Trick or Treat!

Lions and Goblins and Panthers - oh my! Admit it, that was scary. The only Monsters during the first three quarters were those sacking Cutler. Even Robbie Gould missed a field goal. It was beginning to look like a Halloween witch had cast a curse on our Bears.

What can a cooking fool do in the face of this ugliness? The meatloaf, which was supposed to be the Southern Cooking Trick against North Carolina, obviously wasn't cutting it. So at half time this blogger began breading and frying a batch of Super Southern Fried Pickles. They were ready around the end of the third quarter and, what do you know, Bears started appearing. In a mere 8 seconds there was a touchdown by the offense followed by a touchdown by the defense. The final treat was the game winning field goal allowing Robbie to end the day as the hero.

Whew, it wasn't pretty but it's a win in the record books. And, if you haven't had them before, fried pickles are pretty tasty. This recipe is from Recipe from Okie Dokies Smokehouse in Swannanoa, North Carolina. Give them a try.

Fried Pickles

Ingredients:
4 cups dill pickle chips sliced from whole dill pickles. Slice on an angle and a bit thicker than a pickle chip
1 1/2 cups low-fat buttermilk
1/2 cup Ranch dressing
2 TBS mild barbecue sauce
Canola Oil
4 cups all purpose flour
2 TBS barbecue seasoning

Directions:
1.  Place pickles in a large bowl. Pour buttermilk over them. Cover and chill 1 hour
2.  In a small bowl, stir together the ranch dressing and barbecue sauce. Cover and chill until ready to serve
3.  At the end of 1 hour, pour picle mixture through a strainer discarding the buttermilk.
4.  Combine flour and barbecue seasoning in a plastic bag, bowl or plate
5.  Add half of the pickles to the flour mixture, toss to coat, remove pickles from the flour with a slotted spoon and shake off the excess
6.  Pour oil to a depth of 1 1/2 inches into a skillet and heat to 375 degrees
7.  Fry pickles 3-4 minutes or until golden. Drain on paper towels
8.  Repeat with remaining pickles and flour mixture
9.  Serve pickles with sauce

8-10 servings

Panthers Enter The Bears Den

Charlotte specifically and North Carolina in general, have made some interesting contributions to our menus and our waist lines.

At first blush, North Carolina is a sugar rush, as it is the home of Pepsi and Krispy Kreme Donuts. Then there's the oil franchise, with fried everything. Seafood is a healthy addition with access to the ocean from the east coast. Did you know that Hardees began in North Carolina? Finally, there's the delicious addition of soul food.

I think I've decided on a theme. What will you be cooking for a Bears win?

A Win With A Cherry On Top

Creating a winning recipe against Detroit has proven to be difficult but tonight - Success!  Since starting this blog, the one teamI ave never defeatd until tonight was the Lions.

The secret ingredient was .... Wait for it .... Michigan Cherries. I made a yummy pork roast with Michigan cherries. My Disciple class liked it and I had a group eating to win. Here's the secret to success tonight. Bear down! Let's have fun!



Pork Roast With Michigan Cherries

Ingredients
5Lbs bone-in pork roast
8 garlic cloves minced
1/4 cup water
3 TBs brown sugar
1/4 tsp dry mustard
2 cans Michigan Cherries
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1.   Rub roast with garlic and dry mustard
2.   In a bowl, combine water, brown sugar and cherries
3.   Spray crock pot with Pam
4.   Add roast and liquid
5.   Cook on low overnight
6.   Slice pork thinly
7.   Put some of the broth in a sauce pan and reduce by half
8.   Season to taste with salt and pepper
9.   Optional: add 2 TB of Sherry to broth
10.   Pour reduction over meat.
11.   Serve on rolls with selected condiments including mayo, cranberry mustard, mustard, etc.

Enjoy!

Greek Culture

There is so much about Green Culture. First, you're talking about a civilization that goes back forever. The patriarch in My Big Fat Green Wedding attributes every word to a Greek word and every solution to Windex. I never heard how and when Socrates invented Windex but it seems a foregone conclusion.

This is the Greek Egg Lemon Soup recipe promised in honor of Alex Karras. It is a small batch for 2 people. You can enlarge it if necessary. Enjoy!





AVGOLEMONO (Greek Egg and Lemon Soup)

Ingredients:
2 (13 1/4 oz.) cans chicken broth
1/4 c. uncooked Orzo
3 lg. eggs
3 - 4 tbsp. lemon juice

Directions:
1. In a saucepan bring broth to a boil over high heat. Add orzo, reduce heat to low and simmer, partially covered, about 15 minutes until grains are just tender.

2. In a large bowl beat eggs by hand until well broken up, then beat in lemon juice. Slowly pour in about 1/2 cup at a time (1.5 cups) of the hot broth, while beating eggs constantly.

3. Add to the remaining broth and cook over low heat 3 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until soup thickens enough to coat the spoon. Do not boil or eggs will curdle.

4. Remove from heat and serve immediately.

To reheat, warm soup over simmering water in a double boiler. Makes 4 cups or 4 servings. 128 calories per serving. Serve with Greek Salad, Bread or Nothing.

R.I.P. Alex Karras

The Bears are off this week so this blogger will be cooking in honor of Alex Karras. Karras was a stellar defensive player for the Detroit Lions and a bigger than life personality.

Unlike Mongo, Karras was not a " pawn in game of life." He lived life big as a commentator, pro-wrestler and actor after his football career. He was married twice and fathered six children.

Recently Karras joined more than 3,500 football veterans suing the NFL for not protecting them better from head injuries. At the time of his death, Karras was suffering dementia along with several other serious health issues.

His Greek heritage was important to Alex Karras, so in his honor this blogger will make a pot of Avgolemono on Sunday. Opa!

Cream of Jaguar

We've got rhythm, we've got defense, we've even got offense who could ask for anything more? 41-3 Bears win and a tie with Minnesota for the lead in the NFC North results in ridiculous singing and dancing in this household.

Admittedly the first half was a snore but the Monsters who emerged to play the second half were awesome. For the second week in a row, Peanut caught an interception and ran it in for a touchdown. His eighth defensive touchdown set a franchise record. Congratulations and banana bread to you! Not to be outdone, Lance Briggs grabbed a ball and ran in his own defensive touchdown. That's how da Bears defense rocks!

Lovie said that the "Number 1 priority on defense is to score." That gives us two offenses and we certainly saw it today.

Robbie continues to be perfect. Forte is amazing. The dynamic duo of Cutler-Marshall is a pleasure to watch and every time Hester has the ball, we all hold our breath. Did you see his amazing catch?

Today's menu was Cream of Shrimp but the game was truly cream of Jaguar. This is a great recipe. Allow plenty of time at the end to strain the puree and, if it is too rich, add a bit more chicken broth.

Brian Urlacher has reportedly said that his major role is giving high fives. This winning recipe, based on a recipe from Williams-Sonoma, definitely receives an Urlacher High Five.

Cream of Shrimp

Ingredients:
3 TB unsalted butter
2 carrots, finely chopped
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
1 small baking potato, finely chopped
2 Lbs. small shrimp peeled and deveined, shells reserved (Note: I used frozen cocktail shrimp, medium size and cut them into bite size chunks)
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups half and half
1/2 TB dried thyme
1 bay leaf crumbled
Salt and white pepper
2 pieces of fried, drained crispy bacon - crumbled (Optional garnish)
1 TB fresh parsley leaves (Optional garnish)

Directions:
1.   In large saucepan, melt butter.
2.   Add carrots, onion, celery, potato and shrimp shells. Saute until onion is translucent and shells turn pink (2-3 minutes)
3.   Add stock, half and half, thyme, bay leaf and all but a handful of the shrimp.
4.   Bring to a boil, reduce heat. Cover and simmer about 20 minutes.
5.   In small batches, puree the soup in a blender.
6.   Force the puree through a strainer using a wooden spoon.
7.   Return soup to the pan and season to taste with salt and white pepper.
8.   Add the remaining bite size shrimp chumks and simmer gently until warmed (2-3 minutes).
9.   Optional garnishes are crumbled bacon or parsley leaves.

Serves 4 Bears Fans

On To Florida

Our 3-1 Bears visit Mularky's 1-3 Jaguars at EverBank Field this Sunday. Just because the records are lopsided, it is not okay to expect a win. The Monsters of the Midway need to treat every game as a Must Win if we are going to play in the New Orleans Superdome in February.

Bears cooks, here are some areas to consider when cooking to beat the Jaguars. Florida's cuisine is quite diversified and includes a heavy dose of Southern Cooking and Soul Food. A strong Cuban influence can be found throughout the state but most strongly in the south. Of course seafood is ubiquitous throughout Florida.

If you really want to shake it up, you might consider a Lebanese dish as a doff of the chef's hat to owner Shahid Khan. Mr. Khan bought the team last year. This Bears cook won't be sharing my menu choice until after the game because Mr. Khan and his Flex-n-Gate employees live in Champaign-Urbana. We certainly don't want to share our playbook with the Jaguar scouts!

Everything Is Bigger In Texas . . .

especially the turnovers! Romo and the Cowboys had a visit from the Monsters tonight. Da Bears orchestrated 5 turnovers resulting in a 34-18 victory. There was a lot of cheering and celebrating in this fan cave! The Bears defense and offense both played solid, hard hitting, smart football.

What menu did you choose for this shoot out? I shared some Cowboy Stew with a group of friends tonight. This is a long time favorite recipe courtesy of John Madden. Enjoy!



Cowboy Stew

Ingredients:
1/3 cup flour
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. salt
2 1/2 lbs. stew meat (cut into bite size pieces)
2-3 Tb vegetable oil
2 large onions, sliced
2 stalks celery, sliced
1 large clove garlic, pressed
3 large carrots, cubed into bite size pieces
3 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed into bite size pieces
1 small turnip, peeled and cubed into bite size pieces
1 small rutabaga, peeled and cubed into bite size pieces
2 cups beef broth
1 cup red wine
1/8 tsp basil
1/8 tsp thyme
1/8 tsp dry mustard
Creole Season Salt (to taste)

Directions:
1.  Combine flour, salt and pepper in large ziploc bag
2.  Add beef cubes and shake well coating all sides with flour mixture
3.  Brown meat in oil in large Dutch oven, working in batches if necessary
4.  Remove meat
5.  Saute onion, celery and garlic in pan drippings for 10 minutes
6.  Add carrots, potatoes, turnip, ruabaga, broth, red wine and seasonings.
7.  Bring to a boil
8.  Add meat. Cover, simmer 1 1/2 hours until meat is tender (add more broth if mixture becomes too thick or dry)
9.  Adjust seasonings by adding salt, pepper or Creole Season Salt to taste