We Shall Not Speak Of This Again!

OMG! This was - by far - without a doubt - the hardest season to be a Bears fan. Even Virginia is embarressed.

No amount of cooking can thaw Jay Cutler's blatant disregard for our team. Please Santa, New Years Eve baby, Saint Valentine, God - someone - take him out of our life.

I went for true comfort food for the last game of the season. While there's nothing I can say - or cook - to rescue this mess, at least you'll have a yummy recipe. Let's see what happens as they clean house of the Clutter - I mean Cutler.....


Braised Short Ribs
6 Servings

Ingredients:
 1/2 cup olive oil
 4 pounds beef short ribs
 salt and pepper to taste
 1 cup all-purpose flour
 2 cups chopped onions
 1 cup chopped celery
 1 cup chopped carrots
 2 tablespoons minced garlic
 3 bay leaves
 1 tablespoon dried thyme
 1 cup red wine
 8 cups beef stock
1 TB Butter

Directions:
1.Heat the oil in a large pot over medium high heat.

2. Season the ribs with salt and pepper to taste and dredge them in flour.

3.  Fry the ribs in the oil in small batches, adding oil as needed, to sear the meat. This should take 2 to 3 minutes per batch. Set ribs aside.

4. In the same pot, add the onions and saute for 2 minutes.

5. Add the celery and carrots and saute for 1 more minute.

6. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and then stir in the garlic, bay leaves and thyme and cook for 1 more minute.

7. Deglaze the pot with the red wine, scraping up all the bits on the bottom.

8. Add the stock and butter, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer.

10. Add the ribs and continue to simmer for 2 hours, until the sauce thickens.

This is Personal

My mother and her family grew up in Detroit. Many of her family members still live there so .... it's personal when we play Detroit.

I was glad to hear that Cutler was benched. I am convinced that he doesn't play well with others and, therefore, can never be a leader quarterback. No one will put out the extra effort for him and that's important.

I was delighted to see Clausen celebrate with his team mates. Cutler never does this and whether he throws an interception or a touchdown pass, he just returns to the sidelines. Never a leader; never a team mate.

We came up short today. What the heck was up with the dropped passes? Great passes were dropped - why? Is there a different spin on Cutler's ball versus Clausen's? I have no idea what was going on but I'm hoping Marc Trestman holds firm with Jimmy Clausen.

Today, since it is so personal with the Lions, I went with my Aunts' french toast. As a child, they would each make my sister and I french toast and ask us to say whose what better. They were both delicious. Here's my recipe based on what I learned from them:

French Toast

Ingredients:
White bread
Eggs (1 for every 2 pieces of french toast)
Some: milk, brown sugar and vanilla
Jam, Jelly or Syrup

Directions:
Whip together egg, milk brown sugar and vanilla in a shallow, wide bowl (a pie pan works well)
Dip bread in the egg mixture, leaving it longer is a good thing
Melt butter in a pan over medium heat
When it's melted and warm, add bread that has been soaked in egg mixture
Cover pan with a lid
When one side is brown, turn and brown the other side

Top with either jelly/jam or syrup

Preparing for the Saints

It's been a rough season and everyone associated with the Bears could use a good game tonight. Here's the optimistic version: the team has had time to rest, Cutler knows he's on the hot seat, and the Saints have the same dismal record as the Bears - 5-8.

In this blogger's humble opinion, the problem is a lack of leadership on Jay Cutler's part. The Bears are a group of highly skilled individuals, but they're not a team that has a quarterback they're willing to follow.

Enough said, let's get cooking. Bears fans, pull out your favorite cajun recipe, put on your jerseys and let's win one!

Wet and Wicked

Both teams played one half well and one half horribly. It was a wet and wicked game. The Bears were dreadful during the first half. Going into the locker room, they were behind, Matt Forte was showing signs of knee problems and Cutler was looking over his shoulder for the next sack. Somehow, they pulled it together, and came out to play in the second half. The fans, suffering through a rainy game, were rewarded with another win at home.

This cook was beginning to fret during the first half that my choice of Florida Grouper was too obvious. Had Lovie seen my playbook?

Grouper is a large, meaty fish. Mine was breaded in Panko and fried. It was moist and tender. Florida Grouper is usually served on a bun with tartar sauce, lettuce, tomato and onion. Give it a try.

Hot Win!

 Finally! After disastrous games in a row and no home wins, da Bears finally gave the fans what we've wanted - a Home Game Win!

Don't even talk to me about who, what, when or where. It was a win and I'm tickled! It was a fun football game. The only screaming was happy so McKenzie didn't have to dive into the guest bathroom. All was good.

My choice for the Minnesota winning recipe was a Hot Dish - their phrase for casserole. Today's choice is courtesy of one of my college room mates - Sharon Glessner - and her delicious Tater Tot Casserole. Savor the win and enjoy the recipe.

Tater Tot Casserole

Ingredients:
1 # ground beef
1 # tater tots
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can mushrooms
½ onion diced
½ tsp Worcestershire
S &P

1. Brown onion and ground beef, drain.
2. Add soup, mushrooms and Worcestershire
3. Put in greased 1 qt casserole
4. Top with tater tots


Bake 25 minutes at 375

"At A Loss For Words"

Brandon Marshall is "at a loss for words." Brian Urlacher believes the only thing elite about Jay Cutler is his money. Coach Ditka is angry. Walter's son, Jarret Payton, said the Packers game left him "embarrassed as a  Bears fan."

Not just the famous are commenting.  I've received texts and emails from other teams' fans, suggesting that I might want to cheer for their teams. Right now, it's painful to be a Bears fan.

From my outside perspective, there seems to be a lack of cohesion. The Bears aren't behaving like a team, they're a group of individuals - many of whom are extremely talented. A successful team wants to work together and to support their quarterback. To say that Jay Cutler isn't warm and fuzzy is an understatement. However, he has to learn how to engender loyalty if he has any chance of being a team leader.

When I was deciding what to cook for the Packers game, I made a mistake. I went back to basics and made Tailgate Chili, believing that was what was needed by the Bears. That's not true. What the Bears need is a team meal where the ingredients work as one. Perhaps Jay should host a party featuring this delicious Italian Beef. In this recipe, all the ingredients work together to support the quarterback:

Chicago Style Italian Beef

3 LB Sirloin Tip Roast
32 Ounces Beef Broth
1 package of Good Seasons Zesty Italian Salad Dressing
1 jar Pepperoncini Peppers
1 jar Giardiniera (in oil)

Spray your crockpot with Pam. Add all ingredients and cook on Low for 24 hours or longer turning every 6 hours.

58 Panes

It was impossible to sit still and watch today's 51-23 loss to New England. Everyone has their own coping mechanisms; mine is cleaning. 

By the second quarter the floors were done. With the Bears trailing 17-0, out came the paint can. The kitchen cabinets needed a few touch ups.  Ah, touchdown Bears - now we're talking. Then it happened. The Patriots scored 3 touchdowns in 57 seconds. Who knew that was even possible? 

By the time this painful game ended, all 58 window panes in the dining room were clean.

As for the menu, let's just say that seafood is 0-2 this season and will likely be benched.