Grilling

I admit it. I've been slacking off on my grilling lately. I've been busy and haven't taken the time to spend some good quality time out on the back porch with my Weber. But last week my brother and his family were in town for a visit and he got me cooking again. hehe.

We kicked things off with a grilling smorgasbord one day while he was here. We spent the better part of the day making marinades, rubs, and just grilling. It was a good time. Here's some of our work in progress:


That's Barcelona chicken in front, baby back ribs with Memphis dry rub in the middle, and venison tenderloin in back seasoned with Cavendars. The foil bag has a potato medley in it. Not pictured: Ham Steaks and Peaches (desert). Oh man, those grilled peaches were awesome with vanilla ice cream, caramel sauce, and pecans.

It was a very yummy evening. Another night we made burgers, and finally we made some other chicken while they were here. I guess it really inspired me to grill more. Tonight I made this yummy Brined whole chicken with lemon and thyme. Very tasty... you gotta try this one John... it's in the Weber cookbook.



Other highlights from my brother being here included our trip to San Antonio, which, admittedly, was a bit of a bust, but we enjoyed it anyhow. Along the way, I finally had someone with us to take a picture of Anna and I in the Geographical center of Texas, which is only like 25 miles from home. Anyhoo.. uh, yeah, as it turns out, the only picture that halfway turned out was the one of me in this nerdy macho pose:



It's funny, because when we were there, I didn't bother to read the sign, which clearly states that the actual center of Texas is five miles NW of the marker. UGH! So there you have it folks, a nerdy picture of me five miles away from the center of Texas.

Oh yeah... I guess I'm rambling now, but you're still reading, so it must be OK. On the way down to San Antonio we stopped at Cooper's Bar B Que. It was awesome. Actually, John, Nick, and I ate there. The ladies went down the street to a nasty Subway. We got the better end of that deal. We had brisket, chicken, and walked on the wild side by trying goat and lamb bar b que. Highly recommended! I'm going back. Google Maps link.

We also stopped in Fredericksburg and had a good time there. We got some ice cream at this shop with neat hats. Here's a picture of Nick and I posing together:



I know, it's a great picture. It really brings out the double-chin in me.

While we were in Fredericksburg, Shirley talked us into buying Blokus, and now I'm hooked. We played a number of games while they were in town. It was a blast. Of course, Anna now has the strategy of the game figured out so my hopes of ever winning again are dim.

On the way back from San Antonio, we stopped in Llano to try another Bar b que place which is also named Cooper's. I didn't think it was as good as the other place in Mason, but it was still really good. Interestingly enough, there's a picture of Dubya on the wall eating bar b que along with a letter from the then-Governor about how Cooper's in Llano has the best bar b que in the country. They also boast that they cater to the president's ranch in Crawford. We didn't see any dignitaries while we were there, but it's the only restaurant I've probably ever been to were a president has eaten. And it's a hole in the wall bar b que joint in the middle of nowhere, Texas. Go figure.


On a parting note, this spider crawled across our kitchen floor the other day. I killed it.




So what does that have to do with the price of tea in China? Nothing, but I thought it would be a crazy way to end this meandering blog post. Off to bed.