It was a whirlwind of a week with sports, cooking and many different reasons to gather in many different settings. Last week was ramped up a notch even for us.
Last Monday I met my friend Carone on her amazing horse farm. She is into horses in a big, big way. On an international level. She imports hunters and jumpers from Belgium, Holland, England and all over and then trains the horses and the riders. Her farm is beautiful and I plan to get back out there to take some pictures and write about these amazing animals and the people who work with them. It is a fascinating sport.
Like most things, I guess you could spend years just learning the intricacies of horses and horsemanship. I am a little familiar with Western riding and know absolutely nothing about English style. So I googled some information about horses and riding. One thing that I enjoyed was watching You Tube videos of the differences between walk, trot, canter and pace. It's truly like learning different dance steps. Each step has a specific beat and the horse knows that beat. Hopefully the rider knows the beat too. The horse also knows which foot leads and when to change weight. Timing, grace and agility is everything. I was watching this video and had an epiphany about how similar it is to tap dancing. The sound of the beat, changing weight, turns, timing.
I told tap dance teaching neighbor Beth that I had just realized that horses would make great tap dancers. She quickly replied that since CATS was such a big hit, maybe we could do a tap show called HORSES! Not a chance. It's humbling to admit that a 17 hand, 1000 pound animal with four feet dances better than I do.
And that was just Monday. On Tuesday I met Susan in Hickory so she could help me wade through the mysterious world of bed and bath linens. When David and I have spent the night at Susan and Thomas' houses over the years, we always talk about how comfortable the guestbeds are. Susan really knows how to make up a comfortable bed and I was ready to learn from the master. For some reason, there are always amazing sales of these things in January and we were on a mission. But first we had lunch. We started out with a great Greek salad, homemade Tzatzaki and Hummus on pita at a new restaurant in Hickory. I felt like I was in Tarpon Springs or the Greek Islands. Lunch is a very cheap and easy way to travel. We did accomplish the mission and have slept great this week with new bed clothes and new comfy pillows (buy one get one for $1). Love January sales.
Between Wednesday and Saturday, we worked and we did a lot of cooking on the side. We had Carl's lunch at the Round Up. (see post) Then, sadly, a long time friend's mother passed away. She was a dear, sweet lady and we wanted to pay our respects by fixing dinner for her big, sweet family. So David brought out the big cooker and we fixed ribs and bbq. I made two apple pies. That meant I made four apple pies in 2 days - a record for me.
We had the cooker out so we put in some chickens and pork tenderloins and shared bbq with Anne and Jim for Anne's birthday and with Sister who had a few friends over for supper. Clifton was in town for the funeral so we invited him to spend the night. David IV is home for a few days and he loves to cook and eat too. So we really needed the big cooker.
GWU played two home games and they were both heartstoppers. With 1.2 SECONDS to go, the Thursday night game against Winthrop was tied. We had all the momentum and even though Winthrop would bring the ball inbounds, we were certain they couldn't get off a shot. In a miraculous hail mary shot, a Winthrop player who has only made one three pointer all year hit a three to win the game with ZERO seconds on the clock. Someone said that player should have walked right out and bought a lottery ticket. Bill said, "I'm just gonna sit right here in my seat and maybe overtime will start anyway." But that was game over.
Saturday night GWU played Presbyterian and we took friends from Spartanburg and sister Lynn for good luck. Presbyterian had prevailed in the last game and after Thursday's heartbreaker everyone really wanted this one. The Bulldogs came to win. It was intense from the very start; neck and neck all the way. The student section, led by the baseball team, was out in force. Everyone was on their feet in the last .9 seconds with the score tied and GWU on the free throw line. Stefan hit the first free throw and hit the rim on the second one to try and tick some time off the clock. Amid confusion, the ref's allowed a time out to be called and then the refs put .3 seconds on the clock. After Thursday night, nobody was taking that .3 seconds for granted. But GWU won the game 63-62 and it was the sweetest win. After so many tough, hard fought games, this win was just about as sweet as winning a championship.
David IV was at the game with us wearing a Gardner Webb shirt. When Jay walked out of the locker room, we laughed because he was wearing a Wofford Football shirt. We joked that they must have gotten mixed up in the laundry. Well. It has been a whirlwind week.
So, today is Super Bowl Sunday and while I haven't watched pro football this year, I do watch the game, enjoy the commercials and I look forward to this year's halftime show - The Blackeyed Peas. Several of us enjoy guessing the scores at the end of each quarter and that makes it a little more fun too.
We'll have Chicken Wings, Chili and Nachos for the Super Bowl. I make the chili and then let everybody have chili or add toppings to make their own nachos just like they want 'em. I learned to make Chicken Wings from a chef years ago and it is really simple and good.
Chicken Wings
1 6 ounce bottle of Tabasco or Texas Pete (your choice - we like both)
1 Stick Butter
Chicken Wings or Drummettes (about a dozen or more wings)
I don't fry the chicken wings, they are baked. We like them crispy, not sticky, and we like to bake the flavor of the sauce into the meat.
If the wings are frozen, bake them for about 15 minutes at 350 degrees and pour off any excess grease and water. If they are fresh, you may want to cook them long enough to pour off a little bit of chicken grease. Precook on a broiler pan if you have one to make pouring off grease easier.
When you are ready to bake with the sauce, don't use a broiler pan. Use either a baking sheet or cast iron.
Melt butter and add hot sauce. Pour over wings and turn to coat. Bake for about an hour turning every 15 minutes or so. I use medium to high heat - 350 to 450 degrees as I check and turn the wings. They need to be cooked until they are crispy and browned. Remove and serve in cast iron pan.
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