Tuesday, January 23, 2018

Go-Go Boots, Mad Ants and Nuts

I admit it. When it's cold and windy and snowy and icy out, I give in to my couch potato inclination more often than I'd like to admit. I don't think I've watched daytime TV since college. One thing I've realized recently is that I haven't been missing much.

But lately Hubs has been taking my car to work more often as the SUV is better on the ice and snow, so I've been staying home. I'm someone who doesn't mind being home, I can always find something to keep me busy. I love to read and always have a large selection of books on my Kindle. I enjoy doing Sudoku as well. Lately I've solved fewer of the advanced puzzles, but I keep trying.

I don't have to tell you that I keep this blog going, researching or just freestyle writing at least twice a week. I develop, create and photograph my own recipes, keeping my brain active and my family supplied with sweets.


For a snack or for dessert, Apricot Bars have a cookie base, chewy dried apricots, nuts, 2 different kinds of baking chips and a caramelized topping | Recipe developed by www.BakingInATornado.com | #bake #recipe

Apricot Bars


As I said, I've also got the TV on more often. Mostly I'm looking for sports, as there's little on during the day that interests me. I'm not a sports fan, per se, but I will always watch a Boston Red Sox, Patriots, Celtics or Bruins game, as well as Purdue football or basketball. This time of year it's mostly basketball I'm watching and it's pretty exciting as Purdue football not only beat their nemesis this year, but also went to and won a bowl game. Even more exciting, Purdue basketball made it into the national top 10 ranking.

Which takes us to today. I was looking through the channel selections hoping there was a basketball game on I could watch and there was, the Celtics. Score! But before I found the Celtics game I found a few others. And although searching for sports on TV is generally not a humorous endeavor, I found myself literally laughing out loud. 

I know that teams are named mostly for one of two reasons, to denote strength or to pay tribute to their home city or state. Some names are better than others. I love my Boston teams but Red Sox? Really? Not exactly a name to bring fear to the hearts of their opponents. Not exactly representative of Boston either. But what I found when I searched through that TV guide is that there are minor league teams with names that are just . . . well . . . bizarre. The game that had me laughing was basketball. The Fort Wayne Mad Ants were playing. Mad Ants? Really? I'm quaking in my boots. OK, maybe not.

But it did get me thinking and I did some research on other professional sports teams' affiliates. From the "what were they thinking with that name files, I bring you:

Basketball:
*The Washington Wizards are soon to have an affiliate team, the Capitol City Go-Gos. Unless they wear boots instead of sneakers, this one's lost on me.

*I understand the correlation between the Charlotte Hornets and the Greensboro Swarm, but can you imagine the sportscasters when the Swarm play the Mad Ants?

Go-Go Boots, Mad Ants and Nuts, a look at pro sports affiliate team names. | www.BakingInATornado.com | #funny #laugh #MyGraphics


Baseball:
*Tampa Bay Rays' Double A team is the Montgomery Biscuits.  I can see fearing the biscuits if you're gluten free but otherwise? Not so much.

*Cleveland Indians' Double A team is the Akron RubberDucks. Not to be outdone in the state of Ohio, the Cincinnati Reds have the Pensacola Blue Wahoos.

* The Detroit Tigers' Triple A team is the Toledo Mud Hens.

* The Colorado Rockies have the Albuquerque Isotopes. Let me guess, Sheldon won the right to name this team in a raffle?

*An affiliate of the Seattle Mariners is the Modesto Nuts.

*Philadelphia Phillies' Triple A team is the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. Wonder if they serve bacon on their burgers at their home stadium, Coca-Cola Park (yes, that really is the name of their arena).

*Colorado Rockies' Class A team is the Ashville Tourists. Oooh, tourists . . . now I'm really scared .  .

*The San Diego Padres have the El Paso Chihuahuas. Wonder if they bare their teeth and nip at your ankles.

*Winner of the trifecta though is the Miami Marlins with their affiliations the New Orleans Baby Cakes, the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, the Greensville Grasshoppers and the Batavia Muckdogs.

Who names these teams? 


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Apricot Bars         
                                    ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 stick butter, softened
1/2 stick margarine, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp orange zest
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups flour

1 cup chopped dried apricots
1/2 cup sliced almonds 
1/4 cup cinnamon baking chips
3/4 cup white chocolate chips
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk

Directions:
*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 X 13 pan with non-stick spray.
*Beat the butter, margarine, sugar, brown sugar and egg until smooth. Mix until barely incorporated, then beat in the orange zest, salt and flour. Press into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake 15 minutes. Remove from oven, leave oven on.
*Sprinkle the dried apricots over the crust, then the almonds, then cinnamon baking chips, then white chocolate chips. Pour the sweetened condensed milk evenly over the top.
*Bake for 30 - 35 minutes, until the top is browned and bubbly. Remove from oven. Run a knife around the edges of the pan, then allow to cool completely before cutting and removing from pan.

6 comments:

  1. I love the Biscuits! Hilarious list and I think you may need to get out of the house more often hahahaha!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I just may need to. Now if we can only get the weather to cooperate.

      Delete
  2. Who can make up chants and rally cheers for the Tourists, the Baby Cakes or the Nuts? The Chihuahuas is easy, "Everyone let's bare our teeth , shake and bite!" The recipe looks sweet and satisfying!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, you really gotta wonder about how you cheer for them, don't you?

      Delete

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