This is primarily a Tulane football blog, although I do occasionally comment on all matters Tulane that may or may not be any of my business. I love following Tulane Greenwave football, zing-zang Bloody Marys, hostessing cute tailgating parties, and life in New Orleans. It's fabulous. oh and I adore Mr. Hullabaloo. PS This blog is not affiliated in any way "officially" with Tulane University or Tulane Athletics. It is purely the crazy antics and obsessions of Mr. and Mrs. Hullabaloo who love them some greenwave (I say tee-ay (!) y'all).

Thursday, December 24, 2009

All I Want For Christmas

What I wouldn't have given for this to have stayed true..


But I'll settle for this FABULOUS card from #93 Logan Kelley's family.


Logan was an AWESOME Tulane athlete! Tulane Nation was so unbelievably fortunate to have Logan commit to play football with the Greenwave following the Katrina season. Logan and his amazing, wonderful family bled Olive and Blue. We are so proud Logan is graduating and future Greenies know that you have ENORMOUS shoes to fill as Logan moves on.

Remember the '07 game in the dome against U-BR? Logan sacked Matt Flynn for a safety and set up a 9-7 lead. OMG (!). The entire Greenwave Nation went absolutely bezerk. And on the next play if they could not have gotten anymore crazy, Andre Anderson runs in a touchdown and all of the classy Baton Rouge citizenry tossed their beer stadium cups at him. It was GREAT!

And then totally completely caught by surprise, Mrs. Hullabaloo expressly received this submission for the Hullabaloo Huddle this holiday season ~ a tailgating recipe from a fellow Hullabaloo-ette, Natalie who notes that she does not actually cook this herself. But has enjoyed this delightful football treat immensely and feels it should be a staple in the virtual Tulane Greenwave Nation tailgating cookbook. Natalie and Mrs. Hullabaloo at the Liberty Bowl in 1998.


CRAWFISH CORNBREAD
1 box Jiffy cornbread mix
3 eggs beaten
1 stick of melted butter (mmmm)
1 cup chopped green onions (yes!)
1 cup chopped onions
1 can Rotel drained (so easy!)
1 cup (8oz.) grated Colby cheese (to die for!)
1 bag frozen cooked crawfish with le jus

Mix everything, give it a whirl with your spoon, and then lovingly pour into a greased 9 x 13 pan. Make sure to scrape every last bit out. Bake at 350 for 40 to 50 minutes (or until you can no longer stand it). Cut into brownie-sized pieces and serve warm. Or set some aside to share with others.

Mazel Tov Greenwave Nation!

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Railgator Road Warriors

October thru November, Faithful Tulane Tailgators have to pack it up and take it on the road. Pictures to hold you over for now, but will actually write and share all recipes once I recover. That was brutal.

And the pictures will make much more sense with captions. Especially the LSU ones. That campus and their people continue to mistify.

For now, I leave with our new lexicon: Railgating. For all you football fans out there - I highly recommend road trips on rails and going to all the little football hamlets via Amtrak. Cheap and stress-less.















Thursday, October 22, 2009

Homecoming Fabulosity

We Are . Amazing Homecoming Hostesses!

Tulane Tailgating done right... starts with the right invitations to set the tone.

add Chandelier and festive tent decor

Tulane Tailgating flag is a must!

Tailgating grub should be attractively served



Lucky Penny and his Throne...At the time of the publishing of this blog post, Lucky Penny has been sent to time out to Meditate.

Roll Wave!

Monday, October 19, 2009

White Trash

When I started commenting out in the internets, letting my thoughts be known far and wide, it was mainly to salute this time honored tradition of intense humidity, parking lot hostessing, and my beloved Greenwave football, which I love so dear.

From time to time, Mrs. Hullabaloo might not be restrained in her assesments. I want all of my dear readers and fans to feel my raw and unfiltered enthusiasm for Game Day at Tulane Nation. Moses needs to add to the tablet "An Opportunity for a Party Should Never Pass." No matter how poorly your coach performs. and Moses, please also maybe add a short footnote in there about gossipping about our opponents. You know, that it's Okay. We aren't evil.

Apparently, the Houston Cooter fan who trolls around on our boards was so BURNED I had the nerve to point out the obvious and call their team trashy - a year ago - that he had to come back in 2009 and post this little gem. Just for little ole me, imagine!
"MsHullabaloo, I promised you this would be named after you for all of you derogatory spew months back. I quit rooting for Tulanes (sp) return to greatness and now hope the program goes belly up... Too bad the coogs didn't run it up... Live in misery MsHullabaloo... :D"
I welcome his hate mail because - despite Mr. Cooter Fan's attempted adeptness at social etiquette by using the neutral "Ms" - his message shows not only his neglect of proper punctuation and failure at posessives: it also shows just how classless those trashy Cooter fans really are. Well maybe he typo'd and missed the "r." I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt.

Bottom line is this: They can pretend by trying to hide their sharpie eyebrow fan-ettes back at home. But they aren't going to fool Mrs. Hullabaloo that they might have a modicum of upbringing and pedigree.

I am time tested. Mrs. Hullabaloo was a rush adviser for her sorority. I can spot a fake before she even rounds the corner into our clapping parlors.

I have to say, I did not hear one peep out of those guys at tailgating and I had high hopes for game time (unlike wheelchair man at baseball who we almost rumbled with when he started cheering Hullabaloo). We did have some toothless people who claimed to be locals randomly come by our tent and announce that they were friends or family of someone with the Cooter marching band and that's why they were in red. I'm not sure if Mr. and Mrs. Hullabaloo looked like they cared or somehow appeared to be the official welcoming committee, but we nodded politely and then, you know, talked about them after they left.

Sadly, I think they put a hex on our tent, because a wind up and came and blew it in half. Bye bye Tent. We mourned you so. Worthy of a Jazz Funeral. Ye Who Hosted So Much Glee and Daylight Drunkeness. Ah, but just one more sacrifice to the Tailgating Gods. Just means we have to buy a new one! Shopping!

I was ALMOST impressed by the Cooter restraint and congeniality. But they just couldn't control themselves. As you can see by their written correspondence.

The Greenwave came out and played some impressive first half football. We held the Cooters to 3 points before we scored 2 field goals for a 6-3 lead. At which point, Mr. Hullabaloo went to get a beer. Some Classy Cooter fan sitting in 144 called out to us, "Leaving Already?!!" Clearly he doesn't understand Mr. and Mrs. Hullabaloo's resilience. So Mr. Hullabaloo pointed to the scoreboard said, "On my way to get a beer, cause we're winning!!!" Well, Mr. Hullabaloo done went and did it. Classy Cooter fan went BEZERK. Screaming behind us like they're taught to do at Houston. Next he dropped his drawers and started digging in to the entire 144 section with incomprehensible gibberish. That lasted all of about a minute cause he and his little friend got bounced by the cops. Hope he had a delightful weekend stay at Central Lockup. We were sad Classy Cooter did not get to stay and watch the Houston kicks go "dink" against our goal posts. 3 times!

Well despite such exemplary behavior from the Cooters, we here at Tulane-nation do not wish any of our fellow opponents "to live in misery." Yes, we are burdened by knowing we are the only lucky ones who live in this fabulous city bestowed upon our great nation, A Crown Jewel City. We are alummni, followers and supporters of the Greatest College EVER. Indisputably. Beer in The Rat? Mardi Gras? Football? and Marines? Sounds like a winning combination to me, where do I sign? said the former Miss Hullabaloo back in the day.

It is indeed a chore to get up each morning as The Chosen Ones. It is our burden to bear. We know you are ALL mercilessly jealous about your sad little predicament of life. But that is why we invite you to come to our fair city and play in our fabulous NFL caliber stadium.

If out of ALL of the opponents on the Cooter schedule, you valued Mrs. Hullabaloo's opinion the most, well, quite frankly I am Flattered!

Let me tell you, I have to mention I was also SO very impressed with the Marshall contingent, except for that cheap shot horse collar on Peyton Jason at the end of the game. Requiring a new tendon from a cadaver as replacement. That glaring episode aside, their coaches did not get ejected from the stadium for being idiots, their players did not flip the bird to Tulane fans, they did not spit on the turf. This year anyways. I think Tulane manners might be rubbing off, there has clearly been some improvement. There might be something to this C-USA thing. Put all of the derelicts with folks that have some manners and education, shake it up and see what happens.

Speaking of shaking it up...Nell provided us with THE most awesome of awesome-est dessert at Homecoming.

Don't you worry Hullabaloo Fans! Mrs. Hullabaloo has got some stories about Homecoming. Our homecoming-worthy festivities made the NEWS! We were broadcast far and wide across 3 parishes (!) Squeal! Just waiting on the video and pictures to share.

But I digress, Nell's White Trash
Cheerios
Rice Chex
Corn Chex
M&M's in green and blue (this is a MUST)
Almonds and Cashews
Small twisty pretzels
White chocolate chips
smidge oil
Put white chocolate in a heat-resistant bowl and place over another pot with simmering water. Drizzle a little bit of oil and slowly melt the white chocolate. Combine all of the dry ingredients and pour melted chocolate over them and then stir. Spread out on a baking sheet with wax paper to cool. Break it all up, put into a cute bag and tie with a cute ribbon.

Serve and become The Official Tailgatress for your tailgating nation. Far and Wide. Get yourself a crown. I am serious!

Monday, October 12, 2009

The Penny Takes Manhattan

I found a companion on the streets of Manhattan for Lucky Penny.
Our famous Lucky Penny from the McNeese game flew to New York with us. Here he is pre-game at Dumpie Stadium.

What a great weekend! After the Army win, Mr. and Mrs. Hullabaloo carried the festivities over to the Doubletree Hotel in Montvail, NJ with some other Tulane fans. And We Had ourselves a Ball!

I think we scared all of the reunion-goers from Old Tappan High School, but Adam, our bartender extraordinaire tended to our every want and whim. Full service dinner? sure! Kept our wine glasses full and even shared with us this delicious Key Lime Shooter
1 oz Licor 43 liqueur
1/2 oz white rum
1 oz sweet and sour mix
1/4 oz Rose's lime juice
1/2 oz half-and-half

delish! especially after a win!!

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Wide Right!!!

We in New Orleans are Fashionably Prepared for all Weather Eventualities....

Mr. and Mrs. Hullabaloo...a glorious weekend in New York


Jeremy Williams running his tail off to the goal line...

One official throws a flag (see bottom right corner by the goal post), but we're playing at the Cheater Bowl, so it gets picked up. Never Mind! No penalty on Army. They are Perfect in Every Way.

Except when #19 shanks one WIDE RIGHT!!!! Can't do nothing about that refs: Take That!
Game Over...ha ha!

Hullabaloo ray ray!

and this one belongs to the WAVE!


Graf's play-by-play on the missed field goal by Army will forever go down in history as THE classic Tulane Football moment.

Transcript follows:

Graf: "All right...here we go again...Kolin Walk is gonna hold. Carson Homme is gonna snap it. 37 yards, right in the middle of the field, folks. If he makes it, we lose. If he misses, we win....Snap back. Spot down. Kick is away....[crowd roars] and...IT'S NO GOOD! HE WENT WIDE RIGHT! HE WENT WIDE RIGHT!! IT IS NO GOOD! IT IS NO GOOD! TULANE IS GONNA WIN THIS GAME! YEAH BABY!

Barrios: oh my.

Graf: Exorcise the Demons Baby! IT IS NO GOOD!

Barrios: one for the good guys.

Graf: OH BABY! That's all I can say! That Thing Never Had a Chance! I don't believe it! I don't! oooh!

Barrios: [more mumbling]

Graf: Victory formation, Kemp. Take a Knee! Take a Knee! 4-3-2-1! THIS ONE BELONGS TO THE WAVE! FIRE THAT CANNON OFF! Joe Kemp is on his knees in elation at the 13 yard line. He cannot believe it. Who would believe it? How many have gone against us folks? What a comeback by the Tulane Greenwave! Your final score: Tulane 17, Army 16. We are knotted up at 2 wins, 2 losses as we head to homecoming next week. Does that sound familiar? Army, I tell you, we say we know how they feel is an u nderstatement. But, Oh Well. Army drops to 2 and 3. Steve? I'm fired up right now!

Barrios: [mumbling]

Sunday, September 27, 2009

The Copelands and The Kaplans

Bear with me here. I’m a Newcomb alumna. It is impossible to not be “brainy” about mundane activities. Even when blogging about TULANE GREENWAVE BEATS THE BEEF PEOPLE!

Al Copeland, our beloved New Orleans icon, was flamboyant, brash, over the top, an exclamation point in celebration and life. In the words of my favorite Times Picayune columnist Chris Rose (not to be confused with Tammy Nunez who pens elaborate romance novels, tripping over herself in an effort to publicize her lust and devotion of every Tulane opponent), said of Copeland: “I'm a big fan of over-the-top. A big fan of celebration. A big fan of lust for life. A big fan of Big Fun. Copeland epitomized these things. He was one more guy who put his life on display for all to see, another example of talking too much, living too large and laughing too loud -- those New Orleans attributes that sometimes make folks elsewhere a little leery of this place.”

We in New Orleans Love Fun! We like being irreverent. We talk too much, we laugh too loud, we want to pull you into our spirit and might give you too many hugs, we might welcome you with a kiss on the cheek and invade your personal space. All you unfun people: if you don’t enjoy these activities, we suggest you find somewhere else to sit. Especially if you aren’t even sitting in your own seats.

All week long, The RV Brigade had been predicting a win. Vegas had us a 4 pt underdog. Louisiana Sportswriters actually put pen to paper on this. I bet their crow cereal and ass+u+me juice was delish on Sunday morning.

116 years of football history. Let me repeat that: 116 years of football.

Max McGhee, Clark Shaughnessy, Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl, SEC champions, Undefeated 98 Season, Matt Forte and you stinkers thought we we're gonna let McNeese and their RV Brigade just waltz on into our house?

Did y’all honestly think that Bob Toledo was going to allow a loss and forever be known as The Tulane Football Coach to Drop a Game against a 2AA program? He might as well have just fallen on a sword and not even shown up at the dome. But McNeese beat Appalachian State (!). They’re bringing 10,000 people (!) – is that like all of Lake Charles or what? They have RV’s (!).

I knew things were starting off on the right foot because Mr. and Mrs. Hullabaloo prepped tailgating grub, packed up the car, and set up at the dome without a single argument. Mr. Hullabaloo even found the game tickets without having to make a terse and false accusation that I had moved them from the spot he’d put them so as not to forget where he put them.

So we were off to the dome, and passed all manner of blue and yellow RV Brigadeers enjoying our fine city. and Spending Money. Yay!

There was a little bit of a drizzle, we saw dark clouds on the horizon, a slightly stronger drizzle nipped right by us and then we were in the clear for a steamy afternoon of tailgating.

I made stuffed artichokes, which if I do say so myself, I am becoming quite adept at. Stuffed artichokes are the perfect cocktail nibble food that hostesses can provide. Savory, tasty, can eat with your hands, filing, and easy.

Nawlins Stuffed Artichokes
a plump artichoke or two
can of progresso bread crumbs (what Just Joe uses)
very generous douses of garlic powder (I suggest this)
chopped parsley (fresh or dried)
bunches and bunches parmesan cheese (grate your own or KRAFT. Just Joe recommends Kraft)EVOO – bout half a cup
lemon zest and/or fresh lemon juicesome
shake, shake shakes of salt n peppa

Cut the bottom stem of the artichoke off so that it’s completely stemless and flat. Pluck off all the little bitty stems that might be left. You can’t stuff those little buggers, so just toss ‘em. Rub the open wound where the stem used to be with a slice of lemon so that the juice keeps the artichoke from browning. Cut the 1/3 off the top of the artichoke, and then take some kitchen scissors to square off the ends of the remaining leaves so that there’s no pointiness. Squeeze some lemon over the cut leaves. Mix breadcrumbs, garlic, parm, parsley, lemon zest or squeezes of lemon juice, salt and pepper, drizzles of evoo so that the mixture is clumpy and sticks together.

Take a spoon and stab the middle of your choke and start swirling it around to open up the core. Pull out the really spiney purple leaves if you can get to them. Swirl open each subsequent layer of leaves to loosen them up from the inside out. Spoon generous heaps of the breadcrumb mixture into each layer of leaves from the inside out. Your artichoke should be busting about twice its original size. Don’t miss any layer, each leaf should have fabulous amounts of bread crumbing. Keep stuffing her and stuffing her until she just can’t take it anymore.

Fill a stock pot with about an inch or two of water. Put in the chokes, make sure that they are standing up, drizzle the rest of your evoo over the breading in the chokes. Simmer/Boil the artichokes for an hour or so until the leaves pull right off and the breading is a dark brown. Refill water as needed. Take out of pot, but don’t pack up until the chokes have stopped steaming. Otherwise they’ll be watery with the steam that collects in a container. And then bring them to momma cause I will just gobble them up.

So while we’re tailgating we notice this LSU bum hovering around and Peggy yells out “HEY BARNEY!” and the weirdo actually stops and looks at us like WE were weird. So then Peggy yells “Are You Lost? This isn’t Starkville.” And he’s still just looking at Peggy like he’s trying to figure out what language Peggy is speaking. So Peggy calls out to his friend and says “Hey, your friend here. He’s lost, please show him the right exit on the interstate for Starkville.” Us Hullabaloo Huddlers were rolling in laughter.

And I found a lucky penny!

I put that right into Peggy’s pocket for safe keeping. Koozie brought a horn he’d taken to the 2007 LSU game that worked so well. We had all our voodoo in place. And then during the first quarter I was powdering my nose when McNeese laid an egg on a drive (fumbling, etc.) and had to punt. So it was decided that I had bathroom mojo duty during McNeese’s possessions. In the third quarter during a McNeese possession, I wandered up to the Claiborne Club and they were tossing balloon bouquets from the pre-game party. So I snatched up a set, sprouted horns and knew nothing good was going to come of it.

This picture is what was left of the balloon bouquet at the post-game at Henry's bar.

Somehow some very “unfun” peeps sat themselves in front of us during the game. and it wasn’t even their seats! And they had the nerve to get aggravated with us!

McNeese’s half time performance was the “Beef! It’s What’s For Dinner” song. Which is actually called “Rodeo” by a composer of the name Aaron Copeland.

Aaron Copeland was born Aaron Kaplan. A Lithuanian Jew that grew up in Brooklyn. And as you know, we at Tulane love our jewish heritage, especially all our New Yorkers. So a jewish composer serendipitously takes the name of one of our most favorite and famous New Orleans characters, created the Cowboy tune and McNeese performed it at a Tulane game. Thank you!

Anyways, Peggy, Koozie and I just hooted with laughter making silly comments such as McNeese: The Beef People! Beef! It’s What’s For Dinner!

Listen, we don’t hold back. Even when talking about our own. The only defense that Tulane had the entire game were turnovers. Cause they were scoring on every drive and so were we. So turnovers saved our game. At one point, Koozie yells out about our defense "That Looks Like a Second Line!" behind McNeese. Snicker!

If you are offended by what we say and how we amuse ourselves at a game, then don’t sit in section 110 during baseball or 143 at the dome. I have to say, however, that we are not like the idiots at 3rd base in Pete’s Trailer Park in Hattiesburg who have zero class. They are complete redneck idiots. We prefer to call ourselves “Witty.”

So a lady with a blind hair colorist sitting in front of us is not amused. If I had paid for a cut and color and ended up with “Morgus Loses at Paintball,” I would have had a chip on my shoulder too. I wasn’t sure if that was an early nod to Halloween or what, but I let Morgus be throughout the first half.

Well Koozie’s horn rolled over to her row in the middle of the Beef Song, and that was it. Morgus had had enough! So Morgus threw the horn at Peggy! Peggy tells her not to throw it at her and so Morgus goes GHETTO like she’s about to ask Peggy to take it outside and initiate a throw down. I was completely aghast.

Peggy points out that she’s sitting in our seats. I tell Morgus that we’ve let her be and she needs to let us be. Morgus continues to stand, but she was blocking Mr. Hullabaloo’s view of the band so he axes her to sit down. Mr. Hullabaloo has that ear to just tune Peggy and I out when we get on a roll being silly, but now Morgus was interrupting his view. Morgus mouths off to Mr. Hullabaloo that we’re not even watching, we’re just making fun of it and Mr. Hullabaloo repeats his request that she sit down.

Apparently Morgus was the guest of an imposter Tulane fan, cause Mr. Imposter did not do a SINGLE hullabaloo, he didn’t clap, he sat with his arms folded the ENTIRE first half. At first I thought he was a blind mute. We decided earlier on that they must have gotten lost on their way to the ballet. Because all that was left for them was to doze off and snore.

Tulane Nation has had a drought of 366 days since our last victory in football and you’re gonna sit there in a Tulane shirt in silence and be ANNOYED with the Hullabaloo?

Well Mr. Hullabaloo's request that Morgus catch some seat did not go over well, because Mr. Imposter opens up his mouth for the first time and says something to Mr. Hullabaloo. All of a sudden it was an uh-oh no she di-nt moment! After a momentary staredown between our row and theirs, Morgus and Imposter decided that their defiance strategy would be to continue sitting like mannequins in their stolen seats and roll their eyes each and every time we belted out The Hullabaloo.

So in the 3rd quarter I got the balloon bouquet and we liberated one of the white balloons and left the green and baby blue ones in place. The green and blue balloons were christened as our Lucky Nuts (will fill you in on that during baseball season).

Peggy and I took turns sucking on the helium and belting out things like “Hullabaloo!” “Roll Wave!” “The Beef People” and then Peggy’s Piece De Resistance: “Beef! It’s What’s For Dinner!” We were laughing uncontrollably like silly teenagers. We were immature. It was great!

Morgus and Imposter remained super glued to the back of their seats the entire rest of the game and turned their noses up at us on their way out. They even dissed poor sweet adorable Priscilla who had missed the whole encounter because she was busy chatting adorably like she always does. Priscilla was just thoroughly confused if they were for McNeese or what their deal was. Well, Buh-bye!

So the clock ticks down and OMG: This One Belongs to the Wave! We all ran down to the sideline and high fived the team. (pic from wavefootball.com)
I told Travis Burks to go kick some Army butt next week. And then we busted out with a final round of “Hullabaloo” with the football team. It was a moment to remember!!!

Almost as memorable as when we beat SMU in overtime in Dallas in 2007. Reggie Scott sacked SMU's QB who fumbled the ball. Green Wave defensive tackle Avery Williams, 288 lbs, recovers the fumble and starts running, but it’s done, the game's over. Mid-race Avery realizes he can stop, but he keeps running in a circle back to the original line of scrimmage where everyone is celebrating. He is exhausted from running in circles and falls to the ground on his back like a cockroach and wiggles his arms and legs in the air laughing. It was almost as memorable as the roar after The Greatest Play Never Made.

I hope that Peggy and I are like the mythological Sirens, Aglaopheme and Thelxiepeia: so that Morgus and Imposter have Hullabaloo ringing in their ears and that they keep hearing it repeating in their head all night long. I'd hate to see their reaction when Tulane has a winning season, they'd probably hold a funeral.

Anyways, on to West Point for the revege game against those weanies!

Thursday, September 24, 2009

The Dome Grove

2010 Tulane Greenwave opens at the dome against Ole Miss!

I'm really excited about this series since it will bring a much needed injection of class from those who set the standard in Stylish Tailgating. It will be a nice upgrade from the sharpie eyebrowed fans from University of Houston who dress like they just got off a shift balancing from a pole.

I'll get to break out my acrylic deviled egg platter for that delightful Southern outdoor picnic tradition. Mrs. Hullabaloo has all manner of tailgate friendly serving pieces for proper tailgating etiquette.

There is one thing I cannot tolerate and that is sloppily prepared functions (and trashy Houston fans, but I digress). That and bad grocery store or heated Sam's food served at parties (why bother inviting folks over for canned garbage?). Mr. and Mrs. Hullabaloo's biggest marital argument was the first year hosting Thanksgiving. I refused to degrade Thanksgiving dinner by serving 7 layer dip and green bean caserole. Not exactly how I pictured my first major dinner party with the thought of opening up canned goo and serving with tortilla chips on my Waterford china. How gauche and very un-Newcomb ladylike. Mrs. Hullabaloo has since perfected the elegant frizzled leak, portabella mushroom and sherry version of green beans.

Mrs. Hullabaloo was raised by a mother who set formal place settings at every meal. We "dined" at breakfast, lunch and dinner. Every day. No grabbing a sandwich with a paper towel in front of the tee-vee and everyone eating in all manner of vestments and at the time of their leisure. Momma Hullabaloo didn't actually cook mind you and she would order a complete Turkey dinner from a caterer every Thanksgiving. But every meal was properly served. and well, it's rubbed off.

I've been perusing the internet tubes for interesting recipes to spice up the traditional mayo/mustard/s&p/relish/paprika combo. Like a splash of vinegar, chopped shallots or chives, truffle salt (anything with truffle is like OMG in Mrs. Hullabaloo's world).

Will keep you posted on the experimentation with deviled eggs!

Stay Classy Greenwave Nation and party on.

"First we'll out think you, then we'll out drink you!"

Monday, September 21, 2009

The RV Brigade Is Coming

We've been hit with everything but the plague here at Hullabaloo Huddle: swine flu, hospital visits, the mormons, the dreaded Aslutians. We've survived and thrived.

Photo op of Mr. and Mrs. Greenwave Mobile.

Our adversity only make us stronger. (Our Personal Tragedy Will Not Affect our Ability to Do Good Hair.) See Matt Forte in game one of regular season. Perfect example. Jay Cutler has a massive meltdown, confusing the white and red jerseys with the green and yellow jerseys. Yes, Matt Forte wore a green jersey. Two years ago. Not that particular week though Jay. So Cutler is throwing every ball directly at the Packers. But Who Was The First To Get There and Tackle the Packers and keep them from scoring a touchdown? on that particular play anyways. Mr. Forte! 4 years of simultaneous playing running back/safety during the exact same play taught Mr. Forte that instant reaction to up and at 'em when things go south. Matt Forte injured his knee his junior year tackling a Marshall player after an interception. So there.

Well now we have ourselves the RV Bridgade trying to taunt us. Ha!

The McNeesians have taken to posting on our Tulane boards out in the internets. They're clogging up our tubes. Sayin' that cause they have RV's (!) at their tailgatings, they are ultimately superior.

Well I am here to say: We ain't scared of your stinkin' RV's! Dude, we stare down the throat of bigger programs than Lake Charles ball. We even scared LSU straight off into breaking a 10 year contract (cowards). McNeese? Puh-sha!

So in August, we had our hands full. I tell you.

First, Cody up and gets hurt on us during pre-season practice. So while getting therapy, his girlfriend succumbs to ailment. In the middle of the drama and phone calls with Nell, Coach Papa T calls together a very serious press conference to announce that 27 members of the football team had swine flu symptoms. OMG. Like for real, this isn't a funny movie. Talking to Nell, I could just picture the little couple all bandaged up in wheelchairs. And now the entire football team was running around with those little hospital masks.

The biggest tragedy was that Fan Day was cancelled. But Mr. and Mrs. Hullabaloo trugged on and made do with the Tailgating Festival.

And it rained. every. freaking. day. in August. Not just a little love sprinkle. We are talking biblical flooding. Like Everyday. I thought Coach Papa T was just gonna have to put on a wig, beard and a dress like Charlton Heston, grab some tablets and part the waters. Cause this weather was serious as a heart attack. We got $27 million donation to football last spring and the idea of Covered Practice Facility has not yet been discussed. All of Tulane Nation was having palpitations due to the turn of weather events in August. And then swine flu. We were ready to start staging town hall encounters like the radical crazies were, but with the football and weather gods over this situation. I'm serious.

Mr. Hullabaloo got to watch a private pre-season practice at the Dome with all of the special donors. He loved it! He got to rub shoulders with THE Vince Gibson, former HC of Tulane Greenwave.

So then after our Tailgating-apalooza, Mrs. Hullabaloo succumbs to the flu. It was my "weekis horriblis" (did you know there is no latin word for "week?"). I could only think of Queen Elizabeth when she addressed the House of Commons the year Windsor Castle caught fire, her children were getting divorced left and right, all manner of tragedy befell her poor little kingdom and she came out and started her address in Latin: "Her Annis Horriblis." So the week between Tailgating-palooza and the game against Aslut was my "Weekis Horriblis."

I barely dragged myself to the Superdome, barely managed to toss on my adorable Michael Kors top and cute shoes. But we managed to set up our tent with my fabulous chandelier.


Nell made this adorable stadium cake that was just to. die. for. Look, she had little fans, players and uprights!

Priscilla made her World Famous Brisket. It's true. It's famous. People came from far and wide to the Hullabaloo Huddle Tent, just to taste a sampling.

Priscilla's World Famous Brisket
Plan a full day and a half in advance (no cheating)
Oh, and if you are NOT a Tulane Fan, Ms. Priscilla respectfully has asked that nobody BUT Tulane fans are allowed to have this recipe. So Go Away Non-Greenies.
1 trimmed brisket
put into a plastic bag
season with garlic powder,onion powder, celery powder, salt and pepper
douce with a small bottle of liquid smoke
and 1/4 cup of worcestershire sauce
Marinate brisket OVERNIGHT in the fridge. Do not pretend and try cooking the brisket right away, you must marinate overnight.

The NEXT day cook the brisket COVERED at 225 degrees for AT LEAST 6 hours. Yes, 6 hours. So about 5.5 hours into cooking, make the BBQ sauce: a bottle Kraft Original BBQ Sauce; a Small bottle of Honey; one cup of A-1 sauce. Mix in a small pan and simmer until thickened.

Once the 6 hours have past, take the brisket out and drain the jus. Cover drained brisket with the BBQ Sauce.

The next home game against BYU. it rained. But not enough to run us off. Listen, Mrs. Hullabaloo has been watching Tulane games since 1991. Mr. Hullabaloo since the Perfect Season. We've endured a lot: the Katrina road games, the Stolen Game at Michie Stadium, the late hit on Joe Kemp at Houston. A little rain? Puh-sha!

I'm not kidding when I tell you that we in New Orleans are weather trained professionals. Any one of us could take over a weather person's position at a moments notice. We know how to graph storms coming off the coast of Africa, we know wind speeds, surges, all that. So Mr. and Mrs. Hullabaloo looked at the accu-radar, judged the distance of the red and orange clouds and rightly guessed that the really nasty stuff wouldn't hit until about 3pm.
So Mr. and Mrs. Hullabaloo managed to grab a few things and join the Tulane Nation that was braving the sprinkles. I wore my fabulous new necklace made by Peggy's little Hullabaloo-ette, Allison.

Nell again, provided a fabulous dessert. and How adorable it was! Nell's Delightful Desert Canapés: Green and Baby Blue personalized M+M's with "Tulane" and "Football" printed on them; on a dollop of chocolate; resting on a mini pretzel. Delish!

So since we have these expectations to meet with the RV Brigade, I've been trying out menu items in anticipation. Let me tell you those RV's have seriously upped the ante, we can't just suffice with just regular Cheeseburgers with the Cowboys.

Last Sunday, the New Orleans Saints beat the tar out of Kevin Kolb (THANK YOU WHO DAT NATION!). Yes, THAT Kevin Kolb. He of idiot Houston pedigree. Saints ran the score up on Kolb, sacking him, intercepting him until he left the field in tears like a sissy at the end of the game. Boo Hoo! Since the Saints were out in Philadelphia showing Kevin Kolb some angola-style "brotherly love," I spent the first half of the game cooking and trying out new recipes on Mr. Hullabaloo. Alternating between running in and out of the kitchen to catch the replays of 6 touch downs.

Mrs. Hullabaloo has discovered Tyler's Ultimate on Foodtv. Let me tell you Tyler did a fabulous show on Sloppy Joes paired with Butternut Squash Goatcheese Slaw and I can attest it is delish. I made a few adjustments* (the * means that these are my adjustments):

Mrs. Hullabaloo's Ultimate Sloppy Joes
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 small roma tomato, diced*
smidgen diced green bell pepper (maybe a tablespoon worth)*
teeny tiny smidgen diced jalapeno (no seeds, about 1/4 teaspoon worth) *
1 1/2 pounds ground meat of choice (we used Turkey)
sprinkles of garlic powder
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 3/4 cups ketchup
1/3 cup yellow mustard
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
some sprinkles of water if too thick*
Rolls (we used wheat rolls with oat sprinkles)

Sautee your onions and the peppers in the olive oil until translucent, add in your meat, sprinkle with garlic powder and brown, add the rest of the ingredients, simmer. If taking to Tulane tailgating, put into a foil pan and keep warm. Whomp onto a roll with some Butternut Squash Goatcheese Slaw as garnish topping and make a mess!

The Ultimate Butternut Squash Goatcheese Slaw
Half a Butternut Squash, peeled and julienned (I just chopped, chopped, chopped it into long stringy bits and alternated some parts with a grater)
4 ounces of Goat Cheese (ok, 5 ounces so you can nibble on an ounce. I totally heart chevre cheese)
2 very generous tablespoons honey (if 3 sneak in there, no harm in that)
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1/2 lemon, juiced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup toasted walnuts, chopped up
2 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves
1 stalk of green onion chopped*

Whip together (seriously, with a whisk) goat cheese, honey, EVOO, vinegar, lemon juice, salt and pepper into a froth or until your arm gets tired. Take a sip of wine and rest. Toss in your julienned strips of Butternut Squash (or my grated mishmash mess), the cranberries, walnuts, parsley and green onion. Turn everything (cause tossing is impossible) a bunch of times until everything melds together. Dollop on top of your Ultimate Sloppy Joes. mmmmm!

So I'm ready for that RV Brigade. Bring 'em on. Plus the Fan Day festivities have been rescheduled for that game, should be fun! ROLL WAVE!

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Successful Fall Practice


Mr. and Mrs. Hullabaloo spent the month of August in the throws of "Practice." We did a dry run of tailgating at Koozie and Peggy's. We braved the heat and sun to eat salty foods, wash down some beer, and shake our booties at the first annual Tailgating Festival and Expo. I tell you what, we are in shape and ready for action!


In between there, we watched Michael Parenton do some third string backup at the Jets. We are crossing our fingers and toes that Parenton continues to be a Jet, until his last dying day....

Matt Forte, of course, continues to just razzle, dazzle in Chicago. The media just cannot get enough of how SMART he is. Well, Mr. Forte has a real degree (gasp!) from a real live university. Imagine, a college athlete with a college degree. In something useful, like Finance.

We saw our first ever Tulane student sporting a Forte Bear's jersey just last week in the UC (we shant call it LBC).

My personal triumph was watching the Titans v. Cowboys preseason game with Troy Kropog at Left Tackle and Patrick Ramsey as back-up QB under center. Ramsey marched down the field on one set of plays early in the game. Hoo-ray! Of course, he tossed the ball for a safety in the 4th quarter, but we won't talk about that. That was the fault of the right tackle who was scratching his head over the new mid-field jumbotrons in the new Cowboys Stadium. You know, in lieu of holding up his end of the line. Like he should have been doing. Those midfield screens are an accident waiting to happen.

I'm sharing with you some shots of us at the Tailgating Festival and Expo. Of course, Mr. Hullabaloo, ever the media darling, was photographed the entire weekend by the Tailgating Expo press. Mr. Hullabaloo in line getting ribs, Mr. Hullabaloo tasting the results of the chef demonstrations, Mr. Hullabaloo peeking inside the RV displays.





Sunday afternoon of the Tailgating Expo, our favoritest band in New Orleans, Bag of Donuts played. They even invited the Tulane Cheerleaders on stage. It was a hoot!


And then we were off to the annual "Let's Talk Football" gathering sponsored by the Ray Hester chapter at Boomtown Casino. They had some great auction items, including the COMPLETE set of glasses from the 1966-1967 season. Alas I was out bid. I previously bought 1 glass on Ebay for $15, and the set went for $200 in the auction. Anyways, it was a fun night.


Last weekend we hit Peggy and Koozies for our "dry run" at tailgating. Mr. Hullabaloo dragged me to Academy Sports to pick out The Perfect Cajun Cooker and The Perfect Cast Iron Pan, and while I was there I found this little display of Tulane items.


So I was able to put together a lovely trophy set for the winners of our Tailgating-a-palooza. Joe got a trophy for his stuffed artichokes, Pam for her awesomest mint brownies and Stephanie for "best dressed fan" for her beautiful vintage Tulane earrings. Which might be stolen. Or so I've heard.

T Minus One Day!!!!!