Bobservations

Carlos sets his mind to stay at a certain time, roughly the late 80s and early 90s, so he’s always surprised to see an old friend who no longer looks like they did thirty-five years ago!

Recently we had lunch with our friends David and Neal and on the way home Carlos remarked that they had aged.

“Aged? We saw them a month ago, they look the exact same.”

“No, their voices sounded older.”

Older than they were four weeks ago … Oy.

This Tuxedo says is from those long-ago days on lockdown, February 2021 …

Seriously. A thin piece of cloth out in public … staying away from people …no large groups … and maybe we wouldn’t be mourning lives lost.

Apparently AOL dial-up is ending on September 30th, marking the end of the service that was synonymous with the internet for many since its launch in 1991.

I thought Dial-up had already ended. Hell, I thought AOL had already ended.

This week, From Our Kitchen, features a Homemade Grit Cake—made from cooking the grits then letting them cool in a sheet pan until they harden and the cutting them into squares and frying them until the outsides are crisp—topped with Bob's Jambalaya—Shrimp, Andouille Sausage and Chicken with Tomatoes, Onions, Garlic and Peppers—topped with Cilantro and a scattering of Grana Padano.

Que Sabroso, as Carlos says.

On the heels of the news that Has-Been “actor” Dean Cain was taking a job with the ICEstapo, someone came up with a list of Supermen who were better than Dean Cain:

1) Christopher Reeve

2) Henry Cavill

3) Brandon Routh

4) The cardboard standee at Blockbuster circa 1993

5) An empty Superman Pez dispenser

6) Pigeon with a red napkin tied around its neck

7) Super Grover

8 ) Half-deflated Superman balloon in a Rite Aid parking lot

9) Roomba with a Superman sticker on it

10) Golden Retriever named Clark

Seems spot on.

It isn’t lost on anyone who isn’t a Republican, a MAGAt cultist or a brain-dead human that The Felon calling the National Guard to come to Washington DC to “fight crime” proves he could have sent the National Guard to the Capitol to halt the insurrection on January 6 but didn’t want to do that.

He riled up the mob and sent the mob to storm the Capitol and then lied about being able to stop it. 

On the flip side, the best thing I heard all week was when President Cankles dragged his fat gelatinous ass to the roof of the White House and people began calling him “Diddler on the Roof.”

And.I.Died.

Recently at the grocery store I asked one of the workers where I might find canned peaches and he said, “I’ll see,” he said and then walked away. After waiting several minutes, I asked another co-worker where to find canned peaches and she said, “I’ll see,” and she vanished.

I finally gave up asking and searched for myself, finding  canned peaches on Aisle C. How hard was that?

Giacomo Cavalli, a graduate in Economics and Marketing from Bocconi University in Milan, pursued a parallel passion for sailing all the while dreaming of entering the fashion world where he has worked with Dolce & Gabbana, Liu Jo, Mont Blanc, Mango, Bulgari, and many others but, do you want to sail with it, or Would You Hit It?

Bobservations

So we’ve had the roof repaired and replaced over the sunroom after having the skylights removed, but now we need to decide what to do with the ceiling inside the sunroom.

The ceiling had originally been these roughhewn wood panels that I painted a light blue when we moved in, but we cannot het that same wood and  it’s cheaper just to get something new. So our contractor called and wanted to discuss the new ceiling and I said I wanted beadboard that I would then paint blue. He said we’d have to decide how to finish it along the walls … one-by-two-inch straps, a coved molding, quarter round, regular crown or shoe molding … I said probably quarter round was best and we hung up. Carlos looked at me and said:

“Why are you and Craig talking about moldy shoes? I thought we were talking about the ceiling.”

I adore that man.

Here’s Tuxedo, still in lockdown mode, from January 2021:

I seriously hope he’s only thinking of the dog. I mean, he wouldn’t want to quarantine without me, would he? I’m worried …

The other day on Mitchell’s blog, Moving With Mitchell, he talked about a dinner of Salmorejo, a Spanish cold tomato soup similar to gazpacho. And  David, at The Adventures of Travel Penguin posted a link to the recipe so naturally I wanted to try it because I love Gazpacho,

This soup doesn’t have the veggies in it, it is a simple combination of tomatoes, day old bread torn into pieces, a clove of garlic, olive oil, Sherry vinegar sea salt and pepper pureed and chilled. Before serving, I topped it with a hardboiled egg and some gently crisped prosciutto.

I thought I was making a large batch, but it turned out to be slightly less than 2 bowls, so I did a roasted salmon served over arugula with kalamata olives, tomato, and red onion, with herbs and olive sourdough.

Thanks to Mitchell for the mention, and to Travel for the posted recipe; it was dee-lish, and it looks good too ….

Lisa Murkowski says she feels "cheated" after The Felon removed the tax credits she demanded in the GOP Big Beautiful bill. 

Boo-effing-hoo, Lisa, you trued a con man? You can never trust conman but you can always trust Lisa Murkowski to be a selfish sucker who got played.

I went to the doctor for a basic check-up recently and after the examination, he said to me:

"Don't eat anything fatty."

I said: "Like what, bacon and burgers?"

He said: "No fatty, don't eat anything."

Good night!!!

While performing onstage for her “Up All Night” tour in Europe, JLo seemed to respond to a fan sign that read: “J Lo, marry me?”

And JLo, or as Carlos calls her, Jell-o, perhaps forgot that her last film, Marry Me, was about a singer who was asked by a fan to marry him by holding a sign up at a concert, replied:

“I think I’m done with that. I’ve tried that a few times.”

The thirst is real.

It appears that $85 million a year for PBS is too much for the American people to bear so it’s been cut. And a billion in cuts for child nutrition, and feeding children, is, I’m guessing wasteful. But $100 million a year for a gelatinous tub of cheese to play golf is just fine and dandy and so is $200 million for Leon Skum’s Nazi chatbot.

Have I got that right America? Is that where you want your money spent?

Sacha Bilal is a 23-year-old model from Paris whose career is on the rise, but Would You Hit It?

From Our Kitchen: CousCous Salad

To be completely honest, I saw this recipe on an episode of The Kitchen on the Food Network, but since I gave it a twist and a snap, I’m’a call it mine.

What’s it in you say? Israeli Couscous, Green Grapes, Green Onions, Walnuts, Arugula, and Avocado, then it’s all tossed with Grapeseed Oil, Pomegranate Vinegar, Salt, Pepper and the Zest and Juice of one Lemon. It’s really easy to make and is so good on a hot summer night with a nice glass, or bottle, perhaps, of Sauvignon Blanc.

Here’s how it’s done:

Slice a bunch of green onions into ¼ inch or less segments. Put in a bowl.

Slice a bunch of green grapes in half — though I quartered some of the larger ones. Add to the bowl.

Give a handful or so of walnuts a rough chop and add them to the bowl.

Cook the Couscous as per the instructions — I used one-and-a-half cups because it makes a good amount of salad and there are leftovers for the next day. When it’s done, drizzle with Grapeseed Oil and allow to cool; toss it every so often with a fork to keep it fluffy. Once cooled, add it to the onions, grapes and walnuts.

Take a large handful of arugula — though you can also use mint, or even basil, but I like the peppery quality of Arugula — and chop it up; then add it to the salad.

Take two boneless, skinless chicken breasts; season with salt and pepper, garlic powder, dried basil … whatever seasonings and herbs you like … place in aluminum foil and bake at 35o for about 35-40 minutes; allow them to chill completely then dice them and add to the salad.

At this point take one avocado — and to be honest, I used one-and-half because it’s my salad and that’s how I like it — dice into small cubes and add to the salad. Then take one lemon, zest the entire lemon and add to the salad and then juice that same lemon.

Dress with Grapeseed Oil and Pomegranate Vinegar to taste. Allow to chill a bit longer and, BAM, deliciousness.

It’s creamy with the couscous and avocado, but crunchy with the walnuts and onions, peppery with the arugula, sweet with the grapes and tangy with the lemon.

I might have to make it again this week.

From Our Kitchen: Black Rice and White Bean Salad

We had some warm days last week, and so, one night, I was in the mood for a pasta salad, and settled on a Latin-Inspired, Pasta-and-Black-Bean-Salad with Chicken. That, however, quickly morphed into a fusion of flavors and ultimately became a White-Bean-Black-Rice and Chicken Salad … so let’s get cooking …

Step one was out to the herb ‘garden-‘basically some pots on the deck, and hanging contraption of smaller pots, for some fresh Mint, fresh, Basil, fresh cilantro, and fresh Mexican Thyme which has a cool anise flavor to it. Then it was back to the kitchen for the rest of the “stuff.”

I don’t measure when I cook, I taste and guess. This works out well most of the time but can be disastrous, so let’s just talk what went into dinner:

From the left: Bell Pepper, Tomato, Onion [Okay, the onion isn’t pictured, but did go into the salad], Avocado, Lime, Chipotle peppers in Adobo, Kalamata olives, White Beans, Black Rice, Feta Cheese, two boneless, skinless Chicken breast, and that assortment of fresh herbs.

First up, the chicken. Liberally season with salt and pepper, and any other spices [garlic powder, perhaps] that you like. Take a chipotle pepper out and chop — these muthas are hot, so go sparingly — and rub all over both sides of the breasts. Then take some of the adobo sauce the peppers come in, and brush the chicken breasts as well. Wrap loosely in foil, place on the middle rack of the oven and cook at 350 for 35 minutes; that’s what our oven takes, and it’s a convection oven, so the times may vary.

Cook ½ cup of Black Rice in 1-¼ water, or broth — I used chicken broth; bring to a boil, then simmer for forty minutes; also, rinse and soak the beans for about a half hour in hot water, then cover with water — no salt, it dries them out — and boil, then simmer for about forty five minutes. When the rice is done rinse it off — black rice has a tendency to ‘bleed’ onto the other ingredients if you don’t rinse it — and then chill it for the salad. When the beans are done, drain them, and let them cool off in the fridge.

Oops, I forgot corn. I had a small can of corn in the pantry, so I sprinkled some Grapeseed oil in a pan, threw in the corn with salt and pepper, and then cooked it on medium heat until the corn charred a bit.

Dice the pepper, the tomato, the avocado, and … look! … it’s the onion. For the avocado, cut it in half lengthwise, remove the pit and then, with a non-sharp knife so you don’t pierce the skin — yours or the avocado — cut a series of slits into the avocado, and then you can just scoop out the chunks easily. Put all those into the serving dish.

Take all the herbs, whichever ones you choose — I used all the ones mentioned—and give them a good chop.

When the chicken is done, take off the rack and let cool in the fridge; then you can remove some of the peppers — or, if you like it hot, leave them on — and cube the chicken and add to the veggie and herb mixture.

Toss in the chilled rice and beans, make a vinaigrette out of fresh lime juice and olive oil; use a ratio of 2-to-1 to make the vinaigrette: ½ cup olive oil to a ¼ cup lime juice—I went a little heavier on the lime because I liked the zing. Season with salt and pepper, shake well—or use a blender to emulsify, and then add to the salad. Chill the salad till dinner, sprinkle with crumbled Feta, and then serve atop a bed of mixed greens with a couple of lime wedges.

There’s a lot of cooking and chilling with this recipe, but, let’s say you made Black Rice one night; make a little extra and keep in the fridge until you wanna make the salad; the same goes with the chicken and the beans; they can be cooked and chilled a day or two in advance, Then, when you want to build the salad it all comes down to the veggies and the herbs and spices. Toss together, dress it and eat it.

Yum.

From Our Kitchen: Gazpacho

All righty, then, today, in a little something I like to call From Our Kitchen, we’ll be making Gazpacho, a cold tomato soup, perfect for a Summer meal.

Now, there are all kinds of recipes, and all kinds of techniques, but I like mine like I like my men, Latino and spicy, so let’s rip….

First off:

Peel, seed and dice one Cucumber and finely chop ½ of one Red Onion.

Slice, and remove the seeds and the ribs — though I saved some seeds for the heat — of one Jalapeno Pepper; add to the Cucumber and Red Onion mixture.

Set aside.

Roast one Poblano Pepper and one Bell Pepper until the skins are charred. Place them in a plastic baggie to steam and wait a few minutes; then, under running water, peel the charred skins from the peppers, remove the seeds and the ribs and give them a rough chop.

I used five hothouse tomatoes; I charred two on the stove and used the other three in their raw state. But the way to work them is the same. You cut them into wedges, and scrape out the seeds — and some of the skins of the charred ones — into a strainer; save that Tomato Water.

In a food processor, puree the Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Onions, Peppers — all three varieties — in batches until all the veggies are blended; add in the saved Tomato Water to thin things out and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, finely chop some Cilantro — as much or as little as you like — and fold into the chilled soup. 

Then, peel, seed and ice one-half of a Cucumber, one half of a Jalapeno, one quarter of a Red Onion, and one Garlic Clove — yes, AM, you can omit the garlic! Mince these finely as they will be served on top of the Gazpacho.

And because I like my Gazpacho a bit smoother, I use a blender and, working in batches, add the Gazpacho and puree until smooth; you can add tomato juice to thin it out — but I chose some organic tomato paste and a small amount of water, to do the trick.

Once all has been pureed smoothly, begin The Seasoning Process.

Add Ground Cumin and Chipotle Powder, to taste, along with salt and pepper and some Chili Powder. I like mine spicy so I add more, but do it how you like it. Also, for some zing, add some lime zest and juice, some olive oil — as Martha might say, the very best olive oil — along with red wine vinegar.

Taste, adjust the spices if need be, and put it back into the fridge.

Now, for the Shrimp; I use a method I learned from Ina Garten — ‘How easy is that?’ — where you toss the shrimp in olive oil, salt and pepper — and I used a little lime zest — and then bake in a 400 degree oven for 6-8 minutes; I took that to mean seven minutes and it was perfect. The shrimp are not overcooked and rubbery, but perfect and moist. Now, chill them, too.

To serve: ladle the soup into a bowl and add your chilled shrimp. Sprinkle some of the Cucumber-Pepper dice over the top, have a piece of crusty bread and you favorite beverage. It’s perfect for a hot Summer night and really easy to make and tastes even better the next day.

Have at it ….