So last week with the NFL Wild Card Weekend, I went 4-0 on my picks. Yes, I’m really that good!

I’d love to be 4-0 again this weekend but I’m going to be picking a lot of underdogs and this ain’t March Madness where the underdogs usually prevail.

See NFL Divisional Playoff Weekend features the “best” or at least, highest ranked, teams in each division against the Wild Card Weekend Winning Teams from each division. Unfortunately for me, all my teams (Cardinals, Jets, Ravens) were the Wild Card teams, not the Best Teams. It will be interesting to see if they can all take down the big bad No. 1 teams.

If I was only allowed to pick one of the underdogs, then of course I’d be going with my Cardinals. But that wouldn’t be fun! So I’m going underdogs FTW! (that’s For The Win in Twitterspeak)

• My Picks
• Game Day Recipes

Arizona Cardinals (11-6) vs. New Orleans Saints (13-3)

My Pick: Arizona Cardinals.

Now this one I may actually get right. The Saints started off the season with a bang and kept on running, until about November. Then they have been on a very slippery downward slope. However, they did have last week to recoup and just lounge around while the Cardinals played a very long, very draining battle against the Green Bay Packers that they somehow managed to win in OT.

And that win was not very triumphant. It was a relief. Because at one point the Cardinals led the Packers by 17 points (that’s 2 touchdowns and a field goal) and somehow managed to lose the lead and be behind at one point. The game ended 51-45 which means both offenses rocked, and both defenses SUCKED.

The Cards need to light a fire under their defenses asses if they have any chance of taking down Drew Brees and the Saints’ offense. The Saints have been the best offense in the league for the last three of four seasons, yet they have only won one game in the post season.

Seeing that I got some lip from @LizStrand for saying farewell to my Cards on Twitter when the Packers won the coin toss in OT, I am making sure I do not say anything negative about my team! I’m just saying, they need some major D to win today.

I really, really, really hope they win. I do not want them out of the postseason yet. I just adore watching Kurt Warner and Larry Fitzgerald work together. And there is so much speculation that this will be Kurt’s final year. But maybe he’ll pull a Favre and “retire” and then still start in September anyway. That would be good!

Baltimore Ravens (10-7) vs. Indianapolis Colts (14-2)

My Pick: The Ravens

Wouldn’t it be sweet if the newbie Joe Flacco could take down Peyton Manning? I think that would be awesome.

The biggest discussion around this game is about how the Colts haven’t played a “real” game in a month. They were 14-0, had clinched their spot in the playoffs and as the AFC’s No. 1 team, so for the last two games, they pulled Peyton Manning and a lot of the starters. Which is a smart decision in some ways because look at the injuries that hit the New England Patriots in the end of the season with Wes Welker and Tom Brady both hurt. But, without those starters the Colts lost to freaking Tampa Bay! And now, those starters have been just chilling for like a month waiting for some action. They are either going to come out full of energy or they are going to come out looking rusty and unused.

The Ravens, on the other hand, have a lot of forward momentum on their side. They won  3 of their last 4 regular season games and took down the Patriots last week (see previous paragraph about the Pats injuries but it’s still a win!) And last year the Ravens made it all the way to the NFC Division Championship Game where they fell to the Super Bowl Champs, the Pittsburgh Steelers. And that’s when Flacco was a rookie! Imagine what they can do this year in the post season now that he has a year of experience under his belt!

I don’t really have much else to say about this game except I really dislike the Colts. I don’t have any reason, I just don’t. They are next to the Steelers as my Most Hated NFL Teams right now. At least the Steelers I have a just reason for (see Super Bowl XLIII when they beat the Cardinals……) But the Colts….. I don’t know, I just don’t like ‘em.

The Ravens, on the other hand, I just adore. I don’t have any brilliant analysis (do I ever?) or major insights into the game and I know its a longshot that they could pull it off. But I’m going with my gut here and my gut says: I HEART THE RAVENS and EW, THE COLTS.

GAME DAY RECIPES

Today’s matchups are easy for me because over the last 18 weeks, most of the teams have already been featured as the Game of the Week. So I’m going to give you links to those articles for the recipes! *Not all teams have 3rd  & 4th quarter recipes. They were the chili/soup and dessert quarters and I didn’t have recipes for all teams yet! I’m sorry! Make your fave chili and a football shaped cake or cupcakes!

For Arizona Cardinals Recipes I’m going to send you to last week’s NFL WildCard Weekend Key Matchups

The Game Day Menu

• Pregame: Arizona Sunrise, Arizona Buttkicker,
• 1st Quarter: Jalapeno Popper Dip
• 2nd Quarter: Southwestern Wings with jalapeno ranch dressing
• Halftime: The Arizona Cardinals Burger

For the Baltimore Ravens Recipes check out last week’s NFL WildCard Weekend Key Matchups

The Game Day Menu

• Pregame:  The Ravens Cocktail
• 1st Quarter: Hot & Spicy Crab Dip
• 2nd Quarter:  Old Bay Wings
• Halftime: Baltimore Ravens Crabcake Burger
• 3rd Quarter: Ravens Crab & Corn Chowdah
• 4th Quarter: Charm City Inspired Cake

For the Indianapolis Colts Recipes see Week 10 Matchups: Colts vs. Patriots

The Game Day Menu

• Pregame: The Indianapolis Colt 45 Cocktail
• 1st Quarter: Hot Cheese & Almond Dip
• 2nd Quarter: Chipotle Grilled Wings
• Halftime: Indianapolis Colts Chipotle Pork Cheesburger

For New Orleans Saints Recipes, keep on reading below! All the recipes are in this post!

The Game Day Menu

• Pregame: The Storm of the Century
• 1st Quarter: Creole Crab Dip
• 2nd Quarter: Jerk Rubbed Chicken Wings
• Halftime: New Orleans Saints
• 3rd Quarter: Gumbo*
• 4th Quarter: Beignets*

*I apologize but I do not have recipes for the gumbo or beignets for you right now! But you can’t have a New Orleans themed party without them! They are essential to the creole life of Louisiana!

PreGame

New Orleans Saints storm of the century

* 1 cup ice cubes
* 1 fluid ounce light rum
* 1 fluid ounce dark rum
* 1 fluid ounce coconut rum
* 1 fluid ounce vodka
* 1 fluid ounce gin
* 1 fluid ounce Chambord (raspberry liqueur)
* 1 fluid ounce triple sec liqueur
* 3 fluid ounces orange juice
* orange slices for garnish (optional)
* maraschino cherry for garnish (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Fill a hurricane glass with ice. Add light rum, dark rum, coconut rum, vodka, gin, raspberry liqueur, triple sec and orange juice. Shake gently, and garnish with orange slices and a cherry, if desired. Beverage will be about the color of a pink grapefruit.

1st Quarter

Cajun Crawfish Dip

• 1 cup butter
• 2 bunches green onions, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 2 pounds peeled crawfish tails
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 egg yolks, beaten
• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk
• 1 (1 pound) loaf processed cheese food,
• cubed
• salt and black pepper to taste
• hot pepper sauce to taste

1. Heat butter in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in green onions, and cook briefly.
2. Add parsley and crawfish, and simmer about 7 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in flour to coat crawfish.
3. In a small bowl, mix together egg yolks and evaporated milk.
4. Stir into crawfish, and reduce heat to medium-low.
5. Gradually add cheese cubes, stirring continuously until the cheese has melted. Season with salt, pepper, and hot pepper sauce.
6. Remove from heat, and bring to room temperature before serving

2nd Quarter

Jamacian’me Crazy Jerk Wings: These little puppies marinate overnight in a potent marinade packed with jalapenos and Jamacian Spices. When they are done getting all happy in their spicy bath, they bake in the over for about an hour to really pack in that flavor and sauce into the wings. You are going to be craving some Ginger Beer or some Jamaican Rum!  Get the Recipe

New Orleans Saints Crawfish Burger

This unique burger comes from Mr New’awlins himself, Emeril Lagasse. You can’t go wrong at a New Orleans Saints themed party if you serve anything from Emeril and this burger is amazing! If you can’t get crawfish where you are at, you can make a regular burger and top it off with cajun remoulade sauce for the same cajun feel!

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped onions
• 2 tablespoons brunoise red peppers
• 2 tablespoons brunoise yellow peppers
• Salt
• Cayenne
• 1 pounds crawfish tails
• 1/4 cup chopped green onions
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/2 cups bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 1 egg, beaten with 2 tablespoons water
• 1 cup flour
• Essence, recipe follows
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 4 onions rolls, sliced in half and toasted
• 1/2 cup Creole Tartar Sauce, recipe follows
• 1/4 cup sliced hamburger pickles
• 1 small tomato, cored and thinly sliced
• 1 small yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 cup shredded iceberg lettuce
• 1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and thinly slice and fried until golden brown and crispy

Directions

In a saute pan, over medium heat, heat the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the onions and peppers. Season the vegetables with salt and cayenne. Saute for 2 minutes. Add the crawfish tails and continue to saute for 2 minutes. Add the green onions, garlic, and parsley. Saute for 1 minute. Remove the mixture from the heat and turn into a mixing bowl. Cool the mixture for 2 minutes. Add the 1 egg, 1/2 of the bread crumbs and cheese and mix well. Set aside. Season the flour, egg wash and remaining 1 cup bread crumbs with Essence. Form the mixture into 4 individual cakes, about 1-inch thick. Dredge the cakes in the seasoned flour. Dip each cake in the egg wash, letting the excess drip off. Dredge the cakes in the bread crumbs, coating completely. In a large saute pan, over medium heat, add the vegetable oil. When the oil is hot, pan-fry the cakes until golden about 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Remove and drain on paper towels. Spread the halves of each roll with the tartar sauce. Place crawfish burgers between each roll. Top the burgers with the pickles, tomatoes, onions, and lettuce. Serve each burger with the fried sweet potato chips

About the author: Jennifer Taglione is the owner of this fabulous website Stiletto Sports. Despite writing well over 500 posts, she still maintains that she is not a sports writer! She is however a huge fan of Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald, Mark Sanchez, the Celtics, and totally kicks butt on March Madness brackets! Connect with her by following her on Twitter @StilettoSportsJ and subscribing to her weekly newsletter. For more info check out the About the Editor page!

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