I'm Rick James, Bitch and Fish Lasagna

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I’m Elvis style TCBtoday.  So far, I’ve raked the back yardand cleaned up the gardens for Spring planting. I also purchased some tile for a plan I have to fix a dog attacked areaunder the back door.  After lunch, I’llget started on the tile stuff.  I justgot back from the grocery store which is a bad idea when hungry.  I ended up with a totinos pizza and the stuffto make an apple crisp.  I went in forapples and buttermilk.  I blame RickJames for this.  He was part of my rakingplaylist earlier.  The result was extrabackyard dancing with an end result of the job taking longer than necessary. Plus, I had to put a ton of glitter inmy hair that probably won’t come out until after President’s Day.  If this video doesn’t make you laugh, checkyour pulse because you are probably dead.


I know this soundslike a weird recipe, but it is really delicious.  I’m trying to find ways to get Tiffany to eatmore fish.  She claimed this lasagna wastoo fishy, but she isn’t a fan of seafood in general.  I thought it was quite good.

Alaskan HalibutLasagna (I actually used white fish)
Ingredients6 tablespoons butter,divided2 garlic cloves,minced1-1  ½ pounds halibut steaks, bonesremoved and cut into 1-inch cubes (I used white fish)¾ teaspoon dried thyme1/3 cup all-purpose flour1 cup of heavy whipping cream½ teaspoon salt8 ounces lasagna noodles, cooked anddrained (I usually just soak the noodles in hot water prior to layering thelasagna.)1½ cups chicken broth2 cups (8 ounces) shredded swisscheeseMinced fresh parsley, optional
PreparationIn a large skillet over medium heat,melt 2 tablespoons butter.  Add halibutor fish of choice and thyme.  Cook untilfish flakes easily with a fork, about 10 minutes.  Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer.  Remove and set aside.
Add the remaining butter to theskillet.  Stir in flour and salt until smooth;cook and stir until golden brown. Gradually add broth and cream. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.
In a greased 13x9 baking dish, layerhalf of the noodles, fish, white sauce and cheese.  Repeat layers.  Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  Uncover; bake 20 minutes longer or untilbubbly.  Let stand 15 minutes beforeserving.  Sprinkle with parsley, ifdesired.
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White Chicken Enchiladas - WTF and WOW Recipe Wednesday

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White ChickenEnchiladas


Ingredients8flour tortillas, soft taco size
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken (I used half of a rotisserie chicken)
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
3 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup sour cream
1 (4 oz) can diced green chilies

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Mix chicken and 1 cup cheese. Roll up intortillas and place in pan seam side down.

In a small sauce pan over medium heat, melt butter. Whisk in flour and cook 1minute. Add broth and whisk until smooth. Allow sauce to thicken. Remove fromheat and stir in sour cream and chilies.

Pour sauce over enchiladas and top with remaining cheese. Bake 20-25 minutesand then broil for a few minutes to brown the cheese.
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Holiday Hope

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Certain issues youhave to face in life always serve to put into perspective what is reallyimportant.  This time of year, wheneverything is completely ridiculous with Black Friday fist-fights andovercrowded mall experiences, it is often hard to remember that what truly matters ishealth and happiness.   If you’ve everhad to deal with mental illness, depression, addiction, etc in your family, youknow that watching someone you love become someone you don’t even recognize isextremely painful and frustrating…especially when you want to eliminate theirpain, but you are powerless to do so. The one thing that can give you great comfort in these times is to learnthat you are not alone.  That is why youreally have to love the blogsphere.  You runacross some really great blogs that can give you comfort during difficulttimes.  I found this one yesterday.  I figured I should share.  Click Here to read Still Hopeful Mom.
That being said, HAPPYHOLIDAYS!!  EAT WELL AND DRINK WELL!!!

Fried Pumpkin and Goat Cheese Risotto Balls - WTF and WOW Recipe Wednesday

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Nothing like a unique Christmas card to send out to friends and family!
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In case you were wondering...that is a chicken dressed up like Jackie Onassis
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Just because you have a camera, doesn't mean you should...
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I'm not even sure what I'm looking at...
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Just an informal graduation party
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Can't see anything wrong with this idea...
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"But mom, Fluffy and I are playing let's rob a 7-Eleven!  Do we have to pose for a picture right now?!"
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FriedPumpkin and Goat Cheese Risotto Balls



Ingredients4 cups Low SodiumChicken Broth1 cup Canned PumpkinPurée3 TablespoonsUnsalted Butter, Divided2 whole Shallots,Diced1 teaspoon KosherSalt½ teaspoons FreshlyGround Black Pepper1-½ cup Arborio Rice ¾ cups Dry White Wine 8 ounces, weight GoatCheese Crumbled 2 Tablespoons ChoppedFlat Leaf Parsley¼ teaspoons DriedSage ¼ teaspoons GroundNutmeg2 cups Vegetable Oil,For Frying2 cups All-purposeFlour2 cups Panko BreadCrumbs6 whole Eggs
PreparationWhisk together the chicken broth andpumpkin in a medium saucepan and place over medium heat.  Bring the mixture to asimmer, then reduce the heat to low and cover to keep warm.
Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a largesaucepan over medium heat. Add the shallots, season with salt and pepper, andcook for 1 to 2 minutes, until the shallots are soft. Add the rice and cook for2 to 3 minutes, until lightly toasted. Add the wine and cook for 1 to 2minutes, until it is completely absorbed. Add 1/2 cup of the pumpkin brothmixture and cook, stirring constantly, until the liquid is completely absorbedinto the rice. Continue cooking the rice, adding more broth 1/2 cup at a timeand stirring constantly, for 20 to 30 minutes total, until the rice is smooth and creamy. Remove from the heat and stir in the goat cheese, parsley, sage,nutmeg, and remaining tablespoon of butter. Season with salt and pepper, totaste.

Pour the risotto onto a large rimmedbaking sheet and spread out into a thin layer. Cover with plastic wrap andchill in the refrigerator for 20 to 30 minutes, until cold.

Using a small ice cream scoop ortablespoon, form the risotto into small golf ball-sized rounds. Return to thebaking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and chill for another 30 minutes.

Add enough oil to a large saucepan tocome 3 inches up the sides of the pan. Heat the oil over medium heat until aninstant read thermometer registers 350°F. Place the flour in a shallow dish.Place the bread crumbs in a second dish. Beat the eggs in a third dish. Rolleach risotto ball in the flour, then dredge in the eggs. Roll in the breadcrumbs. Add the risotto balls to the hot oil and fry for 2 to 3 minutes,turning occasionally, until golden brown all over. Drain on paper towels andsprinkle with salt. Serve immediately.
Recipe Source

The Children's Place Facebook Million Fan Party

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"Like" The Children's Place on Facebook and visit their page tomorrow night, July 26th, at 9pm EST to attend the Million Fan Party! They are going to be giving away $20,000 worth of gift cards! I will be there :)

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Remembering Harvey's Chelsea House

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Back in the early '90s, when I was a non-blogging, budding sentimentalist, I worked for a time at a horrible theatre trade magazine in the Flatiron District. (It wasn't called that at the time.) In my attempts to distance myself from my boss and duties, I would use my lunch hour to range as far from my office as possible.
I remember frequently passing an old restaurant at 108 W. 18th Street which has a grand, vertical, three-story sign that said "Harvey's." Peering in, I saw a long bar, high ceilings, tile floors, beveled glass and a dining room in the back. It was one of my first impressions of what was meant by the term Olde New York.
I didn't know much about the place, and soon thereafter it closed for good. I have been obsessed with the joint every sense. Recently I decided to find out more about the restaurant that still haunts my memory. It was worth the inquiry. 
When Harvey's Chelsea House closed in December 1991, it was 102 years old. A man named Dick Harvey had owned it for its final 16 years of its existence. He told the New York Times that taxes, insurance and utility costs, compounded by a bad economy, had forced him to close. 
Harvey's Chelsea House opened in 1889 as a kind of dark-wooded, manly eatery that was prevalent and popular at that time. It was finely appointed. It had a 40-foot bar of red, burled, Honduras mahogany, crystal cabinetwork, a brass clock and rear cabinets of bevelled glass. I'm not sure what it was called back then—it seems to have been called the Old Chelsea Restaurant at some point—but certainly not Harvey's Chelsea House. Dick Harvey took over the location in 1977. He, at the time, also managed 0'Neal's Balloon, had reopened the Landmark Tavern, and had a reputation as "the fastest bartender who has ever worked New York," according to The New Yorker. Harvey refinished the mahogany and added five chandeliers and an historic display of bar-and-res-taurant glassware. (That means that the "old" sign outside I admire so much was no older than 14 years when I saw it.)
After Harvey gave up the fight, the place remained closed for a while, then was reopened as Tonic by one Steve Tzolis, the principal owner of Il Cantinori, Periyali and Aureole, all restaurants in Manhattan. 
A newspaper described the new incarnation thusly: "I figured the owners would simply rip it apart and sell the fixtures and that if it ever reopened, it would be painted white. So it was a wonderful surprise to walk in on a recent night to find the place looking much as I remembered, only better. (It has been spruced up and is now a warm red.) It is also a scene. Young executives in pinstriped business suits, guys in white T-shirts and bikers’ jackets, lithe young women in jeans or black dresses were packed several deep at the bar, and they weren’t all just waiting for tables. The maître d’ led me away from this merry throng into the room next door, which, although full and lively, seemed quiet by comparison. It was like being sent to sit with the grown-ups. My friends were already at the table."
Tonic didn't take. The building was torn down in 2006. What became of the beautiful bar, the mahogany, the cast iron, the glass, the brass? Junked or broken up and sold.

Gargiulo's at Christmastime

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I recently went down to Gargiulo's, which was damaged by Hurricane Sandy, to show some support and have a meal. The century-old restaurant was shuttered for a few weeks, after flood waters soaked the property, which lies just a block from the boardwalk in Coney Island. The lobby was deluged and the water reached as high as a foot above the elevated dining room. But the owners worked fast to open up, not wanting to lose out on holiday business.

The lobby bar is still under renovation, hidden behind a wall. This gives the foyer a more truncated look, taking away from the expansive feel you expect at Gargiulo's. But the dining room is in full working order, complete with lavish Christmas decorations. The service and food was excellent, as always.

Scary Christmas

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The residents of Cobble Hill know well the house on the corner of Kane and Strong Place's habit of impaling dozens of small jack o'lanterns of the spikes of its wrap-around cast iron fence every Halloween. And they know how the owners of that house leave the pumpkins there to slowly decompose as the days dwindle down to a precious few. Jack and his brothers are looking pretty haunting these days, some eight weeks after Oct. 31. Still, I'd like to put a Santa hat on each and every one of them.

A Perfect Storefront: Elias Shoe Repair & Shine

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It's a bit a of given in my universe that shoe repair shops often make for perfect storefronts—because they are compact; because they pack a lot of visual stimuli in their windows and doors; and because they rarely change over the decades (there is little business incentive to refurbish such a humble business.) Elias Shoe Repair is on W. 72nd Street on the Upper West Side.

Harvey's Chelsea House Remembered by Readers

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I posted last week about the bygone Olde New York restaurant Harvey's Chelsea House. Since then, a couple readers have shared their memories of the place. This has been gratifying, as I had assumed that nobody remembered the place. (I've never seen it written about since it closed twenty years ago.)

Maximum Bob wrote:

This used to be my main hangout. I used to work out at a gym a block away and would hit the bar afterwards for a burger and a beer. It was an elegant, grownup place. The night before I got married, my best friends and I came here for dinner and drinks.This was the 80's. I will never forget Harvey's and that time in general. If I could go back in time I would jettison this age of mediocrity in a nanosecond.

And Lionel said: 

It was a great place with one of the finest bars I spent time bellying up to. It had two old fashioned cash registers that were functioning and used. Some very talented artist did an oil painting that depicted the bar and was beautifully accurate. I was heartbroken when it was no more. I would occasionally see the actress Sandy Dennis in the back having a sandwich. Interestingly, many of the bartenders, and or owners, always referred to the bars that they worked at as ‘the store,’ kind of a holdover from old New York. It was a truly beautiful barroom.

Sandy Dennis was a regular?! I love the memory of the place even more now.

Pizza Hut to Unveil P'Zolo Sandwich on Monday

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On Monday, June 4, Pizza Hut will begin offering their newest menu item, the P'Zolo.  According to NRN, the P'Zolo, "...resembles a wrap more than the chain’s calzone-like P’Zone, the P’Zolo targets the sandwich competition both in marketing and price point."

Photo by: Pizza Hut

The P'Zolo will come in three varieties, one for $3 and two for $5.  The varieties, all topped with Asiago cheese, include a, "...Meat Trio with Italian sausage, pepperoni, ham and cheese; Italian Steak with marinated steak, roasted vegetables and cheese; and Buffalo Chicken with white-meat chicken, buffalo seasoning and cheese. Each P’Zolo is served with a choice of ranch or marinara dipping sauce."

With no mention of a limited time offer, the P'Zolo looks to be a permanent menu addition at the over 10,000 Pizza Hut locations worldwide.

Togo's Returns to Arizona

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The official grand opening is set for Saturday, August 18, but Togo's in Gilbert is now ready for business.  The AZFoodDude reported on the second coming of Togo's to the Valley back in January and now with the first location having opened at 1520 W. Guadalupe Rd. #101 Gilbert, AZ 85233, the franchisee has his sights set on opening two more Togo's restaurants in the Valley.  The hours for the restaurant are:

• Monday - Friday: 10am - 9pm
• Saturday: 10:30am - 7pm
• Sunday: 11am - 5pm

According to the press release, "To celebrate Togo's arrival in Arizona, two lucky Gilbert customers will win free sandwiches for one-year. Additionally, the local community is invited to attend the official Grand Opening all-day celebration, taking place on Saturday, August 18, 2012 with music, prizes, local fundraiser event and more!"

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/06/12/4556141/togos-arrives-in-arizona-with.html#storylink=cpy"To celebrate Togo's arrival in Arizona, two lucky Gilbert customers will win free sandwiches for one-year. Additionally, the local community is invited to attend the official Grand Opening all-day celebration, taking place on Saturday, August 18, 2012 with music, prizes, local fundraiser event and more!
Source: PR Newswire (http://s.tt/1ecq1)To celebrate Togo's arrival in Arizona, two lucky Gilbert customers will win free sandwiches for one-year. Additionally, the local community is invited to attend the official Grand Opening all-day celebration, taking place on Saturday, August 18, 2012 with music, prizes, local fundraiser event and more!
Source: PR Newswire (http://s.tt/1ecq1)To celebrate Togo's arrival in Arizona, two lucky Gilbert customers will win free sandwiches for one-year. Additionally, the local community is invited to attend the official Grand Opening all-day celebration, taking place on Saturday, August 18, 2012 with music, prizes, local fundraiser event and more!
Source: PR Newswire (http://s.tt/1ecq1)
Togo's, which is based in San Jose, CA and first opened in 1967, is known for their "West Coast" hot or cold sandwiches, but also offers up soups, salads, chips, cookies, and brownies.  You can check out the full Togo's menu here.

Subway's July $5 Featured Footlong - Buffalo Chicken

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In the event you don't think it's hot enough this time of year, Subway is giving us that extra kick with July's $5 featured footlong.  The Buffalo Chicken sandwich, which is now back on Subway's menu for good, has "......tender, juicy chicken tossed in a bold buffalo sauce with crisp green peppers and cool, creamy ranch on freshly baked bread."  

In terms of nutrition, you can check out this Subway site and calculate how many calories, fat, protein, etc. will be in the sandwich based on how you have your sandwich made.

Dairy Queen's July Blizzard of the Month - Chocolate Candy Shop

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Last month, Dairy Queen gave us the Turtle Brownie Blizzard.  This month however, Dairy Queen is switching things up with their new Chocolate Candy Shop Blizzard.  The Chocolate Candy Shop Blizzard is made of cocoa fudge, vanilla soft serve, and chocolate pieces filled with hazelnut creme, fudge, and caramel. 

The nutritional information for a medium Chocolate Candy Shop Blizzard includes 960 calories, 44 grams of fat (24 saturated), 108 grams of sugar, and 19 grams of protein.

Tucson's Legendary Zachary's Pizza is Closing

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Echoing the sentiments of Tucson Weekly, which broke the story, the AZFoodDude is sad to learn that Zachary's Pizza is closing on August 1.  There is not a lot of news officially as to why the Tucson staple is closing, but it is almost assuredly because business has been rough in an economy that continues to sputter.  A Facebook post by the restaurant on June 24 gives us a clue, "We will be cash only for a bit longer.  Please help support our business.  Summer has not been kind."

Like many folks, I was brought to Zachary's by friends of mine during a visit to Tucson.  It was after that first visit that I then introduced other friends of mine in the Valley to Zachary's incredible deep dish Chicago style pizza.  The place is so good that we have made the drive from Phoenix to Tucson just for Zachary's pizza on multiple occasions.  Now, that might sound like a long drive but employees of Zachary's will tell you of folks from all over who specifically stop for their pizza, including some regulars from New Mexico.

Near the UofA campus, now is a good time for those who want one last slice and for those who've never had the opportunity to see what all the fuss is about, to experience the hole-in-the-wall charm and head over to Zachary's.  The hours are 4pm - 10pm on Monday, 11am - 10pm Tuesday - Thursday, 11am - 11pm on Friday, noon - 11pm on Saturday and noon - 10pm on Sunday.

The LL Chronicles #25: The Eye Test

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"I always say that I can take sixteen kids,put eight of them on one side and eight on the other.  And, based on that, I'll tell you who's goingto win the game.  I won't watch any kidtake batting practice.  The eight kidswho throw the ball back and forth better with each other are going to win thegame." -- former Major Leaguer Bill Ripken, from the bookPlay Baseball the Ripken Way 

Bill Ripken played for four different MLB teams duringhis 12-year career, compiling more than 3,000 plate appearances.  He's most famous for being the kid brother ofHall of Famer Cal Ripken (although Bill was the face of the game for a few weeks in 1989).  The Ripken brothers have parlayed theirexhaustive knowledge of baseball fundamentals into a respectedbrand name within the youth sports industry.  Their two books on teaching baseball aremust-reads for anyone new to Little League. 
That said…Bill Ripken is full of sh*t. 
My eight-year-old son Jalen has developed a surefire –and even more concise – eye test to determine the comparative talent levels oftwo different teams.  As we pulled intothe parking lot for the penultimate game of the fall season, our opponents (theWhite Sox from nearby Escondido) were loitering along the left field fence. 
 "They'reHUGE!", Jalen exclaimed. "We're gonna lose." 
I chalked up my son's assessment to typical childhyperbole and went about my usual on-arrival routine – shakily lugging two fullbuckets of baseballs to our dugout with a large equipment bag strapped to mynarrow back.  The heavy loads afforded methe opportunity to slowly loaf past our opponents and prepare my own scoutingreport.  And, wow…theywere huge.  Unlike myson, however, I wasn't entirely ready to concede defeat.  I racked my mind for the first tried-and-trueencouraging platitude that wouldn't betray my own emotions at the moment. 
"Hey, J", I called ahead; "Let's focus onhaving fun today, OK?" 
ProTip: When searching for subterfuge, never pick thefirst platitude.  Jalen didn't respond,so my only hope was that he didn't hear me. 
As the rest of my players began arriving, the murmursabout the other team's size spread quickly. During warm-ups, a few parents paced fretfully in front of their seatsdown the first base line.  One of themoms sporadically shouted "Be careful!" to her child with an urgencyusually reserved for policemen whose beat includes a street named after MartinLuther King.  It was too late to diffuseany intimidation, so I took some of my best players aside and tasked them withleading by example. 
My starting pitcher – and best player on our team – wasan endearingly cocky kid named Colin. Remember that scene at the end of The Bad News Bearsin which the Yankees refuse to throw strikes to Kelly Leak?  Then, on a 3-0 count, Leak swings at a pitchthat's two feet outside and hits it to the wall.  Colin did that once or twice a game for usthis season.  As a pitcher, he'ssimilarly dynamic. 
Jalen LOVES catching Colin because it's the easiest jobon the squad.  Most times, J doesn't haveto move anything more than his left arm to catch the recurrent strikes and hisright arm to toss the ball back.  THIStime, though…J had to work. Colin seemingly reached two strikes on every batter he faced, but thenalternated between overthrowing the next few pitches or taking too muchoff.  The end result was anuncharacteristic succession of wild pitches, passed balls and 3-2 lollipopsthat were walloped all around the outfield.   
In Colin's defense, he didn't get much help from hiscatcher.  Jalen allowed one run to scorewhile half-half assing it in pursuit of a wild pitch.  Another scored when J transformed a pitch inthe dirt into a Three Stooges tribute.  When my kids left the field after the top ofthe first inning, they were trailing 4-0. 
After my leadoff batter was retired; Jalen came to theplate with bad intentions glinting from his comically omnipresent,eye-black-enhanced scowl.  If there's ONEthing about my son's occasionally insufferable approach thatI can't get enough of, it's the condescending hand he raises to the umpire whenhe first steps into the batter's box.  Jdigs in with his cleats, glaring defiantly in the vicinity of the pitcher, whilesimultaneously offering the universal "time out" signal to theump.  It's a common occurrence at theprofessional level.  SIGNIFICANTLY lessso in Little League.  Trust me. 
If there's ONE thing about my son's occasionallyinsufferable approach that I can't stand, it's the way he busts it up the lineon EVERY foul ball.  I'm fine with itwhen the fair/foul call is in doubt. But, J breaks out the EricByrnes-worthy false hustle on foul balls hit BEHIND the catcherthat bounce off the backstop.  He does itagain here on the first pitch and falls behind in the count, 0-1. 
The next pitch is an ankle-high fastball that the11-year-old umpire calls strike two.  Asthe manager of the team and father of the batter; I acknowledge my conflict ofinterest on this.  But, from my positionas third base coach, I was physically close enough to the moment to declareJalen's reaction as nothing short of fantastic. 
J turns towards the umpire, extends both arms andwordlessly expresses his opinion of the umpire's work.  His body language screams"Are you sh*tting me?" as the umpire haughtily turns -- hands on hiships -- to face Jalen.  J then s-l-o-w-l-yturns to face me.  His arms are stillextended as he quickly juts his head in my direction as if to say, "Do youSEE this sh*t, dad?  Are you just goingto STAND there while your only son is sh*t on?!"  I try to calm him down from the coaches' box,but all I can do is hold up both hands and mouth "relax" two or threetimes. 
My son shakes his head in frustration for what feels likeforever before stepping back in.  On thenext pitch, he chases an eye-high fastball for strike three.  After eight games, it's his first strikeoutof the season.  J pounds the head of hisbat into home plate.  He similarlystrikes the dirt several more times on his way back to the dugout.  J fixes a five-star stare on the ump anddoesn't release it until my next batter grounds out weakly to second base. 
The White Sox would score two more in the top of thesecond inning to take a 6-0 lead.  Mybest pitcher had been pulverized, so I immediately switched to a SpringTraining mindset with the idea that every one of my available arms would throwat least one inning.  For some reason,the White Sox seemed to share my philosophy. They changed pitchers in the bottom of the second inning and my kids feastedon the fresh arm for five runs. 
My next three pitchers gave up a run apiece in the third,fourth and fifth innings.  My hitters hadseveral opportunities in the bottom of each frame, but couldn't send a runnerhome.  As we took our last at-bats in thesixth and final inning, the White Sox led 9-5. 
The bottom half of our lineup was due up before we couldturn the batting order over.  We werehanging our hopes on four kids who, before this fall, had never faced livepitching before.  But, my number sixhitter singled.  The next batterwalked.  And, after a strikeout, mynumber nine hitter -- who hadn't gotten a hit all season -- walked.  With my leadoff hitter up, the White Soxchanged pitchers.  It didn't matter.  Colin doubled home two runs to cut the leadto 9-7. 
Jalen was up next. He worked the count to 3-2 and fouled off the next three pitches beforedrawing a walk.  He helpfully yelled tome from across the diamond, "Dad! I'm the winning run!"  The White Sox pitcher simply could not throwstrikes.  Eight pitches later, Jalen wasstanding next to me at third base as our third and fourth runs of the inninghad scored on two bases loaded walks. This led to what might be the greatest conversation I'll ever have withmy son: 
Jalen: "Should I try to score on a wildpitch?" 
Me: "OK. But, you'd better be goddamn sure you canmake it." 
Jalen: "Don't worry, dad. I'll be goddamnsure." 
Me: "..." 
Oh, don't look at me like that.  If I can't cuss in front of my young son in a9-9 game when he's at third base AND the winning run; then whencan I cuss in front of him?!  
On a 1-0 pitch, the ball squirted away from the catcherand Jalen dashed towards home plate in a flash. He slid feet first with the winning run as we pulled out a 10-9victory.  J celebrated with the one ortwo other teammates who were paying attention to the situation, while the restof the kids meticulously planned for their postgame invasion of the snack bar.
After the game, I learned that my 7, 8 and 9-year-oldshad just defeated a team that was made up of mostly 10 and 11-year-olds.  I could not have been more proud of my kids'collective effort -- even though it exposed the erroneous notion of the"eye-test" opponent assessment. Like former 12-year MLB veteran Bill Ripken; it would seem Jalen Cameronis also full of sh*t. 
And, I'm perfectly fine with that.

2012 NFL Pickery -- Week #15

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Last Week 
Aaron: 9-7Joe: 7-9 
Current Standings 
Joe: 132-74-1Aaron: 129-77-1 
Cincinnati at Philadelphia 
Aaron: Has anyone lazily equated theinevitable end of Eagles head coach Andy Reid's tenure with the team's colorsyet?  Those "Green Mile"headlines would write themselves.  Lastweek, the Eagles showed some life against Tampa Bay and their porous passdefense.  Riding the home underdog onThursday nights has been a gambling staple this season, but I can't see beatingTWO teams fighting for playoff spots in back-to-back weeks.  Pick: Cincinnati 
Joe: For the first time in the 15 seasonswe've been making these picks, one of us blew a deadline. And it was me. If Iend up losing this season by a half a game, I'm gonna be pissed. 
Aaron: Nah, I won't count it...unless we finished tied. And, only because ILOVE the idea of Andy Reid being analogous to the House ofRepresentatives. 
NY Giants at Atlanta 
Aaron: Both teams are playing likethey will make the playoffs before being eliminated in their first Januarygame.  While the Falcons have the NFCSouth won, the Giants appear content to drunkenly stumble down the win one/loseone alley for the rest of the season. Pick: Atlanta 
Joe: We've seen this happen countlesstimes, right? The embarrassing playoff defeat is "avenged" in themuch-lower-stakes regular season rematch? Pick: Atlanta 
Minnesota at St. Louis 
Aaron: I squeaked into the playoffs ofmy big-money fantasy football league.  Myopponent this week will field all-world Texans RB Arian Fosterand all-world Vikings RB Adrian Peterson.  You see, back in August, no one thought thata human being could recover from a torn ACL in less than eight months – muchless play the most violent major sport in America (half the time on artificialturf) for 16 weeks.  So, Peterson waspassed over in the early rounds of our fantasy draft until he landed in myopponent's lap.  And, so concludes my owneulogy.  Pick:Minnesota 
Joe: Two teams playing above whatpeople assume their level to be at the moment. Two pop-psychology strategies --go with the team with the best player on the field; so with the home team in atoss-up game -- are in opposition to each other. Which leads me to strategy #3:pick against Cam to make things interesting. Pick: St. Louis 
Jacksonville at Miami 
Aaron: With nearly 20 years of historyto consider, I think it's safe to say that the NFL's Floridian trifecta ofJaguars, Dolphins and Buccaneers will never produce the collectivelyentertaining football that Florida State, the University of Miami and theUniversity of Florida generated for any one year during the late 1980s/early1990s.  No disrespect, Mark Brunell.  Pick: Miami 
Joe: Ah, but what about the trifectaof fictional Floridian sports teams: Any Given Sunday's MiamiSharks, Coach's Orlando Breakers, and the XFL's MiamiManiax. ...What's that? Oh no they weren't, that's ridiculous. Pick:Miami 
Green Bay at Chicago 
Aaron: Rivalry week! Overly reverentattention paid to former Bears coach Mike Ditka on the ESPN Sunday Gamedayset!  A rare "-bo" tweet fromPresident Obama showing solidarity with Chicago!  People sitting outside in frigid conditionspretending that they're REAL fans! Smash-mouth! And, so forth!  Pick:Chicago 
Joe: Whatever, I totally get into thePackers-Bears rivalry, I will fully admit it. The Bears are in a swoon, whilewe're in Week 15 of Green Bay Return to Dominance Watch. Maybe we don't getTHERE this week, but maybe another ugly win is in order. Pick: GreenBay 
Washington at Cleveland 
Aaron: Last week, I joked that theRedskins would win as long as QB Robert Griffin III remained upright.  He didn't…and they still won.  The Browns are building a little "thisteam might not be bad" momentum based entirely on a few recent winsagainst really bad teams. That'll do, Cleveland.  Pick:Washington 
Joe: Man, I REALLY want to pickCleveland to halt this recent Griff-mentum. But when one team has this much toplay for and the other really doesn't, it's tough to go against that tide.Guess I'm taking the team with the actual racist name over the team whose namejust sounds racist. Pick: Washington 
Denver at Baltimore Aaron: Two weeks ago, I picked theBuccaneers to upset the Broncos.  Lastweek, Joe picked the Raiders – 10-point underdogs – to upend Denver.  So…I guess it's my turn?  Pick: Baltimore 
Joe: NEVER AGAIN. Pick:Denver 
Indianapolis at Houston 
Aaron: This could be the next big NFLrivalry that the networks fast-track into a pair of prime time spots.  Not soon enough for everyone who is long sickof those Pittsburgh v. Baltimore 14-13 slogs. Speaking of next season, that's when Colts QB Andrew Luck will be morelikely to beat a very good team on the road in December.  Pick: Houston 
Joe: Took the observation right out ofmy mouth, re: Luck. This would be a good time for Houston to come up large andwrest back some of the confidence they lost in last week's unfortunate loss tothe Patriots. Not that they'll get any credit for it. Pick:Houston  
Tampa Bay at New Orleans 
Aaron: Even by the kneejerk standardsof the 24/7 news cycle in professional sports, the epitaph of Saints QB DrewBrees – penned by many after his five interception performance in Atlanta twoweeks ago – seemed unusually hasty. Sometimes good players/teams have bad years.  Sometimes the league's commissioner wreakshavoc with a vendetta against a single team. So it goes.  Pick: TampaBay 
Joe: Tampa Bay has settled in nicelyto the role of Team I Can Never Pick Correctly. So congratulations to the Bucs,then. Pick: New Orleans 
Detroit at Arizona 
Aaron: It's been 20 years, but my almamater – San Diego State – has finally produced another terrible NFLquarterback!  The Cardinals' Ryan Lindley– like Dan McGwire two decades earlier – has no business playing on Sundayafternoons.  And, Lindley can't evenboast having a famous, muscle-bound sibling who played Major LeagueBaseball.  Wait, let me doublecheck.  No.  He can't. Pick: Detroit 
Joe: Dan McGwire! Oooh, that takes meback. Where did Kelly Stouffer go to college? Stan Humphries? Browning Nagle?Wait, I know Browning Nagle went to Louisville. Glad that little nugget ofun-monetizable information is taking up space in my head. Pick:Detroit 
Carolina at San Diego 
Aaron: Embattled Chargers head coachNorv Turner used an imaginative, aggressive game plan to upset the Steelers inPittsburgh last week.  Media reportsindicate that he's already been told he won't be coaching in San Diego nextseason, so what better final "f*ck you" to Chargers fans thancoaching like he has nothing to lose, picking up some meaningless December winsand sabotaging the team's draft position next spring.  Norv! Pick: San Diego 
Joe: OR ... that was the last-gasp,"Roy Cohn crowing that he finally got Ethel Rosenberg to sing" effortfor the Chargers this season before they drop dead and Cam is asked to come inand say the kaddish over his vanquished foe? (Is that TWO Angels inAmerica references this season? I'm on fire!) Pick:Carolina 
Seattle at Buffalo
Aaron: So, we're all back on the Seattle bandwagon?  I mean, sure, they won 58-0 last week, butare we ALL going to ignore the caliber of that execrable Cardinals squad?   Huh. OK, then.  Pick: Buffalo 
Joe: Eight turnovers! The Miami Maniaxcould have won a game getting the ball back that many times. (Callback!) I'd gowith the Bills, except this is their annual Fake Home Game in Toronto screwjob.Pick: Seattle 
Pittsburgh at Dallas 
Aaron: Ten years ago, these were thetwo most insufferable fanbases in the NFL. Now, they're what – second and third, respectively?  And, please don't ask who's number one.  You ALL know. Pick: Pittsburgh
Joe: Well, if you're picking Chargers,I'm adding the Patriots and the Redskins somehow. And the Niners fans will beback up there before you know it. I'm going to call the last couple weeks forthe Steelers "fluky." Plus, they need to lose here in order to beatthe Bengals next week so that they can drag the final AFC wild card spot into9-7 drudgery. Pick: Dallas 
Kansas City at Oakland 
Aaron: The Raiders reinstatedlinebacker Rolando McClain after suspending two games for conduct detrimentalto the team.  He's been demoted to thebench and will likely see most of his playing time on special teams.  Media reports indicate that the Raidersdidn't release him outright as a means of keeping him fromsigning elsewhere.  So, his punishment isto…play for the 2012 Raiders?  Makes sense. Pick: Oakland 
Joe: I've been sitting here for likefifteen minutes trying to think of one interesting thing about this game.Nothing. Straight-up nothing. This is what happens to me when I miss theplayoffs in both my fantasy leagues. Pick: Oakland 
San Francisco at New England 
Aaron: Last week, I predicted 49ershead coach Jim Harbaugh would ascend to Belichick-ian levels of fan animositysomeday.  This week, they're on the samefield.  The insufferable force againstthe intolerable object – broadcast to a national television audience.  Enjoy the last night of Hanukkah,everyone!  Pick: NewEngland 
Joe: Come on, jerky Niners defense. Dosomething. Pick: San Francisco 
NY Jets at Tennessee
Aaron: Anyone else rooting for theJets to run the table in December and somehow stumble into the playoffs with a9-7 record?  Really?  Just me? Pick: NY Jets 
Joe: I mean, obviously. For like abillion different reasons. Which means now is when that dream dies. Pick:Tennessee

I'm Rick James, Bitch and Fish Lasagna

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I’m Elvis style TCBtoday.  So far, I’ve raked the back yardand cleaned up the gardens for Spring planting. I also purchased some tile for a plan I have to fix a dog attacked areaunder the back door.  After lunch, I’llget started on the tile stuff.  I justgot back from the grocery store which is a bad idea when hungry.  I ended up with a totinos pizza and the stuffto make an apple crisp.  I went in forapples and buttermilk.  I blame RickJames for this.  He was part of my rakingplaylist earlier.  The result was extrabackyard dancing with an end result of the job taking longer than necessary. Plus, I had to put a ton of glitter inmy hair that probably won’t come out until after President’s Day.  If this video doesn’t make you laugh, checkyour pulse because you are probably dead.


I know this soundslike a weird recipe, but it is really delicious.  I’m trying to find ways to get Tiffany to eatmore fish.  She claimed this lasagna wastoo fishy, but she isn’t a fan of seafood in general.  I thought it was quite good.

Alaskan HalibutLasagna (I actually used white fish)
Ingredients6 tablespoons butter,divided2 garlic cloves,minced1-1  ½ pounds halibut steaks, bonesremoved and cut into 1-inch cubes (I used white fish)¾ teaspoon dried thyme1/3 cup all-purpose flour1 cup of heavy whipping cream½ teaspoon salt8 ounces lasagna noodles, cooked anddrained (I usually just soak the noodles in hot water prior to layering thelasagna.)1½ cups chicken broth2 cups (8 ounces) shredded swisscheeseMinced fresh parsley, optional
PreparationIn a large skillet over medium heat,melt 2 tablespoons butter.  Add halibutor fish of choice and thyme.  Cook untilfish flakes easily with a fork, about 10 minutes.  Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer.  Remove and set aside.
Add the remaining butter to theskillet.  Stir in flour and salt until smooth;cook and stir until golden brown. Gradually add broth and cream. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.
In a greased 13x9 baking dish, layerhalf of the noodles, fish, white sauce and cheese.  Repeat layers.  Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  Uncover; bake 20 minutes longer or untilbubbly.  Let stand 15 minutes beforeserving.  Sprinkle with parsley, ifdesired.
Recipe Source