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Monday, January 20, 2020
The Observer & Baker City Herald
BOB’S
THOUGHTS
Handling Late-Night Cravings
BOB BAUM
Super Bowl
memories
The Super Bowl, that national cel-
ebration of everything football, food and
drink, is nearly upon us again.
As a spectacle, maybe the Olympic
opening ceremony exceeds it, but not
much else in sports does. The game even
occasionally lives up to those countless
hours of pre-game hype.
I managed to witness three Super
Bowls in my two decades of covering
the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals: 2004 at
Reliant Stadium in Houston, 2009 at
Raymond James Stadium in Tampa and
2015 at what was then University of
Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
And every one of them was a thriller.
Nothing in sports quite matches the
carnival atmosphere at the Super Bowl
Media Day. Many so-called “journalists’’
show up in costumes or ask ridiculous
questions. It’s a circus.
We made a major tactical error when
we decided to drive our rental car to the
media day in Houston rather than ride
the bus. We parked far from the stadium
and I wandered for hours trying to fi nd
an entrance that would allow me inside.
I lost my temper, fortunately not enough
to get arrested, and wandered that sea of
concrete like a drunken sailor on shore
leave before I fi nally found my way
inside.
Halftime shows are a big deal these
days. I saw Bruce Springsteen and the E
Street Bank rock the house at halftime
in Tampa and Katy Perry perform at the
game in Glendale.
I don’t recall who performed in Hous-
ton, probably because I was wandering
the bowels of Reliant Stadium in search
of whatever happened to a guy who ran
onto the fi eld dressed in a referee’s shirt.
He was hauled off the fi eld but I never
found out what happened to him and
simply missed a lot of a very good game.
New England beat Carolina 32-29.
Abel Uribe/Chicago Tribune-TNS
Cheese cubes marinated in piri piri hot sauce answer the late-night munchies. Mixing in kalamata olives and toasted pistachios
might sound like a teenager thought it up, but trust us.
S ATISFYING S NACKS
late-night taqueria after seeing a concert or
comedy show. It’s fun to enjoy rich, greasy ta-
Munchies, snacks, treats, whatever you call cos and endless baskets of tortilla chips with
them, have them ready. For my late-night
mind-numbing hot salsa. I always over-order,
cravings, I stock a kitchen drawer with dark over-garnish and then spill on my clothes.
chocolate bars, spicy jerky, peanut butter
Better to have made the recipe here for
protein bars and individual packets of spice
short-rib taco soup instead. You’ll impress
cookies and nuts.
friends who join in on a bowl. No matter the
Better yet are the containers of spicy
hour, a quick reheat and a few easy garnishes
marinated cheese cubes and pickled eggs in
more than satisfi es any craving.
the refrigerator. High in protein, these bold
Taco soup — what a concept. I fi rst heard of
snacks satisfy without an excess of guilt and it at a diner in the South. Turns out, the inter-
regret.
net offers up dozens of recipes. For good rea-
I feel young again when we pull up to the
son. This bowl of soup sports all the luscious
By JeanMarie Brownson
Chicago Tribune
fl avors of beefy tacos, but can be made ahead
and eaten out of a bowl. I use a combination
of beef short ribs and meaty-tasting fl ank
or skirt steak for the deepest possible fl avor.
Pulling the cooked meat into large shreds
proves reminiscent of carne asada tacos.
Set out garnishes like you would see at a ta-
queria: Bowls of crunchy tortilla chips, minced
green chile, diced white onion with cilantro,
cubes of avocado and tomato. Shredded cheese
boosts richness. Tangy hot sauce and squeezes
of fresh lime add spice and a bright fi nish.
See Snacks/Page 3B
See Super/Page 3B
BETWEEN
THE ROWS
WENDY SCHMIDT
Snow drops
and dreams
of spring
It’s not easy to think of spring and
gentle warm breezes in the middle of
snow and howling wind. But last week
I was reminded that it is time for the
snow drop foliage to be up, as they
bloom in early February.
Snow drop (Galanthus, amaryl-
lidaceae) is suitable or Zones 1-9, and
grows from bulbs. Best adapted to cold
climates. They have white, nodding,
bell-shaped fl owers (1 per stalk) with
green tips on inner segments; larger
outer segments. When needed, divide
right after bloom. There is a double-
fl owered form.
Other varieties include:
• Galanthus elwesii, giant snow
drop. It has 1 1/2-inch-long bells on
1-foot stems. Blooms March-April in
cold climates
• Galanthus invalid, common snow
drop. Dainty 1-inch-long bells on 6- to
9-inch stems, blooms in earliest spring.
Garden chores
• Gently brush off heavy snow from
tree and shrub branches. To reduce in-
jury, let ice melt naturally from plants.
• Limbs damaged by ice or snow
should be pruned off promptly to pre-
vent bark from tearing.
* Begin pruning deciduous plants.
* Swap seed and plant information
with your gardening friends.
If you have garden questions or com-
ments, please write to greengardencol-
umn@yahoo.com. Thanks for reading!
Mocktails: Fun without aftereffects
By Genevieve Ko
Los Angeles Times
My sister took me out for my fi rst drink. It
was great until we realized our bodies can’t
handle alcohol. We both fl ushed crimson from
head to toe, then her heart began to beat too
rapidly. That part was not great at all. And
neither were the killer headaches the next
day. Since then, we’ve learned we have plenty
of fun drinking together without any booze.
We initially experienced the high of sipping
delicious mocktails at State Bird Provisions
in San Francisco. It was the fi rst cocktail
menu we saw that listed nonalcoholic options
more exciting than a Shirley Temple. And
they were. With the brightness of citrus and
berries, our drinks weren’t too sweet but
balanced sharp, spicy and smooth elements
like any well-made cocktail. Fizzy and fresh,
they gave us a pleasure high not unlike a nice
buzz.
It’s easy to get that same good-bar vibe
at home. To start, make simple syrup from
scratch. It takes only a few minutes and
lasts a few weeks. While simple syrup can be
infused with anything from spices to chiles,
it’s especially tasty when it refl ects the season
and the place. This wintry L.A. version
combines the pine notes of rosemary with the
scent of eucalyptus in bay leaves. It works
just as well in a refreshing citrus spritzer
as it does in a warming mug of mulled juice.
The former gets the night started and the
latter helps end it.
And in both cases, you’ll wake up the next
morning feeling totally refreshed.
ROSEMARY-BAY SIMPLE SYRUP
5 minutes, plus cooling. Makes about 1 cup.
½ cup granulated sugar
2 sprigs rosemary
1 fresh bay leaf
Combine the sugar and ½ cup water in a
small saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring to dis-
solve the sugar.
Remove from the heat and immediately
add the rosemary and bay leaf. Cool to room
temperature.
Mariah Tauger/Los Angeles Times-TNS
From left, a fresh yuzu fruit; rosemary-bay simple syrup; yuzu spritzer; mulled juice.
Make ahead: The simple syrup can be
refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2
weeks.
YUZU SPRITZER
5 minutes. Makes 1 drink.
Yuzu is a citrus fruit that tastes like a
blend of lemon, lime and grapefruit. Fresh
ones or the bottled juice are available online
and may be at farmers markets or Japanese
or Korean groceries. You can substitute a
mix that’s 2 parts grapefruit juice to 1 part
each lemon and lime juice to get a similar
effect, and use the zest of any of the fruits for
garnish.
1 fresh yuzu, scrubbed
1 tablespoon Rosemary-Bay Simple Syrup
Sparkling water, to serve
Using a vegetable peeler or sharp paring
knife, remove the yuzu zest in a long, winding
strip. Spiral the zest up the sides of a highball
glass, then fi ll the glass with ice.
Squeeze 2 tablespoons juice from the yuzu
and pour into the glass. Add the simple syrup,
then top off with sparkling water. Serve imme-
diately with a stirrer for mixing.
MULLED POMEGRANATE
JUICE
10 minutes. Makes 1 drink.
You can substitute unsweetened tart
cherry juice or cranberry juice.
1 cup unsweetened pomegranate juice
1 tablespoon Rosemary-Bay Simple
Syrup, plus more to taste
1 cinnamon stick
1 star anise
3 allspice berries
Combine the juice, simple syrup, cinnamon,
star anise and allspice in a small saucepan.
Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Taste
and add more syrup if desired. Reduce the heat
to low and let steep for 5 minutes.
Transfer to a mug and serve warm.