There are things you do for the important people in your life
because that's what loving them is about...
I have shivered through the most inclement April weather
to watch Jack play baseball,
Tom will reluctantly watch "Top Chef" with me on the couch
even though he thinks the show is stupid...
You know, the stuff we don't necessarily like
or want to do,
but do anyway for the relationship...
Tom loves live music...
I think he secretly wishes he was a roadie
so he could tinker with the lights
and sound equipment...
He can listen to the same concert,
night after night,
and find subtle nuances in each show...
Oh, and the groupie chicks would be a bonus, too...
Just sayin'...
Anyway, the guy loves concerts
and it is killing him
that we are not going to Lollapalooza
this weekend...
Hopefully next year we can afford to attend...
To assuage his dismay at missing Lolla again,
he purchased tickets to see Thievery Corporation,
a band we listen to on Pandora
all of the time...
They are also playing at Lolla this weekend...
They are also playing at Lolla this weekend...
Their music is very danceable,
with a world music beat to it,
but the band still seems to be obscure...
Given that the show was sold out
at The House of Blues last night,
maybe Thievery more well known
than we had thought...
After last night, I have decided that
when it comes to small, night club venues,
I have become the "Concert Curmudgeon"...
Take me to see U2 at the United Center
or OAR at Soldiers Field,
and I am happy...
I have a seat to use when I want to....
People are nicely organized in lines
in front of their assigned seats...
I like order...
I like order...
Or let's go to Ravinia,
where you may set up a civilized picnic,
listen to Lyle Lovett, or the Bodeans
in a setting that is peaceful and roomy...
When you smash me into a club,
with no seats and there are six drunk suburban girls
gyrating one inch from my face,
routinely splashing beer onto my sandals,
I sort of stop having fun...
You almost need to wear steel-toed boots
and body armor to prevent getting injured
from the morons who have no body awareness...
Apparently several cosmopolitans,
followed with a shot of JagerMeister
will promote the loss of public courtesy...
T$ so wanted me to have a good time,
so he stood in front of me,
in an attempt to shield me
from the sloshy girl party
of lurching females...
Every few seconds they would drunkenly toast
their plastic cups in the air,
sending their cocktails cascading over us...
One girl thought it was cool to scream
and yip yip like an injured terrier
to express her joy with the band...
Her giant, inebriated wannabee boyfriend
took every opportunity to dirty dance behind her
while shoving T$ aside...
I dunno...
Perhaps this is a signal that the old people (me)
need to stay home and enjoy their music
in the privacy of their own home...
Maybe if I was twenty years younger
and had arrived at the concert trashed,
I might not have cared that the 200 pound man next to me,
who was dancing like a bad impression
of Elaine Benes from Seinfeld,
was repeatedly stomping on my toes...
To be fair, despite the terrible sound system,
the band was really great...
They were lively and enthusiastic
and we loved the music...
It's the people I could do without...
When two fights broke out during the first encore,
I slipped out the side exit faster than you can say,
"Drunk Asses Go Home!"
That may have been my swan song
for the House of Blues...
Interestingly enough,
I would love to attend Lolla for one day,
because there you can walk around and experience different music
and then go listen to a different band...
Being stuck in a hot, crowded club
with idiots
is a special experience all together...
Next time I ask T$ to see Los Lobos at Ravinia,
I will have to keep in mind
that he would rather eat ground glass...
It's all about the give and take, right?
And now I am going to give you something....
Maple Bacon Ice Cream!
That's right, Friends...
Ice cream with BACON in it...
I am making this today for a weekend dessert...
Maple-Bacon Crunch Ice Cream
Recipe courtesy Bob Blumer for Food Network Magazine
Prep Time:
2 hr 25 min
Inactive Prep Time:
--
Cook Time:
15 min
Level:
Easy
Serves:
1 quart
Ingredients
For the ice cream:
3 large egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
1 cup whole milk
1 cup maple syrup, preferably grade B
2 cups heavy cream
For the bacon brittle:
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, plus more for the baking sheet
3 strips smoked bacon, preferably Nueske's brand
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon chipotle chile powder or a pinch of cayenne pepper
Directions
Make the ice cream: Whisk the egg yolks, sugar and salt in a bowl until pale yellow. Transfer to a saucepan and whisk in the milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until almost simmering (the mixture should be thick enough to coat a spoon). Stir in the maple syrup. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate until cold, about 30 minutes.
Make the bacon brittle: Butter a rimmed baking sheet. Cook the bacon in a medium skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 5 minutes per side; transfer to paper towels to drain. Let the bacon cool, then very finely chop.
Cook the sugar in a saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until it melts and turns golden, about 4 minutes. (If lumps form, remove from the heat and continue stirring until melted.) Continue to cook, stirring, until light amber, about 2 more minutes. Remove from the heat and immediately stir in the butter. Carefully stir in the baking soda, then the bacon and chile powder. Pour onto the prepared baking sheet and let cool until set, about 15 minutes. Break into bite-size pieces, then smash about one-third of the brittle into shards with a meat mallet or heavy skillet. Reserve the remaining brittle in a container for up to 3 days.
Stir the cream into the chilled custard. Churn in an ice cream maker. Stir in the bacon brittle shards. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze until firm, at least 2 hours.
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