The Heat Is On [Glen Frey]

Grilling. It's never really been my thing. Don't get me wrong, i like a good grilled chicken sammich, but in general, take it or leave it. My lovely wife, on the other hand, could exist purely on a diet of grilled chicken drumsticks, i think. When we lived in separate apartments, she had a tiny little weber grill - so small you had to put it on a table or hunch over it to cook anything. and, while charcoal is better (so they say) it was a pain to work with, cause it could take forever to get the thing hot, then good luck trying to cook enough food on that tiny surface area. when we bought the house, we upgraded to a big ol' 4 burner gas grill, with upper rack, additional side warmer, etc. it was a big deal for her to move from charcoal to gas, but we actually grill a lot more with this thing, cause of the ease of use.

Thing is, i don't like to be outside in the summer sun, standing next to a giant flaming heat source. Also, I dont like to have little pieces of burnt on my food, which tends to happen on the grill. Char marks - no thanks. and, as it turns out, yesterday i also singed off most of the hair on my right arm. so grilling for me is a bit of a challenge. i try to be supportive - "sure honey, let's do chicken on the grill" but i'm really thinking "i could just as easily eat cereal tonight".

When we have people over - more in the past, less now that i live 600 miles away - we cook foodstuffs on the grill. it's just the way we do things around here. normally that's brats and dogs and burgers. while i might not care for grilled food, i do like to experiment in the kitchen. at our cook-outs people have been introduced to my creations, in the form of "world famous burgers". i figure a catchy title makes the fact that it could be a disaster go down a little easier. in the past i have made jambalaya burgers, Hawaiian burgers (pineapple inside the burger) and just yesterday we had taco burgers.

so far, i think its a tie - jambalaya burgers were a big hit. hawaiian burgers not so much. yesterday's taco burgers were a mixed bag - most people said they liked them, but some people said it in that 'my mother taught me manners' way, and i had one myself (obviously) and it wasnt what i expected or intended. so i'm calling the score 1 win, 1 loss, and 1 tie.

I've got some other ideas for "world famous burger" recipes, but i'm willing to take suggestions, too. how about it, dear listeners? any crazy burger ideas living in those heads of yours?

also - hope you all had a good 4th of july.

They Say [Common]

They say don't go grocery shopping when you're hungry. They should also say don't go grocery shopping when you're sad and lonely.

I knew I was in a bad spot down here when one day I went into the Taco Bell by the school and the manager acknowledged me by my food order. That's an embarrassing and slightly troubling thing to have happen to you. And before coming down here, I had been doing so well. I borrowed the "no fast food" idea from a friend back in the summer - and I had about 2.5 good months before the Dallas thing happened, and then it went to crap. So I said to myself, "self, you need to get to the grocery store and get some groceries, and stop eating out" and so I've done that, but......

It's a strange thing, shopping for yourself (after shopping for two for so long). When I was in college I did it all the time - and it's not like I was the world's most horrible eater back then. I wasn't a super-vegan eco-dork, but I also didn't just eat frozen and microwave stuff all the time, either. So I go the store down here and a I wander around, and I just feel helpless, and a little inept. So i wander the aisles, and I pick things up, and I put them back, and then I end up with a few basic things and I take them back to the apartment. Then I never want to eat them.

The work schedule doesn't help, though. This quarter on Mondays I have class from 6-10pm, so I need to figure out dinner options. Wednesday and Thursday I have class from 1-5 and 6-10, so lunch and dinner are issue. If I get a routine going, I can make food Sunday and Tuesday, and use the leftovers during class days. But, that implies an amount of motivation that I don't currently have. So, what generally happens is I don't eat during class, and then I get back here at 11pm and I'm starving, and I eat then go to bed. And then I feel bad about myself and when I go to the store I think about that and then I wander around and start the cycle over.

Of all the things I thought might be an issue when I took this job, food was not one of them.