How to spell yum.

1) Go to the Cottage Place with the family.
2) Our 12 year old daughter ordered the Salmon Linguine with a sparkling cider - served in a fancy champagne flute. The cider, not the entree`.
3) Patty ordered the beef stroganoff
4) I ordered the spinach and goat cheese strudel
5) Wine was a Tobin James Zinfandel. Hey, it went with both mine and Patty's entrees.
6) Dessert: Daughter: Creme Brulee, Wife: Creme Brulee, Me: Pear Flambe`

7) It is so cool to have a daughter that has manners and a gourmet palate.

As If I Needed Another Reason To Drink Beer The Color Of Old Motor Oil

Fun Fact Number Next:

Guinness Stout has fewer calories per gram (or ounce) than Bud Light.

The bad, the good, the bad, the good and the ugly.

Father's Day Dinner Adventure:

The bad: For diner tonight, we thought we would go to Buffalo Wild Wings and have a simple and affordable dinner. We were seated at a table with several layers of a cola and beer shellac. My menu had the associated stickiness. This was no problem as I could ignore the menu, and when the waitress stopped by, I would ask for the table to be wiped off. At least 2 waiters passed by several times without acknowledging us or responding to our signals. In their defense, I doubt they noticed. After 15 minutes we left...

The good: for Busters. Within 10 minutes we were seated at a clean table and were enjoying the bread and water/drink orders. I ordered the crab cakes with a spinach salad and fresh vegetables, and a Merlot. Patty and Kim split the shrimp. Patty had a salad, Kim had soup; both had veggies. Desert came. Kim had the chocolate mousse, Patty and I each had the creme brulee. It was awesome, but...

The bad: terribly unhealthy. But it was...

The good: damn good. Seriously damn tasty. No foolin'. It came with a strawberry garnish. Fresh fruit is healthy, therefore good. Then the check came.

The ugly: We spent 3X as much as we would have at Buffalo Wild Wings. Not to mention, it will take a whole bottle of Crestor and Niaspan to undo the damage to my arteries.

But What Happened The "P?"

Awhile ago a friend gave a gift of 3 sample bottles of Jameson that she bought during a trip to Ireland. I had the final one this evening to celebrate finishing taxes. I have decided it is impossible to spell Crested Ten without the letter "o" as in smooth. Or maybe it should be smth because Jameson used all the O's.

Thanks H!!

Ask Not!

50 years ago today, President Kennedy created a program that changed my life in ways that still amaze me. 24 years ago, I entered into that program and served in Thailand as a member of the United States Peace Corps. I would also like to thank all those who have served, are serving, and will serve in the armed forces. They are the ones whose sacrifices allowed me to serve in the manner I did. I left the Peace Corps smarter, more resourceful, more confident, and goal oriented than when I entered. Along the way, I helped a village do the same. It was a phenomenal experience with emotional highs and lows. Serious highs and lows. Although I left wondering if I had made a difference, when I visited 5 years later I realized that I did. I also realize the difference they made in me. It really is "The toughest job I'll ever love."

In other news, there have been requests for the "cod with chorizo" recipe, so here is the link: http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/baked_cod_with_chorizo_white_beans.html

Happy Noshing!

A Piece Of Cod Is Not A Codpiece

I had already decided to make cod for dinner tonight, but had no idea just how I would prepare it. A simple poaching in foil was too boring Breading and baking? No. frying, no. Grilling? No. Google to the rescue: Cod with chorizo and white beans! I used hot Italian sausage instead of chorizo just because. I entered into the process with great trepidation. As it turns out, it is really good. One makes a "sauce" with tomatoes, a LITTLE BIT (60g) of sausage, some white wine and white beans. This is then baked with the cod. YUMMY! try it.

Dive Right In

Kim had her birthday party a couple of weeks ago, and I have been too lazy to post anything about it till now. We went bowling and all had a great time. This year she requested a "swimming pool" cake with her diving from a "3 meter" board. No, the board is not to scale.

Corrupt Chimichangas and Girl Scouts in Congress

I could not decide weather to blog about inane daily activities, or take a political stance tonight, so I will do both.

For dinner tonight I decided to corrupt the general chimichanga by using multi grain tortillas, ground turkey, and mashed garbanzo beans instead of the standard ingredients. This was followed by a simply pan fry. The result was a light, clean taste, but still filling and satisfying. Of course there was cheese. I'm not THAT odd. After dinner, I contemplated the delightful congress we have. I have concluded that our congress is so ineffective that it could not pass a bill involving no public funds that would provide any U.S. citizen that wanted any, either a FREE box of Girl Scouts Thin Mint cookies or a bag of jelly beans. The Republicans would balk at the bill because it is the individual's responsibility to buy their own damn sweets; the federal government should not take care of our snacking needs. The Democrats would throw a fit because the cookies and jelly beans are not all natural and/or organic. That and Ronald Reagan liked Jelly Beans.

Gotta Have Soul

Last night I took a risk and introduced our daughter to a type of fish she has never tasted - sole. It was a pretty safe bet as she likes salmon, lobster tail and cod. She even tolerates cod in lutefisk form. The difference is that I used a little Parmesan cheese in the coating before baking it, so I was a little unsure of what the end result would be. She had two pieces at dinner and another two for an evening snack. I guess she liked it. Now she is asking for scallops.

It's not delivery - It's homemade!

Our daughter wanted a pizza for dinner, but knew we could not order one because the weather was lousy and delivery was not an option. She didn't even want to deal with driving a mile down the hill to the Mountainaire Tavern to pick one up. She was quite upset until I pointed out that we could make one. She even helped. And what a help she was.

How To Flip Lefse

Kim demonstrates how to flip lefse. That kid has some Norskie in her - and from both Mom's and Dad's side of the family. It sure shows.

Fun with Fondant

I was asked to make a cake for a friend's birthday, and decided to try working with fondant. From a distance it looked great. Up close it showed the mark of a fondant virgin and I had to use some leftover butter cream frosting to cover the defects. I was hesitant to use fondant due to its reputation, but a little raspberry flavoring and it turned out just fine. My daughter even made one of the flowers. I also think I need a night with the boys before I do something even gayer than cake decorating.

It's This Simple

Diablo Burger Rocks!

Good food, friendly service, locally produced ingredients.

Do Not Let The Cheese Separate.

Our daughter wanted to help with dinner tonight. I mean insisted on helping; in particular she wanted to make the cheese sauce for the fettuccine. She said if I told her how she would make it. I told her what to do and she did it. She even made me leave the room (Mommy stayed to keep her out of danger.) I must have had her use too much flour (Wondra) because it turned out too thick. Her immediate response was "Oh, we'll just add a little more milk." A splash or two of moo juice and it was perfect. Smooth, velvety, and yummy. I was jealous. The first time I tried to make a cheese sauce it was yummy, but grainy and anything but smooth and velvety. She even added a little pepper and Tabasco sauce for flavor. Maybe the next lesson should be shrimp scampi?

Made In Where?

The other day as I was unpacking the daily deliveries for the stockroom, I noticed the sodium hydroxide (AKA lye) I received was made in Sweden. I am used to things made in Germany, France, Japan, and the USA, but Sweden? I guess they need to make a lot of it for all the lutefisk production, and probably decided with my last name I have some sick desire to join in the festivities. Now before you get me involved in a Norge/Sverge war, be aware both countries are steeped in vats of the substance and probably use it instead of conventional weapons as they lob blobs of it across the border. Even Finns have been known to partake in the whatever it is. Oddly enough, the leading producer of lutefisk is in Minnesota - they even export it to Norway, or maybe they are really trying to send it back. Let's keep the lefse though.

Food and T.V. sets

Last night's dinner was amazing. We went to a friends house a few blocks away and partook in a semi pot luck event. One of the highlights was the sausage and apple stuffing made with three different kinds of sausage, bread and apples. It was unique and fantastic. The bird was great, and the squash, potatoes and pies were also extra special yummy. The rolls also went quickly. After overeating and imbibing, we headed on home so my wife could get some sleep before helping open one of the local big box stores at 5:00. She pulled an extra long shift (05:00 - 16:00) and her register pulled in over $32,800 during that time. Folks, that is ONE register at ONE Walmart. She has often commented how chaotic the crowd can be on "black Friday" and how they RUN through the aisles to get the item they want before it is sold out. This level of chaos became all too apparent this morning at another Walmart some 2,000+ miles to the Northeast when one of the openers was trampled to death when he tried to open the doors. According to reports, the doors were destroyed by the crowd in the process. It is nice to know that we value television sets, vacuum cleaners and mass produced DVDs of last years movies over life. This reminds me of crowds at rock concerts as well as parents in third world countries who sell their children into prostitution so they can buy some idiotic brain numbing appliance. We can no longer judge them, now that we are willing to kill in order to save a few bucks on a T.V. We need to get a grip and realize this is all materialistic crap, and refocus on the important things - friends, family, and health, including whatever spiritual health one chooses. F'ing IDIOTS!

A Fusion Meal -- No Wait It Isn't After All

My daughter was off today for the Thanksgiving break, so I burnt a vacation day to stay home with her. My wife was off at work, and I decided to make use of some leftover grilled salmon, cream cheese, and some attachments for the Kitchen Aid. We wound up making some home made ravioli stuffed with a salmon and cream cheese mixture. She enjoyed being able to help feed the dough through the rollers, and use the stuffer attachment. She is getting old enough that her assistance is actually helpful, and is more than welcome. Our daughter decided to eat at the table, instead of on the TV trays, (this happens about 2X a month) and volunteered to set it. She also decided to use chopsticks for said ravioli. We allowed this, and I thought it strange until I remembered the origin of pasta. Still, the squares were a little slick for the dining implements since they were covered in a simple white sauce. Try it sometime

Third Time Is A Time

I decided to be a slob and make this a four-day weekend. I must confess I was only semi-wise with the time. I washed the kitchen floor, dusted the plant shelves, or at least tried to. This is a project that is done so rarely that it is nearly pointless. Since it is nearly pointless it is done rarely, which makes it nearly pointless. I also made 3 batches of croissant dough. Roll roll roll chill chill chill roll roll roll etc etc etc. I have 1-1/2 batches ready to do whatever with and 1-1/2 batches scored and ready to form into croissants all freezing in preparation for turkey day. Yes I know I can just buy the things, or even do the canned stuff, but the pain in the ass is well worth it when the diners bite into one and utter "These aren't Pilsbury, are they?" Besides, rolling chilled dough borders on a workout. Unfortunately, flour gets everywhere. EVERYWHERE! At least I was ambitious enough to make extra dough so, as I mentioned earlier, I can make other croissant dough based goodies on shorter notice. The pain in the ass factor for making 3 batches is only 50% greater than a single batch. I also support the dairy industry by using lots and lots and lots and lots of butter. Seriously, each batch uses 4-1/2 sticks of butter. I cut mine down to 4-1/4 - as if it makes a difference at that point. Even when they don't turn out well, they surpass anything available in this mountain town. So try it sometime, and make your own.

Brandy, you're a fine girl!

Hmmmmm, lets see here. I've got butter, brown sugar, bananas, ice cream, a heat source, a flame source. Oops, no rum. But, I found some brandy - that works. So lets review. Butter + brown sugar + heat + bananas + heat (again) + brandy + flame (oooh, pretty colors) + ice cream = YUM! Plus I get to play with fire.

HOW TO TIE ONE ON

Soooo, Wedmesday night I made stir fry at home, Thursday I met some friends at for lunch at a Thai restaurant, and tonight my wife and I are meeting some other friends for dinner at another Thai restaurant. That may sound like a lot of Thai food, but I used to have Thai food for B, L & D for over two years. Aroy mahk!