Our house is full of children tonight, and there is a nervous laughter in the air. Sleepovers always end up in total mayhem around here, but tonight has hit the kids like a freight train. Rather, the realization that next week the pain train will be rolling down the track at full speed.
School starts next week, you see, which makes this week one of the least favorite in our house. With the school year comes a frenzy of maddening schedules, oft-conflicting, and participation in myriad clubs and associations that we don’t even know exist as of yet. “Wait, you signed up for what? And they meet when?” will be a common phrase next week.
But somehow we will manage to pull the schedules together and quickly (and against our wills) start treating every day in the manner in which I wrote about a few years ago. Every day in the school year feels like prepping for a military insertion exercise. We know our windows of opportunity, we understand our mission and goals, and nine times out of ten we make our time hack. But, every now and then we miss it and that means an extra trip that makes me or my wife late for work.
Oh yes, the fun is soon at hand, and the tension is in the air as thick as pea soup.
I have friends with kids our age who are excited about the kids going back to school, but I’m not. As much as the kids drive me nuts occasionally, we enjoy our time together and spend the first two months of the school year looking forward to the last two months of the school year.
As I tell my kids every year at this time, “Don’t worry, Christmas is right around the corner. And after that, it’s summertime!” Of course, that is of little consolation to kids who really don’t feel the same vim for education as do I.
As we go into the Labor Day weekend, we are reminded that there is one last huzzah before we commence our studies. For me, I’m taking the last classes that I’ll need to take for my own degree, and my kids are still inching towards completing their studies. We’re all in it this thing together.
I’m at my buddy Joe’s house, and there is a grill full of food. Hot dogs wrapped in bacon, chicken breasts and chicken skewers are just a few items filling the air with the wafting aromas of the charbroiler. And this weekend we will get some crabs and really live it up Maryland-style, despite the fact that crab feasts do little for me. I know that is a cardinal sin, but I haven’t been excited about crabs since I moved back from California in 1992 after not eating them for 3 1/2 years. Clam bakes? All day long. I guess that makes me more of a New Englander, but so it goes.
Since my beautiful wife hasn’t had crabs in a very long time and really wants a pile, it will be great to partake in my decennial feast. At least I won’t have to worry about them for a while.
But back to the weekend at hand, I know the recipes are simple. I know that the picture depicts many back yards. And I also know that most people want to spend more time at the beach or at the lake and less time in the kitchen. The goal of most people is to avoid consideration of the upcoming months. All we need is some chicken, some dogs wrapped in bacon and some good friends.
And that sentiment is alive and well in the house tonight.
Bacon-Wrapped Hot Dogs
Makes 8 hot dogs
8 hot dogs (your choice of which kind)
8 full strips bacon
1. Lay the bacon out on a baking pan so that the edges are not touching. This will help them to bake evenly
2. Place in a 350F oven for about 7-8 minutes until the bacon is half-cooked
3. Let the bacon cool down but do not refrigerate
4. Grill the hot dogs halfway and remove, allowing to cool until you can handle them
5. Wrap the hot dogs with a bacon strip, wrapping them in a spiral fashion and securing the end with a toothpick
6. Grill until the bacon is crispy and the hot dogs are cooked through
7. Serve with cole slaw on the dog. Trust me. You’ll love it
Fresh Cole Slaw
Makes about 3 quarts
1 head green cabbage
1 medium carrot
1 red pepper
1 c. Mayonnaise
1/4 c. Red wine vinegar
1 tsp. Dry mustard
1 Tbsp. Celery seed
Confectioner’s sugar, to taste
1. Shred the green cabbage, carrot and pepper. If you want to use red cabbage instead of red pepper that would be a much more classical approach on this simple summer favorite, but you have to buy a whole head of it so that is up to you
2. Make the dressing by combining the remaining ingredients and then toss the cabbage with the dressing
3. Adjust seasoning as necessary. After a while, you will learn how much or little to use. Since every head of cabbage is a different size, you will use a different amount of dressing each time, but it shouldn’t be a huge difference
School starts next week, you see, which makes this week one of the least favorite in our house. With the school year comes a frenzy of maddening schedules, oft-conflicting, and participation in myriad clubs and associations that we don’t even know exist as of yet. “Wait, you signed up for what? And they meet when?” will be a common phrase next week.
But somehow we will manage to pull the schedules together and quickly (and against our wills) start treating every day in the manner in which I wrote about a few years ago. Every day in the school year feels like prepping for a military insertion exercise. We know our windows of opportunity, we understand our mission and goals, and nine times out of ten we make our time hack. But, every now and then we miss it and that means an extra trip that makes me or my wife late for work.
Oh yes, the fun is soon at hand, and the tension is in the air as thick as pea soup.
I have friends with kids our age who are excited about the kids going back to school, but I’m not. As much as the kids drive me nuts occasionally, we enjoy our time together and spend the first two months of the school year looking forward to the last two months of the school year.
As I tell my kids every year at this time, “Don’t worry, Christmas is right around the corner. And after that, it’s summertime!” Of course, that is of little consolation to kids who really don’t feel the same vim for education as do I.
As we go into the Labor Day weekend, we are reminded that there is one last huzzah before we commence our studies. For me, I’m taking the last classes that I’ll need to take for my own degree, and my kids are still inching towards completing their studies. We’re all in it this thing together.
I’m at my buddy Joe’s house, and there is a grill full of food. Hot dogs wrapped in bacon, chicken breasts and chicken skewers are just a few items filling the air with the wafting aromas of the charbroiler. And this weekend we will get some crabs and really live it up Maryland-style, despite the fact that crab feasts do little for me. I know that is a cardinal sin, but I haven’t been excited about crabs since I moved back from California in 1992 after not eating them for 3 1/2 years. Clam bakes? All day long. I guess that makes me more of a New Englander, but so it goes.
Since my beautiful wife hasn’t had crabs in a very long time and really wants a pile, it will be great to partake in my decennial feast. At least I won’t have to worry about them for a while.
But back to the weekend at hand, I know the recipes are simple. I know that the picture depicts many back yards. And I also know that most people want to spend more time at the beach or at the lake and less time in the kitchen. The goal of most people is to avoid consideration of the upcoming months. All we need is some chicken, some dogs wrapped in bacon and some good friends.
And that sentiment is alive and well in the house tonight.
Bacon-Wrapped Hot Dogs
Makes 8 hot dogs
8 hot dogs (your choice of which kind)
8 full strips bacon
1. Lay the bacon out on a baking pan so that the edges are not touching. This will help them to bake evenly
2. Place in a 350F oven for about 7-8 minutes until the bacon is half-cooked
3. Let the bacon cool down but do not refrigerate
4. Grill the hot dogs halfway and remove, allowing to cool until you can handle them
5. Wrap the hot dogs with a bacon strip, wrapping them in a spiral fashion and securing the end with a toothpick
6. Grill until the bacon is crispy and the hot dogs are cooked through
7. Serve with cole slaw on the dog. Trust me. You’ll love it
Fresh Cole Slaw
Makes about 3 quarts
1 head green cabbage
1 medium carrot
1 red pepper
1 c. Mayonnaise
1/4 c. Red wine vinegar
1 tsp. Dry mustard
1 Tbsp. Celery seed
Confectioner’s sugar, to taste
1. Shred the green cabbage, carrot and pepper. If you want to use red cabbage instead of red pepper that would be a much more classical approach on this simple summer favorite, but you have to buy a whole head of it so that is up to you
2. Make the dressing by combining the remaining ingredients and then toss the cabbage with the dressing
3. Adjust seasoning as necessary. After a while, you will learn how much or little to use. Since every head of cabbage is a different size, you will use a different amount of dressing each time, but it shouldn’t be a huge difference