I apologize that once again my picks are so late this week. I planned on them being up Christmas Eve or Day but I traveled over the river and through to the state of Florida to the land of no internet access for the week. That was…..swell.

So here are my NFL Week 16 picks. Though I don’t really know why I insist on doing them every week. I kinda suck this season. Every team I pick either loses or plays so horribly they should have lost. Last week for example…. it was the first week I did not pick the Detroit Lions to win (in case you didn’t know, the Lions kinda suck and never win, but I like to give these guys a chance) since they were playing against my Arizona Cardinals. And don’t you know, Arizona played like poo and the Lions almost won. They didn’t. But still.

So consider that example as my weekly disclaimer to not take my word or picks as a reason to put money on a game. Not a good idea.

NFL Week 16 1:00pm Games

• Buffalo Bills vs Atlanta Falcons Falcons Oh. wait actually, I think I’ll go with Buffalo. Two of my fave people in the world are from Buffalo and one is actually up there right now for the holidays. And her b’day is the day after Christmas.
• Kansas City Chiefs vs Cincinnati Bengals Bengals Does anyone even care about this game? I know I don’t
  
• Oakland Raiders vs Cleveland Browns Raiders My love for them is strong this year. Well kinda. It’s not like I can name a single player on the team….
  
• Seattle Seahawks vs Green Bay Packers Seahawks All because I am still reading the Twilight Saga and they mention Seattle a lot. I know the Packers can, and most likely will, destroy them but I don’t care.
• Houston Texans vs Miami Dolphins Dolphins Cuz I live in Florida. Although I’ve always wanted to go to Houston and get me a strappin’ young Texan…..
• Carolina Panthers vs New York Giants Giants. I do kinda like the Panthers but not enough to go against all of my friends on Facebook.
• Jacksonville Jaguars vs New England Patriots Patriots Cuz I still don’t think of Jacksonville as a big name NFL football team. Cuz it’s Jacksonville. In my mind it’s like having the Albany Firebirds playing the Patriots. In other words, a massacre.
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs New Orleans Saints Saints  I should pick Tampa Bay just because I feel bad for these little guys. No one is going to pick them this week.
• Baltimore Ravens vs Pittsburgh Steelers Ravens I am going to be a very happy girl when one of my fave teams takes down my least fave team!

NFL Week 16 4:00pm Games

• St. Louis Rams vs Arizona Cardinals do you even have to ask? Cardinals.
• Detroit Lions vs San Francisco 49ers Lions Like I said earlier, the one week I didn’t pick the Lions, they fought hard and had a shot at winning, so I’m going to give them another shot this week.
• Denver Broncos vs Philadelphia Eagles Eagles. As much as I hate Michael Vick, I like McNabb and watching the Eagles play.
• New York Jets vs Indianapolis Colts Jets. And not just because Extreme John gets mad if I root against them. It’s more that my hatred of the Colts is starting to match my hatred for the Steelers so I automatically pick against them whenever possible. But I do like the Jets. I just highly doubt Sanchez can take down Manning.  But how great would it be if he could!

NFL Week 16 Sunday Night 8:20 p.m Gae

• Dallas Cowboys vs Washington Redskins: Cowboys Cuz the Redskins don’t do as much for me as the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders do.

NFL Week 16 Monday Night Football

• Minnesota Vikings vs Chicago Bears um. hmm. I’m gonna have to go with Da Bears. Not because I really think they can win but because my Bears-lovin-friend still has my Christmas present and I don’t think he will give it to me if I root against his team again. Especially since he just returned from Chicago late last night.

GAME OF THE WEEK KEY MATCHUP:

Baltimore Ravens (8-6) vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (7-7)

Both are desperately fighting for the playoff spot. The Steelers knocked off the Ravens last eyar on their route to the SUper Bowl. The Ravens beat the Steelers once already this season at the end of November showing us that this is not the same Steelers team as last year.

The Ravens have been on an upward swing the last few weeks looking like a power team. Granted, they have been kicking butt on teams like the Lions, who suck. The Steelers, on the other hand, have been on slippery, downward slope.

Both teams suck on the road, each only winning 2 out of 6 or 7 games. Unfortunately for the Ravens, this game is in Pittsburgh.

What to expect:

• A fight to the death. Neither team wants to lose their spot in the playoffs and this is a key game for both teams
• A great matchup between Ravens QB Joe Flacco and Steelers QB Big Ben Roethlisberger. Flacco is young but has grown tremendously in the last year as the leader for the Ravens. Big Ben, of course, is the foundation of the Steelers offense and proved himself last year as a leading man, but without Troy Polamalu, Ben has been looking a little lost on the field.
• Yellow towels being waved around. The game is in Pittsburgh so beware the “terrible towels” everywheer.
• Lots of puffy coats. Again, the game is in Pittsburgh. It’s cold!!!

Recipes for Today’s Key Matchup:

Pre-Game

Baltimore Ravens

“The Ravens”
The Raven is a dark and mysterious cocktail that I’ve adapted from other recipes. I like this one because it contains ingredients that are more common in bars than those found in other Ravens. The key to this drink is the layer which is rather easy to obtain in this mix as the blue shaken mix is much lighter than the Chambord and they rarely break the layers unless stirred.
Ingredients:

• * 1 oz vodka
• 1 oz rum
• 1 oz blue curacao
• 1/2 oz Chambord

Preparation:

1. Pour the vodka, rum and blue curacao into a cocktail shaker filled with ice.
2. Strain into a highball glass filled with fresh ice.
3. Slowly pour the Chambord over the back of a bar spoon so it floats on top.

Pittsburgh Steelers

“The Black & Gold”

• 2 oz Blavod vodka (aka black vodka.)
• 1 oz Goldschlager (cinnamon liquor with gold flakes!)

1. Pour the Blavod into ice filled shaker and shake it good.
2. Strain into a chilled glass
3. Top with Goldschlager so the flakes float all around! Sparkly!

Pittsburgh Sunrise

• 4 oz vodka
• 8 oz Sprite soda
• 4 oz peach & papaya juice

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1st Quarter

Cajun Crab Dip

You can’t have a Baltimore party without featuring the city’s stable ingredient: Crab! This is by far my most favorite dip recipe of all time. My friend Brenda introduced me to it years ago and I’ve been serving it ever since to the delight of all my friends. It’s my most requested “oooh please make this” recipe whenever I’m going to a party or when friends are just stopping by. It’s abosolutely delicious and super, super easy to make!

Ingredients:

• 1 8oz package of Cream Cheese, softened
• 
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesean Cheese
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise or salad dressing
• 1/4 cup dry white wine or apple juice
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground mustard (dry)
• 1 clove garlic, finally chopped (I use a heaping teaspoon of minced garlic)
• 1 6oz can Crabmeat, drained
• 1/4 cup sliced green onions
• 1/4 cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese.
• Cayenne pepper. (I don’t specify amount because it depends on your heat level. I use about a tablespoon. Keep in mind though as it bakes, the fire comes out)

Favorite crackers and veggies. **I love it with Triscuits (Quattro Formaggio and Parmesean)

—————————————————

The Steps:

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Mix all ingredients except for crabmeat and shredded cheese into a bowl.
3. Fold the crabmeat in.
4. Spread mixture in ungreased pie plate (I use an 8inch round Pyrex because that’s what Brenda always used and I’m not good at change).
5. Top with shredded cheese and a few shakes of Parm cheese. Add a few of the green onions for decoration.
6. Bake uncovered 15-20 minutes. Dip will be hot and bubbly and the cheese will be browning.
7. Make sure to wait a few minutes before digging in—I know it’s hard to resist—but it takes a few minutes to settle. It will be a bit soupy at first.

—————————————————————-

2nd Quarter

Instead of picking the perfect wing for the NFL team, I’m picking a wing recipe for the time of year since Christmas was just a few days ago and most of us are sitting on a hug

e pile of leftovers!

Leftover Christmas Cranberry Sauce BBQ wings: So you know how every year after Thanksgiving and Christmas,  there is always some of that jellied cranberry sauce left over? Well, now we have a fabulous way to reuse and transform that sauce! Cranberry Sauce, brown sugar, mustard andworcestershire sauce blend together to make a marinade for the wings to soak in for a while before grilling.  Get the Recipe

Half-Time

Baltimore Ravens Crabcake Burger

Ingredients:

• 1 pound(s)  crabmeat
• * 1  egg, lightly beaten
• * 1/2 cup(s) panko breadcrumbs, (see Note)
• * 1/4 cup(s) light mayonnaise
• * 2 tablespoon(s) minced chives
• * 1 tablespoon(s) Dijon mustard
• * 1 tablespoon(s) lemon juice
• * 1 teaspoon(s) celery seed
• * 1 teaspoon(s) onion powder
• * 1/4 teaspoon(s) freshly ground pepper
• * 4 dash(es) hot sauce, such as Tabasco, or to taste
• * 1 tablespoon(s) extra-virgin olive oil
• * 2 teaspoon(s) unsalted butter

Directions

1. Mix crab, egg, breadcrumbs, mayonnaise, chives, mustard, lemon juice, celery seed, onion powder, pepper and hot sauce in a large bowl. Form into 6 patties.
2. Heat oil and butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until the butter stops foaming. Cook the patties until golden brown, about 4 minutes per side.

Pittsburgh Steelers Panini Burger

Coleslaw, French fries and an egg ON a burger – why not? This Pittsburgh Panini Burger is loaded up with all kinds of great surprises and you can taste all of the great flavors in one bite. Give it a shot!

Ingredients

• - 3 Pounds Ground Beef
• – 1 Tablespoon Salt
• – 1 Tablespoon Cracked Black Pepper
• – 12 Large Eggs
• – 1 Dab Butter
• – Salte and Pepper to taste.
• – 1 Bag Oven-Baked French Fries
• 1 bag coleslaw (or make your own!)

Directions

Burger:

1. Combine together and form into 12 equal patties – 4 oz. each.
2. Grill 7 minutes first side and about 3 minutes on the second side

Eggs

• In a non-stick skillet, on medium-high heat add the dab of butter.
• Crack egg in the pan and let it sit for 30 seconds, or until the sides bubble. When the sides start to bubble, flip the egg and cook the other side. That will take about 1 minute. A helpful hint – spray your spatula with Pam – or rub the butter on it – as it will help the egg to slide onto the spatula.

Assembly:

1. To assemble, start with the bottom portion of your bun and add the French fries.
2. Next, add the coleslaw  on top of the fries.
3. Then comes the burger
4. top it with the egg. Enjoy!!

Scared of the Pittsburgh Panini? How about trying

The Roethlisburger

That’s right! You can honor QB Big Ben with this big-meaty burger recipe!

Now, the recipe is actually for mini-Roethlisburgers, like sliders. But you could do big ones. And the picture on the side is not of the actual burger, like I usually do. I just liked the shot with the Iron City Pittsburgh beer!

• 1 pound bacon
• ½ cup barbecue sauce
• Freshly ground pepper
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 2½ pounds ground beef
• Small dinner rolls
• ½ cup ranch dressing
• ½ pound sliced deli provolone cheese, cut in half
• One small bag of regular potato chips

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Lay the bacon strips on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes (they should be extra crispy). Crumble the bacon into bits.
3. Add the bacon bits, barbecue sauce, pepper, and cheddar cheese to the raw ground beef. Mix and mash until it’s well combined, then form the mixture into small patties (2½ to 3 inches in diameter).
4. Fry the patties in a skillet to the desired doneness.
5. Slice the dinner rolls in half and lightly toast on cut sides.
6. Spread the ranch dressing on the bottom of the toasted roll, place one cooked patty on top, and top with a slice of provolone.
7. As a nod to Pittsburgh’s Primanti Brothers, top the patty with one potato chip before covering it with the top half of the bun

4th Quarter

I can’t think of a better dessert for a Baltimore Ravens game than a Charm City Cake. Don’t know what that is? Check out Ace of Cakes on the Food Network! Unfortunately, Charm City Cakes are not open to the public for a walk-in or anything. And they are only in Baltimore so if you are a displaced Ravens fan like myself, you are out of luck. But you could make your own extreme cake yourself and pretend you are on the Charm City Team!

There are all sorts of football shaped or football stadium shaped pans to make cakes with. Or you can carve your own! The picture below is made using a Football Stadium Bundt Pan, which I think is super cool!

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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