Good Morning Sunshine

4th of July Hula Hoops and Cannonballs

Simon

Back yard shimmy

Theo, ready for splashdown

Four Little Piggies

Summer is in full swing. The kids are fighting while playing Monopoly. Theo has been caught cheating red- handed trying to load the dice in order to land on and buy Boardwalk. I never liked Monopoly. I still don’t. What I do like is Pork with a capital “P”. We’ve been buying our pork at Costco. I know it’s a huge warehouse store and it’s driving smaller stores out of business, but a pork loin roast priced at $1.85 per pound is just too tempting to pass up. Besides there’s already enough blog postings about wonderful farmers markets and small organic free range ranchers. This post is about the BIG PIG. This is a meal that stretches. Check out what we do with our big pig!

The first little piggy

Pork loin braised in milk Bolognese style is what we do first. This recipe comes from “The Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking” by Marcella Hazan. It’s easy to make, cooks on the stove top and simply wonderful. First we have to cut the pork loin in half (it’s about 2 feet long) to accommodate the roasting pot. Basically, we braise the pork on all sides in olive oil and ghee (clarified butter) until it is browned, add salt, pepper, fresh sage, porcini mushrooms and simmer lazily in milk for 2 hours or so with the lid slightly ajar.

The second little piggy

Next on the menu is pork dipped inspired by Philippe’s. I know it’s not the same but these dips are pretty darn good. And with Debbie’s homemade coleslaw if you close your eyes shades of Philippes run through your taste buds. Shown above with a Japanese cucumber from our war garden. In case you forgot, we are still at war.

The third little piggy

What would pork be without carnitas or vice versa? The recipe is simple. Go surfing for 3 hours get real hungry and thirsty then just fry little  pork chunks in canola oil till crispy, add salsa serve on top of a flour tortilla. Drink beer and you are set.

The fourth little piggy

Now batting forth is pork fried rice. Take out the wok satute whatever is left of the pork loin in a touch of peanut oil with a few garlic cloves and remove from wok. Then sautee a carrot, celery stalk, frozen peas, green onions, water chestnuts and whatever else you might think would be good and scramble it all up with 2 eggs. Put the pork back in the wok add cooked white rice soy sauce, touch of rice vinegar, a bit of sugar and you’ve just taken your pork loin on a journey from Costco to Italy to Downtown LA. to Mexico and finally to China all for about $15.00.

Sequoia Chapter 1- Good To Be Home

This was our 8th year returning to Sequoia National Monument to celebrate Sam’s birthday on Memorial Day weekend. We had wonderful weather and a great vibe permeated the campsite. Some new faces and some missed no shows reflected how life goes on it’s journey and we are but passengers.

Da Group (not pictured Beth Collier and John Smith)

One way of measuring growing up is having more able bodies to actually help around the camp site. The boys set up our 2 tents with ease and just a little bickering.

Up goes the Moss Kingdome

Beth and John organizes the troops

Henry BBQing the bacon

Catriona and Henry cracking eggs

There was a quiet sadness winding its way throught our campsite. Emma is going to boarding school next year and probably can’t make the Sequoia trip for a few years. We wish her good luck and happy trails.

Emma around the fire

Daddy and Emma

It might be noted that this is the first time in 15 years that Debbie and I have NOT had a child in diapers while camping.

The oldest carries the youngest

Sequoia Chapter 2 Goes Soft Star

No lizards were hurt (or tails lost) during the making of this picture

If you look closely at the footwear of many of our campers this year you will notice that they are wearing Soft Star Shoes. No coincidence here. When the good folks (elves as they are known) heard about our camping trip they set our entire crew up with custom made moccasins and sandals in exchange for our beautiful faces and feet.

Happy Feet and legs

With hardly any art directing, casting, propping, styling and very little hair and make up,  I wish every job could be as easy as this. Just give people clothes and they wear them.

Theo Wild

Theo Tamed

Besides making the best griddle cakes this side of the Mississippi, Wendy gives great haircuts. I don’t know how she got a comb through Theo’s hair. It had become so matted from chlorine and a lack of combing. Well, enough about he hair- back to the feet.

Fion, so light on her feet

Sookie on the potty

A kiss is but a kiss

Henry feeding

Whispering sweet nothings into the prayer flags

Sequoia Chapter 3- The Cucina

The early birds

Weeks before our camping trip, the emails about food start. What usually happens is 2 families are responsible for one dinner each night. Lunches are real simple, sandwiches, fruit, beef stick, cheese. This year it went something like this: Night 1 -  Catriona made a 18 or 19 bean stew served with corn bread. Johnny Sequoia made bison and pig chili.

Whiz Bang Stew

I am not going to critique any cooking on our camping trip. I am grateful for any contributions to our meals but, if want want to read Sam’s Food Blog you can get a feel of what a “picky kid” likes and dislikes. I am of the school of thought that everything tastes good camping. Just read the story, The Big Two- Hearted River by Hemingway, Nick Adams enjoys a camp meal of canned beans and spaghetti topped off by a can a peaches and cowboys coffee. I believe somewhere in the story he also makes reference to a raw onion sandwich.

Grilled lamb burgers

Saturday night was Mediterranean Night at Long Meadow. Grilled Lamb burgers encrusted with mint, drizzled with yogurt and dill sauce. Humus, string cheese and pita bread accompanied the meat.

Debbie unties the string cheese

Dessert on night 2 was a Ben & Jerry ice cream caked brought up packed in dry ice by Beth and John to celebrate Sam’s 15th birthday.

Putting another candle on his birthday cake

Some new faces around the campfire this year were a couple of guys named Weber and Kinsford. Weber was John’s BBQ that he graciously schlepped up the hill from Santa Monica. I know you are supposed to grill in the great outdoors on a camp ring but, have you ever grilled for 24 people while squatting on the ground, with no air stoking the fire while Dave our fire meister throws hot coals into the fire pit and ashes onto our dinner while the sun in sinking and kids are hungry? Well I have and Weber and Kingsford were two welcome additions. Let me just say that I am in no way criticizing Dave. Camping wouldn’t be the same with out him and his massive campfires. I remember last year when the weather was so cold and wet everyone huddled around his fires all morning and all through all night. Thanks Dave.

Meet Weber and Kingsford

Dave, riding the Mother Lode

This might be a nice time to pay tribute to Coleman. Coleman is our 2 burner campstove held together by love and bacon grease. We’ve had this workhorse for close to 20 years and many a meal has been prepared on her. While making coffee on Sam’s 5th grade camping trip to Santa Cruz Island I discovered a family of mice had build a nest in Coleman overnight and were a little pissed when I asked them to leave.

Chicken sausage meets Coleman

Our last dinner was billed as “The Mountain of Meat Night.”  The Vincent- Orths brought the mountains of meat which consisted of  2 big ole tri- tips,  Korean style ribs, and eveyone’s favorite Hawaiian boneless short ribs aka as Sookie meat. While this wasn’t my night of cooking, I am usually engaged in some capacity when it comes to grilling, as was the case on this night. I love BBQing. Every meal is an adventure and there is something about people coming over to “see what’s cookin’ which makes for great conversation. I was in charge of the tri tip.  I must state for the record that I am not to blame for it being overcooked by some peoples standards (Me included). I was give a meat thermometer and asked to cook it too 145 degrees. I actually cooked it to 140 degrees. I never use a meat thermometer and felt in my heart that it was done a good 5 minutes before I took it off.

Peter manning the mountains of meat while Theo looks on

So that’s the dinners. One breakfast always features Wendy’s griddle cakes. They are out of this world earthy good and go well wrapped around a chicken sausage. Everyone brings home the bacon camping and I usually cook it on my Coleman. This year Catriona had a great idea to use the Weber to BBQ the bacon.  As soon as the bacon flared up I would over it cover it and the bacon continued to smoke and smoke and smoke. I think I cooked 7 pounds of bacon on this particular morning and as a result was left with a slightly cooked hairless right hand.

To quote Debbie, "A day without pork is like a day without sunshine."

X marks the spot

Let’s see what else. Oh yes, what could a camping trip be without Johnny Sequoias’ home granola? I’ll try to get the recipe into this post soon.

Granola anyone?

Sookie enjoying a mellow moment

Nobody goes hungry in our camp. Next year we are planning to stay an extra day just to have a leftover night Dinner.

Sam’s 15th Birthday

Sam turns 15

Sam, who turned 15 on May 27, has been on vacation for only 2 days and is already quite bored with summer. There are no waves and he has no interest in going hiking with his grandma or interning at our friends design studio. Oh yes to be 15 again! He reluctantly got up early with his brothers, who still have a couple more weeks of school, to open a few hand made cards and be part of the morning rush to get out of the house.

The beauty of a day game on the radio

As luck had it, the Dodgers played a day game in Colorado and the birthday boy was given the gift of Vin Scully on the radio and a 3 game sweep of the Rockies.

cheeseburger. cheeseburger, cheeseburger...

Sam’s dinner request was cheese burgers, french fries, Caesar salad and Beard Papa for dessert. You can read all about dinner on Sam’s food blog.

Sam has learned to open the card before the gift

Theo

A birthday card that makes fart sounds pleases Henry

Just as the burgers were served, Henry noticed it was almost 6:38- the time Sam was born right down the block 15 years ago.

self portraits

Ollie,the close talker talks close to Bruce

Sam, smooth as silk, blowing out candles

" Daddy, I just went pee in my wetsuit"

It’s another crazy night around here. It’s late, Ollie is upset that his whoopee cushion and rubber chicken he got as gifts have already broken, Simon has somehow ended up in the bath tub in a wetsuit, the kitchen is pretty messy from the festivities, and there’s a chihuahua in our dishwasher.  It’s noisy, chaotic and sometimes I feel like screaming, “what have we done!”  But, last night while getting ready for bed, Debbie asks me, ” did you ever think while holding a new born Sam in your arms 15 years ago that there would actually be 4 more where those came from?” It’s reminders like that  grounds you to this earth. It  makes you feel good and comfortable and make you think that we are truly blessed.

Fun With Dry Ice

Not a lot to say about this. Bring a block of dry ice home, tell your kids to be careful, “it’s so cold it will burn you.” Let the fun begin!

Happy (belated) Mother’s Day

My Mommy and German Shepherd Puppy Misty circa mid 1960's

 Happy Mother’s Day to all the Mothers who happen to stumble upon this post. Here’s one of my favorite photos of my Mom and our dog Misty.  I know Mother’s Day is one of the so called Hallmark Holidays but it is nice to honor all the moms out there for what they do. I think I calculated that Debbie makes about 800 lunches during the school year. Each one customized per order based on our picky eaters likes and dislikes. Between tennis lessons, piano lessons, swim lessons, cello lessons, orthodontist appointments, organizing carpooling for 3 different schools and getting up at 5:00 am to swim her multi tasking abilities are mind boggling. 

 

Debbie on a bus with Sam and Theo somewhere on Bora Bora

This Mother’s Day the kids got up early (as they do every weekend morning) to bring Debbie toast and tea in bed, they made her cards and we gave her a Kitchen Aid mixer. 

 

 

 

 

Sam hitting a forehand

I know Sam playing tennis may seem like I’m switching gears but I’m trying to tie 2 ideas together and I hope it makes sense. Sam made the finals in his last 2 USTA tennis tournaments. These were the last 2 he could play in the Boys 14 division. He turns 15 next week and has to play in the Boys 16. It seems like he’s on the courts most every afternoon or evening. Often he eats dinner before us or much later than the rest of us depending on when he hits the courts. I think I make him feel bad when I say that eating in shifts is disruptive to the flow of dinner but really, who am I kidding. Anyone who has been to our house for dinner knows what  feeding time is like around here. Sometimes I just want to scream (and I often do) at our unruly barbarians. What’s important here  (and this is where Mother Goddess Debbie has enlightened me) is applauding all the hard work he puts into his game. 

 

Sam, Bay St.

When we surf, Sam always gets into his wetsuit first, waxes up and is usually 5 minutes ahead of me into the water. This morning at Bay Street was no different. What was different was as I was watching Sam get into the water another surfer lost his board and Sam got the loose board for him. I’ve done this countless times but what struck me was my son doing the right thing. It was just one of those moments as a parent you feel like hey, maybe you are doing the right thing.

Treasures From The Dryer

 

A Circular Lint Ball

Our dryer has been broken for a couple of weeks. Luckily , we have a clothes line and the sun has been out. When the Sears repairman came the other day to fix the dryer I noticed it making a pinging sound. He said something probably  found its way under one of the inner wings. So, he proceeded to take off the wings to see what was making the noise. What the wings revealed was remarkable! Well, remarkable to me at least. To the repairman it was just some lint and a few coins.

 

Tumbled Penny

The multicolored lint had accumulated into perfect little balls and the coins were tumbled to oblivion. Worked on by the steady motion,  like saltwater, the sun and wind doing impossible things to driftwood and sea glass.  I tried to explain their beauty, to take a minute to see what he had unveiled. But alas, the repairman was needed elsewhere- Westwood I think. Life, like a washer and dryer tumbles and turns.