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I had to think quickly and make some dinner. So, here's my quick recipe for fathers who have about 10 minutes and want to serve something hot that includes meat and some green stuff.  Put about 1/2-inch deep of water in a pot. Boil the water. Throw a couple handfuls of brussels sprouts into the pot of boiling water. And cook 'em. Stab with a fork to see if their ready to eat. The fork should go through the little ball of green without too much resistance. Cut up some leftover ham in pieces. Smaller than bite-size. Slide the ham into a pan with a ton of butter. Try half a stick. Cook the ham until it looks right.  Drain the cooked brussels sprouts using a strainer over the kitchen sink. And then add them to the pan of ham. Cook them together a little bit.  Pour it into a nice big bowl and serve hot.
Wham. You're a hero. King Chef. Did you know that brussels sprouts are of the same species as cabbage, in the same family has broccoli, and are thought to protect against colon cancer, because they contain sinigrin. Most spouts in the U.S. are grown in California, and 85% of the production is for the frozen foods market. So, don't fret too much about buying a couple bags of this frozen veggie. If you get the chance, build a tree house for your kid. I have three. All daughters. And one weekend, I built them a tree house. Let me tell you that it was easy and fun. Just keep in mind the following three things:
 Built around the small tree in our back yard. Okay. Here's a picture of the tree house I built. I know what you're thinking. It's not a tree house, because it's supported on two sides by a fence, and it has one corner with a post in the ground. Yep. That's my tree house.  Exterior screws for the structural components (2" x 4" studs).  Deck screws for the 1" boards. No way am I building an actual tree house that's totally supported by only a tree! In my situation, I have limited space. So, I picked the corner of the fence, and donated a 6-foot by 6-foot area for the tree house. I used two walls of the fence for part of the house. And the outside corner is a post support. I kept the house design simple. 6 feet by 6 feet. About 3-4 feet high. One side door. One small window. And a hatch that opens up to access the roof top. I built the tree house around the existing tree. I didn't cut any branches. I just kept it as is and built the structure around the existing tree.  Give enough room for the tree branches to move back and forth without damaging the structure.  This is a shot from inside the treehouse. Floor boards must be cut short a few inches to allow the tree branches to move and sway. I purchased all the wood and screws at The Home Depot. I used 30 boards of 1" x 8" x 6'. That made the design simple and reduced cutting boards. I used the 1" x 8" boards for the flooring, walls, and roof. And I used 2" x 4" studs for the structural components of the floor and roof. I purchased boxes of exterior deck screws. I used about 100 to fasten the 1" x 8" boards. And I used 3" lag screws with a 3/8" head for the main structural fastening of the 2" x 4" boards. This made installing the fasteners very simple and easy to do.   On one note, I wrote, "I love you. you're the best." Add heart. On the other note, I wrote something... ah... that I really want to keep for myself. It's not for everybody. Ya know what I'm saying? Want to get her going?
Write some sexy love notes. Then stick them on her wine glass. On one note, I wrote, "I love you. you're the best." Add heart. On the other note, I wrote something... ah... that I really want to keep for myself. It's not for everybody. Ya know what I'm saying? I know what you're thinking. To do this you need a few things. Yep. So, here's the list:
You also need something cute to say. I'll give you my "go to." Just write, "Baby, you look sexy." Now, stick that note on her wine glass. Yes, pour some wine in it first. Then, just leave the glass on the kitchen counter. Let her find it. Or ask her to go get something in the kitchen for you. Done. Wham. Home run. Have fun tonight, you lucky dog.  My children love chicken fingers. And they enjoy helping me make dinner. The cool thing is to walk through the grocery store and start this recipe with butcher and choosing the chicken. Ingredients:
Directions: Get two big bowls. In one bowl, mix the buttermilk (regular milk will do just fine) and the egg. You're going to dip the chicken pieces in this one. In the other bowl, mix about a cup or two of flour, a cup or two of bread crumbs (if your have them; it's not necessary), teaspoon of salt, teaspoon of baking powder (again, not really necessary). Use this bowl to cover the wet, milky chicken pieces. Heat up the skillet pan with a ton of coconut oil and butter. Dip the chicken in the milk, then roll the chicken around the flour bowl and cover them. This is essentially the batter. Now fry each chicken piece in the skillet. I use a temperature thermometer probe to cook them. I want reach at least 165 degrees for chicken, as recommended by the USDA. The safe cooking temperature for all poultry products, including ground chicken and turkey is 165 ºF. Check out the recommended temperatures from USDA at http://blogs.usda.gov/2011/05/25/cooking-meat-check-the-new-recommended-temperatures/ The easiest way to prepare some "greens" with any meal, particularly this chicken finger one, is to steam up some broccoli. Put one-half inch into a pot. Cut the broccoli up in pieces. I shave the outer chewy parts of the broccoli stems to get to the good interior part. And throw it all in a boiling pot of water. Cover. Cook until the broccoli turns very green or when you can stick a fork in it. But don't over cook. You want the vegetable to be a little crunchy. It's healthier not to over cook.   |
Benjamin Gromicko, Author
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September 2018
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