Football, Food, & Friends

People ask me all the time what my co-workers are like.
Does Rob really eat all of that food?
Is Frank ever in a bad mood?

Sheila here.
People also want to know if we are really friends.
The short answer is yes. Ric and I had my Fox 19 Morning News friends over to watch the football game Saturday. I don't want to talk about the Bengals' loss. As Rob said, "that game hurt my feelings!"

A few of our friends couldn't make it, but Rob and Stephanie were there, along with Katy, Dan, Brad (and their husband, wife, daughters, and girlfriend). Rob didn't eat as much as you would think. He's training for the Boston marathon. Katy is one of the smartest women I've ever met, and Stephanie is really funny! We are all getting to know her better, which is really fun. Dan is the sweetest dad. You should see him with his girls. Brad has a really cute girlfriend, and she made some amazing Buffalo Chicken Dip.

We had a great time talking about everything BUT work, watching the game, and eating A LOT of food. I made a soup which Rita Heikenfeld prepared on our show years ago. It's always a good dish for having people over, and several of my buddies wanted to recipe, so I thought you'd like to have it too. Enjoy!

RITA HEIKENFELD'S CHILL CHASING VEGETABLE SOUP
1 pound very lean ground chuck or ground turkey
1 generous cup chopped onion
1 tsp garlic
1 jar chunky style pasta sauce - 19-29 oz.
3 cans de-fatted beef broth
1 can chopped tomatoes with chilies
1 bag frozen soup vegetables - 16 oz.
1 box frozen mixed vegetables 10 oz.
1 can drained beans (I like black beans)
1/4 cup bulghur wheat (I substitute barley)

Handful of fresh spinach or other greens
Low fat cheddar or parmesan cheese

Directions:Saute meat with onions and garlic. darin fat. Thaw frozen vegetables. Add remaining ingredients, except for cheese. Bring to a boil. Lower to simmer for 15 minutes or until vegetables tenderize. Throw in the greens for the last minute. Garnish with cheese.

Not To Be All Frank Like.....

But this morning I wanted to talk about food. Specifically, eating brunch at Take the Cake in Northside. It is all kinds of awesomeness. Tried to go Saturday morning, but it was closed. I was bummed. It is only open for brunch on Sundays. Went down the street to the Bluejay Restaurant, which was also very good. Ventured back to Northside the very next day, best decision I made all day. That's how much I was craving the food at Take the Cake.

It doesn't have a traditional menu. It is written out on a black chalkboard. It is fluid. Determined by what's fresh and delicious.

I decided to order steak on top of biscuit. There were also black beans, a perfectly poached egg, and guacamole.

I'm not Tom Colicchio from Top Chef, but I thought it was a perfectly composed dish.

One other great thing happened during brunch. A woman (the owner I think) cracked a tart slightly, as she was taking it out o the pan. Looked over at us and said, "I think someone is getting a free dessert." I rarely eat dessert, but I ate this one. It was worth every single calorie. Take the Cake, check it out!

Still Dreaming Of Food

It is hard to belive I have not seen or talked to you since last year! I know bad joke, right? Happy New Year to everyone, it has been awhile since we have talked but it is good to be back with you after some vacation time. Marzullo Here: I have to say while time is off is amazing after while you miss your everyday routine, maybe I can do without the waking up at 2:45am, but that means I would not be able to do what I so enjoy and that is waking you up every morning. We spent about 10 days down in Southwest Florida, a few years ago my parents bought a place in Cape Coral, Florida which is between Naples and Fort Meyers. With us gone for several days we decided to make it easier we would just drive so my girlfriend and I divide the drive up with the first leg to Atlanta and then onto Cape Coral the next day. So much I could talk about, yes the weather was fantastic with temperatures near 80 degrees and sunny our first 4 days and then it cooled down a bit into the 60 degree range before warming back up our last 2 days. One thing on want to touch on is the best meal I have had in a very long time. The restaurant is called Bistro 821 and if your heading to Naples anytime soon it's on 5th avenue in old Naples. A very comfortable atmosphere with food that will dance in your mouth with every bite. You will recognized most things on the menu but the tastes are amazing and presentation even better. My girlfriend who loves seafood had the seabass and prawns duet with a miso sauce while I went with the fork tender pot roast and the largest carrot I have ever seen. The gravy for my pot roast was a parsnip gravy and was served on the most amazing mash potatoes I have ever had. What was even better was the appetizer which was a goat cheese potato fritter with a demi glaze...OH MY AMAZING! I love food we are both foodies and trust me if your in the area this place is a must, especially for a special occasion, it was a our anniversary and it was the perfect way to spend the evening. The second part of my trip I loved was our spa and relaxation day but I'll save those stories for the air. It is good to be back and now lets track some snow!!!

Bengals Trivia!

Good Friday morning, Dan Wells writing. I hope this blog finds you well and in good spirits!

The Bengals (9-7) are back in the postseason for the third time in seven seasons! This morning, I thought I'd dig up some fun Bengals trivia for you.

Check it out.

When Paul Brown originally attempted to form the Bengals, it was his intent to join the NFL and not the AFL.

In 1973, Essex Johnson became the first Bengals player to ever gain more than 100 yards rushing and receiving in the same game.

The first Bengals quarterback to ever throw for more than 3,000 yards in a season was Ken Anderson in 1975.

Wide receiver Eddie Brown caught more touchdown passes from Boomer Esiason than any other player.

The first Bengals receiver to put up 200 or more receiving yards in one game was future Hall of Famer Charlie Joiner. He caught seven passes for 200 yards in a 1975 loss to the Cleveland Browns.

Boomer Esiason threw more touchdown passes against the Houston Oilers than he did against any other NFL franchise.

Ken Anderson threw more touchdown passes against the Houston Oilers than he did against any other opponent.

The first Cincinnati Bengals player to put together a 1,000 yard rushing season was Paul Robinson in 1968. This would be the only 1,000 yard rushing season of his career.

The worst win-loss record by a Bengals starting quarterback who started at least 16 games for the team during their career is 4-20 and is the property of David Klingler.

Boomer Esiason's first career NFL touchdown pass was caught by M.L. Harris.
Carson Palmer's first NFL touchdown pass came in his first game ever, it went for six yards and was caught by Kenny Watson.

The Cincinnati Bengals had no 1,000 yard rushers during the entire 1970′s.

At one point over a span of six consecutive games in 2007, Carson Palmer threw seven straight touchdown passes to receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh without another player on the team catching one.

The Bengals joined the AFL in 1968 and then the NFL in 1970 as part of the NFL-AFL merger.
While with the Cincinnati Bengals, Charlie Joiner once accumulated 200 yards receiving in one game.

During Carson Palmer's senior season at Santa Margarita Catholic High School he threw 71 touchdown passes.

Boomer Esiason was the first quarterback taken in the 1984 NFL Draft… even though he wasn't selected until early in the second round. Esiason was selected in the first round of the USFL
Draft that year by the Washington Federals.

The final play of quarterback Boomer Esiason's career was a 77 yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Darnay Scott.

Paul Brown, the founder and longtime Head Coach of the Cleveland Browns also founded the Cincinnati Bengals.

Linebacker Reggie Williams, a Dartmouth graduate, served on the Cincinnati City Council while playing for the Bengals.

The Bengals unique tiger-striped helmets were debuted for the 1981 season.

GOOD LUCK BENGALS!
Have a great weekend!
- Dan Wells

We Bought A Zoo

Growing up in a family with five kids, going to the movies was quite a treat. It is the same for my family today. It's not cheap for a family of six to catch a movie, popcorn, candy and a hot dog of course. It's what I look forward to the most!

Tracey here.
Monday was a special day for our family. We decided to go to the movie. We were celebrating Genevieve's 7th birthday. Before taking in a movie, we always check a particular website. It is www.pluggedin.org.
You choose the movie and it gives you everything you want to know from the positives to the negatives....right down to the number of profanities, sex scenes etc. It lays it all out.
We were sure we were going to see the movie, " We bought a Zoo." It is rated PG and the story line seemed to be one we'd all enjoy. After visiting this particular website, I was both appalled and saddened to see the profanity in the movie. Many of you may think, "what's the big deal?" The bottom line, I don't choose and will not sit with my little one only to hear language that I don't think is appropriate for her at her age. Does she hear it elsewhere? I hope not, but, probably. I just don't want to send the message that I think it's okay. Am I boycotting the movie? Absolutely not. I actually think it looks like a great movie. I love that it tells the story of a wonderful marriage and deals with real life issues like the pain of losing your soul mate and how to cope and help your kids with the loss of a parent. Bottom line here....I just want to offer you a resource that I find helpful as a parent.

So, I'll probably just have to wait until it comes out on video. Unfortunately, I won't have any of that yummy theatre popcorn to go along with my movie. But, I could make a hot dog in my microwave!:)
Enjoy the day!

My Vacation In Movies

I had a fantastic Christmas vacation. I spent a good part of it just making myself relax! And what better way to kick back than with a good movie?

Sheila here.
I saw some dear friends and I had tons of great family time while I was off for the holidays. Katie and I got facials and caught lunch at Jean-Robert's Table (get the Frites! They'll change your life!) We also met my buddy from San Francisco at Trio's, and munched on Margherita pizza and calamari. Mmmm.

Eric and I hit the Jump Zone and the indoor swimming pool, and Ric and I had two dates! We met up with friends for dinner at The Precinct (and a steak that'll change your life!), and we chowed down on hot dogs while watching The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.

I have been waiting forever for that movie! I read all three books in the series by Stieg Larsson, and I loved them. Rooney Mara gave an Oscar worthy performance as the unlikley hacker and heroine, Lisbeth, and let's face it - Daniel Craig is easy on the eyes. It's a great murder mystery with lots of twists, and it's true to the book. A warning--there are disturbing elements in this novel, and since the movie sticks to the book, there are some pretty graphic scenes, including a rape scene which is very difficult to watch.

I also caught up on a whole bunch of movies on my DVD player, On Demand, and Showtime. Horrible Bosses - really raunchy, but funny. Crazy Stupid Love is so good - Ryan Gosling coaches Steve Carrell on how to pick up women after Julianne Moore tells him she wants a divorce.

It's got an unbelievable twist, and it's really cute. Nobody's Fool garnered Paul Newman an Oscar nod several years back, but somehow I missed it. I liked it a lot. I also checked out The Mechanic - about a hit man who ends up training the son of a man he kills. Very violent, but a good story which had me rooting for the hitman. The Holiday with Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet was a cute chick flick for a slow afternoon with nothing better to do. And if you haven't seen The Help, order it On Demand or at your local Red Box. It's a must see with strong, funny women during the Civil Rights movement in the South. It was my favorite movie of 2011.

Hey, it's winter, it's cold and gray. Perfect movie weather, and the heavy clothes we're wearing can hide all of that popcorn (or hot dogs) we eat!

Honky Tonkin New Years

Good Tuesday morning and Happy New Year. Brad here, just back from Nashville Tennessee where I rang in the New Year. It was a first time visit to the city and I can say with confidence I will return. The weekend went too fast but here are some of the highlights.
Friday night it was all about Broadway. If you are familiar with downtown Nashville you know what I mean when I say Broadway and we aren’t talking about a play. Several blocks of bars, restaurants, cowboy boot/hat shops, bright lights and lots of music. I’m not a country music fan, but it was nice to be there and experience it. Live music all the time, a cold beverage and some BBQ, yes I’ll have seconds.
Saturday, it was about exploring. There are multiple universities just outside the downtown area. Vanderbilt, Belmont, Lipscomb to name a few. Vanderbilt’s campus is beautiful, very old buildings, ivy lined sidewalks, tall brick clock towers. The campus is huge, much bigger than I thought the school was. Coincidentally Cincinnati was playing Vanderbilt in the Liberty Bowl on Saturday, so we had to do it...The UC pose of the vandy logo at the football stadium. Oh yeah, UC won 31-24! Then it was off to downtown to check out a new city. Printers Alley, the historic government area, the arts district, a couple stops for a drink and some food, all just so much fun. Then we came across Occupy Nashville. They are still camped out in front of the State Capital Building and directly in front of the War Memorial, where the concert was that we went to.
HERE COME THE MUMMIES!! I know, I talk about these guys all the time, but this is why the trip to Nashville happened. They are from Nashville and the venue was packed! What a great show and countdown to the New Year.
Overall an amazing time, very nice people and a great atmosphere, sunny and 60 degrees all weekend helps too!