Weeks 8, 9 (bye) & 10: Bland Fish, Deli Calzones and Buffalo Chicken Bites

The St. Louis game from London doesn’t get it’s own post for 2 reasons.  First, I didn’t get a chance to actually watch the game.  Second, the food I made was horrible.  Well, not horrible.  We ate it.  But definitely bland.  I made Oven Baked Fish and Chips using Corn Flakes in honor of the Pats playing in London.  It tasted exactly like that: Fish in Corn Flakes.  Not that great.  The fries were good, but it’s kinda hard to muck up french fries.  

From what all the recaps say, the Pats absolutely killed St. Louis.  (Figures I didn’t get to see THIS game.)  Brady passed for 304 yards with 4 TD’s in a 45-7 win over the Rams.  Gronk had 2 TD’s and 146 yards, Lloyd had 2 TD’s and Ridley contributed with 127 yards and a TD as well.  In total, the Patriots 305 yards of total offense for the 17th straight game broke the NFL record set by Kurt Warner and the Rams in the 1999-2000 Season.  

The Buffalo game was less spectacular.  This was another one of those games where we didn’t “win” so much as “not lose.”  Had Ryan Fitzpatrick not thrown an insanely bad pass straight to Devin McCourty in the final seconds of the game for an end zone interception, we would have lost.  The Patriot Offense had a pretty good game with 4 TD’s and 3 FG’s.  The Patriot Defense just plain sucked.  The Patriots ended up winning 37-31 and amassing a 6-3 record on the year. 

Despite the shoddy defensive play by the Pats during the game, the food still rocked.  We had Calzones and Buffalo Chicken Bites.

Deli Calzones

Ingredients:
⅓ Lb Sliced Provolone
⅓ Lb Sliced Black Forest Ham
⅓ Lb Sliced Genoa Salami
2 Cups Shredded Mozzarella
⅓ Cup Sliced Pepperoncinis
⅓ Cup Chopped Roasted Red Peppers
1 Tube Pillsbury Pizza Dough
Flour for dusting
Parchment paper

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. On a piece of Parchment Paper, use a slightly floured rolling pin to smooth dough into a tall rectangle.  On each side, make 2” horizontal cuts every 1” so the sides look like the bottom of a missing dog flier.  In the middle layer Ham, Provolone, Salami, Mozzarella, Pepperoncinis and Roasted Red Peppers. Alternating sides, pull dough tabs across to the other side in a slanted manner (Like Shoelaces).  
3. Place Parchment Paper on a baking pan and cut off excess.  Bake for 25 minutes or until browned.
4. Let sit 5 minutes, slice and serve hot. 

Buffalo Chicken Bites

Ingredients:
1 Tube Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
1 Cup Shredded Chicken
1 Cup Franks Red Hot Buffalo Sauce
⅔ Cup Blue Cheese Crumbles
½ Cup Shredded Cheddar
Flour for dusting
Blue Cheese or Ranch for dipping.

Directions:
1. Use a slightly floured Rolling Pin to smooth out Crescent Dough into a large rectangle.  
2. In a large bowl, combine Chicken, Sauce, Blue and Cheddar Cheeses.  Mix well.
3. Preheat oven to 400.  
4. Spread Chicken Mixture on Crescent Dough and roll up lengthwise like a jelly roll.  Cover and chill for 15 minutes to set.
5. Remove from refrigerator and slice into pinwheels.  Bake for 20 minutes or until bubbly.  Serve with Blue Cheese or Ranch for dipping.

Happy Cooking!