Football Fridays – Frustrated Tom Brady and Week 2 Matchups

Well, Geno Smith and the Jets’ one game winning streak has been broken! Most of us were in suspense regarding the game: Who would win?

Yeah, right.

Despite the gutting of the Patriots’ offense by free agency, injuries and (alleged) murder, the Jets suffered from poor performance on both sides of the ball.

I am not a Pats “fan” per se. I admire their work ethic and the coaching of Belichick, but I simply cannot abide a team that uses cheating tactics to win. Don’t they have enough film to study?

On the other hand, I am not a Jets’ fan, nor am I a fan of Geno Smith. So when it comes to these two teams, I go with the more mature QB.

That being said, the game was sloppy on both sides. Dropped passeds turnovers (not the tasty kind) and interceptions made the game a disappointment to watch. I expect more from Tom Brady, though I understand that he’s working with super-brand new players. But Tom showed his frustration, yelling on the sidelines about his immature receivers.

Either way, the Pats won and Tom Brady didn’t put up many fantasy points.

Let’s take a look at this weekend’s matchups:

Weekend Matchups –

(note…I only comment on the games that will probably be shown in the New York metro area. Your mileage may vary.)

Chargers at Eagles

The Chargers like to give away games and the Eagles seem like they are on a serious mission. With the addition of coach Chip Kelly, the Iggles are a team to be reckoned with. I pick the Eagles.

Saints at Buccaneers

Drew BREES! As a former New Orleans resident, I like Drew Brees. As a current New Jersey resident, I do not like former Rutgers coach Greg Schiano. But I do like former Tampa Buccaneer, Warren Sapp. Hmmmmm. I pick the Saints.

Redskins at Packers

I am neutral on the strength of both these teams, but I like RGIII much better than Aaron Rodgers. Despite my affection for the running quarterback, I have to pick the Packers.

49ers at Seahawks

I laughed this morning when the fellas on WFAN reported that someone on the 49ners called the Seahawks, the “Shehawks”. Juvenile? Yes. Fun? Most definitely. This will be a hard fought game between two tough teams. I can’t even venture to pick a winner.

The Manning Bowl – Broncos at Giants

What else can be said about this matchup? I don’t do point spreads and stuff like that, but let it be said that Peyton has won every Manning bowl so far. In addition, the Giants defense isn’t what it used to be – but the Broncos offense is hot! Either way, it should be a good game to watch.

Let it also be said that the Eli does have two championship rings to Peyton’s one.

Who’s your team? Who’s your player? Comment and let me know!

Become a Cookie (making) Monster

sugar cookies — Don’t be fooled. My cookies did not look like these.

Yes, it’s 90 degrees outside, or at least it will be by the time noon rolls around. However, by the time you start thinking about making cookies, holiday time will be staring you right in the face, telling you that you’re a terrible cookie maker.

Avoid the shame. Do what I do. Make the dough now, keep it in the freezer. Then, become a cookie maker extraordinaire!

One year, I made cookies for all three of my children’s classes – that’s 65 cookies AND hand painted them red and green….with sparkles. I must have been out of my mind.

Sugar Cookies

2 cups of pure, snow white sugah

1 ½ cups of butter (softened)

4 large eggs

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. lemon extract (optional)

5 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp salt

Frosting:

Blend confectioner’s sugar and milk until it reaches the consistency you like. Paint onto the cookies with a paint brush. A few drops of food coloring in different shades will give a festive look to your cookies.

Directions:

Cream together softened butter and sugar in a large bowl. Then, beat in eggs and vanilla. In separate bowl, sift together flour, salt and baking powder until combined. Add to creamed butter/sugar mixture a cup at a time.

Chill dough for at least one hour. (Or it will be too sticky and annoying to handle and you will curse the cookies.)

When you are ready to make the cookies, preheat your oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Let dough soften, then roll it out on a floured surface. You can use cutsie little cutters or simply a juice glass with a floured rim.

Place cookies one inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. For best results, use parchment paper. Yes, it is expensive, but your cookies will not stick. Please, learn from my frustrations.

Bake 6-8 minutes, let cool before removing from cookie sheet.

If you freeze the dough – wrap it in freezer paper NOT ALUMINUM FOIL. Again, learn from my mistakes. You may also be able to wrap it in wax paper, but I have not tested that personally.

Football Friday – The Season Begins

Broncos vs Ravens

And football season is upon us with a vengeance. Super Bowl champs the Baltimore Ravens paid a visit to the Mile-High City for a rematch. If you remember last year, the Ravens bested the Broncos in overtime to move on to the Super Bowl. Mind you, the NFL Channel never let us forget it – I have seen enough replays of the end of that game to last me a lifetime.

I would venture to say that Peyton Manning and the Broncos gave the Ravens a bit of “get-back” last night.

Yes, the first half was slow. A thirty-minute rain delay coupled with the slow saunter of the Ravens onto the field didn’t bode well for the Broncos, especially when it started to rain. When the Ravens drew first blood with a touchdown, Broncos fans may have thought that the Super Bowl champs were back stronger than ever.

However, Peyton Manning is Peyton Manning and despite the absence of Von Miller on defense, Manning more than compensated with his passing game. Wes Welker showed his total catching abilities with nine catches for a total of sixty-seven yards and two touchdowns.

In addition, Demaryius “Only winners get wings” Thomas and Julian Thomas (no relation) combined for 181 yards to push the Broncos over the Ravens.

The most exciting second half I’ve seen in a long time.

And thank goodness, football season has begun!!

49-27 ……Broncos

Note: Peyton Manning ties NFL record with seven touchdown passes.

Summer Fun Tips and Tactics

Fantabolous bag — My bag from Barnes and Noble, $10 with purchase.

It’s the end of June, school’s out and summer is in full swing. Because of the storm in October that resulted in power outages of over a week, area schools didn’t release for summer until this week.

Rejoice! As Alice Cooper sang, “School’s out for summer!” Picnics, games, hanging out on the back deck or in the back yard, and summer camp. It’s a great season for the outdoors and for one, I do enjoy it. It’s lot less pressure in the kitchen, and the children aren’t inside as much.

However, with increased outdoor activities comes other hazards. Sunburn, mosquito bites and heat exhaustion can make even the most fun summer outing miserable.

Here are some summer tips that may keep you problem free so that you can snuggle up with a loved one and watch the fireflies at night.

Mosquitoes

These little buggers love, love, love, standing water. To keep them from multiplying and biting you to death, empty any standing/stagnant water you may have outside. This goes for empty flowerpots and/or plant containers to recyclables waiting to be picked up.

To keep from being bitten at an outdoor festival or cookout, leave the sweet smells at home. Don’t wear any scented hair-care or body-care products if you can avoid them.

It’s not an official insect repellent and is not sold as such, but I’ve found that the original scent of Skin-So-Soft (the green bottle) from Avon is rather effective at keeping away bugs.

Picnics!

Picnics are a staple of summer, but can often be difficult to pack for. A good idea is to keep a ‘picnic go-bag’ handy for those times where you want to take the family on a impromptu adventure. Your picnic go-bag should contain:

Start with a large, lightweight bag with straps. Yes, a picnic basket looks cool, but is rather unweildy and may or may not trap crickets from Connecticut that end up in Times Square….but I digress. Get yourself a good bag that will be easy to carry.

Nix the picnic blanket. Get an old sheet to use for ground cover. Or you can get a water resistant outdoor blanket such as the “Neat Sheet” Ground Cover. (Check eBay for the best prices).

Wet wipes. Essential for wiping the dirt and dust off hands before eating and the sticky goodness off your hands after.

Box of plastic cutlery with plastic plates. Make them re-usable if you can.

Trash bags – Use those from the grocery that you can’t seem to get rid of.

Once you’ve got your picnic go-bag, all you need are drinks and food!

Happy Summer!

Haven’t stopped by my blog yet? Check out thesultryscribe to see what I’m up to over there!

Dahlia

Retro Saturday – Slow Jams

A party on Saturday wasn’t fun unless you brought the slow jams out. After the fast dancing, where you got sweaty, a slow song was just the thing to keep the heart rate up while the feet got a rest. Some of the time, that was when most people took a seat and you saw who the real couples were.

Let’s take a look at some old-school retro slow jams today. Maybe you can whip them out on your significant other later on today.

Enjoy!

Between the Sheets – The Isley Brothers

The Isley Brothers knew how to sweet talk a woman with their 1983 hit “Between the Sheets” . Though a little fast for a “slow jam” it still got the blood moving in the right direction with the smooth melody and sexy words.

Sade-Is it a Crime?

Sade, Sade, Sade…there’s more in that one name than anything else. She was the queen of slow jams and quiet storms over the nation. No matter who you were, you could name at least one Sade song.

DeBarge – “All this Love”

My laws, El DeBarge was the one! I saw him on an awards show recently and he still looked good. You can’t tell me that El didn’t bring it with “All This Love”. I still love this song.

The Stylistics – Betcha By Golly Wow

I know I’m reaching way back for this one, but it’s a good one.

Prince- “Do Me Baby”

Yes, Me’lisa Morgan had her version, but it’s Prince’s song. Nuff said.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x9ki4c_prince-do-me-baby_music

Leave your favorite slow jam in the comments!