Apparently describes bad pitching. From NHL.COM:
[Boston Bruin's goaltender] Tim Thomas grinned when asked how [Dallas Stars Centerman] Mike Modano faired on his ceremonial first pitch just prior to the White Sox playing host to the Kansas City Royals Tuesday at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago.
It seems Thomas was expecting a little more speed from Modano.
“I was expecting more of a fastball,” Thomas said. “His throw was a little Obama-ish, but at least he made it all the way to the plate.”
Thomas was of course referring to President Barack Obama’s not-so-perfect strike before the All-Star Game in St. Louis last month.
“a little Obama-ish.” Heh.
They’d never say that about President Bush.
There’s a local restaraunt here in Winchester called Venice Italian Restaraunt. It serves up some mighty scrumptious food. It’s a close tie for me between Shrimp Fra Diavolo and Chicken Mediterranean.
I found a recipe last week for Shrimp Fra Diavolo in the BellyOff! diet book. Last night I decided to give it a try. I finished the sauce and found that it was bland, bland, bland. No heat. No depth of flavor. Nothing exciting. And certainly no substitute for Venice’s delicious version of the dish. So I decided to change it up a bit and put my own spin on it.
Here is the finished produce:
Basically, the sauce from the book was crushed tomatoes with onions and a few red pepper flakes.
Here’s how I upgraded the dish:
Bring 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil to heat. Saute together:
- 1 medium yellow onion (diced, or if you prefer, sliced)
- 2-3 medium sized cloves of garlic
- 2 tablespoons of red-pepper flakes (adjust for your heat level)
- 1/2-3/4 cups sliced white mushrooms
- A few canned jalapenos (thanks mom)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Once the mixture is soft, add the following:
- 1/2 tsp thyme
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 16 oz can crushed tomatoes (mine were regular, but fire-roasted would be even better)
Bring this to a simmer. Taste and adjust heat and herbs (if too hot, add extra tomatoes. Not hot enough? Add a splash of hot sauce–that’s what I did!) Next, add 1 small green pepper sliced into rings. I added the peppers at this point because I wanted them to still have a crunch to them (that’s how they are at Venice). Add 12-15 shrimp. Allow the shrimp to cook through (until they’re orange). Finally, top with fresh, chopped Italian parsley or basil.
Serve over whole-wheat spaghetti with a small “green salad.”
I have to say that I was pretty impressed. Next time I will add black olives to the mixture, but I didn’t have any this go-around.
As good as Venice? Nah, but pretty darn close!
Enjoy!
PS – I have a request for anyone who stumbles upon this post: A few months ago I tried Chock full o’nuts ORGANICE coffee and fell in love. Now, though, it has disappeared from all of the local stores. I even stopped into a WholeFoods and a Wegman’s during a recent trim to the city in search of it. I simply can’t find anything I love as much. The closest I have come has been Folgers BlackSilk coffee, which claims to be “Bold, yet smooth!’ Any suggestions?
