Read about it here.
The Strangest Thing You Will See Today
Read about it here.
Drinking whiskey clear!
Read about it here.
OK folks…. one last Super Bowl related post: pictures from the parade held in Pittsburgh this past Tuesday.
Below: the crowd reaches even into the parking decks!
Below: Troy Polamalu takes a dive into the crowd!
Below: “Dad” (defense coordinator Dick LeBeau) loves the crowd!
So, this past Monday night the missus and I went to bed kind of early. After getting the bed and getting all comfy, we started watching No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain. This was a new episode, based in Chicago.
As it often happens on Bourdain’s show, he was paired up with a neighborhood foodie to visit some local institution. In this case, it was a “Chicago food historian” who took him to a local dive to experience the “mother in law“: a beef tamale served in a hot dog bun with chili poured on top.
When it came time to place their orders, the food historian suggested that they get “suicides” to drink. Bourdain looked confused, and asked what that was. The historian said that it was “when they go down the line of drinks and put a random amount of each drink in the cup. That way it’s different every time”. Bourdain still looked confused, but as he always does, he just shrugged his shoulders and went along with it. Eventually the food was brought out, and when Bourdain took a sip of the drink he said something along the lines of “it’s like every childhood nightmare I ever had in one glass”.
Wow. What can I say? That was one of the most thrilling Super Bowls ever, and though it looked kind of bleak for the Steeler Nation for a couple of minutes, our team pulled through.
And how appropriate. All season long, the Steelers formula has been this: put the World’s Best Defense on the field and keep the game close. When necessary, Big Ben and company will get the job done on offense, even if it ain’t pretty. All season long we’ve heard about how great the Steelers defense has been, and how it just might be the best defense since the 2000 Baltimore Ravens or the 1990 New York Giants. Some in the Steeler Nation even whispered the phrase “Steel Curtain II”, comparing the team to the 1976 Steelers, arguably the best defensive team in NFL history.
That defense played really well for the first three quarters of the game. Madden and Michaels barely mentioned the name “Larry Fitzgerald” after the first quarter. The defense even managed to pull off the defensive play of the year with James Harrison’s 100 yard interception return. But then it all started going downhill. The Steeler offense – so prone to sputtering at just the wrong time all season long – couldn’t get it going in the forth quarter. And the defense, which had been so good for so long, lost its composure and quickly fell apart. LeBeau moved Troy Polamalu off Larry Fitz, and Ike Taylor, despite a valiant effort, just couldn’t compete. In fairness, it seems like no one could stop Fitz during this post season.
So it was up to Big Ben and the offense to get the job done. Tomlin put the entire team on Ben’s shoulders. Ben Roethlisberger – the quarterback that had a passer rating of 22.6 in Super Bowl XL. The same man that gave the Super Bowl XL game ball to Jerome Bettis, not only for sentimental reasons, but also because deep down he felt as though he didn’t deserve it. And, just like another quarterback that once wore the number seven, Big Ben delivered. 1:56 left in the game, 3rd and 6 at their own 26 yard line: a 13 yard catch by Holmes. An 11 yard catch by Washington. An incredible 40 yard catch and run by Holmes. And then… with 42 seconds left… the pass that just might get him in the Hall of Fame. An MVP catch by Santonio Holmes, a guy that’s won us far more games that I would have predicted at the start of the year.
Here’s a fun gallery of people showing their Steeler Pride all across the globe:
One of the attendees of Jim & Lisa’s 5th Annual Super Bowl Spectacular sent me a message on Facebook, asking for the recipes for a couple of the dips we served.
Instead of replying to him directly on Facebook, I thought I’d post them here to share with everyone:
WHITE PIZZA DIP
1 envelope Lipton® Recipe Secrets® Savory Herb with Garlic Soup Mix
1 container (16 oz.) sour cream
1 cup (8 oz.) ricotta cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (about 4 oz.)
1/4 cup (1 oz.) chopped pepperoni (optional)
1 loaf Italian or French bread, sliced
1. Preheat oven to 350°. In shallow 1-quart casserole, combine Lipton® Recipe Secrets® Savory Herb with Garlic Soup Mix, sour cream, ricotta cheese, 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese and pepperoni.
2. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese.
3. Bake uncovered 30 minutes or until heated through. Serve with bread.
We usually make this a slightly different way: we combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl, pour it into one of the mini Crock Pots and top with the remaining mozzarella cheese. We then cook it on HIGH for 1 hour or until bubbly, then kick it back to LOW.
The Pittsburgh Steelers win Super Bowl XLIII!!!
Is there any better feeling in the world than waking up on Super Bowl Sunday… and knowing that your team is in the big game? Nah, I didn’t think so!