GATORS BASKETBALL SEASON BEGINS!

A day like this is deserving of TWO Blog entries!  I wanted to give a Christmas gift idea.  But then, today IS the start of a new Winter season for Florida Gators Basketball!

In keeping up with the Gators … The 2014–15 Florida Gators men's basketball season begins TONIGHT!   The Gators compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Southeastern Conference (SEC). They are led by head coach Billy Donovan, and play their home games in the O'Connell Center on the University's Gainesville, Florida campus.  That’s where they’ll be tonight at 6:00 p m when William & Mary comes to town in this seasons kickoff game. 

O'Connell Center

Head Coach Billy "The Kid" Donovan

Joakim Noah

This time of year always takes me back a few years to when the Florida Gators Basketball Team won back-to-back National Championships.  Again,, under the leadership of Billy Donovan and lead by the greatest Gators Basketball player of all time, Joakim Noah (who is now with the Chicago buls).  WHAT A TEAM!

You don’t tailgate in basketball like you do in football.  But it’s always nice to have a tasty snack on hand for watching the games on TV.  And for tonight’s game, I’ve chosen Kettle Corn.

Kettle corn is a sweet-and-salty variety of popcorn that is typically mixed or seasoned with a light-colored refined sugar, salt and oil. It was traditionally made in cast iron kettle.

Kettle corn was introduced to the United States in the 18th century. It is referenced in the diaries of Dutch settlers in Pennsylvania circa 1776.  It was a treat sold at fairs or consumed at other festive occasions. The corn, oil, sugar and salt together is cooked in a cast iron kettle, or possibly a Dutch oven. This produces a noticeable sweet crust on the popcorn; however, this method requires constant stirring or the sugar will burn. This combination was widely popular in the early 19th century but fell from wide usage during the 20th century.

In the early 21st century, kettle corn made a comeback in America. It is cooked and sold at fairs and flea markets throughout the United States, especially art and craft shows. A cast iron cauldron is typically used to publicly cook the corn and mix the ingredients.

Take a trip to the county fair with a bowl of old-fashioned Kettle Corn. Your family will never want plain popcorn again! If you use white sugar, it will taste like popcorn balls and if you use brown sugar, it will taste like caramel corn.

KETTLE CORN

1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil

1/4 cup white sugar

1/2 cup unpopped popcorn kernels

Salt to taste

Drop 3 kernels of popping corn into the oil in a large heavy-bottomed, lidded pot over medium-high heat. Close the lid and wait till you hear three pops.

Quickly add remaining popping corn and sprinkle with sugar. Close the lid once again, and, wearing oven mitts, give it a good shake.

Cook, shaking the pot regularly, until there are more than a few seconds between pops. Remove from heat and leave lid on until popping stops completely.

Sprinkle with salt and stir with a big spoon. Be careful, as you are dealing with very hot sugar. Allow to cool 5-10 minutes before serving.

 

With white sugar

With brown sugar