Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer are in the process of stockpiling some new Cubs who hopefully are better than the soon to be ex-Cubs.
But for some reason I feel like nothing really important will happen until the Matt Garza trade happens.
The Blue Jays or Yankees or maybe Boston are interested and trying to figure out a mondo deal that may involve even more teams, so the Cubs can continue their Cub Reload.
Why do I think it's gonna happen?
Because everyone's talking about it, Castro's out of bounds, the Cubs have no other attractive pieces to trade and Theo needs more bodies to build with.
It's making my brain hurt.
So I'd rather think about this incredible pie I had while we were shooting a commercial recently.
Banoffee Pie.
The name is a combo of "banana" and "toffee", and it's apparently a big deal in British tv production.
On a shoot, breakfast and lunch are always served by a caterer.
Wherever you are, they come with a food truck and never cease to amaze with what they serve.
And if you're a caterer for production in England, this is basic stuff - you'd better make an incredible Banoffee Pie or else.
Kinda like you better be able to catch a fly ball if you want to be a Cub nowadays.
Our shoot had a British director (Rocky Morton), was produced by a British producer (Diane Jackson), and headed up by our CCO Ewan Paterson who's Scottish but an ex-Londoner so, you know, it was all British.
(You may remember Di as the architect of the best commercial shoot production prank ever - the one with me as the prankee.)
They arranged for the caterer (British) to make a Banoffee pie.
Of course I thought it was another of Di's tricks, but I promise it's not.
I made one yesterday, and I've never made a pie in my life.
Super easy but it takes a little time, so I recommend getting some Stella Artois tallboys for the down time.
The pie was invented by a guy named Ian Dowding, but I used the recipe from Saveur because the original involves boiling unopened cans of condensed milk that may explode or something.
Here are the ingredients, and you have to have one of those pie pans where the side-wall thingy comes off.
First you crumble 10 oz of digestive biscuits, then pour in a melted stick of butter and mix it up.
(note: "digestive biscuits" in England are called "graham crackers" here.)
Press it into the pan.
Now put it in the fridge for an hour to cool. To make room in the fridge, take out an hour's worth of Stella.
After it's cooled, make the toffee.
Did you know toffee is nothing more than butter, condensed milk and some brown sugar?
Condensed milk is disgusting, by the way.
Anyway, melt a stick of butter over low heat and then add a quarter cup of brown sugar. Stir a bit. Then add the condensed milk and turn up the heat so it boils.
You can't stop stirring for about 3 minutes or so.
Pour this stuff into the crust and put it back in the fridge.
It's Stella time again for an hour.
Then, did you know that there's this stuff called "heavy whipping cream" and you actually "whip" it with one of those beater things your mom used to have, and it turns into whipped cream?
I guess that's what Cool Whip is.
Then you glop the cream all over the bananas, put some kind of chocolate on top and watch your kids FREAK OUT that dad did something with food that didn't involve fire or beef.
Like I said, never made a pie before - probably anything with 2 sticks of butter in it isn't good for you.
But it's the holidays, man.
Go for it.
