April 18, 2026

WEEKLY MENU 04.19.26

I’m totally there for hot dogs during the Weekly Menu 04.19.26~

How did Hot Dogs make it onto the Weekly Menu 04.19.26? It’s hockey playoff season, and “our” team, the Pittsburgh Penguins, actually made the cut.

It wasn’t something that the pundits expected. Nor was it something that any of us who saw some early-season games thought could happen. But here we are. On the quest for the mighty Stanley Cup, first round against a fierce inter-commonwealth rival, the Philadelphia Flyers.

I’ve talked about it before. When I met and fell in love with my fabulous hubby, I knew next to nothing about ice hockey, and was completely fine with that. Hell, the first time I met him, Bert was wearing a Pittsburgh Penguins t-shirt, and I asked if that was a football team. He said it was quite something that I hadn’t broken an ankle, given how fast I hopped on the bandwagon. In my defense, when we met, the Penguins were getting HOT. Even though I didn’t understand icing, I was along for the back-to-back Stanley Cup wins in the early 90’s. (Yeah, the late 1900’s. What of it?)

What’s the deal with hockey “playoffs”?

The Basics

16 teams will qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The format is a set bracket that is largely division-based with wild cards.

The top three teams in each division will make up the first 12 teams in the playoffs.

The remaining four spots will be filled by the next two highest-placed finishers in each conference, based on regular-season record and regardless of division.

It is possible for one division in each conference to send five teams to the postseason while the other sends just three.

Home-ice advantage through the first two rounds goes to the team that placed higher in the regular-season standings.

Each of the four rounds is a best-of-7; the first team to win four games advances to the next round.

The First Round

The division winner with the best record in each conference will be matched against the wild-card team with the lesser record

The wild card team with the better record will play the other division winner.

The teams finishing second and third in each division will meet within the bracket headed by their respective division winners.

The Second Round

First-round winners within each bracket play one another to determine the four participants in the Conference Finals.

Conference Finals & Stanley Cup Final

In the Conference Finals and Stanley Cup Final, home-ice advantage goes to the team that had the better regular-season record – regardless of the teams’ final standing in their respective divisions.

So that’s as clear as mud. Basically, the Penguins have to win 4 games in the first 7-game series to advance to the next round. Then do it again, and once more again. So, by June, somebody will be king of the heap. All in, a team that makes the full run to hoist the cup will have played 82 regular games and 16-28 postseason games. That’s a LOT of hockey. (I’ll do the math: it could be 110 games for the entire season.)

One of the highlights of hockey games is the food. Weirdly, the arenas I’ve been in don’t offer much in the way of warm soup or chili (odd that, no?), but the nachos and hot dogs will do the trick. A steamed hot dog, wrapped in foil and eaten plain, is absolutely a prerequisite for a good time at the game.

WEEKLY MENU 04.19.26

We’re having Grilled Chicken Cordon Blue for an easy Sunday supper, but I am really looking forward to dinner on Monday. Hot Dogs. Loaded Nachos. Dilly Bar. It almost feels like we’ll be IN the arena.

We’re trying a new-to-us dinner on Wednesday. It’s kind of a mashup between Italian Lasagna and Mexican Burritos that looks really simple and very yummy. I’ll let you know how it goes!