SuperBowl Parade

What a day! Despite the hour delay getting started, it seemed pretty successful. The parade started at City Hall, where some of the Ravens addressed the crowd.

We made our way to the stadium on streets packed with people. The band led off the parade, followed by the cheerleaders, Mr. Bisciotti and company, and the team. When we got to the stadium, the team was introduced, and there were a few speeches.

The stadium was packed with people, more than I've ever seen. The ceremony was short and sweet, but the band didn't get to play while at the stadium. Afterwards, we got box lunches, and I ate in the media lounge. I've never been there before. It was only chairs and tables, but on the wall was this item.

There will be a new one to add soon!

Seafood Newburg

While looking up ideas for dinner on Tuesday, I came across this recipe, and decided it would be Thursday night's dinner.

Seafood Newburg

• 1 pound frozen shrimp, cooked and coarsely chopped
• 4 to 8 ounces crab or lobster, thawed, drained, and diced
• 2 tablespoons sherry
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 3/4 stick butter, 6 tablespoons
• 1/3 cup flour
• 2 cups half and half
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/2 cup grated Cheddar cheese

Mix the seafood with sherry, lemon juice, and nutmeg. Cover and refrigerate for a few hours. Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat; blend in flour then stir in the half-and-half. Add salt and continue cooking and stirring until thickened, about 15 to 20 minutes. Combine beaten egg yolk with the heavy cream. Add to the sauce, stirring constantly. Add cheese. Continue to cook, stirring, until well blended and cheese is melted. Add the seafood with its marinade. Heat thoroughly, about 10 minutes longer. Serve over patty shells, rice, or toast points. If too thick, thin with a little milk.
Seafood Newburg recipe serves 4 to 6.

It was pretty tasty - seafood, cream sauce, how can you go wrong? Tom's opinion? He thought it was light and unexpectedly different, and it left him wanting more. It'a a compliment I can live with.

Drowning Ruth

I finally finished reading the book "Drowning Ruth," by Christina Schwarz. I would say that it was a good book. I love books that are told in different perspectives, and bounce back and forth in time. The story kept me guessing as to what actually happened at the lake that fateful day. Even though the book is a selection from Oprah's Book Club, and there were questions at the end of the book that required some deep thoughts, it was still entertaining.

Ravens Send Off

Today, I had one of my most disappointing Pep Band Gigs, ever. And that's saying a lot, because I've had a lot of gigs. The gig was a send off for the Ravens before they left for New Orleans and the SuperBowl. The Ravens had requested a large presence from the Pep Band, so we obliged with at least 45 musicians. When we got to the Inner Harbor, we were ushered around the back of a pavillion, led upstairs, and placed on a balcony behind spectators. All of the festivities were in the Amphitheater, in between both pavillions. We could not be heard by the people down there, nor could we see anything that was going on. We weren't even allowed to play the Fight Song when the team arrived. When we got back to the busses, we were told that there was an area that was set aside for the band, but more press had arrived than they had anticipated, so we lost our space. Quite disappointing.
To make up for the diasppointing Pep Band Gig, I had a pretty cool party at the Tidewater. A World War II veteran who had received the Medal of Honor came to talk about it with a 2-star general. At the end of the event, both Mel and I were presented with a coin.

Even though Tom believes that coins are pretty common, they are totally uncommon in my lines of work, so I was pretty thrilled to receive one.

Swedish Meatballs

Another item that I've wanted to try to make for a few days now - Meatballs.

Swedish Meatballs

Ingredients

• 2 slices fresh white bread
• 1/4 cup milk
• 3 tablespoons clarified butter, divided
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• A pinch plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3/4 pound ground chuck
• 3/4 pound ground pork
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 cups beef broth
• 1/4 cup heavy cream

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees F.
2. Tear the bread into pieces and place in a small mixing bowl along with the milk. Set aside.
3. In a 12-inch straight sided saute pan over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and sweat until the onions are soft. Remove from the heat and set aside.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the bread and milk mixture, ground chuck, pork, egg yolks, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, black pepper, allspice, nutmeg, and onions. Beat on medium speed for 1 to 2 minutes.
5. Using a scale, weigh meatballs into 1-ounce portions and place on a sheet pan. Using your hands, shape the meatballs into rounds.
6. Heat the remaining butter in the saute pan over medium-low heat, or in an electric skillet set to 250 degrees F. Add the meatballs and saute until golden brown on all sides, about 7 to 10 minutes. Remove the meatballs to an ovenproof dish using a slotted spoon and place in the warmed oven.
7. Once all of the meatballs are cooked, decrease the heat to low and add the flour to the pan or skillet. Whisk until lightly browned, approximately 1 to 2 minutes. Gradually add the beef stock and whisk until sauce begins to thicken. Add the cream and continue to cook until the gravy reaches the desired consistency. Remove the meatballs from the oven, cover with the gravy and serve.

I finished these so late that I just put them in the refrigerator. I'll report back after I've tried them, but they did smell good.

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

I've been craving Macaroni and Cheese lately, so I thought I'd try my hand at another homemade macaroni recipe.

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound elbow macaroni
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 tablespoon powdered mustard
• 3 cups milk
• 1/2 cup yellow onion, finely diced
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 large egg
• 12 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• Fresh black pepper

Topping:

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta to al dente.
3. While the pasta is cooking, in a separate pot, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and mustard and keep it moving for about five minutes. Make sure it's free of lumps. Stir in the milk, onion, bay leaf, and paprika. Simmer for ten minutes and remove the bay leaf.
4. Temper in the egg. Stir in 3/4 of the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Fold the macaroni into the mix and pour into a 2-quart casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.
5. Melt the butter in a saute pan and toss the bread crumbs to coat. Top the macaroni with the bread crumbs. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and rest for five minutes before serving.

Remember to save leftovers for fried Macaroni and Cheese.

It was okay, and after Tom's initial dismay at the visual aspect of my dish, he said it tasted good. It didn't taste as cheesy as I expected, but there are many reasons why I may have messed this recipe up. In cooking the roux for five minutes, I may have overcooked it. After adding the milk, I may not have thickened that mixture enough. Tempering the egg? My first time ever trying that. The sauce looked fine until I added the cheese, then, it looked like a curdled mess. Apart from the way it looked, the macaroni wasn't very cheesy. I guess after eating Kraft for so many years, I have certain expectations. I think I will try this again, but I'll keep an eye out for the mistakes I made this time.

Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Peppers

Tonight, for dinner, I made another recipe I found on Pinterest.

Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Peppers

INGREDIENTS

• 8 oz. Thinly Sliced Roast Beef
• 8 Slices Provolone Cheese
• 2 Large Green Bell Peppers
• 1 Medium Sweet Onion
• 6 oz. Baby Bella Mushrooms
• 2 Tbs. Butter
• 2 Tbs. Olive Oil
• 1 Tbs. Garlic – Minced
• Salt and Pepper – to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Slice peppers in half lengthwise, remove ribs and seeds.
2. Slice onions and mushrooms. Saute over medium heat with butter, olive oil, minced garlic and a little salt and pepper. Saute until onions and mushroom are nice and caramelized. About 25-30 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 400°
4. Slice roast beef into thin strips and add to the onion/mushroom mixture. Allow to cook 5-10 minutes
5. Line the inside of each pepper with a slice of provolone cheese.
6. Fill each pepper with meat mixture until they are nearly overflowing.
7. Top each pepper with another slice of provolone cheese.
8. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the cheese on top is golden brown.

It was delicious. Tom even tried it and liked it. He left me the pepper, but said if I put the filling in a small cup and baked it, it would be perfect.