Gameday

When you roll into Morgantown on a Friday night you've gotta go to the Black Bear... and we did. Here's Dusty enjoying a nice cold Sierra Nevada. Mrs. Little Cat had a tofu salad that was pretty solid and I built my own burrito.




Here's the scene. We got there early to make sure we got a good spot. That and I like getting anywhere early. We were all set up in minutes and had the rest of the morning/afternoon to chill out, relax and socialize with our pals.



Speaking of pals, here's the Slaws. Bill, Josh, Chipps, Stupinksi and a bunch of other guys I don't know. They just happened to be tailgating in the same lot so we combined our efforts.



Look who else made it... Mike C. in the house!



... and Leann.




... and Andrea and her Dad.



When you have all these people there, you gotta cook some dawgs.



Cornhole! Get your mind outta the gutter.



Leann's friend Jason took Dusty and I to school on a shotgun. It was his very first try.



Money shot!



Oh yeah, there's a game, too!



First down, WEST VIRGINIA! "Woo woo woo, clap, first down."



Billy Ray and Mrs. Little Cat.



Billy Ray and I.



At the end of the day... we had a great view over Mountaineer Country. What a great time. I look forward to seeing everyone at the next game. Let's just hope we get a tailgate spot that's even half as sweet.

'til next time...

Breakin' Out the Jersey

One week, kids and we've got WVU Football.





Good lord, it looks like a frickin' pillowcase. Thanks for nothin', Nutrisystem. Haha.


Anyone notice the Little Cat being cute?

Pies

I've always wanted to bake a pie, and well, today I did.


A few weeks ago I saw Paula Dean make a key lime pie that looked absolutely outstanding. I've had key lime pie before and I didn't really like it. It was way too bitter for my chocolate loving taste buds. But I figured if Paula made it, it's gotta be good. So I went for it...





I had a blast making it. I thought it was especially cool how the egg whites combined with a little sugar made the meringue. Unfortunately, the meringue combined with the condensed milk in the filling makes the pie far too sweet. Plus, it's a little watery. If any of you all think you can do a better job, here's the recipe... link.


Fail.


On the bright side, though, I made a second pie... chocolate pie. And it was sooooo easy. All it took was some milk, pie crust, chocolate pudding and Cool Whip. Just combine the 4 and voila... chocolate pie.





Creamy and chocolaty. Here's the recipe for this one... link.


Succeed.


Who wants pie? I'm gonna need some help eating it since Mrs. Little Cat doesn't like anything sweet.



Oh, and by the way, I know there are a lot of C/cooks that read this blog. Do any of you have any pointers on the key lime? I'd love to hear 'em!

The NFL Hall of Fame

Last weekend a few friends of mine and I headed north to Canton, Ohio to take a look at the Pro Football Hall of Fame and attempt to get into the Hall of Fame Game at a decent price.



We got into the Hall of Fame, but wow, was it ever crowded. You could barely move. It was worth it, though. So much had changed since the last time I'd been there.

Pictured above is one of my favorite exhibits at the Hall... Santonio Holmes wore this jersey when he caught the winning touchdown pass with 35 seconds in Super Bowl 43. Next to it was Drew Brees' jersey from Super Bowl 44.



As you can see we got into the game to see the Cincinnati Bengals play the Dallas Cowpies. I paid far too much for a ticket to a preseason game, but yeah... we got in. Cincinnati fans didn't have far to drive and Cowpie fans are all over the darn country. After this trip, I might actually believe that they're "America's Team." Those SOBs are like a swarm of bees. :)

Overall it was a great trip, though.

I can't wait for football.

Our Back Porch

Last week this happened to our back porch...






Yeah... you can pretty much see nothing but tree. Underneath the tree was this...







Such a sad looking grill. In it's glory days it was a powerful administer of flame, but that's all changed now. It's nothing but a sorry heap of scrap metal.


Poor little grill friend. :(

WVU's Greatest Games at New Mountaineer Field

Last year I know I said that going to football games wasn't the same as it used to be and that I didn't have quite the same fire as I did in year's past. Well, that's changed with the prospect of having our own tailgate. We're going to try and revive those old feelings this year. So, in that spirit, here's a list of WVU's greatest games at new Mountaineer Field...

Link

A couple of notes...

Some of the videos are narrated by Tony Caridi (current play-by-play announcer) and some by the late Jack Fleming. Also, #8 Cincinnati didn't take place in 2000. It was actually 1980 and the very first game at new Mountaineer Field.

That said, thanks, Hilltopper for putting this together.

It's almost that time...

... time for some football.





Today I purchased our new tailgate grill. This grill is going to allow us to prepare hot dogs and hamburgers at our very own tailgate prior to WVU Football games this year. It's gonna be simple. It's gonna be easy and it's gonna be fun.

Who's in? Mr. and Mrs. 653, you've already been counted. ;)

Oh yeah... BYOB :)