We celebrated the conjoint Summer Solstice and Father’s Day yesterday in a most suitable manner, with good friends and Grilled Meats. It’s a sort of unwritten rule, after all, that one must grill meat in the blazing heat of incipient Summer.
Blazing heat, indeed. It was hot as a bastard (however hot that might be) in Destin, and it seems as though we took the heat with us when we returned to Atlanta. But no matter. When the out-of-doors became too stifling, we simply retired to the comfort of Gary and JoAnn’s air-conditioned lodgings. And besides, what’s a Summer Solstice without a little Sweat?
Earlier in the day, the Mistress of Sarcasm and her friend Matt had regaled me with a Father’s Day song she had written just for me. Sample lyric:
You’re the King of Dads
The Duke of Shits
Where your crown belongs
A colander sits
[Refrain]
King of the Castle
Top o’ the Pops
With you as my Dad
The fun never stops
King of the Castle
Top o’ the Pops
Without you around
The Fun-O-Meter drops
(Is it any wonder I love her so much?)
Our contributions to the groaning board? I made an Mango-Avocado Salad, a dish that had been well received during last week’s sojourn in Destin. I had even purchased a mango pitter to facilitate its preparation:
Looks like a Razor-Vagina, no? But it’s really just a handy tool for separating a mango’s sweet, slippery flesh from its huge fibrous seed - a tricky task with a plain old kitchen knife.
The Mango-Avocado Salad is easy to make, an important consideration on a hot day. Hack up a few avocados and an equal number of ripe mangos; add the juice of three limes, a handful of chopped cilantro, a liberal sprinkling of chopped red onion, and a minced jalapeño (include the ribs and seeds only if you want a salad with ringburn-inducing heat); mix well and chill for at least an hour to allow the flavors to mingle. The Mistress of Sarcasm, an avowed mango lover, declared this dish to be Big Time Delicious.
Mango-Avocado Salad. Yummy.
Meanwhile, She Who Must Be Obeyed concocted a Crab and Avocado Salad, combining 2 tbsp mayo, 1 tbsp lime juice, ¼ cup chopped cilantro, 1/8 tsp cayenne, and 1 tbsp chopped roasted red pepper; then adding in a pound of lump crabmeat (kosher surimi is an alternative for those scrupulous about dietary laws); finally folding in one avocado (cut into ¼-inch cubes). This makes a fine side dish, but SWMBO elected to serve it as a dip with crackers. It was shockingly tasty; addictive, even.
Crab and Avocado Salad.
I wonder whether Jimbo would have given either of these salads a try. His fear and loathing of alligators is legendary... and what is an avocado but an Alligator Pear?
The Summer Solstice marks the longest day of the year, but this one was over all too soon.
Blazing heat, indeed. It was hot as a bastard (however hot that might be) in Destin, and it seems as though we took the heat with us when we returned to Atlanta. But no matter. When the out-of-doors became too stifling, we simply retired to the comfort of Gary and JoAnn’s air-conditioned lodgings. And besides, what’s a Summer Solstice without a little Sweat?
Earlier in the day, the Mistress of Sarcasm and her friend Matt had regaled me with a Father’s Day song she had written just for me. Sample lyric:
You’re the King of Dads
The Duke of Shits
Where your crown belongs
A colander sits
[Refrain]
King of the Castle
Top o’ the Pops
With you as my Dad
The fun never stops
King of the Castle
Top o’ the Pops
Without you around
The Fun-O-Meter drops
(Is it any wonder I love her so much?)
Our contributions to the groaning board? I made an Mango-Avocado Salad, a dish that had been well received during last week’s sojourn in Destin. I had even purchased a mango pitter to facilitate its preparation:
Looks like a Razor-Vagina, no? But it’s really just a handy tool for separating a mango’s sweet, slippery flesh from its huge fibrous seed - a tricky task with a plain old kitchen knife.
The Mango-Avocado Salad is easy to make, an important consideration on a hot day. Hack up a few avocados and an equal number of ripe mangos; add the juice of three limes, a handful of chopped cilantro, a liberal sprinkling of chopped red onion, and a minced jalapeño (include the ribs and seeds only if you want a salad with ringburn-inducing heat); mix well and chill for at least an hour to allow the flavors to mingle. The Mistress of Sarcasm, an avowed mango lover, declared this dish to be Big Time Delicious.
Mango-Avocado Salad. Yummy.
Meanwhile, She Who Must Be Obeyed concocted a Crab and Avocado Salad, combining 2 tbsp mayo, 1 tbsp lime juice, ¼ cup chopped cilantro, 1/8 tsp cayenne, and 1 tbsp chopped roasted red pepper; then adding in a pound of lump crabmeat (kosher surimi is an alternative for those scrupulous about dietary laws); finally folding in one avocado (cut into ¼-inch cubes). This makes a fine side dish, but SWMBO elected to serve it as a dip with crackers. It was shockingly tasty; addictive, even.
Crab and Avocado Salad.
I wonder whether Jimbo would have given either of these salads a try. His fear and loathing of alligators is legendary... and what is an avocado but an Alligator Pear?
The Summer Solstice marks the longest day of the year, but this one was over all too soon.
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