Post-Thanksgiving Blues

December 10, 2014

The day after Thanksgiving I meant to put together a big post about what I cooked for the holiday write a little about family but I didn't. Our son Chayce was home for the weekend and it was nice to spend time with him and kind of relax a bit. Before you know it the weekend is gone and Shelby and I are in the house alone again.

I was cooking when Chayce arrived at the airport on Thanksgiving Day. Shelby and Marleigh picked him up. It was great to see him walking up to the house and our dog Jasper didn't know what to do with himself. So he ended up running around in circles creating a wide circuit between the mailbox and Chayce. He eventually rolled over onto his back and piddled in the air.

Typical Jasper.

Shelby and Chayce. Marleigh is taking the photo.

Jasper aka Mr. Bighead, Mr. Weirdo, Mr. Poop, etc...

I've been working my turkey game and the past couple of years the turkey has been roasted upside-down. This been done by plenty of people for as long as turkeys have been roasted I'm assuming but it's new to me. After talking to someone last year I decided to try it and I think it turned out great. The breast meat is constantly basted in the juices and the skin on the bottom of the turkey is brown and crispy. Everyone knows crispy turkey skin is the best! The last hour of roasting was breast side up to brown it and then about 20 minutes resting. The brine could be tasted in the turkey and complimented the bird. I was pretty happy with how it turned out and everyone seemed to enjoy it.

We told the kids not to get tattoos. As you can see, they didn't listen.

I made our favorite mashed potatoes: heavy cream, garlic, Parmesan and a stick of butter. A little parsley is good too but I forgot to put it in while I was running around the kitchen. I was actually only an hour behind serving which is pretty good for me. We had 7 dishes or so, not including the pies Shelby made the night before, some easier than others to put together. The gravy is usually last to be made. I use the the braised vegetables from the turkey pan to make the gravy in addition to the giblets and neck stock.

Love it when Shelby makes me my birthday cake.

After we all ate dinner we celebrated my birthday--it was the next day but it's easier to do it while we have everyone in one place. Shelby made my favorite: yellow cake with chocolate frosting. Every since I was a kid this has been my favorite cake to eat. I think it was because we didn't get stuff like that often and seeing the typical yellow cake and chocolate frosting on the packaging looked really tasty. Luckily, anything buttery is good in my book; I love it every time.

We were able to do a little bit while Chayce was home but before you know it he's back on the plane and out of here. We'll be able to visit some more over Christmas and there is always something going on here, but it's nice when we have the kids home again.

Drinks with Gerrell

August 27, 2014

Our friend recently came down for the weekend and we met for drinks at Lynnhaven Pub in Virginia Beach, VA. It was nice because I got to trade some beers with Rob McGraw (Pub owner) and take some photos for an upcoming story I wrote for HR Growler.

Make sure you read my post about the food at Lynnhaven Pub here.

Happy Father's Day

June 15, 2014

Happy Father's Day to the dads out there. The blog at my daughter's workplace, Need Supply Co., collected photos and quotes to celebrate the day.

Style Icon: Dad

Here's a shot of me and my father:

Sunny Days

April 15, 2014

The weather has been crazy the past month or so but it looks like Spring is finally here. This past Friday was my off-day so I spent it running around taking care of a few things. Post office drop-off, a trip to the landfill and then an invite to lunch with Shelby and her co-workers. I'm kind of the of the lunch mascot for those guys, I always show up when they go out.

We went to Whitner's Barbeque in Virginia Beach, it's near Lynnhaven Mall. It's been there for a while now and I've actually had a BBQ sandwich from the shop once or twice before. Shelby and I ended up sharing a three meat sampler that had pulled pork, beef brisket, and "wet" ribs. We had a little mac 'n cheese and dirty rice too. Shelby really liked the brisket and I enjoyed the ribs, but all three BBQ meats were good. I didn't care a lot for the mac 'n cheese, it was a little bland, the dirty rice was tasty though.

After dropping off Shelby I made run to Norfolk to pick-up a stack of HR Growlers for my mother's barber shop Town Center Barber Shop near Pembroke. I made my way back to hit Back Bay Brewing, I was hoping to meet up with Josh Canada, one of the founders of the brewery to talk a little bit about their new tasting room.

The weather was great down at the Oceanfront, people were out and a lot of the shops had their doors open to let the fresh air in. After I parked I walked around and saw Nick and Victoria hanging out in front of Zeke's Beans & Bowls. Nick is one the owners of Zeke's that specializes in poke bowls and coffee--you probably figured that out by the name. If you're at the Beach, it's a must try. I love the bowls there. After chatting with them a bit I walked into the Back Bay, which is right next door.

Dan (chief brewer at Back Bay) was in talking to Ariel from Hoffman Beverage at the bar. I chatted with them a bit and then asked about seeing Josh, I was told he was in a conference call and would be right out to see me afterwards. I hung out a bit and talked some more, I eventually had to leave though because I wanted to make sure I could pick up Shelby from work. It was Friday and I'm sure she was ready for the weekend.

We stopped home and I ended up running out for wine tasting. Friday nights are wine tasting nights for me. I visited Yiannis Wine Shop and Grape and Gourmet. I bumped into an old friend at Grape and Gourmet, David Sorey. We grew up together in the same neighborhood and have known each other since elementary school.

My Friday routine usually ends with me picking up sushi next door. So, of course, I swung by Misako for a take-out and chatted with Mr. Teng and Tammy for a little bit. I've told you this before, but they have a roll named after me there! The George Roll--it's good, seriously.

I gathered the wine, sushi, and camera and headed home after Misako. Shelby and I enjoyed picking through the hot and sushi bar box I brought home and opened up a good tempranillo.

Busy Friday!

April 1, 2014

This past Friday was set to be an busy, but exciting day. A couple of big events were happening: Back Bay Brewing's soft opening in Virginia Beach and Chayce's band, Long Division, playing their CD release show in Norfolk.

First, Back Bay Brewing had a soft opening over the weekend. Friday and Saturday they were going to have the taps pouring for anyone who might stop by. Friday night Nick Vitale from Zeke's Beans & Bowls next door invited some of the area's food trucks to hang out and serve food. There was no shortage of food options.

From what I hear, about 1,000 people came through the tasting room. I was impressed with the staff, they kept the drinks coming and didn't skip a beat (with the lights flickering here and there.) We met our friends John and Connie and shared a couple of flights while catching up with a few familiar faces. Afterwards, we decided on dinner at Field Guide; and made our way to Norfolk.

Field Guide was packed, it's not uncommon for there to be a little wait if you go in for dinner or lunch. The line was moving fast though and the wait gave us a moment to check out the menu. Shelby grabbed a specialty cocktail made with the house soda and gin. I had a sip, it was refreshing. After a bit we were seated and we ordered our meals. I got the Lou-Wow and Shelby ordered the Boaring Meatloaf. The Lou-Wow was a delicious pork BBQ with a little Hawaiian flair and the Boaring Meatloaf was a pork meatloaf served with mac and cheese and kale. Both dishes were beautiful and delicious--I have to say it was tragic later that evening when we got home and I forgot the leftovers in the car overnight! I almost curled up into a ball on the couch the next day after I realized what I did. Oh! I need to mention that I had a Smartmouth Safety Dance Pilsner. This is served exclusively at Field Guide at the moment - loved it.

After finishing up at Field Guide we had about an hour so we decided to head over to The Birch and say "Hi". We met our friend Matt, who was at the bar with Malia - owner of The Birch; and the other Matt serving behind and bar. I ordered an Italiano TipoPils, it’s my go-to when I’m there--it's good!

We had just enough time to chat a little bit, take a few goofy photos before we were off to Belmont House of Smoke on 21st St. That's were Long Division was playing.

Super Bonus: Marleigh was meeting us at Belmont. She drove down from Richmond to see her brother play what might be his last show with the band before he leaves for the Navy.

It was about 10:30 when we arrived at Belmont. There was a good crowd upstairs where the band was playing. They were still setting up for their set we walked in. We said our hellos to the those we knew in the room and I ordered a Smartmouth Rule G.

Long Division played to a packed out and the set was great. I really am going to miss not seeing Chayce on stage playing with the band. Knowing this was going to be one of his last shows with the band made it special.

After the show we chatted with Chayce and several others, then we hit the merch table for some Cds and a t-shirt. We bought a copyof their new album for John and Connie and one for our friend Cappy who was there too. We made the rounds and headed out.

John drove us home. Sadly, our leftovers never made it out of the car. I hope it didn't smell too much like BBQ pork in the morning.

Listen to Long Division at their Bandcamp page. Here is one of my favorites off their new album called Skipping Rocks.