Oven Baked ChickenVegs, Couscous and Risotto Lentils

I spent my time off on Monday creating dinner, in which I used in all reality scraps from the pantry and fridge.

I had a chicken breast, some non cooked couscous and lentils, celery, green onion, and some broccoli and 3 mushrooms. What to make? I went to the web and used 3 recipes that were close and came up with my own; Oven Baked Chicken and Vegetables with Couscous and Risotto Lentils.

I totally underestimated how long it takes to cook lentils via risotto method, constantly stirring and adding broth. That process took over 75 minutes.

I used some Turkey/Mushroom end caps Broth for the Couscous and Lentils, and added some cooking white wine to the lentils in the beginning. I made way more than necessary for one dinner, so there would be ample left over for lunch the next day.

Not too shabby...for a caveman.

M

End of Season: Lions, Cowboys, Different Directions

I never thought I would read a negative story about WR Calvin Johnson from a Detroit Newspaper Columnist. Calvin is a load of talent, but up until now he seems to defied any negative analysis of his play. More times than not, he could use injuries as a crutch to any lackluster play. Terry Foster of the Detroit News came out swinging after yesterday's game and took a haymaker towards CJ.

http://apps.detnews.com/apps/blogs/terryfosterblog/index.php?blogid=1877



What is this Year 3 of Calvin Johnson? He is leaps better than Mike Williams, Charles Rogers, and "Dropped Pass" Roy Williams. I have hopes that he can gel next year with Stafford while having alternative players bring their effort/talent/playmaking/energy up. Stafford & CJ have to lead this team from the doldrums, if not them..then who?

Oh and by the way, Roy Williams. I caught 5 minutes of the Cowboy Game yesterday, and saw a classic play by Roy. Roy had 5 yards of buffer on his CB and the ball hit him right in the numbers while Roy turned his head upfield, ending result: Dropped Ball. What does he do? He smiles, laughs, that got really old in Detroit. (how bout you catch the darn ball??) I wonder how long in Dallas that behavior will be tolerated in big D. The Cowboys had made the Playoffs this year, but face a huge game this weekend to end the season against the Philadelphia Eagles for the Division Title, and a chance to hold a playoff game. Sunday Jan 3, Eagles-Cowboys, it looks to be a must watch game for next weekend. McNabb,Vick, Romo, Williams, Austin, it should be fun.

M

Hybridwoofers hit the snow running

Christmas Blizzard

Christmas Eve, we got hit by a "Blizzard". It was pretty good, 4 to 8 inches hit the area while we stayed in the safety of the ManCave. During the evening, we were kept from danger by opening some presents and the good company of the Xbox 360. As sun broke, the hybridwoofers were hungry for the adventure of the snow. They took to the barren land of the backyard to find snow up to their armpits. Thankfully our heros were able to safety return to the ManCave. Here are their heroic action shots.

Lions batting 3 for 38

Lions lost their 35th game out of the last 38.

Lions lost by a touchdown today to the Cardinals, yes I remember the days when the Lions were a ton better than the Cardinals...not so anymore.

Chris Wells of the Cardinals who destroyed Michigan and Michigan State for years in the Big Ten as a member of the Ohio State Buckeyes, added the Lions to his mantle of destruction.

2 More Lion Games? Get the antacid ready.

Draft 2010 here we come...

Movie Review: It's Complicated

This movie is a "holiday" comedy. A "holiday" movie based on infidelity, awesome, happy holidays. I am not saying it was not a funny movie, but seriously releasing this during the holidays? I thought it was a bit odd, but hey when every magazine has the best athlete in the decade sleeping with not one,two, three, four, eight, ten, thirteen? women?, okay...maybe it was the ideal time to release this flick.

Meryl Streep, Steve Martin, Alec Baldwin were a pretty good acting trifecta.

Normally, I can't really stand to watch Alec Baldwin outside of his SNL appearances, but his effort was tolerable and funny.

Steve Martin played his role greatly, but if I was his agent, I would of wanted more lines.

Meryl Streep was pretty good, certainly not as serious as her role in Doubt.

Movie Rating: 8.4/10.0 B

M

Braveheart Wall Man Cave

The poster arrived today and next to the long sword, it looks great. The long sword was a gift from my good friend for standing in his wedding this fall. The man cave is turning wall by wall into a entertainment movieplex!

'Freeeedoooooooommmm"

~M

Mussels in White Wine

Tonight we tried our hand at making mussels. Mussels are part of the clam family and can be found in both salt and freshwater. These were cooked with onion, garlic and white wine. They need to be cooked with a eye on the mussels themselves. If cooked incorrectly they can be spoiled, so they must be given your full attention. They turned out great and tasted very close to a 14 dollar plate at one of our favorite restaurants here in town. I love to eat seafood, at times I wished we lived on the east coast to have fresh, cheap choices when it comes to seafood!

M

Fantastic Mr. Fox

The movie Fantastic Mr. Fox is a stop-motion picture. It took several minutes to get normalized to the animation, but once ten minutes into the movie it was very easy to watch. The movie may not be for young children, as most in the audience did not follow along at our theater. George Clooney plays the role of the suave Mr. Fox, always looking to use his instincts of chicken stealing and tomfoolery. Many people don't care for Wes Anderson, but his quirkiness makes his films stand out against most of the cookie cutter movies from Hollywood. We found the movie Fantastic and worth buying on DVD when available.

Star Rating: 9.5/10.0