What's Up This Weekend 3/2-3/4/2012

/

Friday:

  • Women's Hoops plays Ohio State in Indy.  Women's Big Ten tournament fever....catch it.  11:30AM BTN.
  • Women's Gymnastics is warming up the gym for us in Sandusky-ville where they will take on Penn State and North Carolina.  7PM

Saturday:

  • The Big Ten Wrestling Championships commence on Purdue's campus.  10AM.
  • Women's Basketball Big Ten Tournament Semifinals.  5PM BTN.

Sunday, Sunday!, SUNDAY!

  • Men's basketball regular season finale at Penn State.  1PM ESPN.
  • Ohio State at Michigan State.  4PM CBS.

All That's Left is All That's Left

/

Sparty was Sparty on Tuesday night, getting run out of the gym in Bloomington, so the only thing left that is out of Michigan's hands is a matchup between two teams, in a place you hate...that will likely cause you to in some way root for a team you have wished painful death upon for the bulk of your life.  The rest is in the hands of the Wolverines. 

#13 Michigan is heading to Champaign for a Thursday night battle with the Fighting Illini.  Illinois has dropped 9 of their last 11, and is spiraling to a point where Bruce Weber has found himself on the hot seat.  At the same time, Michigan comes in carrying the burden of history on its backs, going 0-13 over the last 17 years in Champaign, and will have to deal with a wounded animal in Illinois, who needs to win out and win a couple of games in the Big Ten tournament to make the NCAA's.   Michigan will also have to contain Meyers Leonard, a 7'1'' rebounding machine that has broken out for 43 points in his last two games.

You should anticipate having to deal with the frustration of Leonard keeping possessions alive after Illini misses.  Mix in one or two 3-4 minute Michigan scoring droughts and an emotional Illinois team playing for its seniors and for the beleaguered coach, and well, we're looking at another great night of frustrating Big Ten hoops.

It's a recipe for...well, it's a recipe for something.  

Other previews:

 

 

Be there, 7pm, ESPN

GO BLUE!

Tailgate Tuesday: Sausage and Cheese Chowder

/

 One of our tailgate staples, this creamy soup has made appearances on the road and at home.  It's easy to make...so easy, I think The Godfather could do it (but he won't).  I highly recommend pre-prepping it at home in a large heavy-bottomed pot and transferring it to one or two crock pots / slow cookers for serving.  Recipe makes enough to feed a large crowd.

Adapted from Tailgating.com.

Ingredients:

 

  • 3 pounds of smoked kielbasa or other smoked sausage, diced
  • 1/2 pound of bacon, preferrably peppered bacon, diced
  • 3 medium onions, diced
  • 1 bunch scallions, diced
  • 3 Tbsp granulated garlic
  • 6 cups of corn kernels, frozen is fine
  • 1.5 cups of flour
  • 1 gallon of whole milk
  • 3 pounds of finely shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1 quart heavy cream
  • Salt and pepper

 

Directions:

 

  • Cook bacon in bottom of large (at least 10 quart size) heavy bottomed pot
  • Remove bacon with slotted spoon, set aside
  • Add onions and granulated garlic, cook until starting to caramelize
  • Add sausage, cook until heated through.  A little browning is fine.
  • Add corn, cook until heated through.  Again, a little browning is ok.
  • Add flour and stir continuously for 2-3 minutes.  This is like a roux.  It will darken a bit, but don't let it stick or burn
  • Add 3 of the 4 quarts of the milk (don't add the whole gallon!), one quart at a time, bringing the milk close to boiling each time.  Stir vigorously, breaking apart the flour/vegetable/sausage mix and incorporating it into the milk.  You will be left with a quart of milk...keep that off to the side in case you want to make the soup thinner later.
  • Bring the concoction to a simmer, turn the heat down to low to medium-low and add in the cheese...again stirring constantly.
  • Once melted, add in the cream.
  • Keep heat on low and keep cooking for 30 minutes.  After 30 minutes, check the thickness of the soup.  Too thick?  Add milk a cup at a time, waiting 10 minutes each time to make sure it is incorporated into the soup, until desired consistency is reached.  Too thin?  Make a slurry of one cup of milk + one cup of flour (whisked together) and add it to the soup, again waiting 10 minutes between additions to make sure it gets incorporated.
  • Just right?  Add the bacon back in, add scallions, crack some black pepper in there, and salt to taste.
  • Serve!  Note:  It tastes great now, but you should probably reserve a couple bowls for yourself and put it in the fridge...because it's even better tomorrow.

 

Important tips! Once the cheese is added, the heat should never go beyond low or medium-low, otherwise you will burn the bottom resulting in a beautiful pot of creamy charred crap.  If you feel like you have burned the bottom, don't stir up the bottom!  Transfer to another pot to try to salvage the soup, leaving the cheesy charred remains behind.

Enjoy! ...and Go Blue!