Tough Loss to the Detroit Refs

An overtime loss is always tough, but when you lose to a scrawny official, it's demoralizing.

There were terrible calls against both teams, but Chicago really took it in the protective gear. Fox announcers and their rules specialist were as frustrated as the fans. At one point, they suggested the refs were trying to make Detroit right after the bad call they received in Seattle. Hey dude, we're  not Seattle. How about officiating this game.

Lunch was disappointing as well. This cook went with the famous Cheddar Cheese Soup from Hudson's that sold at Ford Field. For non-Detroiters, Hudson's was the Detroit equivalent of Marshall Fields. Hudson's suffered the same fate - they are now part of Macy's. The soup is a thick, sharp cheddar variety that seems better suited as a base for Welsh Rarebit.

If you're looking for a wonderful cheesy soup on a cool day, my call would be to give the TD to Cheesehead Chowder, but then, today was all about bad calls.

Hudson's Cheddar Cheese Soup

Ingredients:
2 TB unsalted butter
3/4 Cup onions, finely chopped
3/4 Cup carrots, finely chopped
1/2 Cup celery, finely chopped
1/4 Cup flour
1/2 TB cornstarch
1/16 tsp paprika
1/16 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 Cups whole milk
1 1/2 Cups chicken stock (I added an additional cup at the end because it was too thick)
1 LB sharp aged cheddar cheese, shredded
Salt
Pepper, freshly ground, to taste
Angostura bitters

Directions:
1.  Melt butter in heavy pan over medium high heat until foamy
2.  Add vegetables and saute until the onion is softened and translucent
3.  Combine flour, cornstarch, paprika and baking soda and sprinkle over the vegetables
4.  Cook, stirring constantly for at least 2 minutes
5.  Add milk and chicken stock and whisk until smooth
6.  Heat, stirring often to prevent milk from burning on bottom of the pan
7.  When the carrot is soft (about 15 minutes), remove pan from heat
8.  If you prefer a smooth soup, blend soup in small batches in a blender
9.  Add cheese, stirring to combine
10. Salt and pepper to taste
11.  Serve in bowls with a dash of bitters

The Choice Is Made

What are you going to cook to defeat Kansas City?  Get it right - this is an important game.

We'll talk after you've chosen.

Welcome Back Cutler

If someone was trying to prove how important Cutler is to da Bears, they certainly staged it well. Even with his requisite interception, Cutler had a good game. He also showed a bit more enthusiasm for winning which seemed to rally the troops.

Cutler's status was uncertain up to the last moment, so this blogger felt that a family football favorite - Tamales - was necessary. Granted, they are a bit of work, but we were looking at Zero Wins. So tamales are what die hard fans do. They're also pretty darn delicious. Consider making the meat filling the day before assembling the tamales. The flavors will combine nicely and you won't have such a marathon cooking session.

So, before you begin researching your Kansas City recipe, grab a pork roast, spices, masa harina and corn husks and get cooking. Muy Deliciosa!

Meat Filling

Ingredients:
1 # pork roast
3 ancho chiles, seeded, stemmed and soaked
Spice Rub to cover the roast:
     dry mustard
     garlic powder
     chili powder
     pepper
     cayenne powder
     cumin
Beef broth
1 onion, chopped

Directions:
1.  Rub the pork with the spices, let it sit until it's around room temperature
2.  Put the ancho chiles in a sauce pan with water to cover, boil about 15 minutes
3.  Remove the ancho chiles to a cutting board and remove the stem. Cut open and rinse to remove          the seeds.
4.  Spray crock pot with Pam
5.  Put the roast, onions and chiles in the crock pot
6.  Cover with beef broth
7.  Set crock pot to low and cook several  hours until tender and can be flaked with a fork
8.  When it's nearly done, add 1/2-1 cup of salsa
9.  When it's done, test to see if salt is needed
10. Drain but reserve the liquid

Tamales

Ingredients:
Corn husks, soaked for several hours
3 cups masa  harina
2 cups warm water
1 cup lard
1 tsp salt

Directions:
1.  Mix masa harina and water using a fork, cover and let sit for 20 minutes
2.  In large bowl, beat lard and salt until fluffy (this will likely take 20 minutes)
3.  Add masa mixture and beat until combined
4.  For each tamale:
          Choose a softened corn husk and spread about 2 TB of dough in a 5 x 3 rectangle in the center
           of  the corn husk
          Top with 1 TB or less of the drained pork meat
          Roll jelly roll style and tie each end with a strand of softened corn husk
5.  Place tamales on a rack or crumpled up foil in a single layer in a steamer, electric skillet or dutch
     oven. Add water just below rack level (add a bit of the reserved pork roast liquid)
6.  Bring to a boil, cover and steam for about 45 minutes or until tamale pulls away from wrapper. Add water as needed checking about every 15 minutes.

Makes about 20 depending on the size of the corn husks.

Kindred Spirit

Excellent Memories for Seattle Fans - and one high school girl

There were some highlights for Bears fans in the first half but, perhaps, the best feel good moment was the picture of our street models with an unsuspecting high school girl. Kyle Long and Matt Forte interrupted a senior portrait session and asked if they could be in the picture. Claiming to be street models, they struck a pose.

On the field, Forte was a work horse. However, penalties, a weak offense, a 64 yard punt return and a 105 year record kick return proved too much for the Bears. They were shut out and returned to Chicago with an 0-3 record. Tough times. Perhaps Jeffrey's expected return next week will take some of the work load off Forte. No word yet on Cutler's status.

This week's menu: Crab Cake with Mustard Cream Sauce

Ingredients - Small Crab Cakes
16 oz fancy lump crabmeat, drain and remove cartilage
1 egg, lighly beaten
1/3 cup greek yogurt
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onion
1 tsp lemon zest
1 cup panko breadcrumbs, divided
Pepper to taste
Cooking spray

Ingredients - Mustard Cream Sauce
1/3 cup Mayonnaise
1/4 cup greek yogurt
1 TB dijon mustard
1 TB lemon juice

Directions:
1.  Mix together crabmeat, egg, yogurt, green onion, lemon zest, pepper and 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
2.  Form mini crab cakes about the size of a tablespoon and coat in remaining breadcrumbs
3.  Place on parchment baking sheet and lightly spray with cooking spray
4.  Bake 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden brown
5. Mix all ingredients for mustard cream sauce and serve with crab cakes

Micro Brew and Container Gardening - No Farmers Here

It's easy to abandon the farmers this week. Not only did they turn their backs on us the last two weeks, but Seattle doesn't have farmers. If you want to stick with this losing theme, you can stretch the term to include fishermen. There are plenty of fishermen.

This blogger's chosen to return to the food of the opponent's people.Looking at Seattle's iconic food yields some interesting results and comparisons. For example, we have the Chicago Dog - they have hot dogs smothered in cream cheese. You probably need to try it before you recoil - or not.

Seattle is all about seafood including shell fish like the one above. Interesting.

Coffee, apples, Walla Walla onions, dutch babies, teriyaki and rainier cherries are some of the other foods associated with Seattle. Past menus have included coffee rubbed pork tenderloin and shrimp bisque. Both were delicious. If you'd like to look up the recipes, enter Seattle into the search bar.

As you prepare your menu for Sunday's game against the Seahawks, make a bit extra for Jeffrey and Cutler. They'll be sitting on the sidelines and might appreciate having a bit of nosh.

Some Records Aren't Meant To Be Broken

What is it about farmers? They're not playing into my theory of defeating the opponent with native food. Last week we explored cranberries from Wisconsin. This week it was lettuce from Arizona. Both were disasters on the football field.

Today felt like an Illini game! The score was bad enough - 48/23 - but the penalties, OMG! We tied the team record for penalties, losing 170 yards. This last happened in the 1940's and Papa Bear - who had retired - couldn't stand it. He came back to coach the team and turn things around. Sadly, Papa is no longer an option. Should we look forward to the day when Virginia suits up? I expect she's beginning to consider her options.

I'm not blaming any of this on Coach Fox. I'm willing to give him the time to fix Chicago's broken system but YEESH! this week was ugly. I mean, really, how can you take lovely green lettuce topped with taco meat, refried beans, guacamole and salsa and turn it into hell on earth?

And, by the way, I'm not buying the hamstring injury for Jay Cutler. I expect it's something much more serious. For goodness sake, he wasn't even limping on his way into the locker room. Time for plan B, C or D.

Bears fans and cooks, let's regroup.