HEY! Happy holiday weekend everybody. What is everybody cookin' today? I just got to know. It is going to be hot here so I'll be grilling for sure. Why don't you come on in for some coffee while I set up the grill. I'll show you how I get that tri-tip so tender. Actually Pa started grilling this way before he gave up his grillin' duties. Pa can't help it he is a really white guy, and he just gets burnt to a crisp in the back yard. Me on the other hand, well my lineage hails from the Middle East, er at least that's what Grandma Kettle says, so maybe that's why the heat doesn't bother me as much.
Anywho, come on in, we will chat about this week in politics, have some good cheap eats, and have a nice visit.
So, what the heck is going on with the Washington Post? Jeebus, why don't they just close that damn paper. What had once been an institution is now just a front for lobbyists. How sad is that? Who is running their advertising department, Rupert Murdoch himself? How tacky.
Speaking of tacky, what is up with Palin? Old Red Neck says that he couldn't understand her because he drank too much Wild Turkey (BLECH). Personally, I think she becomes more understandable the more I drink. Maybe if we both drank then she might be a frikkin jenius. I think the rumors are true and she is about to be indicted for embezzlement. This is not a new situation for her though, remember the clothes? Do you think they were really donated? I doubt it. I could never understand why the press didn't make a bigger deal about her husband's involvement in a seccessionist party for 7 years. Couldn't that sort of be construed as treasonish? Ah well, hopefully there will be a big ugly trial, and we can do shooters for every wink and "you betcha." We can't get rid of Mark (how many people can I screw over at the same time) Sanford, but ask Palin a couple tough questions and she resigns. Pa says that at the last big R meeting someone said the "code word" ala Manchurian Candidate, and they are now self destructing.
Oh, geez where are my manners? How bout something to snack on? You got your coffee alright? Enjoy it, pretty soon it will be about 100 outside. By then the beer should be cold.
Ma's Cheap Veggie Salad
2 sliced tomatoes (I like em thick, but cut them however you want)
thickly sliced mushrooms
thickly sliced cucumber
ANY marinated veg (don't go spicy unless you don't have any kids around)
Sliced fresh mozzarella cheese (if this is unavailable, or too expensive, just pick a nice local cheap cheese. If your cheese is not moist serve it on a separate plate)
Put all of this on a pretty plate, sprinkle with basil, salt and pepper and the marinated veggie juice. Serve with a sliced fresh bread, or crispy crackers.
It looks like a real battle is shaping up about healthcare reform. I just do not understand any of the Republican talking points on this. Do you have Republican friends? If so can you help translate some of this BS? See, I don't have any Republican friends. I used to have one but he moved back to TX. So, now I have no way to understand any of their gobblygook. When the R's say that the insurance companies can't compete with the government what are they talking about? I thought R's were all about free market competition? Does that translate into "lobbyists can't pay us as much," or something like that? It seems to me we are fighting about people who cannot afford regular insurance anyway. So the government can operate a plan at less expense than the insurance companies, but that plan is only aimed at people who are unable to pay for the expensive stuff. Like buying generic mayo. Not everybody will, but enough people will buy it to keep them in business. When they say we can't afford it, does that mean "we don't give a shit about the uninsured," or am I being too rough on them? When they complain about rationed medical care under a government plan, are they unaware that currently healthcare is rationed on an ability to pay basis? Government run care will be bad is another one I don't get. Why will it be bad? Worse than nothing? I find that hard to believe. Well, if you can shed any light on these or other talking points please do so. I hate to be uninformed. Pa says I am baiting those poor R's and to stop it.
I grill a couple of tri-tips at a time when they are cheap, this week $2.47 per lb, cheapest of the summer. Eat one today, slice the other one for sandwhiches tomorrow. I also like to throw a split chicken on the grill and some corn on the cob, (unhusked). If you're gonna stand out in the heat, you might as well make the grill work for you.
Ma n Pa's grilled tri-tip
1-2 untrimmed, unseasoned (that's the cheapest you can get) tri-tip.
Season your meat the day before. Sometimes I use a beef rub if I have one made up, but usually its a couple of cloves of garlic squished, cracked black pepper, and sea salt.
Get your coals ready. Make sure the coals are on one side of the grill, so you can have a hot and a cool side. You know the coals are ready when you hold your hand about 6 inches from the grill and you cannot count past 3 before you pull your hand back. Place a small METAL bowl of water on the cool side of the coals before you put the grilling rack on. Place a meat thermometer in your roast, if you have that kind. You have to watch, because they are easy to overcook. Put the lid on, and let the magic begin. I like mine really rare, so I pull one off when it's done the way I like and leave the other one on for Pa. You will be amazed at how tender it is.
Ma's Grilled Chicken
Ma's Chicken Marinade
1/2cup brown sugar
1/2 cup apple cider
4 cloves of garlic
3 tbsp dijon mustard (or honey mustard, or whatever)
3 squished cloves of garlic
1 lime juiced
1 lemon juiced
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp pepper
1 1/2 tsp salt
6 tbs olive oil
Let this sit overnight. Play with the ingredients until you get it the way you like, or to fit what you have in the cupboard.
I am disappointed that the CIA report will not be coming out, but then I expected that. There are some horrible things in that report, just like those photos we are not allowed to see. I don't have to see because I know what we have done in the past; what has been my misfortune to hear is worse than I could have imagined. Some people do need to see though, and they live here in the good ole US of A. The administration is trying to control the timing of the release of this information. I understand the motivation to do so. Not being of the upper echelons of our government, just a nobody, I can see the disconnect between government actions and words, between what our history claims our people to be, and what we actually are. This is the ultimate dichotomy: de facto versus de jure equality. Only some of us can torture those in our care and get away with it. I currently have too many issues to teach political science at the collegiate level any more, good thing they gave me the boot.
What is a cook out without the potato salad? I am using a bag of tiny whites somebody gave me, but use whatever you have. If you got big spuds chop them down so they will cook faster.
Ma's Tater Salad
2lbs taters par boiled (not mushy)
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup diced celery
1tbsp chopped chives
1 piece of crispy bacon diced
1/2 dijonaise, or djon and mayo
1tsp salt
1tsp pepper
That is the basic recipe. Trade chives for red onion, add more or less of whatever, throw in a boiled egg. Run with it.
How is the family? Mine is good. Grandma Kettle is staying the weekend. She has noisy neighbors who are moving out this weekend. I think she comes to visit the dog more than me or the kids, really. Oldest is in summer session at the Community College, and youngest starts back to school next week. I will finally get to spend some quality time with the dissertation. My new part time jobs are not so bad. I am lucky to have found work. I am still teaching, that's what matters most.
You can't leave without having something sweet. This year I am making a cookie pizza. It does require baking, but only about 15 minutes.
Ma's Cookie Pizza
1 lb sugar cookie dough
assorted fruits (no melon)
1 package of cream cheese softened
1/2 cup sugar (powdered or regular)
1Tbsp lemon or lime juice
1/4 cup melted jelly
Spread the cookie dough out on a greased pizza pan. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes and cool. Do it first thing in the morning and then the heat will not be too bad. Mix together the cream cheese, the sugar, and the citrus. Spread over cooled cookie. Layer your washed fruit around the pizza. I used halved strawberries and blueberries for the color scheme. I have used kiwi, sliced peaches, grapes, and other fruits in the past. When you have the fruit arranged how you like it, drizzle with the melted jelly thinly. Yum.
So, what are you all planning to cook this weekend? How do you feel about what has been going on this week. Thumbs up or down? Let's talk about it.