Back when I was young and in school, summer time meant being able to sleep late. These days, it means getting up earlier to get as much work done as possible before the heavy, humid heat of Houston sets in, sapping fluids and strength from bodies. After we were done with the prep work yesterday, I came straight home and fell into bed for a 3+ hour nap. That was at the crack of noon...sheesh. A nice cold chef's salad and some fresh cantaloupe really hit the spot when I woke up. I've got no desire at all right now to cook anything over the stove or on the grill/smoker. the only way I'll be lighting any wood up for the smoker is if I get a chance to do a brisket or some pork shoulders overnight with some slow, low-temp smoke. Hickory and mesquite, mixed, preferably on a night with a very light breeze so the smell just hangs throughout the neighborhood and tantalizes people as they come out to get the newspaper in the morning.
Back to work: You know it's hot outside when you drink almost a gallon of fluids and still don't need to stop for a bathroom break. I know what that means for me around September; a kidney stone or two. I've been hitting the water extra-heavy when I get home these days. I hope it works to prevent a stone, but the downside is sleep that gets interrupted about once an hour until 2a.m. or so. Not that I sleep very well anyway, but sometimes it's nice to just stay in bed and pretend to sleep.
Back to cantaloupe. I hope there's a decent crop of them from the Pecos Valley this year, as Blue Bell's Cantaloupe ice cream is a seasonal rarity that I really enjoy in the late summer. It may sound weird, but trust me, it's great. And, it's a very different way to enjoy cantaloupe than I usually do. I love slices of good sweet melons with some black pepper and a balsamic vinegar reduction. I tried to make that for a friend last summer, but I got distracted from the stove and wound up burning the vinegar. Yep, I burned vinegar. Pretty sad.
My friend John and I have been talking about some Thai food for lunch this week, and I think today's the day, if I'm not too drained after painting. Some beef in a blazing green curry sauce, Tom Yam soup, and a few pieces of sushi would be great for a pre-nap meal. I'm also thinking I need to make a trip down into Houston next week for some Greek food at Niko Niko's. There's some ok Greek food out this direction, but there's no place I've found anywhere that I like more than Niko Niko's. My favorite thing to do when I'm down there is to have a huge meal of gyro meat (real lamb at Niko's, none of the beef nonsense that most other places use these days) and a small horiatiki, then look around in a few of the shops nearby before heading over to Katz's deli for some blueberry blintzes or cheesecake.
I need to make a run down to the Farmer's Market, too. It's time to stock up on fresh peas for this winter and to get some good zucchini and summer squash. I could go for a batch of squash and crawfish; it's been way too long since I made that. Need to boil up some nice red potatoes in some crab boil and make potato salad with them. Heck, need to throw some artichokes and corn on the cob in there, too, just for snacking. And some sun tea to wash it all down.
I grilled some great burgers on Memorial Day. A few years ago, I learned a secret for making the best burgers, meatballs, and meatloaf ever. It's not a special recipe, just two extra ingredients that you can add to any kind of shaped ground beef food. Makes them juicy and tender unlike anything else I've tried. You want to know the secret? Well, too bad, it's a secret, remember? I accidentally let it slip to a friend last year, but I don't think she cooks a whole lot, so she may not even remember it. Anyway, back to those burgers. I topped them with some bacon. grilled onions and mushrooms, then some provolone cheese and closed the lid to melt the cheese into the toppings. Best burger I've had in a long time, even if I do say so myself.
Something I missed out on this Spring was my annual wildflower photoshoot. The drought really limited the amount of time the flowers were blooming, and the guy I was planning on hitting the road with had been sidelined with a broken leg. So, that meant that I missed out on Chicken Fried Bacon at Sodolak's in Snook, TX and a great Chicken Fried Steak at the Longhorn Tavern in Bryan. Chicken Fried Bacon sounds strange at first, but I could eat it until all my arteries clogged shut. I can satisfy my CFS craving closer to home, but I like it at the Longhorn the best.
Hmmm, thought I was going to write about working in the heat, but I wound up focused on food. I guess I should eat breakfast today. Or just blow off working, and make a drive to Bryan, TX for lunch. I really wish I could get some sushi for breakfast this morning, though. I don't really want anything hot before working outside.
So, cantaloupe it is.
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