Chicken on the Barbie
We're home.
What a great and fantastic time we had. It was just non-stop laughter, fun, food, memories, and remembrances. Along with a few clarifications. I found out that my grandfather actually died of colon cancer when I was a mere 14 months old. I always thought it was a heart attack. And he was only a year older than I am, today. Rather young.
I'm working on finding out why they all moved from Omaha to San Francisco in the first place. I'm also finding out that facts can get fuzzy now and again. Families are fun.
Fun... as in.. I have been "Facebook Friends" with my cousin's wife's sister for quite a while, but we had never met in person. We convinced her to meet us at the end of our Sunday Dinner, and she took us and her sister for a little spin around the area in her bright red VW bug convertable. We did a little sightseeing and she said that Warren Buffet lived in the neighborhood. Next thing I know, we're driving up his driveway.
Mr Buffet has a really big, beefy security guard who was not amused.
Ooops!
But other than typically horrid airport and airplane experiences, it was a great time - and another is going to be planned for three years hence. Hopefully all the way out west.
So... we're home. Back to work and back to cooking. Life goes on...
I took a whole chicken and split it tonight, and then made a rub of salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, Hungarian and Spanish paprikas, French herbs, and a bit of poultry seasoning. I grilled the chicken with indirect heat for 45 minutes. I also grilled the potatoes, with the chicken above them so the chicken fat would flavor them. Spinach on the side.
Yum.
Off To Omaha
The Last Supper before heading off to Omaha tomorrow for a fun-filled Family Reunion! Doctored up tempura chicken, steamed pork buns and red bean paste buns... Quick and easy. Just like some folks I know.
So, we're off to Omaha tomorrow. I think I have only been to Omaha twice in my life. First in July, 1967 - the family vacation with 6 kids in the Ford Country Squire station wagon. Without air conditioning, I might add. Second trip was July of 1986. Family Reunion at Fort Robinson, Nebraska. I flew in from Boston, stayed with my cousin, Tom, and caravaned across the state with his family. We drove his kids crazy singing The Wild Rover.
I've been a wild rover for many a year
And I spent all my money on whiskey and beer,
And now I'm returning with gold in great store
And I never will play the wild rover no more.And it's no, nay, never, (clap, clap, clap, clap)
No nay never no more,
Will I play the wild rover
No never no more.
I am genetically predisposed to annoy and/or embarrass children. It was passed down from my father - the master at embarrassing me as a child. As I grew older, I learned first to tolerate his humor, then to actually appreciate it, and then to really look forward to it. He told the same 20 jokes for 50 years. And pity the poor newcomer who came into the house. A new audience was all he needed to start them all one after another.
He would just start all sincere and reel 'em right in.
We had a liquor store a few blocks from the ancestral home and he always ranted about them. One day a woman pulled up in front of the store and, with her blinkers flashing and her baby in the back seat, ran in to pick up a keg of beer. The teenager working there wheeled it out, opened the back door, and threw it in the back seat - right on top of the baby! Fortunately, it was light beer.
I didn't say they were good jokes.
There's going to be a huge void there without him and his two equally crazy brothers. There's a new generation out there who needs to know about the little girl who was lost in the woods for several years and raised by wild animals. When they finally found her she had a deer face and a bear ass.
And more.
And more.
And more.
(It explains a lot, doesn't it?!?)
So... Midwest Airlines tomorrow. Arriving Omaha at 5:28pm. Hospitality Suite at the hotel opens at 7:00pm.
I have a feeling we're going to have a lot of fun.
In Omaha.
Wild Rover is on a playlist on the iPod. There's a few kids I need to embarrass and/or annoy!
Rib Eye Steaks
Actually... It's a rib eye steak topped with shoestring fries topped with Bearnaise sauce.
Really.
The concept came from Gourmet magazine a few years back. They used a fast-food-style french fry. I almost did, too - we usually have some shoestring fries in the freezer - but then decided a really skinny shoestring fry was in order. Out came the trusty mandoline and in mere moments I had a lovely mound of perfectly-slivered potatoes.
I fried them off in grapeseed oil, a few at a time.
The steaks were grilled outside and while they were cooking, I made the Bearnaise.
Blender Bearnaise
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 tsp heavy cream
- 1/2 cup hot melted butter
- 2 tsp white wine vinegar
- 1/2 tsp tarragon
- pinch chervil
- 1 tsp minced shallot
- pinch salt and pepper
Add egg yolks, heavy cream, shallots, and spices to blender. Mix really well. With blender running, add half the hot butter. Add the vinegar, and then finish adding the remaining butter. Blend until smooth.
It is just too easy. And so good.
A bit of steamed broccoli for balance, and dinner was served.
This is one of those meals that just works on so many different levels. Everything blends well, every taste plays off the other, different textures in every bite. Creamy...
My stomach is smiling.
A Green Goddess and a Loose Loaf
A few days ago, a wonderful friend of ours commented that she had found Green Goddess salad dressing at her little corner grocer in her even smaller small town. For those of us with access to mega-supermarkets and specialty food stores, galore, finding a bottle of salad dressing probably wouldn't make the list of exciting things that happened, today. But I remember being up at the north shore of Tahoe back in the '70s and being held hostage to what the local Safeway had to offer. We actually did our big shopping down in Reno because the pickin's were so slim. And Reno was no gourmet metropolis.
Now... we all know that the odds of me buying a bottle of salad dressing today are between slim and none. But that Green Goddess kept calling to me. I honestly couldn't tell you the last time I had Green Goddess dressing. It may have been out of a bottle in Tahoe.
I had to make some.
It's a really basic, simple dressing - mayonnaise based - that anyone can whip up in a minute or two. And I have to tell ya. This one just rocked.
I took a couple of liberties with the recipe - how unusual - but I didn't have tarragon vinegar or chives. I used white wine vinegar and a whole green onion with all the green top. And dried tarragon.
We get anchovy paste in a tube and keep it in the 'fridge for those few times when I need one or two anchovies. But canned anchovies in oil will keep indefinitely in a little tupperware container.
Here ya go:
Green Goddess Dressing
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 2 anchovy fillets
- 1/2 green onion
- 1 tsp parsley
- 1 tsp chives
- 1-1/2 tsp tarragon vinegar
- 1/2 tsp fresh tarragon
Place everything in the bowl of a small food processor or blender. Mix well.
This would also work great as a dip!
Yum.
I put it on iceberg lettuce salads with grilled chicken breasts. I marinated the chicken in a bit of olive oil and herbs d' Provence since I was using the tarragon in the dressing.
Oh... and for all of you who eschew iceberg lettuce because it's so common and low on the nutrition scale but buy romaine hearts, butter lettuce, greenleaf, etc?!? Guess what?!? None of those have any nutritional value, either. Sorry to burst your bubble.
And then I baked the last loaf of bread from the most recent batch of no-knead dough. I do not know what was up with this batch, but it was the wettest dough I have ever made. I even added an extra cup of flour to no avail. It was just l-o-o-s-e.
This loaf glued itself to the peel and refused to come off. Half-in and half-out of the oven, I just scraped it off with my hands and piled it on top of itself.
It came out tasting great!
Chicken Soup for the Soul
Ah... ah... ah... AH-CHOO! {{sniffle::sniffle}}
Victor has come down with it, now... I'm in the waning mode while he is waxing. I guess it's nice that we weren't both down and out at the same time, but this just drags it on. And on. And on... Yuck.
So... It's time for some Jewish Penicillin. Chicken Noodle Soup. There's just nothing better.
I do have to admit that I cheated. I used boxed chicken broth, but my not even remotely Jewish Mother would have approved. A boy's gotta do what a boy's gotta do.
I'm actually feeling pretty good. Still hacking a bit, but I feel okay. Victor is in the early feels-like-hell stage.
This, too, shall pass.
In the meantime, we're drinking our gallons of fluid and doing all the right things. Back to normal in 7-10 days.
A Trek To Costco
Back in the '80s, I joined a warehouse club called Price Club. It was, actually, the first warehouse club. $25.00 membership and no-frills shopping. It merged with Costco, became PriceCostco, and, later, became Costco, once again.
When I first joined, it seemed that there really were some pretty good deals to be had. But... as time went on and the annual rate kept climbing (it's now $50.00/year) I realized I just wasn't shopping there enough to justify the cost. And the prices were no longer that competitive. I let my membership lapse about 6 years ago. Never thought about the place again. Until last week.
In the mail, I received a free 2-month shopping pass. Free shopping at Costco It almost went into the trash. And then I tossed it onto the desk.
Today, for grins and giggles, we paid our first trip to a Costco store in 6 years.
I was underwhelmed.
There just wasn't anything there I wanted to buy. I tried. Really. I just didn't need a 60" flat-screen TV for $3199.99, don't need another laptop, or window air conditioner. Or a back yard faux-stone dining table with fire pit in the middle - for $799.
I did pick up some AA batteries because my rechargeable ones are starting to die. And some florescent light bulbs 'cuz I had used the last one a couple of days ago. We walked up and down every aisle. Couldn't spend any money.
We headed to the food side.
Oreos in a Drum. I'll pass. A barrel of bright orange ball-things. No thanks. No. 10 cans of sauerkraut. Nope. I don't generally buy national brands of things in the first place because the ingredient lists often leave a lot to be desired. Seeing industrial-sized containers of ketchup loaded with high fructose corn syrup or bottled dressings without an ounce of actual food-product in them was downright scary.
And it was really obvious that I was the weird person in the store. Folks were whizzing by with their over-sized carts jammed with more junk and junk food than I could consume in several lifetimes. I did get an industrial-sized box of Cheerios for $4.79, but spent 81¢ more than if I had bought 2 boxes of store-brand O's. I keep trying to tell myself that I'm not a food snob. It's no longer working. I'm a food snob. That being said, it does not mean that if I went to your house and you made me Green Bean Casserole with canned mushroom soup and French's onion pieces that I would turn my nose up at it. Au contraire! You're cooking, I'm eating. And I could even get through the whole meal without editorializing! I'm just not going to go out of my way to get certain things...
I did break down and buy a couple of racks of pork ribs. They were a bit more per pound than out at Wegmans, but they looked pretty good. And if you look back up at the picture, you'll see just how good they looked. And they tasted even better!
I did a dry rub on them of
- cumin
- chili powder
- smoked paprika
- Spanish paprika
- Hungarian paprika
- chipotle powder
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- Mexican oregano
- brown sugar
- salt
- pepper
I then baked them at 250° for 2 hours and then onto he grill with BBQ sauce for about 10 minutes.
The chicken was thin-sliced breasts with BBQ sauce.
Back to shopping for a moment...
We also picked up a large bag of dog food for Cybil. That was it. $67.93. Wow. And we actually didn't need any of it. At least not today. And If I could only manage $67.93 in sales after not shopping there for 6+ years, the odds of me renewing a membership are between slim and none.
The Pasta salad in the photo was made by Victor this afternoon from odds and ends in the kitchen...
- tortellini
- celery
- tomatoes
- bell pepper
- salami
- cheese
- tuna
- carrots
- sun dried tomatoes
- olive oil
- red wine vinegar
More simplicity!
And to top it all off... Victor made Peach Ice Cream for dessert.
It's been a good day!
London Broil
London Broil... I've been searching for the origin of the term but keep coming up short. But I did find out that contrary to popular belief, "London Broil" is not that thick ol' slab of top round. In fact, it's not a cut of beef, at all - it's a method of cooking. Who knew?!?
And, the traditional cut of beef used was flank steak. Over time, it became a marinated piece of beef, grilled close to the fire, sliced thin, against the grain. Really. Who knew?!?
I remember in my cooking days at the Hyatt Lake Tahoe, we had a bin in the meat walk-in with marinating flank steaks in it 24/7/365. I honestly don't know if that thing was ever emptied in all the years I worked there. It seems we just kept adding to it. But it was some of the best damned flank steak I've ever had. We'd just push up a sleeve and stick a hand in there to pick a few out, as needed.
It was definitely a different world, back then. Agribusiness still hadn't taken control of our food supply and we still had standards. It's funny to think of basic, normal things we did back then that would flabbergast people, today. For instance... we used to smoke and drink while working! There were no such thing as latex gloves and we literally had cases of cold beer at our disposal at all times. Customers would buy us drinks for grilling that perfect steak or just from appreciation for a stellar meal. Make that a double Jack Daniels, thankyouverymuch!
But lest anyone think it was a free-wheeling party, we also had an Executive Chef, Peter Koenig, who ran that kitchen like a well-oiled Swiss watch. I mentioned standards, earlier?!? His cooks were clean, his kitchens were clean. We worked hard and we played hard. We had a lot of fun. But there was no horseplay. Trust me on that one.
Peter went on to become one of the founders of the Max's chain in San Francisco. He was a great guy. In fact, he hired me twice. The first time as a cook at Hugo's Rotisserie right on the lake, and then, after a brief stint back in SF and a move back to Tahoe (long story) he rehired me on the spot and had me open the all-you-could-eat Ponderosa Buffet. I learned a lot from him.
Looking back, it really was a great place to be young. And we ate really well.
So fast-forward almost 35 years and we're grilling a big, thick, top round steak labeled "London Broil". I did a bit of a marinade in some Dale's Seasoning, garlic, salt, and pepper. Basic and simple. Mashed potatoes, steamed asparagus, and a bit of mushroom gravy finished the plate.
I was going to do the traditional thin-slice-against-the-grain, but Victor said to just cut him a slab.
Worked for me.
It was good.
Breakfast For Dinner
Considering I've been in bed more hours than up the past few days, breakfast for dinner somehow seemed fitting. Besides, we had everything we needed and I didn't have to go outside for anything. The cold from hell coupled with hellish temperatures outside have not done much for my normally charming disposition. Cranky?!? MOI?!? Of course, not... Much...
Potatoes roasted in the oven, thick-sliced Niman Ranch bacon, and local, cage-free, jumbo eggs... Toast sliced from yesterday's homemade bread...
The appetite is still not quite back, and the taste buds are still on hiatus, but all things considered, it was pretty good.
I cooked us each three eggs, although Cybil ended up with most of them.
Three eggs are what I first flipped circa 1975 at The Old Post Office in Carnelian Bay, California.
I was collecting unemployment in San Francisco after being laid off from The Red Chimney restaurant when a friend of mine, Steve Johnson, called me up and asked me if I would be interested in a cook job up at Lake Tahoe. I figured I had nothing to lose and a few days vacation at the lake would be fun, regardless...
So... I flew up to the lake. Steve picked me up and off we went.
The interview went great until Norma, the owner, said she wanted to see me flip some eggs. They were famous for their three-egg breakfast orders... Panic set in. I had never - ever - flipped an egg before in my life. Ever.
So with a brave face I went into the kitchen, heated the pan, added some butter, cracked three eggs, waited for just the right moment... and... a perfect flip! I was shocked! And Norma hired me right then and there!
The beginning of five years of living in the mountains started by flipping a couple of eggs. Actually, it was the start of life as I know it, today! Had I not flipped those eggs, I wouldn't have gone to work for Hyatt, met Dusty, Susan, and Michael, moved to Boston in 1980, and met Dorrie who was just here to visit. Who knows how different things would have been if I had stayed in that house on 28th Avenue with Kira and Robert - and their soon-to-be-born son.
I wonder if I would have quit cooking and gone back to school for social work?!? It's what I actually wanted to do. I got pushed into hotel and restaurant by my old boss, Barry Beaupre, and he was signing my outrageous $1000.00/mo paycheck - a hellava lot more than social workers were getting paid at the time! It was the path of least resistance, and Uncle Sam was only paying $260.00/mo in GI Benefits for us Vietnam Veterans to go to school full-time.
Me a Social Worker. That really would have changed my life dramatically! I never would have left San Francisco. I think that's the most difficult part to imagine. Never leaving the city...
No... the most difficult thing to imagine is life without Victor. I am sooooo glad I flipped those eggs!
So there it is - my life in an egg shell.
This cold is driving me crazy!
7月愉快的四 (Happy Fourth of July)
What Fun!
Tradition flew right out the window, today. While the vast majority of the country was setting up their grills and barbecues, we had the steamer baskets filled with pork buns, dumplings,, and an assortment of Chinese goodies.
We decided that since the Chinese had invented fireworks, we would celebrate China this 4th of July. Did I mention how much fun it was?!?
We did a combination of store-bought frozen items and some things we made ourselves. We had spring rolls, shu mai, and the dumplings above for appetizers, along with a myriad of home made dipping sauces.
We had more steamed buns - pork buns, chicken and vegetable buns, along with fish and scallops wrapped in banana leaves and grilled, sweet and spicy chicken with peppers and pineapple, and rice and potstickers... There were eight of us. We ate a goodly amount.
We all know that I'm not a huge prepared-food-purchaser, but the frozen Chinese stuff is unbelievably good. It's all stuff I definitely couldn't begin to make myself, plus it all has clean ingredients. Win-Win!
In typical Tim-and-Victor-shopping-style, we bought way more than we could have even tried to cook or eat, so we have several more meals in the making!
Family, Friends, and Food. Who can ask for more?!?
It really was a fun spin on the holiday.
Grilled Chicken on French
Crusty bread, melted cheese, and grilled chicken. What could be better?!? Well... Adding some of Sarah's Caribbean Sea Salt definitely brought it all up a notch tonight!
As a rule, I don't use flavored salts because... well... they're salty. I don't mind salt, I have a bowl of kosher salt on the counter right next to the stove that I dip my fingers into while cooking all the time. But I can control that salt - I can't control the salt mixed with whatever spices or flavorings. What I found out about the Sarah-Salt, though, is the spices are powerful, so a minimal amount is needed for maximum flavor. It worked well going onto a chicken breast going onto the grill without being over-salty.
We have house-guests {{YEAH DORRIE!!}} coming down from Boston for the holiday weekend, so we've been busy working out what to eat for the next three days. Minor panic and running around like crazy before people show up makes everything just look so spontaneous and simple. It really is an art form...
Fortunately, Dorrie's a 30-year-friend so we only have to dust a little bit. There's nothing worse than actually having to clean for people.
So right now, the plan is burgers on the barbie tomorrow, potato salad, baked beans, all that sort of stuff..... Victor will do an Italian Feast on Saturday and I'll bake some bread when I get home from work, and Sunday will be our Chinese Fourth of July. We're doing Chinese food in honor of the Chinese inventing fireworks.
Perfectly planned spontaneity!
I love holidays!
Pork Chops with Italian Salsa
I've almost gotten into a rut with pork chops. If they're not braised with pears and red onions, they're topped with spicy fruit salsa of some sort. Really good, but been there, done that. A lot.
So as I'm planning which salsa I'm going to make (apricot or peach) I see two tomatoes that are getting riper as I look. And there's some endive in the fridge I didn't use last night. In my mind, dinner starts taking on a bit of an Italian theme... I had already baked some bread. Pork chops. Italy. Let's do it.
I marinated the pork chops in red wine, garlic, and dried Italian seasoning.
For the salsa, I basically made a chopped tomato salad:
Italian Tomato Salsa
- 2 ripe tomatoes, diced
- 1/2 small red onion, diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- splash olive oil
- basil, oregano, and parsley, minced
- salt and pepper, to taste
Mix and chill.
I'm a west coast boy. If you chop stuff up and mix it together, you make salsa. But this really was just like a bruschetta or tomato salad. Really simple and no-brainer, but really flavorful.
I braised the endive in a hot skillet with just a splash of olive oil and pat of butter, salt and pepper. After it browned for a minute, I covered it and lowered the heat and let it cook about 6-7 minutes. I then topped it with just a tiny bit of shredded Locatelli.
The rice was lazy-man's Risotto. I cooked a cup of sticky rice (I picked up a 5-pound bag at the Asian grocery store on Sunday) and after it was cooked, stirred in some shredded Locatelli. Lazy. But good. And just different enough that we didn't have just plain ol' white rice with dinner.
A little later on, there's chocolate banana pie.
It's 74° outside, windows are open and a breeze is blowing through the house.
Life really is good!
Salads with a Mexican Bite
Tonight was one spicy meal. From the grilled London Broil to the fried peppers, from the corn salad to the dressing, there was chili to be had.
The corn salad was a wing-it recipe...
Corn and Pinto Bean Salad
- 2 ears fresh corn
- 1 can pinto beans
- 1 can chopped green chilies
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp Sofrito sauce
- splash Tabasco
- pinch cumin
- salt and pepper, to taste
Cook corn, cool, and cut kernels from cob. Place in bowl with 1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained, and 1 can chopped green chilies.
Add mayonnaise, sofrito sauce, tabasco, cumin, and salt and pepper.
Mix well and chill.
It was rather good. The flavors and textures played off one another well. It made a goodly amount, so we'll have leftovers for lunch tomorrow.
The beef was another spice-sensation. I did a dry rub of salt, pepper, garlic powder, cumin, and chipotle powder. Lots of chipotle powder. It was spicy! And good. The really thin slices really picked up the flavor.
And then the dressing...
It was pretty much the same dressing as on the corn salad with the addition of lime juice! I wanted something to jazz it up just a bit.
Creamy Sofrito Dressing
- 3 tbsp mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp Sofrito sauce
- juice of 1 lime
- pinch cumin
- pinch cayenne pepper
- splash Tabasco
- salt and pepper, to taste
Mix all ingredients and chill.
The salad itself consisted of iceberg lettuce under spring mix, with some fried peppers, tomatoes, black grapes (love the sweet pop in a spicy dish!) the grilled beef, grilled zucchini, and the corn salad.
It was a lot of flavor for minimal effort.
Let's face it - salads have to be one of the easiest meals to create. They're really not much more than open the 'fridge, pull stuff out, put it atop some lettuce, and add a dressing.
Dressings seem to intimidate people. They really are nothing but three parts oil to one part vinegar - and then stuff added, if you want. Apple cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar, red or white wine vinegar, olive oil, grapeseed oil, peanut oil or safflower oil. They all have their own unique flavors and work with a variety of other things... mustards, honey, maple syrup, soy sauce, rice wine... Usually stuff you already have in the house. And the beauty of making your own dressings is you can make exactly the amount you need and not have a refrigerator-shelf full of partial bottles of molding science experiments (that you have no idea how long they have really been in there). Not to mention the chemicals, additives, and flat-out garbage that so many of those "national brands" seem to have in them.
I mean... you're putting fresh vegetables on a plate. Why would you want to cover them with crap?!?
And herbs! ANYthing fresh from the garden works. Anything. Chop it up and throw it in. But dried herbs work well, also, and herb blends like herbs d'Provence or Italian seasoning take all the guesswork out, completely.
No matter where you live, you should be approaching - if not already in - peak vegetable season.
Do your local economy a favor and make a salad with some locally grown ingredients. Or better yet, with some things you've grown yourself!