More Grillin' and Chillin'

I woke up at 6:30 AM (which, just a week ago, was 5:30 AM - No, no, it's time to let all that Daylight Savings Time bitterness go...) I warmed up a cup of the coffee Carla made yesterday and had a cup. Then, I had another cup...

I finished writing the Blog and then posted it (way too long, but a lot went on yesterday). Then I started the weekend laundry.

Next, I hopped in the shower (no shaving today, I'm in my "rebel" mode). Now, this is just one of the tricks I use to control the "bad" John. You see, given the chance, I will stay in the shower way too long (I think Jake inherited that from me). I can't do it on weekdays, of course. But, on weekends, I love that warm water, beating on me and easing all my aches and pains. However, that wastes natural gas (that I have to pay for), so it's a no-no. But, by starting the washing machine first, I know I have just 12 minutes before the rinse cycle starts to fill up and I will be scalded (I have my hot water heater set at 160 degrees F.!) So, I have a good reason to hurry, lol!

It's kind of a weird day. All the housecleaning was done early yesterday; I have plenty of leftovers for my lunch and dinner and it's supposed to be even warmer (54 degrees F.) than yesterday and sunny. So, I basically have nothing to do and a beautiful day to do it in!

I checked the dishwasher and it's full enough now to run it. So, I added the soap, a few remaining dishes and turned it on.

It's pretty enough to go outside right now, but I know that's only and illusion (it's still only 30 degrees F. at 9:00 AM).

This week's featured artists on Saturday and Sunday Morning Over Easy are the Grateful Dead. Now, I've never considered myself a "Dead-Head" but I have always admired how they incorporated so many different styles of music in their work, everything from hard rock, to psychedelic to pure country. But today, I can't help laughing every time Pam Rossi says "Grateful Dead." Why?

Well, there is a show on cable called "No Reservations," where the host, Anthony Bourdain (an ex-chef and long-time hero) goes and samples the local cuisine (anywhere from Cleveland, to Vietnam, to Venice). On one particular episode, he was in Texas and somehow ended up on Ted Nugent's ranch (Ted Nugent is a hard-core, gun-loving bad boy rocker who, ironically, was born and raised here in Redford, Mom). Well, for some reason I don't remember, Tony mentioned the Grateful Dead. Ted said, after thinking a moment, "Well, the only thing I can say about them is I'm grateful they are dead!" Cracked me up then and, apparently, still does now...

So, I watched a few cooking shows. I have another pound of frozen shrimp and some smoked sausage thawing. Why? Well, I have two pounds of ground chuck I bought that I need to grill (leftovers next week, for either lunch or dinner) so, since I will have the grill going again, I might as well use it to its fullest.

But, now its 1:00 PM and time to make some more soup. In spite of this being so close to St. Patrick's Day, I decided to try another authentic ethnic recipe: Kapusta (Polish Cabbage Soup). Why? Well, I believe I mentioned that my co-worker, Michelle, loves Kapusta. So, if I can make it and have her taste-test it, I will know if I got it right, or not.

I have two pounds of country-style pork spare ribs and two medium-sized cabbages. So, I seasoned the ribs on all sides with salt and pepper and then, in my medium skillet, I added some olive oil and browned the ribs on all sides. See photos.

Meanwhile, I took the outer leaves off the cabbages. Now, I actually know a saying Japanese chefs use for cabbage (I think it was, "For the perfect sweetness, eat after the seventh layer") But, I forget exactly just which layer! So, I pulled off the deep green leaves until I got to the pale green/white layers. I cut it into quarters and then, using a diagonal cut, cored them (see photos). Then I finely sliced each quarter (sure, I could have used the mandoline, but I need more practice with the Shun).

I added some butter to the olive oil in the pan and began to sweat the cabbage. I can only do it in batches, of course. So, I put the wilted cabbage in my stock pot and, adding more butter, wilt the next batch. So, this is all tong work, BTW. I am using my Kitchen Aid tongs that have the heat-proof silicon on the ends, so I don't scratch my non-stick pan.

Well, once it was wilted about half way, I was able to do my signature skillet toss, but you definitely need tongs on the front end. Now, I'm a novice at Kapusta, but I have filled my biggest bowl twice with shredded cabbage. This seems excessive, but I am following the family recipe...

When all the cabbage was wilted (about an hour later) I move on to the next step: Which is to add (according to the recipe) a 28 ounce can of sauerkraut. Now, personally, I hate canned sauerkraut, because it always tastes "tinny" to me. So, I put in a 32 ounce bag of sauerkraut, instead. Then I buried the ribs in the middle and added water, just to cover all. Then I turned it to simmer and let it simmer (for at least two hours).

I went in the bedroom and lay down to take a nap. I did eventually fall asleep and woke up (startled) at 6:00 PM. I jumped up and went out to do the shrimp. I threaded six pieces on two skewers and then repeated. Then I covered them with a quick marinade: The juice of one lemon, some olive oil, red pepper flakes, and then some salt and pepper. While that got happy, I made the two pounds of ground chuck into eight patties. Then I cut the smoked sausage into four pieces.

I went and dragged out the grille. I used Carla's trick and sprayed the glossy paper with cooking oil and then lit it under the charcoal. Bingo! In less than 20 minutes, I had red-hot coals.

I put the shrimp and the sausage on first. Again, the shrimp only took like two minutes on each side, and then I pulled them off and put on the burgers. I cooked them about three minutes a side as I will be reheating them. Somebody drove by in a van, rolled down his window and shouted "What's for dinner?" I yelled back, "Burgers!" and he gave me a thumbs up. I took everything into the house and shut the garage door.

I let the burgers and shrimp rest while I warmed up some beans from yesterday. Then I plated two pieces of sausage and the beans and that was Sunday dinner. I got everything put in the fridge just in time for my Sunday night shows. I made it though two of them, but decided to go to bed at 10:00 PM.