Back Now

Growing up in South Carolina, I met many a hurricane dead on with no flinching. My father was the same way (may he rest in peace). Who's scared of a little wind and rain, right? I am not sure he ever saw something like this though. We have been back a week now and all I can think to say is, "Wow, I am sooo glad I spent 18 hours on the road to go 250 miles!".

I spent 4 days with my wife and her family picking up the pieces of our neighbors trees and shingles, getting estimates, walking big and small dogs in a backyard that looks like a hurricane came through it (oh wait, one did), and just generally glad to be back home. Spending 2 weeks in a guest house with a pool was fun. Keeping 6 dogs in the barn and a cat in the house was an adventure. I even made myself useful by cooking dinner nightly for our hosts. Everything from Chinese to Italian to Mexican came out and then we got to the "good stuff".

Chicken and dumplings, beef stew, egg rolls and baked Alaskan salmon. A lobster bisque here and some meatloaf there thrown in for good measure never hurts. Now, back home, I am cooking things here that my wife never knew I could do. There are those people whom I have worked with who think all I can do is sushi and oriental cuisine (if only they could have seen me there).

Anyway, I am hoping everyone arrived back home as safely as they left, with loved ones and homes in one piece and in tact. Seeing folks in the grocery stores now, I am noticing a trend towards getting their lives back together more than ever. Meat consumption is growing and the stores are still stocking things just about as fast as they are disappearing. Here are a few ideas to get your minds off everything that has happened over the last couple of weeks and have some fun while doing it.

Enjoy these ideas, enjoy your free time while things get fixed up, and a hearty "pat on the back" to those who have worked so hard to get us back to "normal". Thank them when you see them instead of giving them a hard time, you might like the results and yourselves better for it.

Bon Appetit

Preheat oven 325° F (160° C)

Butterfly tenderloins lengthwise and pound to flatten with a meat tenderizer. Season both sides with salt and pepper to taste. Sweat onions in butter for 5 minutes, do not brown. Add salt and pepper to taste and sugar; continue to sweat but do not brown. Add vinegar, wine, grenadine, currants, apricots, and orange zest. Simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until a marmalade consistency is reached; add thyme and cool.

Spread mixture on tenderloins, leaving 1-inch (2.5 cm) border on all sides. Roll tenderloins and secure with butcher's twine. Combine cracker crumbs and rosemary. Brush tenderloins with 2/3 cup (1-1/3 dl) of mustard and coat with the crumb mixture.

Roast tenderloins in preheated oven 325° F (160° C) until an internal temperature of

150° C (300° F) is reached. To make sauce, combine brown sauce, 3/4 cup (1-½ dl)

mustard, and jelly, bring to a simmer; temper in sour cream. Remove tenderloins from the oven and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Place 2 oz of sauce on each plate, remove twine and slice tenderloins into medallion, fanning out portions on top of sauce.

In a saucepan, heat butter, garlic, and onions. Cook over medium heat 5 minutes or until onions are transparent. Stir in tomatoes, tomato paste, flour, beef stock, and spices. Mix well. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in mushrooms and cook 5 minutes longer. Keep hot. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cook tortellini in rapidly boiling water for 10 minutes. Drain, but do NOT rinse. In a shallow baking dish, heat 2 tbsp butter. Add the tortellini and cook over moderate heat to coat them with butter for 3 minutes. Pour tomato sauce over tortellini and half the parmesan; stir gently to mix. Top with 1 tbsp butter, cut into small pieces. Sprinkle with remaining parmesan; bake in oven 10 minutes.

In a medium sized bowl, combine 1-1/2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp sherry, and cornstarch. Add pork and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes. In a small bowl, combine remaining sherry, chicken stock, hoi sin sauce, remaining soy sauce, and brown sugar. Set aside.

In a wok or pan, heat 1 tsp oil over high heat. Add pork and stir fry for 2 minutes, or until pork is no longer pink. Remove the pork from the pan and set aside. Add the remaining

oil, garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes. Stir fry 45 seconds. Add 1/4 Cup water (½ dl), carrots, and scallions and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add yellow peppers and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the reserved stock mixture and snow peas and cook, stirring for 2 minutes. Return the pork and drained noodles to the pan and toss to coat with the sauce. Simmer until noodles become soft enough to eat, add more water if necessary. Serve immediately.

Hurricane Rita

     I know I am not an actual reporter for the American Press, doing weekly articles for the Food Section, however, I feel compelled to report an eye-witness account and opinions on the past week. I hope that historians remember and account for the fact that the Hurricane season in Louisiana had the same 4 letters in both of the ones doing damage to the Gulf Coast: R-I-T-A. Any more hurricanes coming close should not have that combination of letters in it, just to see if that was a factor, for history's sake.

We left Thursday night, hoping to wait and see if the hurricane might to veer east or west and to avoid as much traffic as possible. Waiting accomplished neither. The hurricane obviously did not veer and we ran into a traffic maize. Traveling down I-10 west towards 59 was the easy part, as we had heard that 59 contra-traffic had been expanded to both north and south lanes going north. Once we hit 59 - and I should add, "we" includes 3 cars, 6 dogs, 3 cats, 3 ferrets and 4 humans - ran into our first traffic jam. This lasted for about 2 hours until we reached the point where all lanes were again open. Further down, we saw a two-seaters with a man and his Rottweiler enjoying the breeze, painted cars galore, and those on the side of the road taking breaks and waiting for gas trucks to help them out.

People actually stopped to help others change tires, pump gas, and assist in any way they could, until ....... the next day that is. We stopped at my brother-in-law’s grandparents’ house for 3 hours to rest before continuing on to another great day with 10 more counties to pass through en route to our final destination of Palestine, Texas. We got to Crockett before I ran out of gas, and had to pull into the nearest gas station. Thanks to some good Samaritans, I was allowed to push my car to the pump and "break" in line. Unfortunately, others did not get permission, with screaming and cussing ensuing, we quickly filled up my car and departed before the gun battle commenced our journey (no exaggeration there).

We ran into another long line about 30 minutes away and finally discovered that this was not traffic, but a line down the highway to the gas station itself. Two hours later, we filled up our remaining cars and finished our 18-hour trek across 150 miles of Northeast Texas.

I must take this opportunity to thank with extreme gratitude, Kirby and Donna McCord, for their overwhelming generosity in putting up 4 humans, 6 dogs, 3 cats, and 3 ferrets in their barn, spare room, and guest house (not in that order, mind you). They opened their doors to us and have made us feel extremely welcome. We have watched reports on the KPLC and followed the forums set up online with great interest. While we cannot wait to get back home and to work, it is necessary to thank these folks for helping us out while passing on to Lake Charles, Sulphur, and Vinton. We are thankful to be here, alive and healthy, hoping that everyone else is the same and that, when the public officials are finished, we can all go home and resume our lives as much as possible.

Two things to remember ---

Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat their mistakes. We should never forget this experience and use it to guide and teach us in the future that no matter how bad things got, well we all came together to make things good.

I usually incorporate recipes and tips in here at this point, but right now my meals are coming out of cans and my files are still in my house. Nothing gourmet needs to be prepared right now, just eat well, stay well, and enjoy life now more than ever. Bon Appetit

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