Super Bowl Monday, Monday

The last time the Patriots met the Giants in the Big Game, I wrote a post the next day. I pulled it up during halftime (sorry, Madonna fans) and reminisced a little.

My excuse for Starbucks went something like this: I'd sure like to get a New York Times to see their sports coverage, so I might as well buy one where I can get good coffee.

I've been walking to school more often, but school isn't far from the downtown Starbucks. I could still do this.

I didn't see much of Peyton Manning. Last time these two teams met, Peyton was in a box (with camera on his every move) to watch his little brother. This time they're in his team's home stadium, but Peyton isn't there. His injury, potentially career-ending, is a factor, I'm sure. But not cheer on the brother?

What's it like to be Mom Manning in a household with that much testosterone? Or is she just kind of like Wisconsin women, who know football and cheer as loudly as the men? If her older boys, Cooper and Peyton, are home with her watching the game, I hope they brought the beer.

Last time these two teams met in the Super Bowl, the Patriots had gotten into some trouble earlier in the season for stealing signals by taking video of their opponents. They should have just stuck to Eating the Opponents like we do. We ate both last night, with a New York dish (Chicken Riggies) recommended by one of the reporters covering the Bowl for NY, and our standard New England clam chowder.

Last time I wondered if Belichek was in a hurry to leave the field thinking, "Oh, well, now I can wash that filthy sweatshirt I've been wearing superstitiously all season. Might as well get at it right away." My students recently read and discussed a story about superstitions. I can't believe I didn't bring up Bill Belichek's ratty sweatshirt on the sidelines. Does he ever wash that thing? No, don't answer that.

There were a lot of flags this year. Super Bowl being the best of the best in the NFL, I didn't expect to see so many errors. Tom Brady, a safety? Twelve men on the field or in the huddle? By the time a team arrives at the Big Bowl, this kind of penalty ought to be over and done with.

Last time I also predicted that the Giants and Packers would meet again. They did meet in the postseason this year, with an outcome that was sad for those of us around Lambeau Field. Eli, we may meet again. But look out; next time the Packers are bringing their defense.

Stumble It!

Eating the Opponent - planning ahead

My Green Bay Packers had a bye the first week of postseason. Depending on the results of two other games (or three?), they knew they would either play the New York Giants, the Detroit Lions, or the Atlanta Falcons. Or was it - Giants, Lions, or Saints? No, I think the Saints are elsewhere in the seeding order. Is that redundant - seeding order?

Meanwhile, back at the O.K. Chorale, we had no opponent last week. We had no definitive direction in which to point our spatulas and whisks. Instead of a menu, I give you The NFL Postseason According to Chuck.

Remember, Chuck is not a football fan. He's been forced to learn the game because 1. he married me and 2. he works for a television station in Green Bay and 3. his kids bleed green and gold like their mother. Despite being uncaring and outnumbered, he has a theory on this year's postseason action and potential results. Here goes:

Chuck believes that marketing drives all. The game that would attract the most viewers and have the most action would be an NFC Championship Game featuring two of the best quarterbacks: Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees. To get that far, New Orleans has to win again, and Green Bay has to beat the Giants on Sunday afternoon.

That's basically it. New Orleans vs. Green Bay at Lambeau Field on January 22. Are you in, fellow fans? I'll bring the jambalaya.

But first, I'll bring home Jersey bagels for breakfast and grill New York Strip Steak for dinner. Take that, Giants.

As for the AFC, Chuck predicts the Denver Broncos. In his twisted television logic, he reminded me that the networks have groomed us to want the most drama before, during, and after the game. If Chuck's predictions come to pass (no pun intended, and don't you dare say none noticed), we'll see MVP Aaron Rodgers and his entourage up against the God-loving rookie kneeling on the sidelines.

Well, Tebow may be posing for a new version of The Thinker, but he shouldn't forget that Reggie White was evangelizing on the field when little Timmy was still a bobble-headed Pop Warner kid. And Reggie earned his wings, I mean his Super Bowl ring, with the green and gold.

Any questions?

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Eating the Opponent for the Playoffs

I baked pumpkin bread in the bread machine a few days ago and thought, "Ooh! I should post this." Duh. I posted it just before Christmas. By the way, it's delicious with pecans.

As for Eating the Opponent, we're thinking New York Strip Steak and Jersey bagels. Then again, New York pizza has its own style and Lombardi's of Manhattan is reputed to have been the first pizzeria in the U.S. Related to the trophy namesake? My research in that direction has had no results.

On the other hand, there are the famous New York black and white cookies, made from cake, not cookies. They look delicious, but I don't have time to bake a high-maintenance recipe that includes small cakes and two kinds of frosting. I wonder if any local bakeries make them? It might be worth checking. This native New York dish has a roundabout connection to the upcoming game, almost a 6 Degrees type of thing. Here goes.

The last time the New York Giants came to Lambeau Field, there was a big to-do about Eli Manning's favorite TV show being Seinfeld. Not wanting to give comfort to the enemy, our local affiliate refused to run its Seinfeld reruns at the usual time on that Saturday night. Seinfeld has incorporated the black and white cookie into at least one or two episodes. Is that enough for a connection? Well, if I had time to bake, maybe.

My research also turned up New York chili dogs, a.k.a. Coney dogs, but we used those as a tribute to the Detroit Lions. Let's hear it, readers. Can you name a uniquely New York food suitable for Eating the Opponent this weekend?

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What a difference - a year makes

One year ago, it was the end of a year and the beginning of a long winter's nap. Rest. Healing period. I took a leave of absence from my teaching job after the winter break to rest and seek treatment for the worst depression of my life. Now -- well, I've come a long, long way.

In 2011:

I learned that it was possible to love my work, but hate my job.

I used my writing skill to procure grant money, buying books for struggling readers. No one at school seemed to care.

My physical and mental health were at the lowest I've ever experienced.

I struggled to get through Christmas, a holiday I usually love.

"My" Green Bay Packers had one more season game left. To make the playoffs as a wild card team, they had to beat their arch rivals (and division champions) Da Bears. They beat them - and more.

I was preparing to visit doctors, counselors, and the pharmacy often. Very often.

As 2012 begins:

I can say I love my work. I found a position that utilizes my teaching strengths and my interests in technology.

I use my writing skill for blogging, and I have a workable rough draft of a non-fiction book.

I also use my writing skill to communicate with parents of my students. This skill was useful last September when I recruited families to attend a field trip that had been poorly attended in the past. My coworkers were thrilled.

Both my physical and mental health have improved significantly. No, they've improved greatly. I'm not out of the woods yet, I haven't reached full strength emotionally and physically, but I'm doing very, very well overall.

Christmas was as it should be - a time to gather with family and friends to enjoy the traditions that make the holiday special.

My Green Bay Packers clinched the division title weeks ago, a first round bye and home field advantage last week, and head into the playoffs with an impressive win-loss record. Did you notice that absence of quotation marks around the word my? Check it out here.

Doctors and other medical professionals? I value those who helped treat me through the toughest and darkest hours last year. I'm in their offices much less often now, and that's a good feeling.

What a difference a year makes - in so many ways. I still have flashbacks, usually in the form of nightmares or insomnia. I still tire easily, or at least more easily that I feel I should. However, this happens much less often now than it did just twelve months ago. But thanks to family, friends, and medical professionals, the marathon that is recovery continues.

I won't even bother to go into the political climate in the past year - yet. It'll show up in another post or posts.

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Eating the Opponent: Detroit!

Eat our turf, Lions!

I mean - the project continues. La Petite has her lucky jersey (Aaron Rodgers' retro style), Amigo has his touchdown dance, and we have Eating the Opponent. Upon further review, we found that the Coney Dog actually has Michigan roots. To make this in true Detroit style, we'll need the following:

• all-beef weiners, natural casing preferred
• all meat chili (no beans or other additives), a.k.a. Coney Sauce
• diced yellow onions
• yellow mustard (optional)
• hot dog buns, lightly toasted

Readers, I think you can figure out how it all fits together.

In the interests of shopping locally, I'm going to pick up my hot dogs at the neighborhood corner market and find some good buns at a nearby bakery. I think we can handle the chili ourselves.

Now that I'm an owner, Eating the Opponent takes on new meaning. Or does it? We were pretty hard core already. The Packers have a bye the first week of the playoffs. How will I know what to cook?

In other news: Badgers Fans, consider serving Duck on New Years Day. You get the drift.

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Taking Stock of Christmas

What can I give you this Christmas?
Something sparkling to go with your eyes?
I'll give you the light of a Yuletide star
from the cold December sky.
What can I give you this Christmas?
Something soft like the sound of your name?
I'll give you the hush of the falling snow
as it settles on the ground.
There isn't much that a boy like me can give to a girl like you.
I've searched the Christmas shop windows and now I know it's true.
What can I give you this Christmas?
Not a thing that I've seen will do.
So I'll give you my heart and my own true love
that will last the whole year through.

Something sparkling, to go with my eyes?

I'm not much of a jewelry person; I'm a casual dresser. No tiaras here, just fingerless gloves to keep my hands warm at my desk before the office heat kicks in But my eyes - I'm hearing impaired, so my eyesight is precious. My sweet husband saw me through cataract surgeries in both eyes. He even agreed to the expensive and not-one-cent-covered by insurance multi-focal replacement lens. Now, the world sparkles a lot more brightly than it ever did.

Something soft? My new Snuggie in a Green Bay Packers print is very warm and snuggly, soft and sweet. And since my ever-patient husband, a.k.a. Chuck, has a whole different outlook on the football season, it's really sweet of him to buy this for me.

But his heart and his own true love - my supremely wonderful spouse outdid himself this time. When I mentioned my desire, he called it "...a worthless piece of paper." He wasn't far off. It doesn't pay dividends, I can't sell it, it's so non-transferable that I can't even leave it in my will. But in spirit, it's worth a million, and when I opened the box, I had a lump in my throat.

Readers, I received a share of Green Bay Packers stock for Christmas. I am officially - literally, not figuratively - an NFL owner, an investor in the Green Bay Packers.

Lyrics to 'What can I give you this Christmas?' were hard to find, and I still can't find the songwriter's name to give credit where credit is due. It's a lovely song, and it fits the true sentiments of gift giving at this time of year.

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Eating the Opponent: Chicago!

Why are you reading blogs? It's Christmas Eve! Oh, yes, it's NFL football day, too. My Green Bay Packers play tomorrow, though. However, Green Bay maintains its popularity in the NFL schedule by playing on the national stage again, this time on a holiday: Christmas Day.

In the Okay By Me homestead, we'll eat the opponent on Christmas Eve. Tonight. After a day of wrapping presents and organizing gifts and cleaning the house, I just don't feel up to cooking something special. Neither does Chuck. It's a good thing the Packers are playing the Chicago Bears. We picked up a Chicago style deep dish pizza yesterday from a take and bake place. Followed by Christmas cookies for dessert, it will be the perfect Christmas Eve supper.

After the presents are unwrapped, the brunch eaten, the naps taken (believe me, I'll need one), we'll gather around the Christmas tree and watch our Packers take the field once again. It's Aaron Rodgers' neighborhood, remember, and Sunday promises to be a beautiful day.

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Green Bay Packers fans

You know you're a Green Bay Packers fan if:

• Your favorite starting quarterback has a streak of incomplete passes - 3 in all.
• You buy Christmas gifts at the Packer Pro Shop for out-of-state relatives.
• You imagine the visiting teams saying, "We came, we saw, we lost" on their way out of Lambeau.
• Your favorite field goal kicker is considered in a slump if he misses. That's misses one field goal.
• Your weekly superstitions continue, even though you know the team doesn't need your help.
• You have a cheesehead that sports the words "NFL Owner."
• Your decorative ceramic seagull wears a Barbie-doll size cheesehead.
• Instead of rushing into laundry to prepare for game day, you just take out another piece of Packer-wear because you own enough to last through the playoffs -- and indeed, the Super Bowl.

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Eating the Opponent - the Oakland Raiders

Sometimes it's the quest. It's the journey, not the destination. When Eating the Opponent, however, the destination matters, too. The Oakland Raiders presented a challenge.

Oakland, CA is one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the United States. Since local foods and signature recipes often come from local culture (see Gumbo or Jambalaya), extreme diversity poses a problem. What to serve? A Raider Nation head on a platter didn't seem, well, tasteful, to tell you the truth.

I tried searches for local foods, local restaurants, and even stadium foods. No luck. I found some fascinating sites and interesting articles, but no foods that could grace our table the weekend the Packers play the Raiders. Finally, a search for Oakland Recipes turned up a list of signature recipes from local restaurants. Chuck wasn't thrilled to try cooking duck, so I opted for downloading a savory chicken recipe from SR24 and a banana bread with Cinnamon Crumble Topping from Bakesale Betty's. Both look delicious on the page; they'll be delectable on our table.

In other news, Chuck found out that in 2009 the Raiders' stadium was named the most vegetarian friendly venue in the NFL. Maybe we'll have Boca Burgers instead of the baked chicken.

Superstitious? No, not really. But we followed this routine last year as we watched our Packers go to the Super Bowl and win it. Why mess with success? Besides, this Eating the Opponent game is a lot of delightful fun.

Hey, Raiders fans? Good luck with the new stadium. You deserve it. Believe me, we Cheeseheads understand your passion for the local team. Maybe Favre would come out of retirement to help you out.... never mind.

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Eating the Opponent - New York or New Jersey?

My Green Bay Packers play the New York Giants tomorrow. In keeping with our tradition, we are planning to serve New York cuisine of some sort tonight to represent eating the opponent. This gets complicated, though. The Giants don't actually play in New York. Their home field, Met Life Stadium, is actually in New Jersey. What to do, what to serve, what to eat?

Amigo suggested New York strip steak. Chuck and I said, "Sure! That'll be delicious." It was almost too easy, though, so we kept going with our research. We settled on bagels for breakfast - not just any bagels, bagels from a local store that calls itself Jersey Bagels. They have great coffees, too. Ahem. Easy decision, that one.

Then Chuck found a site called New Amsterdam Market, saw a picture that inspired him, and started searching for the recipe. He found a pasta dish that incorporates butternut squash and fresh sage, both ingredients we have in the house. We'll have that on the side with our steak tonight.

In other factors, it's lousy weather this weekend in Northeastern Wisconsin. 37 degrees Fahrenheit, steady rain, and that means cold, wet, and colder and wetter. Two cold-weather teams ought to do well in this mess, but neither will enjoy playing. I almost (almost) hope the temperatures go down several degrees and that rain becomes snow. Green Bay Tough means coping with snow is easy. Well, maybe not easy, but within reason. Is New York-Jersey tough the same?

Several years ago when Giants' quarterback Eli Manning came to town, a local television station decided to change its schedule and refuse to air reruns of Manning's favorite show, Seinfeld. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but it had no effect on the game. Favre threw one of his patented interceptions (Rodgers will let him keep that record), and the rest is history that ended with the Giants beating the Patriots in that year's Big Game.

Here we go, with the Packers undefeated at 11-0. Can they battle the elements as well as they've battled opponents? Will Manning and company be able to overcome Mr. Rodgers' home field neighborhood advantage? Stay tuned, and eat steak. New York strip steak, with a Big Apple on the side.

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Flat Stanley visits Lambeau Field

When Flat Stanley arrived in my mailbox from Irving, Texas, we knew one place we needed to go: Lambeau Field. Chuck folded Stanley into his wallet and headed off to work.

Stan's first stop was the Lombardi statue at the entrance. He held onto Vince's left shoe; that first step would be a doozy.

The best place to start any tour is the Lambeau Field Atrium, including the entrance to the field itself. Can you see the lines on the floor? They line up exactly with the yard lines on the field itself. "Impressive," thought Stanley.

Stanley's first stop was the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame where he saw the collection of Lombardi trophies. He felt a lump in his throat as he viewed the most recent addition to the collection, the trophy from last season, Super Bowl XLV.


Then Stanley considered his choices. Locker Room or Field? The locker room was locked, so on to the field it was.


"Wow," thought Stanley. "This is hallowed ground, not frozen tundra."


Flat Stanley had the good fortune (and the connections) to sit on the sound board during the evening show of Larry McCarren's Locker Room. The studio audience overflowed the place for this guest: Aaron Rodgers himself.

Stan was exhausted after his Green Bay adventures, so he climbed back into his envelope in Chuck's wallet and went to sleep. After all, tomorrow would be another day. There were places to go, people to see, and adventures galore awaiting his flat little self.

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Eating the Opponent - and Michigan's U.P.

We'll be eating a traditional turkey dinner at Grandma's on Thanksgiving Day. Grandma is cooking most of it ahead of time so she can watch the game.

What do you mean, what game??!!??

The Green Bay Packers are playing the Detroit Lions, of course. That's The Game. Turkey Day dinner will be on the table after the fourth quarter clock winds down. In the meantime, our Eating the Opponent project continues. We decided to broaden the definition of Detroit to include the entire state of Michigan, including the Upper Peninsula - da U.P., der hey, to us Wisconsinites. U.P. residents, affectionately known as Yoopers, have their own unique menus.

I stopped at a local pasty cafe and shop -- okay, okay. Stop the snickering in the peanut gallery! That's Pass-Tees. Not pays-trees or pays-tees. Pass-tees. The pasty was a food that miners could carry in their lunch pail and eat with their hands when they had their mid-day break. Traditional filling ingredients are beef, cabbage, potatoes, carrots, onions and other good stick-to-your-ribs edibles stuffed inside of a strong crust. Yooper history contends that the pasty was brought to the continental United States by Cornish miners (not minors) who came to work in the copper and iron mines of the mineral rich U.P. Nowadays, locals serve pasties with ketchup (not gravy) or a special sauce that tastes like a spicy ketchup with jalapeno peppers.

Pasties are baked, never fried, never nuked. I bought "breakfast pasties" with bacon or sausage and scrambled eggs inside - 5 for $10, plus one free - to serve Thursday morning. Our official Turkey Dinner will hit the table after the game, so we'll need a solid breakfast. I think Yooper style Breakfast Pasties fit the bill.

Now if any of you doubt that U.P. food is appropriate for Eating the Opponent, I give you this. I asked the cafe staff, both native Yoopers, if football fans in da U.P. are Packers or Lions backers. Without hesitation, they both declared, "Lions!"

I think I'll serve these with a side of Trenary Toast.

Photo credit to Upper Peninsula Now's site for Pasty Recipes.

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Eating the Opponent: Wild Rice Hot Dish

Yep, Green Bay played Minnesota last night. The Badgers played the Gophers, too, for the prize they call Paul Bunyan's Ax. Saturday night Amigo and I had a wild rice dish to invoke the taste of Minnesota.

Ingredients:

1 lb. lean ground beef

1 cup Minnesota wild rice, uncooked

1/2 lb. fresh muchrooms, sliced (optional)

1/2 cup green pepper, chopped

1/2 cup onion, chopped

3 Tablespoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons beef bouillon mix

1 1/2 cup water

Directions:

Rinse and soak wild rice in hot water for up to three hours. Drain.

In a four quart saucepaan, cover rice with water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Drain any excess water.

Brown ground beef in a nonstick skillet. Drain any fat or juices. Combine cooked ground beef with remaining ingredeitns in a large casserol dish. Mix thoroughly.

Cove and bake one hour at 350 degrees F. Uncover and bake 15 additional minutes.

Serves 6. Amigo and I had a lot left over.

Daisy's comments: I also added a diced chili pepper, one of the last from my garden. It spiced up the mix considerably. The final result was rather monochromatic. Delicious, but not much to decorate a plate. Next time I'll add something with more color. Various peppers, perhaps, or corn or peas (frozen from the garden or Farmers' Market, of course) would make this look as good as it tastes.

One more addition: this wild rice dish with its flavor and its beef made a great addition to potato soup. Potato and beefy wild rice soup; easy and delicious. I'm packing some in my lunch tomorrow.

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Eating the Opponent - a different angle

Here's a look at the opponent wall in the Packers Hall of Fame from a different angle. This week we took a different angle on our Eating the Opponent project, too.

The Packers played the San Diego Chargers. Normally we'd look up a signature food from San Diego and cook it Saturday night. This weekend was different because the time available for research and grocery shopping was slim to nonexistent and because we visited Amigo on Saturday to watch a Goal Ball tournament. A what tournament? Stay tuned; I'll have a post on it later.

What to do? The tiny bit of research I did named seafood and Mexican food as typical San Diego fare. That's rather general, but it got me started. Most of the seafood in my freezer is Midwestern in origin - tilapia, etc. I did have half a package of shrimp, so I made it with thin spaghetti topped with butter and grated Parmesan cheese. Yes, I know, it's a lame attempt at seafood. Saturday we ate lunch at Taco Bell, but that's far from authentic, so it doesn't count either.

Chuck got a little silly on Sunday. Since we hadn't cooked a good San Diego food, he created the following. Readers, I give you: Sandy Eggs on Charred Jer-sey (beef). Trust me; it was an improvement over the Sandy Eggo waffles he thought of first.

Translation: grilled steak with an egg over easy, topped with finely crushed pecans to resemble sand.

It's a groaner, I know. Next week the Pack will battle the Minnesota Vikings. I have a dish in mind already, and it has no puns whatsoever.

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Touring Lambeau Field, Daisy style

Field trips are different in a virtual school. We arrange field trips in different locations in the state, and families sign up to meet a teacher or two there. Several families met two teachers, Mr. P and me, at Lambeau Field for the stadium tour and the Hall of Fame.

My photos were a bit different, too. I took several of the families that came, trying to balance the atmosphere with the faces. These turned out quite well, I thought.

My own personal pictures took a rather different angle, too. I didn't need the standard Green and Gold; I've seen it and internalized it plenty of times. Instead, I noticed the Wall of Opponents. All they need now is an extension of this for our Eating the Opponent project! That would be a great addition to the hall of fame, or even to the menu at Curly's Pub, in my perspective.

The Wall of Opponents is rather long and curved; it's tough to fit the whole thing in a standard picture. The menu would take up an additional wall.

Then there was the Packer trivia game. I got a few wrong (doh! I should have known the answers), but I still made the High Scores list. What? You doubt me?


I compared spirited socks with one of the girls along on the tour. Mine are on the right. I could be convinced to pick up a pair like hers. Socks like these would coordinate perfectly with my pink Packers polo shirt.


And I seriously coveted the tour guides' shoes. I know, these are men's shoes. But they could be made in women's sizes, I'm sure. Couldn't they? I mean, the Pro Shop carries Super Bowl XLV sweaters for dogs; they could make tour guide shoes for women.

These shoes are standing on hallowed ground: The Tunnel. Come the next home game, I'll have a new perspective as the team comes out of the tunnel onto the field.

Go! Pack! Go!

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Eating the Opponent: Minneso-ta style

It was fried ravioli with Shock Top beer last week.

Amigo had his with Mello Yello.

This week, it's Minnesota. The guys in purple. The Northern team that plays in a (snort) dome. The dome that couldn't handle the snow last year and actually collapsed. No players in purple were injured during the perilous storm, but the Vikes had to play their next home game in an outdoor college stadium. Pardon me while I giggle a little at the irony of the whole disaster.

Back to the topic at hand: a Minnesota staple food. I asked my Facebook friends to help, but the two who live in the Twin Cities remained silent. I blogged a plea for ideas on Monday, and two chimed in. So.... we've narrowed it down.

We haven't decided or shopped for ingredients yet. Well, folks? Wild rice? The ubiquitous Minnesot'n hotdish? Lutheran-style after-church pie?

There is still one Farmers' Market left. I might buy my pie from the Amish baker. She makes delicious - well, everything. And almost next to her booth is the cheese vendor, the one who sells the freshest cheese curds I've ever eaten. Oh, wait. Cheese curds are Wisconsin, not Minnesota. Or are they also eaten west of the Mississippi and the St. Croix?

Meanwhile, let's not forget the whole reason for the Eating the Opponent routine.

Go! Pack! Go!

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Meal planning, Daisy style

A typical week looks like this in the OkayByMe kitchen:

Monday: Chuck works late, Daisy makes an omelet.

Tuesday: something good for two.

Wednesday: something good for two.

Thursday: something good for two. Can you tell we're enjoying the empty nest during the week?

Friday: Crock Pot or other easy dish to accommodate Amigo's pick-up time around five.

Meanwhile, eating the opponent continues on Saturday nights.

St. Louis Toasted (fried) Ravioli was delicious, but high maintenance. Chuck said "Never again." I said, "Let's leave it to the restaurants."

Next week, Minnesota Vikings. Last year we faced this dilemma, too. No lutefisk, I declared, not in my home! So instead, we made a stuffed meatloaf (good hot-dish, Lake Wobegon style) and bought a can of Spam. Breakfast featured turnovers in honor of former Packer turned traitor, er, Viking, Brett Favre.

No one liked the Spam.

But anyway, we'd like to expand on eating Minnesota next weekend. A search through Swagbucks turned up recipes with rhubarb (too easy), wild rice (a strong possibility), and the ubiquitous hot dish. Hot dish, for the uninitiated, is another name for a casserole. Meat, veggies, pasta or potatoes, all in one pan, stirred with a can of cream soup to hold it all together. Many hot dish formulas call for a can of tuna or a pound of browned ground beef.

We could make a ground beef and tater tot casserole using tater tots made in Plover, Wisconsin.

We could make a wild rice dish with fish or other wild game meat.

Turnovers? Not necessary this year. Take that, Brett.

Well, readers, what do you think? Minnesota friends, weigh in, please. What should we serve for Eating the Opponent when our Packers play the Vikings?

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Eating the Opponent: meet me in St. Louis, Louis!

Last weekend we had peach cobbler for dessert and cornbread with peach jam with the meal. We tried Coke with peanuts later in the evening and made grits with maple syrup to go with brunch.

This time, we're looking to St. Louis. The Brewers were up against the Cardinals, and the Packers are playing the Rams. My sister-in-law lived and taught in St. Louis for several years, so she joined Earth Muffin in recommending some good local fare.

Our tentative plan: Fried ravioli. Chuck will find a beer (not Budweiser, by the way) with St. Louis or at least Missouri roots. We weren't willing to fry a cardinal - that's another sport entirely. Besides, I hear cardinal tastes like chicken.

Some of the fun in this project comes from the research. We get ideas from friends and family, we look things up on the Internet, and we get creative to add a bit of Wisconsin to some. Adding maple syrup to the grits was one nod to my state tree, the sugar maple. The peaches in the jam were Wisconsin and Michigan produce, not Georgia, to be honest. It's the spirit of the project that counts. So on we go, eating our way (we hope) to 6-0!

Readers coming from Plurk or Twitter might know that I'm having my first cataract removal surgery today. Yes, of course I'm nervous. I'm using my irreverent sense of humor to survive it. No coffee in the morning before surgery? I'll convince Chuck to drive through Starbucks on the way home.

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Eating the Opponent: Green Bay vs. Atlanta

It's time for Georgia peaches and Coke with peanuts!

Last year I made peach cobbler and it was delicious. I also have peach jam this year - made from Wisconsin and Upper Michigan peaches, but tasty. Very tasty. We served Coke products with the meal, of course.

If you're new to Eating the Opponent, we've developed a tradition of looking at the Green Bay Packers schedule and serving a local dish from the opposing team's locale. Sometimes it's sincere, sometimes it's tongue in cheek. We had bear claws for breakfast the day of last season's Conference Championship game in Chicago.

Lately, Wisconsin sports fans have offered up a lot of great play for fans, and a lot of fun eating for us. Our Brewers keep on hitting and defending their Beast-ly title, too. And the Wisconsin Badgers? Last week was easy; sweet corn on the cob to represent Nebraska. This weekend, we'll eat our fill of good food and cheer on our favorite team: last year's Super Bowl Champs, the Green Bay Packers.

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What to wear?

Most weekends it's easy. Pick something green and gold out of the closet, support our Super Bowl Champion (I never tire of saying that!) Green Bay Packers.

Friday I wore the usual to work - pink Packers polo shirt, neutral sweater in case the room was drafty. But then.... but then....

Saturday the Milwaukee Brewers started a playoff run. The Wisconsin Badgers had a big game on national importance. Brewers blue or Bucky Badger red? Or both? Or neither?

We expanded our Eating the Opponent plan instead. Saturday night's dinner included grilled Black Angus beef (the Denver Broncos), sweet corn on the cob (Nebraska Cornhuskers), and a nice salsa in the omelets we ate for lunch.

No matter, both teams won decisively on Saturday followed by another great set of games on Sunday. It's a good time to be a sports fan in Wisconsin. Whatever I wear, however we decorate the cubicles (Brewers and Packers in mine, Badgers across the wall in the math teacher's space), autumn is going to be fun.

Saturday:

Badgers 48

Cornhuskers 17

Brewers 4

Diamondbacks 1

Sunday:

Packers 49

Broncos 17

Brewers 9

Diamondbacks 4

On, Wisconsin -- sports!!

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