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.

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

Black Friday Leftovers

("I'm just sayin'" and "it is what it is" drew a tie for "Most Overused Throw-Away Phrase". Thanks for playing)

It is the day after the big day. You have all those leftovers to enjoy like Turkey sandwiches and maybe a little pumpkin pie with your cool whip. So here's some leftover recycled humor from Daylight's Dauphin's past. Hopefully all that time in the fridge made the flavors even funnier. Enjoy!

Rating Ratings (July 2008)
Brian Regan jokes about answering his nurse in the ER when she asks him to "rate his pain". He shrugs and says, "two enthusiastic thumbs up? Four stars?" There is a rating for everything now. If you want to buy a car you can look up safety ratings, if you want to stay in a hotel you can find out how many "stars" it is, and of course there are movie guide books of all kinds from Roger Ebert or Leonard Maltin to Bubba Joe's Favort Picher Shows (don't waste time Googling, I made it up for goodness sake!)

Each has its own rating system from 1 star (*) to four stars (****) . They have their own ideas for the worst movies, too. Some just say "No stars". Some call them a "turkey" and others call them a "BOMB". If I had my own movie book I would call really bad movies "Donkey turd" or maybe "VOMIT". I've also thought about using names that denote banality and awfulness to describe my feelings for a crapfest I wasted an hour plus and a few bills on. For instance something like Benchwarmers, so bad it hurts to type it, I would give the rating "Hillary", or for Oprah's Beloved, like tiny shards of glass in the retina, I would give the rating "Bolton" (as in Michael Bolton). You could use "Affleck" or "Keanu", or for a very bold statement "Begala".

Rolling Stone apparently thought four stars wasn't enough to describe some "classic" albums so they kicked it up a notch to FIVE stars which I thought only applied to The Waldorf Astoria or Army generals. But, since Rolling Stone is run by pinko commies I doubt they would give General George S. Patton five stars. I don't think he was much of a dancer and if casting George C. Scott to play the General is any indication, his singing voice was probably awful! Plus he hated commies, so I'm guessing he probably would get 2 stars (**)- one for Sicily and the other for George C. Scott's Oscar.

I think I should give some examples of how I would rate stuff. Let's start simple with the albums of U2.

Boy- ****
October- ***1/2 (this is like saying I'm too timid to give it four stars but I liked it more than a "good" three stars. It's an easy compromise...like voting for Zel Miller)
War- ****
The Unforgettable Fire- ***1/2
The Joshua Tree- ***** (hey, if Rolling Stone can, then so can I!)
Rattle and Hum- ****
Achtung Baby- *****
Zooropa- **1/2
Pop- ***
All That You Can't Leave Behind- ***1/2
How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb- ***1/2
No Line On The Horizon- ****

vegetables:

carrots- **1/2
green beans- ***1/2
broccoli- ****
asparagus- **
potatoes-
(mashed) ****
(baked) ****
(steak fries) ***
(McDonald's fries) *****
squash- **
brussel sprouts- CELINE DION (just thought of that one)

Mary Poppins songs:

"Spoonful Of Sugar"- ****
"I Love To Laugh"- ***1/2
"Let's Go Fly a Kite"- ****
"Chim-Chim Charee"- *****
"Supercalifragilisticexpialadocious"- **1/2 (very overplayed and thus overrated)
"Feed The Birds"- **** (totally underrated if you think about it)

My favorite football helmets: college

(Old Yeller wins "favorite dog movie" in the latest poll. I'm surprised not one person voted for Marley and Me....including me.)

(Back to the Future wins "favorite time travel movie" in a landslide. Thanks for voting!)

As it was with my favorite pro helmets, less is more. I like the traditional, not too fancy, images of college football. I will say up front that I HATE orange, so apologies to Syracuse, Clemson, and the Florida Gators who actually have a cool helmet with the classic script, but I couldn't do it. And obviously I have no love for Auburn or Tennessee. Here are the ones that stand out to me:

10. Florida State Seminoles


In ESPN's helmet clash, this helmet was the overwhelming favorite, so I felt I should include it here. The arrow is a classic look.

9. Ohio State Buckeyes


As much as it pains me to include this Big Ten media darling, I have to admit the helmets are a college football classic. The helmet stickers are a cool tradition, and since there are so many schools with gold helmets it is also nice to see one represent in silver.

8. Air Force Falcons


Simple imagary. C'mon who doesn't love the lightning bolt?

7. Georgia Bulldogs


Like their pro counterparts, the Green Bay Packers they made this "G" font legendary.

6. Notre Dame Fighting Irish


Helmet paint with real gold in it. NO logos, no frills, just the most famous gold helmet on the planet. But the team still stinks, haha.

5. Texas Longhorns


Another team I hate to give any love to, but these are great helmets. The solid white without a center stripe and the simple logo make these some of the coolest helmets in college ball.

4. Nebraska Cornhuskers


I give lots of credit for schools that stick with their guns and never change the helmet. Well, Nebraska did make one change, they dropped the letter "U" years ago but I love the fact that they never hyped up the letter "N". It is still the same simple old-fashioned font. They are THE red and white team, and this helmet is certainly one of the most recognizable in sports.

3. UCLA Bruins


I usually have very little nice to say about the PAC-10, but these helmets are excellent. Actually, the whole uniform may be the best looking in sports. The blue and gold look fantastic, and I love the classic script on the helmet too. Makes me wonder why Pitt changed theirs, and now have one of the worst helmets in college.

2. Penn State Nittany Lions


Talk about sticking to your guns! I love the fact that no other team in all of football can claim the white helmet with no logo whatsoever. Just put a nice navy stripe down the center and you have the most classic helmet in sports. Well, except for one that is...

1. Alabama Crimson Tide


Well, duh! Who did you think would be numero uno on this blog? Bama's are the ones with the numbers still on the helmet. While everybody else eventually removed their numbers (including Penn State, I believe) we decided to be THE school to stay with tradition. Crimson is much more aggressive and beautiful than red in my opinion, and the white stripe just makes it that much better. Roll Tide!

My Favorite Football helmets: Pro

(By the narrowest of margins The Beatles edged out Pink Floyd for "greatest classic rock group ever" in the latest poll. Thanks for participating.)

This list has nothing to do with teams that I go for or how many super bowls they have won. It has nothing to do with who owns the team or plays for the team. It is simply a subjective look at the famous helmets worn by these teams. I am at heart a traditionalist so I am sorry in advance to the Jaguars and the Titans (who have the worst helmet in my opinion) for not including them. I like old school. I like classic. I like simple. These are my top ten favorite pro football helmets.

Honorable mention:
Philadelphia Eagles


Nice strong color and the wings are definitely a classic look. Makes me hungry for a cheesesteak!

10. Pittsburgh Steelers


Let's get the state of Pennsylvania out of the way with the first two on my list. I don't care for the team or even the colors that much but I like the way the logo is on one side of the helmet. Very old school and that's cool.

9. Miami Dolphins


That dolphin with the helmet is one of the best images in sports to me. I heard rumors years ago that they were going to change it but I wouldn't dream of it if I were in charge. It's a classic.

8. Green Bay Packers


No top ten list of pro footbal helmets should leave this one out. It is the image of Vince Lomabardi, Bart Starr, and Paul Hornung. It's THE classic pro football helmet. I don't know which came first, the Green Bay "G" or the Georgia Bulldog "G", but they are both classics.

7. San Diego Chargers


The Chargers helmets worn by Dan Fouts and those early teams were pretty cool, but then they changed to a darker blue in the 90s which I never liked. These new helmets however are the coolest ones yet. I love the white helmet with the blue and yellow combo bolts. Very easy on the eyes.


6. New York Jets


The old Jets helmets from the 80s were some of the worst. But these new ones which are a modified version of the original Jets helmets worn by Broadway Joe and company are very cool. I like the color and the print. Classy and unpretentious.

5. Atlanta Falcons (throwback)


I have never been a fan of the new black Falcons helmet. When they broke out these throwbacks a few weeks ago I couldn't take my eyes off of them. They should definitely go back to the red helmets. They are awesome!

4. Indianapolis Colts


Johnny Unitas and the black hightops. This is simple and classic. Like the Penn State of the Pros.

3. Denver Broncos (throwback)


I have nothing against the new Broncos helmets which are cool, but these classic helmets John Elway wore most often are one of my favorites. The "D" and the old school bronco are much nicer to look at than the new ones, I think.

2. New York Giants


Man, what a good looking helmet! It's all about the red stripe. Those are strong, nice looking colors. Much better than the old 80s version with the word "GIANTS", and NO red stripe!

1. Dallas Cowboys


No matter how you feel about Jerra or the showboatin' teams of the 90s this is by far the best looking helmet in all of football and one of the most recognizable images in all of sports. The star is perfect, the silver is classic. Other teams wish they had a logo that simple and that cool.

I know I made somebody angry, so let me hear what you think. Which helmet is your favorite?

My Top Ten Favorite Albums

(Billy The Kid was voted "favorite outlaw" in the latest poll)

If you are interested I have already put together a top ten list of my favorite Christian music albums. You can find it in the archives.

For this list although I am only giving my top ten I decided against placing them in any kind of order because after about 4 they are impossible to rank. Each one is my favorite depending on the day and my mood. However, you probably already know that The Beatles and U2 are my all-time favorite bands so that should give you a clue. There are many great albums I love which barely missed the cut. For instance, Johnny Cash Live at Folsom Prison, The Beatles (White Album) , Yes- Fragile, The Jayhawks- Tomorrow The Green Grass, U2- Acthung Baby, The Clash- London Calling, The Black Crowes- Southern Harmony and Musical Companion, and three or four Radiohead albums! I know one person in particular will be letting me know what I left out!

The Dark Side of the Moon- Pink Floyd


I would definitely classify this as the "greatest rock album of all-time" regardless of what Rolling Stone magazine or any other publications say. I know Sgt. Pepper always gets that label but c'mon it isn't really close. This was Pink Floyd's artistic pinnacle and it still holds the record for being the album to stay on Billboard's top 100 list the longest amount of time totalling 1500 weeks!! Despite the fact that Classic Rock radio (which I HATE!) dices it up and serves it in bastardized portions a dozen times a day, I still pull it out and listen to it from time to time. It's the benchmark for anyone out there that wants to know what the "perfect record" sounds like. In case you are wondering the runner-up in Billboard chart longevity is Legend - Bob Marley and The Wailers, but it is years and years behind.

Revolver- The Beatles


As the years have passed and music historians looked back at the most important records in rock 'n roll they began to give this one more respect. It's successor, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band still gets plenty of praise, but now the turning point of The Beatles musical revolution is recognized on this earlier album. It was the first post-touring Beatles album when they could focus more on the studio and the myriad of possibilities for creating a masterpiece. The seeds of this record laid the groundwork for Sgt. Pepper's critical harvest. My favorite songs are Taxman, I'm Only Sleeping, and She Said She Said.

The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan- Bob Dylan


This is my favorite Dylan album and in my opinion his most artistic folk album. He of course became very experimental when he went electric in later years but I have always liked his early stuff the best. I discussed my favorite Dylan albums earlier on this blog which you can find in the archives. This album is the one that solidified Dylan as the world's best folk song writer.

Blind Melon- Blind Melon


This is my favorite album of the 90s. It has some sentimental value for me over many of the other albums here. The song Time has a lyric which says, "Sittin' on a swing watching Columbus clouds bring in the rain." That's isn't Columbus, Ohio Shannon Hoon is singing about, that's Columbus, Mississippi where I lived from 1988 to 1996 when I got married. Drummer Glen Graham was from Columbus and an alumnus of my alma mater S.D. Lee High School. The Bee girl on the cover is Georgia Graham, Glen's sister. I didn't know her personally, but I did see Georgia roaming the halls of Lee High when she was a senior and I was a freshman. I did know another girl, however, who was in the same kindergarten class, in the same bee costume, in her own picture she once showed me. As for the album, it still holds up to this day and may be the most underrated classic of the past 20 years. It's a shame Hoon died of an overdose and they could never recapture the magic of this one.

Abbey Road- The Beatles


No matter what is said about all the other Beatles albums, this one is my favorite. Actually, this is probably my favorite album of all time, even though it includes one of their worst songs- Octopus's Garden- which I never listen to. The second half of this album was the Beatles saying goodbye and in my opinion they saved their best for last!

OK Computer- Radiohead


The Bends is an excellent album, and many would say it is Radiohead's best but I think OK Computer is the point where they became much more sophisticated and mature in their creative song writing. But I like all of Radiohead's albums and recently I've been listening to In Rainbows a bunch.

Chutes Too Narrow- The Shins


Here's an album I put in my CD player and didn't take out for a while. I love it from beginning to end and sing along all the way through. I suppose that would qualify it for "top ten" status.

Rattle and Hum- U2


The soundtrack for the film that made me a U2 fan to begin with. I remember the winter of 88 when I bought this CD and listened to it for weeks nonstop. I subsequently bought all of their music. I know it was not a critical favorite and U2 seemed to be acting a bit too self-important covering classics by The Beatles and Bob Dylan, but this one is still very special to me.

The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars- David Bowie


This one has really grown on me. I always thought it was good but after listening repeatedly I think this is definitely one of the most brilliant artistic rock albums of all time. It is certainly one of the best of the 70s.

The Joshua Tree- U2


THE album of the 80s and U2 at their peak. I used to listen to this on a daily basis from 88 to 90. I was actually disappointed when Achtung Baby was released because I was expecting The Joshua Tree 2 or something. It took me a little while to warm up to U2's new style, but I eventually came around. I would put this album just behind Abbey Road among my favorites.

Ok, that's it, so give it to me! Sorry I didn't include any Led Zeppelin or Coldplay. And surprisingly, no Styx!

My Top Ten Favorite Muppets

(So, Poison best represents the 80s apparently, for hair metal anyway)

With apologies to that annoying kids favorite, Elmo. And to Fozzie who I like, but told one too many bad jokes.

1. Grover


Before Elmo came along, Grover was the star. His Super Grover is still the baddest super hero of all time. He made crash landings popular BEFORE the Greatest American Hero. Don't forget it! (and apparently I'm not alone since he won the poll question handily)

2. Lew Zealand


He throws boomerang fish! This guy cracks me up everytime he shows up that one millisecond in a Muppets skit or movie. I love the name so much I'm changing my blog name from Dignan to Lew Zealand.

3. The Swedish Chef


He has real hands and everything he says is hilarious because I have no idea what he is saying!

4. Beeker


Seriously, who doesn't love Beeker?

5. Animal


Plays drums, chases women...what's not to love?

6. Miss Piggy


Funniest female in the history of comedy...even though a man does her voice. If I weren't married I would seriously consider counseling because I want to think about possibly going on a date with her to see if we could make something happen...possibly.

7. Statler and Waldorf


I know they are two muppets but inseperable so they count as one. Negativity and criticism were never funnier. If I was on the show, I'd be one of those guys. "If you were on the show we wouldn't have to look at this stupid blog...bwahahahaha". See I'm doing it already.

8. Crazy Harry


He blows stuff up! Need I say more?

9. Gonzo


What do Gonzo and Colonel Sanders have in common? Exactly.

10. Sam Eagle

At least Statler and Waldorf laugh after they rip something. Sam don't give a rat's A@#!

What, you say? Where's beloved Kermit? Well, I thought that was a bit obvious. That would be like picking Luke Skywalker for favorite Star Wars character. I meant BESIDES the ring leader of course. Until next time...