Bobby Flay for Christmas

I'm not sure if this will become a Christmas tradition, but yesterday I decided to trash the kitchen and spend a few hours preparing something other than our usual Christmas dinner of king crab. Having always enjoyed barbecue ribs but never having cooked them, I watched my share of the Food Network in preparation for this holiday feast.

I settled upon four dishes to cook: ribs, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, and asparagus. The one underrated skill in cooking a meal like this is time/project management. I settled upon four recipes that weren't too complicated which offered good guidance on prep and cooking time. The wine pairing was a Shiraz.

The first recipe is from Guy Fieri, and it's Johnny Garlic's Famous Garlic and Rosemary Mashed potatoes. Should you try this recipe, double the listed cooking time. This was the only item that wasn't ready on time, and I didn't find any reason for them to be famous.

The other three recipes were from Bobby Flay: Ribs with Chipotle-Molasses barbecue sauce, Grilled Asparagus Wrapped in Proscuitto with Shaved Pecorino Romano Cheese, and Grilled Corn on the Cob with Garlic Butter, Fresh Lime, and Queso Fresco. Each of these were fantastic--especially the ribs. Fortunately I have another rack and enough barbecue sauce left over to make another tasty dinner this week!

For the record, my wife gave dinner an "A" for taste with a "C" for presentation, mostly because I didn't have time to clean the kitchen before sitting down for dinner.

Tracking Santa

NORAD's Santa Tracker has upgraded its technology this year, with webcams and aerial video of Santa and his sleigh as well as a Santa-tracker using Google Earth. Finally... government money well-spent!

Those wanting to speak with a member of the NORAD Santa Tracking team can call toll free: 1 (877) Hi NORAD or 1 (877) 446-6723.

It's time for Mrs. Claus and I to get to work assembling Santa's gifts for our girls. Merry Christmas!

A quitter, liar, coward, and a cancer

After spending the evening at the Georgia Dome watching their Monday night debacle against the New Orleans Saints, I thought the Atlanta Falcons may have reached rock bottom. I couldn't have been more wrong.

I was floored to check the AJC this morning and read that head coach Bobby Petrino had quit the Atlanta Falcons mid-season and had been named the head coach at the University of Arkansas just before midnight Tuesday evening.

I then watched the Arkansas press conference in disgust as Bobby Petrino and his wife Becky had the Razorback cheerleaders join them on stage and do the "Wooo, Pig, Sooie" cheer. He looked like the ass he is. Good riddance. Here's hoping that Arthur Blank and Rich McKay don't botch the hiring of their 3rd head coach in just 4 years.

Some quotes from Atlanta Falcons players and others...

"He preached team. He preached family. And then he quit on us. That's not what a man does." -Joey Harrington, quarterback

"It's a selfish act by a guy who has no class... who only thinks about himself." -Warrick Dunn, running back

"I think he's a quitter and a fraud. And I've been a supporter of Bobby Petrino... He'll throw water in your face and tell you it's raining. That's Bobby Petrino." -Sean Salisbury, ESPN

"I don't have any respect for him." -DeAngelo Hall, cornerback

"Disloyal." -Jamal Anderson, defensive end and Arkansas alumnus

"He allowed us to be embarrassed on national television while he's cutting a deal... We didn't realize we had a cancer on our team in the form of a head coach." -Lawyer Milloy, safety

"If you're going to preach being a team player, you have to be a team player." -Roddy White, wide receiver

"I feel betrayed with the decision that he made." -Keith Brooking, linebacker

"It just shows his true color, like a coward with a yellow stripe down his back." -Grady Jackson, former defensive tackle with the Falcons who was cut on 10/23 by Petrino (and signed by Jacksonville a week later)

"I think the timing of Bobby's decision was wrong. It was wrong for the coaches. It was wrong for the families depending on him, that he brought here that had invested in him and invested in this team. It's also letting our players down— the players I've heard him tell consistently to play all four quarters. All four quarters does not equal, in my opinion, 13 games." -Arthur Blank, Owner and CEO of the Atlanta Falcons