It occurs to me that some recipe ingredients are simply not replaceable. Oh sure, shallots might be substituted with some white onion and a sliver of fresh garlic, or a splash of ketchup might suffice in a pinch, instead of a dollop of tomato paste, but some food items are so unique that I just can’t make an exception. Cilantro is one of those, and habanero chile is another. Their flavors are so unmistakable that their omission, or substitution is noticeable. I’m adding another item to the list: Thai basil.
If I had to describe Thai basil, I would say that it is a bit like a combination of regular basil and mint, but that falls short of the full range of flavor. There is also a hint of anise, and the leaves and stems are bigger and sturdier than regular mint.
Food memories are some of my most indelible memories and I can easily recall the first time I had Thai basil. It was 1987, in Dallas, Texas, at a neat little restaurant called Thai Soon. The owner, “Soon,” ran the restaurant on trendy Lower Greenville Avenue. (Last time I checked, she’s still in the restaurant business, but has moved to nearby Richardson, Texas.)
I experienced a few “firsts” at Thai Soon. First time to have Thai chilis, first time to walk into a restaurant kitchen, uninvited, just so I could salute the chefs. But my favorite first was my introduction to Thai basil.
Thai Basil played a reoccurring role in many of Soon’s recipes. Pungent and pervasive, and often playing second fiddle to delicious soups and spicy chilis, Thai basil was subtly woven into many delicious recipes, like threads of wool, woven into a comfortable, warm sweater.
Fresh Thai basil can be found in many international markets. Use the leaves to liven up a soup or salad, or add them to a stir-fry dish, or add them to a pita wrap, burrito, or a spring roll rice paper wrap.
Special thanks to Janet Kushner at Jauja Cocina Mexicana for this recipe, which I have unabashedly stolen!
My wife was raised in the Catholic faith, which came with all manners of rituals, rites and traditions. One of these is avoiding meat during the Lenten season, which is the 40-day period that begins on Ash Wednesday and ends at sundown, Holy Thursday. Eating meat from warm blooded animals is forbidden, but fish, and other seafood, is permitted because they are cold blooded. There’s a lot to unwrap there, but suffice it to say, Lent is something I can get behind, especially since I love seafood.
I come from a Protestant background, specifically an evangelical, Pentecostal, fire-and-brimstone sort of sect that has its own dos and don’ts, which include things like prohibiting alcohol, dancing, and gambling. Eat anything you want, but don’t dare have any fun while doing it!
Over the years I’ve realized that living a good life requires nothing more than treating people with decency and respect. It seems to me that religion can muddy the water, making it difficult to see the important things in life. Be kind. Be generous. Be sincere.
All that said, I still enjoy Lent when it rolls around each year! Let’s have some fish!
Note: The sauce from this recipe is a very versatile soup base. You could substitute the fish with meatballs, rice, lentils, or anything else that strikes your fancy. Control the spiciness of the sauce by adding or subtracting the chile de arbol.
Caldo de Pescado
Ingredients:
1 ½ lbs Tilapia filets, sliced into large pieces
1 oz. dried shrimp (eyes removed)
4 Roma tomatoes (quartered)
2 chile guajillo
1 chile ancho
A few chile de arbol, optional
½ onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, peeled.
1 large leek, thinly sliced
1 bay leaf
1 Tbs oregano, crushed
Salt to taste
1 small handful cilantro leaves
3 carrots, peeled and cut into ½” pieces
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into ½” pieces
Directions:
Cover cut potatoes in water and soak until needed.
Sauté onion, leek, and garlic for 5 to 6 minutes. Set aside.
Sauté dried shrimp for 1 minute.
Add chiles. Sauté for 2 minutes.
Add tomatoes. Sauté for 2 minutes.
Add 1 ½ cup water. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
Add cooked salsa to blender. Add onion, leek, and garlic. Add 1 ½ cup water. Puree and strain into large bowl.
Add pureed salsa to a large pot.
Add bay leaf and oregano.
Cook uncovered over medium heat for 10 minutes. Stir frequently.
Our tomato plants have done well this summer, despite the insane heat that we have been experiencing, and that means we have buckets and buckets of tomatoes to deal with.
There’s nothing that refreshes the soul like a vine-ripened tomato! For me, it is the quintessential taste of summer.
We have 24 tomato plants in the garden this year, which is way more than we need for a supply of fresh tomatoes, so we are canning the rest.
Roma tomatoes are perfect for making tomato sauce. I’ve spent the last five weekends making a variety of Italian-style marinara, as well as barbecue sauce, and spicy chili sauce.
All in all, I’ve made 40 quarts of 43 pints of sauces. It takes about 45 gallons of tomatoes to make that much sauce, so it requires a lot standing and stirring to complete the job!
The result is a year’s worth of delicious homemade sauce.
There’s lots of books and plenty of online resources for anyone interested in canning. Who knows, maybe I’ll post a recipe or two and offer some advice on canning someday!
Tired of humdrum pico de gallo, laying listlessly in bowl? Rearrange and redefine the elements.
The possibilities are myriad. A little creativity goes a long way when making something visually appealing, as well as delicious.
Case in point, is this mosaic of tomato and jalapeño. I started with the idea of making pico de gallo and, just before I diced the thin strips of jalapeño, I looked at the chopped tomato and thought it would be more interesting to arrange the pieces together to resemble a pineapple.
Ingredients:
Seeded and sliced jalapeño
Chopped tomato
Pinch of oregano
Pinch of garlic salt
A slight squeeze of fresh lime juice
Go ahead…change your world. By doing so, you change our world.
My good friend, Graham and I met through WordPress waaaaaay back in 2019. He was a veteran web poster when I first stumbled upon his food blog and I remember reading his “About Me” page for the first time and thinking, “Wow, there’s another dad in the world who likes to cook for his family!” I started following his blog and commenting on his posts and, not so long after that, he started following my blog.
It didn’t take long for me to get the hang of posting recipes and visiting other sites to see what others were up to, and before I knew it, I was following lots of people and people even started following me.
I have to say that Graham has always graciously posted comments about the things I post, and his commentary contains colorful prose like:
“You have exactly the same recipe as I do, which is strange or maybe normal.”
and…
“Great recipe and one I would totally enjoy eating but can never make, my wife hates olives. Will remember to eat the next time I am eating alone.”
and…
“That really looks good even given it’s chicken. I prefer Kung Pao beef.”
Graham and I trade good-natured barbs as well as good advice in equal proportions, which, in my opinion, makes us good friends.
By now, even Graham is probably thinking, “What does any of this have to do with Mac and Cheese?”
Well, here are the last two comments I received from Graham:
So now, without further ado, I present a link to a Mac and Cheese recipe that I posted waaaaaay back in 2020.
I recreated this recipe a few days ago, but as anyone who knows me, I had to change it up a bit. I used equal parts Cheddar and Gruyere cheese.
Here’s a picture of the finished product.
.
So, there you go, Graham. Are you happy now?!
I’ll end with what might be my favorite comment from Graham…
“LOL! I think it’s just because you’re a want-a-be Canadian. You’re too much like me sometimes, just grab what’s in the fridge and make something out of it that ends up tasting good.”
People use all sorts of things to measure time. The obvious choice, of course, is a clock, but when you think about it, there are other more subtle ways to measure time.
Your newborn baby sleeps through the entire night. Congratulations, you just made it to six months, or has it been a year? Your neighbors have their trash cans lined up on the street. Oh, it’s weekly trash pickup day. You see Christmas decorations pop up at local stores when there wasn’t any the day before. It must be September already.
The kitchen is full of time measuring devices, aside from a clock on the stove or microwave oven. The refrigerator and pantry are full of time reminders. Expiration dates and “best sold by” dates are on just about everything. They tell you the necessary information, which is, “use this item before this time, or you will risk making everyone sick”. What they don’t tell you is when you bought the item. All you care about is the expiration date, and that’s OK.
Some food items are like time bombs. Their life clock starts ticking from the moment you put them in your shopping basket until the moment you eat them. King among those sort of items is common, white button mushrooms.
I look at mushrooms like this…
Day 1 – The mushrooms are nearly perfect. Rinse off the dirt, pat them dry and you can use them in fresh salads or any other purpose.
Day 2 – The mushrooms have barely changed. You might want to trim off the bottoms of the stems because they have turned a little brown, otherwise they are still good for any use.
Day 3 – Why haven’t I used these yet? If I use them now, I will need to pluck the stems out of the mushroom caps. They’re still fresh enough for salads, but just barely.
Day 4 and 5 – Critical warning! Mushrooms look a little smaller and browner than they did a few days ago. They also feel wet, in a not-so-good way. Use them now, or risk the death throes of Day 6, or dare I mention, Day 7!
Day 6 and 7 – Well, I really screwed up! I knew this was coming. I open the package and inspect the mushrooms. They have big, soft brown spots on them, and they aren’t white anymore, and wow, what’s that awful smell?
Fortunately, I’m only on Day 4 with my mushrooms. They aren’t salad worthy, and I need to find a way to disguise them and showcase them at the same time. Sauces are great solutions for vegetables and fungi as they enter their “autumn years”.
Let’s make some jägerschnitzel!
First of all, if your menu choice contains an umlaut in its name, you earn bonus points, and possibly a James Beard award! Secondly, if it is a compound German word, you receive the smug satisfaction of knowing a compound word when you see one.
Jägerschnitzel is a hunter’s schnitzel with mushroom gravy. Jäger means “hunter” and schnitzel means…well, schnitzel means schnitzel. Schnitzel refers to the pounding and breading method used when preparing the meat.
I made a few substitutions along the way, like sake instead of white wine and panko breadcrumbs instead of traditional breadcrumbs and I’m happier for it! I only took a few photos, but trust me, this is fairly easy to make and is very satisfying.
Mushroom Gravy Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
½ onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
¼ cup flour
½ cup white wine (I used saké)
2 cups beef stock
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard, or whole grain mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper, to taste
Mushroom Gravy Directions:
Heat the olive oil in skillet. Add butter and chopped onion. Stir for two minutes.
Add garlic and continue stirring for another two minutes.
Add mushrooms and stir for three minutes.
Add flour and mix to combine.
Add wine and cook for three minutes.
Add beef stock and stir sauce for about five minutes, until thickened.
Add mustard and Worcestershire sauce.
Add salt and pepper, to taste.
Schnitzel Ingredients:
1 cup cooking oil
4 boneless, center cut pork chops, pounded to about 1/8” thick
2 eggs
2 teaspoons water
1 ½ cup breadcrumbs (I used panko)
1 teaspoon salt
1 ½ teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon caraway seeds, crushed
Schnitzel Directions:
Pound the pork chops until they are very thin, about 1/8” thick. I like to lay the chops on wax paper and add another piece of wax paper on top and then pound the chops with the flat side of a meat cleaver.
Mix the eggs in a large bowl with water.
Spread the flour across a large plate.
Spread the breadcrumbs across a large plate.
Dredge the pork in the flour, dip in egg wash, and dredge in the breadcrumbs.
Fry the thin pork chops in hot oil for about three minutes and turn them over. Continue frying for another three minutes, or until golden brown, and remove them to warm place.
I serve the schnitzel with fried potatoes on a platter with the mushroom gravy on the side. This allows each person the option to add as much gravy as they like to the schnitzel. I like to pour the gravy over everything!
Just about every Chinese New Year I get the urge to make Chinese food. Sometimes I keep things simple and at other times, I go all out and make a feast, and when I don’t have the urge (or the time) to cook, I just go out for Chinese food.
This year I wanted to cook, so I went to my favorite little Asian market to look for ingredients, including Chinese long noodles. After searching the aisles for several minutes all I could find were clear rice noodles and curly egg noodles. I was left with two options: 1) Admit defeat and forget about the noodles, or 2) go to the front of the store and ask the woman at the check-out counter for help. I know from previous experience that the woman at the counter, who might be the proprietor, spends much of her time barking out commands, in Chinese, to other store employees, sticking price tags on items, and working the cash register. She also understands very little English, and I don’t speak even the tiniest bit of Mandarin or Cantonese. So, my choice was clear.
I navigated my way through the narrow aisles up to the register counter to have a chat with the Asian woman.
I feel like I should, at this point, paint a picture of the scene.
The register counter is elevated above the rest of the store floor and is enclosed by wooden panels and a clear, protective plastic curtain, installed at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. Every place in the store feels tight and claustrophobic and the front counter is certainly no exception. There, raised above the store patrons, behind the hanging plastic curtain, that had become blurred by grime during the last few years, sits the middle-aged Asian lady, wearing a surgical mask, covering her mouth and nose. It is reminiscent of a dystopian Terry Gilliam movie, but it also reminds me of Danny DeVito, from the TV series, Taxi.
“Do you have Wu Mu noodles?”, I asked, with my best, clear and precise diction, hoping that would help her understand me. Her response was not in English, and it sounded to me like she said, “I take jaguar.” She shook her head as if to signify that she didn’t understand my question. I rephrased my question a few more times to see if she could latch onto something I was saying. I eventually stripped it down to “Chinese noodles.”, and she perked up a little and climbed down from her perch and waved at me to follow her.
We went down one of the aisles that I had already visited and she began pointing to different kinds of noodles as I shook my head at each of her suggestions. I sensed that she was getting tired of this little game as much as I was, so I decided to try pantomime. I pretended to make noodles, by stretching my arms and hands outward and slapping imaginary noodles down on an imaginary table. She gave me a knowing look and guided me to the end of the aisle and pointed to a large box of noodles.
The box reminded me of a boxed set of record albums, big and squarish. I purchased the four-pound box of Chinese Wu Mu noodles, and I left the store feeling accomplished and satisfied.
Four pounds of dry noodles is a lot of noodles! You can expect several future posts that feature them.
Wu Mu noodles, also known as Wu Long noodles are one of the most common types of noodles in China and they are exported throughout the world. All you need to do to find them is gesticulate wildly with your hands until some kind soul guides you to them.
Wu Mu noodles are steeped in tradition. They represent good fortune and long life, and it is bad luck to break them during the cooking process or to cut them while eating them. This can lead to a lot of slurping at the table, and that’s quite alright.
This recipe only calls for a few ingredients. I made my own sauce for the stir-fry but that could easily be replaced by a store-bought sauce of your choice.
The noodles and tofu are simple vehicles for the sauce. Make your sauce sweeter by adding more Hoisin sauce, make it saltier by adding more soy, or make it spicier by adding hot sauce, or chili paste.
Ingredients for the sauce:
½ cup soy sauce
½ cup water
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon black soy sauce (sweet soy)
2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
3 garlic cloves, mashed and minced
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1 Tablespoon cornstarch (or another type of starch)
1 teaspoon garlic chili paste
Ingredients for the stir-fry
12 ounces dry Wu Mu noodles (parboiled to al dente)
1 16-ounce block of firm tofu, pressed and drained, cut into 1 inch cubes,
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, thinly sliced
3 small bok choy – about 1 pound (or any other Asian cabbage), chopped
1 large carrot (or 2 medium carrots), sliced
½ onion, thinly sliced
1 large celery stalk, sliced
½ bell pepper, thinly sliced
Directions:
Press the tofu to remove excess moisture by placing the tofu between paper towels and laying a heavy object on top of the top. Allow the tofu to dry for an hour, replacing wet paper towels as needed.
Dust the tofu cubes with the cornstarch.
In a large frying pan, add a little oil and set heat to high. Sear all sides of the tofu pieces until they are lightly browned. Remove from the pan and set aside. Searing the tofu is optional. I wanted the tofu to have a bit of crispy texture.
Prepare the sauce by mixing all of the ingredients. Set aside.
Boil the noodles in a large pot until they are al dente. Strain the noodles and set aside.
Prepare the vegetables by chopping and slicing and set them aside.
Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a large wok.
Add the ginger and remove after a minute or two. Discard the ginger.
Add the carrot to the wok and stir for a few minutes. Add the bok choy and toss. Add the onion, celery and bell pepper. Stir until the vegetables are tender, but not overcooked.
Add the sauce and stir. Add the tofu and continue to toss for another minute.
Add the noodles and toss to coat the noodles with the sauce.
Remove everything to a large serving bowl and serve warm.
For me, a trip to a farmers’ market is like a holiday. Going to an international farmers’ market is like a romp through Disney World’s Magic Kingdom! I run from one produce aisle to another, like a kid on a sugar rush, gawking at all of the wonderful, magnificent fruits and vegetables. “Oooh, they have Sumooranges! Wow, durianfruit…that’s scary! Hey, look at all the types of bok choy…which kind should I choose?”
The “thinky” part of my brain, that causes me to come to the market in the first place, just to buy a thing, gives way to the impulsive, spastic part of my brain that screams, “Grab everything…you’ll figure out what to do with it when you get home!”
On this particular trip to the international farmers’ market, after making the rounds through the produce aisles twice, I found my way back to the refrigerated display case that houses the fungi, you know, all the different kinds of mushrooms. I was drawn to a small package of slender, white mushrooms that were labeled, “Seafood Mushrooms”. I had no idea what seafood mushrooms were, which is ultimately what compelled me to buy them. I guess I’m a sucker for a good mystery!
When I returned home, I consulted the all-knowing internet to see what seafood mushrooms were and how they are used in recipes.
Here’s what I found:
Seafood mushrooms are a smaller version of Enoki mushrooms. They are white mushrooms with long, white stems and mushroom caps. The mushrooms have a mild, earthy, slightly sweet flavor and they taste a little like seafood when cooked, with a subtle flavor of lobster or shrimp. They are crunchy when raw and become chewier, the longer they are cooked.
Since I only bought a small, five-ounce package of mushrooms, I decided to make an appetizer that would feature the mushrooms prominently.
Seafood Mushroom Stir-Fry
Prepare the mushrooms. Rinse the mushrooms under cool running water. The mushrooms are conjoined in a bundle at the base, which needs to be trimmed away to separate the mushrooms.
Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon olive oil
3 green onions, white parts only, cut lengthwise
1 Tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
5 ounces seafood mushrooms, cleaned and separated
2 teaspoon soy sauce
1 Tablespoon Hoisin sauce
Directions:
Heat a wok to medium heat. Add oil and green onion.
I didn’t intend on making Mediterranean-style pork chops but, after scanning through the pantry and refrigerator, I found several items that needed to be used before they passed their prime and spoiled. I know this isn’t an elegant way to kick off a food blog post but, it’s the truth, and as a simple home cook, I know there’s plenty of cooks out there that have felt the painful guilt that comes when they discover that their grocery store purchases have rotted away, untouched and ignored.
Let’s take a look at our middle-aged cast of characters, shall we?
One pound of small yellow and red potatoes, about three weeks old.
4 small poblano chiles, fresh from my neighbor’s garden – two weeks ago!
3 tomatoes, picked pipe from my garden, a week ago.
½ red onion that must have been two weeks old.
A lemon, that held up surprisingly well for two weeks in the refrigerator.
Two pounds of bone-in pork chops, that passed the smell test after 7 days in the refrigerator.
Once I gathered the aging actors together for this ensemble, I brought in a young, vibrant supporting cast including, fresh garlic, Kalamata olives, and green and black olives.
Ingredients:
4 Tbs. olive oil, divided
4 garlic cloves
1 ½ – 2 lbs. pork chops
½ cup water
1 lemon, sliced into ¼” thick circles
¼ cup wine (red or white)
1 lb. small potatoes (mix of yellow and red)
½ red onion, chopped
4 small poblano chiles
3 medium, ripe tomatoes, chopped
1/3 cup Kalamata olives
1/3 cup black olives
1/3 cup green olives
Directions:
Mash the garlic cloves.
Add 3 tablespoons of olive oil to a large, oven-proof skillet. Set heat to low. Add the garlic and simmer for a few minutes.
Remove the bones from the pork chops. (I only did this because I knew that I wouldn’t be able to fit all of the pork chops in the skillet unless I removed the bones.) Sprinkle the chops with salt and pepper.
Add the pork chops to the skillet and turn heat to medium high. Sear the pork chops for a few minutes and turn them over to sear the other side.
Remove the pork chops and garlic and set aside.
Add about ½ cup of water to the pan and deglaze by whisking. Add wine and simmer at medium heat for two minutes.
Add the lemon slices to the skillet. Reduce the sauce, while stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes.
Remove the sauce to a bowl and set aside.
Wipe the skillet, to remove any remaining sauce. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add potatoes and toss, to thoroughly coat the potatoes with oil. Season with black pepper and salt. Toss again and bake in the uncovered skillet in a 350° oven for 40 minutes.
Carefully remove the skillet from the oven and pour the potatoes into a large bowl.
Add the seared pork chops and garlic back to the skillet.
Cover the pork chops with the potatoes.
Add a pinch of oregano to the chopped tomatoes and toss gently.
Add the chopped onion, tomatoes, chiles and lemon slices.
Top with olives.
Bake 30 minutes in a 350° oven.
Carefully remove the pan from the oven and place arrange the ingredients on a large serving platter.
One final thought: The only thing worse than throwing away perfectly good food that is reaching the end of its life expectancy is serving food that has gone bad or spoiled. If it smells bad, looks bad, feels bad, or tastes bad, it’s bad. Toss it and move on with your life! Your friends and family will thank you.
My day officially started with me leaving my lights on when I parked my truck at work. You see, I drive a wonderful little 1994 Ford Ranger pickup, and back in the olden days, cars and trucks didn’t have fancy sensors and computers that would automatically turn off headlights. I love the truck and wouldn’t give it up for the world, but I’m prone to “Nutty Professor” moments that make me forget the little things in life, like turning off headlights, while I ponder the great mysteries of life, or trying to solve work problems, while I drive to work.
Fortunately, one of my co-workers arrived almost two hours after I arrived and exclaimed, “You must have a really good battery because your lights are still on!” She was right, on both accounts.
I made the long trek through the warehouse and went outside and turned off the lights and whispered a silent prayer. Lo, and behold, when I cranked the engine, the truck started like a champ! Indeed! What a battery…especially since I had put the poor battery through the same sort of torment four or five times during the last few months!
I felt unbalanced and slightly out of control for the rest of the day. Some might use the phrase, “getting out on the wrong side of the bed”. I told myself that I was in for a real treat of a day! Sometimes, the life unbalanced leads to unexpectedly good things. Other times, it can lead to a chaotic mess that wreaks havoc on everyone and everything in your wake.
On the way to work I listened to the CD “Fragile”, by the band Yes, and when I was driving home, I was listening to the CD “Bloodletting”, by the band Concrete Blonde. Anyone who knows anything about these two albums, or bands, should pick up on the notion that my day was a little off kilter.
I recently took on a new assignment at work. It’s been exciting and rewarding, and it has been a refreshing challenge. Sometimes I feel like an Olympic swimmer, and twenty minutes later I feel like I’m barely treading water. That sort of back-and-forth sensation might make other people nervous, but those are the waters I enjoy swimming in the most. Swimming at peak performance and swimming to survive are both exhilarating experiences.
As I drove home, listening to Concrete Blonde, I thought of Stevie Ray Vaughn’s rendition of Jimi Hendrix’s “Little Wing”.
Stevie Ray Vaugh was no fool. His covers of Jimi Hendrix songs were nearly perfect. He paid homage to the brilliant, raw power chords of Hendrix and he lovingly reworked them, (and then mastered them), and the end result was like a swinging hammer draped in satin and silk. I have nothing but admiration for Jimi Hendrix and his contribution to the evolution of modern music, and to my endless enjoyment, but I have to say, there’s no cloud in the great blue skies that Stevie Ray can’t fly over!
Listen to Stevie Ray Vaughn’s rendition of “Little Wing”. Tight. Clear. No Lyrics. This is a cover song like no other. Slick finger work, up and down the fretboard. Jazz and Rock and Electric blues, all wrapped up with strength and subtlety. What a tribute!
My journey was nearing an end and I realized that I needed to finish the work week with a good dose of pizza. I pulled into the driveway, went inside, laid my wallet and keys on the counter and immediately started the pizza dough. I always make two or three pizzas and tonight I decided on three. I knew two of them would be traditional, Italian cold cuts, beef with mushroom, but the third was still a mystery.
It wasn’t until I pawed through the refrigerator a few times that the third pizza became clear, in my mind. I found 2 ounces of crumbled blue cheese that needed to be used and wondered what I might pair it with. About a half hour later, while the dough was still rising, I remembered I had a smoked chicken thigh, left over after last week’s grill, and I knew I had found a perfect match. I imagined the finished pizza in my mind, and I knew that a slight drizzle of Sriracha sauce would complete the deal.
There aren’t a lot of blue cheese aficionados in my family, which is a subtle way of saying, I like blue cheese and most of the family tolerates it, or detests it, so I thought this might be a good way of promoting my old friend, blue cheese.
The pizzas came out of the oven, one by one, and they were sliced and presented, side by side, on the kitchen counter. We all grabbed some slices and sat down at the table and quickly jumped into lively conversation.
My son briefly discussed plans about moving into a house with his friend. My daughter gave us an update on her boyfriend’s recent bout with Covid, and my wife had just finished a phone conversation with her 80-year-old aunt who wants a pair of red ballet slippers.
The dinner, and the conversation, was going well. Until the cat made a sudden and unfortunate appearance.
Our cat came from out of nowhere and skittered across the kitchen floor, leaving a slimy trail of poop behind her as she fled, out of sight. That killed the entire family dinner instantly. Some of us jumped up to go after the cat. Some of us ran to grab Clorox wipes to clean up the mess. Some of us just gawked at the trail of mess that was left for us to clean up.
Two minutes later, my son and daughter were removing plates from the dinner table, wrapping up leftover pizza in aluminum foil, and washing plates. Dinner was officially over, and I, the slowest of eaters, still had two pieces of uneaten pizza on my plate.
“What about the pizza?” I selfishly thought. “Does anyone want to say anything about the sort of genius mind that could come up with the notion of a pizza made with char-grilled chicken and blue cheese, with a delicate drizzle of Sriracha sauce?”
As I sat there at the table, still trying to eat the last few bites of pizza without thinking about cat poop, I realized that this is all part of the game. It’s all part of the deal. It’s family at it’s best. It really capped off a weird and funky day, quite nicely. I really couldn’t have asked for, (or expected) any other sort of ending to this topsy-turvy day.
So, now as I write, the clock finds its way to midnight and I pass from Friday to Saturday, in the blink of an eye, while
Toothpick Tales 