Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet 3.0 (Top 250 Update)

Most drafts will be over the next week or so.  Here is the Top 250 players taking into account Fantasy Value, Average Draft Position, Strength of Schedule, and Free Agency Aquisitions.  Best of luck this year...

1. Adrian Peterson- RB, MIN
2. Arian Foster- RB, HOU
3. Chris Johnson- RB, TEN
4. Ray Rice- RB, BAL
5. Jamaal Charles- RB, KC
6. LeSean McCoy- RB, PHI
7. Andre Johnson- WR, HOU
8. Maurice Jones-Drew- RB, JAX
9. Roddy White- WR, ATL
10. Darren McFadden- RB, OAK

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127 Hors (D'oeuvres)- (Dish Made for 127 Hours for the 2011 Oscar Party)

127 Hors D'oeuvres

As I was trying to come up with a dish for 127 Hours (you know, the movie about that real guy Aron Ralston who was trapped by a rock and ended up cutting his own arm off to escape to rescue) I felt like I might need to gnaw MY arm off.  For some reason every year there are a couple movies that just don't lend themselves to making dishes about them.  Granola or Power Bars crossed my mind.  There was talk of chicken wings...  but that seemed a bit morbid.  What ended up winning out was a play on the visual look of the name itself: 127 Hours.  Just drop the "u" and you get 127 Hors.  Add some fancy French stuff and you get 127 Hors (D'oeurves).

127 Hours mural in the 100 Mile Hallway


This one is actually more about the total items than any specific recipe.  It is made up of 5 different little appetizers.  3 of them in a 25 count and 2 of them in a 26 count.  25+25+25+26+26= 127.  You can really make any hors d'oeuvres you would like, but here are the five that were served at the 2011 Oscar Party: Fried Olives, Pita Chips with Hummus (topped with a slice of Kalamata Olive), Bread Rounds with Rondele (topped with Pimento and Chives), Caprese Bites with Baby Heirloom Tomatoes, Basil, and Fresh Mozzarella, and Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus.

Most of these are pretty basic, 2 of them are a cracker/spread type snacks, and 2 of them are small skewer types on toothpicks.  But, the Fried Olives are a dish I had never made, and in fact had never even tried.  But I saw this demonstration and wanted to try the recipe.  I skipped the cheese, and used Panko bread crumbs instead (if you are not yet aware of Panko bread crumbs, do yourself a favor and give them a shot, your taste buds will thank you),  but I basically stuck to the technique.

It actually came together nicely, and they were some of the most popular bites of the night.  It was unfortunate that as soon as one person tried any of the dishes it threw the number off and the whole effect was lost.  But just getting something pulled together had me feeling like James Franco's character must have felt like once he saw that med-evac helicopter landing.

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The End of an Era (Many of TVs Best Shows are Nearing Their Finale)

***SPOILER ALERT*** (see bottom of page)

There are few things filled with more disappointment and anticipation than when a popular TV show decides to call it quits.  After all, fans nearly regard the characters of their favorite shows as friends and family.  Successful shows often run for the better part of a decade, and they become ingrained in our lives and daily routines.  Finales in particular are able to gather crowds, the M*A*S*H finale is still the most watched broadcast in American history (of course M*A*S*H wasn't only well done and incredibly popular, but it had the advantage of limited competition because few homes had cable at that point, and the big 3 networks still ruled the day).  Everyone wants to know "how it ends", whatever "it" might be.  Finales can create quite a buzz, Seinfeld, The Sopranos, and Lost all made big news and water cooler chatter when they came to their end.  There is usually a big finally every few years or so, and there is a built up to the main event.  But this year there is an inordinate number of fan favorites and critically acclaimed programs that are winding down.

For some reason 2011 will be the end point for 4 shows that in one way or another have shaped television and pop culture over their run.  This summer is the last season for The Closer, Weeds, Rescue Me, and Entourage.  DVRs across America are going to have plenty of free space with these massively popular shows leaving a huge vacuum behind.

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What's in a name? (who to pick, and who not to pick in your 2011 Fantasy Football Draft)

We've all done it.  At a cocktail party, or in class sometime, or just bumping in to someone at the mall or on the street.  You search back through your entire memory and you simply can not remember the other persons name.  It is one of those moments that has the unique ability to make you feel stupid, thoughtless, and rude all at the same time.  It's a bummer man.

When it comes to your fantasy football draft* this simple mistake can not only be embarrassing, but it can spell disaster for your team before kick off of the first game.  There is no worse feeling than realizing that your latest pick not only retired 3 years ago, but the guy you thought you were picking was selected 3rd overall and you never really had a shot at him in the first place.  Basically, you need to know who is on your players list, and the differences between players.

But they don't make it easy.  There are 5 guys named Ryan in the Top 250, and 4 of them are running backs.  Who ever thought there would be deux hommes named Pierre in the NFL?  Why are there more players named Jacoby than the more traditional Jacob?  Is it any wonder that over two decades after everyone wanted to "Be Like Mike" there are 3 dudes named Jordan on the list?  And let's not forget there are 2 guys named Steve Smith, and another 2 named Mike Williams, and all 4 of them are wide receivers.

So, here are a few things to keep in mind to hopefully differentiate between certain players you do or do not want on your team:

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Fantasy Football Draft Cheat Sheet 2.0 (Top 250 updated 8/9/11)

Well, we now have the lockout officially behind us.  And we are now hours not days away from actual live action football (if you consider pre-season actual football).  We now know where most free agents are going to be playing.  And for a few unfortunate injured players (10 blown achilles so far), we know who will not be playing this season.  There is still a long way till the season starts and injuries, free agency, and depth charts are all going to change...  but here is the latest Draft Cheat Sheet as of 8/9/11:

1. Arian Foster, HOU- RB
2. Ray Rice, BAL- RB
3. Chris Johnson, TEN- RB
4. Adrian Peterson, MIN- RB
5. Jamaal Charles, KC-RB
6. LeSean McCoy, PHI- RB
7. Andre Johnson, HOU- WR
8. Maurice Jones-Drew, JAX-RB
9. Rashard Mendenhall, PIT-RB
10. Aaron Rodgers, GB- QB

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Oscar Party 2011 (Menu and Recipes for the Academy Awards)



Mural of the 10 Best Picture Nominees

The last few years I have thrown an Oscar Party.  Who knew that if you got tasty food, cocktails, and (ahem) some friendly wagering all in one place you could get even the most hardened anti-award-show types to have a great time?  I will eventually go back and post recipes and some pics from previous parties, but lets begin with the most recent.

The main components to the shin-dig are threefold: A dish for each of the movies nominated for Best Picture, fun decorations including the free hand Mural in the 100 Mile Hallway, and the Oscar ballot game where everyone guesses who wins for prizes at the end of the night.  Throw in some top flight movies, some over priced fashion, and some mediocre comedy and you gotta party baby!  Let's roll out the red carpet and take a look at the nominees...

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Blackberry Flan (known as "Black Flan" for the 2011 Oscar Party)

I have a love-hate relationship with flan.  It never sounds good.  It is not something I would order after dinner.  And there is something about it that just looks... odd.  But every time I do venture out and give it a shot I'm always surprised just how tasty it is.  I mean off-the-charts-good.  I sit there with a look of confusion as to why I don't eat flan every day.  I should have by this point of my life realized that, despite all of my thoughts to the contrary, I like flan.

I think many other people have a similar reaction.  Hesitation at first, followed by bewilderment, and finished with cravings for more.  The problem is getting people to try the first bite.  Which can by quite an obstacle.  This is why serving flan at a party is a bold move, especially if you are straying from the deliciously traditional caramel custard. 

Black Swan section from the 100 Mile Hallway Mural

But when this years Oscar nominees were announced, I had a sinking feeling once I realized I had to do it: I had to make "Black Flan".  Not only was I going to try making a dish I wasn't sure I even liked, I was going to be making a dish I had never made before, and with a twist that could ruin the whole thing...  Gulp.  But that feeling seemed to fit right in line with the scary, uneasy, psychedelic nature of Natalie Portman's Oscar winning portrayal in Black Swan.  And much like the dancer in Black Swan, the dish had to straddle both traditional beauty and technique, with avant-garde danger and risk.  Ok, that's a bit dramatic, adding blackberries to custard ain't exactly a Warhol painting, but just go with the metaphor here will ya?

So after some practice and trying out a couple different recipes it came down to 3 basic steps:

1. Making Blackberry Simple Syrup
2. Making the Flan Custard
3. Baking and Serving

Really that's it.  There are a few steps in between, and a couple little tweaks for fun, but that is just about it.  So let's get going...

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The Social Knockwurst (Dish made for The Social Network at the 2011 Oscar Party)

This dish was a fun play on words, but it also has a fun adventure in the making of the recipe too.  It's a real basic cracker snack appitizer, but there was a little searching around and a taste test involved.  All the dish entailed was Sociable crackers (get it, "Sociable" for the "Social" Network... oh you can't script stuff like that), some stone ground musturd, a german style sausage called Knockwurst (learn the difference between Knockwurst and Bratwurst here), topped with the first recipe ever put on The Polymouth: Caramelized Onions.

The Social Network section of the 100 Mile Hallway Mural

So Knockwurst doesn't exactly grow on trees.  You have to do a little digging.  You probably won't find it at your local super market, so this will give you a chance to try some of your local mom and pop butcher shops.  In our search for the best option we tried out 3 of Portlands favorite butcher shops: Otto's Sausage Kitchen, Edelweiss Sausage and Delicatessen, and Phil's Uptown Meat Market.  There was no traditional Knockwurst to be found, but we selected a close enough facsimile from each spot and got to the fun: Sausage Taste Test!!!  The winner ended up being Otto's Bockwurst.  It is a lovely, smooth, soft and flavorful sausage, and well worth the trip.

The dish itself is real easy: Stack a cracker with mustard, a thin slice of sausage, and top with caramelized onions.  I think a garnigh of flat-leaf parsley, lemon zest, or chives would be nice, but you don't need them.  Serve this at your next party and your "Freinds" will "Like" them so much they will be "Requesting" more...

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