Lost and found Man-ness in the Kitchen during football game.
10-28-07, 9:26 PM

I don't mind...actually prefer it. I cook all the meals in the house. Let's not call them "meals" as that type of food is unappealing -- something re-hyrdated from a box such as Hamburger Helper, if you will.

With a lack of funds, during the week I scan each grocery store's specials making mental notes of inexpensive cuts of meats. Typically, we don't eat beef but I found an incredible deal on a rib roast and an interesting recipe for a Brazilian Rib Roast where you drive holes into the meat, about 16 to 18, then stuff the cavities with onions, red and green pepper slices, halved carrots, garlic cloves, provolone cheese and smoked ham. When you finish and slice it, the meat looks like a color mosaic.

Sounds great right? Well, it's a lot more difficult than the cook book let-on and I abandoned the approach after a half hour. Instead, I butterflied the roast; stuffed the ingredients inside, skewered the meat closed and tied it close as a precautionary measure as the meat is to be a rotisserie on the grill.
As a side, I made homemade creamy, scalloped potatoes and an earthy, woodsy salad with rasberry vinaigrette dressing.

In short, I rock! I could tell because her eyes roll back into her head when she took the first bite. Even though her face projects 'delicious', I follow my grandmother's footprints and state, "You don't like it, do you?" which is followed by my critique, "Not enough salt?" The questions begs the affirmation that I'm a cooking god.

This morning for breakfast, I made a variation of a Denver Omlette which garnered additional praise. Because Karen was going to work at Barnes and Noble today as her second job, I felt a little guilty as I wanted to watch the Browns' game. Prior to the game starting, I began to knead two gigantic loaves of homemade whole wheat bread which, I figured, makes me look busy as the dough rises for two hours, during which I could also run out to rake pine needles in the back yard during commercial breaks.

I thought, "I'm probably the only guy in the United States at this moment, making bread while purposefully watching the football game -- that just ain't right." I've lost my man-ness.

In the end, the Browns won and the French bread was perfect. Later as flavorfully envisioned, I made one of the most incredible sandwiches I've had in a long time - a fresh and warm whole wheat, French bread with left-over stuffed Brazilian beef (onions, carrots, peppers, provolone, garlic and more garlic). I got my 'manliness' back with this sandwich.

I need to download the picture, then you would understand.

Yesterday - Tomorrow