Food For Thought 2013-2014

[Lonbull]

For those of you new to this thread/idea - each week I try to come up with a dish that goes perfect with the team we're playing against. Orginally this was developed to offer some alternatives to Pizza and Burgers that become tiresome as the season wears on.

I've been offering Food for Thought since the beginning of the season when the Steelers beat the Seahawks in the Super Bowl. And it's because they won a Super Bowl that year I've continued to write this post. So in reality it's Superstition.....but I'd prefer we think of it as Tradition!!

For our first Pre-Season game we take on the New York Giants --- and since New York is home to some of the best Italian food in the world I thought I'd work up an Italian inspired appetizer -- great for football watching and still appropriate late summer eats!

Shark Bite Bruscetta

INGREDIENTS:

3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 cloves garlic, minced
7 roma (plum) tomatoes, chopped
salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 sourdough baguette, cut into 1/2 inch thick slices
1 (4 ounce) package semi-soft cheese with garlic and herbs (such as Alouette)


DIRECTIONS:
Whisk together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, basil, and garlic in a bowl. Stir in the chopped tomatoes; season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover; place in the refrigerator to marinate for 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spread the bread slices in a single layer on a large baking pan.
Bake in the oven until golden, about 10 minutes. Remove to cool on a wire rack.
When the bread is cool, spread the semi-soft cheese evenly over each slice. Using a slotted spoon, spoon some of the tomato mixture over each slice.

I'm dedicating these eats to Shamarko Thomas -- with Ryan Clark and Troy Polamalu as instructors he's learning from two of the best!



Okay make that THREE of the Best!

[SteelSpain]

Good read as usual. Don´t stop this tradition.

[phillyesq]

Glad to see this thread return!

[Jooser]

LONBULL is BACK! The season is upon us! Great recipe Lonbull. I had tomatoes, mozzarella, basalmic, olive oil and fresh basil for lunch today! I have two chickens and beer brats on the smoker for the game tonight. I can't wait.

[steelz09]

Awesome tradition. Welcome back!

[fordfixer]

Welcome back Lonbull

[Lonbull]

This week I'm offering up a side dish....but that shouldn't mean any disrespect to the player I'm dedicating these Eats too - last week's player of the game Al Woods




The kid was everywhere and from what I'm seeing they're giving him a shot at Defensive End and NT -- if he keeps making tackles and playing disruptive football, I think we've got to find some playing time for this guy! This week - for Monday Night Football -- I'm thinking of grilling up a couple of Brats, some spicy mustard and some sauerkraut and on the side offering up a little -

Red Skin Potato Salad

Ingredients
2 poundsclean, scrubbed new red potatoes
6eggs
1 poundbacon
1 bunch green onion, finely chopped (to taste)
1 stalkcelery, finely chopped
1 cupmayonnaise (Miracle Whip)
1 cup Sour Cream
salt and pepper to taste
Shredded Cheddar Cheese to taste

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes. Drain and set in the refrigerator to cool.
2. Place eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring water to a boil and immediately remove from heat. Cover and let eggs stand in hot water for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from hot water, cool, peel and chop.
3. Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside.
4. Chop the cooled potatoes, leaving skin on. Add to a large bowl, along with the eggs, bacon, onion and celery. Add mayonnaise, sour cream, cheddar cheese, salt and pepper to taste. Chill for an hour before serving.

[Lonbull]

While it IS just pre-season, if we don't start seeing some wins soon.....this tradition could END! Either that or it's going to turn from dinner recipes to DRINK Recipes....This week we play Kansas City -- which is best known for it's BBQ!! And this week I'm dedicating the recipe to David Johnson who is returning from injury and could be a key factor in the first few weeks of the season....if not for the entire year! Here's hoping Johnson has a break out season and becomes a much utilized red zone target!

BBQ Bacon & Chicken Bake

Ingredients:

8 Slices Bacon
4 Skinless Chicken Breasts Halves
1 Cup BBQ Sauce (I'll probably be using Famous Dave's)
Cooking Spray

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Cook bacon in a skillet over medium heat until the edges begin to crisp, about 5 minutes; drain bacon on paper towels. Wrap each chicken breast with 2 slices of bacon in an x-shaped pattern and place into the prepared baking sheet with bacon ends underneath.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes; spread barbeque sauce over chicken breasts and bake until the juices run clear, the chicken is no longer pink inside, and an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a breast reads at least 160 degrees F (70 degrees C), 10 to 15 more minutes.

I'll likely be serving mine with either Mashed Potatoes or some Black Beans and Rice....with extra warmed up BBQ Sauce on the side!! Here we go Steelers!! Here we GO!!

[Lonbull]

Since we're headed down South I thought I'd throw in a little Southern Comfort Food -- not TOO heavy, but still a hearty meal. This one goes out to a man born, raised and played college ball in Carolina -- I'm sure he'll have family in the stands cheering him on and hoping he makes the cut this year.

In what little I've seen of Marshall McFadden he's got heart --- and while that may not be enough to make the squad, it IS enough to get a shout out here on FFT.

Good Luck Marshall -- here's hoping you have a great night.

Lunch Pail Ham & Beans

1 pound dry pinto beans 8 cups water 1 large, meaty ham hock 1 large onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 teaspoon chili powder 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste Serve with Cornbread if you've got it! Directions Place the beans and water in a large stockpot. Add the ham hock, onion and garlic. Season with chili powder, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, and cook for 2 minutes. Cover, and remove from heat. Let stand for one hour. Return the pot to the heat, and bring to a boil once again **MAKE SURE TO UNCOVER THE POT. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for at least 3 hours to blend flavors. The longer you simmer, the thicker the broth will become. I like to cook mine for about 6 hours. Remove the ham hock from the broth, and let cool. Remove the meat from the bone, and return the meat to the stockpot, discarding the bone. Adjust seasonings to taste.

[Lonbull]

The Steelers have invested a LOT in the Offensive Line and I'm cautiously optimistic that these young guys can gel together grow up together and dominate together. I believe the talent is there -- it's just a matter of getting snaps and making the most of the playing time together.

This Game one recipe goes out to David DeCastro --- his time to produce is now. Since Tennessee is our rival I've included a little Tennessee Whiskey to add a flavor for the game.

Front Line Whiskey Chops


Marinade:
2 tablespoons Jack Daniels Whiskey
2 tablespoons peanut oil
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 -2 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon water
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Meat:
4 boneless pork chops (approx 1/2 pound each)

Directions:

1 Combine marinade ingredients.
2 Marinate meat at least 2 hours, or up to overnight in the refrigerator. Marinating in a ziploc bag with most of the air squeezed out works great to maximize contact between meat and marinade.
3 Pan fry or BBQ as you like.
4 If pan fried, can deglaze pan with a bit of water and/or white wine to have a very nice sauce.