Your Final Birthday

The butt was a 6 lber. Eat it as a roast with the vegetables as described.

Next day as pork fried rice.

3rd day cut up and cooked with cabbage and potatoes, carrots and onions.

It's a butt that keeps on working it.

4th day in a many bean soup.

Checked out a flat of Sam's Club cupcakes yesterday at work - someone brought it in to the restaurant for a birthday party. - 138 ingredients listed on the label. If you ate one it would be your last birthday.

You Bet Your Butt

If you are going to roast pork, do Boston Butt. Five hours at 350 degrees, covered.Add water about a third of the way up in your roasting pan. I use a black cast iron skillet. If you don't have a glass cover( mine broke), use a brown bag. It works. Be sure to check water level through out the cooking cycle, and add as necessary.

Season the roast simply w/ salt,pepper and garlic to start. Add crushed red pepper and herbs de provence for the last hour of cooking - along with onions, carrots, celery, and potatoes.

It is a hearty, substantial and healthy meal in a pan. So simple, rich and delicious. A little more than mom's pork or pot roast. You get the umami of the fatty meat, plus the bouquet of the herbs. Exquisite! Plenty of vegies plus the meat and fat you crave when it is 29 degrees on the 1st of may in Minnesota.

I've always felt that if you eat the good stuff( vegetables), you can eat the really good stuff( meat) too.

As Good As Chocolate

A good late night snack on these cold wet days of spring is homemade shoe string potatoes. Cut the potatoes as thin as you can - like "Picnic" in the can. Use russets and sweet potatoes for a special treat. Do half canola and half olive oil - these oils are good for you and will satisfy that sweet or carb craving.

Deep fry - you only need about an inch of oil - on just above med heat ( 350 degrees). Adjust heat as necessary - don't let it smoke. Fry till golden brown, drain on paper towels, season with salt, pepper and granulated garlic. No need for a dipping sauce as they are so rich and satisfying as is - and like I said - good for you. Best of all they taste heavenly and satisfy that craving w/o killing you. Add a little cayenne if you prefer spicy.

A potato is a vegetable - russet and /or sweet - so they count for that.

Spring Salmon

Use your hidden hard boiled Easter eggs to make an adjusted" Norwegian hollandaise" sauce to serve with your wild caught Alaskan Salmon.

The traditional sauce is melted butter, chopped hard boiled egg, lemon juice and dillweed -melt 1 stick butter, add 1 chopped hard boiled egg , 1 tablespoon dillweed., and 1/ 2 squeezed lemon juice.

Adjusted or enhanced includes the addition of 1 tablespoon chopped parsley, 1 /2 teaspoon minced garlic, and 1 /2 teaspoon crushed red pepper added to the melted butter.

Cook salmon in olive oil in saute pan over medium heat for about 2 minutes( season w/ salt and pepper), turn and cook 2 more minutes. The general rule of thumb in cooking fish to well done is 7 minute per inch of thickness of fish. Do the math. You want this salmon to be cooked medium - not dried out, which means cook it about half way there. The slower you cook it the better - even on medium low.

Spoon sauce over filets/steaks before serving with your favorite starch and vegetable - rice, boiled or shoestring potatoes, broccoli, or asparagus.

It is a deep kiss with your lover, you lucky one.

Wednesday, April 20th

The wind stopped blowing so I got down to the lake today and saw 3 loons, 5 ducks, 1 eagle and a dead bullhead, pretty good sized. I did not eat any of them.

Guacamole and refried beans w/ chips and corn tortillas a perfect playoff football snack.

Make the guac w/ onions, tomatoes, jalapeno pepper,lemon juice,plenty of garlic, cilantro and olive oil. Process. Serve with chips of your choice.

Pinto or black beans mashed and fried in half butter and olive oil, seasoned w/ salt, pepper, garlic, cayenne topped w/ cheese, served w/ chips and warm soft corn tortillas.

Looks good, smells great, tastes like a touchdown.

A Winter Sandwich

Use marble jack cheese and bleu cheese and cooked spinach to make a great midwinter grilled cheese sandwich on whole grain bread. Grill the sandwich in a small amount of olive oil, or olive oil and butter. Eat it alongside a multi bean and vegetable soup.