Tiki Weekend!

We sent the Boy off to his grandparents so we could enjoy a day with our friends from Fordyce. The wives attended Doane College together and have remained good friends since graduation. We introduced them to Mt. Fuji Inn in Omaha many years ago and decided to have a little get together at our place this weekend.

I had the bar ready to go and we made Mai Tai's, Reef's, Captain's Grogs, Flaming Coconaut's, Royal Hawaiian's and a couple I can't remember! I squeezed a mess of limes, lemons, oranges and a white grapefruit in the afternoon so I'd be ready to play bartender. I love playing mix-master as much as I love cooking. The only thing missing was a true tiki bar where I could create my magic like Blair.

We've always enjoyed finger foods while imbibing in tropical drinks so Mindy and I went a bit crazy with food. I prepared two kinds of baby back ribs, a sweet and smokey version on the grill, another with hoisin sauce, ginger, and other asian flavorings in the oven. A large chunk of roast prepared with more asian spices and seasonings in the dutch oven. And a grilled Thai chicken satay with a spicy peanut sauce with red curry paste and a "salad" of thin sliced cucumber/red onion/jalapeno in a tasty vinagrette. We picked up some spring rolls, crab rangoon, egg rolls and dumplings from two of our favorites in the city.

I neglected to take pictures of the food for you so you'll have to trust me that it was all great. I encourage you to enjoy what you like. No matter how silly or ridiculous it may seem to others, if you like it, do it. Then do it again!

Mr. Schieffer did a terffic job scarfing down those ribs and helping me drink those Fog Cutter's with the float of bristol cream sherry on top. Very tasty indeed and I look forward to your next visit so we can sample some of the bottles from the top shelf!

Have a great short week everyone and Happy Thanksgiving!

Have I mentioned that I like food?

Mindy grew brussel sprouts this year and we harvested them back on the 15th. That same day I braised them with garlic and wine vinegar served with a quick rigatoni with sweet chicken Italian sausage. I cut the Boy's serving into more managable slices but left mine whole for that more authentic Italian feel. The sprouts were delicious and I hope we can produce more next year. Sprouts have become a favorite in this household and that's a good thing. Tasty!

I tried a Thai recipe from Leela for another quick mid-week meal the other day. I was sure that the Boy wouldn't even touch it. But to my surprise he scarfed it down and asked for more. Khao Na Gai, thai chicken in brown sauce was quick, simple and tasty. Served with some steamed Jasmine rice and julienned scallion, it was delicious. I will gladly make this dish again. The "Spindrift" in the second picture is an awesome drink courtesy of Tiarre.

We went to the Asian market on the west side of North 27th street Friday night and picked up some items for other dishes I'll be trying. They were out of Kaffir lime leaves and I was bummed about that but excited to have taken the Boy with us and he loved walking the packed aisles looking at all the interesting things.

We had guests over the weekend and hopefully we wowed them with food and drink and I will make that the next post.

One if by land, two if by sea!

No, we're not having a revolution on West A Street. I just couldn't come up with a better Title for Grilled Scallops with Pistachio Butter and Pork Loin with Orange-Pomegranate Sauce.

I usually sear some scallops in a pan with some olive oil, maybe a little shallot. Then wilt some fresh tender greens and mushrooms with some balsamic vinegar and a touch of salt and pepper. But I had these big sea scallops calling my name Saturday afternoon and with the weather being so good lately (Thanks a lot October!) why not grill them? I sometimes make a sauce for chicken scallopini that consists of finely chopped pistachios, butter and honey. So why not adapt one for the scallops. Just leave out the honey, add some fresh chopped parsley, salt and pepper and you're there. I dried the scallops and seasoned them with crushed red pepper flakes, coarse salt and a drizzle of olive oil. They didn't knock my socks off but they were pretty good.

Today was perfect again for grilling so let's cook some nice juicy tender pork. Made a paste of minced garlic, chili powder, salt, pepper and olive oil. Slathered it on a pork loin and let it sit for a half hour or so. I set up for indirect grilling and used the stainless steel divider to keep some of the heat down. The cowboy charcoal I've been using burns really really hot and the divider helps keep the temp down so the pork cooks slowly and retains a ton of moisture. I had a little over two pounds of meat and after one hour it registered 160 degrees. I brought it inside, covered it with foil and made the sauce.

Orange juice, pomegranate juice, balsamic vinegar and honey. Bring to a boil then simmer for about 15 minutes. The volume will reduce and the product will turn to a syrup consistency. Hit it with a dash of salt and serve warm. I sliced the pork into nice portions and drizzled the sauce over the top. I really liked this dish and will make it again.

Cocktails consisted of Mindy having a "Royal Hawaiian" of pineapple juice, lemon juice, orgeat syrup and gin. While I had a "Voodoo Priestess" of dark rum, spiced rum, brandy, orange, lime and lemon juice, a dash of orange bitters and Voodoo Priestess Spice syrup. The syrup is made from cinnamon, ground ginger, ground nutmeg, ground allspice and demerara sugar dissolved in boiling water and then cooled.

It was a good weekend. Hope yours was too! Have a good week.

Goodbye October

October is my favorite month. Usually! I can't remember a wetter October and I'm glad the sun is trying to shine this All Hallow's Eve. I like October because it's my birth month and I usually take some vacation to just mess around and enjoy life. All the precipitation put a slight damper on the month but we made the best of it.

With "The Boy" being in kindergarten this year we've had the past week off for fall break. Two months ago we reserved a cabin at Mahoney State Park for the first three days of this week. I haven't been "camping" since I was a kid and back then we had either a camper on a pickup truck or a camper trailer so having a cabin was pretty plush. It had two bedrooms, full bathroom, nice kitchenette, screened in back porch and a fireplace. We loaded up the truck (dog's too) and had a great time. We hiked every trail several times, saw a plethora of wildlife including many deer that sometimes were within 20 feet. Zack the boxer somehow escaped his choke collar and bounded off down the trail after a white tail one afternoon. We chased him down a creek draw and as we climbed the other side, there he stood looking at us with a "come on already" look on his old face. Pretty spunky for a twelve year old dog with bad sight and hearing. We all had a good laugh at his expense. The family enjoyed having a roaring fire every night, just relaxing and enjoying the peace and quiet. No phones, no TV (drove the kid nuts not to have it on), no cars with fart can mufflers roaring down the street. It was good to come home but I will miss the cabin for awhile.

I hope to do some yard work today, put the Z car in storage, buy a better blender for an upcoming Tiki Drink weekend and slow cook a nice four pound roast for dinner tonight.

Bring on the trick-or-treaters!

Are you handy?

I found out today that Norm's show is ending after 21 years. Whether it was the Workshop or This Old House everyone I've ever mentioned him too knew who he was. That's a pretty damned good saturation level.

I've built a fair amount of stuff around the house and Norm is a great inspiration. He always makes a project seem easy and took the time to explain difficult concepts. I think he inspired me to take on challenges I would never have attempted. Through him and his This Old House co-horts I've tackled wiring and plumbing as well as carpentry.

I'll miss seeing new things from Norm. But I'm glad he's in syndication and plans on staying with the other show for now.

We all are inspired in our lives by many different people and things. Who inspired you?

Squash? Silly name for a sport and a drink..

I wonder why and who decided that smacking a soft rubber ball against a wall should be called "squash"? And who decided that a sweetened or unsweetened fruit-based concentrate when mixed with water or seltzer would be a drink named "squash"?

I'll just stick to those tasty ones that come out of the garden. I tried playing squash when I was a kid. It was good exercise but I never really got hooked by it. Meh!

So I made an herbed butter, shoved it under the skin of a whole chicken, roasted it on the grill and served it with more late summer veggies from the garden.

Also had another shrimp curry that I changed up the ingredients a little. Very tasty with a minced red chili pepper added to the onion and celery. I reduced the amount of tomato this time and was very happy with the overall result.

I was a Big Red Football kid

Glen's birthday is the 26th. He's usually not far from my mind during football season. This year he's in my thoughts a little more due to the 300th sellout at the stadium.

When I was just a single digit kid he'd take me to work with him at General Stores in the West Stadium. I remember his boss "Smitty" had nudie calendars in his "office". The old school kind where you had to lift the transparency up (which had the clothing painted on) to see the nude underneath. Back in those days the West Stadium was a dark dirty mysterious place unlike the glitzy showplace it is today.

Glen went from General Stores to the North Stadium to become the Equipment Manager for the freshman football team, the baseball team and he stored equipment for the track team in his "room". He spent years and years washing sweaty towels and socks and jocks for hundreds and hundreds of football players and coaches. When Gib Babcock retired in the mid 70's, Glen was promoted to Head Equipment Manager for the whole Football Athletic Department. He had a great funny guy named Walt Johnson working under him. Glen in the South Stadium and Walt in the North.

I started attending games in 1976 and have enjoyed some of the most memorable moments in NU football history at the old stadium. Being able to travel with Glen and the team to some away games and every bowl game from 1976 to 1987 is a special treat I treasure and won't ever forget. I was thrilled for my Dad when NU won championships in the 90's. He was proud.

I remember him coming home from work one day in a shiny red Chevy van from DuTeau's. He had previously had to rent U-Haul equipment to haul gear to NU's road games. Now he had a nice vehicle finally that would do the speed limit! The old U-Haul's would only go 45-50 uphill! The amazing part is he could take everything he needed in that one van with just two seats in it. Nowadays they use semi trucks with 53 foot trailers to haul all the gear. Crazy.

I feel a special connection to Memorial Stadium on her 300th sellout. I grew up in that place. Rode my tricycle and big-wheel up and down the ramps in the North Stadium. Learned to drive a motorcyle and a car there, slowly going around the "track" that encircles the field. I always enjoyed going to work with Dad. The quietness of the place during an off-season day is such a contrast to game day. I feel a large tug of emotion when parts of the stadium get demolished, especially the parts that I spent a great deal of time in. The original north end may be gone but I won't forget it.

I hope the team wins Saturday. But even if they don't, the significance of 300 sellouts and more importantly of the stadium itself will remain. A tribute to those that served this country. That is what I hope most people remember. Glen Abbott served his country in the Army during Vietnam. He worked for the University for many years.

He died April 8th 2005. I miss him.