The Camper

My youngest bouncing baby boy is off at summer camp for the past week. 

The camp is very progressive and allows parents to log on to their website everyday where you can view photos of all the day's events and activities. You can also email your camper and your message of love and home is delivered every morning at mail call. 

Last year I was so pleased to see the boy in a rousing game of soccer - outside, enjoying the fresh air in the pouring down rain. Covered from head to toe with mud he was almost unrecognizable among the other 20 or so teenagers caked with all manner of goo. Ah, summer camp, good clean fun. 

I have been very diligent in emailing the boy every evening. News from home, funny little antidotes about what we're doing, how we miss his red hair and smiling face and once or twice a mere suggestion for him to call home. You know, just to check in. I even sent one from the dog ending it with a "you should call mom" not so subtle hint. Just one phone call... won't take but a few minutes.. it has been more than a week....

Imagine my delight when I received a postcard from the boy in the mail this very morning. 

This is the actual / factual contents of the postcard:

Front of card: that's my youngest in the back row in the green shirt. He and the other boys are members of the Owasa Tribe. 

The camp gives all the campers tribe names. How clever is that?

Don't they look like fine, upstanding young men? 

I especially like how one of them seems to be strangling another while the rest of the boys seem oblivious to the mayhem around them. 

Check out the boy in the back with the black t-shirt, on the end next to Zach.. he's probably thinking of his super high SAT scores and trying to decide between Harvard and Yale... ahem.

Oh, and don't you just love the expression on my son's face... can you just imagine he is thinking, "WTF".. only of course my son would never think that... ahem ahem. (click on the picture to enlarge so you can get a really good look at the faces...)

My child's message on the back of the postcard, in his very own best penmanship:

Dear Mother Dearest and Father James,

I am having a wicked, ghastly time at camp. My counselor's name is Ajax and he is from Europe and some other place I cannot pronounce.

I met a person named Omar and we became lifelong friends. My cabin is better than sleeping in the car and I get to sleep in the shower so that is great. 

We had our first meal in the dining hall and I must say the food was delicious, almost as terrific as bug repellent. 

Tomorrow we get to do our first activities and I have chosen sky diving and learning how to operate heavy machinery. I can't wait! 

When you get a chance, please send me an escape vehicle. I miss you and will see you soon.

Love, Zachy.

He really should have just phoned. 

PS. In honor of Julie & Julia the new movie starring Meryl Streep and Amy Adams (it's really about my long-time heroine, Julia Child) I am dedicating the next few weeks to recipes from Julia Child's famous book (the book that started it all folks): How To Master The Art of French Cooking... 

Hold on to your spatulas it's going to be rip-roaring food fest! In the immortal words of Julia Child, BON APPETITE! 

Speaking of Butts - Beer Butt Chicken

Here's a great recipe for you to hand your husband, son, brother, dad, nephew, next door neighbor, boyfriend, or significant male other to make YOU for Mother's Day. It is oh so delicious and will not mess up your kitchen. 

It is also fun. It's fun because it's called Beer Butt Chicken - beer and butt being words that the male population can relate to. Now I know I'm not being politically correct when I say that, but come on. What boy from the age of 7 on doesn't like the word "butt"? And what red-blooded American Male doesn't have the concept of beer? 

It is also fun to make because it involves FIRE because you make it on the grill. Fire is dangerous and manly. What red-blooded American Male doesn't like to combine these elements in cooking? 

When the best husband in the world makes me dinner it always involves fire and danger. This is very manly. If you give the male species in your life something to do that is manly, he won't look at it as doing something lovely for you. He will think of it as doing something heroic. You are allowing him to get in touch with his inner caveman. This is good. 

Of course you are still going to have to a. buy the chicken. b. get all the other ingredients ready c. clean the grill d. make all the sides e. clean up

But it's a start, right?

Beer Butt Chicken

Preheat grill to medium high. 

1 3 to 4 lb. chicken (giblets removed, rinsed inside and out) yes, you will probably have to do this as it does not involve fire or danger

2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed

1 sprig rosemary

1 sprig thyme

1 can of beer

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1/2 tablespoon fresh ground pepper

1 tablespoon smoked paprika

1 disposable pie tin or other tin (no holes on the bottom) trust me on this. 

Here's the fun part because the man gets to drink beer.

Open the can of beer. Take 2 big swigs of beer (you should have about 1/2 to 3/4 can of beer left). Stuff the garlic, rosemary and thyme into the beer can.

Mix the salt, pepper and paprika together. Pat the chicken all over with this mix. 

Here's the other fun part because the man gets to say "butt"

Take the opened, stuffed with garlic and herbs beer can and shove it up the butt end of the chicken. The legs and the beer can form a tripod for the chicken. Place the chicken in the tin. Place in center of hot grill. Close the lid and cook for 1 hour (or about 15 minutes per pound).

The man cook can now relax and have another beer while beating his chest proclaiming what a wonderful man he is for cooking you Mother's Day dinner. 

Meanwhile, you should: set the table, cook all the sides, round up the children, empty the dishwasher, put another load of laundry in, etc. 

When legs are really loose, juices run clear when pierced in thickest part of thigh and skin is nicely crisped, remove from grill and let rest for 15 minutes (at least). 

Here's the dangerous part because it involves knives.

Give the man a knife for carving.

Enjoy your day and give your man a hug for "making dinner"

Love to all! 

Boys, Mussels and Kettles

Children are amazing, aren't they? Their response to everything is so simple and pure. This is Shane, my 10 year old nephew, less than 24 hours after surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from his side. 

My husband (the best husband in the world) asked him how he was feeling. A big two thumbs up is his reply. He is feeling strong. Which reminded me of muscles (mussels)

We don't have the results back from the biopsy yet so we don't know if this was stage 1,2,3 or 4 cancer and until then we won't know how the doctors want to proceed (radiation, chemo, combo of), but here he is, smiling his smile of life, feeling happy and strong. Now if that isn't a lesson for all of us, what is? The surgeon does feel that he was able to remove all of the tumor, that it had not spread to the bone or his abdominal cavity. Thank God and thank you for your prayers. 

Jim is still in Michigan. He will come home tomorrow. He called last night, feeling very lonely and sad. How can that be? He was with his entire family, sister, brothers, mom and dad and all the assorted nieces and nephews (the littles, as I call them) that come with them and everyone is feeling happy and strong. His reply was that being with them, made him lonely for me. They were complete, and he wasn't. This is one of the reasons he is the best husband in the world. 

I know how he feels. Yesterday, because I was lonely for him, I went to a beautiful place not far from our home. It is a low valley, cut out by a glacier thousands of years ago (I know this because the best husband in the world, who is a geologist, told me). It is called a glacial kettle. Over the years, one bulb at a time, thousands of daffodils have been planted here and, like daffodils do, they multiplied. Today, there are over 30,000 daffodils blooming in this kettle. 

It is a beautiful place and brought me much peace. This glacial kettle also reminded me of

a. my husband and 

b. a big black cast iron kettle I have. 

Which reminded me of this simple, yet satisfying meal:

Mussel Pot for Two:

3 pounds Prince Edward Island (or your favorite, such as green lip) mussels, scrubbed and debearded. Click together any open mussels, if they don't close, discard them.

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 shallot, minced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 cup white wine, such as Riesling (more for drinking with dinner)

1 small bunch fresh flat leaf parsley, rough chopped

1 loaf crusty, french bread

Melt the butter in a dutch oven or better yet, a cast iron kettle if you have one. Add the shallots and saute until soft (about 5 minutes).  Add the garlic and give it another minute. Add the wine and mussels, bring to a good simmer. Put a lid on it and cook for 5 to 8 minutes or until the mussels open. 

Throw a handful of chopped parsley in and stir. Discard any unopened mussels. Serve with crusty bread for dipping into the sauce and a good cold white wine. 

Enjoy and stay happy and strong no matter what life hands you. 

A Cooks Note:

You can substitute clams or large shrimp (in the shell) for the mussels. This is a great appetizer for 4 to 6 or a simple, light meal for two. Add a salad if you insist on greens. 

And the Tough Get Cooking

I decided that if I can't do anything about operations and tumors and cancer, I CAN make chocolate chip cookies. These are not the standard Toll House Cookie Recipe that we all grew up on. Nope, these are, New and Improved, HOT from my oven in New Jersey, and personally driven and hand delivered to Shane in Michigan by his Uncle Jim:

THE BEST CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES IN THE WORLD:

2 1/4 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp table salt

2 sticks unsalted butter, melted until slightly browned

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 cup dark brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk only

2 cups (12 oz) Ghirardelli or Hershey's semi-sweet chips

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Position the rack in the middle of the oven.

Stir sugars and vanilla into melted butter. Whisk or gently mix. Wait 3 minutes, mix again. Wait 3 minutes. Mix again.

Add egg and egg yolk. Mix gently until incorporated.

Stir together flour, salt and baking soda. Add to melted butter, sugar mixture. Stir or mix gently. Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop by tablespoonful onto parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes. Cool slightly. Makes about 5 dozen cookies.

A Cook's Notes:

By browning and melting the butter you are accomplishing two things:

1. Adding more depth of flavor with the browned butter

2. Aiding in the melting of the sugars. This will keep the cookie chewier.

The egg yolk will also give your cookies more chewiness; rather than a cake like texture that the egg white would add.

The higher ratio of dark brown sugar to white adds even more depth of flavor and adds a caramel crispness to the outside of the cookie

Use Hershey or Ghirardelli chocolate - it is a better quality than Nestle.

Bake in batches - only one tray at a time. Yes, it's time consuming, but you will get a better, even baked cookie. Use two trays - one in the oven and one ready to go. Don't put batter on hot tray, allow cookie sheet to cool before reloading.

And finally, make these cookies for small boys (and girls) and not so small boys and girls with scary stuff in their lives.