Home-Style One Pan Roast For Sunday...

I bought a fully cooked ham a week ago, as they were on sale.. We opted for lamb for Easter, which I certainly did not object to! Today, I cut the ham in half, froze one half(never did this, let you know if it's any good in a month or so!) and plan to surround the remaining half in mushrooms, small redskins, and roast the whole thing for about 1-1/2 hrs. The potatoes and mushrooms will get my usual basting in thick cut bacon, while the ham will receive a glaze of maple syrup, brown sugar, Polish mustard,(Dudeks! Best antwhere! Ask Tavolini- I bet she/he has seen it!) cloves and nutmeg... Depending on the renderings, there may be a gravy for the potatoes! The big damn knife is one of my Wusthof - I got a pretty complete set! And yes, I use disposable aluminum pans when required! Has anyone out there ever had Lofthouse sugar cookies? These things are from the Devil hisself! Soft, sugary, and frosted to boot, they have no nutritional value- and you can't eat just one! When I look at the quantity of food, I wish a couple of you could have stopped by to help eat it! Out of my funk now, I want to thank everyone who had a little good news to share on my last post. We all have our ups and downs- when someone is down, you help them up, when someone is up, you help them celebrate! That's what humans do...

Meanderings.. Unrelated Subjects And Thoughts..

I am a lost boy.. not a vampire or a missing person, just like a car not in gear- that's all.. It's snowing again, and I really have had quite enough of it- everyone here abouts is saying "No Mas!"(only in English, peppered with colorful metaphors!). Business is in a bog- not going up, but slowly going down...We know this crappy weather cannot go on for much longer- but criminy! People are cranky, as our next holiday is Memorial Day- over 2 months+ away!
Tonight, we had a classic Cheeseburger, with pickles, lettuce, mayo, catsup, and mustard. We have been boring and bored all week! "The longer things stay the same, the sooner they change"...
The Canadian singer Anne Murray once sang a song- "A Little Good News Today".. Who remembers it, and who has a little good news they could share with us today? I'd love to hear some..

Easter Dinner At The Buffalo Dicks' Diner....

Yesterday, I bought the biggest leg of lamb the store had, freshest green beans, and newest red skin potatoes.... I made a cherry crisp for dessert, and have some excellent bread to go along. I butterflied the leg of lamb, making it boneless, and with all the fat and fell removed. This was a bit*h! Getting that lamb off the bone so it could be grilled like a steak was a pip! I then marinated it overnight in an olive oil, garlic, pepper, salt, red wine vinegar, onion powder, rosemary, and thyme goo. Lamb shows best over charcoal, served medium rare. The potatoes are a redskin, cut in half, with garlic, rosemary, salt and peppa, butter mix, that gets baked for about an hour. Bacon bastes it! Green beans are steamed, but then drizzled with bacon renderings, seasoned with your choice! Lent is a done deal! Pig(Lamb!) out and enjoy yourselves today!

An Out Of Town Friend And A Dinner For Him...

Yesterday, my kid calls and tells me Koob is in town. This is a guy who grew up as one of my youngest sons' best friends. He asks if it's OK to bring him over Thursday night for dinner. After this kids' Dad died-just before he went over to Iraq as a Marine, and I kinda would help him with Dad-like wisdom once in awhile. I had a big day of presentations with corporate people, and my wife works tax season, so we would have to put something together the night before! I made my patented 6lb. lasagna with ground beef, Italian sausage, mushrooms, and 4 kinds of Italian cheeses. This is when my kid calls and asks if his buddys' girlfriend can come to dinner too. Sure, plenty of food! I tell him what we're having, and he says he thinks she's lactose intolerant! Goddamitt... I tee off on him, and he says he'll check... Turns out cheese is OK but not milk. My wife made Koobs' favorite treat from when he was a little kid- peanut butter chocolate Rice Krispie squares! Garlic bread should round out a decent meal!

A Quiet Week-End Before The Storm...

Yesterday, my wife and I made one of our "Let's Get Outta Dodge" day trips to a casino in Manistee, Michigan. We had fun, but the place was packed, and lady luck wasn't paying too much attention to us... Got home, snarfed the last of the leftover pizza from Friday night, and crashed to watch absolutely nothing interesting on the TV.. We decided for Sunday dinner, we(me!) would make a meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and some steamed asparagus, along with a traditional shortbread lemon bar. You can figure out which picture is which- I hope!
This coming week will most likely be a life crossroads for me, which I can't explain right now, but will later. Things change for a reason, and it should be interesting...

Someday I Will Write "The Chronicles Of Buffalo Dick"...

1. Don't go in any deeper, unless you can breathe Bullsh*t....
2. There is no such thing as a "Free Lunch", just nod and smile and don't buy anything..
3. I have Tourettes Syndrome, but it only shows up when I'm driving in rush hour...
4. You only have "X" amount of air left to breathe, don't waste it on Assh*les..
5. I love a good "battle of wits", but most people who argue are unarmed...
6. You do not have to be in the majority to be the one that is right..
7. Giving something makes you feel better than the person who needed it...
8. Ignorance can be cured, but stupid is forever...
9. When a little kid comes to your door step for a worthy cause, buy it, donate it, sign it, if you can.. You are teaching that child that good causes will find good people..
10. A smile is the most disarming weapon that you will ever carry...
Enjoy your week-end, people! I am now going to relax, after another week of life!

Mini-Meme- About Being Alone- About Being With People..

Like many of you, I have felt alone in a crowded room- at a party, a bustling restaurant, a store that was packed. Other times, when we are actually alone, all by ourselves- we do not feel lonely at all! Humans, by nature, are animals that need to belong to a tribe, family, organization, or a group of like-minded humans. There is a part of us that needs to belong... Technology has allowed alot of people that are shy or nervous around others, to withdraw further and still function in society, dealing with it by E-mails, computers, or fax machines. Who are we?
Mini-Meme today:
1. What do you like about people?
2. What bothers you most about people?
I'd better say what I think here..
1. I like that they are different from me in so many ways, yet in other ways the same. No one has the same skills and talents, and I am always in awe of people who can do things I cannot.
2. Selfishness, fear, stubborn ingnorance, and hate. Fortunately, all of these can be cured with proper treatment!

It's That Time Of Year For Corned Beef...

About this time every year, St. Paddys Day starts to loom. Green beer, corned beef and cabbage, Irish stew starts to pop up at eateries all over town. As I do not have a drop of Irish blood in me(I'm not even Catholic!), I usually scratch my itch for corned beef in the form of a home-made Reuben sandwich! I hear the Catholics are in a bit of a quandry this year, as St. Pats' Day falls before Easter, making alot of Lent vows pretty hard to keep! I take a 3lb. package of corned beef(not cooked, but cured) simmer it in beer and spices for about 3 hrs. and let it cool for slicing. My Reuben will consist of thinly sliced corned beef, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut(cooked,squeezed dry, and chopped!) with a modified Thousand Island dressing dressing, light rye bread, all grilled until golden and cheese is melting.
Today it works out I will have a home for the left-overs in the form of a Reuben Tortilla Roll-up. Chopped, cooked corned beef, shredded Swiss cheese, cream cheese, chopped sauerkraut, Thousand Island dressing, extra pickle relish, horseradish, and a little dab of sweet hot sauce,(mixed thoroughly) make a great filling for these small, handy appetizers. Spread on a few torillas, rollup into a tube shape( semi-loosely!), place seam side down in a flat container and refidgerate for 2 hrs. Slice into round, bite-sized treats 3/4" and chill them wrapped,until needed. If you're short for time, just make the filling, use as a spread on crackers(RyKrisp!)or bagel chips. We have to go to a little "bring an appetizer" party tonight, and this stuff is usually pretty popular..

Sort Of A Chicken Cacciatori Over Rice...

Tuesday was a busy day time-wise, so I threw some boneless skinless chix thighs into the crock-pot on a platform of onion, covered in red bell pepper, seasonings, red pasta sauce, and Parmesan... Went about 6 hrs. in slow cooker. Cooked up some white rice, and served as seen. Not too bad! Wife is taking some night classes, so we had a window of about 15 minutes to eat!
Today for me was a challenge.. 6 phone calls to 4 people to get one piece of steel priced correctly and delivered on time.. I am glad age has brought me some patience, because this would have sent me ballistic 20 yrs. ago...When I had fixed everything, and all had gotten back on track- I told the new kid (who had screwed up!) in the office to call the customer with the good news that all was well. I'm not much into glory anymore, and I wanted him to learn what feels like to get a little credit for a job well done. Pats on the back are getting rarer everyday!

Two Of My Favorites! Broiled Walleye, And Pound Cake..

I try not to go to Sams' Club more than once a month, as everytime I'm there, I spend about 150.00 bucks! They carry a sharp Pinconning cheese that is the best (made in Michigan!), and I usually find other treats without working at it! They have a decent selection of fish fillets, and they had a pack of three Walleye fillets that had my name on them... To the people wondering what this fish is like, it is a flavorful, fresh water fish popular in northern states and Canada. Mild, firm flesh that flakes easily, it would remind you of lake perch- only bigger! They can get quite large, but best eating size would be a 17 to 21 inch fish. Simply seasoned with salt, pepper, dill, and butter, then broiled skin side down for about 10 minutes- you are in heaven! Lemon, or tartar sauce has been seen accompanying the finished product. Sour cream scalloped potatoes, and steamed broccoli will be there too.
Saturday, my wife attended a play with her sister, so I thought I'd make a couple of small pound cakes. Traditional recipe is 1 pound butter, 1 pound sugar, 1 pound flour, 1 pound of eggs. I added a bit of almond extract and lemon, mixed until consistency right(a long friggin' time!)baked at 300f for 70 minutes- came out great! Topped with a lemon, butter, powdered sugar glaze- it is a simple, rich treat you can eat as is, or add whipped cream or any topping you might think you'd enjoy!
Hope you all are enjoying your week-ends!
P.S.- We don't use paper plates all the time- that's our sons' "to go" plate every Sunday!