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No more football. Yeah, I know there's a tiff that is going to be decided next week down in Miami Gardens between old friends, but for all intents and purposes, the season pretty much ended when Alec Ogletree body-slammed Taylor Martinez to the Citrus Bowl turf on Tuesday. Steel yourselves, folks. It's going to be an extra long off-season. There is some good news, however: Georgia is another day closer to signing a potentially epic recruiting class and our coaching staff is another day closer to bringing in a new defensive line coach. I'm confident our coaching staff will find the right guy who can not only recruit, but coach 'em up. And the more I think about it, the more convinced I am that our biggest deficiency in any aspect of our game this past season was along the defensive line. Change is good.
While we're on the subject of defense and recruiting (and food), now would be a good time to talk about areas of need. The aforementioned Ogletree has made his intentions of jumping to the NFL next season known, and this was never a question of "if" but "when." When Alec chose UGA, he was a safety and played the position very well during his freshman campaign in 2010, arriving on campus at 6' 2" and roughly 210 lbs. He quickly outgrew the position and moved to inside 'backer, playing at around 235. We're going to miss 'Tree, but a young man has committed to the "G" who played safety in high school that I can see absolutely outgrowing this position and becoming another Ogletree type linebacker. In fact, he reminds me a little bit of Thomas Davis; unheralded to a degree and built like a truck. Maybe he'll be a hybrid of the two. Wouldn't that be special? I think we need to immortalize this kid in food, don't you?
CROCK POT RECRUITING INSTALLMENT #4
Paris Bostickers
Paris Bostick comes from my (and your) favorite high school in the entire State of Florida: Tampa Plant. I like to think of it as our own little farm team. And don't you dare laugh at a boy named Paris. I imagine being named Paris will make you pretty tough in the first place, which is good if you play football...kinda' like a boy named Sue...
Yessir, Tampa Plant has blessed us with Orson Charles, Aaron Murray and a guy who might actually be a bit undervalued according to the recruiting services - all 3 "biggies" list him as a 3-Star prospect. But this kid looks the part and will probably continue to grow. Paris Bostic is listed at 6' tall and anywhere between 205 to 217 pounds, depending on who you pay ask. He's been recruited to fill an area of need, but I think this kid gets a red shirt and bulks up to play some 'backer. Anyway, Tampa Plant has been awfully good to us and if the past is any indicator, we should be hearing much from this young man in the not-too-distant future.
Do you like pot stickers? I love 'em. Of course, I can't eat 'em right now because of the previously mentioned diet (Okay, I'm really trying to make an effort here...but my confidence is low). Here's a recipe I blatantly ripped off the internet because, really, who actually makes pot stickers in a Crock Pot? However, in perusing the best of the best, I think I found a winner. Here's what you'll need:
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 lb shrimp, peeled, deveined and finely chopped
1 lb lean pork, ground
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine, sherry or 2 tablespoons white wine
1 tablespoon green onion, chopped
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 teaspoons fresh ginger, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
64 wonton wrappers (usually 1 pkg)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup chicken stock
2. Squeeze out any liquid from the shrimp.
3. Mix cabbage, shrimp, pork, soy, wine, onion, oil, ginger and garlic (filling can be mixed and refrigerated for up to 6 hours in advance).
4. On each wrapper (keep them covered with a damp cloth so they do no dry out) place about 2 tsp of the mix and seal the edges, use a bit of water on the edge, try to press out all the air and ensure they are tightly sealed (At this point you can freeze them individually on a cookie sheet and them place in a plastic bag. They will keep for a month. Defrost in fridge before continuing).
5. In 2 large skillets heat 1 tbsp oil, fry 16 dumplings for 1 minute or until golden on one side add 1/4 cup of stock into the pan, reduce heat to low, cover and cook, without turning for about 7 minutes or until the dumpling is translucent and most of the liquid has evaporated Uncover and on higher heat cook for another 5-7 minutes or until the bottoms are dark brown, drain put on a platter and keep warm.
6. Repeat for the remaining 32 dumplings. Are you kidding? Man, I wish it were as easy as cut/paste. Oh, I guess it is!