A Few of My Favorite Things…
Speaking of ESPN Radio, they also did one of their Saturday morning gigs with Beano Cook, the perennial guru of college football. Having previously lived in Pittsburgh for 15 years, I am well acquainted with Beano and his sometimes controversial, always humorous commentaries on sports in general and NCAA football in particular. He will be 74 this summer and shows absolutely no sign of slowing down.
A few months ago I heard an interview with him while I was driving and unable to make notes, so I will have to paraphrase what he said in answer to a question about his favorite things in life. I’m quite certain of the first two, but a bit fuzzy on the third.
1. Without a doubt, college football.
2. Grilled cheese with bacon.
3. Walking alone on the beach.
After putting Roomie at the top of my list (I may not be too smart, but I ain’t stupid!), I am in full accord with Beano. If not in the midst of the games and the season, I’m celebrating victories or nursing wounds, preparing for signing day followed by NFL draft day, spring practice, etc. Always playing, getting ready to play or getting over playing the games.
I grew up in Tennessee eating grilled cheese sandwiches but never ran into grilled cheese with bacon until I arrived in Pittsburgh. Somewhat a staple of the local diet, I adopted it as my own and have done variations out the wazoo (that is Pittsburghese).
Back when I was able to take vacations, walking on the beach was one of my favorite things to do. Whether walking alone or quietly with someone special, barefoot in the edge of the surf, examining strange life forms or debris (is it jetsam or flotsam, or both?) that had washed ashore, on a quiet secluded section of beach, is always a perfect way to get in touch with our inner selves and begin to re-understand how small and petty and trivial our short existence on this globe really is.
But there’s one thing I would have to squeeze into maybe a 1.1 spot (hell, some days it would garner first place) and that is CHOCOLATE. My absolute favorite is dark chocolate with pecans, as in dark chocolate pecan bark, but I’ll take it anyway it comes, anytime. Man cannot live by bread alone; he must have chocolate!
So maybe my idea of a perfect day would be sitting in Neyland Stadium with Roomie by my side, watching Tennessee whup up on Florida, munching on a grilled cheese with bacon, some dark chocolate pecan bark in the bag for dessert!
2 Comments so far
So, dude, like how do you make a grilled cheese and bacon? I am asuming the bacon is cooked first then put in with the cheese then grilled?
BLTs are one of my favorites, heavy on the B.
And like, How ’bout them Vols?
Yep, fry up the bacon real crisp like. Then put together yore basic grilled cheese using 2 slices of cheese with the bacon ‘tween ‘um. I pan fry the whole mess with butter in a medium to med-low skillet till the bread is kinda toasted looking. By then the cheese is softened up and starting to drool out from ‘tween the sheets, if’n ya know what I mean. Let it cool off a minute or 2 sos ya don’t burn yer lips and tongue with the hot cheese. For a special treat, get some Durkee’s dressing (maybe yer local supermarket would have it) and dip the corners of the sandwich in it just before ya take a bit out’n it. Ummm-mmm, good!
And try a slice of cheese on your next BLT. Guess that makes it a BLCT, er…BLTC, er…whatever. Best if its softened up a bit or carefully melted a bit in the sandwich like as above. Good with muenster, cheddar, american, jack, provolone, you name it.
Y’all come back real soon now, ya hear.