Showing posts with label Football. Show all posts

Respectfully on Cloud 9

Monday, January 24, 2011 -

The Green Bay Packers are going to the Super Bowl! Whether you are a fan or not, hear me out.

Born and raised in Green Bay, I have always loved my Pack. I don't fully remember my first game because I am fortunate to have season tickets in my family name. Yes, the classic "they were my grandfather's and now my dad and uncle each have a set" type of situation. Would I love to have those tickets someday? Why yes, yes I would (hint mom and dad - I know you read this!) I am passionate about my team.

When I was in college at UMass-Amherst, I wore my cheesehead proudly. And now here in Indy, I still have it on display with my signed helmet from Donald Driver. Love. The. Packers. It is tough not being in Titletown when it comes to the love, but I do my best to support the team.

But why was this game a big deal? Not only because it was on Championship Sunday, but because it was the Bears.

The two teams haven't played each other in a championship game since 1941. It is a rivalry that I respect. I have many friends who are Bears fans, and I adore them all the same. I respect them because of their history, which is similar to the Packers. There is not a team who I would have wanted to play more in that championship game, because I love the intense situation it puts us in. My nerves were all over the place as both teams had more than the Super Bowl to play for (though yes, that is the big one.)

But, I still love to hate them. I mean, it is a rivalry after all. I did raise my glass at the end of the game in a salute because it was a battle. I am extremely happy that the Packers came out victorious, but I will not be the one who gloats to the Bears fans. If roles were reversed, I would hope they would do the same for me. Respectable fans are the best fans.

Here's to February 6 and the great road that we took to get there. No matter the outcome, I'll wear my cheesehead proudly and raise my glass of cold beer (let us hope it is draft PBR) in freezing temperatures to support my team. Always.

Who are you rooting for in the Super Bowl, and why?

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Labels: Bears, Cheesehead, Chicago, Football, Green Bay, Packers, Super Bowl, Wisconsin

Want s'more cupcakes?

Tuesday, January 18, 2011 -

A while back, I had baked some s'more cupcakes because, well, I really wanted a s'more. Alas, I was baking for a recruitment event and knew I couldn't bring a plate of the delectable summer treat, so I transformed cupcakes to satisfy my craving. This time around, I changed out a few things, but the end product was still delish.

I began with a basic chocolate cupcake rather than a yellow or white. I sifted the cocoa powder, flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt together. I also threw in some cinnamon for good measure.

Creaming together the sugar and eggs, I always add the eggs slowly and individually. Of course, this avoids any egg shell mishaps and ensures the mixture all gets the same amount of love. Adding a bit of vanilla extract, I whipped it all together before adding the flour mix and milk on a low speed to avoid splatters.

Once the mix was complete, I scooped it into the prepared pans. I couldn't decide between mini or standard cupcakes, so opted to bake both. By doing so, all those New Year's resolutions people made could be in check while those who didn't care, they had a larger option to select. When they were done, I let them cool as I wrapped up the dulce de leche blondies I was also making (oh yes, double baking was happening!)

This time around, I didn't fill the center with fluff. Instead, I attempted to make the fluff not so messy as frosting. Now, I understand marshmallow's are sticky and messy and all, but it doesn't mean I can't attempt to change that. I added some vanilla extract and powdered sugar to the fluff for a better consistency (and taste I guess?) before smearing it on top of the chocolate cupcake. I thought, "why not toast the marshmallows? Then it will be just like a s'more!" and won't leave them all sticky.

Well, I didn't really think about the graham cracker topping. I don't know if I would have burned the graham crackers if I put it on prior to toasting the topping under the broiler, but at least they would have stuck. Unfortunately, once toasted, the graham's weren't having the toasty marshmallow goodness. And of course, the chocolate pieces were melting into the mess, but that is how a s'more is!

They were all delicious the same, even with the tweaking from last time. They were gobbled up at the football game watch, and the four that remained were eaten the next day at work. Maybe next time I make them, they may become pumpkin s'mores...mmm...

2 comments

Labels: Baking, Cupcakes, Football, In the Kitchen, S'mores

Weekend Advent Recap

Monday, December 6, 2010 -

Over the weekend (including Friday,) hubs celebrated day 3, 4 and 5 of his advent calendar. Here is a recap of his holiday cheer:

Day 3 - Holiday Fondue
Friday meant an evening at the delicious Melting Pot on the northside. In the past, hubs and I would frequent often with our two dear friends, the M's, but haven't been in quite a while. The last time we were there was for my birthday - it was time for some fondue!

This big night out had a French theme, and we took advantage of all the featured courses:

Cheese Fondue - consisting of Brie, Fontina, Gruyere and Raclette, the cheese was the best dish. There was this amazing white-truffle cream that contained Nueske's bacon (go Wisco!) and fresh chives. The cheese was creamy, but had a hint of the Brie's rind to it once in a while. However, it was smooth and delicious.
Salad - I tried the featured Salade Nicoise and was disappointed with it. It had many toppings, including a hard-boiled egg, Nicoise olives, tomatoes and beets - but I just wasn't a fan of all the flavors coming together with the vinaigrette. Hubs did comment that his California salad was improving with each visit, slowly getting back to it's original taste as it had been on the decline.
Main Course - Fondue Fusion, but this time, we didn't substitute the Goat Cheese & Ratatouille ravioli for something different. Why? Because goat cheese was involved! Though they were the best ravioli we've received at MP, I would encourage you to still swap it out for something else. The lobster was the usual, as was the Filet Mignon. The peppercorn crusted NY strip was as expected, very peppery, and the Duck a l'Orange had a bold citrus taste. The roasted garlic shrimp were sweeter and the Chicken Provencal was fantastic with the sweet & sour sauce, a sauce I normally do not enjoy.
Chocolate Course - I was very pleased with the caramelized sugar of the White Chocolate Creme Brulee. Once you broke through it, the unexpected sweet crunch worked very well with all the dessert dippers. It really was quite good - a pleasant surprise as we do not normally order white chocolate.

In addition, MP is having a great promotion right now to benefit St. Jude's Children Hospital. We ended up donating some money and received $20 coupons plus a free dessert fondue that evening. I encourage you to give back while you enjoy some great food if possible!

Day 4, A Change of Plans
The theme was originally a "Museum Date," but because it was snowing, plans changed. As I mentioned, hubs can veto a plan if he likes, and the Ahrens' tradition of a the first snowfall breakfast would definitely trump an Advent plan. Whenever the first overnight snow happens, hubs LOVES to get into the car and drive first thing in the morning. This year, we hit up Bub's for some snowy breakfast. I'm a fan of Bub's breakfast, so no complaints here!

Breaking my number one rule of eating out (which is ordering the same thing,) we both ordered a seafood version of Eggs Benedict. Looking heavy upon receipt (I thought it was white gravy!,) I was pleasantly surprised for a light crab sauce. A few chunks of some delicious crab (hubs thought it tasted like a seafood sauce, not crab specific) gave great flavor to the dish. The eggs were over soft rather than poached - I would have preferred the later but was still happy to see egg yolks pour over the toasted English muffin. Great first snow breakfast!

We spent the remainder of the day running a few errands and prepping for the Movember Gala - which I'll post photos from soon.

Day 5, Cookies
Baking cookies is a tradition! And rather than waking hubs up early to bake, he ended up nibbling on the goods throughout the afternoon while watching football with the pup.

This year, I ended up baking some Caramel Blondies and Red Velvet Cookies. I had found the Red Velvet cookie recipe via twitter by following Taste of Home and I was really anxious to try them. Though good, the winner of the cookie battle were the Blondies. The caramel taste was sweet with the buttery brownie - absolutely delicious both still warm or at room temp. If you want that recipe, just let me know! Nom.

How was your weekend? Were you able to celebrate the holidays?

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Labels: 25 Days of Christmas, Blondies, Bub's Cafe, Cheese, Cookies, Eggs Benedict, Fondue, Football, Melting Pot, Movember, Red Velvet, Seafood

25 Days of Christmas - Lights & Delights

Thursday, December 2, 2010 -

Since our first holiday season together six years ago, I have given my loving hubs 25 delights each holiday season. His own personalized advent calendar is planned out (I usually start in late October, early November) focused on holiday cheer. Unfortunately, my travel schedule for work is slightly crazy this holiday season, so I've had to get creative with the planning process, especially incorporating events that are already on the calendar (holiday gathering, etc.)

You see, I over program hubs. But, he is so amazing that he goes along with it. This is one time a year where he knows he'll be programmed every day for the month, but looks forward to it (I believe he does, right hubs?!)

With his Movember 'stache, hubs and I at our first Colt's game this past weekend. Don't be confused, we are both die hard Packer fans being from the state of Wisconsin. I got that shirt for $5 and it normally stays in my pajama drawer.

Yesterday was day one, December 1. The "gift" of the day was a "Lights & Delights" evening. We were driving downtown to enjoy the Indy lights on the circle and then dinner at Tastings, where Italian was the evening's theme. This review of Tastings will be a bit different from previous review formats - just to showcase the evening delights to give you a taste of our first advent revealing!

Apertif - Cantina Del Taburno Falanghina
A glass of white wine that had a strong apple smell, but was light on the palate. It was a good thing no food was served with this wine, as I believe it would have been buried by any food flavors.

First Course - Mandra Rossa Fiano with Citrus Tuna

A stronger white wine was served with this dish, which was great as it stood up to the flavors without overwhelming. Notes of citrus were strong and it brought out the citrus of the Ahi tuna. Seared rare, the tuna was served on top of a roasted eggplant cous cous (the cous cous was essentially cooked in pureed eggplant), half wheat and half regular, then a tomato-cilantro brodo was poured over. The dish had a subtle heat and a pleasant addition of cilantro that wasn't overwhelming. It finished with a pleasant citrus taste on the palate.

Second Course - Colognolo Chianti Ruffina with Red Wine Pasta with Roasted Mushrooms & Greens

The deep smell of a Chianti was apparent, but the wine seemed like a basic Chianti to me. I loved that the wine was used to half cook the ditalini pasta (it was used to finish them to al dente after being partially cooked in salted hot water first) - brought great flavor to the dish. The basil roasted crimini mushrooms were fantastic, rich in olive oil and Italian seasonings. The chili-garlic sauteed swiss chard and Italian kale brought out the rustic element of the dish - and the aroma of the Parmesan was fantastic from the minute it was placed in front of you.

Third Course - Andrea Oberto Nebbiolo with Italian Braised Beef

A great pairing, this deep red wine stood up to the braised beef. A slow braised chuck roast, the sauce which it was cooked in was pureed and added back in to give it the most flavor. The highlight of this dish was the creamy roasted garlic polenta topped with shaved asiago. Oh gosh, highlight to it's finest. It was creamy, thick, buttery, delicious - from everything that gives those flavors (think butter, mascarpone, etc.) - I was saddened hubby was still recovering from a cold and didn't have his full taste buds to enjoy that polenta.

Fin - Tedeschi San Rocco Ripasso and Italian Cheese Tasting

My favorite dish (shocker - it has cheese) was the tasting of a creamy fontina, a slice of gorgonzola dolce and chunks of parmigiano reggiano. Two homemade jams, one rosemary-fig and the other cranberry-vanilla, were served so you could mix and match with or without the warm ciabatta toasts. It was a great tasting wine too, cleansing the palate between each cheese but really bringing the flavors forward. Fave thing? The crunch of the parmigiano reggiano in the teeth - you know it is aged well when you get that. Fave combo? The cranberry-vanilla jam with the gorgonzola dolce - divine.

Overall - a great first day of Tim's holiday advent calendar. Tonight is an Ahrens' tradition - any guesses what it may be?

3 comments

Labels: 25 Days of Christmas, Cheese, Colts, Football, Italian, Italian Wines, Polenta, Tastings, Tuna

Football Tailgating - Go Badgers!

Sunday, November 7, 2010 -

One of the many things I miss about Wisconsin is the love of football. Don't get me wrong, I know people across the country love football too, but there is something about your home state and the love you feel for your team. Though I didn't attend UofWisconsin, I am still passionate about the University. I'll wear red with pride - and I was able to do so with friends on Saturday when Purdue University played Madison. Note: I attended the University of Massachusetts, but alas, football wasn't very big there which was a huge shock for this Green Bay girl who loves football (Go Pack Go!) But no worries, I still had a great time supporting UMass!!

It really was a great game. I say this not only because the Badgers dominated, but because of great friends, good food and drinks, and overall just a great time tailgating. We arrived early and ate so many maple sausages I can't even tell you, then stayed after the game for some bratwursts, hot dogs and hamburgers. Here is a photo recap to show you the fun: