Random Thoughts

Had one of those "mark it down in the mental rolodex" days last Saturday: Completed my first triathlon that morning, and accomplished all 3 of my goals: 1) Don't drown, 2) Don't crash the bike, and 3) Don't look like a schmuck crossing the finish line ... a great thrill, made even better by having my family there for support...
The afternoon was topped off with my sweet Princess Lindsey's Princess Tea Party to celebrate her 4th b'day. She was in all her glory, and my wife outdid herself with everything from the invites to the decorations and everything in between...

John Hughes passing is the loss of the most influential cultural touchstone of my generation. I could recite The Breakfast Club verbatim at one point in my adolescence. That movie poster hung in my childhood bedroom, alongside the one declaring "Leisure Rules," from Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Hughes was funny, provocative, but most importantly, dead on in his depiction of every teenage paradigm we can all, in ways large and small, relate to... Most of us never heard of or will ever visit Shermer, Illinois...but damn if it didn't remind us of where we grew up...

I've now secured a spot as co-host of a Sunday, weekly sports talk show (thanks, Steve Kyler). Every time I think the sports side of my career is exiting stage left, or on extended vacation, at least, it seems something else pops up to keep the embers glowing in me...
Check out http://www.thegameradio.com/, if you care to...

Finished 5th overall in the Home Cooking Star online reality cooking series, and no sooner do I chalk it up to a fun, learning experience, than I see in my latest edition of Food & Wine touting its very own Home Cooking Super Star contest (www.foodandwine.com/superstar)!! So, here we go again...!

The "Child" In Me...

With a nod to my fraternity brother Ricky Lyons' uncle Jeffrey (and cousin Ben, for that matter), I hereby doff my movie reviewer's cap to "Julie & Julia," which I just returned from seeing. What a well-told story, with tremendous acting, scripting, and even scenery (not the part shot in Queens, but the part in Paris!). Meryl Streep was in top form, as you could imagine, Amy Adams continues to pad her increasingly impressive and diverse filmography, and I always love Stanley Tucci (one of our most underappreciated actors). I knew I was engrossed in this flick when every time the scene would switch from 1950s Julia Child to 2000's Julie Powell, I was disappointed, only to feel the same way when the reverse happened. It in some way felt like two movies in one, although I doubt either could stand on its own as a feature; rather, the two storylines bolstered each other, making it each that much more realtable and enjoyable. Certainly didn't hurt that the food in the movie (and really, the recipes even more so) should get consideration for Supporting Actor come Oscar time!....
With that said, it would be criminal not to include a recipe I used the other night for dinner, which was both simple and sensationally summerific...
& as Juila would say, "Bon Appetit!" ...

Grilled Chicken with Peaches & Arugula

• Season chicken breasts (I used thin cuts, so make sure to adjust grill times depending) with salt & pepper and brush with EVOO. Grill for a few minutes on each side.
• Slice 1 large red onion into 1/2 inch slices. Slice 3 peaches into quarters. Toss in a medium bowl with EVOO, salt & pepper.
• Grill onions until tender.
• Grill peaches a couple of minutes on each side until you get some good grill marks.
• Add about 4 cups of arugula to mixing bowl. Return grilled onions & peaches to bowl and toss, with balsamic vinegar.
• Serve next to grilled chicken, and top with crumbled blue cheese.

I'm back (barely)...

Holy Crap!! Time really flies when you have 3 kids and it's summertime! I cannot believe it's been nearly a month since my last post. I was in Georgia visiting with relatives for over 2 weeks, and then embarked on the inaugural Boys Weekend to Boston at the end of the month. Let's start there...

The trip had been a long time coming. Dutch, Jazo, Yosh, and myself finally set it in stone that Boston would be the destination, in part because geographically it made sense, but also because of fabled Fenway. What better way to reconvene, reminisce, and rouse some rabble than at a Sawx game in Beantown??

Of course, I would never leave out some great eats, and what I found in Boston was a revelation...

The North End is a mecca to Old World (or at very least, Old School) Italian. The setting, the neighborhood, the people, and, of course, the food. The congested hamlet is jam-packed with eateries of all kinds, but with one thing in common: its ancestry.

North End holds its own and then some with Little Italy in NYC, and dare I say with better views (Boston Harbor is within shouting distance). We decided on Mother Anna's (http://www.motherannas.com/), a comfortable-looking joint right out of central casting. The food didn't disappoint, despite not being the main focus, what with the laughs, snorts, and guffaws emanating from our al fresco setting. Our order was typical, if not ordained: calamari, gnochhi, and chicken parm... classico, all of them, served family style. I would've preferred the chicken dish not be as submerged in the marinara sauce as it was, but the sauce itself was so deliciously balanced between the sweet tomatoes, savory garlic, and the like, that I hardly minded. It was all rich, decadent, and filling as hell! (The sangria wasn't too shabby either!). Mama Mia!

The next day's lunch get a mention, too, if for no other reason that I was determined to partake in an authentic lobster roll while in Boston. And I did just that, with Dutch, at Tia's (http://www.tiaswaterfront.com/), overlooking the Harbor. I was pleased to see they used a plain hot dog bun, which was dwarfed by the generous amount of fresh, chunky, lobster meat piled in -- and on -- it. Delicious.

The Red Sox game that night was predictable memorable. Sitting in the bleachers with 3 of my closest mates from college. Priceless. Tons of laughs, high 5's, and hugs. Can't wait to do it again next year... can anyone say, Wrigley??...