A SPRING RITUAL

This isn't a special recipe, or some unknown way of cooking something, it's just something I do annually when the weather warms up enough.

I clean the ol' grill, and prepare the first grill cooked meal of the season!

It was a beautiful Sunday, with temperatures in the 70s, and I pulled the bulky cover off the grill and did a little Brass-o job on last year's grease spots!  I also sprayed the rack with olive oil and scrubbed them into shape!

It was evident, right off, that the electric starter needed replacing, but a match brought the grill to life!  

With the rib-eye and fillet, coated in salt, pepper, garlic powder, and sprayed with olive oil to marinate for about 15 minutes, Judy got the potatoes in the oven to bake for an hour at 400, and was prepared to cook the corn-on-the-cob in the microwave for about 8 minutes.  I poured a Glenmorangie Scotch, on the rocks, and got into grilling mode!

 

I'll have to be honest, my steak was not very tender, but thankfully Judy's fillet was!  That's more important to me, especially since she rarely wants a steak.  I had preferred shopping for beef at Kroger, but she had insisted on Food City, so she lucked out.  I, on the other hand, now wish we had gone out for a steak dinner!

All in all, the private supper with the two of us was enjoyable, and the large portion leftover will be great with biscuit and eggs on another morning soon!

STEAK AND CORN ON THE COB

Wow! We just finished a fantastic meal of ribeye steak, corn on the cob, and sautéed mushrooms and onions!

The steak, was salted, peppered, and sprinkled with garlic powder and placed on a hot grill – turned once – and taken off in about 20 minutes.

I placed three ears of fresh corn inside a sheet of aluminum foil and placed them on the same grill for the same 20 minutes, turning the package once after 10 minutes!

Inside, while I enjoyed one Yuengling and one Old Scratch beer, I sautéed fresh mushrooms and onions in a little olive oil, Smart butter, with salt and pepper.

Once I removed the steak, I cut it in half, to share with my wife, sprayed Parkay Fat Free butter on the corn, and salted the ears.

Together, the taste combination was simply wonderful!

BIRTHDAY AT THE CHOP HOUSE

My daughter and her husband treated my wife and me to a May birthday dinner at The Chop House in Knoxville this afternoon. It was a wonderful meal and we enjoyed their and our granddaughter’s company very much. Just being with them would have been enough, but they insisted on paying.

Knowing their strong feelings before going, I ordered unsweetened tea instead of my usual Killian or Sierra Nevada! I do not like to order beer or liquor on someone else’s tab. It also reinforces to everyone that I am not an alcoholic! I just love my beer!

My wife and daughter ordered the small fillet (one with baked and one with sweet potato), while my son-in-law and I ordered the ribeye (one with traditional potato and I went with the sweet).

Katie Bug, trying to be completely different from us “older folk” went with the Lobster Alfredo - lobster, blue crab meat and shrimp smothered in a rich Alfredo sauce with green onions, snap peas, mushrooms, garlic and fresh tomatoes served over fettuccine. It looked delicious, but I would have made it with dried tomatoes instead of fresh for more flavors! But, I am a show off!

Of course, there were house salads around!

We are honored that at fifteen, Katie still does not mind being seen with us!

Happy Birthday Weekend to us!

I sometimes feel guilty about having birthdays, knowing that so many young men did not get to see many past their eighteenth! Let us remember them as well.

ANYTHING YOU WANT – AT CRICKET’S RESTAURANT

Cricket’s Restaurant is just 1 minute from downtown Pine Mountain, Georgia, well, actually, it’s more like 3 minutes! It’s either that, or the guy who drove the distance off before making the sign drove at 75 MPH!

Whatever the distance, it’s worth the trip down HWY 18 from Pine Mountain to taste the 14 oz. Rib-Eye or the 8 oz. Filet cooked to taste, and served with Brabant Potatoes (that’s Cajun fer diced and fried) and sweet corn! Served with a nice Bass Ale!

Afterwards, sit on the porch and watch the traffic ramble on to Columbus or back down to Pine Mountain. Soon, you will be hearing the hoot owls and whippoorwills calling down in the Callaway Gardens’ forest. Ah, that sure is country down there!

For pictures and more details on our trip, click over to Mushy’s Moochings or Flickr!