Running on Empty

I woke up at 6:00 AM on Sunday and put another pot of coffee on. I refilled my pill box watching the news and then got working on the Blog posts.

When I went out to the kitchen for a refill, I looked out the window and it was raining. Damn, that will slow down the garden project! On the bright side, it was probably good for the transplants.

So, I took my time getting ready: shaving, taking my shower and so on. Looking at the pictures of the garden I posted, I decided I’d grossly underestimated the amount of mulch I will need.

So, I made up a small grocery list and got dressed to go shopping. Again, Home Depot came first. I picked up the other nine red 2x8x16 patio blocks and four more bags of mulch. BTW, did you know that a 2x8x16 patio block isn’t really that size anymore? Measure one. They’ve shrunk, much like a 2x4 stud. Just another way to rip us off…

Then I went to Kroger’s and picked up a few things (so few I could go in the “15 items or less” checkout line). I got another jug of apple juice and, for a change of pace (or taste), a jug of plain cranberry juice. Standing and looking at all the juice, I decided cranberry juice must be a slut, because she seems to have mated with every other juice known to man!

On the way home, I stopped at Westborn for some sweet corn (I have a slab of baby back ribs thawing in the fridge). This time I did shop a little and I also got some apples (Granny Smiths and Galas) and a bunch of green seedless grapes.

The sun was peeking in and out of the clouds by the time I got back. I put away the groceries and split the three pounds of ground chuck I got on sale into three parts. Two one-pound packages went into the freezer and the other I shaped into 1/2 pound “steaks.” One of the few things that annoy me about living alone is always wasting a nice bed of charcoal. So, besides the ribs and sweet corn for my Sunday supper, I planned on grilling the two patties and some brats for the coming week’s dinners.

I started a load of the towels and my bathrobe, changed into outdoor work clothes and was about to head outside.

But first, I took the ribs and pulled off the membrane (don’t skip this step! The membrane will NOT melt during grilling and you will have tough ribs!). Sometimes it comes off easy and sometimes it is harder. Today (of course) it was harder. Then I cut the rack in half so it would fit in a gallon Zip-lock bag and dumped in a whole bottle of Kroger’s 30 minute marinade. I’d planned on making my Bourbon Baby Back ribs today, but since I didn’t finish the garden yesterday, I don’t have time today to fuss with food. And, I didn’t have any bourbon in the house anyway, after I thought about it. So, I was taking the easy way out.

They have about 20 different kinds of marinade, BTW, but I went with their bourbon peppercorn one. It certainly won’t taste the same, but we’ll see if it’s any good. I put the Zip-lock bag on a plate (in case of leaks) in the fridge and washed everything I used. Then I sprayed the counter with anti-bacterial spray. I stuck the corn in a stock pot, covered with water, and then went outside. It was about 1:00 PM.

The first thing was to get the new mulch and patio blocks from the trunk to the back yard. I laid down the new patio blocks and it looked much better (see Photos). Next, I hooked up the hose reel box and reeled in the 150 feet of hoses I use. That accomplished, I dug out my roll of landscape fabric (I originally bought it for the garden back by the wall) from the garage.

I cut out the fabric and put each piece down, anchoring it with a little mulch as there was a pesky breeze that tried to rearrange whatever I put in place.

Now, before anyone comments, I know that I needed to dig down about three inches and bury the ends of the lawn edging. But, I didn’t have the time or energy to do that today. So, I just stuck the three spikes that protrude from each three-foot length through the landscape fabric to anchor it and hopefully kill the grass so it’s easier to dig it out later.

Then I applied the eight bags of mulch. I probably could have gotten away with less if I’d buried the lawn edging but, oh well. I checked the time and I had just enough to clean up before the ribs had to go in the oven.

I put the ribs, marinade and all in a pan with a rack, after I lined it with aluminum foil for (hopefully) easier cleanup. Then I covered the pan with foil, as well, sealing in the ribs. I stuck it in a preheated 325 degree F. oven and set the timer for two hours. I was precooking the ribs as I will be using the state park grille just to finish them, not my barrel one, set up for smoking.

I went back out and took some photos. I realized that I hadn’t secured the cable wire to the outside wall and I made a mental note to put that on a future ToDo list. Then I watered the hell out of the mulch so the transplants will take (it’s not supposed to rain much for the next week or so).

Back inside, I swept the floors and the walk-off mats so I didn’t track in any mulch residue. Then I started the last laundry load for the weekend, the bedding. I realized that I missed lunch, but was too tired and sore to care. Instead of eating, I poured myself a glass of apple juice. I took off my brace, took a pain pill and settled on the bed to rest a while. Then it dawned on me I had to take the hamburger and the brats out to come to room temperature. So, I did, and then I rested.

I started the charcoal when the oven timer went off. I left the ribs in the oven to keep warm. When the coals were ready, I started with the two ground chuck patties and the brats. They were about half done when my neighbor called me to the fence. He asked what I was grilling and I said burgers and brats. He said that was a shame because they had just made the same thing (they had friends over) and I could have just eaten some of theirs. Then he said, “Wait a minute! Do you like pasta salad?” I said sure. So he went and got a paper plate full of salad that Tammy, his wife, had made, along with a piece of watermelon for dessert! I thanked him, of course, and asked him to tell Tammy thanks, too.

When the patties were still rare, but with a good crust and the brats were done, I pulled them off and took them in to rest. The patties will cook to a medium rare (which I like) when I reheat them in the microwave, you see.

I replaced them on the grill with the sweet corn, which I roasted to perfection (I do sweet corn good!). I shucked the steaming corn on the spot (saves a big mess in the house, I’ve learned) and took them inside. I stuck them in the microwave to keep warm.

Finally, I put the ribs on the grill and brushed them liberally with Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ sauce. I didn’t need to cook them (they were literally falling off the bones), I just wanted to caramelize the BBQ sauce. When they were ready, I pulled them off, too, and went inside and feasted!

I had some of the ribs, two ears of corn and about half the pasta salad (it was excellent, BTW – Tammy is a very good cook, if I haven’t mentioned it before). The ribs were nothing like my usual ones, but damn good! And the sweet corn was noticeably sweeter (it must be getting into the full season in Florida).

I more than made up for that lunch I’d missed. I was still burping when I got everything cleaned up and the dishwasher started. I finally made the bed and took the rest (well, it was already after 8:00 PM) of the evening off.