Football Food Frenzy

In our house, football means one thing – big playoff parties with lots of food. When the kids were in High School, we would invite each of the kids friends over and some of the parents we knew and throw a great big feast. As the kids have grown, we have at times missed our tradition. This year we didn’t. We did it and in a big way – including two TVs to make it easier to watch from anywhere in the room. With 17 people watching, that helped a lot.

Linda and I started cooking the night before since some things keep pretty well. We made up a bunch of rice and shredded Colby Jack cheese. This morning we cut up the chicken and seasoned a bunch of it for my famous chicken tenders. We also sauteed a bunch for several tins of chicken fried rice. Linda scrambled at least 18 eggs, maybe more for that dish.

The shredded cheese was for cheese fries. We shredded at least 4 pounds of cheese and cooked up around 3 pounds of bacon. We picked up a big bag of fries at BJ’s Wholesale Club and cooked the whole thing. Linda layers fries first, then bacon, then cheese and then repeats for a second time. We bake them for about 10 minutes at 425. We made 3 tins of them because they go fast.

I’ve always been a fan of Nathan’s Lil Smokies. Sometime we’ll make them with baked beans. This time we made them with Jack Daniel’s Original Recipe BBQ sauce. We put them in a crock pot on low heat for about an hour before people arrived.

Our son and his girlfriend brought over a lasagna. Although I didn’t have any people said it was really good. One of our son’s friends brought some pulled pork and green bean casserole. He also brought rolls and corn bread. Our daughter brought over guacamole and tostitos. All in all, it was a great spread.

One of our daughters friends brought over some desserts. The first was a small chocolate cake drops with either peanut butter or Oreo toppings. The Oreo was good, but the peanut butter ones were awesome. They also brought something call Hello Dolly that consisted of a later of graham cracker on the bottom with chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, chopped walnut and condensed milk. I’m not a fan of walnut so I haven’t tried it yet, but we did set some aside so I will shortly.

It was a great time of food and friends. The dogs were pretty well behaved too. Except for my Patriots losing, it was a great night.

Cinnamon Takes a Back Seat to No Babka

My wife Linda and I are huge Seinfeld fans. We can quote many lines from many episodes. However, no line is nearer and dearer to my heart then this one and the lines that follow.

“Cinnamon takes a back seat to no babka. People love cinnamon. It should be on tables at restaurants along with salt and pepper. Anytime anyone says, “Oh this is so good, what’s in it?” The answer invariably comes back, “Cinnamon.” “Cinnamon.” Again and again. Lesser babka?? I think not.” – Jerry Seinfeld

You see, I am one of those people that love cinnamon. With my sweet tooth, I really enjoy eating at Cinnabon. Cinnamon rolls, cinnamon sticks, you name it. I even chew cinnamon Trident gum now that I can’t find Wrigley’s Big Red gum anywhere.

But that’s not the only reason I like the Seinfeld quote so much. My wife, my kids, and many of our friends really love my homemade chicken nuggets. So what’s in them? Cinnamon – among other things. I’m not going to post the recipe though. It’s not a secret recipe. Besides, I’ve already given away the secret ingredient! It’s just that I don’t measure anything when I make them. It’s all by eye.

Here are the ingredients for my chicken nuggets: flour, bread crumbs, panko chips, Morton’s Nature Seasons, ground black pepper, cinnamon, and chili powder.