What a great weekend

Man. I wish the weekend were longer. Even getting called repeatedly from work didn't piss me off enough to mess up my weekend with my in-laws. We got to do some catching up with MizBubs' dad and stepmom. Me and my father in law looked at the little canoe that could and started coming up with a restoration game plan (you hear that Kate?) MizBubs and the girls and mother in law headed for IKEA.

We ate reallllly well this weekend. We tried out a few new recipes.

First off, MizBubs told me she was going to give me something she should've given me a long time ago: a

Bum's Rush (from Beachbum Berry's Intoxica)
1 oz triple sec
1 oz honey liqeuer
1 oz fresh lime juice
1 oz apple juice
1& 1/2 oz tequila

Shake well with crushed ice, pour into glass filled with crushed ice. Garnish with lime wedge.

This happened on Friday after I got home from work. Man. The drink was mighty tasty. I think it might replace the Suffering Bastard in my hot weather strong drink lineup.

This weekend was all plank cooking. I had to use my kick-ass grill as much as possible, and I decided everything I cooked on the grill had to involve wood planks. MizBubs had gotten me some cedar planks as a gift. Saturday night it was:

Cedar Plank Trout from Emeril Lagasse's Louisiana Real & Rustic

2 untreated cedar planks or shingles
6 trout fillets
3 teaspoons rustic rub (I use Tony Chacere's Creole seasoning)
1 bottle white horseradish
6 teaspoons grated orange zest
6 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cayenne
2 teaspoons sugar

Soak the shingles in water at least 2 or 3 hours. Rub one side with oil before cooking.

Season the fish on both sides with the rustic rub. Combine the horseradish, lemon, orange, salt, cayenne and sugar.

Place fillets on oiled side of shingle. Spread horseradish mix over fillets.

Place shingles on center of hot grill, close lid and cook for at least 10 minutes, until fish flakes easily. If shingles catch fire, shpritz with water. Mmmmmm.

Then on Sunday, it was:

Sage Pesto Pork Loin from Plank Cooking: The Essence of Natural Wood

2 pound pork loin
20 fresh sage leaves (we have a healthy batch of sage growing in the herb garden)
4 cloves garlic
Rind of 1 lemon
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon olive oil

Soak cedar plank in water at least 2 or 3 hours.

Blend sage, garlic, lemon, salt and olive oil in food processor

Shmear over pork loin and marinate in a ziploc bag for at least 4 or 5 hours.

Rub oil on one side of plank. Place pork loin on oiled side. Grill at 350 degrees at least 1-1&1/2 hour, until pork reaches 160 degrees.

At the end of the day we all ended up in the backyard, sitting on the deck and talking. My eldest girl's boyfriend graced us with some clove cigarettes. Minus the AquaNet, it smelled like the 1980's out there. It was fun. My mom came by and I even made some mint juleps with fresh mint from the garden. Yeee haw.

Oh, and one more thing. My eldest is going to be able to see Tom Waits after all. As long as I pay for cab fare from Schaumburg to the Auditorium Theater, anyway. She gets off work at 8pm, the show is scheduled to start at 8pm (which means 8:30 or 8:45) so things look good for her. Life goes on.