SB Nation User Blog: Megabeth

It may be the Tour de France but some stages do dip into other countries…as shall I. I’ve been foc...

Megabeth — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 23:50:08 -0000

It may be the Tour de France but some stages do dip into other countries…as shall I. I’ve been focusing on French dishes but today’s stage ended in beautiful Barcelona, Spain. That means, it’s time to whip up a Paella!

Check it out on Veggin'

Coming in next in this Vegetarian Culinary Tour de France is a Gratin of Melting Potatoes. Someone...

Megabeth — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 01:20:23 -0000

Coming in next in this Vegetarian Culinary Tour de France is a Gratin of Melting Potatoes. Someone once said, "Slow and steady wins the race." That’s true in this dish but not so much in the Tour de France. You must have patience when making this because it took almost three hours of cooking time to bake all the way through. So, throw this in the oven, then kick back and watch a couple hours of racing. In the end, we were treated with a creamy potato dish that was plate licking good.

See the recipe on Veggin'

A Vegetarian Tour de France: Baked Whole Garlic with French Bread is now posted on Veggin': The...

Megabeth — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 23:43:48 -0000

A Vegetarian Tour de France: Baked Whole Garlic with French Bread is now posted on Veggin':

The next item from the Vegetarian Tour de France Culinary Tour is an easy prep accompaniment to any meal. No need to burn ourselves out at the beginning of the tour, right? Besides, what’s better than some french bread and garlic. Just keep in mind that although this is a simple recipe it does take some cooking time. So, it’s probably a good idea to have something else going in the oven while roasting the garlic.

A Vegetarian Tour de France: A Culinary Adventure in July

Megabeth — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 03:00:09 -0000

Begin Troy McClure Voice: Some of you may remember me as the star of "The Tipsy Gal that Hijacked Podium Cafe to Figure Out Her VDS" and "She puts up with Sui Juris? For free?". But, did you know I also have a vegetarian cooking blog? (I've got to feed that beast in the back room somehow...)

In fact, I've been nudged by that very beast into a rather interesting project regarding my cooking blog - Veggin'. In the month of July, as a tribute to the 96th running of the Tour de France, I'll be featuring French vegetarian recipes. (And a few cycling related recipe surprises.)

So, even though I’ll be glued to my TV and computer watching every stage, I’ll also be heading into our kitchen during the commercial breaks. And, well, I can't just live on cycling alone for the next month, right?

When new French recipes go up, I'll post a link in the Fanshot section. In the meantime, here's a link to my first recipe - Spinach Parmesan Croquettes. Please do enjoy!

Help Megabeth Pick Her VDS Team: LIVE THREAD!

Megabeth — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 23:01:05 -0000

It's time for the smackdown! Who's going to come out on top...who's going to be left behind. Will peer pressure (fueled by beer and cheese) and chance beat out the team of knowledge and logic? And, most importantly, will this VDS even survive Le Tour? Time will only tell!

Let's get started after the jump...

A recap of the rules straight from the preview thread:

Using company resources, I have printed out every rider on the VDS spreadsheet. I have cut them out into little slips. Those riders that are not riding in Le Tour have been placed into the Trashcan of Sadness. I have grouped the remaining riders together based on their point value and we'll start with the highest and work our way to the onesies and twosies.

I will draw a rider, and then there will be five minutes of discussion of why or why not I should include that rider. If I do not choose the rider, I will draw again and I must keep the rider from the second draw. And of course, five minutes doesn't necessarily mean five minutes. If someone makes an irrefutable point, we move on. If I get silence? It will be a lonnnng five minutes of lonely sad. Do you want that?

Just to prove that everything is on the up and up, the following has been examined and approved by an in-house self-delegated independent Podium Cafe Referee. This includes:

The preparation of the slips...

The slips in wait..

The cycling-approved devices in which the slips will be drawn...

And, The Trash Can of Sadness:

And, of course, the beer, cheese and wine that will be taken in during each round.

In the comments below, I will submit my first draw. During each round, I will also let you know what point values are included in that draw. And, I'll let you know what cheese we're eating in celebration of the picked rider.

As we get towards the end, we might have to call for substitutions and switches so we don't exceed the point rule. (Word of Warning: While I did get my MBA from an Ivy League school, my math skilz still require me to use my fingers. I may require some input of which point value group to hit next for those who can add faster than I.)

So, the first question before I do the first draw.

Am I going for GC or points jerseys? (That way, I know who to include in the hat.)

Let the games and peer pressure begin!

Edited to add:

Carlos Sastre has been added to the team.

PREVIEW: Help Megabeth Pick Her Tour VDS - 7pm EST

Megabeth — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:46:16 -0000

Let's get ready to rumble!!!

Tonight at 7:00 east coast time will be the ultimate cage match smackdown fight to get on my VDS. [Sui Juris here, exercising editorial powers: and by cage match, we mean Megabeth is getting locked in a cage if she actually goes through with this.]

Course conditions: I will be fueled by American beer (because we don't need Europe anymore for good beer), cheeses from all the major racing powers, and a good French bordeaux to celebrate completion of the project.

Race details: Gone are the days where I use logic, knowledge and team strategy. In fact, throw those out the window! (Because it's working oh-so-well for my year long VDS team.)

My Tour Only VDS will be determined by two things - pure luck and good old fashioned peer pressure.

Here's the set-up...

Using company resources, I have printed out every rider on the VDS spreadsheet. I have cut them out into little slips. Those riders that are not riding in Le Tour have been placed into the Trashcan of Sadness. I have grouped the remaining riders together based on their point value and we'll start with the highest and work our way to the onesies and twosies.

I will draw a rider, and then there will be five minutes of discussion of why or why not I should include that rider. If I do not choose the rider, I will draw again and I must keep the rider from the second draw. And of course, five minutes doesn't necessarily mean five minutes. If someone makes an irrefutable point, we move on. If I get silence? It will be a lonnnng five minutes of lonely sad. Do you want that?

Meanwhile, during discussion time, I will imbibe good beverages and eat cheese from the each rider's home country. (Details on cheese and beverages will be posted in the live thread.)

So, please do join the action to help create the first ever live pick and peer pressure VDS team.

7:00 p.m. East Coast Time. That's 4 p.m. for you suckers still at work on the West Coast, and 1 a.m. for you lazy Swedes on vacation.

Here. Live. On Podium Cafe.

[Sui Juris: Christ. Aren't we glad we don't use real names here?]

Why Not Me? Daniele Bennati

Megabeth — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 01:13:55 -0000

Why he will win:

Because, well, come on...look at him. He's hot.

Why He Will Not Win:

Because I might forget to kick him out of my bed in the morning to head to the start line.

Please note: The photo above has been used with the permission of Mark Blacknell. (Yeah, he's that nice to let me use it to profess my Bennalove. I may have to keep him after all...)

It's all fun and games until you get a punch in the crotch... (Picture taken after the team...

Megabeth — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 18:48:44 -0000

It's all fun and games until you get a punch in the crotch...

(Picture taken after the team presentation for the TD Bank Philadelphia International Cycling Championship.)