- A few quick words on the Super Bowl: when the opening kickoff is run back for a touchdown, you might as well turn off the game, because it won’t get any more exciting than that. What a total snoozefest that game was. As I turned it on, I was thinking “finally, a Super Bowl with bad weather!” Anyway, as I watched the game, I thought to myself how great it would be if they just rotated the Super Bowl in each NFL city from year-to-year. That way the game isn’t always played in some sunny locale or in a dome. I mean, I realize all the money involved and how weather can affect that, but come on. They can play NFC/AFC Championship games in the snow, but not the Super Bowl? Football is meant to be played in whatever weather conditions pop up that day. So if it’s Green Bay’s turn to host the Super Bowl and it’s snowing and 20 below zero, so be it. They’ll get more viewers!
- Super Bowl commercials: horrible. Game: terrible.
- A couple of easy recipes for you. On Saturday I went over to the fish market in Concord, MA and bought myself a nice cut of salmon. Here’s what you do: turn on your grill and leave all settings on high for about 15 minutes. In other words, get that damn thing as hot as possible. Take some vegetable oil and pour a little bit onto a paper towel, then take the paper towel and rub the oil onto the grill grate where you plan to grill the fish. Drop that pink sweetness onto the grill, skin side down and grill it about 4 minutes, or until the skin blackens and shrivels. Flip it and grill for another 4 minutes. Done. In the meantime, take about a half-inch of melted butter and a clove of garlic and pour some tarragon into the butter-garlic sauce. Pour onto fish. KICK ASS! Best piece of salmon I’ve had in years!
- Super Bowl Sunday dinner: a hearty, rustic bowl of Potato-Leek Soup. Buy 6 medium-sized red potatoes and 2 pounds of leeks. Cut off the dark green parts of the leeks and also the roots. Wash thoroughly. Cut in half-lengthwise and then cut into 3/4 inch slices. Take a half-stick of butter and melt it in a soup pan, then add the leeks and cook for about 7 minutes. While the leeks are cooking, peel the potatoes and slice them into 3/4 inch cubes. Add a tablespoon of flour to the leeks and then add 5 cups of chicken broth, one cup at a time. Then add a bay leaf and the potatoes and bring to a boil, about 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for 15 mins. Add salt and pepper, bake up some bread and eat up.
- The “Retailer Stuck in the 1990’s Award” goes to Pottery Barn. I bought a bookshelf on PotteryBarn.com yesterday, fully expecting to use a gift certificate given to us a while back by a friend. I go to check out and then I enter the gift certificate number, but it doesn’t accept it. Geezus. I call Pottery Barn and they tell me only gift cards, not gift certificates, can be used online. When I receive the bookcase, I have to physically mail the gift certificate to Pottery Barn and they will credit my card in 4-6 weeks. Are you even kidding me? Hey, Pottery Barn, it’s two-thousand-fu@#$ing seven yo!