Putting the Rock Back In Rockford

Last Thursday, I was driving to a college fair in Chicago and decided to make a quick pit stop in Rockford, which is where I spent most of my formative years, for a much needed oil change (and Beef, of course). While I waited for my oil to be changed, I purused the local newspapers that had been carefuly arranged on a coffee table in the waiting area. Immediately, I was taken to a headline in the Rock River Times, entitled "Rock Capital coming to Rockford."

Yes, it's true, folks. Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick, the 1970's rock band from Rockford that came to notoriety with hits like "I Want You to Want Me", "Surrender", and "Dream Police", recently announced plans to break ground as early as November on a $25 million rock 'n' roll themed multiplex, which is slated to include a museum to showcase Nielsen's hundreds of guitars, as well as a restaurant, conference center, and Hyatt Place hotel with nearly 130 rooms. The planned location is at Riverside Boulevard and I-90. Nielsen was quoted in the article as exclaiming, "In the not-too-distant future, Rockford will be known as the newest Rock capital in the universe!" And perhaps unfortunately, Nielsen doesn't stop there. He further pledges that, "We're gonna put more than just 'Rock' back in 'Rockford.'" All I have to say is goodluck, man.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

As promised, here is my recipe for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies. I found this recipe at allrecipes.com and it has definitely been one of my favorites. I can't wait until fall rolls around to start making these tasty treats! They definitely taste best when served cold, straight from the freezer or refrigerator.

Ingredients:
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions:
1. Combine pumpkin, sugar, vegetable oil, and egg. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, and salt. Dissolve the baking soda with the milk and stir in. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and mix well.
2. Add vanilla, chocolate chips and nuts.
3. Drop by spoonful on greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees F for approximately 10 minutes or until lightly brown and firm.

Pumpkin Bread

Today is fall recipe day! I will be sharing my favorite recipes for both pumpkin bread and pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. We'll start with the newest addition to my recipe collection--pumpkin bread, compliments of Emily Schmidt's mother (Mrs. Soehnlein).

Ingredients:
4 eggs, beaten
3 cups sugar
2 cups pumpkin
1 cup salad oil
2/3 cup water
3 1/2 cups sifted flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp soda
1 tsp cloves
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg

Directions:
Beat together the eggs, sugar, pumpkin, oil, and water. Then add the flour, baking powder, soda, cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Grease and flour three medium sized bread pans. Bake at 325 degrees for about one hour.

Fall's Favorite Treats

Sometimes when you're feeling a little down under the weather (like I am today), you need to treat yourself with the small stuff. The following five fall treats are guaranteed to put a little smile on your face and perhaps an extra bounce in your step. Enjoy!

1. Einstein's pumpkin bagel with pumpkin "shmear"- you've heard me tout this fall classic before. 'Nough said.

2. Starbuck's Carmel Apple Spice - worked for me today. Smooth and sweet.

3. Pumpkin chocolate chip cookies - I will share this very top secret recipe on Monday. Karen and I can't keep enough of these things stocked in our freezer. Yes, you read correctly, you store them in the freezer after baking and eat them cold. It's the secret touch.

4. Emily's pumpkin bread - My friend Emily brough over the most amazing pumpkin bread the other day. I haven't stopped eating it since. I requested the recipe from Emily, which she generously shared. I'll post it on Monday.

5. Blue Moon's seasonal pumpkin ale - This beer claims to be pumpkin flavored, but I simply cannot taste it. Despite its non-pumpkin taste, it is pumpkin colored, and you can't beat a name like Harvest Moon.

Bo Ryan Does the Hambone

Bo Knows Motown

I completely forgot to mention that I had the opportunity to hear Bo Ryan, head coach of the Wisconsin Men's Basketball Team, speak at a small gathering on Monday night.

As some of you know, I co-manage the campus visit program at UW-Madison, and thus co-supervise the student tour guide corps. On Monday night, we had a staff meeting and Bo was our surprise guest speaker. To talk about teamwork and such. The tour guides were thrilled!

Bo was hilarious. Just so intense and full of energy. So damn funny. And he could just talk and talk and talk and talk. I recieved an overview of his entire life story in just under forty-five minutes. I now know so much about the man. Like how he was born in the "projects" of Chester, Pennesylvania, and as the only white boy on his highschool's basketball team, came to know every word of every Motown classic. Want to know the six cd's that are currently in Bo's cd changer? Because I now know this, too. There's WAR, Outkast, Prince, Fugees, Annie Lennox, and I seriously cannot remember the sixth. But it will come to me eventually. So anyways, the man definitely knows music.

I might also point out that Bo can do the Hambone, which is a rhythmic knee and chest slapping motion that was originally an African-American plantation dance, brought from West Africa by slaves who performed it during their gatherings when no rhythm instruments were allowed. Bo did a short performance for us on Monday night. He's quite talented.

I also loved when he talked about his wife. He described their relationship in terms of basketball playoffs, with him as the 16th seeded team, and his wife as the 2nd seed. He described how he just felt so damn lucky to have snagged her. His whole face just lit up when he talked about her. It was pretty touching.

So I really loved Bo. He is great--upbeat, genuine, and a true campus leader and teacher. And what a nice person to take time from his obviously insane schedule to talk to forty campus tour guides about teamwork. I'm his new biggest fan.

Holiday Mint M&M's

There are significant benefits that come from having a roommate who works the 5 a.m. stock shift at Walgreens once a week. I am probably one of the first people in the world to have a bag of the holiday mint chocolate M&M's, my all-time favorite candy, which is typically only available November through early January of each year. I don't want to brag, but I have a bag in early October.

There is simply no other candy more delicious and addicting than holiday mint M&M's. Throughout the winter months, I can rarely be found without a bag stashed on me, or in my purse. I seriously stockpile them at home to get me through the winter. I can regularly eat half of a bag in one sitting. Seriously, ask Karen. My obsession with these small chocolate candies is the reason why I must continue running throughout the winter months so as not to pack on the pounds with chocolate.

You will be excited to know that this year's candy is bigger and better than ever. The M&M's are larger in size, like sort of in between the normal size and the peanut size, but without the peanut. And as always, they're the most delightful blend of minty goodness. Until they are available to the general public, I will enjoy many handfuls for each one of you. And don't worry, I'll let 'em melt in my mouth, not in my hands!