Saturday, October 12, 2013

UCLA v CAL BERKLEY

Appetizers - Eric

Jamie and Ken's Lox and Cream Cheese Dip

Just eyeball the amounts:

Mix together softened Cream Cheese and (chopped ) lox in a small bowl; top with capers and chopped fresh dill. Serve with your favorite crackers or bagel chips.

Bay Area Brats and Bacon

2 bottles beer

1 package bratwurst

1 package bacon, halved

2/3 c light brown sugar

1 tsp cayenne pepper

½ tsp dry mustard

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a rimmed jelly roll pan with nonstick foil. Pour beer into a skillet over high heat. Pierce each bratwurst in several places with a fork. Place in skillet with beer and heat until very hot, but not boiling. Reduce heat and simmer gently for 15-20 minutes or until brats are no longer pink inside, turning brats after 10 minutes. Remove brats from skillet and let sit until cool enough to handle. Discard beer.

When cooled, cut each brat into 3 equal pieces. Wrap each brat with one bacon half. In a mixing bowl, stir together brown sugar, cayenne pepper and dry mustard until well combined. Coat each bacon-wrapped brat in sugar mixture. Lay coated brats in the foil-lined pan with the seam of bacon firmly down so it won't curl. Bake brats for 20-25 minutes, carefully turning at the halfway point, until bacon is crispy. Remove to paper towels to drain briefly, then arrange brats on a serving platter, surrounded by a variety of mustard. Serve hot with toothpicks for dipping.

Paula Deen's Pizza Stuffed Mushrooms

1/2 lb. mild Italian Sausage, casings removed

¾ cup chopped pepperoni slices, divided

1/3 c minced onion

1 8 oz. package softened cream cheese

½ cup pizza sauce

4 8 oz packages baby portabella mushrooms, stems removed

¾ c shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees; line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil

2. In a large skillet, cook Italian sausage, ½ c chopped pepperoni, and onion, stirring occasionally, over medium heat until sausage is brown and crumbly; drain. Add cream cheese and pizza sauce, stirring until melted and smooth. Remove from heat.

3. Spoon sausage mixture into mushroom caps, and place on prepared pan. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and remaining pepperoni.

4. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Main Dish and Sides - Paul & Barb

Marinated Shrimp and Cucumbers 

The longer this sits, the better the flavor.  Marinate in a large, shallow, nonreactive pan so that the dressing covers the ingredients.  Depending upon the size of the shrimp, you may need to double the marinade.  Be sure to drain the mixture before serving.

Serves 4

1 medium sweet onion, thinly sliced

1 large cucumber, peeled, scored, and thinly sliced

1 ½ pounds cooked shrimp

¼ teaspoon seeded and minced jalapeno (optional)

2 tablespoons minced red pepper

1 recipe Sweet Dipping Sauce (see below)

1 tablespoon minced fresh tarragon

1 tablespoon minced fresh basil

Separate the onion slices into rings and toss with the cucumber slices, shrimp and red pepper.  Pour over the dipping sauce.  Let sit, refrigerated, for at least 2 hours.  Toss with the herbs, and drain the marinade before serving. (If you wish, you can serve the marinade on the side as a dipping sauce.)

Sweet Dipping Sauce

1/2 cup fresh lime juice

3 tablespoons sugar

1/8 teaspoon wasabi power

½ teaspoon dried red pepper flakes

2 teaspoons diagonally sliced scallions (optional)

Mix together the lime juice, sugar, wasabi, and red pepper flakes in a nonreactive bowl.  Let sit for at least 30 minutes.  Before serving, stir in the scallions.

Mustard & Dill Fish Fillets 

¼ cup lemon juice from concentrate

¼ cup olive oil

2 Tbs. chopped fresh dill

1 Tbs. Dijon or grainy mustard

1 clove garlic, minced

1 lb. fish fillets – sea bass, salmon, halibut, swordfish – we used tilapia

salt and pepper to taste

RINSE: fish; pat dry.  Cut into serving size pieces if desired.

PLACE fish in shallow dish.

WHISK together lemon juice, oil, dill, mustard, garlic, salt and pepper.

POUR mixture over fish and let stand 1 hour.

BAKE at 375 for 10 to 12 minutes, or grill medium heat for the same amount of time.

Served with rice on the side.

Dessert - Penny & Tim

Panna Cotta with Fresh Berries

Courtesy Giada De Laurentiis 

Serves: 6 servings

1 cup whole milk

1 tablespoon unflavored powdered gelatin

3 cups whipping cream

1/3 cup honey

1 tablespoon sugar

Pinch salt

2 cups assorted fresh berries

Place the milk in a small bowl. Sprinkle the gelatin over. Let stand for 3 to 5 minutes to soften the gelatin. Pour milk mixture into a heavy saucepan and stir over medium heat just until the gelatin dissolves but the milk does not boil, about 5 minutes. Add the cream, honey, sugar, and salt. Stir until the sugar dissolves, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the heat. Pour into 6 wine glasses so that they are 1/2 full. Cool slightly. Refrigerate until set, at least 6 hours.

Spoon the berries atop the panna cotta and serve with biscotti.

Missing Tim...the empty chair

Like those Bruin yellow shoes, Barb!

So much to eat, Rod can't decide where to start.

Game Time!

UCLA Defeats CAL 37-10

From the Daily Bruin - by Emilio Ronquillo

Noel Mazzone walked into the Rose Bowl media room munching on a Diddy Riese cookie after UCLA’s third-highest single-game passing total in school history. Despite the sweet nature of his post-game snack, the offensive coordinator made little effort to sugarcoat the words coming out of his mouth about an offensive performance for which he had lukewarm feelings.

Mazzone said that the game, at times, featured everything from bad decisions from his quarterback to instances of poor blocking and subpar play-calling.

To Cal’s credit, he pointed out how the Golden Bears were determined to make the Bruins throw the football, a goal that proved successful in how Saturday wound up being UCLA’s worst rushing performance this year. Cal limited the Bruins to just 78 rushing yards.

While UCLA got little rhythm going on the ground, with its longest run going for 11 yards, an effective short passing game kept the team going with its skill position players’ speed and elusiveness.

Mazzone thought that UCLA’s lack of shorter passes stymied his team against an aggressive Utah blitz, and the team emphasized the strategy against a Cal team that he saw was committing extra defenders to stop the run.

“We kind of didn’t have a lot of it in the game plan the week before, I thought it hurt us,” Mazzone said. “… (Redshirt sophomore quarterback Brett Hundley) kind of overdid it a little bit at times. Brett likes (the short routes) … He throws that pass really well, pulls it out and gets the pass out to those guys quickly.”

Mazzone’s play-calling seemed to favor passes stemming from motions into or originating from the backfield, especially in the first half. Redshirt sophomore running back Steven Manfro and sophomore wide receiver Devin Fuller proving to be the main beneficiaries on a few highlight plays.

Right before the end of the first quarter, Manfro evaded three tacklers on a 24-yard catch and run, putting the Bruins in Golden Bear territory during UCLA’s second touchdown drive. Manfro’s gain came on a swing route, a passing design in which he opened his hips and ran directly toward the sideline, parallel to the line of scrimmage out of the backfield, catching a pass for little to no initial gain.

Fuller capitalized on two similar, consecutive routes on UCLA’s first scoring drive, netting 31 yards and UCLA’s first touchdown during a first quarter sequence. His touchdown showcased him evading a defender with a juke move, then sprinting past another Golden Bear for the score.

Fuller also hauled in a short pass from Hundley after dragging across the field, and made Cal pay for losing sight of him. Fuller broke off his route, waited for the pass, then ran up the sideline for a 35-yard gain in the 3rd quarter. The gain was UCLA’s second longest of the game.

Fuller said that his drag route, which he has run to success numerous times this season, is one of Hundley’s primary option when faced with a blitz.

Though Jordon James, a redshirt junior running back who did not play Saturday because of a sprained ankle, stated that UCLA’s offensive identity revolves gaining tough yards on the ground, fellow running back Damien Thigpen sees no problem with UCLA gobbling up yards with short passes, versus grinding out yards with runs.

Thigpen, a redshirt senior, notched his first carry since tearing his ACL last November on a short, backward pass from Hundley that was eventually ruled as a run.

Freshman receiver Thomas Duarte catches a pass from redshirt sophomore Brett Hundley at the end of the second quarter, putting the Bruins up 23-10.

“As long as we’re moving the ball consistently, it doesn’t really affect us,” said Thigpen, whose carry went for 10 yards. “As running backs, we want to run the ball, but (if) we hit intermediate routes, as long as our offense moves like that machine we can be, then everything works.”

University of California President Janet Napolitano, center, walks with the Bruins toward center field for the coin toss before the start of Saturday's game.