Those words being “recipes” and “food.”

I try to write “tight” as they say, meaning I mean what I write. There’s no underlying secret code.

So, getting right to the point, yes, sprinkled throughout the book are some of our favorite recipes.  Below is a chapter from the book on said recipes:

Scattered throughout this book you will find a few recipes, enjoyable morsels of the food variety when words won’t suffice.

  When I started out as a cub reporter, I barely made enough to pay the rent. Food was a luxury. And so I worked on the weekends at an incredible restaurant specializing in French and Creole cooking.

  I don’t cook. I create. Recipes are made to be broken.

  I think I did pretty well. Some of these won the heart of the Little Black Dress, so I’ve got that going for me. After we were married, we started writing down a few and several years ago put together a small cookbook for friends.

  The Dress and I make a good team, probably because we are polar opposites in the kitchen. I clean as I go, the LBD believes in using every pot, pan and dish available, and worry about cleanup later.

  I look at a recipe as a guide. I’m not into ¼ and 1/8 measurements of some seasoning I’ve never heard of.  I usually pour seasonings into the cup of my hand and throw it in. I’m into dashes, shakes, squirts, the term “a lot” or “a bunch” and every now and then a pinch. However, for the sake of getting you started, I’ve added some rough measurements.

  The Dress follows the recipe and is constantly asking me how many pints to a quart, teaspoons to tablespoons and so on and so forth. I finally just wrote up a measurement chart for her. We’ve taken that old chart from Washington, D.C. to Alaska to Georgia.

  But we have fun. And that’s what it’s all about.

  Many of the recipes you’ll find here are named after friends of ours. Those who, willingly or unwillingly, served as guinea pigs. The least we can do is pay them tribute.

   As I said, recipes are made to be broken. Please break ours. If you find an ingredient you don’t like, don’t use it. I don’t think I’ve ever used cream of tartar or coriander seeds. Personally, I think some chef just threw those in to be uppity.

  On the other hand, if you’re trying Milt’s chili, you are going to need chili powder. It just won’t work otherwise. Same for a curry chicken dish. You kind of need the curry.

  These recipes are not a blow- by-blow or step-by-step. Just guidelines. I am constantly asked “how much of this” or “how much of that.” I don’t know, how much do you want? I rarely make a recipe the same way each time.

  We use an outdoor grill – a lot. For years we used gas grills, but maybe because I’m getting older, I’ve switched to charcoal and the old ways. We’re not going to waste your time telling you the intricacies of using your grill. If there’s one thing I’ve learned in cooking, you never mess with a man’s (or woman’s) spouse, dog or grill. 

  It’s about sharing great food with great friends.  Make it your own.

  And enjoy.

Wonder if you can judge it by its Table of Contents?

Let’s find out.  My new book, The Little Black Dress and the SONS of Thunder ~ Recipes On Life And Food, will be out shortly. It’s split into two sections, Part One details what we would call the “early years.” Part Two covers the last few.

Below is the intro to Part One, as well as the chapter titles to the “early years.”

PART ONE

There was a man, a journalist by profession,

a writer by passion. And he was alone.

One day he met her and soon they married.

She became his Little Black Dress.

Together they traveled across the country.

They started a family – the first Son of Thunder,

followed a couple of years later

by yet another Son of Thunder.

Together, they climbed mountains,

yet also fell into valleys.

And all that time The Dress kept telling him

to follow his passion.

And finally he did.

The story begins …

Sage Advice From Talking Animals

Watch Where You Fly

Obligatory Day

Basil Bread D.C.

So You Want To Fight?

So Many Toys, So Little Time

The Best Among Man’s Best Friends

Billy And The Dress Share A Dish

A Man And His Truck

Dressing Up A Son Of Thunder

Road Warrior

Blackening Mix

Define A Perfect Lawn

Revenge Of The Squirrels

Turning Strangers Into Friends

Brenda’s “Why Is This Always So Hot? Shrimp/Crawfish Etouffee

A Green Thumb … That Would Be A No

Don’t Worry, Life Doesn’t Make Sense

Because They Said So

That Potty Training Victory? Down The Drain

Calorie Nightmare Shrimp Fettuccini

How You Cook Says … Something

I Do Not Like To Rake Leaves

Golf, Like Life, Has Its Ups And Downs

Chicken Marsala Winters’ Style

It Is Seriously Quiet In Here

Golf With The Eldest Son Of Thunder

The Rules: Hanging Christmas Lights

Cobb Salad Ala Potomac

A Birthday Letter

Batteries Not Included

Turning 40

Dunnavan’s Beef

It’s Freezing, Let’s Go Play Golf

Our First – The Teacher Conference

The Difference Between Men And Women – Shopping

Eastern Market Blackened Tuna

Questions With No Answers

Time For An Infomercial

Pillows Having Babies, Making A Nuisance

Eby’s “Finally Something I Love” Seafood Stew

Welcome to The Zoo

The Sons Of Thunder Write To The Little Black Dress

It’s The Little Things In Life That Count

Eddi’s Steampot

A Father’s Advice

It’s included in an upcoming book.

We were first introduced to this scrumptious dish back when we lived in Alaska. And being Alaska, our hosts used real King Crab, caught that morning.  It’s incredibly versatile, serve it as a soup dish or with a little extra, you can make it a meal all to itself.

And let’s face it, you might not have any real lobster or crab around, or maybe you just don’t want to shell out the bucks. You can make this with imitation crab or lobster and it’s almost as good as the real thing.  To make it more of a meal, you just add more cream or cheese. Basically, just make it thicker.

Like just about everything we cook, change it around to suit your tastes.  There’s really no one way to make this. Sometimes we make it thin and serve as a soup, sometimes really thick as a main meal.

One stick of butter

Three or four scallions

Three or four shallots

Large box of Velveeta cheese or Mexican cheese

Pint of Half and Half or milk

One large box (32 ounce) chicken stock

Real or fake crab/lobster and as much as you want. When using fake, we use three to four packages you can find at any grocery store seafood section.

Pepper, cayenne or your favorite spicy seasoning.

We use a big pot to cook this in – like an eight-quart or so and wide.

Melt one stick of butter over low heat. Dice up the scallions and green onions and throw them in with the butter. Sauté for a couple of minutes to cook the onions and shallots, but be careful not to burn the butter.

Turn down the heat to low and pour chicken stock into the pot.  Velveeta as you know is very soft, so just start pinching off pieces and throwing them in the pot. With a large box, start off by using about one-quarter of the box. You want to let the cheese melt, but you need to keep the heat closer to low, medium-low so you don’t burn anything. A key is to keep stirring to ensure the cheese melts.

Add the milk or Half and Half. You can also use cream if you want it thicker.  Throw in some pepper, cayenne or whatever spicy seasoning you like.

Now just play around with it. Want it thicker? Just add more cheese. Sometimes when we make this for a meal, we literally use the entire box of Velveeta. It’s all up to you. Want it spicier? Just add more seasoning.

There is no right or wrong way with this – make it the way you want to.

1 two-three pound London broil

1 cup of sugar

2 or 3 minced garlic cloves

1 cup of soy sauce

¼ cup of vegetable oil.

In a large bowl, mix the oil, soy sauce, garlic and sugar until the sugar dissolves and everything is well mixed. Taste to see that it’s very sweet, if not, add some more sugar – don’t worry, it will cook away.

Take the London broil and slice it width-ways in slices, with each slice about ¼-inch thick.

Throw the meat in to the bowl with everything else and mix well. Let it marinade in the refrig for at least 30 minutes. Go in every now and then and stir it around so the oil and soy sauce don’t separate.

This is best cooked on the grill. Take some tongs and place each piece on a medium-heated grill. A word of caution, you will have a tendency to overcook this – Don’t. It should only take a minute or two on each side. This is best medium rare.

And the next day, use the leftovers for some seriously good sandwiches.

Talk about hip, she’s got her own YouTube channel where she shares stories from that era and more importantly, shares those secret recipes that stretched the food budget a long way.

With the economy going the way it is,  you might want to check out the appropriately named Depression Cooking channel. And no, shoe leather is not involved.

Hat tip to The Simple Dollar for pointing this out.