It's hard to belive that Howie Long was not a first round pick in his draft class, but everyone once in awhile an NFL great slips through the cracks and goes unnoticed and until its too late for teams in need of Hall of Fame caliber talent. Representing the state of Massachussetts will be the Somerville-bred defensive end, Howard Matthew Moses Long. The 6'5 defensive lineman played his collegiate ball at Villanova University where he dominated not only on the football field , but in the boxing ring as well. In his first season at the school, Long recorded 99 tackles and later became the Northern Collegiate Heavyweight Boxing Champion.
Howie Long was drafted 48th overall in the second round of the 1981 NFL Draft by the Oakland Raiders were he would spend his entire football career. In that time, Long became the most unguardable defensive end in the game, notching 84 sacks, recovering 10 fumbles, and catching two interceptions. He helped the Raiders win their last NFL Super Bowl during the team's tenure in Los Angeles in 1984. With eight Pro Bowl invites and three All-Pro First Team selections, Long was inducted into the Football Hall of Fame in 2000. These days Long has taken his talents to Fox Sports where he is one of the most technical analysts in football broadcasting.
Chefs made their way into celebrity land a while ago. But how many celebrities that weren’t trained as professional cooks are actually whizzes in the kitchen? Here are several that come to mind.
Actress Julia Roberts is confident about her cooking skills. “I’m quite a good cook,” she told E! News. “I’m like a closet home ec teacher…I can really cook anything.” Roberts has said she often cooks fish for herself and her kids. And speaking of her three children, “They think that I’m a good cook,” Roberts told People. “They actually told me that I should open a restaurant.” She also relishes cooking for the holidays, particularly shredded Brussel sprouts. Roberts hasn’t published a cookbook, but we did find recipes attributed to her for peach crisp and banana hemp muffins. Or you can make the same summer salad the actress supposedly eats.
Chrissy Teigen started off as a supermodel. Then her love of cooking filtered into her professional life too. At this point, she’s created recipes for a limited Blue Apron release and also just launched her own home and cooking line at Target named “Cravings,” after the two cookbooks she’s released. Teigen describes cooking as “a time of peace” for herself. So maybe peace out to her tuna melt sandwich or the fried chicken wings that are a favorite of her husband, John Legend.
Lady Gaga, whose real name is Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, comes from a cooking Italian family. Her father started his own restaurant in New York and also published a cookbook. And apparently, Lady Gaga has inherited the family’s cooking genes. Her Instagram account occasionally features photos of her culinary activities. Sure, sometimes it’s topless cooking. But other times it’s more poignant like in the post she shared about her bringing food to the family of her dear friend who passed away. Want to try a Gaga/Germanotta family favorite? Check out her recipe for whole wheat pasta with a sweet fennel sauce.