The Sandwich Life

Mid-Summer Visit from Fats Kaplin and Kristi Rose!

Our beloved Fats Kaplin and Kristi Rose are coming through town in the middle of July.  It's always a treat to see them and we have convinced them to stop by our house for a casual evening----potluck, friends and we'll pass the hat for them.  Whaddya think?

It will be Wednesday, July 14th---they're on there way through from Nashville to some shows in Wisconsin.  We'll do it kind of early---potluck at 6 or so, some music afterward.  It will be an earlyish night since it's a school night (at least for us adults).  Please note that the house will be a mess, the yard half weeded and the downstairs bathroom is now officially 'under construction' as that's the only thing we can think of to explain the missing closet doors and hole in the ceiling.  BUT....you won't be looking at all that, you'll be looking at this:

It feels as though summer is already flying by....the 4th next weekend, later in the month we go to Maine and then when we get back---whoosh, we register the boys for school.  Luckily the boys still think summer is completely endless but unfortunately we know better.  So I think the best thing to do is mark summer with specific memories.  I'd been toying with the idea of having a cookout/potluck kind of thing that weekend but when it seemed as though this would work out it seemed the perfect way to celebrate Mid-Summer!

I'll send out invites with address, etc. on facebook but please---if you are reading this---consider yourself officially invited.  Friend me on facebook or email me via this site and I'll pass on the details. It makes me so happy to share this music.  If you have seen them you know how wonderful they are, and if you haven't, you are in for a treat.  Bonus is that they are two of the most charming people I know.

Now of course I have something to happily obsess over.  I'm thinking we might just do a mixed grill of sausages and chicken and let people brings sides, salads and sweets.  Or just something to drink.

One note---we aren't paying them upfront----we're just going to pass the hat, so more important than the potluck is if you could just bring a bit of $ for the proverbial hat (or maybe it will be a real hat....we'll see....).

Isn't it nice to have something to look forward to?

Random Pictures from the Sandwich Life

Here is Owen eating an ice cream cone with a cherry on top.  And note that his shirt had been brand new and clean just hours before. 
 Some pictures from the garden walk.  See...THIS is what I'm most jealous of: 
the most colorful compost pile I've ever seen: 

What kind of grass is this?
 
 
 

And this, from our own yard (hence the weeds around it) pretty much says SUMMER, doesn't it?
 

A Summer Meal or Two....

Summer meals.

Last night I think we had a perfect meal.  P E R F E C T!  Ernie had bought a nice free range chicken from Triple S at the farmers’ market and so we just did our standard grilled whole chicken thing with it.  Lots of salt and pepper and then set it breast side up on the indirect side of a hot fire.  Cover it and let it go 30 minutes.  Then turn it so the side that’s been away from the heat is closest to the heat and cover it for another 30 minutes.  Perfect.  Owen started eating it and his eyes got huge and he moaned (uh, well…the boy IS a bit dramatic, you know) and said, “this is the BEST chicken I have every had in my life.  PLEASE buy this kind of chicken again….they treat them better and don’t keep them in tiny cages and they TASTE better!”  I swear to God….where does he get this stuff?  I asked him how he knew all that and he just shrugged kept moaning about it.  Then I told him it was a lot more expensive than regular chicken and he said we could save our money and not have it as often.  I ask you?  Is that boy brilliant or what?  My sweet pea.

Rounding out the meal was a salad of green beans (from OUR GARDEN I might note) and some pretty little red potatoes Ernie had got at the market as well.  I just blanched everything and let it cool.  Then I layered the sliced potatoes and beans on a platter and poured a lemon/tarragon vinaigrette  over them.  Oh MY.  And MY again.  I suppose a tomato slice or two would have been colorful and nice but the meal was perfect as is.  No pictures because I was too hungry.  Here are the beans after harvesting yesterday evening though (Ernie was beside himself with pride)

 

 
And Tracy asked me about my chili verde recipe.  As  you know, I’m not great with recipes…but here’s what I did.  I (read: Ernie) cut a pork shoulder into one inch chunks and then tossed them with lots and lots of ground coriander and cumin seed, some salt and pepper and some masa harina.  Browned the hell out of it all and dumped it in a dutch oven.  I added chicken stock (too much in retrospect as I never got it thickened up as much as I would like) and then the puree of about 2lbs of tomatillas that had been broiled until a bit black on the top.  Grilling probably would have been even better.  Then I also broiled about half a dozen serranos and the same amount of jalopenos, as well as a few Anaheim and poblanos.  It sounds as though it would be really hot but the peppers we get at the supermarket just aren’t that hot so it just had a nice bite.  What else….what else?  Oh, I think I added some more cumin and salt and pepper and then about ¼ cup of honey to just smooth things out.  Lots of simmering and it was done.  Oh, a good handful of chopped cilantro and fresh oregano went in as well. I might remember something else but that was it. Simple...just meat...pepper...and some herbs and spices..... Oh, I think there may have been some onion involved...oh that's right....I browned them in the pan after the meat and then deglazed it with some beer.

Tonight I think it's going to be shrimp....any suggestions?

Tetchy Boys and Damn Those Japanese Beetles!

Yesterday was just a day and a half if you know what I mean.  Half of our family has short tempers and the other half is very stubborn so the combination can make things just a little....mmmmm.....tetchy, I guess you could say.  And that's how things were in the latter part of the weekend.  It makes me tired.

Ernie and I went on the garden walk Saturday morning.  We try to go every year and we weren't sure we could fit it in but we did it at hyper speed and managed to see it all.  As always, it makes me realize how much I like our garden despite its chaotic quality.  And what I'm jealous of, yet again, is mulch and new walkways, brick paths and the like.  I have some pictures but I can't find them right now so they'll have to wait.

We got home, scooped up our children and our chili and headed for the Chili Cookoff.  I liked my chili although it hadn't thickened up as much as I wanted it to and we were out of time....so off we went.  Owen immediately plunged into the back yard at the party, happy to see friends.  Leo?  Not so much.  He's gotten a bit better about parties but it was not to be on Saturday.  After an hour or more of watching him looking miserable and refusing to move from where he'd glued himself to the garage I finally gave up and took him home.  It's one thing to say 'just let  him be' and it's another to be able to enjoy yourself watching him get more miserable and people making valiant efforts to cheer him up and getting virtually no response.  I grabbed Ernie's keys, went over and said, 'come on, I'm taking you home."  He obediently trotted behind me and climbed in the car.  I didn't say a thing....we just drove home and went into the house.  When we walked in he said hesitantly, "Mom, did I do something to upset you?"  Good Lord....he hadn't a clue.  So we had a long, serious talk about behavior at parties and the polite way to act even if you find you don't want to be there.  He nodded very solemnly and said he would try.  God I love that boy.  And it's a good thing.  sigh.

Ernie and Owen came home a couple of  hours later, triumphantly bearing a third place trophy for our chili!  Ernie was ridiculously tickled.  Good Lord I guess I love all three of them even though I kind of want to kill them all this morning.  Sigh again.

And this is what the fucking Japanese beetles are up to:

 
Hisssssssssss.

And look what they're doing to my kale.

 
And I think maybe we need a new mattress because lately my back hurts every morning and whenever we stay at a motel I almost swoon over how comfortable the bed is.  I'm thinking the quality of hotel beds hasn't suddenly skyrocketed....and perhaps it's time for us to shell out some money.  Refrigerators, mattresses.....what boring things to spend money on.  Sigh again.

Oh well....it's not all bad.  The Japanese beetles aren't eating everything and I suppose someday I will love my family again.  And maybe we'll go see Toy Story 3 tonight.  I'm sure the day will turn around.  Right?

 
and LORD but I love that little crimson spot in the middle of Queen Anne's Lace!

 

A Record of Sorts

I think I set a new record.  Twelve hours of sleep. 

It was a very busy week,  work was crazy (crazy good but crazy just the same) and coming on top of getting over a cold and being away and me just being me......I was totally exhausted last night.  We were supposed to go to a party---which I had been really looking forward to----had food ready to bring----but I got home and just hit one of those walls.  I went up to bed at 6:30 p.m. and turned off my light ....well, actually I didn't have to do that because it was broad daylight...by 7:00 p.m.  I didn't bother with dinner....I was just too damn tired.  Poor Ernie feasted on leftovers.  I slept until 7:30 this morning.  Whew.  Felt damn good though. 

I sent Ernie off to the farmers' market alone and am trying to catch up with a few things.  We're hoping to squeeze in the garden walk early today and then off to a chili cookoff.  I've got some ho-hum chile verde on the stove.  Then come home and collapse and not do another damn thing all weekend (probably not the case but I like the idea)!

 
 
 

The Mark of Owen

 

Just take a look at the expanse of white plastic covered tables in the picture above.  Earlier in the day they were filled with 8-12 year olds creating Japanese calligraphies with black ink.  Now try to figure out where Owen sat.

Yup.

The one spot that is a mess.....

Good Lord but I love that boy.

 

I Got Nothing

I've got nothing to say today.  Nothing.  Ernie is meeting an appraiser at my mother's house today.  MUST start dealing with clearing everything out.  Evidently since we were last there the refrigerator died and now has mold.  Yuck.

What else? Hmmm.  Leo has fallen in love with Monopoly and in case you were wondering....he's REALLY good at it.  Creamed his father last night.  There's nothing better than a happy Leo.

And with that....I'm off to start my day.  As I said, I got nothing.....well, except that my hydrangea is starting to bloom.....  Small pleasures, small pleasures....

 

Eh....

Eh...a moderately crappy day.  I'm sitting here drinking some wine and watching Hell's Kitchen because sometimes that's just what you have to do.  I haven't cooked dinner yet. I fed the boys and was going to do something else for us but I keep downscaling my plans.  It could be a popcorn night.

I couldn't sleep last night....partly the storms and partly God knows what.  This morning Ernie had to go in for his infusion at the Cancer Center and I couldn't go with him because of work.  I know he's o.k. going on his own but I hate, hate, hate not being there with him.  Nobody should have to go to the Cancer Center for treatment by themselves...it's just been one of my rules---for both Judi and him.  So I felt bad about that...and frustrated....and tired...and then I didn't handle some stuff at work as well as I should have and it's been bothering me.  Eh....just eh....  I suppose at work I should have loudly announced that I wasn't at the Cancer Center with my husband so I'd get credit for it but I'm afraid then it would seem that I didn't really have to go with him so I kept my mouth shut.  I hate feeling like this but I know we all do....more often than any of us  like.  And I know life is good...I really do.  Just one of those days I guess.

Random Notes from the Sandwich Life

1.  The other day Ernie had a headache and I was near the kitchen cupboard so I grabbed the ibuprofen.  I shook two out in his hand.  He just looked at me so I shook one more out.  He just looked at me so I thought, 'gee, his head must really hurt' and shook out another one.  He just kept looking at me and finally said, "uh, Cynthia....I don't want those."  I stared at him, stared at his hand and said "WHOOPS!"  I'd been giving him my antidepressant!  He started laughing and said, "do you think I need those?" and I said, "well for God's sake, by all rights you should but evidently you're better at dealing with life than I am!!!"

2.  Recently I bribed Leo to let me take a picture of him (I promised to pick up some of his Lego for him).  He looked different when he got his hair cut a while back but he looks different again to me....all of a sudden his face is looking older, more teen to me.  Ernie explained this to him and Leo said, "well, I'm a pre-teen....it's OBvious."  "It's obvious" is one of his favorite expressions.  Owen's favorite is, "uh, that's awkward."  God help me.

Anyway---Leo is looking more grown up to me and sometimes he reminds me of my father.  Another sweet, stubborn curmudgeon!

   

 

3.  Zinnia season is officially here! 
 
4.  Last night I was driving in the car with Owen and he was cheerful which means he was talking non-stop.  He'd cut his finger that morning and he was suddenly struck by all the similarities between us.  "Mom, doesn't Dad say we have the same nose?"  "Yep," I said.  "And doesn't he say that we have the same kind of smile?"  "Yep".  "And you cut your finger and I cut my finger!"  "Yep."  "And your bandaid came off and so did mine!"  "Yes, you're right Owen."  "Wow, we are just alike."  "I guess we are Owen," I agreed.  Then he thought for a minutes and said, "Mom?  How was your childhood?"  Sometimes it's hard to not giggle continuously.  I feel as though I should have a tape recorder going at all times because I don't remember a quarter of it all!  I assured him that I'd had a good childhood and he seemed very pleased.

5.  Here are my three boys at Exile on Mainstreet.  And no, I don't know why Owen has that goofy expression.

 
6.  And now....just because I think you deserve it...please enjoy one of my favorite pop songs by Hüsker Dü.

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Glasses RETURNED and Other Notes....

Monday already?  I say that every week, don't I?  Hmmmm.  We had a good weekend though so I can's complain (well, except for the moment that we discovered that the Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb PS2 game won't play on PS3....that was ugly).

Friday afternoon we headed off to Chicago to see Amy Rigby and Wreckless Eric and RETURN HER LONG LOST GLASSES!  We took off at 2:30---we were supposed to meet an old friend for dinner at 6:00 at Schuba's....3 and a half hours---seemed like plenty of time.  HA!  First we hit incredible storms halfway there.  I don't think I ever have seen the sky so intensely black---these picture just give a tiny hint.

 
 
 
It settled down to just a steady rain but then we hit a construction area and stopped dead.  Listening to the radio we were told it was a TWO HOUR back up.  Our plans for dinner were quickly going out the window.  We eventually got off the highway and took a different road up to miss that but lots of others were doing it as well so of course it took forever.  We finally made it to Schuba's at about 7:15.  It was a 7:30 show so it all worked out.  They sounded really great.  Amy did a song called Do You Remember That toward the end that was just killer and of course Wreckless Eric doing Whole Wide World.....well, it's just pretty amazing.  Our friend Jim who we'd been going to meet for dinner met us for the show and we went for a drink after and it was wonderful to see him.  Jim had been Ernie's boss while he worked at Second Hand Tunes in Hyde Park in the early 90's---seems like yesterday as well as eons ago as those things often do so it was really lovely to catch up with him.

   

This is Amy actually taking possession of her glasses.  Whew.
 

Ernie and Jim Mayhercy: 

It felt funny to be back in the city---so familiar and so different at the same time.  I'm absolutely amazed by the amount of new infill construction that is there---that's the biggest change.  When we left to head to a hotel we decided to drive east to Lake Shore Drive just to admire the city....

 
   

The hotel was o.k.  Our room was decorated with some images of building----this one cracked me up.  The Wainwright in CHICAGO?

 
Of course the next day driving home it was sunny and peaceful and quick---unlike the day before....

 
We were tired on Saturday so treated it as a lazy day.  Yesterday we gave Ernie a couple of little presents in the morning, took him out to lunch (the boys' idea) and then over to Exile on Main Street to buy some music.  Then we had the whole ugly heartbreak of the Indiana Jones game but eventually the family recovered and Ernie barbecued some wonderful ribs (yes, I guess he did cook his own dinner as Father's Day as my sister pointed out...whoops!), we ate late and then watched a couple of storm stories because it's one of the few shows that Leo will watch with us and then I trundled off to bed.  Owen showed up later with a surprise bowl of ice cream for me.  Life is good.