Weekend Roundup, Bye Week Edition: 9/22/08

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Here's what happened on the internets on the only relaxing weekend you will have until Thanksgiving.


In website news, the pictures are almost done....I know you miss the random photo.

Make Your Own Damn Jalepeno Poppers

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These spicy little bastards take some time to put together, but they are well worth it.  The nice thing is, you can make them the night before, put them in your customized popper tray, and take them from fridge to grill when you are ready.  Also, they keep well in the fridge after cooking, and are surprisingly tasty cold.  If you don't have the means to acquire said popper tray, or you have banned yourself from Cabela's because you are afraid you might blow $500 on new tackle, these can be done without the tray.  Just lean them on their side and roast them, but try to get the tops as vertical as possible.  As they start to really heat up, they're gonna need constant attention as the water chestnut will certainly try to escape and take some cream cheese with it.  Not that they don't require attention when they are on the tray, as in most cases the bacon fat will cause flare-ups.  Just keep the heat low and keep them on the grill until that bacon looks crispy.  Don't fear a blackened bottom on the pepper...that's where the flavor comes from.

This recipe came from our old friends at Diner's Drive-In's and Dives by way of The BBQ Shack in Paola, Kansas.  Rest assured, Mangino has had a few of these in his time.  It's rare that I fail to alter a recipe I find on the internet, but this time, things looked pretty much perfect, so all I added was a bit of my home-blended chili spice on top....  From foodtv.com:

Jalapeno Poppers

1 can whole water chestnuts
2 cups soy sauce
Approximately 1 1/2 to 2-pounds brown sugar
1 dozen large jalapeno peppers
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
1 pound thin sliced bacon
All-purpose bbq rub

Preheat grill over medium-high heat.

Take whole water chestnuts, put in a plastic bowl or container of some type and cover the chestnuts with soy sauce. Then pour enough brown sugar into the bowl to cover the chestnuts. It will dissolve as you put it in so it may take a fair amount of brown sugar. Let them marinate, refrigerated, overnight. In the morning, stir the mixture and let sit until you need them.

Cut the stems off the peppers. The larger the jalapeno the better. Core the jalapenos. You can find a tool called a chili twister at most BBQ/fireplace stores. Warm the package of cream cheese in the microwave and squeeze it into a quart freezer bag. Cut a little bit of the corner off the bag and use it as a pastry bag. Fill only the bottom part of the pepper. Now stuff 1 or 2 chestnuts into the pepper. You may need to cut the chestnuts in half. Leave a little space at the top of the pepper. Take a pound of bacon (thin sliced works best) and cut strips of bacon in half. Wrap each pepper with the half slices of bacon. Use toothpicks to keep bacon in place. Using the rest of the cream cheese, fill the remaining space at the top of the peppers. I sprinkle a little bit of all-purpose bbq rub on top for some color. They are ready to cook.

Place onto grill and cook until bacon is done. Watch them closely! If the bacon grease pools it will catch fire. Open grates work good (but the bacon drippings will still catch fire), but an offset fire works best. Also at most BBQ/fireplace stores you can find holders that will hold 1, 2, or 3 dozen jalapenos.

Returning to the Echoes, Waking the Glory, and the Early Bird Gathers No Moss

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Perhaps we hate them so much because we fear that we are headed down the same path...or perhaps that's why it's so tough to hate them.  They have been an afterthought in the college football world for several years now, but beyond those several years, they hold a place in college football history that is unparalleled.

Today however, they are coming very close to losing a generation.  Those in their teens and early twenties only know of the legend of Notre Dame, they have not seen it in practice.  They know Bob Davie, Tyrone Willingham, and Charlie Weis.  They only know Lou Holtz as the weird old guy on ESPN with the lisp.  They don't know this rivalry, which finds its roots at the turn of the last century, and its fervor in the 80's and early 90's.

If you happen to be traveling to the Indiana border town this weekend, there are some things you should know.  As you enter the world that is South Bend, you find that it is a city not unlike Ann Arbor.  A campus entrenched in the city limits, built on traditions of exemplary education and football.

Then you park your car and open your door to a world where everyone is convinced that they were born with a golden domed pot to piss in.  There's an episode of South Park that exemplifies this world perfectly. A world of the smug where people enjoy the smell of their own farts.  That's Notre Dame.

It's the only place where a Michigan fan can find people looking down their noses at them.  We are the trash.  We are Michigan State to them.  They will wash their hands after shaking yours.  They will play classical music at their tailgate and recite poetry.  And while many a Michigan fan has been accused of clinging to the past, you will find that the Notre Dame fan doesn't cling to it, but lives it...because that is all they've got.  They've returned to glory and awakened the echoes so many times that it no longer has meaning.  Rebuilding isn't a process in South Bend, it's a way of life.  Every win is THE turning point, every loss is but a hiccup on their way back to dominance.  By the time the losses pile up enough to give up on the present, they find themselves ready for the next season, ready to rebuild again.  It's a cyclical process...they're working on it, they promise.

As this edition of the Michigan Wolverines enters the stadium this Saturday, they find themselves in Notre Dame's shoes...somewhat.  All indications are that this is that year we've all been dreading.  While we are seemingly optomisitc about the future, we are out to defeat that which we don't want to become.  We are playing, essentially, ourselves.  Perhaps our patience for a bright future belittles the importance of the rivalry on this day.  No doubt that ND needs this win much more than we do.  But on the field, we will be looking to prove one thing:  we can still win while we wait for perfection.  While we adjust, while we endure, we can never return to glory.  Because glory is something that we have never put to rest.  Our world, our record, our dominance, and our tradition...continues.

To hell with Notre Dame.

Weekend Roundup, To Hell With Notre Dame Edition: 9/9/08

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We Brought Back the Cold War and Had a Cow

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Ahhh yes, the 80's.  The decade that brought us such verbal gems as "gag me with a spoon," "shitting bricks," and "fuckin' A" made a strong appearance on our little section of the golf course on Saturday.  The age of the synthesizer rang in our ears and the girls showed up straight from "the valley" as we grilled, ate, drank, and celebrated our first victory of the 2008 campaign.

The tailgate crowd was decidedly smaller than the previous week, but still very large and spirited for a MAC matchup and a Michigan team that pooped themselves in week 1.  We are without a doubt hitting our stride as we head into the Big Ten season.

As I noted yesterday, the matchup with Miami of Ohio had some historical significance as RichRod's first win, but our past contests with the Red Hawks carried some tailgate and Michigan history with them as well.

In 2001, two spry and barely over 30 versions of Bubba and Stephen were already attending their 50th straight Michigan game.  Captain Michigan came out of retirement to leg wrestle his son and Tuba.  We all got our first pair of yellow socks. 

In 2004, we all walked to the game expecting to see Matt Gutierrez under center for the first time.  An injury shrouded in Fort Schembechler secrecy left the reins to true frosh Chad Henne.  Chad would lead the Wolverines to a back-to-back Big Ten title and a trip to the Rose Bowl.