I built mine from scratch out of pine. First thing I did when I bought a cheap Black and Decker miter saw at an outlet mall near Valdosta. When it died I bought a nice DeWalt compound miter saw and it was a world of difference.
Tonight we’re going to have the basics for summertime supper-grilling hotdogs and cheeseburgers with air-fryer tater tots to go with. Again we’ve had a split day of weather. Thunderstorms this morning and muggy with sunshine this afternoon. Ballpark fare brings ice cold longnecks and chilled wine to the back porch. Life is good in Gator Nation!
Last night was brats on my old Ducane gas grill. I only use it for brats, charring peppers for pealing, and stuff like that. The igniters are getting weak and the tubes all have some cracks. It is a nice thing to have when wanting to grill somethings quickly, so I might spring for the replacement parts. About $100. Tonight is clam linguini. And I bought Napa cabbage, scallions and daikon radish for starting some kimchi tomorrow. The other night we had some take-out from a place that was mostly Korean for my SIL's birthday and the kimchi was not very good so it inspired me to make my own again. I have the correct Korean red pepper somewhere. And where did I put those Ball one quart canning jars?
Tonight we’re going to be finishing off the pulled pork with an inside dish. We are going with Chipotle pulled pork with black beans and rice. Quite tasty and we will also have Tortilla chips and salsa and or Queso dip. The ice cold longnecks choice for this is Dos Equis Lager. Ms. Jan will have her chilled wine. Life is good in Gator Nation!
I thought we had a lot of pulled pork left over, but I guess that my son got into it. I wanted to make enchiladas with it tonight. I told my wife to either bring home take-out from one of the local places we like or to go to Publix and get a rotisserie chicken and some salad greens for a salad. Spent most of the afternoon prepping kimchi. I had a four pound head of Napa cabbage and a one pound daikon radish so I made a lot. First I brine the cabbage for two hours, triple rinse, let it sit in a colander for about thirty minutes, and then squeeze out any excess moisture. I think that I over did the last part. When you pack the kimchi you should get enough moisture out to just cover the veggies as they get ready to ferment. In one of my containers no matter how hard I packed it with my muddling tool it never released enough water, so I added some. I hope that it works.
Tomorrow being opening day for CFB, we are having an outside grill day. Bouncy house, kiddie pool, campfire for marshmallows, etc. Grilled chicken wings are for lunch. We have a couple marinades including Buffalo wing sauce for one and a sesame ginger sauce for another. Might make one with italian dressing. We shall see tonight how many sets we get ready. Grilled chicken breast is for dinner with sautéed onions (white onion) on top. Homemade salsa with tomato juice, freshly diced tomatoes, red onion, cilantro, jalapeño peppers, salt, and cumin. Stove topped popcorn, hot dogs, and s’mores for the kiddos.
Tonight’s supper is tuned in to the day-opening of this year’s college football season. That means I’m grilling wings and will have a cold tray on the side. The back porch Yeti is restocked and Ms. Jan’s chilled wine is good to go. Life is good in Gator Nation! And Go Gators!!
Feels so good to have college football back! I started work on my pantry. Picked up the lumber yesterday and got most of it cut to size. Last night started evacuating the pantry. Not sure how much will get done today, given all the games to watch. But will chip away. Wanted to share with you my Kenmore microwave. I bought it (used) back in 1990 when I re-located to Naples for that job working as a full time groundskeeper for the millionaire who started Cablevision Industries. I think I already told that story. I was living in an apartment in Royal Harbor and got the microwave from someone else in the complex, I think. So 31 years later - little worse for the wear, but she still works like a boss!
Tonight will be pork chops with a fig, cream and balsamic vinegar sauce. We have some ears of corn that need to be used up as well. Tomorrow I will smoke two young chickens. One will be eaten as pieces with lemon and rosemary baked small potatoes and the other will be shredded and used for enchiladas. I found La Preferida green medium enchilada sauce at Sav-A-Lot (decent sauce for one from a can instead of made from scratch) and Hatch mild green enchilada sauce at Publix (good chilies, but not enough heat). But I did buy two cans of Hatch hot green chilies to liven things up. And Go Gators!
Smoking chickens and it is weird. Usually a young chicken takes about 4 hours at 250 F to smoke, but these are five hours in and still not done. But they are close.
My Dad always loved fried chicken on the Labors Day Holiday-so tonight we’re going to enjoy fried chicken. Sides will be fresh bi-color cob corn, fresh sliced tomatoes, and Ms. Jan’s homemade Mac and Cheese. The back porch is open for the afternoon/evening and adult libations are available. Life is good in Gator Nation!
Last night was leftover chicken enchiladas with green sauce and then assorted snacks and wine at a friend's house with a pool. Lovely time and delightful people. Tonight is pan fried pork chops, stir fried broccoli, and rice.
Tonight we’re going to take a break from cooking and are going to our local “Fat John’s” to pick up a pizza for our supper. Hot and humid here today—sticky hot and the skeeters have surely survived COVID…… Ice cold longnecks and chilled wine are available and will be well received. Life is good in Gator Nation!
Tonight we’re going to be having Oriental Chicken Fried Rice & Mixed Vegetables. Sure is a full-fledged summertime day here for summer to be over… The back porch is ready for the afternoon/evening activities which are sure to include ice cold longnecks and chilled wine. Life is good in Gator Nation!
Last night was Italian sausage and arugula over orecchiette with fennel seeds, lemon zest, and garlic. Tonight is pan fried mahi with a butter, garlic, lemon and flat leaf parsley sauce and an Asian slaw. Added in edit: Also making Jasmati rice with datil peppers.
Autumn doesn't officially begin until the 22nd! You're right though.....still too damn hot and too damn humid! Been here so many years I don't expect any relief until Oct.-Nov.....and even that's not a given! Made some more BBQ chicken using boneless skinless thighs and continuing to use up my Pat's Ho-made stash. The one I opened today had a "use by" date of Dec. 2020, but it tasted amazing - so guess that stuff stays good for a while after it's "shelf life". GO Gators!
Rambling about mahi and fishing and my dad. One day I went out on a private charter out of Palm Beach with my family to fish while on summer vacation in Florida. My dad had some sort of business relationship with the owner of the boat so all he needed to pay was a generous tip. We caught a lot of mahi that day, but back then they called it dolphin. But soon after everybody thought that dolphins were Flipper when they are actually bottle nosed porpoise. Hence they started calling this fish by its Hawaiian name. They are so beautiful when first taken out of the water, but the colors fade quickly. They do still taste really well when fresh even after the colors fade. We also caught a lot of large barracuda. That I will not eat due to ciguatera. I think the last time I fished with my dad was on a small boat out of Puerto Vallarta and we caught a lot of fish including a lot of barracuda. The kids from the town took everything we caught. I think it might have been 1974. My dad liked to fish. According to my mom they spent their honeymoon at a fish camp way up north. LOL. When I was about seven I went fishing with my dad on a small lake in northern Wisconsin. He was looking to catch a muskie and the boat always went to where he though he had a chance. He got skunked and I caught a number of good fish for dinner. Good times. I miss that guy.