Cap'n Bob & the Damsel

Food & Dining

Red Meat

tenderloin mealEven though the weather has been wetter and cooler here over the last couple of weeks, it was nice enough today to barbecue up a couple of beef tenderloin steaks. This delicious meal didn’t take all that much time for us since the sides were left over from a previous meal.

I cooked the steaks on the grill with no seasoning other than olive oil (to keep ’em from sticking to the grill) and some fresh cracked pepper – seven minutes each side on a hot grill.

For the side dishes, we had some mashed potatoes with spinach and braised, chopped Brussels sprouts and bacon bits. As mentioned before, these only had to be nuked in the micro for a couple of minutes.

Damsel and I walked it off afterwards.

Tomorrow, we’re cooking in the crockpot since we’re going to the shooting range. In addition to the time at the range we will be cleaning up the equipment for an hour after we get home. Not enough time to prepare a conventional meal – not to worry though, tomorrow’s recipe is for Hungarian Goulash.

22 Dec 2007 by California Food & Dining Photography

Giving Thanks to Our Troops

This was our post last Thanksgiving Day. It is just as appropriate today as it was a year ago.

We often think about and pray for our troops across the globe. And our efforts go beyond just thoughts and prayers since we routinely support charities such as Wounded Warriors, Soldiers Angels and the USO. Please, if you are able, send our troops a little support as a way of saying thanks for what they do. Keep it going all of this holiday season if you are able.

You should also keep the families of these wonderful men and women in your thoughts and prayers, since they will be celebrating without their loved ones.

Neil Cavuto of the Fox News Channel offered this poignant and insightful thought about those serving in our defense:

Giving Thanks to Our Troops

By Neil Cavuto

I cannot imagine eating Thanksgiving dinner in a mess hall. In a foreign country. In a hostile foreign country. Away from family. Away from friends. Away from all I hold dear.

I cannot imagine wondering whether this meal might be my last. Or the buddy sitting next to me won’t always be with me.

I cannot imagine going through what our soldiers go through every day. But especially “this” day. When we should all give thanks. But they barely have the time to eat. Before they’re back on the line. Back protecting us.

We who debate their role. Some of us who even mock their cause. This isn’t about a war. This is about those who fight it. And endure it. And live through it. In a place we forget. On a day we should not.

I am very lucky to have this day with my family. My creature comforts are secure precisely because theirs are not. It’s not fair. It’s not right. It just is.

They are due our thanks every day. Our prayers all days. But they are due both, especially this day. It’s amazing to me that those paid so little, give so much. Never complaining. Always giving. So that we can sit down in peace. While they stand guard, in war.

May God bless and protect all of our men and women in the armed forces.

22 Nov 2007 by Culture Food & Dining Military

Damsel’s Diner

chix-fried.jpgWelcome to Damsel’s Diner. Over the weekend, we indulged ourselves by preparing this delicious blue-plate special: chicken-fried steaks with mashed taters and country-style green beans – served with a frosty mug of winter lager.

Although the meal seems a bit waistline-unfriendly, we did clean up the fat act somewhat. Damsel fried up the steaks in light oil in a pan (rather than deep-fried) and low or no-fat dairy products were used to prepare the mashed taters and gravy. The green beans were accented with onions, garlic and bacon bits. By the way, we used fresh-picked green beans that are still growing in Damsel’s garden.

Click on the image to enlarge.

12 Nov 2007 by Food & Dining Photography

An Autumn Gourmet Dinner

A little change in the weather today brought some badly needed showers to drought and fire ravaged Southern California. It also brought cooler temperatures and the gusty winds calmed down.

We decided to prepare a gourmet dinner for an autumn afternoon. Grilled pork loin cutlets with baked acorn squash, braised cabbage and a gourmet dressing for which Damsel created a custom recipe. Maybe we’ll publish the recipe sometime.

We worked together to prepare this dinner. I was in charge of making the breadcrumbs for the spinach dressing, baking the squash (I use the outdoor BBQ as an oven) and grilling the pork loin cutlets. Damsel prepared the braised cabbage and gourmet dressing on the stove top.

Topped off with a glass of Kendall–Jackson Chardonnay or a Sam Adams Oktoberfest Lager, we gotta tell you, this was really good. We had to take a nice long walk in the rain after this sumptuous autumn meal.

fall-dinner

27 Oct 2007 by California Food & Dining Photography

Lean Cuisine

We had a busy day today. We visited the recycle center, did our weekly shopping, maintained the lawn and garden and, finally, grilled some chicken breasts up on the barbecue to go with steamed broccoli and orzo/veggie salad. Served in reasonable portions, it was a waistline-friendly meal – and delicious too!

bbq-chix.jpg

08 Sep 2007 by Food & Dining Home & Garden Photography

Blue Tuscan Rosemary

We never buy commercially-grown rosemary these days, since this beautiful Blue Tuscan Rosemary grows in abundance in the garden here. We have so much of this vigorous herb, that we can use its smoke in the barbecue to add a unique flavor to some of our favorite meats. And who can deny the beauty of the delicate little flowers?

blue-tuscan.jpg

06 Sep 2007 by Food & Dining Home & Garden Photography

Rosemary Skewered Shish Kebabs

How’s this for something different on the BBQ? We cut up some pork loin and marinated the chunks in a citrus-honey and hickory BBQ concoction. We then chopped up some fresh pineapple to go on the skewers along with the pork. The skewers were branches from one of our rosemary bushes, washed and sharpened to a point on the bottom so when you push the meat and fruit on the skewers, the leaves on the branch will fold toward the center.

shish-kebab.jpg

After cooking the pork thoroughly and browning the pineapple, we discarded the skewers and served this sumptuous entree with roasted corn cobbettes and a sauteed vegetable medley. This made for a very good meal, low in fat and high in fiber.

08 Jul 2007 by Food & Dining Home & Garden Photography

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