snowangel

Plans have changed. We had not planned to return to The Cabin until next Tuesday. But, the cabin will be available this weekend. Methinks the girls and I should blast north on Friday or Saturday morning. I have no clue what food I will take, but a trip to the grocery on Thursday after yoga should do it for the three of us. I can always park the car in Just the Right Spot in The Yard and call Paul, who will arrive next Tuesday with my best friend and her kids with The List. It is hot. I have just endured a week (!) with Houseguests from Hell. There is so much work to do around our new to us house. All I want to do is lay on my back in the lake (which is now warm) under the stars. The advantages of unemployment. So, I will go. I crave it. We have only been up three times this summer, which is less than half of the number of times we should have been up. I have worked harder than hard, and IT IS TIME (yes, I am shouting). I'll update whenever.

I don't know that cutting it in half shortened the time, but once it had shrunk some, it did free up enough grill space to allow me to reposition the halves and get a butt on. Plus, I was able to take the flat off earlier. Both butt and brisket a huge success. I'm very proud. I was able to leave the butt on the grill (Weber kettle) and leave the house and butt unattended for 3-1/2 hours!. I've figured out how to load it, ventilate it, etc. in all sorts of weather conditions (last night was perfect). There's nothing like drinking Shaker's vodka with a favorite relative at 2:00 am pulling butt . It was not an early morning today.

For the brisket, I used the rub Klink posted on Recipe Gullet (Klink's Dry Rub). It's really good for brisket. I've never thought of taking the skin off when smokin' a butt. Maybe I'm too lazy. Anyway, with skin, it is wonderful when smoked.

Brisket just after putting on the Ole Weber: After a few hours, I added the butt: Using high tech ( ). Weber kettle, regular dial oven thermometer and regular old fashioned dial meat thermometer. After a few hours (I've had a few cold ones), brisket is stalled, but that's to be expected. All that beer and smoke. I need a nap. I am watching a 6-month old this weekend (very happy easy baby) and I think he and I need a nap. Diana knows how to monitor temp, etc. And, to wake me before this nap has become "painful." Smoking. It's really good. I smell wonderful, according to Peter. Smoking is exhausting.

Do you mean you pre-assemble the pie in the dish, freeze and then bake? Or... do you freeze the fruit and then assemble the pie using fresh dough and frozen fruit? Last question (I promise - at least until the next one ): when you freeze portioned batches of dough is it frozen in a flattened disc shape? I have great luck following some directions in a really old copy of the Farm Journal Pie cookbook when I have extra fresh fruit that we aren't going to use (usually peaches or rhubarb). What you do is put the fruit, sugar and a bit of thickener -- they recommend tapioca, which is what use -- into a foil liked pie pan, cover with more foil and then stick in the freezer. When it's frozen, remove from the pie tin. Put crust in pie pan when ready to make the pie, slide the frozen filling into the pan and bake. They also recommend lard. I flatten pie dough into a disk before freezing to save freezer space. If you have fresh blueberries or raspberries, check out the recipes I put into RecipeGullet. They feature fresh fruit in a baked crust. They are the best way to treat these treats.

From my great grandmother: "A good dryer gets what the washer misses."

I'm having a big party on Sunday at 1:00 pm. Brisket and butt, smoked. I know how to handle the butt in advance; it reheats wonderfully. But, I'm figuring that the brisket is 10 pounds, and I will cut it in two (to shorten smoking time). I really don't want to get up before dawn on Sunday to smoke this thing (I just can't drink beer for breakfast and host a party ) (Plus, in addition to my three kids, I also have a 6-month old and a 3-year old for the weekend, glutton for punishment than I am). If I smoke it on Saturday, do I slice it then and hold and reheat? Reheat Sunday then slice? Advice, please. Somewhere in there I'll get the house clean and make sides

Normally, it's cashews in this house. But, when we get to The Cabin late at night, I always whip out cocktails for the adults, pop for the kids (only time they get that) and spanish peanuts. The ones with the skins on them. Why are they called "spanish" peanuts? Anyway, even Heidi, who rarely eats chrunchy foods, loves them. We run through at least a pound of them. Must be all of that removing deadwood from the road that whets the appetite. If I don't bring these when we are going at night, I catch hell from the whole family.

Do you bother with bread for your BBB? I don't.

Jean, where in the Twin Cities are you getting tomatoes? Are they passable? Do they approach the heirlooms I grow that are growing ever so slowly in this summer that is having a hard time getting started? (BTW, farmer's market here reports that early Aug. for sweet corn.)

It's up today. I'd be happy to post it if you'd like...

Put a sturdy sheet pan under the water bath pan?

Bruce, you've been silent lately! Don't think you've posted your review of Singapore! in a recent copy of Mix. I'd be happy to post for you... When will we see th next Strib review?

The thread today on fish sauce reminded me larb. So, I made some. I used leftover rare chuck eye steak. Larb is really, really wonderful. Tommy, have you larbed lately?

I grew up in Thailand, and we always used Tiparos, so that's what I use now. Make sure you don't get something that is made in the U. S. As I recall, someone not too long ago described a nam pla that had sugar in it! The ingredients should be anchovy extract, salt and water. I've never used Vietnamese fish sauce, but I do believe there are subtle differences between Thai and Vietnamese. Perhaps someone else can comment on this. The stuff keeps virtually forever, but does seem to get darker in color over time, and a really old bottle might have a chunk of salt in the bottom. At our local Asian markets, the stuff is really cheap, so you might want to get a couple of different brands and do a taste test.

twas it a birthday treat, oh diligent counter? So, just how far are we from your house?

So, Kris, what's on your eating agenda? What are you planning to take back to Japan? I remember your shopping list from your last trip.

This, I quote from my thread on The Cabin Although this was not food, it was a very romantic moment. One couple who had been married for over 25 years. One who was just married. One couple who was soon to be married. It was not long after this bottle that Paul whisked me away to our apartment in North Minneapolis -- a virtual tree house. In our 1970 orange VW bug, totally decorated. To an an apartment which had new fresh sheets, another bottle in an ice bucket. Candles everywhere. Just waiting to be lit. And, the next morning, we loaded the cooler and went to the ultimate romantic spot. The Cabin. T'was just us, a fridge full of food and drink and crappy weather. A week filled with finger food and treats.

Hot, Sour, Salty, Sweet. $9.48 (new) at my local Half Price Books. Make that "Less Than Half Price Books." This one is good reading as well as recipes. Especially for one who grew up in the area in the 60's and 70's.

Anyone else in the Upper Midwest totally dismayed by the Lack of Summer? My tomato plants, on July 6, have a pathetic 3 blossoms. Not even the beginnings of a set fruit. I think those of us in Zone 4 can kiss our peppers good-bye. But, it has been a good year for greens (especially spinach) and peas. We have seen a few tiny, less than pencil-thin beans, but that's about it. I'll have Paul call the 101 market and check on the pending sweet corn crop. I have my fingers crossed. We can count the number of 80 or above degree (f) days we've had on one hand. The number of nights above 60 (good for peppers and tomatoes) are even less. Sigh.

My daughter Diana, age 13, is good in the kitchen. She can open the fridge and larder, and look at what's there and imagine a meal. She can use a knife somewhat proficiently. My son Peter, age 8, is hot to trot in the kitchen, but I sense a different direction in him. I have started him out on making things like scrambled eggs. Looking at the butter or oil in a pan and knowing when to add what. Were you to teach kids to cook, what would your first "lessons" be? Where did you start?

Saturday afternoon was warm enough to justify a swim. Heidi initially did not like the cold water, but once she got used it it, paddled around like she does every summer. A thunderstorm drove us out of the lake and into the cabin. Peter is learning to cook, and loving every minute of it. He makes wicked scrambled eggs. We are going to watch the weather reports very carefully, and cabin availability (none of Paul's family will be there with us; they are all rather "afraid" of Heidi). If available and weather looks decent, we just may head north again this weekend. If not, we will not return for 2-1/2 weeks. But then, I plan a 2 week stay. For blueberries, warm weather and midnight skinny dips.

On my last trip back from Berkeley, I stopped at Monterrey Market, Cheeseboard and Acme. Everyone around me was salivating as they received their "sandwich" from the Northwest attendent. My favorite was about 15 years ago. We were on our way to Portland, OR. NW served us something. All of us debated as to whether it was intended to be enchiladas or cannelloni. Sad. Sadder even that they don't even remotely serve anything approximating warm.

This has been the week from hell. We had new kitchen counters (granite!) installed yesterday, which has meant disruption -- clearing out cabinets, removing counters, sink, plumbing, etc., and replacing same. It has been plumbing hell, including five (yes, five) trips to the hardware joint yesterday (we are DIY'ers). And, not done yet. Oh, the horrors one can discover when one embarks on a DIY. In addition, at long last, I have put in a garden at our new-to-us house. Tomatoes and flowers. I missed the boat on green beans and other stuff, so they will wait until next year. So, we need the cabin. Badly. Diana is at camp currently about an hour south of our cabin, and she reports that along with the first day of summer, the weather has changed. No longer bitter cold, windy and rainy. The water is warming by the day. Actually swimmable. She also reports that the nights have been clear and much warmer. So, me senses a swim tomorrow night just might in my future when we arrive. Me also senses a pretty minimalist food weekend. Since we will not arrive until late tomorrow night (we will stop and see Diana; she is gone for over 5 weeks and leave her a care package and kisses that will embarrass her), only two dinners, three lunches and three breakfasts. For dinners, I'm thinking some chuck eye steaks one night. Brats the other night. The meat market by our new house has great brats. I'll throw potatoes into the Action Packer. My dad is going to be right by the farmer's market tomorrow, so he will pick up greens and whatever else looks good. Breaksfast is a no-brainer. I have three pounds of great smokehouse bacon (local joint), 2 pounds of breakfast sausage; we will stop on the way for eggs, and then there can be pancakes or waffles. If there are fresh straberries at the farmer's market, we'll have those and yogurt on top of the pancakes. And, as I've mentioned before, lunch is sliced meat (leftovers of salami or whatever), cheese, bread and fruit. I better head to the market. I think I should add batteries for the flashlights (middle of the night trips to the outhouse) to the list. And Gin. Tonic. Limes. Beer. For sweet treats for Heidi and Peter, I think I"ll get some oreos or choc covered graham crackers. Which reminds me...smore's supplies. List is growing. Good news is we don't have to pack many clothes. The bathing suits are up there. I have left two t-shirts and two pair of shorts up there (per person. I don't think I'm going to bother with jeans. It has been a hard summer. A long and difficult winter. Make extra difficult because the efforts required on our new but previously neglected house has required a lot of attention, and the weather at The Cabin has not been conducive to visits. And, after this weekend, it will be two weeks before we get up there again. But, in late July, I will be there for two or three weeks. The best two or three weeks of the year -- the water will be warm, the blueberries will be ripe, the sunnies will be biting, and the bugs will be down. Edited to add: early August, I will celebrate my 46th birthday at the cabin. I have celebrated every birthday since I was 21 at The Cabin.

Curious as to what failed on your previous Webers. So far, nothing has failed that we haven't been able to fix. But, then again, we are fixers and have tons of tools. Ronnie, the welding gloves are far more appealing to little boys than the weeder thingie I photoed. And, yes, the lid does make a fine shield. It's big enough that it is hard to lose or misplace. I love my war horse, and our landfillls are entirely too full. Keep it going is our motto (except for our hugly ugly leatherette-textured formica counters which will re being replaced with granite tomorrow )