Over the past few weeks I’ve found myself in a bit of a quandary in terms of writing. My mind has been in a state of flux, ambiguity if you will trying to string together meaningful sentences.
 

I've felt adrift, like floating aimlessly in a soggy bowl of over milked oatmeal. I have three pieces of prose started and in my que, each at varying levels of incompletion.
 

I compare this to starting to prep a wonderful dinner of sautéed bok choy tossed with fresh ginger and Asian marinade, a nice pounded out hanger steak covered in an espresso coffee rub sitting by itself on your counter. Crying next to these two dinner items are the smashed potatoes asking, why?

To make matters worse, the family goes to bed hungry because I could not complete the dinner. Whaaat?

Hogwash! Get ye’ head out ye’ arse, Johnny Man and write!

So with my typical trifecta of support provided by Mother Muse :

1). music,

2). a menu,

3). a few pours of Mezcal,

I was suddenly in the home stretch. Yes, you read that correctly. It's not rum, this time!  I’ve aquiesed to the taste of Mezcal which is primarily a smokey tasting tequila.

NOTE: mezcal is simply the name for any liquor made from agave. So yes, tequila is mezcal, but to be classified as tequila, the liquor must be made specifically from blue agave.

With a two finger pour of El Buho, a mezcal Father’s Day gift from my son (pictured above)  Jurassic 5 Swing Set playing on YouTube, I was ready to start cooking…

Pork Tenderloin - 

Using a simple rub comprised of :

• 1/4 cup Brown Sugar
• 2 tbs Smoked Paprika 
• 2 tsp Ground Mustard 
• 1 tsp Onion Powder 
• 1 tsp Garlic Powder 
• Salt and Pepper - to taste 

1. Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
2. Coat tenderloin with vegetable oil and rub in entire seasoning mixture.
3. Fire up the grill and place tenderloin in the center, turning it every 3-4 minutes until it’s cooked to an internal temp no less the 145 degrees, ( my preference 160).
4. Pull it from the grill and let it rest before cutting.

Why You Let Meat Rest 

Meat coming off the grill is hot and the juices are more liquified.  If you were to cut into a very hot piece of meat, all of the liquid is going to come out, losing moisture and flavor. By letting it rest, you’re allowing everything to relax and redistribute the juices, which creates a more tender, juicier cut. 

Grilled Corn Salad - 

In a large pot of salted boiling water, add 5 ears of fresh corn, 8 ounces of milk and cook for 6 minutes.  

TIP- I’ve found that by adding milk to the boiling water, it brings out the sweetness in the corn.

After 6 minutes, remove corn from the water and pat dry. Brush with a little olive oil, sprinkle salt and place on the grill to add a little char and color to the kernels. Turn continuously so as not to burn.

IMPORTANTE (Spanish for important): while paying close attention to the grilling process for the pork tenderloin and corn, remember it’s a hot  day out there, grab a cold Modelo Negro, roll it across your forehead, open the bottle and take a swig to quench that thirst.

 Okay, thirst has been satisfied, next up, scrape the corn kernels from the cob, placing them in a bowl. Add to this, 3 tablespoons of rice vinegar, two cups of diced cherry tomatoes, one cup of finely chopped fresh cilantro, one teaspoon of cayenne pepper and salt and pepper to taste. Toss thoroughly making sure there are no clumps of cilantro and everything is coated uniformly. Serve at room temperature.

Now for a veg… Let’s keep it simple and healthy while the grill is fired up… 

In a BBQ grill basket, fill it with sliced zucchini, onions, red peppers, baby portabellas and kale… all previously tossed in olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, salt $ pepper.

Place the BBQ basket on the grill, medium heat ... shrewdly stirring steadily, scrupulously shunning searing singeing scorching, so sustenance, significantly sustains sultry softness.

Yeah baby… heads out of the arse!

From the 1996 movie, Independence Day…

HELLO BOYS… I’M BA-ACK!