Blog Archives

Floppy McFlop Food Photos

11/27/2011

I am not a proud cook.

Nor necessarily a decent cook.
I can only cook by a recipe and I rarely deviate from the exact directions.

And my photo skills are exceedingly lacking.
I'm certain most everyone who reads this here blog agrees with this assessment.

It's in that vain, that I am going to show you the floppy mcflop recipes and pictures that never made it onto this super professional, top-notch, high quality, almost award-winning blog.
These recipes and pictures never made it here because the pictures are embarrassingly bad and some of the recipes are not that groovy.

And remember, I have no shame :)

Let's start with one of my favorite foods; chicken.
Cluck, cluck. (It is a chicken that goes cluck isn't it?)
Let's observe several of my attempts at cooking a whole chicken.

I rock with cooking whole chickens but my photo skills do not indicate this. For some reason, my whole chickens always have meat missing off the legs. Two different times. Why? And they look unappetizing.

See the meat missing off the right leg back in August?
It didn't photograph well and looked weird. Although it was tasty.

A few months later, the left leg on this chicken is missing it's meat.

Again, this picture is not appealing at all.

And the bottom of the chicken...Uh, I think we can all agree it looks rather uncomfortable, yes?

So we move onto more chicken.
This recipe is for Beer Braised Chicken Thighs.

Truly tasty but the pictures looks like the mysterious food that hangs out in the back bottom shelf of my fridge for decades.

My eyesight is not what it used to be, that's the only excuse I have for sloppy looking plates.

And what is it with me plopping bread on every plate in every picture?

Clearly I have a starch fetish. Believe it or not, this picture was the best one of this dish.

Sometimes I make a dish that does not have much taste and is disappointing, such as this marinara from a food network tv person thingie.
The photograph is not so bad but the marinara was tasteless.

I'd taste good if only I had some more salt, pepper, basil, oregano, wine and thyme added.

And Mama's Lasagna from the Neelys of Food Network was pretty excellent, really tasty in fact
but my picture lacked, uh, shall we say, appetizing value.

Seriously, what is my issue with plopping bread on EVERYTHING? It's almost like a crime, a bread felony or something. Lord, I need rehab for bread idiots!

I will say that this whole lasagna pan picture is a slightly better photo than the individual slice from above. In fact, I liked this recipe so much, I'm going to share the link:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/neelys/mamas-lasagna-recipe/index.html

OH! OH! OH! This one is not my fault,
pinky swear!

Yeah, so late at night, we (by "we" I mean "I") got an itch that needed scratched in the way of I WAS STARVING FOR BAKED CHICKEN WINGS!
BINGO!
I had some wings in the freezer, 4 lbs had just been purchased fresh from the meat counter a few days earlier.
Fantastic! Awesome! I can't believe my luck at 11:00 at night! Woo Hoo!!

I defrost all four pounds, throw open the packaging to begin washing the wings and this is what I found.
Now you tell me, do these look weird to you?

Really? Really? The dude didn't notice THERE WAS NO MEAT? Really?

EVERY.SINGLE.WING but two had the meaty drummie part removed. EVERYONE BUT TWO!
So basically, in a nutshell, to be more clear, and my blood pressure is rising as I type this, I had four pounds of nuttin' to cook!!!
Really, could the meat dude not see this when he was scooping up FOUR POUNDS of chicken wings for me?

We interrupt this blog to bring you the following...

YAY!!!! Rainbows and Unicorns and Cheesecake,
DOUBLE YAY!!!!

Okay. All better now.

Let me show you something that I did make that was amazing but I only took one completed picture and no pictures of the process.

Heirloom Tomato Pizza with a rustic wheat pizza crust.

Yum!

I'm saving the best horribly unappetizing picture for last. Try not to upchuck your cookies.
...
...
...
...

Turkey Cassoulet

This is the photo of the whole dish served on a platter.

This was just taken last week!

Although the dish was tasty, this picture is totally unappetizing!

Once again, this was the best picture of the dish. *sigh*

I plated it up to see if I could make it look more appealing.

I couldn't.

Dang!

Well I giggled at a lot of these craptastic pictures while I was posting them.
Well, I giggled between the shuddering anyway.
Hope you weren't too grossed out and giggled or shuddered too :)

Have a great day and talk at ya soon!!!

Pub Meal Part Two: Cheeseburgers, Slaw, and Fried Zucchini

11/21/2011

Yowza!
I'm finally posting PART TWO of the super yummy Pub Meal.
Here's the meal...remember...Cheeseburgers, Red Cabbage Slaw, Fried Zucchini and Charred Tomato Soup with Melted Mozzarella

Hello super tasty meal, I want you right now. It's lunchtime, what do ya expect?

Why I always gotta be blogging food pictures when I'm starving? Why?

Last week I wrote about the
Charred Tomato Soup
as part of this meal.

So today, I'm sharing my vast culinary skillz with the rest of the Pub Meal...
The Cheese Burgers, Red Cabbage Slaw and Fried Zucchini.
And here are the embedded recipes. Disclaimer...this embedding recipe feature does not work if you are using Internet Explorer. If you can use Mozilla or another thingie, that would be ideal.

To get the recipe for Alex G's Cheese Burgers and Fried Zucchini and Slaw recipe, CLICK HERE!

Okay, the slaw is easy.

In a large bowl, combine the shredded cabbage, jalapeno, dill pickles and dill pickle juice.

Toss to blend.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the sour cream and cider vinegar with the salt, sugar and black pepper.
Pour the sour cream mixture over the cabbage and toss to blend. Refrigerate until ready to use.
By the way, sliced dill pickles in this slaw is so unexpected yet so fantastic and tangy, gives the slaw a real bite!

Now onto the Cheese Burgers...

Here's the fixins. The recipe calls for beef brisket.

My grocery store does not carry beef brisket; they suggested 93% lean ground beef, which I used and it was fine.

Be interesting to try beef brisket though.

Sautee the onion, carrot and celery in the oil.
Cook until the veggies become tender and slightly caramelized, 10-12 minutes. In another bowl, mix the brisket with the mayo.

Next, mix in the vegetables and bread crumbs into the brisket mixture and form into eight even patties about
3/4 inch thick.

Grill the hamburger patties on an indoor or outdoor grill.
I used a stove top grill because that's what Alex used on her cooking show.
Ta-Daaaaa!!!!

These burgers are fantastically tasty with the sauteed veggies and mayo mixed in there, Super yummy. With a slice of cheese melted on top....Heaven! *cue angels singing*

And lastly, we begin the fat free, super healthy
Fried Zucchini.
Disclaimer:The fat free and super healthy descriptors
are a lie.
Although zucchini is a vegetable. That's not a lie. And isn't zucchini good for you?

Here's the
fixins for this fine
Pub Meal side dish.

Slice 4 medium zucchini lengthwise, like pickles.
Pour oil into a heavy bottomed pan and heat to 350 degrees.

Make the breading mixture by combining the bread crumbs and Parmesan in a bowl.
In another bowl, whisk together the eggs and the splash of water.

Toss sliced zucchini in salt, dredge in flour, submerge in the egg mixture and roll in the breadcrumb mixture until all are coated on all sides.
Transfer to a platter.

Prepare a baking sheet fitted with a kitchen towel and a slotted spoon to remove zucchini from oil.
Drop a few pieces of zucchini into the oil at a time and gently swirl the oil as they fry.
When they are light to medium brown, remove them with the spoon and lay them out on the kitchen towel to cool.

Sprinkle with a touch of salt and paprika.

Plate up the savory Cheese Burgers, yummy tangy Slaw, and Fried Zucchini.
Be prepared to loosen your belt a notch or two. This is one fine, tasty meal!

Hey, hope everyone has a great Monday!

Football Friday Discussion Week 12

11/19/2011

Football Friday Discussion for Week 12
November 19, 2011!

Not a lot of commentators this week, but let's see what we do have...

By the way, how bout them Cyclones?!?! What's up with that Boone's Boy?

Big 10

IOWA

Silver Fox:Week 12 is here. I must admit, I'm kinda dreading it. After last week against Michigan State (MSU), it shows how important consistency of play is important. That was not the same Iowa team from the week before that played Michigan. The determination was not there against MSU. The Hawks could have won the game with the same kind of effort from the Michigan game. Three games have been lost this season by the players not playing with some kind of intensity; just going through the motions. It doesn't help getting down early 14-0. Like always, Marvin McNutt played very well. He'll be greatly missed after this season. And I'm not comfortable with James Vandenberg at quarterback. He's too inconsistent. He's had some good games this year. But, he's had some bad games, too---like last week, which showed how much a quarterback affects not only the offense, but also the defense. If the QB has the offense rolling, it helps to motivate the defense as well usually, b esides keeping the defense off the field longer and making it fresher. Last week, Vandenberg's timing was way off, he was inaccurate so much of the time, and it seemed like he wasn't seeing the field very well for all the open receivers there were. I hope next season that the quarterback position has a wide open competition to it (and not Iowa's usual seniority/experience system), or else it's not going to be any better for the offense in particular, especially with McNutt being gone. However, I can't fault Vandenberg for effort. I think he tries harder than anyone on the team. The strong effort is always there. With that in mind, hopefully he'll have that needed breakthrough that will elevate his game to a consistently high level. Like how he played two years ago against Ohio State and even better. As for my thoughts on this week's game against Purdue; it depends upon which Iowa team shows up---the team that wants to seriously win the game or the team that just simp ly shows up. This is a winnable game. How much does Iowa want to guarantee going to a bowl game? And by the way, I probably won't be blogging next week, but I'll check in the week after. GO HAWKS!!!!!!!

Turnkey Tim: Last week’s lost to Michigan State was disappointing but not unexpected. Iowa played much better the second half, just dug too deep of a hole in the first half with turnovers. Iowa’s momentum got shortened in the 4th quarter by the fainting Michigan State Spartans. Not since the famous Eveshesky-coached Iowa Hawkeyes when they played the Fainting Fighting Irish back in the 50’s have we seen such a display. Michigan State’s defense was gassed and the same core players kept going down every play. I need not say any more.

This week Iowa travels to the Purdue Boilermakers. The Hawks have played terrible on the road but today could possibly be their day. I think the score today will be 20-17 Hawkeyes. Go Hawks!

Hawkinator:

Black And Gold Girl:

NEBRASKA
Bo Big Red:First of all i would like to say NEBRASKA showed alot of class at the Penn State game,kneeled in prayer for the victims of this terrible tragedy,i don't really feel that taking the icons name off the trophy,is appropriate,and he did report it,and i thought you were innocent in AMERICA until found guilty,and it was'nt the 85 yr. old man that did this,and Sandusky,should be put in jail for life,with bubba,his new roomate!! But to the game,this will be tough not only on the field but at home my wife is from Michigan,so we have to watch the game in 2 seperate rooms,haha, since it's at michigan,it will be tougher,but the NEBRASKA,Faithfull,fans will travel and there will be a sea of red in the stands,Both teams have the same 8-2 record but NEBRASKA will win by a fieldgoal as long as Martinez,keeps getting better,in the passing game,75% passing is alot better than the 50% he started the year with,so if he can at least stay there and the receivers start catching the ball that they have been dropping when he's actually,put it right on the #'s,and the defense,can contain they're biggest threat ,that little quarter back,that i wish we had,we will be fine.we need to get the lead quick and build on it instead of giving it up in the 4th quarter like the last few,games.We need to play mistake free football,and win the takeovers,and play 60 minutes of NEBRASKA football and come away with the win.AND then WELCOME IOWA BIRDS TO MEMORIAL STADIUM.the game we have been waiting for a year now.Can't wait for that one!!!!!

Bill's Big 10 Corner
Bill:
Not much time this week so I'll just pass along the schedule:
Minnesota at Northwestern
Indiana at Mich St
Nebraska at Michigan ........This should be an interesting game. Winner has an outside chance at a BCS slot.
Wisconsin at Illinois
Iowa at Purdue ............. Hawks need a road win.
Penn St at Ohio St

Big 12

TEXAS
BEVO jr – With this years’ Texas football team you don’t know what you’re getting from 1 week to the next. This freshman heavy team has gone from the over achieving “young lions” to the ‘walking wounded’; Fozzy Whittaker out for the season, WR Jaxson Shipley’s twisted knee, RB’s Brown and Bergeron with leg ow-ows. Those guys represent all of Texas’ scoring for the season so far. I hope somebody shows up Saturday for the game with K State or the Horns are in deep cow-pies; we probably are anyway cuz K State is playing lights out right now; their QB looks like another Tebow. Somebody needs to nominate him for Heisman.

Our “D” held Mizzou to 17 points last week, but we only scored 5 points (yeah, that’s right 5). These ups and downs make it a thrill ride this year, but 5 Points? We knew it would be a transition year, but I’m starting to check the UT basketball schedule already. I hope we can mature a little more for the final 3 game stretch. Longhorns’ only hope is for the “D” to be able to hold KS to 20 pts or less, and the Horns get divine guidance and find 21 points somewhere on the field.

NOTE to the M*A*S*H unit – we need our star players back - now! HOOK ‘EM HORNS!

Pac-10

UTAH
Red 5 Standing By:Don’t look now, but the Utah Utes – who began conference play in the Pac 12 with an unimpressive 0-4 record – have now won three games in a row and have a remote chance of representing the Pac 12 South in the inaugural Pac 12 Championship Game. For this to happen, Arizona State would need to lose its final two games against Cal and Arizona, UCLA would need to lose to USC, and Utah would need to win out. Not likely to happen, but the only part of that equation the Utes control is beating Washington State in Pullman on Saturday. Weather forecasts indicate that this will be a very cold and possibly wet game, with temperatures around 20 degrees (and dropping) at kickoff. At this point in the season, Utah seems to have owned up to its own limitations. They recognize that they are very limited on offense, but may have the best defense in the Pac 12. As such, Utah’s strategy will be to minimize turnovers, win the field position battle, hopefully get a small lead and never let it go. The Utes have plenty of motivation this weekend – look for them to prevail in a tight, low-scoring game in a half-empty (half-full?) stadium.

Gone Out Of Town To Buy A Car And Drool Over Christmas Ornaments

11/17/2011

Oh!

The luscious Cole Slaw, Cheeseburger and Fried Zucchini will have to wait for this weekend.

Went out of town spur of the moment this week to buy a hot looking Impala SS.

Initially was not too thrilled about driving three hours one way but lookey-look what Angie discovered was located just a couple miles away from the dealership where we were supposed to go to...Notice I said SUPPOSED to go to...

TA-DA!!!!!!!!!

Photos courtesy of Kightlingers Antiques off their Facebook page.

And this...

According to the Peoria website, Kightlinger's Antiques is filled with 80 trees and 65,000 Christmas decorations.
They are an antiques, home decor, furniture re-purposing and lamp shop as well.
I looove this sock monkey tree below!

I was so looking forward to visiting that shop,

and never leaving for like 8 million days.

But

we didn't go there.

Instead we picked up a hot Impala SS in a town much closer; there was antiquing and cute shops but certainly not 65,000 ornaments on 80 thousand trees.

It's for the best anyway, because I picked up these adorable vintage Christmas candle rings there. Love them. LOVE!

Here's a close-up.

I know they don't look that spectacularly stunning but I LOVE that kind of Christmas look.

By the way, I am a total Christmas geek.

And because we were away from the shop for a good share of a day,
we are working extra hard to catch up on the sales and service.

So I'll blog at ya this weekend!!

Hey, is it Christmas time yet?!?!

Pub Meal Part One: Charred Tomato Soup with Melted Mozzarella

11/14/2011

Don't hate on me just because I can make a scrumptious pub meal of
Cheeseburgers, Red Cabbage Slaw and Fried Zucchini.

Which also includes Charred Tomato Soup with Melted Mozzarella

Instead you can hate on Alex.
This Pub Meal is actually courtesy of Alex and her
"Day Off".

foodnetwork.com

This is Alex.
I love her.

Hi Alex. HI! HI! Do you see me waving? Hi girlfriend, no look over this way, I'm over here. Why you look at me like I'm crazy?

courtesy of hairstylesnew2012.tk

I love Alex so much I would even trade my identical twin sister Megan Fox in for her as my new sister. And you all know how much I loves me Megan.

I'm sorry Megan. It's just that you probably don't know how to cook. Or you cook vegan or something, which just won't work for me.

foodnetwork.com

Alex and I go way back. We have coffee most Saturday mornings together.

Well, I drink coffee and she cooks.

She cooks on.her.show.
called "Alex's Day Off" on the Food Channel
Duh!

It's not like she's literally over having coffee in my craptastic kitchen, cooking and sitting on the counters while we giggle like two schoolgirls, and then jaunting off to Kohls and Younkers kitchen departments where we buy new saute pans and serving platters together.

No, Alex cooked this pub meal on her cooking show; that episode being appropriately titled "Pub Meal".

Over the next couple days, I will be sharing the four recipes and pictures of my attempts at making Alex's absolutely delicious, casual pub meal featured on her show.

Today though, I am sharing the Charred Tomato Soup with Melted Mozzarella.

Once again I have magically embedded this recipe.
If you can not see a recipe below, apparently you will need to use Mozilla instead of Internet Explorer.

CLICK RIGHT HERE to get Alex G's Charred Tomato Soup with Melted Mozzarella!

Fun,
colorful ingredients to start the soup with, wouldn't ya say?

We start by adding the Roma tomatoes into a heavy skillet with canola oil.

Season with salt and add the sugar.

Blister the skins slightly.

These smelled heavenly by the way!

I wanted to make sure to show the pretty green bottle contrasted against the red tomatoes:):)

Add the dry vermouth.

Continue cooking on low heat.

In a soup pot, heat 1 tbsp of the olive oil and add the garlic, shallots and red pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the oregano and stir to blend. Cook until tender and translucent.

Can't ya just smell it right now?

Add the canned tomatoes and the water.

Turn the heat down and cook until until the tomato flesh starts to lose shape,
12 to 15 minutes.

Heck, it took two babies and ten years for my flesh to lose shape, thank goodness I'm not a tomato or I'd look 850 million years old right now.

You'll take half that soup up above and puree in a blender. Pour back in pan.
I'm sure that sounds appetizing after me talking about my
850 million year old flesh. Sorry.

Then you'll take all the roasted Roma tomatoes from the skillet and puree in the blender until smooth, adding the remaining olive oil through the top.
Taste for seasoning.

Add both back to the remaining chunky soup.

On a flat surface, slice bread by 1/2 inch thick slices (or buy pre-sliced like I did :).

Tear each piece into a free form shape that sits nicely across the top of your soup bowl

Ladle the

soup into

crocks or

small

ovenproof

bowls.

Make certain to do this really sloppily like I did.
After all, you don't want to have a prettier presentation dish than the actual high dollar chef hosting the show you scammed the recipe from.

Yes, I know my linens are messy, I was in such a hurry to eat this food though.

Top with one piece of toasted bread per bowl. Finish with some shredded mozzarella and broil until golden brown, about 2 minutes.

So that's how to make Alex's Charred Tomato Soup and by the way,

the soup is fantastic, savory and oh so mellow; I just wanted to keep eating and eating.

I had to stop eating though, because there were the other dishes to eat at the same meal;
Alex's Cheeseburger recipe
(unbelievably flavorful with sauteed carrots, red onions, celery, mayo, bread crumbs)
Red Cabbage Slaw
and fat free Fried Zucchini.
I will share those recipes tomorrow.

But here's a teaser...

Smile big for Cheese Burgers! (Although the cheese is missing off this particular burger, again. Drats!)

P.S. I lied about the Fried Zucchini being fat free. It is soooo not. Which is why it was soooo good :) Will share at ya tomorrow! Have a good Monday!

Foorball Friday Discussion Week 11

11/12/2011

Gosh, I'm late AGAIN,

but

Football Friday

Week 11

Discussion is

here!

Almost nearing the end of the

season! Let's see what

commentators have to say

about today's games...

Big 10

Iowa
Silver Fox: Exciting, tense, and good win for Iowa last week against a good Michigan team. The defense played like they needed to; with alot of enthusiasm, purpose, and desire to contain Denard Robinson. Marcus Coker and Marvin McNutt continue to impress. I thought the score didn't accurately reflect how the teams played, because Iowa clearly looked like the better. The Hawkeyes just have a knack of not making it easier on themselves. In particular, on their last two possessions in the fourth quarter, they had a third down and one yard each possession, and they didn't get the first down. If they did get it on the last possession, Michigan probably wouldn't had gotten the ball back for that last drive. Anyway, if the Hawks play this week against Michigan State like they did against Michigan, I like our chances. Can't believe this is the last home game.

Hawkinator:

Black And Gold Girl:

Turnkey Tim:On paper, today's match-up with Michigan State should be a good one. Like Iowa, Michigan State has done poorly on the road, going 1-2. Iowa's winless on the road but is unbeaten and plays well at home. Michigan State has a great defense so it is important that Iowa establish the run first. they also run a more traditional offense with a power running game, and quarterback Cousins does and excellent job of mixing in the pass and being very efficient. Which defense will show up today for Iowa? Will James Vandenberg and the offense put some points on the board? We will find out today at 11am with Michigan State Being favored by 3 points. The Hawks better come to play and the crowd must get into the game. 21-17 Michigan State. (I picked against the Hawks last week and they won so I'll do the same this week)

Minnesota:
Ace: Sorry I'm late but I'm still laughin at Rick Perry! Anyway, the Gophers can prove that they have improved by hangin with the bigger rodents of Wisconsin. Doubt it though, hope they keep it close, but the Badgers gotta be ticked off after two last minute plays beat them recently. Maybe Marquis can run through the vaunted Wisco prem defense(that's an old beer joke) but look for the big rodents to put the gas on in the end and win big. Dang maybe next year.

Nebraska
Bo Big Red:
Last week sucked,to be beat at home is one thing,but to be beat by Northwestern,just sucks,two fumbles within the 5 yard line!!! BO was as red as their shirts,BLACK SHIRTS mt ass!! And thats all i have to say about that !!!! This week we play Penn State away game,good thing because if we lose at home again they'll kill the team,and Burhead(Blockhead Fumble fingers) should be BENCHED!!! Anyway Penn State will lose to Nebraska,partly because of the embarrasment of last weeks performance,and mostly because JOPAW won't be leading the charge,i think the players will lay down for the rest of the season,because of what he meant to the team!! And after 46 years you FIRE him over the telephone,CMON MAN !!!He has'nt taken a salary for years,and built a ten million dollar Library!!!CMON MAN !!! Really??? NEBRASKA by 10 points.

Michigan
A'maize'n Blue

Ohio State
Buck-I:

Wisconsin:
Wisconsin Steve:

Penn State:
Wakow:

Bill's Big Ten Corner
Bill: It seems to motivate the Hawks when I pick against them, so I'll go with Michigan State on Saturday. Further, in looking at the five Big 10 conference games this weekend it looks like the visiting team will win in each case (Mich St, Neb, Ohio St, Mich, Wisc). This is leading to a potential Michigan State vs Ohio State rematch in the inaugural Big 10 title game (Mich St won at Ohio St 10-7). Enjoy the games ...............

Big 12

Texas
Bevoe jr:The good news is that Texas is bowl eligible at 6-2, but there are NO ‘bunnies’ ahead: Mizzou, K-State, lame duck Aggies, & Baylor are all talented. This week Missouri will show us different talent and looks with their QB Franklin & speedy RB Josey than we’ve seen the last 2 weeks; but the Horns will be able to slow them both – the Tigers haven’t yet seen this season what will be thrown at ‘em on Saturday @ 11 am.

Longhorn running game with freshman Joe Bergeron (filling in for injured Malcolm Brown) doing the pounding the last 2 weeks has been phenomenal, averaging 440 ypg, including Fozzy, Ash, & Monroe. Probably gonna hafta throw more against MO’s D than the 7 passes we threw last week against Texas Tech, but Shipley our #1 wideout is back from injury, and true frosh QB David Ash seems to be really settling in @ #1 on the depth chart. So we should see healthy doses of “Ground-and-Pound” again, along with more new “O” schemes and longer fly patterns as needed. This is the best Big 12 game this week to watch.

Mizzou flees to the SEC after this season , where they are destinedto become the crash-test-dummies of that conference. So the Horns will send them off properly – with their ‘tiger tails’ between their legs, Horns 38, crash test dummies-21.

HOOK “EM!

Texas A&M
Hullabaloo:Hullabaloo has been hiding in shame for a few weeks but I’m back with some thoughts on this week’s game against Kansas State. What was supposed to be the best season of Aggie football in over a decade has turned into a complete disaster. Three fall-from-behind losses and a 2nd half depantsing by Oklahoma will do that. Feeling sorry for ourselves won’t do a bit of good as we head to Manhattan, Kansas though because the Wildcats are trying to bounce back from their own two game losing streak. I will be very surprised if this game is not another shootout since both defenses struggle (Aggies have been terrible on D all year and K-State gave up 50-burgers to OU and OSU in their last two games). Coach Mike Sherman and the Aggie offensive playmakers absolutely have to keep the foot on the gas for the entire game. ALL FOUR QUARTERS PLEASE! We lost our top RB Christine Michael to a season-ending ACL injury so Cyrus Gray needs to step up just like he did last season and pick up the slack. QB Ryan Tannehill will likely have to spread the ball around a little more than normal because his safety blanket Ryan Swope is recovering from a head injury even though he should play. I think Gray will break a couple of big plays and Tannehill will have a great game since the pressure is off now. Aggies 41 – Wildcats 34. Farmers Fight!

Oklahoma State
Boone's boy: Pokes are up against the one team that upset the mighty Sooners…Texas Tech. Since then they’ve been toppled by Iowa State and Texas. Should be a high scoring, quarterback battle in Lubbock tomorrow. Cowboys are #2 in the nation with 3 games remaining on the schedule; Tech, Iowa State, and the finale at home against Oklahoma. Prediction for the week: Pokes 52 – Tech 42.

GO POKES

Super Easy, Sweet and Savory, Summer BBQ Chicken Pita Pizzas

11/9/2011

Summer BBQ Chicken Pizzas

Oh how I love these mini Pita Pizzas!!

They are sweet and savory all at the
same time!
This recipe is from the Reluctant Entertainer website. Cool website, check it out!

These pizzas are quick and easy to make and bonus,
if you make extra,
you can eat them for lunch or dinner the next night.
Quite frankly, they make a good, healthy snack as well.

These BBQ Chicken Pita Pizzas are just as good the next day as they are
fresh out of the oven.
Ima going to eat one right now in fact.

Holyfield won't leave my work station so now's as good as time as any for LUNCH!

Holyfield, for Pete's sake, leave the backspace key alone!

See that fresh mozzarella up there? It took everything I had not to shove it all in my mouth.

Okay,
here's all the fixins one needs to make four pita pizzas.

I usually double the recipe and make 8 pizzas and refrigerate the leftovers.

Place the cubed chicken in the skillet with olive oil and cook until done. Drain off liquid.

Add the barbecue sauce and simmer for five minutes.

Eat a couple pieces to make sure they're not poison.

Place the pita breads on a baking sheet and brush each pita with olive oil.

Bake at 400 degrees for 5-8 minutes.

In a large skillet,
saute onion in olive oil for 5-7 minutes.....

Until caramelized baby!!

Hello sweet smelling,
sweet tasting,
sweet caramelized onion.
So nice to see you again.
I know you wish to be smothered in brown sugar but that's another recipe.
This recipe just calls for your completely natural,
lovely sweetness.

Would it kill me to use a little lotion before snapping pictures?

Flip the pita breads over using your wrinkly man hands.

If you don't have wrinkly man hands, that's okay, you can just flip them over using regular hands too.

Add the onions directly onto the pitas.

Then layer with the chicken mixture...

Top the chicken mixture with the grated cheese and fresh chopped basil.

Bake at 400 degrees for 15-18 minutes,
or until cheese is melted.

And that's it; that's all there is to it!
Super easy, yes?

One last thing though...

Serve

and

Enjoy!

Have a great Wednesday!!
Only 45 days until Christmas, HoHoHo *giggle*

We Got Away To A Weekend Get-Away

11/6/2011

Friday night, someone and their betrothed

went on a quick little weekend getaway to

Cedarburg, Wisconsin.

Tim and I left Friday afternoon for a weekend of relaxation involving food, window shopping, kitty cats and lots of chatting and catching up.

Cedarburg is located 20 miles north of Milwaukee,
just a few miles off I-43.

This cute little town of 11,000 was settled by
German and Irish settlers around1840
and has retained all of it's original charm. The streets are lined with a woolen mill, charming shops and boutiques, art galleries, coffee houses and cozy pubs and restaurants.

We arrived Friday evening and were starving so we made a visit to one of our favorite pubs.

This building was a blacksmith's shop for many many years and then was renovated into a cozy pub a couple years ago.

We happily enjoyed some mighty tasty appetizers... outstanding bruschetta and some very tasty pepperjack bites.

Oh my, these appetizers were a welcome relief after five hours of driving.

Saturday we awoke to a beautiful fall day in Cedarburg.

And of course I did a little shopping at my favorite places...

Just look at this long time vintage lighting shop called Heritage Lighting Gallery....GORGEOUS!

See that big chandelier there?
I bought that.
That's a lie by the way. *sigh*

After NOT buying that gorgeous chandelier, I stopped into a cozy little bookstore where I bought three books;
a political cartoon book from the 1978,
a cool cookbook called Gourmet Meals in Crappy Little Kitchens by
Jennifer Schaertl and a
memoir book by humorist Kevin Kling called Holiday Inn.

Small yet cozy bookstore. I especially liked the 80% off shelf. They also carry new releases too!

And I wanted to steal these cute pictures off the wall in the bookstore but I also didn't want to end up in the Ozaukee County Jail,
so I just admired them instead.

And what would shopping be without perusing my favorite vintage consignment shop?!?!

The owner is so nice and totally adorable!

See that tall decanter thing he's writing up?
It's a brandy decanter from the 1970's with a music box in it and a dancing girl dressed in tartan. L-O-V-E IT!! Was priced at $20 but it had been marked down to $4!! I wanted to shout I AM SPARTACUS from across the room when I found out how cheap it was!
But I didn't...too many people in there...too embarrassing.

Loved this quaint quilt shop. I took a picture on my phone and sent it to my mom with a note that essentially said hahaha I'm here, you're not.
Is that bad?

About 2:30 in the afternoon on Saturday, I quickly ran back and picked Tim up after the Iowa game was over and forced him to continue shopping with me.
We parked and got out of the car in front of this adorable caterer's business on a cute little side street.
I was entranced with the lime green walls and gorgeous white dishes from the sidewalk. I tried to walk in but the door was locked.
The amazingly sweet owner heard me trying to break into her business and opened the door and invited Tim and me in.
This is Donna and she owns From Scratch Catering and this picture does not show how beautiful her wall really is or how radiant Donna's 100 watt personality is.

And my crappy picture-taking below does not do justice to showcase how
cute and quaint the bride and groom tasting area is.

Donna has been catering for many years and also home schools all her children as well. Oh my Tim and I are so fortunate to meet some of the nicest people!

After leaving my new BFF Donna's catering business, we walked past another pub...

Gotta LOVE that art deco era!!!!

And an early movie theater whose facade has been historically recreated recently.

And of course I had to go into Creekside Antiques and see if there were any vintage Christmas ornaments not in my possession already.

We perused the winery...

And visited my favorite gift store
in Cedarburg called Robin's Nest.

Tim and I walked up to the second floor of the Woolen Mill where this gorgeous pottery shop is located. I snapped a picture and then was told by the nice girl working the counter they don't allow pictures because of the original art.
See, I KNEW I would almost end up in the Ozaukee County jail before the weekend was over!

Tim and I quickly skedaddled out of the pottery shop and went outside and viewed the sights from in back of the woolen mill (where the pottery cops could not find me)

We ended the day with a steak dinner at Morton's,
a long-standing pub down the street.

Look at the immense amount of vintage style advertising in this pub!

So FINALLY, after a big day of window shopping and eating,

we retired to the home of Diva Louise Rose...

And
Sweet Samantha Esther....

And King Reginald...

basking away by the fireplace.

Loui, Sammy and Reggie's parents Kim and Steve were very accomodating also :):):)

We had a fantastic time and always look forward to
visiting, Cedarburg is a lovely old-time charm community.

The town of Cedarburg is just 4 1/2 hours away from Iowa City and they have many festivals throughout the year that bring in thousands and thousands of visitors.

They also have a fantastic flea market called Maxwell Street Days that is worth checking into.

Check out their website cedarburg.org.

Hope everyone had a great weekend!
Talk to you soon!

Football Friday Discussion Week 10

11/5/2011

Football Fiday Discussion on Saturday...what?

So I am on a little weekend get-away this weekend and that will be my excuse for getting Football Friday (notice the "Friday") Discussion to be posted on SATURDAY! SORRY! And since I am on a weird laptop that doesn't let me do any graphics and few colors, we're gonna do this black and white style :) Let's see what's going on Week 10!!!

Big 10

IOWA

Silver Fox:After last week's game, where do I begin? I guess with what's been my biggest concern all year-defense. I've had very little confidence in the front seven, but I still felt alright about the secondary, with the exception of Shaun Prater. Now I'd like to see Prater, Tanner Miller, and Jordan Bernstine replaced with the three young, aggressive, hard-hitting guys who are great on special teams kickoffs-B. J. Lowery, Nico Law, and Jordan Lomax. These guys are fast, all over the field, and love to hit. The few defensive series that they have been on the field, they have played this same way. They cover the receivers well. But, this probably won't happen because of Iowa's seniority system. Anyway, the only positive thing I have to say about last week is that Marcus Coker and Marvin McNutt were dynamite again. McNutt is the only player on this team who has a chance to be in the NFL next year. As for this week against Michigan-all I can do is hope for alot better effort and different result. Can Denard Robinson be somewhat contained by this Iowa defense?

Black And Gold Girl: There's no good way to spin last week's game - it was painful to watch and then the on side kick in the end turned the game in favor of Minnesota. With that being said, I look for Iowa to do better than many would expect against Michigan. I said before the season started that this would be a rebuilding year for Iowa and their record certainly reflects that. It feels like we're still trying to find our true offensive and defensive styles and define how all of the players will mesh together, and that's ok. If our offense clicks and our defense can stop Michigan from getting too many offensive yards, I think we could have a good outcome on Saturday.

Turnkey Tim: I'm still trying to get over the stunning loss to the golden Goophers.This year Iowa has played Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde. Good at home, terrible on the road. Michigan looks like a pretty solid team. I'm holding out hope but it looks almost impossible for Iowa to win today. To have any chance we have to play stellar on offense and the defense must improve dramatically. Should be a great day for a football game. Final Score Prediction 41-28 Michigan Go Hawks!!

Hawkinator:

MINNESOTA
Ace: Well how bet them Gophers!!  Sooner or later they had to beat somebody and took advantage of the Hookeyes inability to cover or even think about defending an onside kick.  Might just be another example of the Hawks defense not really being very good but I'm sure Coach Kill will take it.  Nagurski is resting well this week but will be tossing and turning again as the Gopher travel to Spartiville. Doubt that another upset is going to take place but look for the Gophs to hang in there for awhile before sucumbing on a late Hail Mary, no wait that's what happens to Bulimias Badgers.  Sorry I get confused with legends and leaders and God knows what else!  They have got to come up with different names for the divisions.

OHIO STATE
Buck-I:

MICHIGAN
A'maize'n Blue:

NEBRASKA
BO BIG RED: Last week was a great upset over Michigan State,The Huskers looked better than eve and comming back home to play,Northwestern,should ,i say should tromp them especially,at home,Northwestern plays good on the road,but withe upset,last week took them from #12 in nation to #9 we are finally getting some respect!! And NOBODY comes in to our house and wins,NOBODY,(hear that hawkeye fans)
NEBRASKA  by 21 pts at least!!!
BO BIG RED !!!!!!!!!!!!

PENN STATE
Wakow:

WISCONSIN
Wisconsin Steve:

Bill's Big 10 Corner
Bill says:Surprising loss for the Hawks on Saturday, I sure didn't see that one coming. Big 10 looks pretty easy this week, take all of the home teams except for the Hawks. I think Michigan will prevail over the Hawks in a hard fought game. For the Big 10 Championship game I am seeing Nebraska vs Ohio St. LSU vs Alabama, reserve the TV for Saturday night (7:00 pm on CBS) this should be quite a battle. The game appears to be very even ......... LSU more experience at QB with Ala having a better coach. When in doubt pick the home team ............ Roll Tide!!!

Big 12

Texas

BEVO jr – Texas needs a win this weekend against Texas Tech’s aerial circus to become eligible; NOT an easy task. Which Tech team will show up in Austin – the one that beat Oklahoma (in Norman) or the one that was totally & completely embarrassed by Ia. State (in Lubbock)?

Longhorns will continue our rapidly escalating ‘Ground-and-Pound’ theme, with some passing to keep the defense honest. Horns CB’s & safeties will be kept busy by Tech’s flying circus – they always give us fits. Can’t wait to watch this game!

Whichever Tech team shows up, HORNS are READY! Texas wins 38 – 28.

Other very watchable games – Aggies @ OU, and K State @ Okla State; National championship implications for both. These are the Big 12 power players.

HOOK “EM!

Oklahoma State
Boone's Boy:  Pokes need to pick up where the Sooners left off last week and continue to pile up points on the Wildcats. Defense continues to improve and is near the top in the country in total interceptions. Weeden has been impressive in every game this year and has shown that he doesn’t need to rely solely on Blackmon to move the ball down the field.

Prediction #1 - I expect that Bullet, the horse that trots on the field after every Cowboy score, will rack up more yards than KSU. Prediction #2 – Cowboys 45 KSU 21.

Also, looking for LSU to hammer Alabama so that the Sooners move up in the polls leaving the December 3, 2011 showdown between OU and OSU to determine who goes to the National Championship game.

Texas A&M
Hullabaloo:

Pac-12

Colorado
Buffalo Up:

Utah
Red 5 Standing By:

Would Love To Have Volunteer Fan Commentators From:

Big 10
Illinois
Michigan state
Purdue
Northwestern
Indiana

Big 12
Have Texas and Oklahoma State, Texas A&M...how about Oklahoma, Iowa State etc

Pac-12
Any fans out there? I have Colorado and Utah covered, how about other team fans?
Independent team fans?
Open to suggestions, Notre Dame? etc :)

Email me (Angie) at salesturnkeyauto@aol.com
or comment on this here post with your email.
Thanks