Sad day in Steeler history...

I've always viewed NFL teams who have mascots or cheerleaders as somewhat less of a football team. Take the Dallas Cowboys, for example. It's always been my opinion that they need cheerleaders on the sidelines to keep their fans from realizing that their glory days are long gone.
Or the Patriots. I mean, who hasn't cringed at the sight of that guy with a regular sized body & enormous head prancing along the sidelines? I'm embarrassed for them.

For so long I've taken pride in the fact that my hometown team never needed stupid gimmicks like that...they were a solid team with a rich history and that's all that mattered.
Today I was rocked to the core when I discovered that the Steelers organization had stooped to an all-time low. Pittsburgh now has a mascot - and he's not even cool!!! He somewhat resembles former coach Bill Cowher, is dressed like a member of the Village People, and has eyebrows the size of caterpillars. As if all that wasn't bad enough, they let the fans submit possible names for him. Out of 70,000 entries, THIS is what they chose (I can hardly bring myself to type it): Steely McBeam. Here's a look at the whole package:

I feel betrayed as a fan. Nobody asked the fans if we wanted some ridiculous mascot. In fact, in a recent survey conducted by thepittsburghchannel.com, over 80% of people polled said that they hate the idea of a mascot and hate the name even more!!!!!

Here's my wish list for what I hope will happen to Steely McBeam, in order of mildest option to most severe:
1. He will be booed out of the stadium before halftime of the first regular season home game.
2. Disgruntled fans will pummel him into a heap of disfigured foam as he tries to get the crowd to cheer.
3. He'll 'accidentally' be standing in front of the Steelers tunnel and be trampled as they run out onto the field.
I've never considered myself a gambler, but I'd put money on option #2 being the way it all goes down.

I hereby declare this week a tragedy in Steelers history. Until further notice, Terrible Towels are to be waved at shoulder height rather than up in the air.
I'm going to go drown my sorrows in pierogies & Italian sausage...

Pistachio Coffee Cake

The day before I left for Indianapolis, Nick and I spent the day together. One of the things he really wanted to do was bake something. He really likes cakes made in our bundt pan, so I grabbed my trusty recipe for pistachio coffee cake. It's easy to make and is so yummy. Here's what you do:
18 ounce box of Duncan Hines golden butter cake mix
3 ounces of instant pistachio pudding mix
4 eggs
8 ounces of sour cream (Nick substituted plain yogurt and it worked out great)
1/2 cup veggie oil
1 cup pecans, chopped
6 tablespoons of sugar
2 tablespoons of cinnamon
Mix the first five ingredients in a large bowl - beat well.
Mix last three ingredients in small bowl and set aside.
In a greased & floured bundt pan, pour 1/3 of the nut mixture followed by 1/3 of the batter.
Repeat twice.
Bake for one hour at 350 degrees, but check it with a toothpick at 50 minutes.
Cool completely before removing from pan.
Dust with powdered sugar.
This is one of our favorite desserts now. I love cinnamon, so the swirls in the middle of the cake provide an awesome burst of flavor. Enjoy!

Cuban Black Beans & Rice

One of the great loves in Nick's life is black beans, so when he found this recipe, he knew we had to try it. This dish is super easy, very tasty, and best of all, cheap.
1 pound dried black beans, sorted & rinsed
1 large onion, choppped
1 large bell pepper, chopped
5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 dried bay leaves
28 ounce can of diced tomatoes, undrained
5 cups of water
2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
4 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons finely chopped jalapeno chilies
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups hot cooked rice
Mix all ingredients (except for rice) in 3.5-6 quart slow cooker.
Cover & cook on high heat setting for 6-8 hours or until beans ae tender & most of the liquid is absorbed. Remove bay leaves.
Serve beans over rice.
I'm not the biggest fan of black beans, but this was so yummy. It kinda tasted like meatless chili. I sprinkled some cheese on top and that made it even better.
By the way, it makes a ton, so you'll have plenty of leftovers to take for lunch the next day!