“You’re killin’ me, Smalls!” Taco Tuesday is now on Sunday! Speaking of pizza......just saw this FB post.....I didn't know all this...wow...... Living the Dream New Smyrna Beach, Florida Meet NSB local David Mickey Evans, writer and director of the famous movie, "The Sandlot." How I happened to know that David lived in our coastal town was when I went to Flagler Avenue Pizza and the young man behind the counter was wearing "The Sandlot's" baseball cap, signed by David. I told him "you aren't even old enough to know about the movie" and he said it was his favorite and that David happened to live here. I was fortunate to meet this very nice 58-year-old man who still writes to this day. Here's his story [and look at the link in Comments below to see what the cast is doing now]. "The Sandlot" was a 1993 sports comedy that tells the story of a group of young baseball players during the summer of 1962. The movie was set in the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles, CA and the filming locations were in Midvale, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, Utah. It grossed $40 million worldwide and quickly become a cult film. He graduated with degrees in film and screenwriting from Loyola Marymount University and directly after college, he became Hollywood’s highest-paid screenwriter, breaking records with the sale of his first two scripts, "Radio Flyer" and "The Sandlot" that sold for over $1 million each. "The Sandlot" [released in 1993] has been hailed as the best baseball movie of all time. It has sold on the order of 15 million DVD’s and together with "The Sandlot 2" (which Evans also wrote, directed and narrated -- and which is the most successful direct-to-DVD live-action family film of all time) continually receives significant airtime all over the world. He is the writer of more than 40 motion pictures and the director of more than 15. His films have entertained an entire generation of movie lovers, and they continue to find an audience with each successive generation of kids and families. Dialogue from his most famous film, "The Sandlot," is some of the most often quoted in motion picture history, including the classic lines, “You’re killin’ me, Smalls!” and the unforgettable, “Heroes get remembered, but Legends never die.” Now, with a new series brewing at Disney+, the baseball comedy's original cast will be reprising their roles, with David Mickey Evans returning. Set in 1984, the series will feature the original gang as adults, while their kids take up the grand tradition of the never-ending neighborhood baseball game. www.davidmickeyevansblog.blogspot.com In November 2019, there was a private screening of the classic movie, "The Sandlot", in New Smyrna Beach at the Brannon Center, hosted by Dave Anders, and Linda Witzel of Anders & Anders Financial Group. It was truly a very special evening. David, along with his brother, Scott Evans, told us about the background of the movie and some insights about some of the beloved characters, including "Beast," the dog. David and Scott also answered audience questions and signed special posters as keepsakes.
I picked up some today. I keep thinking if I eat sweet food, maybe it will help make me more sweet. So far though it hasn't worked..... As one of my ex-girlfriends once said..."Hope Springs Eternal."
Sweet Italian sausage isn't really sweet. It just lacks hot spiciness. It still has fennel seed and garlic. Some dishes don't work with the hot spice. It is OK. Johnsonville is better. And some of the fresh stuff from the Italian butcher growing up in Chicago was great.
Tonight we’re going to have steamed andouille sausage with vidalia onions, green and red bell peppers with rice pilaf and steamed green cabbage. Fresh jalapeño cornbread will also be on the table. Today we had full tilt humidity and 93* to go along with. The back porch ice cold longnecks and chilled wine will have their place this afternoon/evening. Life is good in Gator Nation!
Tonight I’ll be grilling chicken halves seasoned with coarse black pepper and Everglades seasoning with Pat’s Homade on the last two turns. Inside we’ve got a pot of fresh zipper peas, Ms. Jan’s homemade Mac & Cheese, and fried cornbread. 94* hot/ humidity is maxed out. The ice cold longnecks and chilled wine will be on hand to help ease the heat off. Life is good in Gator Nation!
Tonight is pork tenderloin roasted with a sesame teriyaki sauce, rice, and baby bok choy with an oyster sauce based sauce.
My sauce will be oyster sauce, water, ginger, mirin, fish sauce and Sichuan peppercorns. Timing the dinner is a bit tricky. I wish that I had a six burner Garland gas stove top along with a gas oven. I have a four burner stove top and only one is reasonably high heat. I really could use three for this.
Today I went to Northwest Seafood looking for some mahi, but they were out. What they had to my surprise was South African kingklip. The fillets of kingklip are a bit denser than mahi so I will need to cook a little longer. I have had it before, but never cooked it before. I plan on baking in a 350 oven for 18 minutes with halved grape tomatoes, capers, thyme sprigs, and drizzled with olive oil. Then covered and rested for 5 minutes. For sides I will roast peeled and cubed russet potatoes with garlic, lemon, olive oil, oregano, and chicken broth first before baking the fish (I wish that I had two ovens) and also sautéed Lacinato (black) kale.
Everything other than the kale is taking longer than I thought. The potatoes was from an Epicurious recipe and I knew that it would take longer. But it is taking even longer than I thought. The fish is not from a recipe, but I thought it might be 50% more than baking mahi. It is still not flaking, but close.
Tonight we’re going to be treated to Ms. Jan’s homemade chicken n’ dumplings and the left over zipper peas from the other night. 100* here today with the humidity to match it. Ice cold longnecks and chilled wine are available as desired. Life is good in Gator Nation!
Burgers on the KJ tonight. My MIL had some ground chuck in her freezer. And then some form of a whole chicken on the KJ tomorrow. Probably smoked. Chicken doesn't need to be smoked unlike tough cuts of meat that need connective tissue melted, but it is worth the wait. And the leftovers make great enchiladas. I was just thinking about how some things used to be cheap and now they aren't. Red fish at one time was considered a trash fish until it was famously blackened. Ox tail (actually beef tail) was dirt cheap when I was a kid and now it is priced like rib-eye and it is mostly bone. Still delicious. And when I was a kid flank steak was considered a low cut of beef and very inexpensive.
Ms. Jan’s homemade chicken’n’dumplings did not disappoint last night to the point we’re having a do-over tonight. It was only 97* here today () so we had a break with the heat wave. Ice cold longnecks and chilled wine are ready to go on the back porch. Life is good in Gator Nation!