It was a sad day in Mudville

It's no secret that we're a football family.  We have High School football, NFL Football and Fantasy Football all around us. In the off season, we are fundraising for the Athletic Boosters.

But what you might not know is that I am merely an onlooker. After years of raising girls who have moved out, the boys have now become the vocal point of the household while I shake my head in amusement at how wrapped up on can get in a sport.

What I did not know is that I had become a participant. After countless dinners and Sunday brunches where salaries, staffing and play after play had be discussed I had absorbed some of it - and formed opinions.

Being the wife of a die hard Eagles fan it is not always easy. We have ups and downs. This year was more downs then usual. For the rest of you, it can't be hard to imagine what this day in history is like. After 14 years the NFL's "winningnest" coach, Andy Reid, has been fired… with one year left on his contract.

I did not see myself getting getting caught up in this, I also did not see it coming. Why? Because I look at the NFL from a business perspective. Apparently, so does ‪Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie‬ - the only difference is that he is in the business of winning NOW.

From where I sit Reid had a tremendous record from joining the Eagles in 1999 until this less than stellar year. That has value. Add that to the fact that this year kicked off with a personal devastation of losing his son and that value of 14 years could still be at status quo. maybe. But what really made me feel that we'd see our beloved Andy Reid around for one more year is $15 million. $15 mil is what it would have cost the Eagles to buy out his contract and let him go. Now that has value.

It is possible that in my absorption and interest of the business side of the game I did not realize how little value $15 million might be to Lurie. What is more possible is that as much as he claimed to love and respect his head coach, he valued a winning season far more, at what ever the cost.  He wished him well, he wished him a big win ahead but still he wished him gone. It felt like the end of a marriage.

For me, this Eagles family wife, I wish Andy Reid the dignity of a first wife. He moulded them, shaped them, and at times rode the roller coaster with them. After 14 years, I hope he looks forward to his next chapter as much as I look forward to seeing it.

What's to eat? Go ask Alice.

Just yesterday, I was telling my email partner (you have one of those don't you?) that I come from the Alice Waters (Chez Panisse) practice of seeing what is fresh in your garden or at the fresh market before deciding on your meal plan. Moving to the city and away from my gardens has not been any less inspiring and in fact, like having a whole new playing field to discover. Now I attack the local Ralph's and seek out the bright orange stickers for Manager Specials or enjoy sales at the Japanese Market, weekend Farmer's Market or even Trader's Joe's. Filling my kitchen with specials of the day as I meal plan on the spot.

This method also means that many recipes "evolve" over time based on what one has available… and if you're trying to get something into your football worshipping family that resembles real food sans pretzels and cheese whiz. 

December 30 is generally a Grilled Cheese type winter day no matter where you are, and I had just the stocks for it, kinda. What I had in mind was grilled gouda cheese and Anjou pear on Sourdough.  Instead, my fridge had .98 lb ham that got sliced and layered on the $2.99 a dozen croissants. Gouda was out, I didn't feel like going to the market when I had picked up white american cheese yesterday, all sliced up and ready to go at an affordable $3.99 a pound. Affordable for LA, I might add. Now about that pear, what to do? aha! I had 2 large Fuji Apples on my kitchen desk - perfect.

Slicing the apples thin, I placed those in between the cheese, on top of the ham and set the croissants into the electric skillet.

My son was a bit hesitant about the apple thing going on in his grilled cheese (surprisingly, no one minded the adulteration by adding the ham), but his first bite yielded 16 year old eyes rolling back in his head and nummy sounds. My husband walked out of the kitchen with his plate, took a few steps and came back with a mouth full, and OK symbol of his thumb and forefinger and something about "the apple adding just the right snap".

Touchdown.

There are three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.  
  -- W. Somerset Maugham