Real Life Conversations with JT: Brackets edition

The backstory:  JT and I both have a bracket entry in the NCAA pool at work.  His only professed goal is to beat me; my professed goal is to win the whole pool.  I picked Kansas to win the whole shooting match.  JT picked Notre Dame.  The fighting papists lost on Sunday night and on Monday morning JT learned the troubling news.  He was bummed out and so I tried to provide some comfort.

Mama:  If I win, I'll give you a share of my winnings.

JT:  Really?  Because if I had won, I would have bought you a smoothie.

Mama:  A smoothie?

JT:  Yeah, a smoothie.

His generosity overwhelms.

Food Friday: Oven-Toasted Sandwiches

All those food ads that air during basketball games can provide a creative cooking girl with some inspiration. And that is the case for today's offering, an oven-toasted sandwich. This sandwich can compete with any sandwich you'll find out there. And mine will taste better and be less expensive. So take that, un-named corporate sandwich maker.

The ingredient list here is a rough approximation. You could add or subtract additional ingredients as dictated by what's hanging out in your pantry or whatever you crave.

1 loaf of crusty bread, preferably fresh (I used a loaf of Italian from Wegmans)
8 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
½ pound Genoa Salami (you could use something different, according to your preference....or go meatless)
½ cup each finely slice red pepper, green pepper, & onion
½ cup coursely chopped mushrooms
oregano, salt, & pepper to taste
1 clove of garlic

Heat the oven to 425 degrees.

Slice the bread in half through the center and then decide how many sandwiches you will make. My loaf of from Wegmans made 5 generous sandwiches. Lay the halves side-by-side on a baking sheet lined with foil (for easier clean-up). Lightly rub the bread with the clove of garlic and then place a layer of salami on each side. Layer on the rest of your ingredients so that each side is roughly even. Sprinkle mozzarella on top. Add a dash of oregano, salt, and pepper.
Place the sandwiches in the oven for 12 minutes or so, until the cheese is melted and a little broiled. Place the halves of the sandwich together, put in on a plate, sit down in front of a basketball game and open wide. Tasty!

Foul Trouble

Last year, a very kind neighbor gave us a basketball hoop. We placed it in the driveway and it got a good deal of use. I liked to play because, though I was cut from the 5th grade basketball team, I had a little game when it came to playing an 8 year old.
Fast forward to a year later (and several inches taller), and JT's game has improved. Mine is sadly the same and so I've started to lose in our match-ups. He's got plenty of smack talk and an aggressive style that might be seen as foul-rich by a less lenient playmate.
Fortunately, he plays with his Mama and she's a notorious soft-touch for 9 year old boys.

Women's Basketball: Live-Blogging Round II

On occasion, I have live-blogged political events. And tonight, for reasons that seem sensible at this very moment, JT and I have decided that we will live-blog the NCAA Women's Basketball tournament. It's the start of round II tonight.

First off, I'd just like to say a very public thank you to Orbitz, this year's sponsor of the women's tournament. I think that we all remember when Monistat brought us the women's basketball half-time report on ESPN. That was un-cool. So thanks are due to Orbitz.

And observation number two......what is the deal with the Baylor coach's BIG hair? I went to high school in the 1980s and so I know big hair when I see it. Memo to Kim Mulkey: less hair gel, sugar.

8 pm update
We're watching the LSU-Marist game. LSU is playing at home and with the inestimable Sylvia Fowles in their corner. She's impressive but even so, LSU is only leading by two points at the half.

Also, JT just showed me the crud and lint in his belly button. I say this with love: it is nasty. If he had a better mama, the child would be clean.

8:40 pm update
Operations have been moved upstairs for the basketball season treat: watching from Mama's nest. Tiger has joined us. Soon my human companion will tuck his booty into my bed and watch a bit more basketball. He'd like to stay up late to watch the Rutgers game (we are big fans of the Scarlet Knights). but first the boy has to brush his teeth....3 minutes of lost viewing time. As he put it, "that's brutal, Mama."
9:06 pm
Pitt has pulled into a winning lead over Baylor. Mulkey's hair still huge, despite 8 point loss. Lucy is in the mix.
9:31 pm
We just watched Andrea Riley deliver the win for Oklahoma State. It was an exciting moment for a team that two years ago was 0-16 and is now headed to the sweet 16......but all that adrenaline is not exactly conducive to getting your 8 year old asleep.

9:43 pm
Live-blogging is over as I require all of my attention to watch Rutgers show Iowa State how we play the game here in Jersey. That game will be starting shortly.

But it must be said as I end my live-blogging experiment that the Doris Burke, Kara Lawson, Stacey Dales, Trey Wingo combination that ESPN is running at the desk is great. I like them all and it's a huge improvement over the Mimi days.

Go Rutgers!