A Conversation: "Dad?"

Another in a series of Conversations between the J-man & his father, the G-man...

J-man: Dad?

G-man: Yes, sir?

J: I think Miss Jones wants to talk to you...

G: Who's Miss Jones?

J: She's a teacher at school.

G: Does she teach in your class?

J: No, she teaches the other class.

G: Hmmm. Did she say what she wanted?

J: She said she really wanted to meet you.

G: She did? Did she ask to talk to Mom and me?

J: No, I was sitting quietly but when the teachers talk I can hear everything that they say. She said it to Mr. C (J's homeroom teacher.)

G: Hmmmmm. Did she talk to you? 

J: Uh huh. She asked me how old I was, and I told her I was five. 

G: Okay... What were you doing?

J: Well, I was telling Mr. C that you had preached the Gospel of the Grateful Dead at church this weekend. 

G: Aaaaahhhhh... Yes... I think I understand now...

J: And she told Mr. C. that she really wanted to meet my parents.

G: That's cool, J. Is she there in the morning? You just point her out to me, next time we're up at school, and I'll say hi...

J: Okay, Dad.

La Vida Cubana

We hosted one of our Horizon service auction dinners this evening.  Here's Gil's description from the auction catalog:

A Cuban feast!  Start off with a refreshing Mojito or a Cuba Libre.  The meal will feature our infamous 3-day Roast Pork!  We massage and pamper this pork roast for three days to make it extra succulent!  And no Cuban meal would be complete without buttery arroz (rice), frijoles negros (black beans), and platano (fried plantain).  How about a cool sweet-onion and vinegar salad to add a little crunch and counterpoint this rich meal.  And to ensure a foodgasm, we'll finish the meal off with a Pastel de Tres (maybe even Quatro) Leches (moist cake soaked in three different milks).  And of course, musica Latina!  Ciao!

My normal "menu" version with recipe links:

• Cuba Libres & Mojitos ('cept Gil makes 'em with simple syrup - mixes better than sugar)
• Avocado & Sweet Onion "Salad" (just slice them thinly and douse with white vinegar, fresh cracked pepper, and a dash of olive oil and salt -- makes us long for Versailles)
• Cuban-Style Grill Roasted Pork (still couldn't find skin-on shoulder roast, but this is the second time we've made it, and works out fine -- although I'm always too tired at the end to do anything about the Mojo Sauce and bought out the Goya Mojo Criollo again, garnished with some fresh slices of orange)
• Black Beans with Ham Hocks, Cilantro, and Lime
• Fluffy White Rice
• Fried Plantains (slice on the diagonal and fry in a few tablespoons of oil until well caramelized -- the black ones are ripest and my favorite, the less ripe ones are harder to peel and more starchy)
• Tres Leches Cake (we've made several of these over the years, and agreed that this was the best, most balanced recipe ever -- although we topped it with softly whipped cream with a touch of vanilla, run, and brown sugar rather than meringue and fruit)

*phew*  It was an eight-pound roast, and one of the three couples who won the bid couldn't make it, so needless to say, tomorrow's Sunday supper en famille is going to consist of a lot of delicious leftovers!

Father's Day Dinner

Juj enjoyed his first week at summer camp.  It included a swimming outing (to be a weekly occurrence), another viewing of Kung Fu Panda, and a visit from the Critter Man, complete with lemur, tarantula, shedding snake, and recycling parrot.  Future weeks include Lunar Golf, the Dallas World Aquarium, and so much more.  Apparently, they make good use of their school bus.  ;-)  As my friend at work said -- "I wanna go there!"

Anyway, I grilled for Dad's Day --

• Jack & 7 (not for me, though; not my cup of tea)
• Wedge salad with apples, blue cheese, and homemade bacon bits
• T-bones a la Cook's Illustrated
• Green beans a la PW
• Watermelon -- plain, and with basil & mint, for the adventurous

Ron & Elsa joined us, and the (grand-)dads were called and wished "happy day" too.  And, have I mentioned, the sweltering summer heat has arrived?  I was sweating just standing outside to grill today.  Ah, Texas!

Should I or shouldn't I?

I've been thinking a lot about blog content lately. I'm bored reading our weekly menu, and trying to decide whether I'm ready to open up and start down a more personal path here.

And then I see a PSA on television aimed at teens, reminding them that anything you put on the internet can be read by anyone.

So, while I hope to take the time to pick up F5's meme soon -- to highlight how fast trends change (my frosh year was earlier than hers) and because J asked me when I was "going to write about the music of my youth" (we've been listening to a lot of 70's pop and classic rock lately) -- I'm not sure I'm ready to bare my soul too deeply yet... sex? depression? politics? hot flashes? Even if it would possibly make for a more interesting, or perhaps less dull, blog.

So... Sunday dinner with tia Elsa & uncle Ron, anyone?

• Elderflower sours with fresh mint (loove St. Germaine!)
• Cornbread mini-muffins with cheese, bacon, red pepper and green onion (yum-o! yes, it was a riff on a Rachel Ray recipe)
• Pan-seared flap steak with a chile rub over a mixed salad with celery, carrots, red cabbage, daikon, red onion, and avocado
• Homemade gingerbread cookies (from Williams & Sonoma Kids Baking - deelish!)
• Fresh strawberries with softly whipped cream
  

But maybe I can manage some occasional pix to spice up the ol' blog. (At least, I find 'em fun on your blogs.) So here are some from J's kindergarten graduation last month. (Now if I can figure out how to suck over the photos from my phone, I'll really be set.)





By the way -- Kung Fu Panda? Totally rocks, dude! (Been a long time since I got to hit a movie on opening day!)

Saveur-y dinner

Mmmm... another tempting recipe from Saveur drove the family dinner night menu, but on Saturday this week, as G-man and I are taking advantage of the doting grandparents' visit to have a date night tonight.

• Lt. Blender's Frozen Sangria (not as successful as the Margarita version -- freezes pretty hard -- but I drank too much anyway 'cuz it tastes like Kool-Aid)
• Slow-Roasted King Salmon with Creamy Leeks & Red Wine Butter (recipe link not available yet, but it's in the current issue)
• Roasted Asparagus
• Quinoa with shallots & homemade chicken stock

And it was so rich, we didn't even eat any dessert!