Edging both Carson Wentz and defensive lineman Gary Larsen out, Phil Hansen is the NFL king of North Dakota. Hailing from Oakes, North Dakota, Phil Hansen played his collegiate football in his home state at North Dakota State University where he set regular-season records for most sack (41) and pass break ups (32). Despite starting on two Division II National Championship teams in 1988 and 1990, Hansen was selected 54th overall by the Buffalo Bills in the second round of the 1991 NFL Draft.
The agile defensive end went on to play all eleven seasons of his NFL career with the Buffalo Bills and was an intergal contributor to the team's final two consecutive trips to the Super Bowl from 1992-1994. Surprisingly, Hansen was never able to notch any Pro Bowl honors despite racking up a total of 634 tackles and 61.5 sacks throughout his lengthy career. A little more than decade after retiring in 2001, Hansen ran as a Republican for Minnesota in 2012. Unfortunately, he lost a close race to Kent Eken, but we're positive Hansen wouldn't lose to him on the football field.
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.