The Cavalry

Last week, it was so hot that even a heat-seeker like me was driven into the shade to drip sweat and wonder when our beloved fog will return to cool us off.

When it gets hot here, the breeze dies at the same time, so it seems doubly warm. And our south-facing house with wide windows collects the heat and packs it inside, a great thing on a cool winter day but not so great on a hot summer one. Cooking, if done at all, is barbecuing on days like that.

Best of all is when My Beloved saves the day by bringing home something pre-made. This time, it was a roasted teriyaki chicken, complete with white and black sesame seeds, from the deli at Market Hall in Oakland. It was wonderfully moist with a rich, sweet glaze. I could have used a touch more ginger bite but when the Cavalry arrives in the nick of time to save me from heating up the kitchen, I don't nitpick.

Neighbor Favors

How often does one have a neighbor call and say, "Can you do me a favor? Come over right now and let me give you three different kinds of meats." It was unprecedented in my experience, I can tell you.

My neighbor Theresa had discovered, on the very eve of a business trip to Amsterdam, that her big freezer had quit and all her carefully divided and vacuum-sealed meats had thawed. She was calling all the neighbors to offer them packages of viands - I scored marinated chicken thighs, beef short ribs and duck legs. I needed to cook them all in a single day as they wouldn't re-freeze happily, so I got to work the next morning in a flurry of culinary energy and made cassoulet with the duck legs and braised beef stew in the crock pot with the short ribs. More about those later; this evening, we enjoyed the marinated chicken thighs.

When I asked Theresa what the marinade was she couldn't remember, so it was a mystery as I cut open the package. One sniff told me garlic and soy sauce, maybe a sort of teriyaki? Theresa recommended baking at 400 degrees, so that's what I did, first nestling alongside the chicken some slices of bright orange kabocha squash and halves of ruby red potatoes. It made a beautiful fall color palette as it slid into the oven.

The chicken and veggies emerged about 40 minutes later, all browned on the bottoms, soft in the middle and ready to eat. The sauce wasn't really teriyaki, as there wasn't any ginger or sweetness, but it was garlicky, mildly salty and delicious - we enjoyed every bite.

While I wouldn't wish such a dilemma on anyone, I stand ready to do such favors for any of my neighbors who are in a bind in the future. It's what good neighbors do, right?

Gray Day Getaway

We live close to the storied San Francisco Bay - sometimes that's a mixed blessing.

Oh, we love the water views and the constantly changing sky. We enjoy watching the ships sail by on their way from distant ports and the day sailors skimming the bay. We fall asleep to the sound of little waves breaking on the shore and sometimes awaken to foghorn music in the night. But, there's a dark side to the bay, too, and it usually arrives for a month-long stay right around the first of June. The (in)famous fog.

When we've had enough of damp, gray mornings that sometimes stretch into afternoon, My Beloved suggests a trip inland - just 10 miles or so makes all the difference. We drive out from under the low blanket of fog and out into bright sunshine and much warmer temperatures. Sometimes, we head to Davis for a taste of that college town's wonderful farmer's market and great restaurants, to Sonoma to picnic in the square or to Walnut Creek for some upscale window shopping. This time, we went to Livermore to deliver the lasagna, then went exploring to Sunol for lunch and a poke through the labyrinthine antique shop there.

The drive along Route 84 is true California picturesque with rolling golden hills dotted with dark green live oaks and scattered herds of cattle. The turnoff for Sunol is easy to miss and we did, but were treated to a glimpse of a baptism ceremony being held in the little river that runs alongside the road. All the celebrants were dressed in white, their attention focused on the rite being performed as we rode by.

Backtracking, we found a shady spot to park the car and went into Bosco's, named for a big, black dog who was once elected Mayor of Sunol and brought fame to the tiny town, now long since gone to doggie heaven.

We were greeted by a nice young maître d'hotel and probably the bubbliest, most personable young waiter we've met in a long time. She explained that the restaurant had recently changed hands, gave us good advice regarding choices and prompt, cheerful service. My teriyaki hamburger was huge and perfectly cooked to order, smothered in mushrooms and a light teriyaki sauce. I'd have liked a bit more garlic and ginger in the sauce, but the freshly formed burger and mountain of sauteed fresh mushrooms more than made up for the lack of pizzazz in the sweet-salty sauce. The accompanying cole slaw (fries, potato salad or soup were available options) was fresh and crisp, with raisins as a nice addition to the usual slaw. I'll write about My Beloved's shrimp and crab sandwich tomorrow.

The antique shop is a warren of interconnecting rooms filled with every conceivable object, from stuff from my childhood to things much older even than I. It made an enjoyable hour of poking. My Beloved found some fun vintage magazines; I purchased a pocket-sized copy of The Courtship of Miles Standish for four bucks. And home again in time for a nice nap.

We enjoyed our splendid gray day getaway and would gladly repeat the experience next time the fog rolls in.

Teri Light

In the aftermath of the attack, My Beloved brought home sympathy presents for Cora and me. Cora got a package of stew meat that I will make into stew for her as soon as the vet okays it. He gave me a bouquet of mixed bright flowers, a small box of chocolates, a dozen tangerines and a tri-tip roast. You'd think it was I who got her ear bitten.

Mild weather always makes me think of barbecuing and we were having gloriously sunny, warm weather so I thought about a marinade for the tri-tip. I was in the mood for teriyaki but didn't want the sweet, heavy flavors, so I experimented with what I'm calling Teri Light.

Orange peel, light soy sauce, chopped green garlic, sugar, ginger, rice vinegar, orange juice, pepper, tri-tip. I can't really tell you how much of each I used, just sort of splashed them into a baggie, tasting and changing until it tasted sweet-tart-salt-lightly spicy, then popped the meat in and left it out on the counter for about an hour while I prepped the Weber, started the fire and made a lemony dipping sauce for the accompanying artichokes. Oh, and I turned the baggie a few times during that hour to marinate all sides of the roast.

I grilled it for about 7-10 minutes per side over a medium-hot fire. The result was killer, exactly what I had hoped, with all the teriyaki flavors laid very lightly over the beefy goodness. We had trouble restraining ourselves. I quickly popped the leftovers into the fridge to get them out of sight. Cora was looking hopeful and pathetic (did I mention that she graduated summa cum laude from the Sarah Bernhardt School of Acting?), so after dinner I cut up the last slice on my plate into small bits, which she took ever so gently from my fingers.

Doo Wop Dinner

My Beloved donned his football letter sweater. I wished I still had my penny loafers. What else does one wear to a Doo Wop concert if one doesn't have a poodle skirt?

Our pals Janie and Jack had invited us to join them to hear several Doo Wop groups from the 'fifties and early 'sixties, so we put on our glad rags and joined them for an early dinner before the concert at McInnis Park Club Restaurant in San Rafael.

I must confess that my expectations were fairly low for this dinner but I'm not sure why. I have eaten there before and had good food. I ordered the "Asian Beef" after inquiring what that meant and received one of the liveliest, juiciest cuts of teriyaki steak it has ever been my pleasure to enjoy!

This picture doesn't do justice to the creamy-but-not-heavy cole slaw, the truly-dreamy mashed potatoes and the cooked-to-perfection teriyaki steak. A slightly more elegant version of a Hawaiian plate lunch. I ate every single bite, complimented the chef, gathered up my hunky football jock and headed off to tap my toe to some lively music from my youth.

Weather Report From Heaven

Two blissfully warm days in a row - it must truly be spring, Time to start barbecuing again. Oh, we've sneaked in the occasional charcoal-grilled meal during the slightly cooler months that Californians call winter but now it's serious, so we hauled out the Weber grill that My Beloved's generous mother gave us years ago. It lights the charcoal using a bottled gas boost - easy as pie.

I had a pasture-raised tri-trip roast from Marin Sun Farms and half a pot of leftover coffee so, taking a leaf from Cookblog's book, I made a sort of bastard teriyaki sauce with soy sauce, ginger, brown sugar, garlic, wine vinegar and coffee and marinated the beef in that for several hours before throwing it onto the grill. Served with My Beloved's contribution of artichokes and some of the leftover gooey rice, we basked in the flavors and the warmth of the late-setting sun.

Sometimes, life is so good that no words will suffice.