Just want to let you all know, that if you take a look at my September 9th post you will see that I correctly picked the Green Bay Packers to win the Super Bowl. You will also notice that I had them playing the San Diego Chargers who didn't even make the playoffs. You win some, you really lose some. Every season, I seem to forget that it's mandatory for the Steelers to be in the Super Bowl at least once in three years. I thought for sure they would struggle at the beginning of the year with Big Ben out, but alas, they would go 3-1 and Ben was back at the piano bar looking for chicks in Dallas.
I must admit, I was secretly rooting for Green Bay, even though my brother-in-law is a serious Steeler fan. We watched the Super Bowl together, and it brought back memories of when my team (NY Giants) was in the big game against the evil empire (New England Patriots). I paced, I screamed, and every call was wrong if it was against my team. I cursed the stupid kickers, I wanted Tom Brady dead, and I desperately wished I could reach into my TV and grab Belichick's hoodie and pull it over his face, suffocating him, which to be honest, might improve his press conferences. None of those demented dreams came true. However, when David Tyree caught the pigskin on his head after Eli Manning was just about sacked, I danced more than I have at any wedding, including my own. When all was said and done, the G-men won the game and I was as happy as a little girl (analogy doesn't fit, little girls don't watch football).
It proves that in life, it's the little things that can make you so happy. The Super Bowl, despite the hype, is just a game. And as I watched this past Sunday, I found that even though my team wasn't playing, I was still nervous for my bro. I got goosebumps when the teams took the field, and when the jets flew over the domed stadium (huh?, why?) But then Christina Aguilera screwed up the anthem (if I spelled her name wrong, tough shit) and I went with Alice down the rabbit hole. Uh oh, here comes a rant. . .
Commentary - Please, please for the love of all that is holy and right in this world - if you are asked to sing the National Anthem before any big game (or for that matter in your living room), harken back to your days of grade school, hand over heart, staring at the flag attached to a tiny wooden stick and sing the song the way it was written. I understand creative license and wanting to put a little flair in an old song, but when the anthem ends up being longer than the pre-game show, you can rest assured - that it is wrong. Really, really wrong. I can only imagine Francis Scott Key adorned in old glory looking down on the bleach blonde bimbo butchering his tune. He probably couldn't take it anymore and reached down and flicked her in the back of the skull. That probably explains why she screwed up the words. Yes, SCREWED UP THE WORDS! I thought you had to know that song just to live in this country. If the teams have weeks to prepare for a game where they are going to beat the living hell out of each other, that should be ample time for the genie in the bottle to get the damn words right. I would rather have Whitney Houston's coked up, lip-synching ass up there than listen to that travesty of audio again.
Speaking of travesty, what in the hell happened during the halftime show? Who was that band, and why were they dressed like they just landed on this planet? And why were they singing like they just landed on this planet? That was just plain awful. I would rather watch a one-legged man try to kick a field goal for $1 million (sponsored by G), than watch that astro spectacle called a "show." Then to top it all off, Slash from GnR (my number one hair band) comes out from the bottom of the stage and plays "Sweet Child o' Mine" while Fergie butchers it. Meanwhile, all around the stage there are dancers in giant flourescent rubbers waving back and forth like acid ravers at an Oakenfold show. I could not avert my eyes, it was like a train wreck with people still on fire, a beheaded conductor, and Denzel Washington screaming, "There's nothing to see here, nothing to see. Please move along!" The Grammys are on tonight, I am not watching them. But I will make some predictions - Aguilera (once again, don't care) will win for doing the most musicals nobody watched. The Black Eyed Peas will win for best concert of the year that didn't have any music whatsoever, and Jethro Tull will still be in the hard rock category.
Whoa, what happened. I seemed to have black eye pead out. Anyway, it's the little things that make us so happy, but its the smaller than little things that can really piss you off.
With the Super Bowl and the football season over for who knows how long (if they lock out, I'm going to have an aneurysm) I got back into the kitchen with a couple of recipes that I wanted to be challenging, but fun. One of the those side dishes I have never tried (and was scared to quite honestly) was polenta. I could have taken the easy route and bought the pre-packaged tube and just heated it up in some olive oil. I decided, however, to take a chance on burning down my house by buying the real deal, and following a recipe I found in "Great Food Fast Cookbook." It shows an "easy" way to make polenta without wallpapering the house with it. It turned out pretty good, but not without some nervous moments.
Here are the ingredients for both:
Mediterranean Chicken Stew
1.5 lbs of boneless chicken cut into 3/4 inch cubes
3 tsp of olive oil or extra virgin, whichever
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 can 15.5 oz chick peas
4 plum tomatoes
2 tbs of kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
1 tsp of white wine vinegar
.25 cup of chopped parsley
Break out the chicken and season it with some salt and pepper. Heat 2 tbs of olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat and add the chicken. You are going to cook the chicken pieces for about 3-4 minutes, then put them on a plate. They don't need to be done all the way, we are going to stick them back in the heat later. Reduce the heat on the pan you just used and add the last tsp of olive oil - add garlic and cook for 30 seconds or until you smell it. Add the chickpeas (make sure you drained them of liquid and rinsed them off) and 1 cup of water. You are going to bring this to a boil and let the peas cook until you see the liquid you just threw in reduced by about half - this should take about 2-4 minutes.
Although this is called a stew, I made sure most of the liquid was gone, since you are about to add tomatoes. So throw them in and cook for about 3-4 minutes, you will notice the tomatoes begin to fall apart. Now add the olives, vinegar and the waiting chicken along with any juices the chicken left on the plate and toss until it all comes together. Take a piece of chicken out and cut into it if you are as nervous as I am about undercooked chicken. It also never hurts to try the food before you serve it. Top this with the fresh cut parsley. This concoction will be served over polenta, here are the ingredient.
Polenta
Salt and pepper for taste
.75 cup of yellow cornmeal - it's pretty cheap since it only can be purchased in those flour sized bags.
.25 cup of grated cheese - I'm talking Parmesan or asiago, that goes the best with above dish, but if you have some finely grated cheddar, that wouldn't be too bad.
1 tbs of butter
OK, polenta is very much like risotto, it takes a bit of time and patience. It is not one of those dishes you can set to boil and take off. You are going to want to time this with your other dish too. When the polenta is ready to serve, the stew goes right on top.
In a large saucepan (make sure it is large, cornmeal will expand quickly when put in the boiling water. Mine was too small, and I had to take it off the heat before it covered the kitchen.) boil 4 cups of water with 1.5 tsp of salt and 1/8 tsp of pepper over high heat (yes, high). Very slowly, add the cornmeal and whisk like a crazy person. Don't add all of the cornmeal at once, work each batch in the pan until smooth, then add more. It solidifies quickly and if you don't want a giant block of lumpy meal, you have to go slow. Once it is all in, reduce heat to low and whisk constantly for about 10-15 minutes until it is smooth. Taste, season, taste again. Once done to your satisfaction, take it off the heat and add the butter and cheese. Serve in a plate, top with the chicken, and you are ready for some grub.
Got some more recipes coming soon - Pastitsio (its meat and cheese and cinnamon), shrimp with green sauce and coriander carrots. For Valentine's Day I am making mussels with a wine sauce and crunchy fresh bread.
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