Christmas Dinner!

Happy Holidays!
I wanted to share the food I made, (and the dessert my wife made) for christmas this year, as I did my best to throw down, and as it marked the tenth anniversary of my father's passing. It seems like many people I know have lost a loved one recently, and having to deal with death near the holidays can make the loss much more poignant, as well as tinge future holiday celebrations with a sense of futility, or as was the case for me for a number of years, anger and self destructive tendencies. The point, if there really is one to be made, is that good or bad, holidays are usually a time of spending time with loved ones, and I find that food can be a center for me, especially cooking. I think that many folks, while they might argue at the dinner table, or drink too much and tell others things that might have been left unsaid, can find comfort in a familiar dish, or good conversation over a hot stove. Well, that's my two cents, on to the food!!!

I decided to smoke a prime rib as the main course, since there were only 4 adults. I did a 4.5 lb hunk of meat, it took around 6 hours to reach 155 degrees. I didn't marinate it, but made a paste out of:
Tony Chachere's
Paprika
Curry Powder
Chili Powder
Fresh Ground Black Pepper
The juice of one lemon

Rubbed the whole chunk with that, seared it all around in a cast iron skillet then put it on the grill, (I have an offset smoker box, so it was indirect heat, about 200 degrees)





I served that with a Horseradish Cream Sauce made from 8 oz whipping cream, 1/2 cup horseradish, juice of 1 lemon, and salt and pepper.


Since I wanted southern sides, and others in the family wanted traditional sides, I made both.

Here are the results - I won't give recipes unless you ask, since these were either made up on the spot or I'd like to keep them secret....

Margie's Cheesecake


Rosemary and Sausage Stuffing


Collard Greens with Smoked Oxtails


Red, Kidney, and Black Beans, southern style


Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes


Sweet Potato Casserole

Pics of food from the last few months!!!

Seafood salad with fresh local grouper, shrimp and mussels in Grand Turk




Pear Salad with Dolce Gorgonzola, also Grand Turk




They just happened to have champagne pate and a great selection of meats and cheeses too.




Simple fare, pear topped pork chop, asparagus with parmigiano reggiano and basil couscous




Cupcakes my wife made for our daughter's 2nd birthday.




Curried potatoes for the grill.





Heirloom tomato pizzas




Hello, I'm a leg of lamb stuffed with garlic and herbs. I'm about to be smoked for 8 hours...




Nothing like dirt and worm cupcakes!




Evil vampire watermelon filled with punch - lemon lime seltzer, vodka, watermelon innards and orange sherbet. Yes!!!

I'm 'a bloggit sucka

Okay so I've not written in a ludicrously long time. And I'm breaking that silence with two grammatically incorrect sentences in a row.

All sorts of things have happened in the interim, but the biggest news has to do with our family. We are currently 20 weeks into being pregnant with our next baby! We may find out on Monday what the gender is, the last two ultrasounds were either too early or the wee one was covering it's genitalia with their hand. My wife is happy and healthy and so is the fetus, so all is well.

Also new since last time, I got a fantastic job working in a coffee shop. I know for many people that might not be the ideal career move, but stay with me here. I am making more money than the supervisors at my last company, I work two blocks from my house, and I am one of four employees, two of whom are the owners. I started as the business opened, so I am considered family, (their words) and have an equal contributing opinion on all food or beverage decisions. I was the only one with extensive coffee knowledge, and they realize my value, so it works out for all concerned. This also allowed us to donate our junker car and cut back on insurance, fuel, and even food costs as I get a comp meal with every shift. Overall we're living on a little bit less, but the absence of work related stress for me is more than worth it for our whole family.

Rather than continue with a list of all the crazy things happening in our lives in the last few months, I'll write out an incredibly simple but very good fall recipe, and promise to write more regularly from now on.

Traditional crock pot pea soup!!

One 1-lb bag of split peas
2-3 carrots, chunked up to your preference
1/4 - 1/2 an onion, chopped
4-6 oz pre-cooked ham, diced or a small piece of salt pork

After rinsing peas, (sometimes there are little stones so inspect them well) place all ingredients in the crock pot. Ours is really big, so we usually double this recipe.
Pour in 7 or 8 cups of water.
Cook on low for 10 hours, stir and serve with fresh ground pepper.
This makes quite a bit of food.
This is a very basic version, play around with the proportions to get the consistency and flavor you like. If you want it veggie, put a little liquid smoke in it, you could also substitute smokey tempeh, but I wouldn't put it in until the last couple of hours, as it might disintegrate.

Cheers, I'll post soon with pictures of my latest brews and food that we have made in the last few months. Also I'm changing my brewing process so I'll do a step by step of the next ale I make with pictures.
Thanks for reading!

Been a few days...

Well today I bottled 2 cases of a 3-hop IPA, and bagged up 118 wings to marinate for the contest on Saturday. I have a couple leads in the job hunt, but nothing that's knocking my socks off just yet. Since I promised twice and haven't delivered I'll give a brief recount here of my first tangible memory. I hope this is at least a bit entertaining, if not the glimpse into my early psyche that I'm sure you all are hoping for...

When I was just about to turn three, my parents went to take a look at at house that they would eventually buy. I know that they seriously considered another house, one that was located on a farm, but the location and affordability, along with a certain amount of charm helped this 3 bedroom brick ranch win the day. The house is located on an acre of wooded property, half of which is a steep hill from the front porch down to the the street. The back half is cleared in the center with a barn, and at the time, a compost heap/dog-run sans dogs. Like I said, it was quite charming. My memory consists of seeing the house for the first time, and going into the backyard where a little boy was playing with a fire engine. This wasn't your average toy, this was a beautiful thing that people are too dumb to manufacture anymore. Not only could you sit in the fire engine, but it had pedals! It also had a ladder that could be elevated and turned with the help of a couple nifty looking cranks. The best part - all metal! My little heart raced in anticipation. I wanted to get in that thing and take off, sirens blazing! My guess is that the other child was about three or four also because he wasn't having a bit of the whole sharing thing. I asked my parents if I could go in the fire engine and they said that I had to ask permission from the little boy. He said maybe when he was finished. I knew that we didn't have all day - my parents weren't going to wait around just so I could have a turn on the most awesome piece of machinery I had heretofore laid my eyes on. I distinctly remember asking why his parents didn't make him share. My parents explained that he didn't have to and then the rest dissolves into a haze of frustration and tears.

What strikes me now is the absence of my brother from this memory. Knowing him, he might have thrown the kid out of the fire engine just to teach him a lesson, but I've never remembered him being there, and he doesn't remember it either. Pity my parents aren't around to ask...

Well that's the first therapy session, not too explicit or painful, those memories will surface as time progresses. Stay tuned for news of the contest, (again Saturday from 12-2 at Sweetbytes in Ambler, PA) and I'll most probably be cooking something tasty for Mother's day.

Cheers!

Friday night recipes, looking for inspiration for tomorrow's cookout...

Last night's menu had a southwestern theme, as evidenced by the pictures previously posted.

There were three items on the menu, I tried to keep things simple and focused on a fresh taste, although things got a little salty in the meat department...

1. Short Ribs

I did a very simple dry rub for these, they came out well but would have profited from a longer marinating time, (perhaps overnight). For 4 lbs of ribs, I used
1/3 cup Tony Chachere's
1/4 cup coarse sea salt
1 tbsp lime peel (dried)
1 tbsp dried ancho chiles
Vigorous grinding of black pepper

If you can't find Chachere's, you can substitute salt and cayenne, about 1/2 and 1/2, but I suggest the real deal, it's essential in my kitchen.

2. Veggie Skewers

2 yellow squash, 3/4 inch slices
1 yellow, 1 red and 1 orange bell pepper, cut into large chunks
1 large onion, yellow or white cut in about 8 pieces
15 garlic cloves, cleaned and whole
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup soy sauce, (I use braggs liquid aminos most of the time)
1/4 cup cilantro leaves

Toss all ingredients in a bowl, marinate 1-3 hours in refrigerator. Soak wooden skewers prior to use. I like to let guests make their own, especially fun trying to skewer the garlic cloves...


Once the above items are marinating, it's time to make the guacamole. This will give you something to accompany the beer you are no doubt drinking. Once this is complete all that's left is to set fire to things, so you can put away the knives and enjoy a nice IPA (Smuttynose) or a Vienna style ale like Negro Modelo.


3. Fresh Guacamole

1 whole bunch of cilantro - dried is not an option - no fresh cilantro, no guacamole!!!
1 red onion, diced
8 cloves garlic, diced
4 avocados, chopped (if you want to see the quickest way to get chopped avocado let me know - I'll post a video)
2 small to medium tomatoes, chopped
1-2 jalapenos, chopped, seeds included
Juice of two limes

All ingredients go in a bowl - you can mix with a fork if you like, or use your hands for a great tactile experience. Just remember to wash your hands before and after - jalapeno juice rubbed into an eye is not an experience to have if it can be avoided!!
I won't enter into the perfect chip debate, but whatever is your favorite that can stand up to some weight - as you can see below the Nana's strips were a bit fragile....



Finally, I am looking for ideas for a cookout tomorrow. I might be on unfamiliar turf, so the menu needs to be portable, and adaptable to whatever tools are available. I'll let you know how it goes!!!!

Pictures from last night's grilling, recipes to follow!

Double Boiler heating up oil while hardwood charcoal burns down





Short ribs mostly done, skewers halfway, melted monterey jack.




Guacamole was so thick it broke the chip!




My daughter made quite a dent!!! (we ate some too)

Challenge!! May 8th from Noon to 2pm at Sweet Bytes

With a stake put up by my mother-in-law I will be throwing down the gauntlet in the category of wings!!! Come cheer me on if you are so inclined, $5 will get you all the wings, potato salad and brownies/blondies you can eat. The challenge is not only against other local competitors but against the cafe itself, and these southern ladies know their cooking!

I'm a trifle concerned, but I think I'll show well, as I have a few strategies in mind. I'll keep you all updated and post my recipe on the morning of, once it's safely too late for duplication...

In other food news, I'm grilling up some short ribs this afternoon, dry rubbed with lots of heat and then finished with monterey jack and lime juice. These will be accompanied by skewers of red onion, squash, bell pepper and garlic all doused in cilantro and soy sauce. Most importantly I'm doing a fresh creamy guacamole for munching during the grilling process.

I'm not really a recipe kind of guy, but this blog seems like the perfect tool to change my ways. I will keep track of proportions today to the best of my abilities and then put them up later. This may of course be hampered by the number of beers I consume while cooking, hopefully I'll know how to interpret my scrawled, stained, alcohol soaked references.

Also on the radar, brewing beer tomorrow! I actually have a batch in the primary fermenter now, but it seems like a loss, as the yeast fizzled after only three days. It's going to get bottled anyway - even bad beer is still beer. Tomorrow will be an attempt at the same recipe just with more liquid malt and a dry yeast.

Pictures of tonight's dinner, and tomorrow's brewing will be posted as available.

Also I believe that I might rattle off an account of my earliest childhood memory tonight if I have enough time - not very traumatic but then again I'm no psychologist...

Is this a mid life crisis?

Well, here's my first entry, written at a terrifying crossroads in my life.

Today is my second day of official unemployment. I have done the unthinkable in this day and age, and given up a good paying job in the pursuit of simplicity and family time. Although I haven't begun to panic yet, the job search has not been going very well, and I only have 3 weeks of paid time off to tide me over until we begin to slide into the abyss.

It's unreal to be putting this down in black and white, but here I am, 34 years old with an amazing wife and daughter, a mortgage, a car payment, and the possibility of another child looming on the horizon. That's right, we're putting the birth control aside and letting nature take it's course. All with only my wife's income until I find something that I can do with a regular schedule, no nights.

How did I get to this place and time? Some days even I don't believe it. Six years ago I was mourning the loss of my mother, only three years following my father's death. Five years ago I was a couple months into dating my wife-to-be, living in New Orleans making coffee for cash under the table.

In my life, I've been to hundreds of places but never left the continent, gone from well to do to homeless and back again, been as high as you can get and as low as I can fathom, and through it all have had the luck to eat some amazing food, meet some unique people and find my true love.

I'm going to try to split this blog into 2 categories, the past and the present. The past will focus on some of my most memorable life experiences. I will try to relate them as accurately and as unfiltered as possible, so if you're squeamish, under 16 without a parent over your shoulder, or easily offended, skip these and focus on the present. In order to compete with the lurid details of my past, I'll keep the blogs about my present focused on the foods I love, what I'm cooking, and any events, milestones, silly stories or otherwise interesting happenings relating to my most rewarding career, fatherhood.

And now, back to cleaning up toys and searching for jobs - tomorrow I'll begin an account of my early childhood. Do you think that this counts as therapy?