes will require it as an ingredient, so I keep it stocked now.

So anyway, melt your butter and mix the garlic salt and sage together. By the way, this smells heavenly!

Now cut your acorns in half.
Now you wanna know how stoooopid I am??
I was gonna cut the squash lengthwise but then caught myself and I stood there at the counter debating for five freaking minutes how to get them cut like a flower.

Q: Who's stupid?

A. Moi.

And clean out the seeds and pulp.

OH!! I forgot!
I can.not.believe how easy acorn squash cuts! Also! The seeds and pulp come out slick!

Don't they look like pretty flowers though?

Now brush that yummy herbed melted butter on the squash.

Salt and pepper these babies up!

And throw them in a 400 degree oven for about 45 minutes or so, until they are tender but definitely NOT mushy.

While the squash is in the oven, throw the turkey sausage in the pan.

Now the recipe calls for regular pork sausage but I like to use a leaner, healthier meat, that's why I used turkey sausage.
I save regular pork for DELICIOUS baby rack ribs but that's another post for another day.

So while the turkey sausage is browning,

chop up the apples, onions, celery and parsley.

Okay, so the turkey sausage is browned right?

Well the recipe says to remove the sausage from the pan and throw the onions and celery in.

So of course I do NOT read the directions good cuz I am, remember....remember... remember?
I am stoopid!
And I throw the celery and onion in to saute WITH the meat that's already cooked!!

So I tried to pick all the veggies out but then said screw it and just added more olive oil into the mix.

And it was fine. For the most part.

Anyway, throw your apples in....

Add plenty of salt and pepper....and saute for a couple minutes.

Again, I had to add more olive oil since the meat was in there too.

Doesn't it look delish already though??

So remove the contents to a bowl and add the bread crumbs.

And add in the egg and parsley.

Now mix 'er all up....YUM!!!

It's beginning to smell like Fall around here!!!

So take the cooked acorn squash out of the oven....

Wow, is what I have to say to that!

And stuff these suckers up, mound them up with this delicious savory dressing!!

Hey, now cover these....or do as I did and FORGET TO COVER THEM CAUSE I AM...oh you know the drill...and throw them in the oven for about 20 more minutes.

Oh hello Cooked. Gorgeous. Deliciousness!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

By golly,

I think you'll do for a hearty, savory, fall meal!!!

Especially with some fresh grated Parmesan on top!

Aren't they just too cute?!!?

Overflowing with a Pre-Thanksgiving feel and flavor.

OH go ahead,
take a bite already!
You know you want to!

The sweetness of the squash and apples combined with the savory sausage and vegetables....WOW!!!

Next time Ima include the mushrooms in and see if Tim notices. These must be out of the ballpark great with mushrooms!

Okay, here's the recipe!

Sausage and Apple Stuffed Acorn Squash
From www.food.com recipe posted by Kaarin
Courtesy www.turnkeyqualitycars.com

Ingredients
        2 acorn squash, halved and seeded
        1 tablespoon butter, melted
        1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
        1/4 teaspoon ground sage
        1 lb pork sausage ( regular seasoning)
        1/2 cup onions, finely chopped
        1 celery ribs, finely chopped
        4 ounces mushrooms, chopped
        2 apples, cored and chopped ( macintosh)
        1 cup fine breadcrumbs
        1/2 teaspoon sage
        salt and pepper
        1 eggs beaten
        2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

Directions
    Combine the melted butter, garlic salt and 1/4 teaspoons sage; brush over cut sides and cavity of squash. Salt and pepper to taste.
    Bake in a large roasting pan, cut side up, at 400 degrees F for 1 hour, until squash is tender yet still holds its shape.
    Meanwhile make stuffing: Fry pork sausage until light brown. Remove pork to a colander to drain. Drain all but 2 tablespoons drippings from frypan. Add onion, celery and mushroom; saute 4 minutes. Stir in apple and saute 2 more minutes.
    Combine the pork, vegetables, and breadcrumbs in a large bowl.
    Taste and season with sage, salt or pepper if needed (depending on your sausage you may not want to add more seasoning).
    Stir in the egg and parsley.
    Fill the squash halves with stuffing-they should be slightly mounded.
    Return to oven and bake, covered, for 20 more minutes, until the egg is set.
    Garnish as desired with parsley and shredded romano cheese.

Angie’s note:
I used turkey Sausage instead of pork sausage
I used fresh parmesan instead of Romano cause that’s all I had.
I did not add the mushrooms cuz Tim doesn’t like them, but they should definitely be added if you like them!

I am rarely confident about the food I make but I can assure you, you will THANK ME profusely if you make these!
I would love to hear from anyone who does and what they thought!

Okay, that's all for today kids!
Hope you have a nice, fall-ish day tomorrow...here in Iowa it's only supposed to be 60 degrees. Hmmm, it's beginning to look a lot like....FALL!

Happy Autumn!!!!!!!

Photo is of the Brown University campus where our daughter Sweetness is a grad student...Mike Cohea, photographer.

Warm Potato Salad That Is Best Eaten Warm

9/8/2012

Warm Potato Salad.....

Best Eaten Warm though!

Can you smell that nice, garlicky, white wine vinegar dressing?

So here's the fixins for these fine potatoes!
Yes, those are anchovy filets; a subtle salty addition!

So these particular fingerling potatoes came in this bag...1.5lbs for around $5 I think.

So I threw them in water on the stove...

And brought them to boil.

Meanwhile I threw the beans and eggs into boiling water for several minutes...

And I strained them and ran cold water over them.

Drain the fingerling potatoes.

Try to peel the hard boiled eggs without destroying them.

So let's start the dressing with the Dijon mustard and chopped garlic.

Add in those salty anchovies!!! Mmmmm.

Mush it all up together....

And then add the white wine vinegar, canola oil and cracked black pepper down below...

So this is the fantastic smelling dressing that will get slathered on the potatoes, green beans and eggs.

Add those fingerling potatoes and the green beans into the dressing....

And those halved
hard boiled eggs...

Gently mix everything up in the bowl with the dressing,

get all that yummy dressing goodness covered on all the goods.

And plate up this warm, garlicky, yummy goodness!

I ate a plateful of this lovely warm potato salad right away and it was wonderful!!! Garlicky, mustardy goodness.
And that hard boiled egg was fantastic!!!

The next day, I warmed some potato salad up in the microwave for lunch and I must tell you, the P-O-W factor was gone. Gone. Gone.
Just thought I should let you know.
Eat this potato salad warm the first night and you will LOVE it!

Okay, so in closing I will show you a cool hot pad I picked up for three dollars somewhere but I can't remember where!!

Cause I have no brain!

But aren't the colors pretty??!!

Okay, that's all I got for
now folks!

OH crap! Here's the recipe...I almost forgot!

Warm Potato Salad
From the Food Network show Chuck’s Day Off
Courtesy www.turnkeyqualitycars.com

Ingredients
    1 1/2 pounds fingerling potatoes
    Salt
    4 eggs, hardboiled and halved
    2 canned anchovy fillets, minced
    1 1/2 tablespoons grainy Dijon mustard
    1 clove garlic, minced
    1/4 cup white wine vinegar
    1/2 cup canola oil
    1/4 cup water
    Pinch of coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
    1 cup baby green beans

Directions
Put the fingerling potatoes in a saucepot with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, and add salt, and simmer, until just fork-tender.

Cook's Note: You can use the same pot of water for boiling the eggs and blanching the beans. Just watch the time.

While the potatoes are cooking, make the dressing in a serving bowl, or if you have a mortar and pestle, use that. Begin with mashing the anchovy fillets into the mustard and garlic. Add the vinegar, and slowly whisk in the oil. If too thick, add a little water. Season with salt and pepper.

Blanch the beans in salted boiling water, drain and plunge or chill down in a cold water bath. Drain the beans on a towel.

Peel the eggs and cut in half.

Drain the potatoes, and while still warm, drop them into the serving bowl with the dressing. Add the beans and eggs. Gently fold all together, and serve warm in shallow white plate or bowls.

This salad is also good served at room temperature.

Okay, catch ya'll soon!!
Where I will talk about a disgusting lentil and fennel cooking misadventure but on the other hand...oh my gosh!!!! Two different "barbeque" baby back rib recipes that were utterly out-of-this-world finger licking fantastic!!!
Be still my heart!!!
Talk at ya soon!

College Football Game Day Week 2 2012

9/7/2012

College Football
Game Day
Week 2
2012

Okay, let's get these opinions and predictions started!!!

We start with Bill from BILL'S BIG 10 CORNER with his game day predictions...

Hey, the Big 10 was 10-2 last week with only Michigan and Penn State
losing.Let’s take a look at some close games on Saturday:

Iowa St at Iowa – This is going to be a tight game again this year.Question is will Kinnick be enough of an edge for the Hawks .I don’t think so, Iowa starts out 1-1.

Wisconsin at Oregon St – Oregon St loses first game to Hurricane Isaac, second to Badgers.

Nebraska at UCLA – UCLA lost to Illinois in Hunger Bowl, Nebraska prevails.

Vanderbilt at Northwestern – SEC over Big 10.

Illinois at Arizona St – Arizona St. wins a close game at home.

Penn St at Virginia – Virginia wins at home sending Penn St to 0-2.

Now Ace with MINNESOTA checks in....
Let's see the Goophs play The New Hampshire Wildcats? Didn't know they played
football, just lacrosse and field hockey. I see they beat up on Holy Cross last
week which also plays lacrosse and field hockey. The Wildcats also play Ice
Hockey as do the Gophers so I'm predicting a pretty easy win as long as they can
handle the wickets, hard balls, and sticks. Really won't know much about the
Goophs until they head to Iowa in 3 weeks.

A'maize'n Blue shares his thoughts on the MICHIGAN game this weekend:

Week 2, Michigan Wolverines vs Air Force Falcons

I think it’s safe to say that
all of the Wolverine Nation is still reeling from the blowout last week, we at
least wanted to make it a game, right? Injuries and turnovers killed Michigan
last week (as well as Robinson’s strange attempted impersonation of a pocket
passer, what’s wrong with you Al Borges???) some injuries haven’t healed but
hopefully Michigan can correct its turnover issues this time around. Time for
the team to take out its frustrations on the next team, and here come the Air
Force Falcons!

First off it’s worth noting
that Air Force may be one of the hardest teams to prepare for defensively with
their small, very, very quick offense who live and die by the option run. In
week 1 the Falcons amassed the most rushing yards across all of college football
with 484 yards led by the elusive senior RB Cody Getz. Getz goes 5’7 and
175 which equals one fast, very hard to find RB. The Wolverines must do a
better job this week of stopping the run and should key in on forcing everything
back inside (which they failed to do last week) for their larger defenders to
take care of. Contain, contain, contain! I believe this is the key to the
game. Air Force QB Connor Dietz did have a statistically good game last
week, but he didn’t face a Big 10 defense like the Wolverines have. He
definitely didn’t face blitzing specialist strong safety Jordan Kovacs. If
Michigan can contain the run and force Dietz to attempt more than last weeks
(11) passing attempts, Kovacs and the D should be able to hold up their end of
the bargain and make it easier on the offense.

Speaking of the offense [insert
drawn out empty silence] let’s hope week 2 brings a bit more production. Due to
their military standards, the Air Force will be presenting a smaller, lighter
defense, let’s hope that bodes well for the O-Line. Suspended last week for
a code of conduct violation, last year’s 1,000 yard rusher Fitzgerald Toussaint
should get the start, or at least the lion’s share of the carries. The
Wolverines should easily be able to open up large holes, and Fitz should have a
great day. Hopefully Borges will give Denard a little more freedom this week,
or at least call some designed runs!! Last week saw only 3 called run plays
for Robinson, definitely, definitely not playing to his strengths.
Wolverine Nation would love to see Fitz and Robinson out rush the Getz/Dietz duo
of Air Force, we do that and we win! Don’t forget about Devon Gardner, though,
the former QB turned WR this year. He ripped off 44 yard reception for a TD
last week, and the season should only see him improve. With Roundtree still
recovering from his surgery, Gardner should be the top target for Robinson this
week, and definitely owns big play ability which will show this weekend.
Now for the predictions:

Prediction: This week
my “what I would like to see” and “what will happen” align—Michigan and Airforce
will start out trading big plays and a few scores, but in the end the bigger
line(s) of the Wolverines will start to tire the Falcons, holes will open up and
Michigan starts to pull away at the end of the third. Toussaint and Robinson
both top 100 yards rushing and Denard passes for another 200, hooking up with
Gardner for two TD strikes, both over 25 yards. Final score Michigan 48, Air
Force 21

And Packer Steve from WISCONSIN checks in....

Montee Ball sure made his presence felt in a hurry last season. On an offense
that scored 44 points a game, Ball got into the end zone 39 times. Ball
impressed so many people in Madison that there have been whispers of putting his
name on the Camp Randall Stadium facade - but only if he can get the 1,237 yards
still needed to overtake Anthony Davis for second on the Badgers'a all time
rushing list. Ball should put up multiple touchdowns against Big Ten foes
Minnesota, Indiana and Penn State which will be more than enough for him to get
to 79. I think the Badgers are gonna have another exciting year and last
weeks game was full of surprises. Happy football weekend my friends...signing
out Packer Steve

Turnkey Tim checks in with IOWA
Will the real Hawkeyes please stand up!
I get tired week after week not seeing some explosiveness on offense. Maybe I expected too much but I/m hoping with Greg Davis we can get our passing game to kick in. The one bright spot is Damon Bullock at trunning back rushing for 150 yards. Seemed like the quietest 150 yards I've ever witnessed. Defensively, we won't keep Iowa State below scoring 24 points as they have a good offense. The Hawkeyes better come out fired up and ready to play. Because if the momentum goes towards Iowa State way, we're in deep trouble. I'm not even gonna give a score out of my loyalty to the Hawkeyes. This game could come down to how well Iowa does offensively on their first drive.
Go Hawks!

Let's jump over to the *Pac 12* now where Red 5 Standing By has some thoughts on the UTAH game...

Given that Utah’s first game – a
41-0 victory – was against a FCS cupcake that hasn’t won a game in a long time
(Northern Colorado), it’s difficult to get a read on just how good (or bad) the
2012 Utes really are. This week’s game should prove to be a tougher test. Utah
plays its oldest rival, Utah State, on the road in a Friday night game that will
be televised nationally on ESPN2. Utah State isn’t the doormat it used to be
either. They nearly upset Auburn at Auburn last year in the season opener, and
are now making the move to the Mountain West Conference. In short, Utah should
not be looking ahead beyond this weekend. Nevertheless, expect a still-dominant
Utah defense to make it very tough for the Aggies to score points, even if Utah
has its own struggles on offense. My prediction is a 21-10 victory for the
Utes, with a whole lot of punts by both teams.

BEVO jr shares his prediction on the TEXAS game over in the *Big 12*
Horns play New Mexico Saturday nite. The Lobos opened some eyes with their scoring under new coach Bob Davies; remember him?

No surprises this week – Longhorns still polishing the running game; Texas – 45; N. Mex – 28

The Texas A&M Aggies moved to the *SEC*....we have our SEC guy Hullabaloo reporting in...
Hurricane Isaac pushed us back a week but it’s finally here! Texas A&M
football is back! This has to be the most anticipated opener that I can ever
remember. The key word is N-E-W: a new coach (Kevin Sumlin); a new quarterback
(Johnny Manziel aka “Johnny Football”); and the really big one, a new conference
(SEC). How will the Aggies stack up against the supposed biggest and baddest
football teams in the country? We get to find out right away because the
Florida Gators are coming to town. A&M has a good chance to make a big
splash against one of the “premier” SEC teams because Florida football is down
right now. It’s crucial to shake off any early jitters and the veteran
offensive players need to pick up Johnny Football until he gets his feet wet.
It should be a very tight game mostly because Florida already has a game under
its belt but the Ags are going to squeak one out to get the SEC/Sumlin/Manziel
era off to a great start.
Aggies: 23 – Gators: 20. Gig ’Em!!

Have a prediction or opinion on a game? Email me at salesturnkeyauto@aol.com and we'll get 'er posted!

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