So what does that mean for the rest of us ? Super Bowl Parties and Game Day Menus – that’s what it means. I have seen some blogs here and some buzzes there asking about what to make so I thought that it was once again time for me to share my pre-game menu. This is still the planning stage and there will be some late additions & subtractions and not every dish will make the cut but this is the list that I will start working off of over the next few days.

Now for those of you who don’t know or remember, I have a standing agreement with my wife & kids on Super Bowl Sunday. After breakfast, they leave and don’t come back until an hour or so before kickoff. That leaves me the whole day to do some last minute shopping, some prepping and a whole lot of cooking. Based on past experiences there will be something that is new & great, there will be something that falls flat on it’s face, there will be something that was never on the menu to begin with and there will be plenty of leftovers to supplement dinner with for the next week or so. With all that in mind, let’s review the Game Day Menu items that are currently under consideration.

ALLIGATOR CHILI – this dish first made an appearance at the 2006 Super Bowl and is a stone cold lock to be made again this year. In fact, my order of fresh gator meat is on it’s way from www.cajungrocer.com as we type.

– blatant plug to watch the “What’s Cooking ?” video I shot with Michael Ketchum where we actually made some of the chili.

BASIC CORN MUFFINS – I make them almost every time I make the chili. I’ll most likely make mini-muffins

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/basic-corn-muffins/detail.aspx

HONEY LIME CHICKEN WINGS – my wife requested a different spin on chicken wings this year so rather than use my wing sauce/orange juice/key lime mustard/honey mixture, I’m going to try the recipe that popped up on the Recipe of the Day the other day. I will most likely bake instead of fry too since I am being so health conscious these days. (I’ll also probably sneak some tequila into the marinade for a little extra kick)

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/honey-lime-chicken-wings/detail.aspx

RIBS OR MINI LAMB CHOPS – this request comes from my 6 year old who just loves to gnaw meat off of a bone. I swear he was a wolf in a past life based on the way he growls at me when he is eating and when we are wrestling. In either case, it will be a very straight forward preparation with virtually no sauce or seasoning. Just the way he likes them. (I’ll also boil some corn on the cob for him – he makes cartoon crows look like slackers when it comes to eating corn on the cob)

CHEDDAR BACON DEVILED EGGS – shredded cheddar, crumbled bacon, mustard, hot sauce, salt & pepper with a dash of smoked paprika for color at the end. Always a favorite and I can never make too much of these.

TEXAS CRABGRASS – this crab & spinach dip has been a favorite of mine for some time and it has been the base & inspiration for many a tangential dip – I have a tendency to free style. I am already thinking of how to change this one and I am thinking about adding some scallops so it is more of a crab & scallop dish. (It’s faceless too – I may have to do it just for that reason alone)

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/texas-crabgrass/detail.aspx

COCONUT CHILI CRAWFISH CUPS – this one came to me two weeks ago from the bottom of the culinary rut I was in and it was the game day MVP. I saw a bottle for Frank’s Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce in my fridge and a light went off. (In my head – not the fridge – I changed that one last week) It’s 1lb of crawfish tails lightly sautéed in some butter, salt & pepper and then mixed with sweet chili sauce and a handful or two of dried coconut flakes. Then you put a small scoop of cream cheese (I used Neufchatel for the healthy aspect) in the bottom of each phyllo cup and then piled the crawfish mixture on top. Into the oven for no more than 10 minutes at 350 to brown the cups and melt the cream cheese a little and they are good to go. (I would post a picture at this point but I don’t know how to in the middle of a blog so you will have to go to the bottom to see them)

PEAR GORGONZOLA PIZZA – now this is another recent Recipe of the Day that caught my eye. Whether I make it or even follow the recipe is up for debate. I do have a frozen pizza crust in the basement freezer that I could use but I have to admit that I am already thinking of changing this one to more of a Cheddar Apple Horseradish Flatbread. I did something like it 3 years ago for New Year’s Eve but I was using crispy cornbread crackers as my base back then.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/pear-and-gorgonzola-cheese-pizza/detail.aspx

FISH TACO or PANINI STYLE SANDWICH – I usually have one of the other. Last year I made a Cherry Balsamic Duck & Spinach Panini with Goat Cheese that was out of this world so I may have to go Fish Taco this year. Of course I did some really awesome chicken thighs in a very citrusy way that could make me think chicken taco. I don’t know. This one has me a bit perplexed.

FRIED/SCRAMBLED EGGS BENEDICT – Long Shot. I’ll admit it. Eggs Benny made last year’s pre-game menu and then never got dressed for the game. I did make this two weeks ago for the conference championship games but I used Thomas’ new corn English muffins, Canadian bacon, both fried & scrambled eggs, some leftover crawfish from the cups above and a cheese sauce that was actually reduced Cheesy Veggie Soup ( http://allrecipes.com/recipe/cheesy-veggie-soup/detail.aspx ). They were great but I’m just not sure if I really need them. If I do make them, I have to figure out a way to make a mango cream sauce instead. (Picture at the bottom)

GUACAMOLE – is being handled by Caty24 (thanks to all for your great comments & encouragement on her first blog last week – APPLE PIE FOR BREAKFAST) She will be making my wife’s version of Guacamole.

http://allrecipes.com/personalrecipe/62621434/moms-awesome-guacamole/detail.aspx

BLUEBERRY PIE – my wife is going to make a blueberry pie. She’s never made one before but the success that she has had these past 2 weeks making apple pie has emboldened her to try and with blueberries being somewhat of a New England treat it can count as our Patriots entry.

CINNAMON RAISIN BAGEL BREAD PUDDING – Bagels, how much more New York can you get ? I suppose I could go find a place that is making Blue Bagels for the game (Blue Crust Pizza too) but I’m not a Giants fan. I’m thinking that maybe I mix in some Empire (StateBuilding) Apples and make it a truly New York dish. I haven’t researched any bread pudding recipes yet but I am sure I can one that will allow me to switch in bagels for bread.

So that is the Game Plan for the Super Bowl Menu for now. All items (well not the gator chili or the crawfish cups) are subject to possible change and as always, I am more than open to any suggestions or helpful hints you may have for me. Thanks in advance for your help.

Come back next time when we talk about Super Bowl Food, Super Bowl Commercials and the Super Bowl Halftime Show featuring a headliner who has been around as long as that bottle of mustard in the back of a non-cooking bachelor’s fridge because Lord knows, I am not going to want to talk about the game. (I don’t like either team just in case you didn’t already know that)

From a very simple standpoint it comes from the fact that I say Mornin’ to every person I pass or passes me on the train platform. I never say Good Morning because I don’t know if it’s good for them or not and frankly I don’t care. I guess I dropped the G in morning (which bugs my wonderful wife to no end) out of laziness but Mornin’ just seems more like me. I know it annoys some people on the platform but that’s okay with me because there is actually a deeper meaning to why I do what I do.

I have been commuting out of the same train station for the past 15 years. I have seen a lot of people come and a lot of people go. In my first few years commuting I didn’t care about anything other than getting a good seat on a crappy train. Then 9/11 happened and everything changed. Faces that I had seen but not seen were gone for good. People I knew but didn’t know were simply no longer there. About a month after 9/11 a woman I had a vague recollection of seeing before came up to me to say that she was glad to see me since she hadn’t seen me since that fateful day. I don’t remember if I ever saw her again but it was then that I decided to start acknowledging everyone on the platform. I started giving everyone their own name. They all unknowingly became a part of my extended commuting family.

So if you happen to be on the train platform and the guy with the trenchcoat, blackberry & sunglasses says “Mornin” to you, it’s just me and despite my outward demeanor, I’m actually glad to see you.

Dr. Greenberg
Hopalong
The Swedish Cyclist
Fast Moving Blonde
Herman Munster
The Seat Stalker
Moishe
Cary Granite
Sheryl Crow
The Sisters
Talkative Robert
Eggy
And Bob

New people annoy me every day so I am sure that there will be more names to add to the list. Now I just need to start writing about them. It’s not like I have anything else to do this week or next week. (MT140 5.0)

At least I’m getting paid.

American Foodball Conference

Baltimore Ravens at New England Patriots – Sunday at 3pm eastern

The Ravens should have been one of my picks to make it to the Souper Bowl. They had an up & coming young quarterback who looked to be on the edge of stardom. A running back with a food related last name who could slip through cracks in the defensive line as well being a punisher. They had a receiving corp that while unspectacular at first glance could bring the ball in and finally they had a defense, led by alleged convict at linebacker, that was still among the most feared in the league.

The Patriots were the Patriots and they were not happy about their recent lack of playoff success. They were led by the Walking Talking Touchdown Tossing Ken Doll at quarterback. They had a running back with a name like a law firm. An undersized receiver that no one in the league wanted and now no one can stop. They had a pair of tight ends like no others ever seen in NFL history and let’s be honest, the less said about the defense, the better. I never thought they would get as far as they did (even though when I look back I see I had them losing in this round).

Now that the American Foodball Conference Championship game is here we have seen that little has changed. The Ravens quarterback, Joe Flacco, has been less than spectacular this year but it hasn’t mattered because the team has won. They played smash mouth football and dispatched the Texans in the Divisional Playoff round. They have beaten the Patriots before and are certainly capable of doing it again. The Patriots once again have an offense that scores in bunches. They seem to play with the old AFL philosophy of keep scoring & scoring and to hell with the defense (unless of course they are playing against Tebow & my Broncos – then they turn into 11 All Pro defensive players).

Now when I think of Baltimore I think of Crabs and when I think of New England I think of Chowder. It’s going to be cold in New England and what better way to get to the Souper Bowl than with a warm bowl of soup. So I decided for this round of the National Foodball League Playoffs, we would put up Soup vs Soup. For the Ravens I picked Old School Baltimore Crab Soup (http://allrecipes.com/recipe/old-school-baltimore-crab-soup/detail.aspx) – a relative newcomer to the AllRecipes family but one that has been accepted well. For the Patriots, rather than go with a basic New England Clam Chowder, I decided to give it a twist, much like the Patriots offense, and I chose Marilyn’s Cheesy Clam Chowder (http://allrecipes.com/recipe/Marilyns-Cheesy-Clam-Chowder/Detail.aspx?prop31=3). This was soup that my wife craved during two of her three pregnancies and those kids didn’t turn out so bad so I think it is still a solid though unconventional choice. In fact if I were just picking this game on food alone, I would probably pick New England but I am not picking it on food, I am picking it on football. So while the Patriots may be favored, I looking at Baltimore to make it to the big game in Indy on February 5.

National Foodball Conference

New York Giants vs San Francisco Giants – Sunday at 6:30pm

I’ll admit it. I dismissed both of these teams without a second thought at the beginning of the season. I compared the Giants to a lukewarm overrated hot dog and said the Forty Niners were more like ripple than chardonnay. Guess I got those two wrong but then again so did a lot of other supposed football experts. So let’s re-evaulate these teams and give them some food that is a little more to their credit.

The Giants have Eli Manning. Not a sentence that would usually strike fear into an opponent. At least not until the fourth quarter when Eli flips a switch and suddenly becomes the second coming of John Elway. No quarterback in the league led his team to more come from behind victories this year than Eli – not even Tebow. They also have a receiver with freakishly large hands and another one who seems to shimmy & salsa his way into the end zone whenever the team needs a big play. Let’s not forget that they have a defensive line that just crushes quarterbacks too.

The Forty Niners have a quarterback that most people assumed was a busted draft pick a few years back who played steadily all season and came into his own with a magical and unexpected 28 yard touchdown scamper last week against the Saints. His running backs produced, his receivers caught the ball and his tight end finally lived up to his hype. The defense didn’t give up a rushing touchdown until the second last week of the season and like the Giants, they know how to hit. The Niners also have a new coach who knows how and wants to win. They were the class of the NFC West from Week 1.

Now when I think of the Giants, I think of bagels, dirty water hot dogs and piles of pastrami but in keeping with the Souper Bowl theme, I am going to have to go with a classic Manhattan Style Clam Chowder (http://allrecipes.com/recipe/Manhattan-Style-Clam-Chowder/Detail.aspx?prop31=2). It’s bold, it’s zesty and it delivers. When I think of the Niners, I think of Fisherman’s Wharf and all of the excellent seafood you can get there so I was about to pick a Cioppino but seeing as how I think the Niners are going to beat the Giants, I picked San Francisco Sourdough Bread (http://allrecipes.com/recipe/San-Francisco-Sourdough-Bread/Detail.aspx?prop31=2) so the Niners and their fans can sop up the leftover Eli Chowder.

So there you have it, on February 5 it will be the Baltimore Ravens vs the San Francisco Forty Niners in Souper Bowl XLVI. Come back next time when we review how right or wrong I was with my predictions.

These are just a few of the characters I commute with on a daily basis. Each one has a story associated with their name and I will share them all over the next few weeks.

I love to cook. I always have. My family loves it when I cook and I love to cook for them. It’s just that recently I haven’t felt the fire that I need to finish off some of the half baked ideas I used to have almost every time I walked into the kitchen. I have a 9 foot by 4 foot spice rack that is full to overflowing and when I look at it, I see nothing. When I open the fridge, I see jars & bottle of different sauces & spreads and I yawn. When I look in the fridge or freezer, I see cut after cut of meat or fish and I think about takeout. The Super Bowl is a little over 17 days away and I haven’t even begun to think about my game day menu and if you know me, you know that is bad. I’m not even sure if I have the alligator in the freezer that I will need for my mandatory & much requested alligator chili. So yeah, I am in a culinary rut.

I am sure that I can put some of the blame on the lifestyle change I was forced to make last spring when my doctor sent me to my room without dessert and I am sure I can put some of the blame on the DIE-t I went on to go with that lifestyle change. Sure I lost 48 lbs and now I can eat just about anything I want any time I want (within reason) but even that hasn’t inspired me to get wild & crazy in the kitchen. I guess I feel like a part of me has an out of order sign hanging on me and the service person keeps having to re-schedule.

Slow cooker recipes bore me. Cookies were fun for a while but the holidays are over. I can only justify cookies as donations to food banks and I can’t justify them for myself. I haven’t been traveling anywhere new so I haven’t had a chance to try some new dishes that I can try to spin at home. I haven’t tried out for CHOPPED or had my wife & kids hit me with a mystery basket full of bizarre ingredients. I was hoping that the NFL playoffs would inspire me but most of the teams with interesting cuisines got eliminated already and I am not all that inspired by the food of Baltimore, New England & New York though I can most certainly play with San Francisco. Even my writing feels a bit like limp overcooked pasta to me.

So what do I do ? What do you do when you are stuck in a culinary rut ? How do you get excited about being in the kitchen again. I generally hate blogs that ask a question but I am tuck so I am all ears, eyes & tastebuds for any idea you may have no matter how outlandish. If you know me, you know I will try most anything (within reason).

So come back next time when hopefully I will be out of my culinary (and literary) rut and we will be discussing the incredible Super Bowl Menu that you all have inspired me to create.

Two weeks ago I was told I would know the following week.

Last week I was told I would know this week.

This week I was told I would know next week.

Next week I will be lied to again.

I grew up in the northeast. I played hockey on an outdoor rink from the time I learned to skate right through high school. I learned to ski in Vermont. I went to college in Vermont. After college I lived in Denver. I was never really out of the cold. My body got used to it and accepted it. Then I moved to California.

It was never cold in California. It was then that my thick arctic blood began to thin. When I eventually moved back east, i bought a heavy winter overcoat. I started to gain weight. I built up a layer of insulation on the outside to help keep my insides warm. When I was told last year by my doctor that was going to need to lose weight or else, I lost the weight but I never thought about the chilling consequences that would come with my weight loss. That is, I never thought about them much until this week when it got cold. Now I am convinced that living a softer life turned me soft & my blood then. I am going to have to toughen up and thicken my blood soon because winter has only just begun.

Here’s to staying warm without an overcoat !

Now to see if this “resolution” is like all the others I make each year.