So here are this week’s games and my crappy picks, which comprise zero parts knowledge, 1/2 part wishful thinking and one part uninformed guesswork:
I just hope today is a better football day for valued commenter Raven and me than yesterday was. I broiled in the noonday sun watching my daughter’s school get clobbered by FSU (ptui!), then went into the blessed air conditioning to watch my alma mater lose to Tennessee. Figgety fuck-a-doodle!
Anyone cooking today? I’m making a pasta salad that features sun-dried tomatoes, basil, Kalamata olives and feta cheese. Hubby is going to grill some very thin ribeyes for steak sandwiches. That’s all I know.
Open thread!
tofubo
Your football pick method sounds a lot like the fucking racist imbecile on the Republican side of the aisle’s approach to governing.
Feebog
Buffalo over Arizona? Are you serious?
Roger Moore
Like every Sunday, I’ll be making pizza. Today, it will be my fabulous duck breast with Seville orange sauce; it’s the last of the sauce I made with last winter’s Seville oranges. I guess I’ll have to wait another couple of months for this year’s crop before making it again.
Thoroughly Pizzled
Go Lions. Not that I’m expecting very much.
redshirt
I’ll take all home teams.
Corner Stone
I made beef stroganoff last night, and it was damn good if I say so meself. So…left overs. Yay!
Corner Stone
B Crack, not to send you into a bout of PTSD or anything but that Florida loss though…damn.
Corner Stone
Cleveland at Miami! FEEL The Excitement!
And as much as I want your Bears pick to be right, I just do not see them winning at Dallas.
I also think AZ and OAK also both win their road games.
bk
BUFFALO???
Wag
I’ve been using my sous vide cooker to slow cook a Vietnamese style pork shoulder that we’ll do as lettuce wraps this evening. 24 hours at exactly 158 degrees. It’ll be perfect.
tsquared2001
@Feebog: That pick also stood out to me.
bk
Our refrigerator died early this morning. Warm beer.
tsquared2001
@Thoroughly Pizzled: I am expecting a lot of points both for fantasy football and pecuniary reasons.
dexwood
No cooking here. Plenty of my wife’s great chicken egg rolls leftover from last evening which we will finish off after a trip to our favorite local brewery.
Amir Khalid
@bk:
Let me offer my condolences.
JohnPM
As a Bears’ fan, I fell like both Chicago and Dallas could lose tonight’s game.
redshirt
@JohnPM: Whoever plays, we lose.
WaterGirl
Oh Betty, I am so stealing this:
Now that I think of it, that’s a pretty good description of the process by which a whole lotta folks have chosen Trump as the better candidate.
edit: I always try to read the comments first, but I loved that phrase from you so much that I just had to comment right away. And now I see commenter #1 has said that’s how the Rs govern. Not all that far from my thought about how folks are choosing Trump.
Elmo
Betty, your pasta salad sounds a lot like a pasta dish I make, but I also add toasted pine nuts and a whole head of garlic, and then use white wine with the feta cheese to make sauce. YUM. It’s Mrs Elmo’s favorite dish.
WaterGirl
Betty, how long do you grill very thin ribeyes for sandwiches? 30 seconds on each side for medium rare?
The place where I got great ribeye sandwiches closed. :-(
Steeplejack (tablet)
Joe Buck with a stubble-beard really defines masculine toughness for me.
RobertDSC-Quad Intel Mac
Just glad the Patriots won on Thursday night.
raven
It sucked.
Corner Stone
God, Dan Fouts on the CBS game. How horrible.
Betty Cracker
@Elmo: That sounds intriguing! I’ve added red wine vinegar and garlic to mine before — in a food processor to chop up the sun-dried tomatoes. But usually I just dice it really small and skip the pureeing.
@WaterGirl: Yeah, a minute tops unless you like it pretty done.
redshirt
@RobertDSC-Quad Intel Mac: And what a win it was! One of the more impressive games I can remember during the dynasty.
Schlemazel
Putting up lunches for the future this afternoon. Palak Paneer and a chickpea curry who’s name I forget at the moment. A dozen tubs for the freezer to mix in between lunches of leftover whatevers.
I read that the football gods still hate the Vikings though I don’t know why. That poor team suffered enough when Mike Lynne ran it into the ground. Betty? Do you keep track of your percentages? I know you did this all last year & I wonder if you are doing as well or better than the jackholes on TV.
redshirt
@Corner Stone: I like Fouts. There’s plenty worse.
Pogonip
@Wag: What is a sous vide cooker?
redshirt
@WaterGirl: Like a mushroom bloom after days of rain, the Trump yard signs all suddenly appeared in my area. It always gives me a mild sense of anxiety, but also anger, and also sadness.
It’s also very helpful for pointing out assholes.
And any business who puts up a Trump sign is banned for life from my money.
Shell
Damn. I empathize.
Woodrowfan
GO Bengals (eh)
Corner Stone
That was a bad call against CIN.
Miss Bianca
@Roger Moore: So, I was at Vitamin Cottage yesterday and I noticed that – probably thanks to the paleo-crowd – animals fats as cooking oils are suddenly A Thing again. They had jars of lard (Fancy jars! Of lard!), beef tallow, and…oh, boy…duck fat. Now, my favorite way of getting duck fat would be just to cook a duck, but I thought it was cool.
And then I got dried organge slices (regular and Mandarin), for chocolate-dipping.
Steeplejack (tablet)
@Pogonip:
There are various models, e.g., this Anova one is popular. Basically a way to precisely control temperature for long, slow cooking at low temperatures.
Aleta
@Roger Moore:
It’s good to know such a paradise exists as homemade Seville orange sauce made from one’s own tree. What I mean is, wow. Life is still very wow.
donnah
My husband, son and I were lucky to attend a rally this morning for Hillary here in Dayton, Ohio. The guest speakers were cast members from The West Wing. We got to see Bradley Whitford, Allison Janney, Josh Molina, Richard Schiff and Dule Hill each speak on her behalf. They were wonderful and it was so cool to have them here.
They’re on a whirlwind tour across our state and I’m so glad we got to see them in person. They did a great job!
Prescott Cactus
@Feebog:
Never overestimate Arizona.
@Pogonip:
You put the meat in a sealed plastic bag and a pot of water. The cooker is a water heater thingee keeps the temp at precisely what you set it at and circulates the water. Looked into, but never pulled the trigger. Supposed to be fantastic.
Wag, make and model ?
geg6
I am making a peach bourbon bbq sauce that I’m putting on nice pork loin chops which I’m serving with some long grain and wild rice with chopped carrot s and shallots and grilled asparagus marinated in a balsamic marinade. Yellow butter cake with milk chocolate icing and vanilla bean ice cream for dessert.
Turnpike rivalry today!
lollipopguild
@donnah: Wow. I am jealous.
Shana
We’re going out for dinner tonight with our older daughter who’s back in town after law school (and working) and a couple of friends of ours so I’m not cooking today. Stuck at home without my car since Hubby’s off doing a charity bike ride and won’t be home until later. His tiny car can’t handle our bike rack, and it’a a manual that I can’t drive, so he took my car.
I’ve been making one lunch a week, for about 12 people, for the local Clinton office. We keep kosher and there’s one person in the office who does, and a couple of people who need hallal but will eat kosher. So far I’ve done a shredded chicken mole with tomatillo salsa, refried beans and corn tortillas; vegetarian lasagna with veggie crumbles so it seems like meat; and beef brisket with home made rice a roni and green beans.
Anyone have any ideas for meals? I can’t use pork or shellfish, can’t mix meat and dairy products but most other things are OK, or work-around-able. I’m thinking of doing a shepherd’s pie for this week’s lunch, but would love to broaden the repertoire. Thanks in advance.
WaterGirl
@redshirt:
I really cannot look at people the same, knowing they are voting for Johnson or Trump or even staying home. Staying home this year is like watching a house burn and doing nothing – even if you didn’t light the match, you bear some responsibility.
Count me in on the “none of my money for life” policy.
Citizen_X
OT: Anybody want to talk me down over this ABC/Post poll? It’s got Trump fucking tied with Clinton! And people trust Trump with the economy over Clinton, 50 to 43%??? What the everloving fuck? He’s a conman and crook who mused about bankrupting the country because everything would be wonderful after that!
WaterGirl
@Shana: No food ideas here, just want to say that it’s really good of you to do this. Anyone who brings real food to campaign volunteers is a god or goddess. But what you are doing shows an infinite amount of respect that I’m sure ripples out far beyond the initial impact of the meals you bring.
Betty Cracker
RE: the Buffalo pick — that falls under the “wishful thinking” heading. I don’t like the Bills, but my adorable mother-in-law does and is disappointed that they suck so hard this year, so I hope they win for her sake!
FlipYrWhig
@Citizen_X: Republicans are despicable and they’ll vote for Trump. The end. Outvote them and point and laugh.
Prescott Cactus
@Shana:
An old “go to” for me was burritos. Ground beef, spices, onions, a can of chopped chili peppers and the secret was to add a can of refried beans. The beans change the consistency and hold it together. Big tortilla’s, pre fold & wrap. Easy to heat.
Crock pot a roast and make BBQ sandwiches.
@Steeplejack (tablet): I remember the cheap ones being $600 to $800 when I was looking. Now with Wi-fi & Bluetooth. . . Geez
WaterGirl
@Steeplejack (tablet): I worry about cooking foods in plastic. Plastic + heat just seems like a really bad combination to me, so I figure in 10 years that will be the next thing they say is killing us.
PaulWartenberg2016
Betty, as a boy who graduated from UF (Bachelors) and also USF (Masters), yesterday was a really sucky day for me as well.
Here’s hoping the Bucs can generate an offense and score more than two touchdowns against a Rams team questionably lacking offensive talent.
WaterGirl
raven are you here?
Betty Cracker
Bills up 17-0! ?
hovercraft
@Citizen_X:
At the moment it’s an outlier among the reputable polls, but it is tight.
Miss Bianca
Green chile with chicken instead of pork.
redshirt
@WaterGirl: I’ll never microwave plastic ever again, even though they say it’s safe.
James E Powell
@Betty Cracker:
@Feebog:
Halfway through the 2nd Q: Buffalo 17, Arizona 0
redshirt
@James E Powell: She’s a savant!
hitchhiker
It’s peach/nectarine season around here, so time for the amazing India-inspired peach salad. Peel or don’t, as you wish. Slice and make bite sized pieces. Season with a little sugar & salt and a medium amount of pepper, and cumin. Eat asap, because the peaches break down quickly and turn soupy. (Still good, but very runny.)
The election is about how many racists there are, and how motivated they are. I think that the ABC poll from last night (which caused me to stop reading politics news) reflects a bunch of white male no-college Johnson voters expressing their outrage over events in Charlotte NC. The last thing I saw before turning off my laptop in despair was a graphic that showed that group fall off a cliff for Johnson and plump up Donald’s numbers.
The selection of Steve Bannon foreshadowed this, right? They were making a bet that there are enough racists, and that they’ll be very motivated. I need to believe they’re wrong, and if they’re right I’d rather not know it until I absolutely have to. In the meantime, GOTV like never before.
The Lodger
@Betty Cracker: I’ve never been a big Bills fan, but my favorite team is always whoever is playing Dallas.
Corner Stone
Kirk Cousins just boning that one all the hell up.
Corner Stone
@The Lodger: It’s tough because the NFC East? Who could you root for there?
tsquared2001
Betty caught magic in the bottle with that Buffalo pick. Yikes, Arizona.
Steeplejack (tablet)
@Corner Stone:
Srsly. As I sit here awash in the Deplorables-Giants game. But at least I have the comforting voice of rugged Joe Buck.
Kenneth Kohl
@Feebog: Evidently she is! :)
Also too; go Browns!
ThresherK
Nice job by The Washingtons’ punter with that pass. The rules geek in me is failing on the chapter-and-verse of what defensive pass penalties apply in a play like that, but the Giants’ guy really should have been able to do better; was he really that surprised?
Shana
@Prescott Cactus: That’s a nice idea, change it up from the chicken mole.
I’m also thinking of something chinese-y. They tend to get a lot of italian because it’s easy to do in quantity so I’m trying to do other things. It’s finally starting to cool off here in Virginia so I may do chili or hearty soup at some point.
Suezboo
Ahem .. Go, Packers.
Omnes Omnibus
@Suezboo: 34-27 win. Yea us!
Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism
OT in Miami. *waves brown flag* Go team. Move the thing to the other thing.
Corner Stone
That was beautiful. Joe Buck and Aikman just got through polishing Eli’s nutz and he then promptly throws an INT to end this game.
catclub
@bk:
Our freezer is too enthusiastic – the defrost drain freezes. But I found a fix on the internet – copper wire from the defrost element into the drain. I also turned up the temp in the freezer. We shall see.
J R in WV
Looks like the Iggles have a chance against P’burgh. So I’m a Stillers fan, but I hate Ben Rapesburger. Plus the Iggles have a running back out of WVU.
Best friend is from Philly, and I spent a few months there as a callow youth. So easy to root for them.
Ugh… he may be a creep, but dayum he can throw deep… damn.
low-tech cyclist
Cooking a bacon quiche for dinner, and bought a bag of Caesar salad to go with.
redshirt
Look at Betty picking the Bills!
Robert Sneddon
@WaterGirl: Sous-vide (“vacuum”) cooking is done at very low temperatures compared to ovens and stovetops. Since the meat is sealed it never dries out and cooking times can be extended to ridiculous levels. A foodie friend cooked a haunch of goat for three days at 68 deg C sous-vide (I built the water bath temperature controller for him) and it turned out excellently, very tender. The long cooking times means the meat reaches the set temperature all the way through, there’s no overdone and underdone portions. A quick hit on the grill afterwards to brown the outside and sugar it up via the Maillard reaction and it’s done.
The low temperatures means the plastic wrapping doesn’t degrade or release chemicals into the food.
J R in WV
Wow, the Eagles are crushing the Steelers today, just sacked Ben a second time, stripped the ball, recovered it on the Steelers 40. Ben also threw 8 incompletions in a row. 27-3 right now, Eagles 1st and goal.
ETA: Now it’s 34-3, three touchdowns in the 3rd quarter.It’s just that good a game for Philly. Not very good for P’burgh.
The touchdown before this one was by a rookie RB out of WVU, Smallwood, his first NFL touchdown.
themann1086
@J R in WV: I don’t understand what’s happening and I love it!
redshirt
@J R in WV: Maybe these Eagles are for real.
Hard to believe, but they look pretty great so far.
? Martin
So, I take it nobody is going to fucking doubt Betty from now on.
WaterGirl
@? Martin: hahahahaha
Personally, I never doubt Betty Cracker, but this is Balloon Juice, after all.
redshirt
@? Martin: Not till next week!
But who knows with the NFL. Who would have thunk the Eagles would smoke the Steelers?
Right John?
BillCinSD
and there’s a lightning delay at the 2 minute warning at Ray Jay, you doesn’t have to call me Johnson, Stadium with the Bucs trailing by 5
HinTN
FWIW, my Niners suck, but that means Mrs H’s Sea Chickens are feasting. As for yesterday and next week (sorry Betty and Raven) Go Vols!!! As for food, made purple cabbage with apples, modified to replace butter for the sauté with bacon fried crispy and incorporated into the final product. Not half bad, if I do say so myself.
HinTN
@Robert Sneddon: My stepson chef swears by this method.
justawriter
@themann1086: Never underestimate a North Dakota boy.
Also, Skol Vikings!
Uncle Cosmo
And at the end of Week 3, one team sits alone atop the AFC North:
The Baltimore Ravens!??!?!?!?
IMO even we passionate supporters of the Purple & Black are a bit, um, taken aback. But we intend to enjoy the living shit out of it as long as it lasts. Go Crows, hon!