Friday, December 4, 2009

Oregon Football and Fajitas

Writing about football on a garden blog? Just gotta do it, and the regularly scheduled program returns shortly.

Congratulations must go to the Ducks of Oregon. They fought back and won over our dearly beloved Beavers of Oregon State, (37-33) in the annual Civil War. For much of the game we thought OSU might get the Rose, but some mistakes were made and too many penalties cost them the game despite the precise passing of quarterback Sean Canfield and the dynamic skill of the Rodgers' brothers. This was Oregon State's second opportunity in two years to beat the Ducks and go to the Rose Bowl, but with the Duck's home-field advantage (they have not lost a PAC-10 game at home in the last two years), they showed everyone what Oregon ball is all about. By the way, the last time the Beavers were in the Rose Bowl was when my hubby played - it was the PAC-8 then - so you can imagine the tension in our home while watching the game. ;)

What we have experienced over the years is that the PAC-10 Conference does not get the respect they deserve, although they have some of the strongest and best coaches in the country and last night's game proved the caliber of players and coaches on both teams. This league won all their bowl games last year, and this year Oregon State led the conference in rushing defense and passing offense, while Oregon led in rushing offense. Ohio State, look out!


So you ask... what did you have for dinner during the game? Chicken fajita: grilled and shredded chicken with quickly sauteed red and green peppers and sweet onion atop a whole wheat tortilla; a dollop of non-fat sour cream and a fresh tomato and cilantro salsa. Hard to believe, but these are the remaining tomatoes from our garden.


Fresh Tomato-Cilantro Salsa from Diana's kitchen

fresh tomatoes, coarsely chopped
sweet onion, chopped, about 1/4 cup
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
garlic clove, finely chopped
few sprinkles of cayenne
a little fresh ground pepper
kosher salt, to taste
Tablespoon vinegar or lime juice

... and now on to our regularly scheduled programming.