The Pork Boys Do Summer 2023

There's not much to show, because this was longest, hottest, most godawful summer ever - the temperature outside was usually from 105 to 115, and inside, our overworked a/c system could only cool the house down to 85 or 90 degrees.  Consequently, even with all fans going, we sweated all day and most of the night, and could hardly do anything - even think - because of the oppressive, relentless heat.  I've never seen anything like it in my life, and hope I never do again.

During June, July, and August, we ate very few dinners at the table; mostly we sat at the breakfast bar in the kitchen, and mostly we ate simple fare, easy to cook without heating up the house even worse.  So picture-taking opportunities were few.  Here are a few snaps, mainly for our own record, of a few nice dinners we've had in the last couple weeks, as the heat has moderated.  There were more pics on M.P.'s old phone, which died and had to be replaced; the pics were, alas, unrecoverable.

One Sunday, M.P. used his cookery magic to make a ham steak so tender that you could almost eat it with a spoon.  Clockwise from 6 o'clock you see ham, fried sweet potato slices, a deviled egg, two halves of a buttered biscuit, turnip greens, and in the center, creamy cooked coleslaw - easy to chew.  All of it delicious!

One weeknight, M.P. asked your Head Trucker to cook Chicken Fricassee, which he has liked a lot in the past, and I was glad to accommodate him.  Below is a chicken thigh at 6 o'clock, leftward is sautéed corn with garlic and chives, at top is rice covered with fricassee gravy, rightward is a pile of green lima beans, followed by a buttered biscuit.  I didn't get the roux dark enough this time, but M.P. pronounced it all very good indeed.  Notice the lovely sunset-colored roses I bought on sale at the grocery store to use as a centerpiece.

Below, chicken fricassee in the pot, ready to dish up.

A closer view of the plate.

And finally, last Sunday M.P. cooked a pork roast in the crock pot all day, so for dinner we enjoyed Pork & Pineapple over rice; leftward is garlic bread; followed by sweet potato chunks in sweet sauce; fried onion rings; and at right, fried Italian green beans with Ro-Tel and bacon.  Mighty good eatin' - I tell you what, boys.

That's all, folks!

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