Wednesday, December 16, 2009

My Favorite Sandwiches

Like Cliff Huxtable I love sandwiches! A steak is great but chop it up add some cheese and onions, put it between two pieces of Italian bread and it's a masterpiece! I make sandwiches out of my wife's meatloaf, pot roast, or grilled fish. I just love a good sandwich and here is an appetizing list of my favorites.

Italian Hoagie


Loaded with ham, salami, pepperoni, and maybe some capicola, provolone, and some sweet peppers. Sometimes I'm just in the mood for some tanginess.

Chik-fil-A chicken sandwich

I add mayo to mine otherwise it is too dry, but this is the tastiest chicken on earth. I eat way too many of these.

Club Sandwich

You don't even need a membership card for this classic. Many moons ago when my wife was still my girlfriend she worked in a little Deli restaurant and used to make me my own special club sandwich. I still haven't found one as good in any restaurant but it doesn't keep me from trying!

Reuben

Here's another classic that, when it's done just right, is one of the most delicious meals on a bun anywhere. Corned beef, swiss, kraut, and thousand island on good rye with a Murphy's stout is a perfect way to celebrate St. Patrick's Day!

Gyro

This one, like the Reuben, has to be done right. If you can find a place that uses fresh ingredients and makes a great cucumber sauce stick with them. I've stricken out a few times looking for a good one.

Crabcake burger


Usually you need to be near the coast to enjoy one of these. If the crabmeat is fresh it doesn't get much better. The right remoulade sauce makes all the difference!

Shrimp or Crawfish Po-Boy

This is one of my favorite sandwiches especially if the shrimp or crawfish is fresh and the remoulade enhances the flavor without overpowering it. Too often I find that the sauce is too weak and I can't even taste it. The best poboys can be found in and around Louisiana.

Pulled Pork Sandwich

You can find these anywhere, but the best I've had were either homemade or in the South, particularly the Memphis area. I like mine with slaw on it just like the picture. The sauce is obviously very important! Mmmmmmmmmmmm, finger lickin' good!

Philly Cheesesteak


My second favorite sandwich in the world! I like mine with mushrooms and the bread should be fresh baked. Some like it with cheez-whiz, I prefer plain American. But I won't turn my nose up in any case. I still haven't been to Philly to have an original so you KNOW that's on my bucket list!

Muffaletta


This is my favorite sandwich of all time. The Schlotzky's Original is based on this classic New Orleans sandwich and I enjoy one of those when I can but nothing beats a real authentic muffaletta. The best I've had were in New Orleans. The sandwich was created at The Central Market where I have yet to eat, so add one more food adventure to my "to-do" list. The olive salad is the key to a good muffelatta. My wife made me a homemade one a few years ago. It was HUUUUUUGE and very good. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

Sunday, December 6, 2009

Bowl Predictions

My College Football bowl predictions for 2009

Sugar Bowl

Florida vs. Cincinatti

Unless the Gators show up complacent like Bama did last year they ought to throttle the Bearcats. However, Brian Kelly is an excellent coach and you can bet he will have his team fired up with the "disrespect factor". After all, they are undefeated from a BCS conference and Texas squeaked out a victory in their Big 12 title game. But Tebow is too much of a competitor and has too much pride to let the SEC championship end his season. He will also have his team fired up for this one and Florida will win.
Florida 24
Cincinatti 14

Fiesta Bowl

TCU vs Boise State

I don't know a whole lot about either team but I feel pretty sure the Horned Frogs will CRUSH Boise St. I predict this will be the most lopsided bowl game.
TCU 45
Boise St. 18

Rose Bowl

Oregon vs. Ohio State

I am not very impressed with the resume of either team, but they both have great playmakers on offense. It could be a high scoring shootout, but in the end the pedestrian Big 10 squad will fall as they alway seem to do.
Oregon 33
Ohio State 30

Orange Bowl

Iowa vs. Georgia Tech

There's no way Iowa's defense can handle the triple option. Tech wins by three touchdowns.
Georgia Tech 42
Iowa 20

BCS National Title Game

Alabama vs. Texas

The experts are crowning the Tide before the first snap which is a recipe for disaster most times. I don't want the Alabama team to get cocky and show up like Miami did against us in '92 or against Penn State in '86. Mack Brown is a great coach, the Longhorns are undefeated and have a top ranked defense, and Colt McCoy is the winningest quarterback in NCAA history so nothing should be taken for granted by the Crimson Tide.
However, the Horns have basically had no running game all year, their only offense has been McCoy and his favorite target Jordan Shipley. The defense has had a great year except for the huge amount of yards they gave up to A&M, plus they really haven't faced any great teams this year. Nebraska has no offense, Texas Tech was rebuilding, and Oklahoma was hampered with injuries. They have faced only two elite defenses all season, Oklahoma and Nebraska and narrowly escaped both teams. No disrespect to the Cornhuskers' "black shirt" defense which is awesome, but Texas hasn't seen a defense as deep and talented as Bama's in quite a while. Plus if Nebraska had ANY offense at all they could have won that game last night. Bama has an offense in case nobody noticed. Coach Saban won't let us slip like last year's Sugar Bowl. Plus the fact that Alabama has never beaten Texas will give a bit of historical motivation! The Tide will roll.
Alabama 35
Texas 17