New discovery

The best things sometimes come from desperation. As I was looking for some sandwich fixin's for lunch, I found that the new loaf of bread was barely out of the freezer and therefore, unusable for a sandwich. I know, I could nuke it and defrost it in 30 sec. But I didn't want to wait that long.  So I had my ham and cheese looking for something, anything to wrap up this pork and dairy goodness. And then......there on the counter, 2 left-over pecan pancakes.  OK fine, I can use them, but what condiment? Mustard? Relish? Ketchup? Mayo? Maple Syrup?  What???? Yes! syrup.  Very good, sweetness of the syrup, played with the salt of the ham and the crunch of the pecans. A little sloppy, therefore eating over the sink was required.

Hungry now?

Eat something!

I was...

I was going to post something today...


but it's impolite to blog with your mouth full.

Happy Thanksgiving!

The Day is Almost Here

The Monday before Thanksgiving is sort of like the first ride on an unfamiliar rollercoaster. You’re excited and kinda scared at the same time. Much anticipation fills the house as we plan our menu and invite our guests. However part of the planning is reserving the room in the fridge for all of the food parcels which will arrive on the big day. So, on this Monday, even though I know darn well that this is a good thing, I open the door to an empty refrigerator. After the gasps and heart palpitations subside, I tell myself that everything is alright and that this is a good thing.  The turkey is now in there thawing along with a jug of water, quart of milk and a half-bottle of Pinot-Grigio.  I must think of Thursday, think of Thursday, think of Thursday. The golden, roasted turkey, mashed taters, gravy, corn bread dressing and custard pie (all specialties of Michelle). There will be a salad, and a veggie-type thing and desserts that our guests offered to bring to the party. 

And the sandwiches, oh the sandwiches. 

There – I feel better.

Latest Sandwich Creations

Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve been getting creative with some of my sandwiches for lunch.  I feel it’s my duty to keep you up to date on the latest sandwich goodness available to you.

Had a BOBS the other day.

Bacon, Onion and my Barbeque Sauce on toasted wheat berry bread.  Very good combination, although toasted Jewish Rye may enhance this further. Stay tuned.

BBQ Chicken Salad.

Like regular chicken salad, but I mixed in some of my barbeque in with the mayo.  Put it on some potato bread. Tasty with some salt and vinegar chips.

Coleslawich

Brought some cole slaw home the other day, didn’t want to dirty up a plate, so I put it ‘tween whole wheat slices and ate OTS. (over the sink – see previous blogs)

This concludes our little update, please continue with your regularly scheduled life.

The Glory of a Feast is the Joy at the Table

Up to now, you’ve read some ramblings of an average guy who loves his food and how the aspects of food prep and the art of consuming said food can have a different reflection when seen through masculine eyes.  These are some thoughts I’ve had for quite some time which seem to rise above eating a sandwich and Mac & Cheese over the sink.

From the World English Dictionary:

feast  

 — n  

1.  a large and sumptuous meal, usually given as an entertainment for several people 

2.  a periodic religious celebration 

3.  something extremely pleasing or sumptuous: a feast for the eyes  

4.  movable feast  a festival or other event of variable date 

— vb  (foll by on ) 

5.  ( intr ) 

 a. to eat a feast 

 b. ( usually foll by  on ) to enjoy the eating (of), as if feasting: to feast on cakes  

6.  ( tr ) to give a feast to 

7.  to take great delight (in): to feast on beautiful paintings  

8.  ( tr ) to regale or delight: to feast one's mind or one's eyes  

[C13: from Old French feste , from Latin festa , neuter plural (later assumed to be feminine singular) of festus  joyful; related to Latin fānum  temple, fēriae  festivals]

After looking up this definition, I can understand how most people think of a feast as nothing but a big, tasty, meal.  But as I was thinking about the word along with my love of food and my Christian beliefs, I realized that the two biggest feasts in Christendom are Easter and Christmas.  Those of you who know the church calendar know that preceding both of these feasts is a time of preparation, Lent and Advent. I think the Church Fathers had it going on when they scheduled a period of time for reflection, preparation and most of all; anticipation.  The time leading up to the feast can make the actual event much more meaningful.

One such feast that we, as a family, often refer to is a meal we hosted one Easter for our orphan friends. These are our friends who live too far away from any family to celebrate Easter.  My lovely wife Michelle and I enjoyed every aspect of the day and the days leading up to it. From the first thought early in the new year, we became excited and this excitement grew as we planned the menu, plotted the dining logistics, Michelle called our guests asking for their favorite quote or Bible verse to share at the meal.  This gave an opportunity for our guests to have a little anticipation as well.  We used these quotes as place settings which then turned into bookmarks that our guests kept after the food was long gone. The food, by the way, was a traditional baked ham along with a leg of lamb, stuffed with a chick pea dressing, a cool vinegrette-dressed asparagus salad, corn soufflé, and Michelle’s locally famous ‘Turtle-pecan Pie’.  The room was tight for the dozen or so guests, so we decided against family style and buffet, to encourage conversation. This meant we got up and served each course and seconds, thirds, dessert and coffee. To host a celebration is work. One has to understand and accept this going into the job. As a host, you may miss out on conversations, have less time to enjoy the day and have plenty of work before and after the event.  That said, Michelle and I truly enjoyed that opportunity to serve and host our guests and accept the down side the job.  Although most of our guests can’t recall the entire menu, what we and our guests took away from that celebration was the joy at the table.  It was a joy which could not have been experienced with a couple of pizza boxes and 2-liter bottles thrown together at the last minute. 

A feast, a true feast, requires anticipation for every one attending.  There is ample time to prepare the room and the table, but mostly time to prepare the heart to culminate into the real Joy that occurs at a Glorious Feast.

Cool, Clean, Water

Water is very good for you. For drinking, not breathing. You’re supposed to have 8 glasses a day or something like that. Now, I don’t mind water. If I’m thirsty, water works. But, with a meal, I NEED to have something with a flavor. Is that weird? I don’t think so. But I don’t understand why. It doesn’t matter what I’m eating: hot & spicy, hearty and flavorful, or kinda bland, water doesn’t do the trick.


I like to think that I purposely pair food and beverages just as good as the sommeliers at those cloth napkin places. This is what I came up with:

Steak – Merlot, Cabernet, (bold, red wine rich with tannin)

Hamburger – Coke

Pizza – Dr. Pepper

Asian Food – Beer

PB&J – milk (ice cold)

Mexican Food – Tea

BBQ – any combo of coke, beer

Italian Sausage w/ peppers, onions & mozzarella – Vanilla Shake

What am I (inadvertantly) leaving out?

Bucket (of wings) List

Goodness-Gracious! This movie has started a list for everything. So, I’ll jump on the wagon and give you my bucket list of food I must eat before I die.




Chicken wings from the birthplace of the wing, The Anchor Bar

Double-Double at In-n-Out Burger

Maine lobster

Deep-dish Chicago Pizza

Texas BBQ

Kansas City BBQ

South Carolina BBQ

Soft shell crabs from Maryland

A hotdog in Fenway Park

The Ultimate PB&J

Roast Beef on Weck

Sushi made with that expensive, hoidy-toidy tuna

My wonderful wife’s cooking

Biscotti and espresso in Italy

A meal comprised of food raised and grown on my land

A sandwich at the Stage Deli in NY



What am I missing?