UC vs. UCONN Gamewatch

 Thanks to everyone who joined us for the UC vs. UCONN gamewatch! About 60 fans came out to show their support, and we all had a great time! Bummer we lost, but it was fun nonetheless. :) Enjoy the photos!

Turkey Time in Nation's Capitol

Well, it's turkey time and Bearcats in the nation's capitol are making tracks to spend time with their families. To folks heading out of town: safe travels and try to maintain your sanity on I-66, I-95 and I-270. Just remember, getting out of town is the hardest part! For folks headed to Cincinnati, be sure to mix in some Skyline and Graeters with your turkey and stuffing, or even White Castles as Dean Johnson suggests! ;) I myself am staying local.

On that note... any UC alums staying in town want to cheer on the Bengals and Bearcats with me this weekend? I'm open to location suggestions.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Neil

CECH Dean Shares His Secret Thanksgiving Dinner Recipe

The University of Cincinnati's College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services Dean Larry Johnson highlights an unconventional regional ingredient for his turkey-day stuffing.

I am going to give you some tips on how I cook a turkey and make my stuffing. For planning purposes it takes about 1.5 hours to get the stuffing made and the bird ready for the oven. The bird will cook for about 3 to 3.5 hours and then it we take about 45 minutes to get the gravy made and turkey carved. So the whole prep time to service is about 5.5 – 6.5 hours. First let’s get the ingredients:

1 Turkey 18 to 20 Lbs
4 Tablespoons of Soft Spread Butter (Olivio or Canola Oil)
2 Eggs
1 teaspoon Celery Salt
2 to 3 Tablespoons of Ground Bouillon Cube (Kroger has it or you can Substitute Lawry’s Seasoned Salt)
1 Cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese
12 White Castle hamburgers, no pickles (two Boxes in the frozen section of the grocery)
2 cups celery, diced
2 cups onions, diced
The leftover celery stalks (goes in bottom of pan under turkey to make stock)
1 Medium to Large onion (goes in bottom of pan under turkey to make stock)
1 Large Carrot (goes in bottom of pan under turkey to make stock)
1 cup cooked wild rice
1 package of Caesar Croutons
½ cup diced cilantro (or parsley)
11/2 Teaspoon Thyme
2 Tablespoons ground sage
½ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons of cornstarch (for the gravy)
1 pint chicken livers (optional)
Kitchen Bouquet

Stuffing
Sauté onions and parsley in a tablespoon of soft spread in a large frying pan. Add celery salt, a pinch of the sage and pepper. Only sauté this mixture for a short period of time until the onions get slightly translucent and the celery gets deeper green (perhaps a minute or two at most). Next dump all of this mixture into a large mixing bowl and let cool. Cube the White Castle Cheeseburgers, bun and all, and add them to the bowl. Now add the cheese, croutons, wild rice, cilantro (or parsley), sage, and thyme. Mix together with the contents of the frying pan. Now break two eggs into the mixture and mix. Finally, add the chicken stock until you have the right texture (I like it most so I add it all).

Turkey
Empty the gizzards and other parts from the bird and rinse the turkey inside and out with cold running water, drain and pat dry with paper towels. Tuck the wing tips under the body. Now you have to decide if you are going to stuff the bird or cook the stuffing separately. I like to stuff the bird because I believe the stuffing tastes better and helps keep the bird moist. To make sure it is cooked, put the stuffing in the microwave for ten minutes after I take it out of the turkey. If you choose not to stuff the bird, cut up apples and put them in the cavity to help keep the meat moist. Cook the stuffing for 1 hour in a covered dish at 350.

Next, put the gizzards and other parts from the inside in the bottom of the turkey cooking pan. (Sometimes I add a pint of chicken livers – these are good if you want a giblet gravy and they add lots of flavor.) I add what is left over from the celery stalks with a roughly chopped onion and a large carrot in the bottom as well and cover this mixture with water (this all cooks to make a great gravy stock). Then I put the stuffed turkey on the rack and take the rest of the soft spread and I spread it all over the top of the turkey. Finally I sprinkle the ground bouillon over the top of the turkey and put what I don’t use in the bottom of the pan. The oil and the bouillon helps make a very crisp skin and add flavor to the turkey and the gravy.

Roast the turkey by starting at a high temperature and then turning it down. This procedure helps to yield crisp skin and moist meat. First, preheat the oven to 425 and place the turkey in the oven. Keep it at this temperature for 30 minutes and then turn the oven down to 350. When the turkey has cooked for an hour, get some tin foil and loosely tent it over the top of the turkey. Total cooking time should be 3 to 3.5 hours for an 18 to 20 pound bird, but it can vary, depending on your oven. After about 3 hours, check the bird every 15 minutes and take it out when the temperature reads 165. Take the bird out and let it rest for 30 minutes on the carving platter, before carving.

Gravy
While the turkey is resting, make the gravy. Wisk cornstarch in ¾ cups of water, then strain the mixture into a medium-sized sauce pan for cooking the gravy. Next, strain out the water and drippings from the bottom of the turkey pan. I do this in a bowl and then take about two cups of this and add it to the sauce pan. If you want giblet gravy, take out the chicken livers, chop them up and add them to the pan. Next, heat the mixture occasionally, stirring until it thickens. Add a touch of Kitchen Bouquet to get the right color (you can add a little celery salt if it needs it – if it gets too thick, add stock. If it doesn’t thicken after about 5 minutes of cooking, add a little more cornstarch). Once the gravy is made, empty the turkey of the stuffing and microwave it for 10 minutes then cover it and set it aside (it will stay warm for some time). Finally, carve the turkey and serve. If you add cranberries, your favorite vegetable, mashed potatoes, and a good loaf bread – you are home free!! Enjoy!!!!

- Larry

Anyone else have a unique take on this thanksgiving staple? Comment below. Happy Thanksgiving!

Hello Fellow DC Area Bearcats!

I hope you find this blog useful and entertaining. We Bearcats here in D.C. thought contributing to this blog would be a good way to connect with each other and offer some perspective about life and networking in D.C., with a little Cincinnati alumni twist. 

To kick things off... we are in the midst of another Bearcat football season, and we need to establish a D.C. Bearcat Football and Hoops hub! Any recommendations? Is there an already established locale that I just don’t know about? Did folks catch the show Dion Dixon put on the other night? Would love to get something going for Bengals games as well if anyone's interested. 

And I know it's not very "PC" to talk about politics, but this is a political town. So what do folks think about the action around here on election day? UC will have a new but old representative in the House of Representatives. The state of Ohio has a new Senator in town - Cincinnati’s own Rob Portman. Post your thoughts as comments below!

We're also always looking for new ways to build a more robust UC community and celebrate the Bearcat spirit in the D.C. area. If you have ideas or suggestions – please post them as comments on this blog or feel free to e-mail me directly. 

Go Bearcats!

Neil

Connecting NY to Cincinnati, One UC Student at a Time!

The dorms are full, the bookstores are packed and students are studying hard for their first quarter of classes at UC. It may be hard to believe, but this year’s total enrollment is the largest ever – with an estimated 41,250 students registered at UC for autumn quarter. The previous record was set in 1980 with 39,772 students – hard to believe that was 30 years ago already, huh?

UC’s incoming freshman class is breaking all sorts of other records as well. Consider this: the 3,900 freshman who will attend UC’s main (Clifton) campus are the most academically prepared ever – with an average ACT score of 25 and a GPA of 3.44. They also boast 58 valedictorians, 21 salutatorians, and a whopping 21.9% graduated in the top 10% of their high school class.

The branch campuses of Raymond Walters and Clermont College are setting new enrollment records as well, with more than 9,000 students projected to attend both regional campuses. So no matter where you look, Bearcats are taking over Cincinnati!

This year, the Big Apple shipped 160 students off to good 'ole University of Cincinnati! Do you know anyone attending UC from the greater New York City area this year? Do you have any first-week of class memories (or horror stories) you’d like to share? Weigh in below and let us know!

Connecting Chicago to Cincinnati, One UC Student at a Time!

The dorms are full, the bookstores are packed and students are studying hard for their first quarter of classes at UC. It may be hard to believe, but this year’s total enrollment is the largest ever – with an estimated 41,250 students registered at UC for autumn quarter. The previous record was set in 1980 with 39,772 students – hard to believe that was 30 years ago already, huh?

UC’s incoming freshman class is breaking all sorts of other records as well. Consider this: the 3,900 freshman who will attend UC’s main (Clifton) campus are the most academically prepared ever – with an average ACT score of 25 and a GPA of 3.44. They also boast 58 valedictorians, 21 salutatorians, and a whopping 21.9% graduated in the top 10% of their high school class.

The branch campuses of Raymond Walters and Clermont College are setting new enrollment records as well, with more than 9,000 students projected to attend both regional campuses. So no matter where you look, Bearcats are taking over Cincinnati!

This year, Chicagoland shipped 96 students off to good 'ole University of Cincinnati. Last year, we sent 19 students to Cincy, with the College of Allied Health Sciences attracting seven, followed by Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning with four and Education, Criminal Justice and Human Services with three.

Do you know anyone attending UC from Chicago this year? Do you have any first-week of class memories (or horror stories) you’d like to share? Weigh in below and let us know!

What is 1819? UC Staffers Explain!