Revenge on the Raspberries

I awoke at 6:30 AM on Sunday. I warmed up a cup of coffee and immediately took out some stuff for this afternoon's barbecue. I thawed out some uncooked bratwurst, a Smithfield hardwood smoked center slice of ham and a pack of thick, pork loin rib center chops (bone in, of course).

I also cut off the longer stems and corn silk from 10 ears of sweet corn; put them in my stock pot, covered them with water and put a plate on top (for weight to keep them submerged). I also have a pound of fresh asparagus sitting in water to grille.

I ate the last two bagels for breakfast while listening to Sunday Morning, Over Easy. I finally got motivated, stripped the bedding and started the last load of laundry for the weekend.

I went outside and trimmed the bushes in front. The old bush between the mail box and the tree garden has been steadily going down hill ever since I moved in. So, I decided that radical surgery was necessary. I got out the Sawzall and cut it down to the ground. We will see how it grows back (or not, lol).

Since I was out there anyway, I revisited the raspberry bush and picked the ripe ones. I got almost a whole bowl, so I took them inside, topped them with half & half and a little sprinkle of sugar and ate them for lunch. Yum-o!

I fired up the charcoal about three o'clock. When I had a nice bed of glowing coals, I started grilling the pork chops and bratwurst. I coated the chops with Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce after they were done and let that caramelize. Then I moved the meat to the cool end of the grill and started roasting the sweet corn.

I went inside and minced some garlic up. I added that to the trimmed asparagus along with some olive oil and let it get happy. I went back outside and started realizing just how much food I was actually making when I saw Mary, a neighbor from the townhouses. So, I called her over and asked how many people she had living with her (one). So, I gave her a plate with two brats and two pork chops. She said she'd just gotten back from church and was wondering what to make for dinner. She saw the corn and said she loved sweet corn. But, I told her she'd have to come back because I just started it.

When the corn was done, I moved that to the cooler end of the grille and started the ham slice and the asparagus. I mixed 1/4 cup of pure maple syrup with two tablespoons of Dijon mustard and kept brushing the ham with it.

I shucked the corn outside and took everything back inside (Mary never came back) and ate dinner. I had about half of the ham (wonderful glaze, BTW) most of the asparagus and two ears of corn. Everything was delicious!

I started cleaning everything up, made the bed and got my stuff ready for work tomorrow. Then it was time for my Sunday night shows. I watched them all, for a change, and then I went to bed at 11:00 PM.