To Eat Healthy or Not

There comes a time in every Foodies' life when healthy foods just will not cut it.

Nope, no siree.

Got to listen to the soul train.

Ah, healthy foods, don't you love it?

But enough of that.

Let's move on to the dark side of life now, shall we?

I have to admit that of all the chicken-y things I miss, the thing I miss the most is fried chicken.

I really miss the fried crispy bits and the fried crispy skin.

When my dear Midnight was alive, he and I had a system worked out:

I would eat the skin and fried crispy bits and he would eat the meat and we were both very happy.

And that my friends is symbiosis at its finest.

Now it is time to cut the turkey wings.

Three rather large parts emerge from each wing.
Granted that there is not much meat to be had on the last bit on the right, but perhaps the fried crispies will be enough.

The pieces were dipped in egg and then in flour.

The egg was seasoned with hot sauce, salt and pepper.

The turkey pieces went into the refrigerator so that the flour coating could dry out a bit before cooking.

In the meantime, I decided to make some mozzarella sticks.

Here I have:

Old Bay seasoning

Bread crumbs

Panko bread crumbs

flour

egg

mozzarella

First I cut the mozzarella into 1/2" by 1/2" sticks.

I floured them, coated them in an egg wash and then in the bread crumb/panko bread crumb mixture.

I then placed these in the freezer for a couple of hours so that the cheese wouldn't melt immediately when it hit the hot oil.

See how that worked out?

Nice, huh?

The various turkey parts went in next.

And sadly, turkey is not chicken.

Whereas chicken becomes moist and succulent when fried, turkey meat seizes up.

Though part of the problem could be attributed to the fact that I am attempting to fry on an electric stove. For no matter how diligently one watches the thermometer or works the dials, the temperature just fluctuates too wildly, leading to disappointing results.

Even though I only fry once or twice a year, I really do need to look into getting a dedicated fryer.

For the record, my husband asked that I never attempt to make fried turkey again.

I would tend to agree.

Fried turkey is not a proper substitute for fried chicken no matter how you slice it.

Sometimes it really sucks to be allergic to chicken.

He did, however, admit that the mozzarella sticks were worth repeating.

So, after a 'bad' meal, I felt the need to redeem myself with a salad for lunch the next day.

Romaine lettuce, carrots, red onion, ham slices and shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese with a homemade celery seed dressing.

Yeah, this just might make up for my once yearly indulgence in fried, fatty foods.

The Big 10 Game

After several hours, and much walking, the time for the big game neared.

The Ohio State football team has arrived.


The Foodie Daughter insisted that I take a picture of this truck that was loaded down with football gear. Presumably the driver and passenger were managers for the football team.

The team had their own police escort.

And 17th Street is still at a standstill.

It's time to go into the stadium.

*Gasp* Dear *Gasp* Can we *Gasp* take a break going up these ramps? *Gasp*

Well, at least there are some nice views way up here.

The stands are filling up.

The official count for the game was 51,500 in attendance.

The capacity for the stadium is not quite 53,000.

Notice that we are close to the 50 yard line.

Good seats. If you go for that sort of thing.

I will let you in on a little secret: the IU officials like to have aerial photographs taken during the IU - Ohio State game since both teams have red as a main color, making it look as if the stands are filled with rabid Hoosier fans.

And now you know.

The new North End Zone.

The south end of the field.

After several tries, I finally got a decent shot over my shoulder of the corporate boxes behind us.

Before the game the Marching 100 took the field.

I can't help it; I still think the symbol for IU looks like the devil's pitchfork.

Aw look, they can spell.

Um, I'm not sure what this is supposed to be.

And here are the teams!

The rallying cry for IU's football team is "Defend the Rock."

The late coach Terry Hoeppner started this tradition which has lived on after he lost his battle with a brain tumor.

Now, what I want to know is why does the rock need defending?

Is it fragile?

Is it in a 'family way'?

Is it a strategic rock?

Is it important to national security?

Down there in the midst of the band is the rock. I was unable to get a better picture as I happened to walk into the middle of a security matter. Lucky me.

Hoosier fans celebrate one of only two touchdowns during the entire game.

Considering Ohio State shut out their last two opponents, we should feel good about ourselves.

I guess.

Aw, aren't the little flag bearers cute?

Well, being no football fan, I gave up at half time and went back, via a circuitous route, to the tailgate tent.

On the way there, I found a hot dog cart and happily bought an overpriced cheesy beef hot dog before finally finding my way out of the stadium.

Apparently I managed to worry all involved when I didn't show up lickety-split at the tent, and didn't answer my cell phone (which I couldn't hear over the noise of the crowds).

Sheesh, you'd think my family would know me by now.

I am a Sagittarius, after all.

Oookay. I thought the younger generation were all about saving the environment.

Apparently not.

The good news is that IU has contracted with several church and other non-profit organizations to clean up after the games.

I have been assured that not only will all this be cleaned up by noon on Sunday, but that all recyclables be recycled.

Go environment!

Even this late there are still munchies to be had.

Sadly, IU lost, but it was still a fun day.

Since it was such a blow out (end score Ohio State 33 IU 14), many people started leaving at half time. However, many more stayed to the bitter end.

Assembly Hall, home to IU basketball, is lit up at night.

Finally, we say goodbye to the girl's tree.

I'm ready to say hello to my bed.

Tailgating Big 10 Style

This Saturday was the big Indiana University - Ohio State football game and my dear family happily dragged me along for the day as they had an extra ticket that they insisted had my name on it.

Oh the things we do for the ones we love.

And for the chance to blog.

What started as a bright, beautiful fall day suddenly turned to a dreary, overcast day.

At any rate, the Foodie Daughter carefully drove through the crowds to get us here.

We arrived at our friends' tailgate tent.

They come down from Fort Wayne, Indiana for every IU home football game.

They also set up this deluxe 10'x20' tent for each event.

The Foodie Daughter (on the right) and our 'other daughter' (her friend) hug their favorite tree upon arrival.

Appetizers are laid out on the tables.

We brought BBQ Bacon Krab Bites and Cheese ball and crackers.

We arrived just before 1 p.m.

The game is set to begin at 7 p.m.

The Buckeye fans have set up shop also.

Just in case you are wondering, I saw no animosity between fans of the two teams.

In fact, some of the people in our group were avid Ohio State fans.

Since we are originally from Ohio, we will forgive them.

Memorial Stadium.

The flags are at half-staff in honor of former IU president Myles Brand who recently died.






The cheerleaders tailgate.

The new north end zone facility of the stadium houses offices, meeting rooms and a large strength and conditioning center.

Motor homes occupy the north end parking lot.

The strength and conditioning center is now one of the largest in the nation.

The Big 10 Network is here to broadcast the game live.

As is this news truck from central Ohio.

And this one I've never heard of before.

This reporter has just finished interviewing this student.

The IU band practices before the game.

Across 17th street from our rather sedate tailgate area is the student tailgate section.

This area could be equated to the Wild West.

Finally, curiosity piqued, I convinced my husband to tag along with me and we skirted along the edges of the student tailgate area.

Nothing could induce me to actually wander into the midst of this mayhem.

I may be curious, but I'm not stupid.

Nope, can't pay me to go in there.

Some more Ohio State Buckeye fans.

Here is an inflatable Brutus.

At least we got to see the Foodie boyfriend and his brother as they worked traffic control for the game.

Traffic has come to a standstill.

Glad we got here when we did.

Tailgates range from the simple to the elaborate.

We even saw people who had brought their HDTVs and their Dish satellites to their tailgates.

This pair of pooches show off their IU pride.

Next up:

The game.