Outside the dugout: What's cooking?

Last night leftovers.

Tonight clam linguini.

 

Smoking two chickens today but not earing either one for dinner tonight. Taking one on a mini-vacation to the North Carolina mountains and using the other to make some dinners for my youngest that is staying home. Somebody has to be at my wife's law office all week.

 

Making chicken enchiladas with one of the chickens I smoked last Saturday.

Also saw a bear walk through the yard this morning. Staying in suburban Asheville and not way up in the mountains.

 

Got home about 12:30 AM CDT today. Went to bed about an hour later. Thank God my dog let me sleep past 7.

Tonight is super simple and can be eaten in front of the TV: hot dogs in a semi-Chicago style. Hebrew National dogs instead of Vienna Beef. Ball Park Frank buns I bought on BOGO instead of poppy seed buns which I cannot buy in Gainesville. I am not going to the effort to butter wash the buns and sprinkle poppy seeds. Grillo's pickle spears (pricey but worth it), real Chicago sport peppers, real Chicago neon green relish, tomato, mustard ("ball park" yellow is traditional but I will knock this up a notch to really good German mustard) and the very important celery salt.

I am leaving the onions off.

The Lady Gators are playing volleyball at 7 and we will watch so I wanted a TV friendly dinner.

And we had a second bear sighting whilst up in North Carolina. Driving back on the Blue Ridge Parkway from Craggy Gardens where my oldest and I hiked and walked the dogs we had to slow down to a stop to avoid hitting a momma bear and her two cubs.

Back in my grad student days I took a friend of mine on a canoe trip on the Brule River that forms part of the boundary between Wisconsin and the UP of Michigan. He was into trout fishing and where we went was primo fishing because the only way to get there was by a long overnight canoe trip. It was a long way between bridges. Anyway we took off one morning and we entered a narrow section of the river with heavy vegetation. We could hear a low animal sound and I could smell the bear just off to our left. He asked "What is that?" I calmly told my friend "Keep paddling." Not really much danger because it was late summer and the bears could steal corn from the farm fields.

Found out later that much of the trail we hiked was closed due to Hurricane Helene damage. It didn't seem that bad but what we arrived at the arranged pick-up point it was also closed so there were a few extra miles tacked on to get back to the Parkway. Maybe that was why it was closed.

 

Back from Sunrise. Yesterday my youngest and I attended the last preseason Panthers game against the Lightning. Reminded me of hockey in the days just before Gretzky. I expected the Hanson brothers (Slap Shot reference) to be suited up. 16 ejections and over 300 penalty minutes. The Lightning were down to 8 total skaters from about the midpoint of the third period. With all the fights it took forever for the game to finish. I don't think that the Panthers and Lightning like each other.

Finally for some food commentary. We watched quite a bit of the Florida/Texas football game at Shake Shack before the game. Decent burger. With a Cigar City draft. Gators looked good and Texas did not.

Back home now. Tonight I will roast a pork tenderloin and stir fry some broccoli with garlic and oyster sauce. Texmati rice to finish the menu. I will pull an Oregon pinot noir out of the wine cellar.

Good to be home.

 

Sounds a lot like a Yankee pot roast but I am guessing you would never call it that. LOL.

 

Dinner plans might have to wait until tomorrow. A strong chance we will be taking out dinner for the children of good friends whilst they are out of town.

 

Tonight I am making a baked ziti with hot Italian sausage, spinach and pesto.

 

Roasting a pork tenderloin for my son and leftovers for things like escarole soup. Also roasting broccoli florets.

Everyone else is getting leftover baked ziti with spinach.

 

Do Kentucky mules require a copper mug?

 

Tacos tonight.

 

Tonight we are going to a fund raiser for Three Rivers which provides legal assistance to the poor, abused, disabled and elderly.

But I am cooking for tomorrow night making chicken tinga and pickled red onions for tacos.