Tuesday, September 12, 2006
...
I heard something really funny today while on my long trudge to work. A comedian on one of the sirius comedy channels said the following, 'Only in America do we consider the obese to be disabled. If you are missing an arm or a leg, then you are disabled. If you are missing a cheesecake, then you are full!' Heh. I know that isn't politically correct, but the whole missing cheesecake thing really made me laugh. They've been playing a lot of John Pinette too. He is hilarious and one of my favorite comedians.
I heard something really funny today while on my long trudge to work. A comedian on one of the sirius comedy channels said the following, 'Only in America do we consider the obese to be disabled. If you are missing an arm or a leg, then you are disabled. If you are missing a cheesecake, then you are full!' Heh. I know that isn't politically correct, but the whole missing cheesecake thing really made me laugh. They've been playing a lot of John Pinette too. He is hilarious and one of my favorite comedians.
Monday, September 11, 2006
...
I avoided the news for the most part today. I don't want to watch it and I don't want to watch some movie that has prompted a whole lot of media coverage. Why would I want to do that? I saw it happen live. I looked up to the sky on the 12th and only saw contrails of our military up there. It was a time of silence.
The morning of September 11th 2001 was a morning like any other. My job was a year and a half past the dreaded Y2K disaster. Things were quite fine. And then it all changed. One of my friends ran over to my desk and told me that a plane had hit the Sears tower. I scoffed because of her source and went to check the news. Nothing worked. The net had simply stopped working. I tried to pull up site after site and then hit bloomberg news which had flames as its video lead in. I thought it was a live cam.
There is a certain comfort in knowing that I didn't see the people jumping to their deaths. I didn't see the first tower collapse. My company wanted us to get back to work like nothing happened. How foolish they were and only recently has that foolishness has come back to bite them in the butt. That's another story though. I'm no longer with the V-Kapow and I'm better for it.
I thought things were going to be locked down and the lessons from my grandparents, who lived through the depression, kicked in and I took out several hundred dollars so I could have liquid cash for a few days at least. That night I watched a video of the second plane that hit the world trade center. I watched it over and over. Each time my eyes blurred with sleeplessness and yet I watched it some more. How could someone do that? I still don't understand.
I heard a clip of Dave Letterman speaking soon after the event and he said he would never understand the religious fervor that caused those people to act that way. I still don't. I have seen beheading videos. Lots of them. I don't look at car wrecks during rush hour, but I could not help but look at those helpless people who died so that a few people could make a statement.
I will never understand how a religion could cause people to hate other people so much.
I promise to return to recipes soon. The new job is taking all of my time and I'm starting at the bottom. There is a great need to make a good impression.
I avoided the news for the most part today. I don't want to watch it and I don't want to watch some movie that has prompted a whole lot of media coverage. Why would I want to do that? I saw it happen live. I looked up to the sky on the 12th and only saw contrails of our military up there. It was a time of silence.
The morning of September 11th 2001 was a morning like any other. My job was a year and a half past the dreaded Y2K disaster. Things were quite fine. And then it all changed. One of my friends ran over to my desk and told me that a plane had hit the Sears tower. I scoffed because of her source and went to check the news. Nothing worked. The net had simply stopped working. I tried to pull up site after site and then hit bloomberg news which had flames as its video lead in. I thought it was a live cam.
There is a certain comfort in knowing that I didn't see the people jumping to their deaths. I didn't see the first tower collapse. My company wanted us to get back to work like nothing happened. How foolish they were and only recently has that foolishness has come back to bite them in the butt. That's another story though. I'm no longer with the V-Kapow and I'm better for it.
I thought things were going to be locked down and the lessons from my grandparents, who lived through the depression, kicked in and I took out several hundred dollars so I could have liquid cash for a few days at least. That night I watched a video of the second plane that hit the world trade center. I watched it over and over. Each time my eyes blurred with sleeplessness and yet I watched it some more. How could someone do that? I still don't understand.
I heard a clip of Dave Letterman speaking soon after the event and he said he would never understand the religious fervor that caused those people to act that way. I still don't. I have seen beheading videos. Lots of them. I don't look at car wrecks during rush hour, but I could not help but look at those helpless people who died so that a few people could make a statement.
I will never understand how a religion could cause people to hate other people so much.
I promise to return to recipes soon. The new job is taking all of my time and I'm starting at the bottom. There is a great need to make a good impression.
Sunday, September 03, 2006
...
Yes, it has once again been a long time in between posts. I've been busy with the new job at BigGreen, bringing the yard back to life after the summer heat almost killed it off, and spending as much time with the munchkins as I can.
The new job is quite a change from the old place. On my second day I was in a meeting where we were made aware of a problem and the proposed solution. Fine. I immediately went to the code I could access and formulated a plan in around fifteen minutes. When I asked when the fix needed to go in I was told December. Wow. I've been conditioned to answer a problem as fast as possible while at least one person stood over me and screamed. This is a really big change. I'm sure I'll be a better worker for it too.
Because of all the changes around here, I haven't had a chance to do much cooking at all and the items I do make are recycled recipes. Almost nothing new has come out of my kitchen lately. I intend to change that, though, with the latest book I have from the library. The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman is a must read. I saw that without reading anything past the appetizers. The worldly finds are too good to pass up.
BTW, we have a new fence and a new bedroom set. Pics to follow as soon as I can get the digital camera hooked up to the new macbook pro. Can you say debt?
Yes, it has once again been a long time in between posts. I've been busy with the new job at BigGreen, bringing the yard back to life after the summer heat almost killed it off, and spending as much time with the munchkins as I can.
The new job is quite a change from the old place. On my second day I was in a meeting where we were made aware of a problem and the proposed solution. Fine. I immediately went to the code I could access and formulated a plan in around fifteen minutes. When I asked when the fix needed to go in I was told December. Wow. I've been conditioned to answer a problem as fast as possible while at least one person stood over me and screamed. This is a really big change. I'm sure I'll be a better worker for it too.
Because of all the changes around here, I haven't had a chance to do much cooking at all and the items I do make are recycled recipes. Almost nothing new has come out of my kitchen lately. I intend to change that, though, with the latest book I have from the library. The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman is a must read. I saw that without reading anything past the appetizers. The worldly finds are too good to pass up.
BTW, we have a new fence and a new bedroom set. Pics to follow as soon as I can get the digital camera hooked up to the new macbook pro. Can you say debt?
Saturday, August 12, 2006
...
My self imposed hiatus is over. My career with V-Kapow is over. This week I accepted an offer from a new company and ended an eight year reign with my old one. It is going to sound silly, but one of the things I like about the new company is that you see their work every day. Sometimes you might see them on the street and other times you might see them on tv, but you do see them. It was always hard to tell people what V-Kapow did or what I worked on because it wasn't a one sentence answer.
I'm getting a little raise, two extra days off, and a new wardrobe for the new gig. It's been a long time since I've been in the shirt and tie world. I think this is going to work out nicely.
One of the reasons I imposed silent running was so I wouldn't tip anyone off. I never talked about the job search or publicly bad mouthed my current employer like others might do. The one clue that I was looking should have been my beard. I have a very heavy beard that requires an electric shaver and then a multi blade razor. Because it is such a pain, I would normally shave every other day. I've shaved every day except two for the past four weeks. Nobody noticed.
SuperWife is also on the road to a new career. The time she has spent home with the kids is about to end when she steps back into the workplace full time again. She needs it and the kids will be fine with a combination of grandparents, preschool, and a local day care provider.
Good luck to anyone else out there who is currently making a job change.
My self imposed hiatus is over. My career with V-Kapow is over. This week I accepted an offer from a new company and ended an eight year reign with my old one. It is going to sound silly, but one of the things I like about the new company is that you see their work every day. Sometimes you might see them on the street and other times you might see them on tv, but you do see them. It was always hard to tell people what V-Kapow did or what I worked on because it wasn't a one sentence answer.
I'm getting a little raise, two extra days off, and a new wardrobe for the new gig. It's been a long time since I've been in the shirt and tie world. I think this is going to work out nicely.
One of the reasons I imposed silent running was so I wouldn't tip anyone off. I never talked about the job search or publicly bad mouthed my current employer like others might do. The one clue that I was looking should have been my beard. I have a very heavy beard that requires an electric shaver and then a multi blade razor. Because it is such a pain, I would normally shave every other day. I've shaved every day except two for the past four weeks. Nobody noticed.
SuperWife is also on the road to a new career. The time she has spent home with the kids is about to end when she steps back into the workplace full time again. She needs it and the kids will be fine with a combination of grandparents, preschool, and a local day care provider.
Good luck to anyone else out there who is currently making a job change.
Friday, July 21, 2006
...
What's with this crazy weather? Those of you in the STL area know exactly what I am talking about and those of you elsewhere can check drudge or any news source to see that half a million people in the area are without power due to storms that came through a couple of days ago. I joked about the grill taking flight again (this time it hit the air conditioner and bent it up), the fence was blowed away in one section and a few panels in other places, and the tree that was hit by lightning before looks like it was hit again, but I don't recall the crack. We lost power for almost four seconds and then it came back on again.
We are the lucky ones. Most of our utilities are buried deep under ground, so there really isn't much damage when a storm comes through. If we do lose our power, then it is because the bigger grid has gone down. I originally bad mouthed the St. Louis City Mayor, Francis Slay, for engaging in photo ops on any and all available medium. It was only the day after that I realized the power of the storm that ripped through our area. Today another storm hit, but not as bad as the original one. Almost half a million people are again without power tonight. Most have been told that they will get power back my the end of the weekend, but some have been told they won't have service until Thursday of next week. Wow. The ten hours or so we had to spend in the dark seemed like an eternity at the time.
I drove through the dust line twice while running SuperWife's work to her employer. I hit several boxes in mid air on the highway and I even saw part of an Ameren UE property on fire. That was some bad wind. I made it home just before the heavens unleashed their fury on the kids toys and the bbq grill. I might just keep the grill for entertainment. I've never seen a Ducane grill take flight so many times. The thing has been rebuilt many times and it still works. Mother Nature hates it and will take every opportunity to try to destroy it and yet that grill keeps working.
Something tragically humorous happened to me today. At some point I will post about it, but now is not the time. It was the best of times and also the very worst of times today. My newly acknowledged bipolar disorder was kicking in big time today. I can't begin to explain my roller coaster.
What's with this crazy weather? Those of you in the STL area know exactly what I am talking about and those of you elsewhere can check drudge or any news source to see that half a million people in the area are without power due to storms that came through a couple of days ago. I joked about the grill taking flight again (this time it hit the air conditioner and bent it up), the fence was blowed away in one section and a few panels in other places, and the tree that was hit by lightning before looks like it was hit again, but I don't recall the crack. We lost power for almost four seconds and then it came back on again.
We are the lucky ones. Most of our utilities are buried deep under ground, so there really isn't much damage when a storm comes through. If we do lose our power, then it is because the bigger grid has gone down. I originally bad mouthed the St. Louis City Mayor, Francis Slay, for engaging in photo ops on any and all available medium. It was only the day after that I realized the power of the storm that ripped through our area. Today another storm hit, but not as bad as the original one. Almost half a million people are again without power tonight. Most have been told that they will get power back my the end of the weekend, but some have been told they won't have service until Thursday of next week. Wow. The ten hours or so we had to spend in the dark seemed like an eternity at the time.
I drove through the dust line twice while running SuperWife's work to her employer. I hit several boxes in mid air on the highway and I even saw part of an Ameren UE property on fire. That was some bad wind. I made it home just before the heavens unleashed their fury on the kids toys and the bbq grill. I might just keep the grill for entertainment. I've never seen a Ducane grill take flight so many times. The thing has been rebuilt many times and it still works. Mother Nature hates it and will take every opportunity to try to destroy it and yet that grill keeps working.
Something tragically humorous happened to me today. At some point I will post about it, but now is not the time. It was the best of times and also the very worst of times today. My newly acknowledged bipolar disorder was kicking in big time today. I can't begin to explain my roller coaster.
Sunday, July 16, 2006
...
Carnival of Recipes 1-0-0
Welcome the 100th installment of the carnival of recipes. Your humble host, me, will try to guide you through the latest rendition of the juggernaut that is the carnival. My basement flooded and took out a lot of the kids' clothes and toys during the last time I hosted, so let's hope this goes a little smother, no? Step on up and take a seat at the counter and let's see what is on the menu of the World this week.
Some of my most favorite recipes from the previous carnivals include:
The Geezer's Huli Huli Chicken. This stuff is heaven and is the most requested recipe I use from the carnival. People just can't get enough of it!
Don't forget AussieWife's Fish Burritos with Cucumber Salad. MMMMM. I actually lifted this, redid it, and submitted the new recipe to a different carnival.
Let us not forget Rory and his what not to cook series.
On to this week's submissions!
Shawn Lea, the most gracious keeper of the carnival starts us off with a birthday cake in honor of the carnival's 100th installment. I dare you to click on that link and not make one yourself.
She would also like to share Chicken and Smoked Sausage Gumbo. Shhhh! Her secret is that she makes it because it's hard, but not too hard. Most people don't make it from scratch anymore, so give it a try. Your patience in making the roux will pay off big time.
Dr. Fuhrman is up next with a couple of healthy goodies- Rice Pudding with Banana/Apricot Sauce and a Tuttie Fruitie Pita Sandwich. Good stuff.
Marsha at A Weight Lifted brings offers up a trio of Summer Smoothies. These sound great on days when the soars into the triple digits.
The next submission comes from down under. Joanne would like to share Home Made Ice Cream. The site is dedicated to guiding people to a life that is nourishing, healthy, wholesome, and wise.
Riannen would like to point out that her submission for Beef and Pork Sauce is not a stew or goulash. It is a sauce to be used over noodles or with potatoes or potato dumplings. I could eat this with just about anything since I agree with her assessment that "beef and pork together produces a magical flavor."
Peggy Hall at Blabber Heads joins me in walking down memory lane with her fond memories of Cheesy Bacon Green Beans and Potatoes - In a Crock. What part of that recipe doesn't sound yummy? This recipe was originally in a carnival on Practigal.
Imagine, if you are the only person who isn't hot right now, that it's a warm day and you have a place of refreshing Tomato and Mango Salsa in front of you. Wow. Thank Bill at World Famous Recipes for this one.
Kathee brings us Cider Vinegar Chicken. Her site dedicated to chicken recipes has more to keep you busy cooking for weeks.
After developing an intolerance for wheat two and a half years ago our next submitter learned to work around her obstacle with Wheatless Pancakes. Check out this link for a picture.
Now I bring the post of my new hero. This blogger created an index of every carnival submission they have made. Count them. 68 submissions. This person loves to cook.
Who wants to turn the oven on in the middle of summer? Now you don't have to if you still want to enjoy a decadent pie. I present Microwave Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse Pie from KeeWee's Corner.
triticale brings us a recipe from his foster niece. Check out the Easy Cheesy Potatoes. Yum.
Maureen from Trinity Prep School would like everyone to try some Fresh Brushetta. The garlic soup mix sounds like an interesting twist I'll have to try sometime soon.
Finally, Amy at MomAdvice.com brings us some lovely pumpkin pancakes. They sound good and the top left logo brings back all kinds of memories of bathing my two year old twins.
Thanks to everyone who has contributed to this and any of the previous carnivals. Thanks for sharing your time, taste, and words. Check out homerecipes.org next week to continue your fix.
You can send recipes or links to recipe.carnival@gmail.com by noon CST on Saturday. If you wish to host a future Carnival send a message to the same address with the word host in the subject line. For a line-up of future Carnivals, visit our Carnival of the Recipes page on Blog Carnival. (You can also review all past Carnival of the Recipes there too.)
Carnival of Recipes 1-0-0
Welcome the 100th installment of the carnival of recipes. Your humble host, me, will try to guide you through the latest rendition of the juggernaut that is the carnival. My basement flooded and took out a lot of the kids' clothes and toys during the last time I hosted, so let's hope this goes a little smother, no? Step on up and take a seat at the counter and let's see what is on the menu of the World this week.
Some of my most favorite recipes from the previous carnivals include:
The Geezer's Huli Huli Chicken. This stuff is heaven and is the most requested recipe I use from the carnival. People just can't get enough of it!
Don't forget AussieWife's Fish Burritos with Cucumber Salad. MMMMM. I actually lifted this, redid it, and submitted the new recipe to a different carnival.
Let us not forget Rory and his what not to cook series.
On to this week's submissions!
Shawn Lea, the most gracious keeper of the carnival starts us off with a birthday cake in honor of the carnival's 100th installment. I dare you to click on that link and not make one yourself.
She would also like to share Chicken and Smoked Sausage Gumbo. Shhhh! Her secret is that she makes it because it's hard, but not too hard. Most people don't make it from scratch anymore, so give it a try. Your patience in making the roux will pay off big time.
Dr. Fuhrman is up next with a couple of healthy goodies- Rice Pudding with Banana/Apricot Sauce and a Tuttie Fruitie Pita Sandwich. Good stuff.
Marsha at A Weight Lifted brings offers up a trio of Summer Smoothies. These sound great on days when the soars into the triple digits.
The next submission comes from down under. Joanne would like to share Home Made Ice Cream. The site is dedicated to guiding people to a life that is nourishing, healthy, wholesome, and wise.
Riannen would like to point out that her submission for Beef and Pork Sauce is not a stew or goulash. It is a sauce to be used over noodles or with potatoes or potato dumplings. I could eat this with just about anything since I agree with her assessment that "beef and pork together produces a magical flavor."
Peggy Hall at Blabber Heads joins me in walking down memory lane with her fond memories of Cheesy Bacon Green Beans and Potatoes - In a Crock. What part of that recipe doesn't sound yummy? This recipe was originally in a carnival on Practigal.
Imagine, if you are the only person who isn't hot right now, that it's a warm day and you have a place of refreshing Tomato and Mango Salsa in front of you. Wow. Thank Bill at World Famous Recipes for this one.
Kathee brings us Cider Vinegar Chicken. Her site dedicated to chicken recipes has more to keep you busy cooking for weeks.
After developing an intolerance for wheat two and a half years ago our next submitter learned to work around her obstacle with Wheatless Pancakes. Check out this link for a picture.
Now I bring the post of my new hero. This blogger created an index of every carnival submission they have made. Count them. 68 submissions. This person loves to cook.
Who wants to turn the oven on in the middle of summer? Now you don't have to if you still want to enjoy a decadent pie. I present Microwave Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse Pie from KeeWee's Corner.
triticale brings us a recipe from his foster niece. Check out the Easy Cheesy Potatoes. Yum.
Maureen from Trinity Prep School would like everyone to try some Fresh Brushetta. The garlic soup mix sounds like an interesting twist I'll have to try sometime soon.
Finally, Amy at MomAdvice.com brings us some lovely pumpkin pancakes. They sound good and the top left logo brings back all kinds of memories of bathing my two year old twins.
Thanks to everyone who has contributed to this and any of the previous carnivals. Thanks for sharing your time, taste, and words. Check out homerecipes.org next week to continue your fix.
You can send recipes or links to recipe.carnival@gmail.com by noon CST on Saturday. If you wish to host a future Carnival send a message to the same address with the word host in the subject line. For a line-up of future Carnivals, visit our Carnival of the Recipes page on Blog Carnival. (You can also review all past Carnival of the Recipes there too.)
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
...
Carnival 1-0-0
The 100th Carnival of Recipes is coming this week. Get your favorite recipes in early, and details regarding which carnival it was posted in would be even an added bonus. Let's make this a big one!
Carnival 1-0-0
The 100th Carnival of Recipes is coming this week. Get your favorite recipes in early, and details regarding which carnival it was posted in would be even an added bonus. Let's make this a big one!
Monday, July 10, 2006
...
I went from a hero to a pervert in two seconds. The food tour continues. Pirates 2 was a let down. The Carnival or Recipes is here this weekend.
Thursday night I stopped into
When I was checking out the sales person mentioned how nice it was to see a man come in to buy something for a woman because it hardly ever happens. I casually mentioned that it wasn't a big deal for me because I had worked for a different VS store when I was younger. Her look of admiration went to horror in the blink of an eye. It doesn't matter if I only worked there for a few months after my wrist was reconstructed. What could be easier than throwing panties around? The job actually didn't pay well, but it was one of the best jobs I had.
The whirlwind of restaurants continued this weekend. We hit El Maguey on Friday for a quick dinner with the kids. On Saturday we hit Wasabi in Clayton. The food was very good as always and I even went out on a limb and tried the sea urchin. That was the first and last time I'll try that though. Imagine a fishy version of goat cheese. Mmmm.
Last weekend we hit Sidney Street Cafe. The in laws took us, SuperWife's sister and her fiancé, and a former aunt. The steak wasabi was great as always. We've also continue the move to slow food. We hit the farmer's market this weekend- it was the first time in three weeks. My favorite market master, Julie Ridlon, was handing out samples of a yummy peach and tomato salsa, and I was able to quench my foodie thirst.
We also caught Pirates 2 on Saturday night. It was a good swashbuckling comedy, but it didn't really do anything. The end was a mess and it looked like they were just trying to fill time most of the time. That's weird because the movie was over two and a half hours long. How much of a drunken acting Johnny Depp can a person take?
Check back late this weekend for the Carnival of Recipes. I've thrown my hat back into the ring to give something back to all of the wonderful people who contribute to that culinary adventure. If I can only come up with a theme. . .
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
...
The gout continues to grip my feet. This time it was caused by a combination of beer, coffee, stress, and a large microwave that landed on my right foot. Instead of going after the big toe, like gout usually does, it went after the entire right hand side of my foot. I'll have pics to post soon, but they are kind of gross. This definitely doesn't fit into the whole food theme I have been using.
BTW, you can get more info on gout here.
The gout continues to grip my feet. This time it was caused by a combination of beer, coffee, stress, and a large microwave that landed on my right foot. Instead of going after the big toe, like gout usually does, it went after the entire right hand side of my foot. I'll have pics to post soon, but they are kind of gross. This definitely doesn't fit into the whole food theme I have been using.
BTW, you can get more info on gout here.
Friday, June 23, 2006
...
The crazy things you people search for. I recently checked the site stats to see who has been dropping by my humble abode and how they came about setting foot here. Take, for example the person from Pande India who came here for the sambar recipe. I'm pretty sure there is a closer resource for that person considering the recipe is from that person's country. Gotta love the internet.
The strangest hit I've received in recent memory came from Iran although I can't seem to find it in the logs. That person googled "lips" in the arabic version of google and it hit here. Hopefully that person was looking for the chicken lips recipe and nothing else.
My heart goes out to the person from Atlanta, GA who came here looking for a mostaccioli recipe. GAH! Save yourself from the traditional St. Louis wedding side dish! No proper wedding in St. Louis can be complete without a steam table buffet of a tossed salad, non descript white rolls, green beans with pearl onions and bacon, mostaccioli, carved turkey in juice, and carved roast beast in juice. The only beer served will also be Bud Light and Busch exclusively.
You can always tell a native St. Louisian because they will say musk-a-cholie.
The crazy things you people search for. I recently checked the site stats to see who has been dropping by my humble abode and how they came about setting foot here. Take, for example the person from Pande India who came here for the sambar recipe. I'm pretty sure there is a closer resource for that person considering the recipe is from that person's country. Gotta love the internet.
The strangest hit I've received in recent memory came from Iran although I can't seem to find it in the logs. That person googled "lips" in the arabic version of google and it hit here. Hopefully that person was looking for the chicken lips recipe and nothing else.
My heart goes out to the person from Atlanta, GA who came here looking for a mostaccioli recipe. GAH! Save yourself from the traditional St. Louis wedding side dish! No proper wedding in St. Louis can be complete without a steam table buffet of a tossed salad, non descript white rolls, green beans with pearl onions and bacon, mostaccioli, carved turkey in juice, and carved roast beast in juice. The only beer served will also be Bud Light and Busch exclusively.
You can always tell a native St. Louisian because they will say musk-a-cholie.
Thursday, June 22, 2006
...
spice rubbed pork tenderloin steaks with honey-chipotle sauce
This is my adaptation from the recipe in the May 2006 issue of Fine Cooking. I added a few different spices but it is pretty close to the recipe from the magazine. This stuff is good!
2 large pork tenderloins
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground black pepper
2 tsp brown sugar
1/2 cp honey
1/4 cp apple cider vinegar
1 small can tomato paste
1 chipotle
2 tbsp adobo sauce
1 tbsp dijon mustard
Trim the pork of all visible fat and slice on the diagonal into one inch steaks. Take something big and heavy and proceed to beat the stuffing out of it until the pork is between 1/4 and 1/2 inch thick and much wider. Once all of the pork has been beaten into submission, combine the chili powder, garlic, paprika, cumin, black pepper, and sugar. Rub the spice mixture on as you would ribs and seal in a plastic bag. Refrigerate for several hours.
Prepare a very hot charcoal fire and add a few apple wood chunks if you are feeling like a party. Grill/smoke the pork for three minutes on one side, flip, and grill again for three minutes. Test for doneness. You want to pull it off the grill when they reach 140F. Transfer to a serving dish and cover for five minutes so the juices redistribute.
While all of that is going on, add the remaining ingredients to a food processor and blend until smooth. Pour into a bowl and serve the tenderloin steaks with the chipotle-honey sauce drizzled on top.
Serve with a classic american red potato salad or a memphis style cole slaw. Chase it down with some freshly cut wedges of watermelon.
spice rubbed pork tenderloin steaks with honey-chipotle sauce
This is my adaptation from the recipe in the May 2006 issue of Fine Cooking. I added a few different spices but it is pretty close to the recipe from the magazine. This stuff is good!
2 large pork tenderloins
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground black pepper
2 tsp brown sugar
1/2 cp honey
1/4 cp apple cider vinegar
1 small can tomato paste
1 chipotle
2 tbsp adobo sauce
1 tbsp dijon mustard
Trim the pork of all visible fat and slice on the diagonal into one inch steaks. Take something big and heavy and proceed to beat the stuffing out of it until the pork is between 1/4 and 1/2 inch thick and much wider. Once all of the pork has been beaten into submission, combine the chili powder, garlic, paprika, cumin, black pepper, and sugar. Rub the spice mixture on as you would ribs and seal in a plastic bag. Refrigerate for several hours.
Prepare a very hot charcoal fire and add a few apple wood chunks if you are feeling like a party. Grill/smoke the pork for three minutes on one side, flip, and grill again for three minutes. Test for doneness. You want to pull it off the grill when they reach 140F. Transfer to a serving dish and cover for five minutes so the juices redistribute.
While all of that is going on, add the remaining ingredients to a food processor and blend until smooth. Pour into a bowl and serve the tenderloin steaks with the chipotle-honey sauce drizzled on top.
Serve with a classic american red potato salad or a memphis style cole slaw. Chase it down with some freshly cut wedges of watermelon.
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
...
It was a fun weekend. I saw Grant's Farm, called 911, and fell down the stairs while holding a mount-over-the range microwave. I grew up in STL and I've never seen Grant's Farm. There were many times that I drove by on the way to the Affton Ice Rink. The place is really pretty neat. You have to take a mandatory ride on the tram through the middle of no where to get to the main show. There you can feed the goats, see the eagles, smell the elephants or be immersed in any other exercise that will stimulate the five senses. There's also the free beer since this whole place has been built on beer money. I tried the new seasonal summer beer, Beach Bum Blonde Ale, and it was 10:30 in the morning. Ugh.
I also called nine-eleven this weekend again. Some guy who has a child who is two to three years old came to Disfunctional Court to get the kid. The woman, who recently held the Baby Daddy and child hostage with a shotgun, tried to keep the man from taking his kid home. Did I mention he has custody? She also apparently drove off at high speeds up the street with him hanging out of the door. He grabbed the kid seat, with kid in it, and rolled out of the car.
She tried to keep him from getting into his car and going home. At one point she grabbed the tot and ran off. That's when the dispatcher ended our call and sent out the calvalry. I do believe, after pleading his case, the Daddy went home with the child. I only hope that kid has a better chance in life. To see your dad and your mom go to the point of hitting each other is something that should not have to be seen by such an impressionable youth. My thoughts have been with that little guy since then.
I also fell down the stairs this weekend. I was carrying the microwave downstairs because it had been in the garage for a while and was starting to accumulate dirt. We need to mount it over the oven, but I lack the skills to do so. While carrying the beast down the stairs I guess I lost my step and ended up bouncing down a few stairs until I hit the bottom. I don't really know what happened during the fall. The only thing I really know for sure is that I landed with my left foot up by my left ear and a big microwave was on top of me. I have a few bruises and it hurt when I initially landed. However, I did manage to keep the microwave off the walls some how. Go me. It wasn't as bad as the time a 23 cubic fot fridge fell on me while I was working in the warehouse at Circut City.
I also talked to the market master at Clayton's Farmer's Market. She had put together a series of cooking demostrations at a local joint, but it seems like they still haven't signed the contract. I really hope they do because SuperWife wants to sign me up for one of the classes and it is world class. Chef Gerard Craft- Niche.
It work related news it looks like I will probably be out of a job within the next two months because all new work is being sent elsewhere. It's been a long time since I've felt the need to join the job hunt. What fun.
It was a fun weekend. I saw Grant's Farm, called 911, and fell down the stairs while holding a mount-over-the range microwave. I grew up in STL and I've never seen Grant's Farm. There were many times that I drove by on the way to the Affton Ice Rink. The place is really pretty neat. You have to take a mandatory ride on the tram through the middle of no where to get to the main show. There you can feed the goats, see the eagles, smell the elephants or be immersed in any other exercise that will stimulate the five senses. There's also the free beer since this whole place has been built on beer money. I tried the new seasonal summer beer, Beach Bum Blonde Ale, and it was 10:30 in the morning. Ugh.
I also called nine-eleven this weekend again. Some guy who has a child who is two to three years old came to Disfunctional Court to get the kid. The woman, who recently held the Baby Daddy and child hostage with a shotgun, tried to keep the man from taking his kid home. Did I mention he has custody? She also apparently drove off at high speeds up the street with him hanging out of the door. He grabbed the kid seat, with kid in it, and rolled out of the car.
She tried to keep him from getting into his car and going home. At one point she grabbed the tot and ran off. That's when the dispatcher ended our call and sent out the calvalry. I do believe, after pleading his case, the Daddy went home with the child. I only hope that kid has a better chance in life. To see your dad and your mom go to the point of hitting each other is something that should not have to be seen by such an impressionable youth. My thoughts have been with that little guy since then.
I also fell down the stairs this weekend. I was carrying the microwave downstairs because it had been in the garage for a while and was starting to accumulate dirt. We need to mount it over the oven, but I lack the skills to do so. While carrying the beast down the stairs I guess I lost my step and ended up bouncing down a few stairs until I hit the bottom. I don't really know what happened during the fall. The only thing I really know for sure is that I landed with my left foot up by my left ear and a big microwave was on top of me. I have a few bruises and it hurt when I initially landed. However, I did manage to keep the microwave off the walls some how. Go me. It wasn't as bad as the time a 23 cubic fot fridge fell on me while I was working in the warehouse at Circut City.
I also talked to the market master at Clayton's Farmer's Market. She had put together a series of cooking demostrations at a local joint, but it seems like they still haven't signed the contract. I really hope they do because SuperWife wants to sign me up for one of the classes and it is world class. Chef Gerard Craft- Niche.
It work related news it looks like I will probably be out of a job within the next two months because all new work is being sent elsewhere. It's been a long time since I've felt the need to join the job hunt. What fun.
Thursday, June 15, 2006
...
I have a problem with cookbooks. I went to the local library branch during lunch today in order to find a book I had been waiting on. The book didn't really look as good as I thought it was going to be so I put it back on the shelf. That's when the problem started. I ended up walking out with three other cookbooks I don't have time to read and will probably just return unread. Why? Because I have to have food info at my disposal at all moments.
There are four cookbooks on my desk and only one related to work.
I have a problem with cookbooks. I went to the local library branch during lunch today in order to find a book I had been waiting on. The book didn't really look as good as I thought it was going to be so I put it back on the shelf. That's when the problem started. I ended up walking out with three other cookbooks I don't have time to read and will probably just return unread. Why? Because I have to have food info at my disposal at all moments.
There are four cookbooks on my desk and only one related to work.
Monday, June 12, 2006
...
It's been one whale of a week. I worked longer and harder on something than I cared to and made little progress.
We took the Munchkins out for ice cream on Saturday night. We surprised them after dinner with a trip to Fritz's Frozen Custard. The girl working the window misunderstood our order so we ended up with three things of frozen custard. Meaghan tried to eat her whole thing. Boo at hers so fast that she appeared to have headaches several times. Did that stop her? Nope! She carried on like a trooper and licked the spoon clean. That was right before the thunderstorms rolled in.
There's a rule in our neighborhood. It's not really a storm unless our house has damage. Last year we lost a big bradford pear tree and parts of another tree. Let's call that second tree "Lucky". Later that fall we lost parts of the fence, some siding, and all of the kids' toys flew across the yard. My grill took flight and incurred over a hundred dollars in damages. The smoker also flew and while it still works it looks all bent up.
This spring we have again lost sections of the fence and one gate was torn off. On Saturday night we had one bad storm after another pass over the homestead. In the morning I checked to see the damage to the back yard and fence. Nothing was out of place. Hmmm. That's strange. I looked out the window and, sure enough, there was the damage. Lucky took a strike to one of the limbs that had been cut off last August when the bradford pear hit it. The lightning peeled off a section five inches wide by seven feet long. There are now pieces of wood up to fifty feet away. I can only imagine seeing it in action.
That one strike took out the dsl modem, phone, and probably the DVR. I still think the satellite dishes took a hit as well, but I can't get up there to check. Maybe I'll climb up there. I need to get the wood off the roof anyway.
In other news, Boo sang every word to twinkle twinkle little star on Sunday and Meaghan's grammar continues to be better than her dad's.
It's been one whale of a week. I worked longer and harder on something than I cared to and made little progress.
We took the Munchkins out for ice cream on Saturday night. We surprised them after dinner with a trip to Fritz's Frozen Custard. The girl working the window misunderstood our order so we ended up with three things of frozen custard. Meaghan tried to eat her whole thing. Boo at hers so fast that she appeared to have headaches several times. Did that stop her? Nope! She carried on like a trooper and licked the spoon clean. That was right before the thunderstorms rolled in.
There's a rule in our neighborhood. It's not really a storm unless our house has damage. Last year we lost a big bradford pear tree and parts of another tree. Let's call that second tree "Lucky". Later that fall we lost parts of the fence, some siding, and all of the kids' toys flew across the yard. My grill took flight and incurred over a hundred dollars in damages. The smoker also flew and while it still works it looks all bent up.
This spring we have again lost sections of the fence and one gate was torn off. On Saturday night we had one bad storm after another pass over the homestead. In the morning I checked to see the damage to the back yard and fence. Nothing was out of place. Hmmm. That's strange. I looked out the window and, sure enough, there was the damage. Lucky took a strike to one of the limbs that had been cut off last August when the bradford pear hit it. The lightning peeled off a section five inches wide by seven feet long. There are now pieces of wood up to fifty feet away. I can only imagine seeing it in action.
That one strike took out the dsl modem, phone, and probably the DVR. I still think the satellite dishes took a hit as well, but I can't get up there to check. Maybe I'll climb up there. I need to get the wood off the roof anyway.
In other news, Boo sang every word to twinkle twinkle little star on Sunday and Meaghan's grammar continues to be better than her dad's.
