Super Bowl Cupcakes: Colts

It’s that time of year again. Super Bowl Sunday is a week away, so now’s the time to shore up game plans and figure out the menu for the big day.

As a cupcake lover, I’d argue that there is no better dessert to serve your fellow SB-watchers. And you will be even more popular with the gang if you bring festively-decorated cupcakes. Which is why I do some prep work each year to help you come up with some easy decorating ideas for your own Super Bowl parties.

Without further ado, here are some Colts cupcakes (with Saints cupcakes coming tomorrow):

And there you go. The official most-successful Colts cupcakes. Very easy to make, too. I used a box mix of white cake, and store-bought vanilla icing. Just bake the cupcakes, and cool until non-mushy. Then put a gob of white icing in a bowl and add a bunch of blue food coloring (the neon blue kind works best for Colt blue). Ice half with white, half with blue, and then pipe the opposite color in a horseshoe shape on top of each. (I use a Ziploc bag with one corner cut off for piping–fancy, I know.)

Then just put these fancy new-fangled York Peppermint Pieces around the outside of each cupcake. Et voila!

For another, simpler idea, you can just frost the cupcakes with white frosting, and use a little tube of blue icing to make the horseshoe. (Note: I didn’t look at a picture of the Colts logo until after making these, which is why they look kind of off. Trying to do it from memory…)

I actually dyed some of the cupcakes themselves blue. It was only sort of cute. But it makes your mouth much less blue that dyed-blue icing–which will make your mouth blue for many moons. Just as a warning.

And I added candy hearts for people who love the Colts. Or who just want to take advantage of all the Valentine’s candy.

FifG Game of the Week: Indianapolis Colts v. Baltimore Ravens

Indianapolis Colts [9-0] vs. Baltimore Ravens [5-4] (Sunday 1:00 p.m., CBS)

Why it’s good football:

The Colts are still undefeated, thanks to a wacky win against the New England Patriots last week. The game this week against the Ravens could be the toughest they face for the rest of the year.

It should also be noted that Peyton Manning has gotten his team to 9-0 nearly single-handedly, as he has a bunch of young players around him. Also, he may or may not actually be coaching the team. (Tony Dungy-replacement Jim Caldwell notwithstanding.)

Why you might care:

Because you love Ravens QB Joe Flacco. (And it seems that, yes, he’s still dating the same girlfriend.)

Or, because you saw The Blind Side, with Sandra Bullock, and you want to see Michael Oher play.

Football is just like Pop Culture!

The Baltimore Ravens used to be the Baltimore Colts. Then they moved to Indianapolis, and Baltimore was NFL team-less. Many years later, the city got a new franchise, and thus became the Baltimore Ravens. (Yeah, this is way shortened, but you can read the whole story here.)

Totally like the old Becky vs. new Becky on Roseanne. Old Becky, of course, was the cute one of the family, but still fit in nicely with the whole lower-middle-class Wisconsin ethos. But then she left the show and new Becky came, and new Becky was a foot taller, weighed 20 pounds fewer, and sort of didn’t really seem like she could believably be born from Roseanne Barr and John Goodman. And that was off-putting.

But then old Becky came back, and it was like, ooh, she is kind of whiny when you think about it. And then new Becky was back again.

You know what? I don’t know that this really relates to the game much, after all. But I prefer old Becky on Roseanne and new Becky on Scrubs. For the record.

Old Becky (left) looks great here! Good for her.

Boyfriend/Husband/Dad/Other will be so impressed!

Conversation Starters:

-Who do you think will stay undefeated longer: New Orleans Saints or Indianapolis Colts?

- What exactly do you think Jim Caldwell does on the sidelines?

Fun Facts:

-Colts’ kicker Matt Stover was released by the Baltimore Ravens in the offseason. Bad move by the Ravens? They had to release their kicker, Steven Hauschka, just last week.

Player Pronunciation:

Haloti Ngata (BAL): hah-loh-tee nah-tah

Joseph Addai (IND): joh-sehf ah-dahy

Cute football player(s) of the week:

Do I have to put someone other than Donald Brown?

Oh, fine.

Then let’s return to Baltimore’s Brendon Ayanbadejo.

With nipple-piercing and child.

FifG Game of the Week: New York Jets vs. Tennessee Titans

New York Jets [2-0] vs. Tennessee Titans [0-2] (Sunday 1:00 p.m., CBS)

Why it’s good football: Last year, the Jets defeated the Titans in a shocking upset of the then 10-0 Tennessee team. Perhaps more shocking is that the Titans are 0-2 this year when they were late-season favorites to make the Super Bowl last year. They lost a hard-fought season opener to the Pittsburgh Steelers, but then lost to the Houston Texans last week in a huge upset. Perhaps losing Albert Haynseworth to the Redskins in the offseason was a bigger loss than the Titans imagined? Or perhaps the first couple of losses are a fluke.

As for the Jets, they have a new, very vocal coach in Rex Ryan. Lucky for the team, they’ve played up to the high expectations that Ryan has set for them in the press, defeating the Houston Texans and, more impressively, the New England Patriots. They also have a rookie quarterback tailor-made for NYC. Mark Sanchez is extremely handsome, well-spoken, and has managed the games so far like a champ.

Why you might care:

Because you want to spend your Sunday watching Mark Sanchez. No really, you do.

Football is just like Pop Culture!

In the first season of Gilmore Girls, Rory met Dean at the public high school. Dean was tall and adorable and wore leather jackets and had hair that flopped into his eyes. Dean quoted Rosemary’s Baby and gave Rory jewelry. Oh, and he built her a car. Dean was the absolute perfect teen boyfriend.

And then season 2 began and the show needed some more romantic tension, so Jess was introduced. Jess was cocky and self-assured and hot, but he was also a lover of old books and indie music, and Rory suspected there was a sensitive side beneath his outward bravado. Slowly, Rory fell for Jess and away from Dean. And who could blame her–all of a sudden the writers decided Dean was a guy who loved video games, resented Rory’s love of books, and was basically a big, dumb lunkhead.

 

Jess and Rory

 

 

Last year, the Titans were one of the media darlings of the NFL. They had a stellar defense, an old but effective QB in Kerry Collins, and they could quote Rosemary’s Baby, er, I mean they had a sensational rookie running back in Chris Johnson. They picked up tons of wins, but pooped out just before the Super Bowl. This year the Jets are new to the scene– they are young and brash and hot (in win streak and QB), and the media is all over that. But just because the Titans have lost the first two games doesn’t mean that they have suddenly become something other than what they were–they still have much of the defense intact, they still have Kerry Collins at QB, and they still have Chris Johnson breaking tackles left and right. So this game could be a close one.

And if we base the results on the Gilmore boys, I’d say advantage Titans. After all, Jess broke Rory’s heart, forcing her to realize that Dean was better all along. (Then she lost her virginity to Dean even though he was married at the time, but that’s neither here nor there.)

Boyfriend/Husband/Dad/Other will be so impressed!

Conversation Starters:

- Can you believe the Titans are 0-2? What do you think their record will be at the end of the season?

-Why is Milo Ventimiglia so hot as Jess but so unappealing in every other acting role?

- Did you realize that Calvin Pace is still suspended? What do you think that Jets D is going to look like when he gets back?

Fun Facts:

- The Jets defense has only allowed 482 yards so far, fewest in the league. They also have allowed only 1 touchdown– a fumble return against Houston.

- Only 5 teams have made the playoffs after starting 0-3 in the modern NFL.

Player Pronunciation:

Darelle Revis (NYJ): dah-rehl ree-vis

Kevin Mawae (TEN): keh-vin mah-why

Cute football player(s) of the week:

Oh like you didn’t know this one already: Mark Sanchez, Jets QB.
But also: Cortland Finnegan, Titans cornerback

 

Everybody, this is Mark.

 

 

 

Even adorable in a closed-eye picture.

Um, serious lack of Cortland pictures on the interwebs. Fix yo'self interwebs.

 

Steve McNair (1973-2009)

Man oh man. This has been a really rough couple of weeks . We’ve lost major stars in the music, acting, advertising arenas, and now one of the most respected quarterbacks in recent history.

Steve McNair, who led the Tennessee Titans to the Super Bowl in 2000 and who was named the league’s co-MVP with Peyton Manning in 2003, died yesterday. The police have ruled his death a homicide, and there is speculation that this is a murder/suicide at the hands of 20-year-old Sahel Kazemi, who was allegedly McNair’s girlfriend. McNair was married with four children and well-respected in Nashville, so this is shocking on a number of levels, but a sad story all around.

FifG was never much of an AFC gal, but our strongest memories of McNair were all of the reports of his determination and strength when he was playing in the league. We vividly remember the pre-game stories about McNair and how he wrapped nearly every part of his body before games. We couldn’t believe that someone whose body was clearly in so much pain, from his neck down to his toes, could go out every week and play like an elite QB.

To read more about Steve McNair’s death and the ensuing investigation, see cnn.com’s reports.

Maybe next year?

So that Falcons vs. Colts Super Bowl?

I was totally just kidding.

For the record, I’m not going to divulge which teams I want to win anymore. The football gods are too cruel for that.

P.S. I didn’t know the Chargers would be wearing their powder blue uniforms. Unfair advantage!

I think this is an old picture, but these are the powder blue unis. Their beauty is hypnotic.

FifG Game of the Week: Tennessee Titans v. Pittsburgh Steelers

Tennessee Titans [12-2] vs. Pittsburgh Steelers [11-3] (Sunday 1:00 p.m., CBS)

Why it’s good football:

We’re down to the home stretch. These two teams have already secured first-round byes in the playoffs, so the winner of this game could very well have home-field advantage in the AFC championships. The Titans won their first 10 games in a row, but have lost two of their last four games. The Steelers have won their past five games, largely on the strength of their amazing defense, including a hard-fought victory last week in Baltimore, and are favored by many to head to the Super Bowl.

Why you might care:

Because you want to start thinking about how to decorate your home for this year’s Super Bowl bash: light blue for the Titans, or black and gold for the Steelers? (Though, can I be honest? I’m rooting for the Colts to head to Tampa this February. Why? I love Peyton Manning. I know it’s a cliche, but it’s true. I love him. So there. Let’s keep blue and white in the decorative running.)

Football is just like Pop Culture!

Okey dokey, so let’s call this game “The Bachelor.” Well, Tennessee and Pittsburgh have made it to the FANTASY DATE. Maybe the Super Bowl took the Titans to a luxurious spa in Aspen to get couples massages and hold hands. Maybe the Super Bowl brought the Steelers to Tahiti to ride horses and scuba dive. Well, both teams are going to end up at an outdoor cafe on Sunday. And when the waiter comes by and drops off the same note that every single bachelorette ever has received inviting her to the “fantasy suite” for the night, both teams are going to have to look Super Bowl in the eyes and pretend they don’t know what it is. And when he lies to their faces and tells them that he has “absolutely no idea what this is!” they will both have to giggle nervously and touch his arm. And then they will have to stumble over their words and say how much the Super Bowl means to them–that they never expected to feel this way!–and pretend that they hadn’t already decided well in advance how they were going to respond.

And then the next day (week? month? It’s like 2 minutes in reality show time.) will be the awkward rose ceremony where the Super Bowl totally disses one of them. Probably because that one didn’t put out.

Steelers, Titans, it is now time to put out.

In the most. shocking. rose ceremony. EVER.

Good luck to you both.

Boyfriend/Husband/Dad/Other will be so impressed!

Fast Facts:

-The Steelers defense has allowed fewer than 24 points in all but one game this season.

-The Titans’ offensive line has only allowed eight sacks this year.

Conversation Starters:

- Do you think the injury to Titans’ Pro Bowl-er Albert Haynesworth will end up costing them a chance at the Super Bowl?

-Do you think QB Ben Roethlisberger should have been a Pro Bowl alternate in place of Denver’s Jay Cutler or Brett Favre?

Player Pronunciation:

Kyle Vanden Bosch (TEN): kīl van-den bahsh

Troy Polamalu (PIT): troi puhl-uh-mahl-oo

Cute football player of the week:

Troy Polamalu, Pittsburgh, Safety

This is cute Troy.

And this is Troy’s cute hair.

FifG Game of the Week: New York Jets v. Tennessee Titans

New York Jets [7-3] vs. Tennessee Titans [11-0] (Sunday 1:00 p.m., CBS)

Why it’s good football:

The Titans are playing great football, despite the fact that they are led by an old man of a quarterback and that they have few big name players. They’re just winning every game they play.

For the Jets, a win here would be a great way to start cementing a playoff spot in a weakened post-Brady AFC East division.

Why you might care:

Brett Favre is playing, and I know you all love him.

Plus, the Tennessee Titans are undefeated, and it’s always fun to watch undefeated teams this late in the season. People tend to fall in one of two camps: 1) those cheering for a clean sweep (a group that probably consists of 99.9% Titans fans and then maybe a few sports history lovers), and 2) those that are cheering for the Titans to lose (people who wish others to fail so that they can feel better about themselves, people who root for the underdog, people who were fans of the only unbeaten team in NFL history, the 1972 Miami Dolphins, members of that same dolphins team… Basically everyone.)

Football is just like Pop Culture!

With Twilight coming out this weekend (and, no, I’m not going to watch it this weekend), I’ll break this game down Stephenie Meyer style.

In the book, Edward (the vampire) and Jacob (the werewolf–i mean, oops, the non-monster if you’ve only read Book 1) fight for Bella’s heart. Edward is handsome and devoted and madly in love with Bella, but he’s overprotective and a little creepy. Jacob is fun, friendly, and madly in love with Bella, but he’s not Edward.

In this game, Brett Favre is the Edward. He’s handsome and charismatic and everyone loves to watch him play, and he’s captured the football fandom like Edward captured Bella’s heart–nearly immediately and whole-heartedly. Then there’s Tennessee QB Kerry Collins. He’s an old guy, which isn’t like Jacob at all, but here he is, always in the league, always there for his team, just solid and stable and winning those games.

I happen to be on Team Edward.

Boyfriend/Husband/Dad/Other will be so impressed!

Conversation Starters:

-So, do you think the Titans will win out? How much would that kill last year’s Patriots? [And Tiffani has a good point--you definitely want to lose early rather than losing in the Super Bowl! That had to hurt...]

-Who do you think will win the AFC East this year? Who knew it would be up for grabs this late in the year–and that the Jets and Dolphins would be in the hunt!

Player Pronunciation:

Alge Crumpler (TEN): al-jee krump-lehr
Lavernues Coles (NYJ): lah-vehr-nee-us kohlz

Cute football players of the week:

Jevon Kearse, Tennessee Titans, Defensive Lineman

Jay Feely, New York Jets, Kicker

Jevon Kearse prays for a shirt.

How does that stretch feely?