Rantings & Ravings

Ingredients
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 cup frozen hash-brown potatoes or diced cooked potatoes
1 4 1/2-ounce can chopped mild green chiles
4 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce, such as Tabasco
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1/2 cup grated pepper Jack or Cheddar cheese
1/4 cup chopped scallions
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro or parsley

Directions
1. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add potatoes and cook until golden
brown, shaking the pan and tossing the potatoes from time to time, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in chiles and transfer to
a plate. Wipe out the pan.

2. Blend eggs, hot sauce, salt and pepper with a fork in a medium bowl. Stir in cheese, scallions, cilantro (or
parsley) and the potato mixture.

3. Set a rack about 4 inches from the heat source; preheat the broiler.

4. Brush the pan with the remaining 1 teaspoon oil; heat over medium heat. Pour in the egg mixture and tilt to
distribute evenly. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the bottom is light golden, lifting the edges to
allow uncooked egg to flow underneath, 3 to 4 minutes. Place the pan under the broiler and cook until the top is
set, 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 minutes. Slide the omelet onto a platter and cut into wedges.

Computer Sciences (CSC) has agreed to pay $1.37 million to settle allegations that it received kickbacks on technology contracts with U.S. government agencies, part of an alleged scheme involving millions of dollars and dozens of IT vendors and systems integrators. The settlement, announced by the U.S. Department of Justice Tuesday, stems from a 2004 lawsuit filed in Arkansas by whistleblowers who worked at Accenture and PricewaterhouseCoopers. In August, IBM agreed to pay just under $3 million and PricewaterhouseCoopers agreed to pay $2.3 million to settle similar complaints. The DOJ joined the lawsuits in April 2007. The DOJ investigation into the alleged kickbacks continues, the agency said. CSC spokespeople were not immediately available for comment. Whistleblowers Norman Rille and Neal Roberts filed lawsuits against Hewlett-Packard, Sun Microsystems, and Accenture in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas in September 2004. The men alleged that the three companies, along with more than three dozen other IT vendors and system integrators, engaged in a long-term kickbacks scheme in which the companies created alliance relationships with dozens of other vendors, giving each other discounts or rebates on products or work for government contracts. The companies did not pass the rebates on to their government clients, according to the complaints

Ingredients
1/2 cup whole-wheat pastry flour (see Source)
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
3/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1 large egg
1 large egg white
1/2 cup nonfat buttermilk (see Tip)
1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons canola oil, divided
3/4 cup fresh or frozen (not thawed) blueberries

Directions
1. Whisk whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and nutmeg in a small bowl. Whisk ricotta, egg, egg white, buttermilk, lemon zest and juice in a large bowl until smooth. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined.
2. Brush a large nonstick skillet with 1/2 teaspoon oil and place over medium heat until hot. Using a generous 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake, pour the batter for 2 pancakes into the pan, sprinkle blueberries on each pancake and cook until the edges are dry and bubbles begin to form, about 2 minutes. Flip the pancakes and cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes more. Repeat with the remaining oil, batter and berries, adjusting the heat as necessary to prevent burning.

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — The main sponsor of Team CSC will stop backing the team after this year, becoming the latest company to abandon cycling in the wake of a string of doping scandals.

Computer Sciences Corp., which has sponsored the team for eight years, said Thursday it will not renew its contract when it runs out at the end of the year.

The decision comes after team manager Bjarne Riis admitted last year that he used performance-enhancing drugs during his career, including when he won the 1996 Tour de France.

“We will continue to support the team and exercise our sponsorship rights during the 2008 race season,” CSC spokesman Henrik Bo Pedersen said. “At the same time, we are committed to helping the team secure a new title sponsor.”

T-Mobile and Discovery Channel both ended their team sponsorship deals last year following doping revelations.

See this recipe on air (Food Channel) Tuesday Apr. 15 at 2:00 PM ET/PT.

Show: Guys Big Bite
Episode: Mojito Chicken

1 (2 1/2 to 3-pound) chicken
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
Marinade, recipe follows
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Mojito Glaze, recipe follows

Remove backbone of chicken with poultry shears; flatten chicken out by pressing firmly on skin part of chicken so it will sit evenly in a pan.
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

Combine all the dry spices and rub chicken with spice mixture, especially under the skin. Put into a resealable plastic bag and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl combine all the ingredients for the marinade, then add chicken to marinade and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Remove chicken from marinade and shake off excess marinade. In a large saute pan over medium to high heat, add 4 tablespoons of extra- virgin olive oil. When oil is hot, place chicken skin side down and sear.

When skin is golden brown flip chicken and add 1/2 cup of marinade into pan; place pan in oven and cook the chicken for 25 minutes or until chicken has internal temperature of 165 degrees F. on an instant-read thermometer.

Remove the chicken from oven and brush with Mojito Glaze. Place chicken under broiler for 5 minutes. Remove from broiler, cut and serve immediately with more glaze on the side.

Marinade:
1 cup orange juice
2 limes, juiced
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon sliced garlic
1/4 cup dark rum
Combine all ingredients in mixing bowl.

Mojito Glaze:
1/2 cup dark rum
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon brown sugar
3 tablespoons cold water
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup chopped mint leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
In medium sauce pot, place rum, chicken broth and brown sugar. Reduce by 1/3 over high heat. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together water and cornstarch. When rum mixture is reduced, add cornstarch mixture slowly to simmering liquid and whisk for 3 minutes, until 50 percent thicker. Keep in mind that you might not need all of it. When glaze is at desired thickness, add mint leaves and transfer to small bowl. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

As you may know, Easter is always the 1st Sunday after the 1st full moon after the Spring Equinox (which is March 20)

This dating of Easter is based on the lunar calendar that Hebrew people used to identify Passover which is why it moves around on our Roman
calendar.

Based on the above, Easter can actually be one day earlier (March 22) but that is pretty rare.
This year is the earliest Easter any of us will ever see the rest of our lives! And only the most elderly of
our population have ever seen it this early (95 years old or above!). None of us have ever or
will ever see it a day earlier! Here are the facts:

The next time Easter will be this early (March 23) will be the year 2228 (220 years from now).
The last time it was this early was 1913 (so if you’re 95 or older you are the only ones that were around for that!).
The next time it will be a day earlier March 22 will be in the year 2285 (277 years from now).
The last time it was on March 22 was 1818.

So no one alive today has or will ever see it any earlier than this year!

2 oz Crown Royal
2 oz Sour Apple Pucker
2 oz Cranberry Juice

Shake over ice, stain into martini glass
Garnish with cherry

Bottom’s up!

Current Price: 40.72 (Mon Jan 14 14:40:46 2008 EST)

Volume Day High Day Low Year High Year Low
1165300 41.85 39.91 63.76 39.98

1 1/2 ounces of Cointreau
1/2 ounce of light rum
3 basil leaves
2 lime wedges
1/4 slice of orange
2 ounces sweet/sour mix
Float of tonic water

Muddle the basil, lime and orange.
Add ice, Cointreau, rum and sour mix.
Shake and pour in a rock glass
(I add ice, booze and stir)
Top with float of tonic.
Garnish with orange wedge and basil leaves.

PREP TIME: About 5 minutes
MAKES: 1 1/2 quarts; 6 to 8 servings

In a pitcher (at least 2-qt. capacity), combine 3 cups ruby grapefruit juice (fresh-squeezed or purchased), 2 cups tequila, and 1 cup triple sec or other orange-flavored liqueur. Chill until cold, at least 1 hour, or up to 1 day.

Pour about 1/4 cup sugar on a rimmed plate. Cut a ruby grapefruit in half and rub rims of double old-fashioned glasses (8 oz.) with cut side of one half to moisten, then dip glass rims in sugar to coat.

Fill glasses with ice cubes. Pour grapefruit margaritas over ice, taking care not to disturb sugared glass rims.

Like eggnog but want to try something different? Try this old warhorse, dating from the early 1800’s, long rumored to be the invention of Jerry Thomas, the OG of bartenders and mixologists, though it appears now a sportswriter named Pierce Egan came up with this. This particular recipe comes from CocktailDB.com, our favorite cocktail recipe repository.

1 egg yolk
1 tsp sugar
1 1/2 oz light rum
1/4 tsp allspice

Mix vigorously, pour into 6 oz mug and top with hot water

Add nutmeg

1 egg white, beat until stiff & pour into mug

1/2 oz brandy, stirred in

1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
5 bay leaves
2 tablespoons black pepper corns
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon dried rosemary
1 tablespoon rubbed sage
1 tablespoon coriander seeds

Dissolve brine in 2 quarts of boiling water. Once it is dissolved, add in 1-2 quarts more water (depending on the size of your bird). Place your turkey in a large Ziploc storage bag (one of the big ones designed for holding sweaters). When the brine is cool, pour over bird (you can add a bunch of ice cubes to speed this process).

Let bird sit in brine for 12-24 hours. Remove, rinse and roast normally.

From Food Network Kitchens

1 (2 3/4 pound) butternut squash, unpeeled, quartered, and cut into 2-inch chunks
4 (about 2 pounds) sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
10 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and halved
1 bunch scallions (green and white parts separated), cut into 1-inch pieces
2 (14-ounce) cans coconut milk
1 1/2 cups water
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons sambal oelek, or other Asian chili paste
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup cilantro leaves, roughly chopped for garnish
1/4 cup salted peanuts, roughly chopped for garnish

Toss the squash, potatoes, shiitakes, and scallions whites together in the slow cooker. Whisk the coconut milk, water, soy sauce, sambal, and salt together in a bowl; then pour over the vegetables. Cover and cook on HIGH for 4 hours, or until tender.

Evenly divide the vegetables and broth into warm bowls. Scatter the scallion greens, cilantro, and peanuts on top and serve.

Copyright (c) 2007 Television Food Network, G.P., All Rights Reserved.

Week 4 proved to be a week of upsets - Odds only got 4 pre-MNF games correct!

Going into MNF Potluck was in the lead, but
Blockhead, BHL, and Guitarman all had a chance.
The quarter points were just enough to allow Potluck
to grab the Week 4 win.

The DFL spot was between CantankerousOldCoot, LarryDawg,
and smike. Nothing went the Bengals’ way, so nothing goes
well for CantankerousOldCoot either and he gets his
first DFL.

The upsets certainly stirred thing up in
the standings, but JB managed to stay
on top of the heap - that’s 3 out of 4 weeks
that JB’s been #1! Some of our players are
quietly sneaking into the top ten though
(Benites, GAX, OGCBFAN, Favre4ever, Badger)
so anything could happen.

(thin mints)

equal parts:
creme de menthe
creme de cacao
splash of milk

Put into an ice filled shaker, cover and shake just until blended.
Strain to serve in a shot glass.

Though loaded with chiles and peppers, this stew has a gentle heat. For a stronger punch, double the number of chiles. Prep and Cook Time: 2 hours. Notes: This stew is best made up to two days in advance. Reheat in a cast-iron or other heavy-bottomed pot over a low flame on your grill or on a portable burner.

——————————————————————————–

Ingredients
1 chicken (3 to 4 lbs.), cut into 8 pieces
2 whole bay leaves
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
5 teaspoons salt
1 package (1 lb.) frozen corn, defrosted and drained
2 green bell peppers, halved, stemmed, and seeded
4 Anaheim or New Mexico green chiles, halved, stemmed, and seeded
4 serrano chiles, halved, stemmed, and seeded
3 tablespoons canola oil
2 large yellow onions, chopped
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground coriander
2 cans (12 to 15 oz. each) posole or hominy, drained
2 cans (15 oz. each) white beans, drained
1 can (28 oz.) whole tomatillos, drained and roughly chopped
Lime wedges, chopped cilantro, and tortilla chips

Preparation
1. Put chicken in a large pot with bay leaves, peppercorns, and 2 tsp. salt. Add water to cover chicken by 2 inches. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook, adding water as needed to keep chicken covered, until chicken is cooked through, 35 to 45 minutes. Remove chicken from pot and let cool. Pour broth through a strainer and reserve; discard spices. When broth is cooled, skim off as much fat as you can.
2. Preheat oven to 400°. Spread corn in a baking pan and roast until it begins to turn bronze, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.

3. Reset oven heat to broil. Arrange peppers and chiles, cut side down, in 2 baking pans and broil 4 to 5 inches from the heat until skins are black, 5 to 8 minutes (remove each as it blackens). Let cool, then peel and coarsely chop.

4. Heat canola oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions, garlic, spices, and remaining 3 tsp. salt and cook, stirring, until onions are translucent, 4 minutes. Add peppers, chiles, and corn and cook 3 minutes. Add posole, beans, tomatillos, and 7 cups of reserved cooking broth; freeze remaining broth for later use. Bring stew to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook 10 minutes.

5. When chicken is cool enough to handle, remove skin and discard. Use 2 forks to shred meat off bone. Add meat to pot and simmer until chicken is warmed through, about 10 minutes. Serve topped with lime wedges, cilantro leaves, and tortilla chips.

Note: Nutritional analysis is per serving.

Yield
Makes 10 servings

Nutritional Information
CALORIES 480(30% from fat); FAT 16g (sat 3.7g); PROTEIN 31g; CHOLESTEROL 64mg; SODIUM 1940mg; FIBER 10g; CARBOHYDRATE 52g

Chef: Christopher Hartfield
Sunset, OCTOBER 2006

Autumn is here, and football season is in full swing!

Got together with RaceTrackChuck and Onlyone to do some
MNF viewing this week - We’re hoping to catch up with even more
of you as the season goes on!

Week 3 Sunday games had Paddy at the top of the heap as he
only missed 2 games - impressive. But Benites and Jer-Dog each
had a shot at the weekly win too…. The Titans proved too much
for the Saints though, and Paddy’s efforts are rewarded with the
Week 3 win!

On the other end of things, AntiLauraPick (hrmphh!) and Dutch
fought it out for last place…. ALP gave it a good shot, but
Dutch has had a lot of practice defending his territory and he
snags his first DFL this year.

With this week’s win, Paddy breaks into the top 3
JB and Hail_Skins! started in the top 3 and are still firmly seated
at 1 and 2.

A couple weeks ago we overheard someone say that Favre was “old” and
should have retired…. puh-leeeez! We’ll be watching next week
to see if he can break Marino’s touchdown passing record

Lots of action in Week 2 - 6 upsets and 2 overtime
games to keep us all at the edge of our seats.

ROD had a good week, all but sewing up the weekly
prize before MNF was even played. Even with a -9
on Monday, ROD holds on to the #1 spot and captures
the Week 2 win.

The DFL spot was the subject of some fierce competition,
but Colt96 fends off the other wannabe-s and comes off
a default week to get the DFL prize.

There were only 5 defaults this week (down from 8 last
week). Warlords and Smitte took the default for both
Week 1 and Week 2….. Heelll-lloooo!!! It’s football
season!! Ya know, there are whole bunch of us that actually
entered the last two weeks and the defaulters are
ahead of us - there’s just something wrong with that
picture!

The overall is a complete scramble right now, except for
the top 3…. They got juggled, but last week’s top three
remain this week’s top three. I think we all know who we
need to overtake next week

The 2007 season kicks off with 71 (!) players in
our little competition! That’s a new record for us!
Welcome to all of our new players as well our returning
friends.

We had planned to go out to watch MNF, but work got in the
way and we missed not only the first kickoff but most of the
first game - sigh. Hope you had better luck and had a chance
to meet up with friends to enjoy the two games.

Going into Monday Night Football (well, the 2nd MNF game)
there was a wide range of scores…. the leaders had more
than twice the points and more than twice the games won as
the er, laggers.

JB, Licenciado, and Hail_Skins! each only lost
one pre-MNF game… very impressive! The win was up for grabs between
JB, Licenciado, farve4ever, and Krusty - the quarters definitely
came into play.

The DFL contest for Week 1 was between
Dutch (who only got 6 games correct) and Guitarman.

Congrats to jb and so sad for Guitarman (DFL though! )

Thanks for joining us for yet another season!

Chrissy’s Crab Chowder Recipe
courtesy Christine Dryden
Show: All American Festivals
Episode: The Hard Crab Derby - Crisfield, MD

1 yellow onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
4 ounces (1 stick) butter
3/4 cup flour
10 slices bacon, soft cooked and chopped
5 medium potatoes, peeled, diced and par-boiled for about 5 minutes
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon garlic salt
1/8 teaspoon celery salt
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon seafood seasoning
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 quart milk
1 pint heavy cream
1 can corn
1 pound Maryland blue crabmeat

In medium soup pot, saute the onion and celery on medium heat, with butter, until translucent, about 2 minutes. Turn heat to low, add flour, and mix well until pasty. Using a whisk, stirring slowly, add soft cooked bacon, diced cooked potatoes, parsley, paprika, garlic salt, celery salt, white pepper, seafood seasoning, and salt and pepper, to taste. Mix, and then slowly add the milk and cream, stirring constantly. Add the corn, and finally, gently fold in the crabmeat. Stir slowly. Serve hot.