The Ultimate Indy Couch

My office is a couch. That’s right, a couch. I work in my little corner of the living room, with ESPNews Disney channel on in the background. I love my couch—it’s soft, cozy and has this awesome semi-reclining corner for when I need to take a nap break. But, someday, when I have a basement or a den?

I’m getting this couch!

I keep trying to talk my parents into buying one. Afterall, they’re the ones with the Colts living room. (Yes. Seriously.) She has a Colts lamp, Colts curtains, a Colts clock, Colts accessories and Colts wall hangings. But this couch? “Would be too much.”

It’s less than $1000—and ships for only $14.95! Also? It’s made purely of awesome. Plus, when you get tired of the whole bleed blue theme in the off season, you’ll give it to me for my basement!

I clearly need to work on my pitch.

Raheem Brock Cut?!

Raheem Brock rocked the Colts fan Twitter community today when he stated the Superbowl was his last game in a Colts uniform. We can find nothing on ESPN or Colts.com. The eerie silence on the matter has the rumor mill speculating he was cut.

Whoa! What?! Apparently, Jerraud Powers was just as surprised. I’m anxiously awaiting an update from the team. In the meantime, I’ll be following the discussion on Twitter, and trying to track down a Raheem Brock Colts jersey while I still can.

Still in Mourning

I wanted to write a good Monday morning quarterback post earlier this week, but I just couldn’t bring myself to sit down and think about it too hard. I’m still way too ticked. Not at the team; not over the Superbowl.

Yes, I’m still upset about the Jets game from the regular season. Had the management not given up on a perfect season, claiming the only important thing was a Superbowl title, everything would be different. I could have gone into the playoffs with a bit more excitement and even if they still lost, I would have had a bit more pride in my team.

The coaches, the management—they let the team down, they let the fans down and they let the entire city of Indianapolis down. It wasn’t about the perfect season, really. It was about playing every game to your fullest potential. To come out of a Superbowl loss saying “We did our best all season long.”

I know the boys played hard, all the way through. But management didn’t equip them with the right tools for the job. If someone had been injured, and the 2nd & 3rd string players had gone in, they still would have had a strong team around them. But to pull out all our weapons and basically hand the game over?

It’s going to take me awhile to get over that.

Indy-Themed Party Food

With the Colts in the Superbowl, it’s time to feature something more than chili or chips & dip. Of course, if that dip is salsa from Red Gold tomatoes, you’re already in the game! And, don’t forget to grab blue corn chips (often found in the organic food department) to finish it off. There are foods native to Indiana or Hoosier culture that you could serve as well. Watermelon is a popular Hoosier treat, though not currently in season. You could probably still give a nod to its Indiana roots with a fruit tray or watermelon basket.

Breaded pork tenderloins are an Indy delicacy, though they might be difficult or time-consuming to whip up at home. Instead, how about a few local brands to celebrate our state’s showing in the big game? At South Bend Chocolate company, you could pick out a variety of treats to please the chocolate lovers in your group. (Might I recommend the double-dipped peanuts? Yum!)

And, yes, there’s corn! More accurately, popcorn! Orville Redenbacher himself was born right here in Indiana. Serving popcorn balls, caramel corn or other flavored popcorns would be a fun (and tasty) tribute. Just Pop In even features blueberry popcorn in the perfect shade for your party! Sara Gaum from Vendor Bar has given us a few recipes for the do-it-yourself crowd:

Curry Popcorn

• 3 tablespoons coconut oil
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/4 teaspoon curry powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin
• 2 dashes hot sauce
• 1 gallon popped popcorn

Melt the coconut oil in a small saucepan over medium heat; stir in the garlic, turmeric, curry powder, and cumin; keep over heat 1 minute. Reduce heat to low and simmer 1 minute more. Add the hot sauce and pour over the popcorn. Serve immediately.

Peanut-y Sweet Popcorn

• 1/3 cup light corn syrup
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 (3.5 ounce) packages microwave popcorn, popped

Bring the corn syrup, honey, and sugar to a boil in a saucepan; cook at a boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir the peanut butter and vanilla into the syrup mixture until the peanut butter has melted completely. Pour the sauce over the popcorn and stir until evenly coated. Allow to cool completely and break into chunks to serve.