Slacker: Life with a baby, grad school, work, volunteerism and tooth decay!

Hey Everyone,

I want to convey a rather hollow apology for my absence here on House of Thurmond. I have been pretty busy but, I know what you are thinking, that is no excuse. Maybe I am kinda mean in this department but my sympathy runs about a deep as a kiddie pool for the "I am so busy, I ran out of time" excuse. So on that hypocritical note, here are a few pictures from Roby's first Halloween (that I am posting while writing a term paper, changing a diaper and learning how to make a goat out of a napkin for Thanksgiving):

(Here is Sylvia dressed as Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds and Roby dressed as a pumpkin that just pooped it's pants)

(Here are Roby's buddies, Conner and Avery, pre and post Purell. I'm pretty sure copious amounts of hand sanitizer is part of the new health care reform bill. Sorry for the fuzzy picture--these monsters would not sit still.)

(Not quite big enough to knock on doors)

(Avery as a Lady Bug--she may have pooped her pants right then too)
(One final shot for her Halloween lay-out)

Everyone had a good time walking around the neighborhood looking at the costumes and avoiding H1N1.

Roby Fix Coming Up!

More Roby can be found here!

What We Be Eatin'!

Chef's Log: November Six this year of our loins 2009.

Tonight we be eatin' salad. But this was no extraordinary salad but a perfectly mundane salad. You see, I didn't have a lot of prep time for a magnificent mixture of greens and things. This evening I went for my the first workout at the Denver Athletic Club (DAC). I was to be both Lewis and Clark and my task was to chart locker rooms and scout out smoothies bars. Sylvia and I joined the for the child care but stayed for the iron pumpin'. Anyway back to the salad. We had mixed greens with steak (the rib-eyes were on sale), green onions (scallions for all of you macaronis), Monterey Jack cheese and Blue Cheese dressing. I know it seems sinful to combine Jack and Blue Cheese dressing but we are in America--where all cheeses are free to intermingle. In fact, I encourage you to mix your cheeses when they are as ordinary as Jack (that is cheap Jack not like fancy Sonoma Jack). Anyway, be sure to put everything in bowl and toss it really good. Try to get some dressin' on every leaf. Also, it is very import to season your salad. Make sure to add a little salt and pepper so that your salad pops!

(here is a salad of mixed family) Very Hop on POP!

What We Be Eatin'!--Rad Rib-eye

(No plate wiping here)

Ok, tonight we had a nice rib-eye (we shared a single steak) with roasted yams and acorn squash and green beans.
It was a simple prep. For the squash, I didn't bother to peel it. I cut it into wedges, took out the seeds and guts and put in a bowl. I also didn't skin the yams. I quartered them potatos and threw themin the bowl too. I added some melted butter, cinnamon, ginger, brown sugar, black pepper and salt and tossed everything together. I roasted the potatoes and squash separately so I could take them out when they were ready (they cook at different speeds due to their density and the size of the cut).

(Notice the differing sizes--my teacher chefs would be tres costerne!)

We also had green beans that were blanched and sauteed with butter, salt and pepper. Easy Peasey!

For the Rib-eye, I rubbed it with salt, white pepper, smoked paprika and garlic. I seared it in a cast iron and finished it in the oven. Most importantly, I rested it for about 10 minutes.

(Go Meat!)

Then it was time to eat!

Addition to the Blog: Get ready to Drool!

(Aebleskivers with salted caramel and pear chutney)

Attention! Attention!

I've decided to add a blue-plate special segment to the House of Thurmond blog called: What We Be Eatin'!

People are always asking me about the food I make each night for Sylvia so I thought would include in the blog. To tell a little secret, for the first year of living with Sylvia I did not cook her the same thing twice. We were still in the romantic stages of our relationship and my wooing stemmed directly from my cooking. I think I did alright, she married me didn't she?!?

There were, however, a few misses. Sylvia often retells the evening when I prepared a dish of Ramen noodles and sauteed Moose meat--not her favorite. We won't dwell on the past but focus on the future. I hope I will inspire you to push your culinary boundaries or at least know what to make for tomorrow night!

As always, thanks for reading and Bon Appetite!

(Lobsters on the Grill al fresco!)