He Said It Best

My brother-in-law, Martyn, really writes a wonderful piece about our friend, Jeff White. Every time I think of him, it's a good memory and isn't that striking. While I also have a host of doubts, fears, hatred that arises when death takes someone prematurely, I must remember that this is my one "wild and precious life" and I will live it to it's fullest (or at least try).
Martyn's Blog Post

Sliced Tomatoes and Smoked Mackerel

So being a bit tired and lacking both a plan and will to conjure up an amazing meal yesterday, I turned to a trusty stand by. Sliced tomatoes and smoked Mackerel on whole wheat toast. So just some salt and pepper on the tomatoes and the Mackerel and done. It's a simple dish that my sister and brother-in-law shared with me a while ago. I appreciate its taste, health and ease. And now tomatoes are starting to taste like, well, tomatoes.


Ah, fresh, ripe tomatoes with Salt and Pepper.


Smoked Mackerel, right out of the can.

So a no cooking meal that is simple, easy, and freaking delicious.

Father's Day Weekend

So once again I was traveling this past weekend. And saw my godson Ethan and we celebrated his little brother's (Grayson) 1st birthday on Saturday.

Ethan is eating breakfast (and stretching?).



Grayson is giving me a big laugh.



And then I got to spend some time with my dad and the family. We went to two different Brewery's in two days. I'm pretty sure that was up my dad's alley. But at both places, my sister ordered the sampler of beers. What a good idea and a ton of beer for a reasonable price.



So it was another fun weekend, with little rest, but lots of fun (and beer).

Kitchen/Cooking Must-haves

So I've been thinking about my ever growing collection of cooking gear. I made a pilgrimage to my favorite Restaurant Supply store in NYC a few months ago (CHEF Restaurant Supply on the corner of Bowery and Houston). I picked up one of my new favorite utensils that I can't stop using. It's a slotted fish spatula.



And I really love it. I don't just use it on fish. It has a thin blade and is flexible yet strong to hold items. It just makes me happy.

Everyone should also have a great knife. There are a lot of brands out there. I'm currently using Henckel's. German, trusty. I desperately need to get a sharpening stone for a couple of my knifes, but the edges have really held up nice. Global is also a good brand. A good chef's knife must feel good in your hand (I like heavier knives), and the sharper the better. I also don't technically have a chef's knife in my arsenal. I think that has to change. The Santoku is a good knife but it doesn't quite rock the right way on my cutting board. So to julienne and chiffonade are a little cumbersome. Maybe I'll rectify that this weekend.

Tongs are another absolute must. A good heavy cutting board too. Good towels also help in so many ways. So I use these along with my standard pots and pans all the time. The rest is gravy. Although I do enjoy the fun ones (i.e., the Mandoline or knuckle slicer).