We Eat Great American Food, Too!
What a long week, friends. Really.
My first cooking class at the Cook’s Warehouse went real well! 20 students, 5 assistants and my good friend Leon video taped the whole thing. I burned my middle finger while removing the flan pan from the stove! What an idiot. Thank God the class didn’t see that.
Though after spending 6 hours in the salon earlier that day, all to leave with 2 shades darker than what I walked in there with and 5 shades darker than I what I requested, teaching a fresh group of people the food I so love, kept my mind off a continued cry of utter disappointment and throwing a temper tantrum. Did my hair dresser not understand how important it was to me to look like ME for the Emeril show taping!? Hello!?! You speak Spanish. I spoke to you in Spanish! You’ll see what I mean soon enough.
We’ve reconciled. I called her last night after taking 4 days to think about my reaction. She’s given me credit, but I have to wait 6 weeks before she touches my hair again. Sigh.
So, after taking a day and a half to recover from non-stop movement in 48 hours, I am back to normal. Only in part though. I found myself not really wanting to cook yesterday. I still have 40 recipes to cook and test for my book, but something about having to cook isn’t so appealing right now. I have Dave on hold for a food photo shoot. I can’t even think of styling right now.
So a phone call from my cousin on my way home from visiting my sis in Winchester, was great. She was cooking out and we were invited!
All American (for us anyway) with a splash of Latin was the perfect combination for a Friday night dinner. Succulent grilled steak marinated in spices and herbs, baked sweet potato, boiled plantain, grilled corn with sweet butter and fresh black pepper, and a fresh salad was enough for me. There was coconut battered shrimp, but I always forgo on shellfish…no, not an allergy issue. My contribution was a bbq sauce I always make which is simply a mixture of bbq sauce, honey, A-1 sauce and some cumin!! I love that stuff. It makes for a great steak topper. Nothing fancy, just damn good! And of course I sprinkled nutmeg and cinnamon on my sweet potato.
A Cuban meal is never complete without un poco de cafe con leche and maybe some good ol’ pound cake on the side. Or finger ladies! Remember those!? Hmm with some hot chocolate. Oh wait, it is 80 degrees here in DC.
(Oh yeah, this wasn’t my salad. What you see is watercress, which I really don’t care for!)
Dinner was pleasing. Not too heavy on the stomach but filling enough not to kill the need to ingest a few chocolate bourbon truffles my mom has at home.
Something about our simple dinner was refreshing. No science, little art, effortless, no creativity and very fast. This is exactly what I need for like two days. Only today is Saturday, a big deal in family dinner at my parents house. Lo and behold, they’ve asked me to cook tonight. Why, of course. They wouldn’t have it any other way, right. After having cooked oxtail for the production crew on Tuesday, I’m thinking I could do orange ginger chicken with an avocado salad. Not very Cuban or Latin for that matter, but a much needed deviation from red meat.
I’ll cook tonight and be content my family has been fed, and more importantly that my mother has a break. I’m sweating her to make me a pretty ring to wear for the shoot on Wed. Shameless plug, I know, but since it’s national TV, I might as well take advantage and exhibit her jewelry in front of thousands!
Okay friends, so while there’s no recipe here to share, allow this picture to help you relish in moments of simplicity and delight. I’m happy to be an American. Cubans would never go for this!! LOL!
At least not the ones in Miami.
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE ALL AMERICAN DINNER!?!?
Related Posts:
May 3rd, 2008 at 5:01 pm
My favorite all-American dinner would have to be the fried chicken dinners at Zehnder’s of Frankenmuth. I’ve gone there many times over the years, and my parents ate their 55th anniversary lunch there yesterday. If you get to Michigan, that’s one place you hafta visit!
May 3rd, 2008 at 8:15 pm
Be on a lookout for an email tomorrow - I was so swamped this week, you have no idea. Damn mass tort litigation. Anywayz… Steak and roasted potatoes with corn on the cob is something I love to make. I have a coffee & spice rub from Williams-Sonoma that I love, roast some potatoes with some herbs de provence and steam some corn and yum! Fried chicken is always a good go to as well (except I have NEVER tried to fry it on myself. I leave that to the experienced professionals.)
Hope the taping goes well!
May 4th, 2008 at 11:46 pm
hey, I just discovered your blog - what a great find! I can definitely go for some cafe con leche right now, aunque sea las 1 de la mañana!
May 5th, 2008 at 3:01 pm
Sounds like a crazy couple of days! I remember those days when I used to teach - so exhausting. Great fun though, huh?
May 6th, 2008 at 7:17 am
Sounds hectic but like it must have been a lot of fun! Congrats on the success of the first class. Also, I didn’t know (or it has slipped my mind) that you were working on a book? That’s exciting news!
May 7th, 2008 at 4:24 pm
Favorite All American dinner? A roast beef covered in garlic salt and roasted in one of those rotating roasters with pan potatoes on the side. We call them pan potatoes, but I suppose they are just roasted potatoes. We buy the small skinless canned potatoes, pat them very dry (and squeeze the moisture out), put in a pan with a few pats of butter and roast for 3-4 hours, stirring every 30-45 minutes or so. They develop an unbelievably thick and crispy crust that is just out of this world. Roasted asparagus on the side, but that’s less important.
- The Peanut Butter Boy
May 8th, 2008 at 10:29 am
I don’t know much about American dinners, but I would love roasted veggies, BBQ jerk chicken and some nice fruit cake with vanilla ice cream on a side
Thank you for your comment Bren! I’m a little bit jealous about you going to Trinidad & Tobago… but I have a little bit of Caribbean here, Mike’s mother arrived from Dominica to stay with us for a month… she brought some herbs I have never seen before.. I took pictures of course already, I will be posting them later… she brought also huge box of tamarind balls
Enjoy your trip!!!
Margot
May 8th, 2008 at 5:40 pm
Don’t have too much fun in DC! You’re supposed to be working!
May 11th, 2008 at 11:46 am
Hi Everyone. My response to you all is so late. Here goes.
LPC: Happy Anni to your parents! Whoa 55 is a loooong time. Fried chicken… I’ll pass but sounds good!
Lys: Waiting for my email! Steak and potatoes is something even we eat a lot. It’s just damn good. Rub from W&S? I’m going there today to check out the new green mixer!
Antonio: I’m drinking cafe con leche as I write this!
Jen: I know, I know, but I love it. Getting ready for another class next week.
Mike: Yep on the book, and I’m so behind schedule
Nick: Love your American meal? But no peanut butter incorporated somehow? What!?!?!
C & V: Yum! BBQ jerk chicken. I love it. I make a jerk salmon cake! Also love tamarind!
Luis: You know it. This place is great, but I’ll be back soon!
May 12th, 2008 at 2:28 pm
Hi again
I made some Cuban soup a while ago, someone commented on it saying that the soup is not terribly authentic…
Would you mind to take a look at it and give me second opinion
http://www.coffeeandvanilla.com/?p=2273
Thank you,
Ciao, Margot
Make a Comment