Outside the dugout: What's cooking?

Well, we’re packed up to head back home tomorrow. It’s been a great visit.

To help keep the kitchen clean we will pick up our supper tonight from Alby’s Chinese Cuisine.

Another beautiful day here today. The back deck will be open!

Life is good in Gator Nation!

 

Tonight it’s Cajun red beans with dirty rice and a cucumber & tomato salad on the side.

I prefer my red beans ‘paired’ with dirty rice rather than the common way ‘over’ white rice. I like that both the beans and the rice have a kick and both compliment each other well versus plain white rice being the side show. My dirty rice is equal parts andouille, bacon and ground pork chopped. And with the holy trinity, instead of a green bell pepper, I always replace jalapeños, Serranos, or Poblanos depending on the dish.

 

Back home and tonight will be easy and good….grilling hamburger steaks with baked potatoes on the top rack.

Inside we’ve got a freshly made Romaine salad topped with vine ripe tomatoes.

Back porch is a welcome site for sure. Ice cold longnecks and chilled wine and Braves baseball. AND SKEETERS!!! Haven’t seen them in 2 1/2 weeks…..

Life is good in Gator Nation!

 

Breakfast for dinner tonight fellas. Eggs, bacon, homemade hash browns and English muffins. MAYBE … some Dirty Rice as well. I need a break from the spicy stuff (can’t believe I said that).

Daughter is coming over, and we all agreed on scrambled. Whenever I go scrambled …onions are always involved… with cheese, once plated.

 

Tonight I’ll be grilling chicken halves seasoned with coarse black pepper and Everglades Cactus Dust. Correct, Pat’s Homade on the last two turns.

Inside we’ve got a pot of white rice covered with Rotel tomatoes and a fresh head of steamed green cabbage.

The back porch Yeti is restocked and Ms Jan’s wine is chilled.

Life is good in Gator Nation!

 

Just enough milder weather to justify a big pot of chili for tonight-so it’s chili served over white rice topped with Sargento fine shredded sharp cheddar cheese, finely sliced jalapeños, and sour cream as desired.

And as it should be—chili cheese dogs to follow as well!

Ice cold longnecks and chilled wine fit well with tonight’s supper.

Life is good in Gator Nation!

 

I’ve got to share this story from our recent visit to see the kids and their families/friends. Our granddaughter, Magnolia Grace’s (MG) favorite meals are #1-chicken and #2-spaghetti. By far-chicken is in the lead…..

So, being “Pa” and “Nanny”, grandparents are supposed to have life’s answers, right??? So Jan and I were at Ingles picking up what to cook for supper….we picked out a pretty family pack of boneless pork chops that were half inch thick.

The deal was Jan got MG to “help her” wash, season, and flour the meat. We both explained to MG that we were having fried “chicken chops” for supper!

MG was beside herself when she told her Mama (Kayla) that she helped Nanny fix supper and that these were the best chicken chops EVER!!!

I know everybody’s been there but still, it’s good stuff.

 

As promised—tonight it’s chili cheese dogs! Here if the grill’s not lit and hotdogs are on the menu-instead of just boiling’em in water-if you’ve got fresh bacon grease, roll your hotdogs around in your frying pan of bacon grease until ready. You won’t be disappointed.

Beautiful day here today, start of a great weekend.

The longnecks are ice cold and the wine is chilled.

Life is good in Gator Nation!

 

We are going to the 40th birthday party for a HS teammate of Alan’s this evening. Jake played and lettered in football, baseball, and wrestling for MHS. Hard to believe that class is turning 40 this year.

I’m sure the fare will be grilled hotdogs and hamburgers and ice cold keg beer. Jake also served 17 years in the 82nd Airborne/US Army with multiple deployments before having to take a medical disability honorable discharge. This will also be a celebration and Thank You for his service.

Life is good in Gator Nation!

 

They did not—and with 5 deployments…..

 

Lower back injuries from all the jumps as well as 40% hearing loss from all the artillery.

 

Took the night off from cooking yesterday. After the game, the wife and I went out to a new pub/restaurant that just opened on my side of the world (Druthers). They have 2 other locations in the Albany/Saratoga area. This is by far their largest. A nice outside area with Adirondack chairs and gas fire pits and an enormous outside bar in the pavilion…. and corn hole stations set up on the lawn, if that’s your thing. We hung out there while waiting for a table. I had the meatloaf and mashed potatoes, while the wife went with pulled pork tacos… and we both enjoyed beer flights with several sampling’s from their brewery on the premises. The meatloaf glaze was a bit sweet for my taste. But a nice experience nonetheless. We will go back.

Tonight I will be grilling burgers accompanied with hand-cut fries.

It is starting to get cold here. We shut down the pool last week and over the next couple of weeks we’ll start transitioning patio furniture and such to the shed. So there will be less and less grilling going on unfortunately.