Heartbreak in Chicago

Bears, this blogger is heartbroken by today's loss after risking heart disease and high blood pressure. Cutler played great despite dealing with the loss of his brother-in-law. The plays could have been called better but when they didn't work, Cutler's improvisations were stellar.

Third quarter scores also did my heart good but then, Robbie ..... really? Every Bears fan was pulling for you to make the field goal to put us into overtime. Last week was hard and this was the perfect opportunity. What's the matter dude? You've set so many records and pulled us out of losing spirals again and again. Bears fans have your back. Time to get your groove back.

Let's talk about the heart attack menu. Apparently, despite the fabulous array of ethnic choices to be found in Washington DC, the iconic tailgate treat for Washington is the half smoke. The half smoke is similar to a hot dog but is bigger, smoked and often served with chili sauce. We needed the win so off to market I went. The closest to a half smoke was a larger hot dog with a mixture of meats.

This was served with my traditional tailgate chili. If you are partial to Steak and Shake chili, add some cocoa powder to the recipe. If you're playing Cincinnati, add cinnamon.

Tailgate Chili

Ingredients:
1 # ground beef, turkey or pork - or any combination
2 cans of chili beans (hot or mild or both - your choice)
1/2 onion chopped
1 can tomato soup
1/4 - 1/3 cup salsa
Salt and pepper to taste
Chili powder to taste (I use quite a bit)

Directions:
1.  Brown meat and onions, drain
2.  Add soup, beans and salsa
3.  Season to taste
4.  Simmer until thickened

Not Much Of A Party

What a miserable loss. Both teams came out fully charged and quickly went flat. If San Francisco scored, the Bears would answer and then go back to sleep. So many opportunities were missed along with two field goals - not much of a birthday party for Robbie.

Gould blames himself for the loss but, had the Bears been fully involved the entire game, the field goals would have just been icing on the birthday cake. Instead the team left the game looking a bit like the donkey waiting for its tail.

Perhaps a sourdough roll to go along with the Clam Chowder would have made a difference. The what if's are the worst. The Clam Chowder, however, was quite tasty. Maybe this seafood comfort food will make us all feel better so we can move on to next week.

Clam Chowder

Ingredients:
3 Small Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
3 slices smoked bacon, cut into ½-inch wide pieces
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 carrot, peeled and cut into ¼-inch pieces
1 stalk celery, cut into ¼-inch pieces
1 leek, washed and cut into ¼-inch pieces, white portion only

1/2 small onion, chopped 

1 (6-1/2-ounce) cans chopped clams, undrained
4 ounce clam juice
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
Pinch dried thyme
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup heavy cream

Directions:
1.   Peel and cut potatoes and set aside
2.   Chop carrot, celery, onion, leek and bacon
4.   Melt better and add onion. Cook slowly until the bacon is crispy
5.   Add celery, carrot and leek - saute 5 minutes
6.   Add thyme and continue cooking until carrots are soft
7.   Add clams, clam juice, chicken broth, potato, salt, and pepper; cover and bring to a boil.
8.   Reduce heat to medium, and cook, covered, 12 to 15 minutes or until potatoes are soft
9.   In a bowl, dissolve cornstarch in cream; add to soup.
10. Cook 5 minutes, or until thickened, stirring frequently.

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Football Frenzy!

Now that's what I call Fun! Da Bears played like - well, da Bears! The offensive line was present; Hester was a presence and Gould was - and still is - Perfect! Let's take it across the pond guys!

The winning menu was a combination of defense and offense. On the defense was a Minnesota staple - Wild Rice and White Fish. The offense topped it off with some shrimp as a a tip of the hat to Matt Forte's Louisiana home. The fish and shrimp were poached in some chicken broth seasoned with dill, dried mustard, pepper and Louisiana seasoned salt. After the fish and shrimp were plated on top of the wild rice, some half and half was added to the broth and allowed to thicken a bit. A little broth over the rice and Voila! a winning recipe.