If you’ve read any number of my posts you’ll know that the impetus for a lot of what I do in the kitchen comes from my wife. Either it is something she finds that she’d like to try, a dish she’s had out that she’d like me to try to replicate or something that I come up with based on what I know about her tastes.

Just over a week ago we celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary and took the opportunity to spend a night out in the city. It was a first for us, as it was the first time we both had been away overnight from our children. And even though our hotel room in the city was less than five miles from our house, it was still a bit of an adjustment for us. Still, knowing our kids were safely in the competent hands of their grandmother, we sped off for a night of fine dining and relaxation.

We don’t normally make a big fuss about our anniversary, but since it was our first real marriage milestone we decided to live a little. I made reservations at the oldest fine dining restaurant here in Charlotte months in advance. It’s the kind of place with exceptional service, intriguing food and multiple courses.

At two different times during our meal we had two very different sorbets. One, a cucumber melon sorbet, was served to us as a palette cleanser with a buttermilk foam and a brunoise of cucumber to start things off. The other, a strawberry black pepper sorbet, was served as an intermezzo between our appetizer and main course. Both were very good and made me wistful over the rapidly declining days of summer.

When we got home I was inspired by our anniversary dinner to try my hand at making sorbet. I’ve made ice cream on several occasions and I knew this would not be nearly as complicated or labor intensive. Plus, this is the time of year when folks really ramp up their efforts to preserve the summer harvest so that what remains does not go to waste. In some small way I felt making these sorbets out of summertime fruit was one way to participate in this preservation, even if it is more near term than long term.

For the most part I kept to the script from what we had at our dinner, however, I did decide to infuse the simple syrup with some fresh mint leaves while making the cucumber melon sorbet. And for the strawberry black pepper I whipped up a quick reduction of balsamic vinegar and port wine to give it a little something extra.

Both sorbets came out great. My far and away favorite is the strawberry black pepper, which on the surface seems like an odd pairing. However, just as salt makes chocolate sweeter, the black pepper really enhances the flavor of the strawberries while finishing with a subtle background heat.

Strawberry Black Pepper Sorbet

Software

• 3 cups fresh strawberries
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup cane sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons black peppercorns

Assemblage

1. Combine the water and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium high heat; bring to a boil then reduce to medium high heat until the sugar dissolves
2. Coarsely crack the peppercorns in a mortar and pestle and add to the simple syrup; leave on the heat for five minutes, then remove.
3. Allow the peppercorns to steep in the simple syrup for 15 to 20 minutes, then strain and discard the solids; set syrup aside
4. Hull strawberries, add to a food processor and puree until smooth.
5. Strain strawberry puree through a sieve or fine mesh strainer to remove seeds and any solids
6. Pour cooled syrup into the puree and stir to combine; refrigerate for an hour or until chilled
7. Churn in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturers instructions, then freeze for at least four hours (overnight would be best)

Cucumber Melon Mint Sorbet

Software

• 1 cup seedless cucumber
• 2 cup honeydew melon
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup cane sugar
• 6-8 mint leaves, torn

Assemblage

1. Combine the water and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium high heat; bring to a boil then reduce to medium high heat until the sugar dissolves
2. Remove the syrup from the heat and toss in the torn mint leaves
3. Allow the mint to steep in the simple syrup for 5 to 7 minutes, then strain and discard the solids; set syrup aside
4. Chop the cucumber and melon, add to a food processor and puree until smooth
5. Strain the puree through a sieve or fine mesh strainer to remove seeds and any solids
6. Pour cooled syrup into the puree and stir to combine; refrigerate for an hour or until chilled
7. Churn in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturers instructions, then freeze for at least four hours (overnight would be best)

Balsamic Port Reduction Sauce

Software

• 1 1/4 cups balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup port wine
• 2 tablespoons cane sugar

Assemblage

1. Add all ingredients to a medium saucepan, whisk to combine and bring to a boil
2. Reduce heat to medium low and reduce by 75% to approximately 3/8 cup
3. Remove from heat and allow to cool

Related posts:

1. Let’s Talk Breakfast
2. Drinks of Summer: Lynchburg Lemonade
3. Thanksgiving Dinner Dry Run

But then it dawned on me that I do not have a moment of free time, hence my inability to answer. Sure, some might say that writing a blog post is “free time” and I get that, but I’m just taking a break from writing something for money. That’s a job, people. Some smoke on their breaks, I blog. Also, pornography.

Basically, I wanted to touch base with you, the reader(s), and let each and every single one one of you know that I truly appreciate your kindness in what was (and continues to be) a very tough time for us. But we’re making due and getting by, and the good (deity of your choice) willing, maybe we’ll win a few games.

I’ve been keeping busy. Limey Yank Productions is a full-time job without all the hassle of benefits or paychecks, and I’ve been posting random bits of parenting woes and whoas all over the designated play area of the Internet. I’m also trying something new: humor. It’s like funny.

My wife is enjoying her new job, the boys like their new school (the youngest started kindergarten last week!) and the dogs seem happy to be happy. I don’t know what the hell the cats are up to.

And in the meantime life is bits of love and leisure wrapped tightly between inboxes and deadlines. We spend our days working and our nights trying to catch up. The boys bounce barefoot from beach to branch, leaving a trail of sand-covered Magnolias in their wake.  The days fly by us like we’re standing still, but we are moving fast in all directions.

The wind is a chorus of whispers and promise. Free time is but a kite in the distance.

____________

Thank you for reading.

And here are the links I couldn’t fit into the paragraphs above. You’re welcome:

Atticus and the Lion King 3D Premiere (video)

Public schools outlawing peanuts

Disney’s D23 Expo recaps, Day 1 and Day 2

We go to Cape Cod and stay in the town of Chatham. Because we return to the same town, the same house (my in-laws’), the same beaches year after year, certain traditions and rituals have emerged. I can find pictures of the kids in the same spot, almost the same pose, from every year of their lives. Scrolling through those images is a fascinating way to watch them grow up before your eyes — almost time-lapse.

Despite the many traditions and familiar locations, each year seems to have a theme. This year’s was “sailing.”

Take all the stereotypes you have of “summering on Cape Cod” and overlay those with all the images conjured by the name “Chatham Yacht Club” and you will have exactly the wrong idea of how we spent our summer. The Club, like our entire Cape experience, is modest and authentic, weathered and casual, and not a little sandy. The club itself is almost a hundred years old, and the clubhouse looks it. It’s more a shanty than a clubhouse, with a long pier extending into a sheltered cove.

To get to the clubhouse, you have to cross in front of the first tee-box of maybe the stuffiest country club in New England. That’s pretty much the only snobbery you’ll come across in the whole experience. The clubhouse is bustling with kids running everywhere, hauling boats on carts, sails, gear. Nearly all of them in life jackets. Presiding are a few salty adult volunteers and a corps of college-age instructors. The whole thing runs more like a summer camp than a yacht club with kids taking lessons a couple of days a week, joining in races other days. The cost of joining and lessons together was similar to what we paid at other day camps this summer.

But sailing lessons were the richest of the experiences they had this summer.

If they took a second to get beyond the perception of elitism that clings to sailing (which is funny because entry level sailing is lots cheaper than power boating), I think lots of parents would agree that it’s an ideal activity for kids over 8 or 9. To me the sailing curriculum includes: water safety, basic boating rules, awareness of natural world, locomotion detached from internal combustion, independent thinking, geometry, collaboration, strategy, care taking and gear maintenance, making friends, and snacks.

Go ahead and name a summer activity that combines mind and body (and even spirit) more than sailing.

So today, on the first day of school, I’m thankful for sailing. And for the first day of school.

Cheers.

CREDITS
Clips: Baby Grrl!™ and her Zany Zoo™, Aug.11
Music: “August Day Song” — Bebel Gilberto
Direction/Cinematography/Design/Reverence: ©2011 BabyGrrlLabs.com™

Summer + Roadtrips + Cartoons = Awesomosity.

At GeekDad we love things that allow us to make things. Whether than is soldering arduinos or creating complete worlds for roleplaying. And, we love making cartoons! So, today we at GeekDad are please to announce  that we are partnering up with one of our favorite iPad Apps, Toontastic, on a special competition for our readers (and ok, your kids too) to create and share cartoons about their Summer Trips. And the best part? The winner of the contest gets their choice of

A) an out-of-this-world LEGO spaceship, or

B) a $100 gift card on Amazon.com.

In just six months since Toontastic’s release, kids have created 150,000 cartoons in over 100 countries around the world (check out one of our favorites below). To celebrate this milestone, the team at Launchpad Toys just released an update to the app that enables kids to travel ’round the globe and see the world through the stories of thousands of kids just like them. Moscow? Check. Tokyo? You betcha. Oman? Wow, yes. It’s pretty remarkable. And, what it means is we are exposing our children to a world of fellow story tellers using an app that costs less than two dollars.

To participate in the contest, get yourself a copy of Toontastic from the iTunes App Store ($1.99) so you and your child can create a cartoon about a Summer Trip you have gone on or are planning or imagine would be a grand trip to take (did I hear to the moon?). Upload the cartoon to ToonTube, Toontastic’s online storytelling network, and send a link for the cartoon to traveltales@launchpadtoys.com to submit it to the contest.

Submissions are due by August 9th, voting runs from Aug. 10th-16th, and the winner will be announced on August 17th! For more information, check out the Launchpad Toys site and contest rules. Happy ‘Tooning!

Here’s a great cartoon created on Toontastic. Check out the breadth of what you can do…and be inspired to do better.

Here’s the Launchpad Toys team geeking out and building the LEGO Space Shuttle, one of the prizes for this contest. It could be yours!

[This article, by Dan Donahoo, was originally published on Tuesday. Please leave any comments you may have on the original.]

Summer + Roadtrips + Cartoons = Awesomosity.

At GeekDad we love things that allow us to make things. Whether than is soldering arduinos or creating complete worlds for roleplaying. And, we love making cartoons! So, today we at GeekDad are please to announce  that we are partnering up with one of our favorite iPad Apps, Toontastic, on a special competition for our readers (and ok, your kids too) to create and share cartoons about their Summer Trips. And the best part? The winner of the contest gets their choice of

A) an out-of-this-world LEGO spaceship, or

B) a $100 gift card on Amazon.com.

In just six months since Toontastic’s release, kids have created 150,000 cartoons in over 100 countries around the world (check out one of our favorites below). To celebrate this milestone, the team at Launchpad Toys just released an update to the app that enables kids to travel ’round the globe and see the world through the stories of thousands of kids just like them. Moscow? Check. Tokyo? You betcha. Oman? Wow, yes. It’s pretty remarkable. And, what it means is we are exposing our children to a world of fellow story tellers using an app that costs less than two dollars.

To participate in the contest, get yourself a copy of Toontastic from the iTunes App Store ($1.99) so you and your child can create a cartoon about a Summer Trip you have gone on or are planning or imagine would be a grand trip to take (did I hear to the moon?). Upload the cartoon to ToonTube, Toontastic’s online storytelling network, and send a link for the cartoon to traveltales@launchpadtoys.com to submit it to the contest.

Submissions are due by August 9th, voting runs from Aug. 10th-16th, and the winner will be announced on August 17th! For more information, check out the Launchpad Toys site and contest rules. Happy ‘Tooning!

Here’s a great cartoon created on Toontastic. Check out the breadth of what you can do…and be inspired to do better.

Here’s the Launchpad Toys team geeking out and building the LEGO Space Shuttle, one of the prizes for this contest. It could be yours!

Trying to stay cool under the “Heat Dome of ‘11” we headed to the indoor play pen at West County Center.

(And, yes, we are aware that all the sufaces in these play areas are coated with a fine schmear of fecal matter. Thanks for the tip, Grandma!)

Feel free to add to our list via the comments!

1. Pick a series of books and read them all.

2. Direct a stop action movie starring Legos or action figures.

3. Make your own slushie drinks.

4. Have a neighborhood-wide water balloon/water gun fight.

5. Go camping in the backyard — complete with S’mores and ghost stories.

6. Spend an entire day at the pool – from open to close.

7. Escape the heat at a local children’s museum.

8. Become an expert on a summer topic like bugs, air conditioning or ice cream.

9. Put a spin on the lemonade stand by creating a unique selling proposition.

10. Choose a series of movies and hold an all-day movie festival, watching them all.

11. Lace every pair of shoes in the house a different way.

12. Write your own book and publish it.

13. Pick a new game to learn and play it every day until you’ve mastered it.

14. Spend a week or more honing an important skill.

15. Go to a river or lake and have a rock skipping contest.

16. Learn how to fold a new paper airplane. See what type flies farthest.

17. Take something apart. Now put it back together, making sure it works better than before.

18. Create your own board game. The loser has to do the dishes.

19. Tie-dye some shirts. Now don’t take a bath for a week and protest the mom keeping you down. Make Jello, not war.

20. Hold an Olympic decathlon at home with events like the street-to-garage relay race, water balloon shot put, etc.

21. Mold some beautiful (and easy-to-make) ice candles.

Those are our 21 ideas for getting your kids through the rest of the summer. Know any more? Add them in the comments below.

[This post originally ran in July, 2008.]