Month: March 2021

Friday, March 19, 2021.

Tradition was, in my folk’s house, fish and noodles on Friday. My mom usually fried perch (Crisco) and on occasion, her great home made noodles (fried in butter).
These days, we try to be a little more gentle on our arteries, so here’s my variation on that great Friday Fish Dish.

This recipe makes two dinners.

Ingredients:
A huge chunk of salmon – about 3/4 of a pound.
For sautéing the fish:
Chicken broth, garlic powder, chives, olive oil and yes, a little butter. And about 1/2 tsp. of Apple Cider Vinegar.
Veggies:
1 orange bell pepper, cut into large slices.
1 clove of garlic, sliced (don’t watch Goodfellas and slice it with a razor blade, a pairing knife will do fine).
Zucchini – use as much as you want. I cut 2-3″ off a whole piece and made large sticks, almost wedges.
Mushrooms
Onion optional. I’d slice up half of one, but can’t eat them.
A few stalks of asparagus – cut off the woody stems.
Pasta – I had gluten-free tubes on hand. I don’t use too much pasta – much as I love it the carb content is way up there.

OK – let’s go!
Start by boiling the pasta. Salt the H20 and add a few drops of olive oil. The noodles won’t stick to the pot or each other.
Add the asparagus.

Cook the salmon, face down, in the chicken broth, garlic powder, butter, olive oil and chives. Not too much liquid, this is closer to a sauté than a poaching. When the salmon is looking good, add the bell pepper, mushrooms and zucchini.

When the salmon is done on one side (still juicy but cooked), peel the skin off with a fork, flip it over and cook it a little more. Then take it out of the pan and set it aside to rest. Slice up more garlic, add more olive oil or butter to the pan and cook up two egg whites. I seasoned the egg whites with dill and marjoram. The eggs add protein and flavor the dish. Leave the veggies in.
Before it’s done, add the cooked pasta and asparagus.

Place the veggies in a serving dish, then go back and brown the salmon just a little.

I added Goya green olives and artichokes to the plate as I do to all my dinners. Sprinkle with parmesan. White wine or light beer.

Saturday, March 13, 2021

So it went this fast. You were born, you started PreK-3, then you were five, we were playing ‘Take me to the Powerhouse,’ (Zion), then Grade School, Luther North, Dominican, Iowa, California…

Holy Smokes! All those walks to Forest Glen, AWANA, singing songs, The Buffalo Club, Poetry Corner, falling out of bed laughing at my silly jokes, Sweets,

Grandma and Grandpa, plays at Messiah, building that clay volcano in the sink, home haircuts!, your first (Tandy) computer, making those race cars downstairs in the wood shop, tricycles, bicycles, batting a ball, catching a ball, catching your first fish,

geocaching with your buddies, the Higher (and Lower) at FG, GPS on our walks, making stars shoot out of chimneys by jumping up and down, trips to White Pines, Drama Club at Luther, Homecoming, choir, piano lessons,

drums, the trumpet, Graduation, moving into the dorm at Dominican with Tim Little, learning to drive, living on your own, heading west to Iowa State, meeting Jakki, and then California.

And now you’re 30. Haven’t seen you in quite a few years, but I love you, son – in all the stages of your life. And forever. God Bless you and Happy Birthday.

Friday, March 12, 2021

Before I start, every evening around 5:15 pm, a few of the ladies who live in my building walk down the hall, on their way home from what must be a daily gathering. No matter where I am in the apartment, I can hear their chatter – even if I don’t catch everything they say, I know they’re wishing each other a good evening, a good dinner, and a good night. Usually they’re accompanied by a little white Lhasa Apso. I didn’t hear her tonight, so I’m wondering if she’s all right. There are squirrels out there almost the same size.

At the time this was going on, I happened to be reading Hemingway’s Nick Adams’ WWWI adventures in Italy. Hemingway himself was wounded (he was an ambulance driver) and his character, Nick Adams, was wounded even worse. The clash of ladies chattering excitedly in the hall and a harrowing account of bombs blowing poor, young solider to bits in 1917 made for an interesting mix. 

Cod was on the menu tonight, with Alexia potatoes (“Alexa, potatoes, please.” “How do you want them?” “Hot and on my plate, right next to the fish.” “You’re funny, Mr. B.”)

This isn’t me of course, but’s an actual picture of my friend Al S.

Tuesday, I went to Forest Glen by myself for the first time in maybe a year. I’ve been there with friends, but  this time I hopped the Metra, said howdy to the conductor who remembered me and got off in my old happy place. 

Was once my jogging place, toned it down to walking, many years back. It’s where I took  my son Kev (who’s turing 30 tomorrow), fishing, exploring, talking to the neighbors, and plenty of photos over the past 34 years. 

High 60s for the walk, not a cloud in the sky, a sweatshirt and windbreaker and my new camera phone was all I needed for the trip. 

Everything’s set for Spring, but Spring’s not quite here yet. Warm weather, dry, no foliage or blossoms yet, but you can feel that they’re coming soon.

More Later!

Btw – My good friend, Ron Smolen emailed me this one. Ron leads the RSO Orchestra. Dancing and great music from years gone by. The vid is proof positive, comparing The Sound of Water vs the Sound of Beer. Enjoy!

Friday, March 5, 2021.

3 Pork Chops and Rum. Eating it now! (5:00)

Thin pork chops (yep, three).
Saute juice:
A little filtered water (1/2 cup should do fine)
1/2 tsp ‘Better Than Bouillon’ (delicious broth)
To the pan: oregano, fennel, some chives, garlic powder and 1 large garlic clove, sliced, 1/4 lemon, sliced fine. And a little peanut oil. Butter is optional.
Get the pan going and start sautéing the chops.
At the bottom of the serving bowl:
Italian parsley, rinsed
Black olives, Artichoke hearts
Olive oil
Sprinkle of Parmesan.
Back to the pan.
Add tri-color sweet peppers, frozen chopped organic cauliflower, more garlic (chopped or powder – I use a great, pure powder from nuts.com), and a handful of baby spinach leaves.

Where’s the rum? Added to the chef during the cooking process!

Taste the meat to see when it’s cooked and juicy.
Bowl again:
1 chop – bless w/Parmesan
Throw in some of the mix and pan juice
2nd chop – do the same
3rd chop – do the same, sprinkle a little powdered garlic on top. No need for salt – there’s plenty in the bouillon.
Olive oil.

You could add onions or leeks, and apple, which I encourage you to do (add it to the sautéing pan). Leeks are my favorite,  but I can no longer enjoy them. Same goes for Dijon mustard, a little of which makes pork (and corned beef) taste like heaven. However, in the 2nd photo, you might see that I added some cool nutrients: organic powdered broccoli, and nutritional yeast flakes, which taste a lot like cheese, but they’re packed with B vitamins. You can also top with dry roasted peanuts and applesauce.

 

Btw: Did you hear about the two antennas that got married? The wedding wasn’t so hot but the reception was fantastic!