10 Food-Ball Thunks About The Super Bowl

Two weeks ago in the Mile High City, Peyton Manning “Omaha-ed” the Denver Broncos to a victory over the Walking Talking Touchdown Tossing Ken Doll (who is now paddleboarding in Costa Rica with Barbie) & the New England Patriots in the American Food-Ball Conference Championship Game. While up in the louder than an airplane taking off home of “The 12^th Man”, Richard Sherman deflected away Colin Kaepernick’s final pass in the Seahawks’ end zone and sparked a controversy when his mouth began to celebrate before his head could catch up with it in National Food-Ball Conference Championship Game. What that all means is that it’s “Mann vs Mouth” (with credit to the New York Post) in Super Bowl XLVIII – The Denver Broncos vs The Seattle Seahawks.

 

As a longtime Denver Broncos fan, I remember when the Seattle Seahawks played in the AFC West. I was never a fan of Jim Zorn, Steve Largent, Dave Krieg, Curt Warner or least of all Brian Bosworth. (Does he still have Bo Jackson’s footprint on his chest ?) I didn’t hate the the Seahawks like I did the Raiders, Chiefs & Chargers, they just annoyed me. I have to admit I was glad when they were moved to the NFC in the most recent expansion realignment. My disdain for the franchise had remained dormant until now. Now the Seahawks are my mortal enemy again and they are all that is standing in the way of a Denver Broncos Super Bowl victory on Sunday. So with a tip of the chef’s toque to the Monday Morning Quarterback himself, Peter King @SI_PeterKing on Twitter, let’s get to 10 Food-Ball Thunks About The Super Bowl.

 

1. Every year I try to come up with dishes to represent the two teams playing in the Super Bowl. In the earlier rounds of the playoffs I pick more whimsical recipes in part to spark controversy & to play on stereotypes. Come Super Bowl however, I pick recipes that I am actually going to make & eat so I try to come up with something good. When I first moved to Denver in 1982 the closest I came to Mexican food was driving past Taco Bell. The guys in my office used to take me to The Riv off of Colorado Boulevard once a week just to see me sweat. So for the Denver Broncos I am thinking of taking a Phyllo Cup and filling it with first a scoop of a Spicy Denver Omelet, then topping that with a scoop of Buffalo Burger, some Mexican 3 Cheese Mix and then tossing the whole tray under the broiler. Maybe top it with a scoop of guacamole at the end.

2. When people stereotypically think of Seattle, they think of throwing & catching salmon, starbucks & coffee, McDreamy & McSteamy and the color Black but Seattle and the state of Washington are so much more. The food scene is over the top and don’t forget about the incredible apple & cheery crops growing out in the eastern part of the state. With all that in mind and far too much time on a train in the morning to think, I have decided to roast chunks of salmon on a wire rack and to marinate & glaze them in a Cherry & Wine sauce using a chardonnay (white with fish) from a local Washington vineyard like Chateau St. Michelle. In a tribute to the “Legion of Boom”, I will have to kick it up just a notch at the end….but not too much.

3. Other Super Bowl menu items will include standards like Chicken Wings, Ribs, Deviled Eggs with Cheddar & Bacon, some sort of dip and of course, Alligator Chili. I did have someone review my Coconut Conch Chowder recipe the other day and while I don’t have any conch this year in the freezer, I did just get 10lbs of frozen crawfish tails sent to me from Louisiana. Of course I will be making a few items from the RITZ Recipe Collection and there will be other items too that I will reveal on Game Day as I make them.

4. You heard it here first. The Polar Vortex is moving out and the weather will not be a factor in this game. The only thing the two teams may have to worry about are the swirling winds in Giants Stadium but both quarterbacks played here this year (both beat the Giants handily) so that shouldn’t be much of a factor. Both kickers have guns for legs so I am not worried about them either.

5. The Seahawks & Broncos have actually already played this season. They met back in the very first week of preseason when the guys the Seahawks were going to cut beat the guys the Broncos were going to cut by a score of 40-10. It meant nothing then and it means nothing now.

6. No one cared about the Super Bowl commercials until 1984 when Apple made a commercial that never mentioned their product but is still talked about today. Now you can see teasers for commercials on every social media outlet known to mankind before the game. Can’t say that I am looking forward to any one commercial in particular but I am sure there will be more than few that will make me say, “$4 million for that ?”

7. When I first moved to Denver, John Elway still belonged to the Baltimore Colts and was playing baseball in the minor leagues for the Yankees and George Steinbrenner. I wasn’t an Elway fan at all. He went to Stanford & my Mom went to Cal. (Go Bears !) Now I believe in “Elwayism”. When I die, I believe that John Elway himself will throw my soul into heaven.

8. Yes, I will be wearing my John Elway apron when I am cook on Sunday.

9. I can’t wear my jersey on Game Day. Bad Luck. I can only wear team colors. This year the lucky shirt & shorts have been a blue & orange tee shirt from Maui and orange running shorts. I have only worn them during games and have yet to wash them. Superstition – it’s only crazy if it doesn’t work.

10. I flew last week for the first time this year. The only thing that has changed is that more people who have no clue what they are doing have been granted TSA Pre-Check status. This hasn’t made the process of flying any easier, faster or safer for frequent fliers like me. I also learned last week that if a “deadheading” pilot has to sit in a middle seat, he gets paid 50% of his hourly wage as compensation. I offered to change seats with the disgruntled pilot in the middle seat for half of his 50% but he said no. Guess sitting in the middle isn’t so bad after all. Speaking of middle seats, based on their commercial, Expedia can get you the middle seat in the last row of coach and you have to pay for your bag to be checked. Is this really an ad for orbitz or Travelocity.

11. (because I can’t count) Back in 1990 I flew on Alaska Airlines from Oakland to Seattle. My plane was called Seahawk One and I sat in a seat that was reserved for the Linebackers Coach. The flight was on time but it may have been the most miserable flight of my life.

12. (why not an even dozen) If it hadn’t been for a recent basement remodel and three bathrooms needing to be redone, I might have tried to get tickets for the Super Bowl. To be honest, I would rather my first Super Bowl be somewhere warm like New Orleans or San Diego. I have been to Giants Stadium and it doesn’t excite me. Neither does an average ticket price of $3,600 and rising with the temperature.

13. (a Baker’s Dozen is even better & 13 is our family’s lucky number) My prediction for the game – It’s the best offense against the best defense and in most cases, the best defense usually wins. However, the Seahawks haven’t faced a team with as many offensive weapons as the Broncos have. The Broncos not only have Peyton Manning calling the plays/audibles at the line of scrimmage but they also have four receivers who all scored 10 or more touchdowns and they also have two running backs who can ground & pound as well as catch the ball. The Legion of Boom is going to have their hands full trying to cover everyone. When the Seahawks have the ball, quarterback Russell Wilson has Marshawn “Beast Mode” Lynch to hand off to and a nice collection of receivers to throw to. The Broncos have to contain Wilson when he drops back to pass because he can scramble. The Broncos weakness has been their defensive secondary so if Wilson can evade the pass rush and find his receivers downfield, it could be long game for my Broncos. However I see it coming down to late in the game and Steven Hauschka kicks a long field goal to take a 26-24 lead but hold on, here comes Peyton Manning and with less than 2 minutes to go he finds Julius Thomas in the end zone for a 31-26 lead. The final Hail Mary pass from the Seahawks will get knocked down in the end zone and the Broncos will win their third Super Bowl.

So give me your menu & prediction if you want and next time we can all talk about how right I was.

Go Broncos !

(Sorry Seattle)

The #RITZNYBlitz Recipe Review

The Countdown Clocks to the Big Game are winding down. The temperature in New York City has bottomed out and is starting to head back up. Broadway has been turned into “Super Bowl Boulevard” and there is even a 60 foot high by 180 foot long “Toboggan Run” that can be ridden for $5 a ride. Yes, the Big Game is almost upon us so that means it’s time to start finalizing your Game Day Menus. So why not consider some of the incredible #RITZNYBlitz recipes available within the RITZ Recipe Collection at Allrecipes.com that were conceived & developed by my fellow Allrecipes All Stars and a few of New York City’s most iconic restaurants? I know I plan on making more than a few of them myself.

 The All Star Recipes and the blogs behind them can all be found right here:

 RITZ Pushcart Hot Dog Bites created by My Recipe Journey

 RITZ Cuban Minis created by Renee’s Kitchen Adventures

 RITZ “Everything” Bites with Lox & Schmear created by Country Girl Gourmet

 RITZ Fried Raviolis created by Flavor Mosaic

 RITZ Hazelnut Gelato Sandwich created by The 7up Experience

 RITZ Spicy Asian Wings created by Life Tastes Good

 RITZ New York-style Mini Crumb Cheesecakes created by The Life & Loves of Grumpy’s Honeybunch

 And RITZ Steakhouse Bites created by Behind The Shades

 The iconic New York restaurant recipes from the #RITZNYBlitz collection can all be found right here:

 RITZ Pastrami & Corned Beef Mini Sandwich created by Carnegie Deli

 RITZ Country Fried Ribs with Zesty Buttermilk Ranch Dressing created by Dinosaur Bar-B-Que (and blogged about by me here)

 RITZ White Pizza Meatball Dip created by Lombardi’s Pizza

 RITZ Humble Pie with Peanut Butter Mousse created by Serendipity 3

 It’s going to be an exciting game so why not add some excitement to your Game Day spread. I know it’s been fun for me to help create & promote these recipes and I hope it will be fun for you to make & eat them too.

 Go Broncos !

 (Sorry Seattle)

 I participated in a campaign on behalf of RITZ Crackers. I received a sample to facilitate my review as well as a promotional item as a thank-you for participating.

I am an Allrecipes Allstar brand ambassador (a voluntary position) and I’m not
compensated for my work with Allrecipes.com.

Products received from advertiser are only used for experienced-based reviews
on BEHIND THE SHADES. The reviews, content and opinions expressed in this blog are purely the sole opinions of Doug Matthews.
http://allrecipes.com/howto/allrecipes-allstars/detail.aspx

The National Food-Ball League Conference Championships

Getting to the Conference Championship games in the National Food-Ball League Playoffs is a lot like having a Soufflé in the oven. You have put a lot of work into this masterpiece of yours and you are just one step away from achieving either glory or gloop. This Sunday the Denver Broncos, New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers will be putting their recipes to the test. And now I am here once again to give you some insights as to Who will win & Who will flop and what kind of food best goes which each team on this our final weekend of real football (the Pro Bowl NEVER counts) in the National Food-Ball League.

 

Last week in the Divisional Round my heart got one game out of four right while my head predicted the eventual winner in each game. The favorites all won, sorry Carolina fans  – you really weren’t expected to win that game, and the National Food-Ball League got a final four teams that any combination thereof would be able to spin the resulting media out of control for two weeks. Ultimately what the National Food-Ball League will get is a matchup between one of the greatest old school quarterbacks versus one of the best new school quarterbacks. It’s almost like a battle of Comfort Food vs Nouvelle Cuisine and that’s how we are going to look at the matchups here.

 

AMERICAN FOOD-BALL CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS

 

New England Patriots at Denver Broncos

 

(If you only want to talk food, skip to the next paragraph) Just in case you have been hiding under a rock this past week, this will be the 15^th time that Peyton Manning has faced off against the Walking Talking Touchdown Tossing Ken Doll and the 4^th time that they have met in the playoffs. The Walking Talking Touchdown Tossing Ken Doll does hold the advantage in the playoffs and does hold a 3-1 lead in Super Bowl rings but all that goes out the window this coming Sunday when these quarterbacks quit facing off in the media and get to settling things on the field. Now football games aren’t won at just one position and it’s very true for these two teams. While New England may have one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game, they also have a hoodie wearing coach who may look like he is down to his last dollar but he is one who knows how to stretch & get the most out of the talent he has available. At the beginning of the season, no one knew who was going to catch the ball. Now that they are one game away from the Souper Bowl, everyone knows that the Patriots have people who can & do catch the ball but they still don’t know their names. I don’t think the average football fan could have named even one of the Patriots running backs but last week LeGarette Blount scored 4 touchdowns and now everyone in Boston can’t forget him. The Patriots defense is forgettable in that no one is anyone you have ever heard of but they can be thrown on and throwing the ball is what Peyton Manning does best. He has four of the best pass catchers in the game and a 1-2 punch in the backfield with Moreno & Ball that led the Broncos to a record number of points this year. Scoring will not be an issue on Sunday for the Broncos. Stopping the Patriots may however be a little more troublesome. I haven’t been sold on the Broncos defense all year and with injuries to the line & secondary in the past few weeks, they have become even scarier to watch. No lead is safe.

But let’s get to the FOOD, shall we ? The Patriots really have been the equivalent of a boiled/steamed/broiled lobster for quite some time. Its that one dish that is always looked up to more for its pedigree than its actual taste. Then one day you realize that you are sick of lobster and it is not what you want anymore no matter how much someone tries to push it on you. That’s how the Patriots are with me and I am sure with a lot of you too. That is why I am going to pull out an old tried & true insults recipe that worked last year when the Baltimore Ravens beat the Patriots to get to the Souper Bowl. It seems that the Walking Talking Touchdown Tossing Ken Doll lives part of the year with his Barbie Doll wife in New York. That is almost as bad as having a Red Sox fan be the Mayor of New York (Looking at you Bill deBlasio). So when it comes to the Patriots (again this year), I am going to have a nice Manhattan Style Clam Chowder represent them at the table. As for the Broncos, well last week taking a bold dish that spoke for itself like Elk Chili worked as the Broncos vanquished those nasty catfish (thank you gderr) tacos also known as the San Diego Chargers. Well this week the Broncos are again going to need to be represented by something bold yet familiar. Something that is powerful in its ability to strike. This week my Denver Broncos are going to be represented by a big bowl of Rattlesnake Chili. (Quick – someone send me a recipe) It should be a great game but I am leaning (in a very biased fashion) toward Denver beating New England.

 

NATIONAL FOOD-BALL CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP

 

San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks

 

There are some people I have heard say that this game is the real Souper Bowl and that the game in two weeks will be anti-climactic in comparison. I will say that this does line up to be one hell of a game. The two teams met twice during the regular season and each team won at home. This game is in Seattle inside a stadium that has been dubbed the loudest stadium in football. Even ESPN Sports Science looks into it this claim and found that during games not only does it get louder than standing next to an airplane at takeoff but that the fans have actually been responsible for a few minor earthquakes. (It should be noted that touchdown runs by Marshawn Lynch caused both of those) The 49ers however won’t be impressed or intimidated. This team has already gone conquered Mount Lombadi and thrown Cam to his own Panthers in his own den. The 12^th Man & The Hawks Nest are just what the Niners want to see. They are essentially the same team that made it to New Orleans last year and Colin Kaepernick is playing like he wants to come to New York this year. Of course the Seahawks will have a lot to say about. Their quarterback, the undersized Russell Wilson, has won 15 of the 16 games he has started in Seattle. The Seahawks play like beasts at home and they have one of the more intimidating defensive secondaries in pro football. They do however have a small chink in their armor in that in recent weeks, Wilson has looked human and the Seahawks did lose at home. Will any of that matter though when they kickoff on Sunday night ?

 

The 49ers are more than just a San Francisco treat and Rice-a-Roni would never do as a food representative for this great city. When I lived in the Bay Area back in the late 1980’s & early 1990’s there was a great steakhouse by the name of IZZY’s that I would love to use here but I am saving the steakhouse references for the Souper Bowl. Instead, I am going to stick with what got the Niners where they are today – a nice complex bowl of Cioppino and some Sourdough Bread. The Seahawks need something a little more. Seattle is a home to some real groundbreaking cuisine and Pike Place Market is wonderful place to visit & snack. When I think of Washington, I think of Apples, Cherries, Coffee & Salmon. I love all of them. Maybe I’m missing it somewhere but while I love to rub my salmon with RUB WITH LOVE from Etta’s, I have yet to find a coffee rubbed salmon. So that is what I would love to have someone come up with for this game, a Coffee Salmon with some sort of apple/cherry dessert. As for who wins ? My head says Seattle but my heart, which I left there for a little while back in 1991, says San Francisco.

 

Am I right ? Am I wrong ? Do you have better foods to represent your team ? Are you starting to plan your Souper Bowl Menu too ? Let me know and we will be back next week and the week after to not only talk football but to more importantly talk FOOD-BALL.

RITZ Country Fried Ribs with Zesty Buttermilk Dressing #RITZNYBlitz

I almost never fry food. It’s not that I don’t like fried food, everyone does. (It’s just that I am not very good at frying anything other than a couple of eggs and if you have seen any of my recent egg flipping VINE videos you may even question whether I can do that correctly. When it comes to Ribs, I am low & slow cook in the oven and then eat them with sauce all over your fingers & face kind of guy. So the concept of RITZ Country Fried Ribs both scared me a little & confused me…a lot.

Now when RITZ decided to get involved with the Big Game coming to New York City in the first weekend of February, they partnered with various iconic restaurants in the New York area and asked them, like they did with the Allrecipes Allstars, to come up with a spin on one of their dishes. Then each of the Allrecipes Allstars was paired with one of the restaurants. I got the famous Dinosaur Bar-B-Que Restaurant (started in Syracuse, NY and now here in NYC) and their recipe for RITZ Country Fried Ribs with Zesty Buttermilk Dressing.

I have to say that I was more than pleasantly surprised by my results with these ribs and not just because I didn’t mess up the frying for once. The RITZ Cracker coating was light & very flavorful. If anything, you could have actually added the Cajun seasoning to the coating instead of dusting it like the recipe calls for you to do. The coating held well to the ribs during the frying process and its coloring was rich golden brown. I think the Zesty Buttermilk Dressing could have been a little thicker & a little zestier but those are both changes that the home cook can make without having to think about it too much. I know that the next time that I make these particular ribs, I am going to add a little chipotle seasoning to the dipping sauce since I like a little more kick.

So RITZ Country Fried Ribs with Zesty Buttermilk Dressing are now a part of my GAME DAY MENU repertoire and now you can make them part of yours too. You can watch the video on how to make them right here. Fried Ribs aren’t really as different as they may seem.

You can see all of the #RITZNYBlitz recipes by visiting the RITZ Recipe Collection or Game Day Hub on Allrecipes.com

http://allrecipes.com/Recipes/Trusted-Brands-Recipes-and-Tips/RITZ/Main.aspx

and you can read about & find more RITZ Cracker recipes from the Allrecipes Allstars by clicking on the blog links below (and I will update the links as the blogs get written):

RITZ “Everything” Bites with Lox & Schmear

http://countrygirlgourmet.com/2014/01/09/new-york-city-lox-and-schmear-bagel-in-a-bite/

RITZ Steakhouse Bites

https://swampynomo.wordpress.com/2014/01/08/introducing-ritz-steakhouse-bites/

RITZ Cuban Minis

http://www.reneeskitchenadventures.com/2014/01/ritz-cuban-minis.html

RITZ Spicy Asian Wings

http://ourlifetastesgood.blogspot.com/2014/01/ritz-spicy-asian-wings.html

RITZ Push-Cart Hot Dog Bites

http://myrecipejourney-lillian.blogspot.com/

RECIPE BLOGS STILL TO COME

RITZ Fried Ravioli

http://flavormosaic.com/

RITZ New York-style Mini Crumb Cheesecakes

http://www.grumpyshoneybunch.com/#axzz2q6riWHp8

and RITZ Hazelnut Gelato Sandwich

http://the7upexperience.blogspot.com/

I participated in a campaign on behalf of RITZ Crackers. I received a sample to facilitate my review as well as a promotional item as a thank-you for participating.

I am an Allrecipes Allstar brand ambassador (a voluntary position) and I’m not
compensated for my work with Allrecipes.com.

Products received from advertiser are only used for experienced-based reviews
on Behind The Shades. The reviews, content and opinions expressed in this blog are purely the sole opinions of DOUG MATTHEWS.
http://allrecipes.com/howto/allrecipes-allstars/detail.aspx

The National Food-Ball League Playoffs – Divisional Round

Last week in the Wild Card Round of the National Food-Ball League Playoffs (where yes, they actually compete to win) the Indianapolis Colts, New Orleans Saints, San Diego Chargers & San Francisco 49ers all came away victorious. That meant that I was perfect with my picks on Saturday and perfectly awful with my picks on Sunday. They say you can’t win them all and that is probably why the Las Vegas Casinos throw a ticker tape parade whenever I come to town but that is neither here nor there and irrelevant to this story. It also means that we are a week closer to determining who is going to wind up playing outside in Giants Stadium on that first Sunday in February.

Now if the Souper Bowl had been played this week, the Polar Vortex that gripped the nation would have been quite a factor in the game. I can tell you from personally pounding the streets of Manhattan that it was cold and the wind was fierce. In fact, with conditions like the ones we had this week, soup was on the menu at lunch just about every day, which led me to consider various types of soup when I started previewing the matchups this week in the National Food-Ball League Divisional Playoffs. So without further ado, let’s break out the ladle & bowls and start dishing on the games. (Boy did that ever sound cheesy) 

Saturday January 11

 New Orleans Saints at Seattle Seahawks

 Who Dat think they going to beat The 12^th Man ? This is a re-match of a midseason blowout where the Seahawks dismantled the Saints like a fishmonger dismantles a salmon down at The Pike Place Market. Last week however, the Saints broke a franchise long losing streak of road playoff games by winning in Philadelphia so the Saints are on a high. The Seahawks have looked somewhat human over the last few weeks but the week off and the controversy over Marshawn Lynch not speaking enough to the media are really all the fuel that Russell Wilson and the rest of the Seahawks will need. While I do love me some Gumbo of just about every shape, flavor & size I do feel that the Salmon Chowder that the 12^th Man will be bringing in from the tailgating parking lots is going to seeing the next round of the playoffs.

 Indianapolis Colts at New England Patriots

 The chic pick by so-called Football experts is the Colts. Everyone fell in love with their wild second half comeback last week against the hated (by me) Kansas City Chiefs but now they have to come to Foxboro to face the Walking Talking Touchdown Tossing Ken Doll Quarterback & his Hoodie wearing coach. The quarterback of the Colts may be named Luck but in New England his luck is going to run out. The ball won’t bounce off the turf & directly into his hands like it did last week on the game winning touchdown. In Foxboro, the Gods of Football tilt the field in one direction and one direction only. (I still don’t know how Baltimore won last year) So you can pair that Breaded Pork Tenderloin Sandwich from Indiana that I heard so much about in the comments last week with just about any soup out there and it isn’t going to beat the good old fashioned creamy thick New England Clam Chowder that Giselle will be serving up after the game.

 Sunday January 12

San Francisco 49ers at Carolina Panthers

At the beginning of the season no one could have seen this game coming. The Carolina Panthers were not a team on anyone’s radar other than a North Carolina State Trooper’s. The 49ers were the defending NFC Champions and were expected to waltz easily to the Championship Game. Funny thing happened, they actually played the season and during the season, the Panthers even beat the Niners in San Francisco in a smashmouth game 10-9. This time the game is going to be played in Charlotte in front of some seriously playoff starved fans who can somewhat remember what a Souper Bowl tastes like. The Niners however, unlike the Panthers, are road weary & battle tested after their trip to the Frozen Tundra at the foot of Mount Lombardi. I fully expect Colin Kapernick to be serving up a big bowl of Cioppino (and I won’t slice off a part of my finger eating it) to counteract the Hatteras Style Chowder that I just googled as the top regional soup in North Carolina for Cam Newton & the Panthers. The Sourdough on the side may have been the tipping point.

San Diego Chargers at Denver Broncos

The Chargers were the team I least wanted the Broncos to face in the playoffs in that they are hungry, have nothing to lose and they know the Broncos all too well. Quarterback Philip Rivers is full of so much swagger & bravado at the moment that he thinks that a Bolo tie is high fashion (too some yes, to me, no – it’s a source of ridicule). He also has an overachieving undersized running back in Danny Woodhead who is playing larger than life and like I said last week, rookie WR Keenan Allen is just plain deadly as he slices through the secondary. Don’t count Peyton Manning and his aerial offense out though just because the Chargers dealt him his worst game of the season in Week 15. All four of his double digit touchdown grabbing receivers & running back Knowshon Moreno are ready to go & ready for revenge so they only pre-game tears we will be seeing are those the chargers fans getting ready for their beating. As for the soups, well last week that lousy tilapia fish taco somehow beat out a bowl of Cincinnati Style Chili but this week that lousy tilapia fish taco is going in a blender and being served alongside an Elk Chili that stands as proud as the Rocky Mountains that spread across Denver’s skyline. (I thought about using Colorado Buffalo but the Buffaloes up in Boulder were HORRIBLE this year on the gridiron so we really don’t want to cross contaminate)

So there you have it. This week’s picks are The Seahawks & their Salmon Chowder, The Patriots & their Creamy Clam Chowder, The Niners & their Cioppino with a sourdough side and The Broncos & their Bugling Elk Chili. What do you think ?

Come back next week when we review where I was right & where I was wrong in this week’s game while giving you insights & recipes for the Conference Championships.

Introducing RITZ STEAKHOUSE BITES

Not many people today can picture going to or watching a football game without thinking about the food that goes with the game. The Game Day or Tailgate Spread for any game (and especially for me) is usually a well thought out menu that combines local flavors & preferences with a healthy dose of Game Day traditions. That is why when RITZ asked Allrecipes.com for help in coming up with New York inspired Game Day recipes for the biggest Game Day of the year, I jumped at the chance.

I may live in New Jersey but I have worked in New York for most of my professional life and one constant has always been that when a client comes to visit from out of town, we all go eat at a steakhouse. New York has some of the finest steakhouses in the country so with that in mind, it made sense to me to see what kind of a steakhouse inspired Game Day Bite we could come up with using RITZ Crackers. It was then that I suddenly remembered an ad I used to hear on the radio every morning as I drove to the train where the owner of a very famous steakhouse said that you could always find him in the kitchen with his spoon in the creamed spinach. It was in that instant that the concept for RITZ Steakhouse Bites was born, a RITZ Cracker with a spoonful of creamed spinach on it, topped by a slice of steak & a drizzle of Béarnaise Sauce. It’s a classic New York steakhouse taste in just a single bite.

Now when it comes to cooking, I have always been a fairly straightforward kind of cook who does well with the basics. To put it into football terminology, I am a “3 yards & a cloud of dust” kind of chef so putting a little razzle dazzle into my kitchen playbook could have been somewhat daunting but it wasn’t and if I can make them, so can you. First I’ll give you recipe and then I’ll give you a few tips on how to make it so you’ll be dancing in the end zone with your guests on Game Day.

RITZ Steakhouse Bites

INGREDIENTS:

Creamed Spinach:

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 (6 ounce) package baby spinach leaves

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon minced shallots

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

2 tablespoons heavy cream

1/8 teaspoon salt

Pinch of black pepper

   

Béarnaise Sauce:

1 tablespoon butter

2 tablespoons minced shallots

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

1 egg yolk

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 cup melted butter

18 RITZ Crackers

3 ounces thinly sliced, cooked beef tenderloin, but into bite-sized pieces

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Heat olive oil in sauté pan over medium heat. Add spinach and cover for 1 minute to steam. Uncover and stir spinach until it is wilted. Drain spinach, dry between paper towels, and chop. Melt butter in the same pan over medium heat. Add shallots and sauté for a minute. Add heavy cream and nutmeg; stir to combine. Add chopped spinach and combine thoroughly. Remove from heat when spinach is creamy. Add salt and pepper. Set aside.
2.	Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a separate sauté pan; add shallots and white wine vinegar. Cook until all liquid has evaporated, about a minute. Remove from the pan; set aside to cool.
3.	Add egg yolk and lemon juice to blender; slowly blend in half cup of melted butter until mixture is smooth and creamy. Pour into shallots mixture. Stir in chopped fresh tarragon.
4.	To assemble bites, place about 1-1/2 teaspoons creamed spinach on top of a RITZ Cracker. Place a slice of steak on top of the creamed spinach, then drizzle with about 1-1/2 teaspoon béarnaise sauce over the steak

Now for some of those tips I promised. Creamed Spinach is really quite easy and the baby spinach leaves will wilt quickly. Do pat dry the spinach after you have let it drain for a little while in order to make sure you don’t have too much excess moisture. If you don’t have fresh spinach, frozen will work but it really needs to drain. You can always add more butter or cream and keep a lemon handy to brighten it a little with a quick squeeze rather than adding more salt.

Trust me, Béarnaise Sauce is easier to make than it is to spell. The hardest part is separating the eggs. I have found that despite the small batch being made, that it is much better to use a blender than it is to use a small food processor. The one time I used a food processor, the sauce came out a little thin.

Tenderloin or Filet Mignon are the true New York Steakhouse steaks that you want to use for these Game Day Bites on the biggest of Game Days but slices of any cut of steak will actually do if you make sure the slices are thin enough to chew easily.

Now there are a great many more New York inspired RITZ Game Day Bites recipes by other Allrecipes Allstars and by RITZ for you to try & enjoy. They can all be accessed by visiting the RITZ Recipe Collection or Game Day Hub on Allrecipes.com

http://www.allrecipes.com/ritz

And in my next blog we are going to do just that. Dinosaur Bar-B-Que has come up with one of their own RITZ inspired Game Day Bites recipe (RITZ Country Fried Ribs with Zesty Buttermilk Ranch Dressing) and I am going to make them because BBQ was made for Football and Football was made for BBQ.

Bring a taste of New York to your Game Day parties with RITZ Crackers and be sure to follow all of the RITZ Game Day Bites action on Twitter, Facebook & Pinterest by using & following the hashtag #RITZNYBlitz

I participated in a campaign on behalf of RITZ Crackers. I received a sample to facilitate my review as well as a promotional item as a thank-you for participating.

I am an Allrecipes Allstar brand ambassador (a voluntary position) and I’m not
compensated for my work with Allrecipes.com.

Products received from advertiser are only used for experienced-based reviews
on Behind The Shades. The reviews, content and opinions expressed in this blog are purely the sole opinions of DOUG MATTHEWS.
http://allrecipes.com/howto/allrecipes-allstars/detail.aspx

The National Food-Ball League Playoffs – Wild Card Round

Over the past 17 weeks The National Football League has played a total of 512 games on Thursdays, Sundays and Mondays. Some teams won more often than others and when the three yards and a cloud of dust finally settled last Sunday night, there were 12 teams left standing to compete in the National Football League Playoffs. Those 12 teams all have one goal in mind, they all want to make it to New York in the first weekend of February for Super Bowl XLVIII and I am here to tell you each week who is going to win & why. But this is a food website and not a sports website so that means that we need to put a foodie spin on pigskin prognostications so without further ado, let’s get right to the 2014 National Food-Ball League Playoffs.

 

THE AMERICAN FOOD-BALL CONFERENCE WILD CARD ROUND

 

The Denver Broncos, led by Peyton Manning, his record breaking golden arm & a squadron of receivers more lethal than the Red Baron, and the New England Patriots, led by their Walking Talking Touchdown Tossing Ken Doll, both have the week off this week due to their superior play during the regular season. This leaves Seeds #3-6 to do battle.

 

(Notice of Full Disclosure – I am a Denver Broncos fanatic and HATE all the other teams in the AFC West)

 

SAN DIEGO CHARGERS at CINCINNATI BENGALS

 

To me, the San Diego Chargers are nothing more than a bad tasting fish taco. In fact, a bad tasting Tilapia fish taco is more like it. (If you read my predictions & follow up blog a few seasons ago you would know how I feel Tilapia and it’s not good). They did finish the season on a roll winning their final 4 games and they did get lucky when the refs blew the call in overtime in the final week and they snuck in with some help from some big time chokers. Looking right at the Ravens & the Dolphins with that comment but we will leave that for next September. Quarterback Philip Rivers does have a new toy to play with in rookie WR Keenan Allen but I do think that this week, their luck runs out. The Cincinnati Bengals have been a quiet surprise in the AFC North all season. Quarterback Andy Dalton has had the finest season since Carson Palmer knew how to play and AJ Green is a legitimate threat to score every time they touch the ball. Of course when I think of Cincinnati in a culinary way, I can only think of Cincinnati Chili. I have to admit I have never had Cincinnati Chili not have any idea what makes it different than any other regional chili, I just remember that there was a Cincinnati-style Chili Restaurant in Denver back in the late 80’s that I drove by over a hundred times but never stopped in to try it. If I still lived in Denver, this would be the week for me to stop in since I am definitely taking The Bengals & the Chili over the chargers & their nasty tasting tilapia taco.

 

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS at INDIANAPOLIS COLTS

 

There is only one team in professional football that I hate more than the Kansas City Chiefs and they haven’t made the playoffs in years so we don’t even need to mention their name due to how terrible they are. Oakland Raiders. That being said, the Chiefs were the darlings of the first half of the season as they ran off 9 straight wins over a schedule of teams no tougher than a bowl of overcooked limp noodles. New quarterback Alex Smith utilized the spectacular feet of Jamaal Charles & the hands of Dwayne Bowe to rack up points on offense while the defense beat people up. The second half of the schedule did show some weaknesses. They remind me a bit of the BBQ that Kansas City is famous for. Looks good and starts strong but really is a a bit overrated. Unfortunately for the Chiefs, they are playing the Colts and a quarterback named Luck who seems to be able to pull off game winning drives like his name has nothing to do with it. The Colts have been inconsistent but have played well on the bigger stage. Familiarity within the league can sometimes cause a 2^nd year player to suffer a Sophomore Jinx but that wasn’t the case with Andrew Luck as a lot of teams still couldn’t quite figure him out. The same can be said about me with the food of Indiana. In years past I have had people suggest Milk Pie and a Wild Rice dishes but to be honest, my only real experience with the food of Indiana goes back to 1981 when I spent the night in South Bend and ate dinner at a Godfather’s Pizza across the street from the Best Western. A year later Godfather’s Pizza went public and I bought some stock because I thought the pizza was good. The stock went through the roof a year later in a takeover bidding war and I wound up with enough money to buy a Subaru Station Wagon and that is a good enough reason for me to pick the Colts over the chiefs despite the fact I am sucker for good barbecue.

 

THE NATIONAL FOOD-BALL CONFERENCE WILD CARD ROUND

 

The Seattle Seahawks led by a smothering defense, a too small quarterback and bruising running back who almost set off an earthquake himself a few years back absolutely ran away with the NFC this season. The other 5 teams are going to really have to step up their games to take away the Seahawks expected February jaunt to New York. One team that could step up that challenge has done so all year in a very surprising fashion. I don’t think anyone is going to sleep on the Carolina Panthers now like they did during the season. Next week will be a big tell as to how serious a threat this team really is to the Seahawks.

 

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS at PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

 

There is nothing about Cajun food that I don’t like and on the surface, there is nothing about the New Orleans Saints on the surface that you can’t not like either. Drew Brees is a master at tossing the ball to his catch happy receivers & running backs. The defense, such a sore spot last year, has come back with a vengeance under Rob (get a haircut already, you look ridiculous) Ryan. Unfortunately for the Saints, there won’t be any home cooking on their menu as they have to go on the road to Philadelphia and the Saints have been less than good away from home. Kind of like a day old Po’ Boy. The fried fish is cold & greasy, the fixin’s are limp and the bread is soggy. The ingredients are all there, they just don’t come together. Can’t put that kind of sandwich up against a Philly Cheesesteak and expect to come away victorious. Under first year coach Chip Kelly and reserve no name quarterback Nick Foles, the Eagles have ridden the Shady McCoy hard & fast all the way the top of the NFC Least, one of the two divisions nobody wanted to win. They play an exciting brand of football and they play better away from home. This could be a case where the fans in Philly get to boo like Santa is wearing a Cowboys jersey. A hot Po’Boy beats a Philly Cheesesteak in my book (mainly because I am a New Yorker at heart and hate everything about Philadelphia) so I am hoping that the Saints can keep this one warm enough to get the job done.

 

SAN FRANCISCO 49ers at GREEN BAY PACKERS

 

The Niners have owned the Packers of late but when you are playing playoff football on the Frozen Tundra of Lambeau Field at the base of Mount Lombardi, home of the Football Gods, nothing is safe bet. San Francisco went to the Super Bowl last year on the arm & legs of Colin Kapernick and they will need him to respond under the bright icy lights in order to keep them on the road north to Seattle. The Niners do remind me a bit of a tray of wine & cheese – everyone’s fallback for cocktails with nothing really memorable about them. The Green Bay Packers won the other division, the NFC North, that no else seemed to want to win this season. It wasn’t until their injured photobombing discount doublecheck quarterback came back that the Packers snuck a receiver behind the should have been suspecting Bears secondary for a last minute expected victory. Much like I expected the Packers to win that game, I expect their fans to tout their brats & beer cheese soup. Give me the choice between wine & cheese and brats & cheese and I am going to take the Wisco food every time. I haven’t had a drink in 25 years.

 

So in conclusion, the picks are as follows:

 

Bengals over Chargers (Chili over tilapia fish tacos)

Colts over Chiefs (Pizza memories over my love of BBQ)

Saints over Eagles (Po’Boys beat cheesesteaks)

*Upset Special* Packers over Niners (Brats & Cheese over Wine & Cheese)

 

Now tell me what you think – football or food-ball.

I Am In A Culinary Rut

I am in a culinary rut.

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.

10 Things I Think About Thanksgiving

It’s Friday and this has been a very long week. Much like everyone else out there, my mind is hardly focused on the task at hand and I just want quitting time to get here as soon as it possibly can. With that in mind and considering how close we are to that Super Bowl of Food Holidays – Thanksgiving – I have been compiling a list of 10 Things I Think About Thanksgiving in between answering emails, dodging phone calls and filling out the new coversheets on the TPS Reports for Home Office.

1. There is no place on the Thanksgiving Table for sushi. It just doesn’t belong. There is no need for an argument here. Next.

2. While I love traditional sweet potatoes and even sweet potatoes with marshmallows, I would have no problem at all if someone switched them out for sweet potato fries. I can’t make them to save my life but I sure do love to eat them.

3. Slide Ridge Honey Wine Vinegar is probably the greatest food discovery I have made since I first discovered Uncle Dougie’s Chicken Wing Marinade. There hasn’t been anything I have put it on that wasn’t automatically better. I am going to find a way to get it onto the Thanksgiving Table this year.

4. I’m getting a 23lb Bird again this year. I am going to respect him with a couple of sticks of butter rubbed into the skin, shoved under the skin and basically put anywhere I can put butter. I don’t think you can ever have enough butter in or on your Bird. Just ask those dudes over at Butterball.

5. I always try to sneak one small new side dish or condiment onto the table each year. Last year it was Balsamic Pearl Onions. Not sure what it will be this year but I have a feeling it will involve the Honey Wine Vinegar I mentioned above.

6. I will miss most if not all of the Detroit Lions football game due to my duty to The Bird. The Lions have never been worth watching in the past so I haven’t really missed anything. Don’t think I am going to miss much this year either. Their hot start has cooled like that extra gravy boat someone left in the kitchen.

7. I no longer put my stuffing inside The Bird even though that is the way I was taught to cook The Bird. I now stuff The Bird with cut up lemons, limes & herbs. I think it helps keep The Bird moist and adds a certain freshness to even a frozen grocery store bowling ball bird.

8. Of course if I did stuff The Bird, I would stuff it with an Apple Cornbread Stuffing. I don’t believe in meat stuffing. I did have my family convinced for a few minutes that my wife’s 100% Italian side of the family stuffed their Bird with pasta but even I couldn’t keep a straight face on that one.

9. Apple – Pumpkin – Pecan – that is the my order of preference when it comes to the traditional triumvirate of Thanksgiving Pies. Of course if someone were to somehow make or bring a Fruits of the Forest Pie, well, I am sure I could find some room on my plate for it.

10. Cranberry Sauce in a can is scary but my Grandmother’s Cranberry Salad recipe is awesome. It’s actually the very first recipe of that I submitted to AllRecipes.com back in 1997 and the first recipe of “mine” that they published on the site. I just refuse to ruin it with a dollop of mayo at the end.

11. (because I can’t count) I know that it will look like I am going to screw up the gravy but somehow I will make the save – at least in the taste department. Two years ago the gravy didn’t look a lot like gravy but it sure tasted like gravy. I stress more about the gravy than I do The Bird.

12. (because when it comes to cooking, a dozen is always a better number) I saw a Wishbone Tie in a catalog the other day and the store is down the street from me but I going to go with the Turkey Tie my wife gave me last year. It’s dark and no one will notice if I spill on it except for the little turkey drowning in gravy.

13. (Baker’s Dozen and the final think) I have never gone shopping on Black Friday and I don’t intend to go shopping on “Black Thursday” this year either (looking at you Toys R Us & Walmart). Thanksgiving is time for family, food, friends & fun. The deals worth getting on the items worth buying will still be there on Saturday or even Monday. So RESPECT THE BIRD, stay home, enjoy the holiday and don’t let Christmas Occupy Thanksgiving.

(You can also go to http://respectthebird.com/ and take The Pledge or you can take it on any number of the pages here at AllRecipes.com)

So come back next time when we revisit Thanksgiving and continue to tell you about our time cooking with Chef Luigi or we might just write about something else entirely different

What’s Cooking Behind The Shades – SuperDuperBowl Menu Review

The city of New Orleans and the whole state of Louisiana got a 74 yard head start on Mardi Gras last night when Tracy Porter stepped in front of Reggie Wayne, made off with a Peyton Manning pass and sprinted for the end zone. It was moment that will live in infamy and will be talked about for years. I wish I could say the same about my SuperDuperBowl Menu. It was good but it wasn’t 43 years worth of frustration good. So let’s see what I made.
1. Cubano Potato Skins – I shredded some pork & some ham (rather than thin slices), mixed in some mustard & relish (to take the place of the pickles) and topped with swiss cheese. A definite keeper for future Miami SuperDuperBowls.
2. Pulled Pork Paninis – I was in the Louisville airport the other day and saw a bottle of Wild Turkey BBQ Sauce staring at me from the shelf in the overpriced souvenir store. By the time I got to my gate it was safely ensconced in my carryon bag somewhere between my dirty shorts & socks. I pulled it out yesterday and mixed it with some shredded boneless pork ribs, sautéed vidalia onion & monterey jack cheese. Slapped it inside a mini portuguese roll and pressed them so they looked like little footballs. Nice understated taste that the kids loved. I kind of wish the Wild Turkey BBQ had a little more OOMPH to it.
3. Crawfish Cornbread (aka Crayfish Cornbread here at allrecipes.com) – I have made this once before and probably should have looked for my review or notes from that last time before I made this again. The recipe does call for a box of instant corn muffin mix so I used my Basic Corn muffins recipe from here instead. While the color is interesting, the taste is a touch flat. It could use some heat but I was reluctant to add any because of the kids. I could definitely see this somewhat polenta like cornbread serving as the base upon which a rich creole tomato based type of sauce is poured over. I still liked it and it was at it’s best when it first popped out of the oven.
4. Orange Honey Chicken Wings – I have been making these for so long I can do them in my sleep. The secret ingredient is a healthy splash of Uncle Dougie’s Chicken Wing Marinade. Not sure what I will do when my supply finally runs out but I am sure I will come up with something. The other ingredients include oj, honey, key lime juice & mustard. Low & slow heat makes the meat just fall off the bone.
5. Hot Asparagus Crab Dip – My lovely wife always requests one dip and every year I make something different. This year asparagus was on sale when I waltzed thru ShopRite so this year asparagus got it’s turn as the main ingredient. Throw in some red pepper, red onion, lime juice, sour cream, plain yogurt, crab and a Key West seasoning blend I found a few years back and we were good to go. I threw it in the oven at the same time as the wings and it came out hot, condensed & very dippable. I probably will not see any of the leftovers on this one.
6. Cheddar Bacon Deviled Eggs – The name pretty much says it all. Why make regular deviled eggs when you can jazz them up. Again it is another recipe that actually would improve with the addition of some Chipotle Tabasco but I left it out to appease the kids.
7. Yellow Split Pea & Apple Dal with Coconut Tarka – one too may flight delays led to my reading about various pea & bean dishes in the NY Times one trip and a recipe that called for Mung Beans, Apples & Coconut Milk just jumped out at me. Now I couldn’t tell you what a Mung Bean looked like if it was in front of me & labeled. On top of that, no store around me has any exotic or even different dried beans so I decided to take a slightly different direction and go for orange split peas. Well no luck on finding those either so I had resigned myself to trying with lentils though I wasn’t really thrilled with that option. as it turned out, I had to make one last stop at the store for a few forgotten items and came across a lonely pack of yellow peas which soon made friends with the rest of the forgotten items in my basket. While the peas, apples & coconut milk simmered away, I made a “Tarka” of butter, ginger, scallions, lime juice, shredded coconut & tumeric. The recipe called for mint leaves (unnoticed & forgotten at the store) so I went for a dash of mint extract. The result was a very different sort of dish for my family that was liked but technically not SuperDuperBowl food. It is getting a second chance by being served over rice with the grilled chicken for dinner tonight.
8. Alligator Chili – The latest addition to the allrecipes.com family (I now have 12 recipes to my name) is a SuperDuperBowl favorite. I used yellow & red peppers and some smoked paprika in addition to the recipe on the site and once again I am going to modestly say, I smacked that sucker out of the park. If I didn’t tell you it was gator, you would never know and I guarantee that you will be asking for seconds. Gator Chili will be my dinner tonight.
9. and finally, we topped it all off with a trio of mini-sundaes. I took mini-phyllo dough cups and baked them. then I scooped melon ball sized scoops of vanilla/chocolate, cookies & cream and mint chocolate chip into each cup. Drizzled Top Hat hot fudge over the trio and then topped it with whipped cream & multi colored jimmies. It looked like mardi gras in a bowl.
So that was this year’s offerings for the SuperDuperBowl. I appreciate all the ideas that were floated to me on previous blogs & websites and some of those ideas will see the light of the day or the light inside my oven in the weeks to come. I am just glad that my wife was happy and that the kids ate it all too. Most of all I am THRILLED that the Saints won the SuperDuperBowl.
That’s what’s cooking Behind The Shades until next time when maybe we should discuss kitchen disasters. Lord knows I have had a few of those…