Monday, January 19, 2009

Huddle Up

East Meets West
Super Bowl Snack Throw Down
Sunday, February 1, 2009
New York Maureen v. Arizona Lori
Congratulations Maureen and Lori, who after 20 weeks, 14 competitors, 11 secret ingredients, and a small fortune in postage have earned their way to the First Annual Highlowaha.com Superbowl Snack Throw Down! You are both fierce competitors and good sportsmen (or women), sure to make this throw down memorable yet... "tasteful."

Today's business at hand...

Casting votes for the Ultimate Secret Ingredient of the season.

Newcomer and returners alike are welcome to participate.  That goes for your lurkers too.  If ever you were going to get off the bench and cast a vote, today would be the day.  

Quick background.  Highlowaha readers have been competing since September to see who reigns supreme in our Football Snack Throw Down.  Each Friday readers vote on the secret ingredient our competitors must use in cooking up their recipe.  Snacks were then mailed to Struble Suds in Naperville, Illinois, where a group of die hard Packer fans gather to judge our entries.  Together we make the perfect team.  The eleven winning ingredients were as follows:

Bacon
Garlic
Vanilla
Nutmeg
Peanuts
Mustard
Brown Sugar
Parmesan Cheese
Honey
Quaker Oats 
Tabasco

It would be no fun, nor would it be creative, to simply vote on the secret ingredient for the Super Bowl in the same, predictable way we have voted for the first set of eleven.  It's Monday - the start of another big week - and the occasion requires something more.  Instead...

East Meets West
In keeping with our competitors, one of which is from New York and other from Arizona, I thought it would be fun to do an ingredient "draft" - of sorts.  Here's how it will work.  Simply vote for the ingredient you would most like to see in the finals.  At day's end, your votes will be tallied and assigned based on... whether you live East or West of the Mississippi.  The ingredient on the East coast receiving the most votes will advance.  The ingredient on the West coast receiving the most votes will also advance.

Finally, Matt and Cristine Struble - proud owners of Struble Suds will convene over the Official Coin Toss.  Heads = East Coast (it is where the "head" of our country lives); Tails = West Coast.  The coin toss will occur at 9:00 p.m. and the winning Super Bowl ingredient will be announced right here on Tuesday morning!

The list of ingredients from which we will be voting should be somewhat familiar.  They are the losing ingredients from each of the previous 11 weeks.

Dill
Cinnamon
Mustard
Candy Corn
Coconut
Cayenne Pepper
Cumin
Onion
Mint
Lemon
Pistachio

Ready to get going?  Again, the rules are simple.  Cast your vote for the ingredient you would most like to see at this year's Super Bowl Throw Down.  Tell us in which state you live and we'll do the rest.  Tune in tomorrow to find out which ingredient won.

I'll start...

West of the Mississippi...  Coconut!

Signing off until tomorrow...

35 comments:

Peggy said...

East of the Mississippi..... Dill!

lindsaymarie said...

East... cayenne pepper!

Cheryl Houston said...

West of the Mississippi...Onion

Anonymous said...

West...Pistachio (that should be as hard to cook with as maple syrup!)

Julie said...

West of the Mississippi:
Cumin!

AZLORI: I wish you nothing but the best in this competition ... but as the announcer said last night:

The STEELERS are Bounty Hunters, and the Cardinals season is OPEN!

Thank you to everyone for their well wishes on Saturday. I am feeling better! Here's my HLA's:

H: Being home for the holidays to see all of my family, and road tripping across the country with one of my best friends!

L: Getting food poisoning on said road trip!

A: Proximity is relevant.

Anonymous said...

East....onion

Katie said...

East of the Mississippi.....cayenne pepper!

Kristen Giger said...

CAYENNE PEPPER VOTE FROM P.A.!

Kristen Giger said...

Julie: Glad you are better...Mr. Cuervo wants to know when he will see you again!!!!!!!!

Meeshie said...

east of the mississippi...and cayenne pepper

azlori said...

Pigs are flying and Satan is looking for a Parka....The ARIZONA CARDINALS are Superbowl bound! Whoo hoo! Julie....not worried about your Steelers....they are favored as every team has been that the Cardinals have faced in the playoffs...so if the pattern holds you're going down!
West of Mississppi...Cayenne pepper.

Jess said...

Cumin for me!

Katie said...

Cheryl, My S.W.A.K. is in an envelope and ready to be mailed to you tomorrow! Go Cheryl!!!

Kat said...

West...Onion!

Cheryl Houston said...

Thanks Katie!! Can't wait to get it!

Anonymous said...

east...coconut

julie, glad you are feeling better! and GO STEELERS!!!

cheryl, what did you decide about swak paper?

Cheryl Houston said...

Cassie- on your first SWAK pick any paper you want with a minimum size of 4" x 4". Mail it to me- preferably flat.

2710 Knoll Trail
Euless, TX 76039

Be sure to include your name and address because I am going to turn around and send you a piece of art paper for a second SWAK.

Don't be afraid to put your lip prints over a printed piece of paper. Be as creative as you want on the first one. :)

Anonymous said...

I'm going with my gut for coconut!
Robin from KY

Anonymous said...

YAY! thanks cheryl. I will be gettin my SWAK in the mail to you tomorrow!

Claudia @ Highlowaha said...

Update: East has cast 9 votes. Cayenne Pepper is in first place with Coconut a close second.

West has 5 votes with Onion currently in second place.

If the coin flip was happening this second, we be flipping for Cayenne Pepper or Onion.

Come on West Coasters. Arizona, Texas, North Dakota, California, New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah. Let's get voting. You are all states we hear from somewhat regularly!

As for the East Coast... we still haven't heard from our regulars in Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, New York, and Georgia! Voting ends at 8:00 CST!

Anonymous said...

btw, dr. b has your mailing address as "2701" on fish lips friday. it is 2710, correct?

Julie said...

cassie p i have 2701 ... but we'll wait for final confirmation from cheryl herself :)

kristen, it wasn't mr. cuervo that i met fri night, but i'm sure i'll be meeting him in mexico in march.

Cheryl Houston said...

My old phone number in Utah ended as 2710 and I do that ALL the time!

The correct address is:
2701 Knoll Trail
Euless, TX 76039

Anonymous said...

THANKS. sorry for all the confusion clogging up the blog today!

maureen said...

East votes for Cayenne pepper!!!!

Besides they like it " spicy" at Struble Suds!!!

Claudia the last entry cost me $50 to get there on time so PLEASE..... I need more time!

Have a great day HLA

Cheryl Houston said...

Maureen & Lori.

We went and painted the Super Bowl trophy. I can't wait to see it all complete! One of you is going to own it. It's just so exciting!! I can't stand it.

Claudia @ Highlowaha said...

Maureen...

Tune in TOMORROW to find out the secret ingredient. That will be 12 days before the actual Super Bowl and probably 9 days before your entry needs to be mailed!

Claudia @ Highlowaha said...

Come on West Coast!!!!! Any other voters out there?!!?

Anonymous said...

Cayenne Pepper. We at Struble Suds like it spicy (and the same with our food).

Misty said...

West of the Mississippi...Mustard I think I am 4 minutes late I was busy reading all the fun stuff

Claudia @ Highlowaha said...

Misty... is that you?!?!?!

If so, I am so glad you joined us. Come again and bring those fun friends of yours!!! I had a great time on Saturday.

azlori said...

I'm so excited to see the trophy....I think we need a runner up one too.....

Cheryl Houston said...

Now your just pushing your luck!

;)

Brian K. Root said...

wow... i didn't have to work yesterday, so it felt like a weekend... so i forgot to check in at HLA.

i'm east, and would have voted for Lemon - but it looks like that doesn't matter too much.

Misty said...

It is me..I am a so happy you had a great time. Loved having you and Cheryl there!!!!!