These days

It's been hard to keep up on Mustgo while I'm up at the ranch.  We all usually get off work at the same time, immediately grab a beer and a computer, and race to open email / facebook / Skype / CNN before the wireless router slows to an unbearable crawl, and even opening Google is impossible.

So, I apologize.  I'm going to try harder to write more.  And cook more. 

Do you know what kind of skills it takes to cook good food for 50+ people?  Mad skills.  I never realized this before.  I'm slowly mastering the art of cooking several pounds of baked beans at a time... along with barbeque sauce, grill rub, and potato salad.  Pounds of everything.

It's intimidating.  I mean, if you accidently mess up the measurement on one single ingredient, pounds of food go to waste (or disappoint lots of people). 

I'm learning these things while working at the ranch.  Also how to manage the lunch rush, cooking burgers and briskett sandwiches and pan-seared fish tacos, all the while making sure orders are finished at the same time so everyone's food will be delivered together... and still hot.

No big deal.

These days, I have to admit I haven't been cooking much.  When you have a live-in professional chef, it's easy not to cook.  I have, however, been trying to expand my food horizons and not eat BBQ sauce with every meal.  For example:

• I (actually, one of my coworkers) caught a trout.  We immediately brought it inside, had one of the men gut it (no way am I ready for that...yet) and chef Jeremy cooked it.  I don't think I've ever had fish that fresh.
• Caramelized onions are probably one of my favorites these days.  Chef makes them in his potato salad, and caramelizes them in bacon fat.  My mouth is watering just thinking about it.  The other day, I caramelized some onions with mushroom and a dollop of butter, and added them to a grilled cheese sandwich.
• One word: the fryer.  I know, I know... it's so unhealthy for you.  I don't care.  I love anything fried.  Fries, for one. We make them on our own, with one of those potato stamper things.  I remember as a child seeing deep-fried oreos and Snickers bars at the State Fair every year... I haven't gone that crazy with the fryer yet, but one of these days....
• Summery drinks.  For happy hour last night, Mom and I soaked fresh pitted cherries in citrus vodka...we were going to add ice and soda, but we ended up just snacking on the cherries.  Oops. :-)  Our next concotion is going to be strawberries with clementine vodka.

I'll be back in a week or so, with a recipe...