Take Me Out To The Ball Game

Its pure October magic. 6 teams, 3 series, all tied. This is how the road to the World Series is earned.

Last night we had the Detroit Tigers back at Yankees Stadium for the final game of the AL championship series. While the Yankees were trying to reach the AL championship for the 3rd straight year, the boys from Detroit wanted to get back for the first time since 2006, when they won the pennant but then lost in the World Series. Detroit had not lost consecutive games since August 28-29 and it was a fact that remained true last night. True to dramatic fashion, my guys beat the Yankees 3-2. Baseball doesn't get any better than this.

Remaining MLB Games Tonight:
Cardinals vs. Philly's @8:30 on TBS and Arizona vs. Milwaukee @ 5:00 on TBS

You want to win tonight? Turn to TBS at 8:30, pull your hair back, put on his favorite baseball cap and serve him this:

Chocolate-Covered Baseball Strawberry's

 

Ingredients

12 Strawberries

1 bag Wilton’s White Candy Melts

1 bag Wilton’s Red Candy Melts

• Rinse the strawberries and let them dry completely.
• Melt the white candy melts on low heat on the stove.
• Working with one strawberry at a time, hold the green stem of the berry and gently swirl the berry in the melted white chocolate.
• Spoon melted chocolate over the top if need be so that the strawberry is completely covered in white.
• Let the excess chocolate drip off of the strawberry tip.
• Place the covered strawberries on waxed paper to dry.
• Melt the red candy melts in a microwaveable safe bowl for 90 seconds.
• Spoon the melted red chocolate into a sandwich bag (or if you have a stocked kitchen, unlike me, you may use a frosting piping bag).
• Snip off one of the sandwich bag corners or use a very small piping tip with the frosting bags.
• Make the red stitching marks on the strawberry baseballs, working quickly so that the red chocolate doesn’t harden in the bag.
• Let the chocolate on the strawberries harden.
• Serve the strawberries immediately or store them in a sealed container in the refrigerator.

September is a Great Month

The kids are back in school. The leaves are starting to change colors. Men are rushing out of Sunday morning worship services. That can only mean one thing, it's September!

September is a great month for sports lovers. We welcome back the NFL (I'm sure your boyfriend was so happy on July 25 and it wasn't because of that new two piece swimsuit you bought), pull out our college football gear, wave good bye to the WNBA and get ready for the World Series. Yes, September is the month of new beginnings for all of us who's religion happens to be sports.  

A great way to spend a little extra time with the man friend or to meet potential man friends is to host a tailgate. Now that we're older and are in grownup relationships or are looking to be in grownup relationships, we need to tailgate as such. No more drinking games beginning at 5:30 am and mixing Bud Light with Corn Flakes. It's time for real food and real fun and no more bailing friends out of the drunk tank (I know this happens in places other than East Lansing). Here you will find simple ideas to make your tailgating shindig the talk of the parking lot.

While NFL and College Football tailgating experiences vary, such as you do one in a parking lot (pro football) and you do the other on campus (college football), the one thing they have in common is the food. No tailgate party can be considered a success without good food. No one wants to pay $12.95 for a hotdog once they're inside the gates, so its your job to make sure everyone is happy and full before the game. 

Traditionally tailgaters eat hotdogs and hamburgers. But guess what, you aren't traditional, you read my blog, and my blog is anything but traditional. Follow my tailgating advice and I guarantee that your boyfriend will be trying to put a ring on it just to make sure he gets an invite to your tailgate next week.

Materials:

Pick-up truck or SUV-

Put your Beetle in the garage for the weekend. It belongs no where near football not matter what JLo keeps telling us during MNF. Oh wait, that was a Fiat commercial, wasn't it? Eh, same thing.

Cooler(s)-

You can find one for your team, one to ride or one to drive. Just make sure it can hold enough food and drink for all the people you've invited.

iPod-

Make sure you're game day playlist is ready and plug it into your car and blast that funky music. You're playlist should be so good that the folks tailgating around you turn down their music and ask you to pump up yours. If you need good ideas for playlist, ask my friend @BoomerProducion. No one produces a better play list than this hot Republican. 

Grill and Deep Fryer- 

If you can't cook it on one of these, its to complicated to eat at a tailgate. And it's not one or the other. Both are required.

Menu:

Ray's Fire Fried Turkey Wraps-

3 gallons vegetable/corn oil

6- to 8- pound thawed turkey breast

6 large flour tortillas

6 spinach tortillas

3 cups shredded lettuce

2 cups diced tomatoes

4 avocados sliced into fourths 

Sliced jalapenos

• Pour oil up to fill line of your deep fryer. Heat oil to 375 to 400 degrees, then maintain at 350 degrees throughout frying process to avoid greasy turkey.  
• Place the turkey in the fryer basket, breast side up, and lower into oil. Cook 8 minutes per pound. 
• Insert a meat thermometer into the turkey. The safest temperature for the meat: 170 degrees F. Move the basket to a preparation area and remove the breast from the basket. Place on platter and let sit for 10 minutes.

Remoulade Sauce- (to be made night before)

2 cups mayonnaise

1 tablespoon horseradish

2 tablespoons creole mustard

2 tablespoons minced green onions

2 tablespoons minced parsley

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon paprika

2 teaspoon Ms.O's Hot & Spicy Seasoning 

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon Franks Red Hot Sauce

• Combine all ingredients in a food processor and refrigerate until ready to use.

To make the Turkey Wraps: 

• Debone and cube turkey breast. 
• Lay out each tortilla flat on counter. 
• Spread 2 tablespoons of remoulade sauce over each tortilla.
• Place cubed turkey on tortilla, top with shredded lettuce, tomatoes, avocados, jalapenos and an additional tablespoon of remoulade sauce.
•  Roll tortilla up tightly and cut in half.

Browne-Sugar Cola Ribs: (some of this needs to be done the night before)

1 cup brown sugar

12 ounces Caffeine Free Pepsi

3/4 cup Open Pit Thick & Tangy Brown Sugar & Spice

2 medium onions, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 to 3 pounds meaty pork spareribs, cut into 3- to 4-rib portions

Salt and pepper to taste

• Combine the brown sugar, cola, barbecue sauce, onions, garlic, soy sauce, salt and pepper and stir until mixed. 
• Place the ribs in the sauce mixture and marinate in refrigerator overnight. 
• Drain ribs, pouring marinade into a saucepan. 
• Boil marinade for 12 minutes. Keep half for basting and serving on the side.  
• Grill ribs over high heat for 1 minute per side.
• Cook covered over indirect heat on grill for 1 hour or until ribs are no longer pink near bone, turning often and basting with remaining sauce.

Buy your favorite veggies, wrap them up in aluminum foil and throw them on the grill. 

Add drinks and enjoy being the envy of every girlfriend in the parking lot. You've just thrown a tasty, grow-up, tailgate. Savor it.

The Calm Before the Storm

Alright Ladies. Its that time of the year. You may have your man, couch and Saturday afternoon's back. Now is the perfect time to go Christmas shopping and Christmas caroling and Christmas sledding with the one you love. College football is OVER! Well at least until January 1st.

Fact: Bowl Games start December 18th with the New Mexico Bowl and end January 10th with the Tostitos BCS National Championship Game
Truth: Only Bowl Games that matter begin on January 1st and end with the National Championship Game

No matter who your significant other roots for, its safe to say that he will be interested in these Bowl Games:
BCS National Title: Auburn vs. Oregon 1/10/2011 @ 8:30 pm on ESPN
Rose Bowl: TCU vs. Wisconsin 1/1/2011 @ 5:00 pm on ESPN
Fiesta Bowl: Oklahoma vs. Connecticut 1/1/2011 @ 8:30 on ESPN
Orange Bowl: Virginia Tech vs. Stanford 1/3/2011 @8:30 on ESPN
Sugar Bowl: Ohio State vs. Arkansas 1/4/2011 @ 8:30 pm on ESPN


You can check ESPN College Football Central for a complete bowl schedule to see if his team was sent to a Toilet Bowl (non BCS bowl games that just don't matter. Sorry Spartan family).

I wanted to give you a quick, tasty and hardy food suggestion themed around the National Title Game between Auburn and Oregon.

This year the National Title Game is sponsored by Tostitos, so lets make some nachos with a southern (in honor of Auburn) twist.

Ray's Spicy Crispy Chicken Nachos

• 3 chicken breast halves
• vegetable oil
• 1 cup flour
• 2 teaspoon hot sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 14 oz bag Tostitos whole wheat tortilla chips
• 2 cups refried beans
• 3 cups grated cheddar cheese 
• 4 medium sized jalapeno peppers, sliced
• Salsa
• Guacamole
• Sour cream
• Cilantro, chopped

Preheat oven to 350°F. Rinse chicken breasts and pat dry and drain well. Place chicken in bowl and add hot sauce. In plastic bag, shake chicken in the flour mixture until well-coated. Put 1 1/2 inches of vegetable oil in a deep skillet; heat to medium high, or about 370°. Place chicken in hot oil. When chicken pieces are hot and browning well, lower heat to medium low. Continue cooking for 8 to 12 minutes on each side or until well-browned and juices run clear when pierced with a fork. Drain on paper towel. Once cooled slice into strips. 

Arrange a layer of tortilla chips along the bottom of a wide, shallow baking pan.  Spread the refried beans over the chips. Add fried chicken strips. Sprinkle the grated cheese over the top of chips, beans and chicken. Sprinkle slices of jalapeno peppers over the cheese. Bake in oven for 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Serve with dollops of salsa, sour cream and guacamole, with chopped cilantro sprinkled on top.

Don't Bother Him

Miami plays Cleveland tonight. Enough said...

The Point Of It All

Nothing (and I mean NOTHING) infuriates me more than a chick at the bar with her man and a beer who's sports illiterate. Seriously, lady, could you have watched Sports Center this morning to catch a clue? Nope, I get stuck with you (because I'm the only single female at the bar watching the game) spilling your Winter Ale all over my beloved Michigan State University sweatshirt.

Well enough is enough! I've had it up to here (my hand is up to my head folks)! I'm putting my foot down. I want to help you and millions of women like you who are just as clueless when it comes to games other than the mind ones you play with your boo.

I'm going to help you get inside of the mind of the man you love. I'm going to help you know why he's on the couch on Mondays, why he's yelling at the guys in the gold and purple jerseys (no, they are not members of Omega Psi Phi), why Saturdays in September, October and November are the worse date night, why he has ESPN text coming to his phone during Sunday morning service, and why he hates the Big 10 and loves the Big 12 (I promise you its nothing kinky). I'm also going help you with his stomach by giving you great food suggestions and ideas for game night (thanks to my greedy Youth Pastor).

I know I'm no Jimmie Johnson, but if you take this ride with me, I promise you wont see any checker flags from your significant other anytime soon. As a matter a fact, you just might get that championship ring you've been waiting on...