Mother Nature, Your Boys are Misbehaving Again!

Last week New Jersey was in the grip of the polar vortex. Yesterday the temperature spiked to 50 for the Superbowl. Today we're back under freezing and the snow is steadily coming down. Clearly Misters Heat Miser & Cold Miser are at it again. Mrs Claus, can you get on the horn to Mother Nature and help us out?

Superbowl Eats

Today is the 1st time in 20 years I will be home for the Superbowl. Usually I attend a friend's Superbowl party. However, this year the party is cancelled. As much as I will miss spending time with all my bowl game friends, I am looking forward to my Superbowl menu. My niece-in-laws will be attending the game courtesy of their new bff Seattle Seahawk Derrick Coleman. Fox taped a segment with the girls for the pre-game show. The pre-game show is four hours long and of course we don't know when their piece will air. Then the game. As football fans, we actually look forward to this part. At my friend's house the guys & I are glued to the game. This year will be no different. Prior to the aforementioned letter exchange, I was leaning toward Peyton Manning and the Broncos. Now, I'm die-hard Seahawk fan. Half-time is usually the time for eats, but this year Bruno Mars has invited several New Jersey marching bands to participate in his show. Roxbury High School will be among those performing at half-time. 

Multi-Grain Nachos

Sweet Potato Chips

Given the amount of articles written, it is clear how important what is served during the Superbowl festivities is as important if not more important than the game itself. Since we are planning on watching not only the game but the pre-game show as well; I need to plan enough food to cover 9 hours of munching. The menu choices will be on the healthy side: cut veggies (celery, radishes, cauliflower & carrots), multi-grain cheese nachos, baked chicken tenders, sweet potato chips and green beans. The green bean recipe intrigues me the most. I had been planning on frying them with olive oil & garlic when I came upon this recipe to bake them. 

  

Healthy Chicken Tenders               Oven Roasted Green Beans

Now to the good stuff... desert! One of my favorite memories of my Nana was sitting on the red stool in her kitchen while she cooked.  There were no short pre-packaged short cuts for her, everything was made from scratch. She made the BEST chocolate pudding on the stove. Once it cooled it had a yummy skin on top that seems to be out of vogue today. Awhile back I found a chocolate pudding recipe from Hershey. I'm going to make it in the morning (without the covering so it will develop a skin). As the game winds down, I'll enjoy the treat and remember my Nana. 

Chocolate Pudding

3rd Grader writes to her inspiration Derrick Coleman

Riley's letter to Derrick Coleman went viral, then mainstream. Riley along with her twin sister Erin and dad Jake appeared on Good Morning America this morning. Unfortunately for those of us in New Jersey, GMA was preempted due to the snowstorm. Happily the segment has now been posted online. 

Derrick Coleman Duracell Ad: Deaf NFL Player Inspires Hearing Impaired Twins Riley and Erin Kovalcik to Write Letter | Video - ABC News