Snacks for Soccer

I know I don't write often about things I do outside of class, and I was thinking that I possibly should, especially if it relates to food. So, here goes.

On Saturday, I drove up to Columbia, SC, to spend time with the men's soccer coaches and team that I used to work with at the University of Memphis. I keep in touch with some of the coaches and players and I figured it would be better to see them on Saturday so I could actually spend time with them instead of just going to their game on Sunday. Luckily, the head coach invited me for dinner, and I got to spend some quality time with them. It was great!

Anyway, so I decided I would take them some healthier baked goods, and get some feedback on my baking. I made a batch of oatmeal raisin cookies, two loaves of banana nut bread, and three small loaves of super fruit bread. Nothing too fancy here, just down to earth semi-healthy snacks. They seemed to enjoy them and appreciate the thought as much as I enjoyed baking for something other than class. And each recipe turned out well, so that's a nice bonus. I did take a picture of the super fruit bread so I'm posting that for you to see.



One side note: The University of South Carolina mascot is the Gamecock, which I find to be an odd choice. According to the USC website: "Folklore and legend surrounding the gamecock are found throughout the world.The Ancient Syrians worshiped the fighting cock as one of their deities.In China, the gamecock is considered the herald of mortal existence and a symbol of honor, merit, and the west.In ancient Greece, the gamecock was the announcer of the sun and was considered sacred because of its magnanimity, courage, skill, and constancy.In Germany and Hungary, the gamecock is still considered a weather prophet." It goes on to also say: "One possible source for the first link between the University of South Carolina and the gamecock mascot lies with a nickname of one of South Carolina's storied military figures, Thomas Sumter.During the War of Independence, Sumter energized South Carolina in its fight against the British.Perhaps his nickname inspired Professor Colcock to create the transparency cited elsewhere on this page.In his preferred hat, coat, and epaulettes, Sumter donned the colors of the gamecock, and he was well-known for his fearlessness in battle.British officers commonly scorned Sumter as the "South Carolina Game Cock."But the people of South Carolina were proud of Sumter's daunting spirit.Letters and other records indicate that by the 1840s, South Carolinians were praising Sumter as the "South Carolina Game Cock.""

On another side note, I got stuck on the interstate behind a major tractor trailer accident, in which I literally turned my car off. People were out and about walking around and checking out the scene. This was the guy in front of me:



How can you resist that?

Just another magical day in my life, where the ordinary makes things extraordinary.