How To Eat (that)

We planted two gardens this year - one in Seattle and one where we are relocating.

Both gardens boast a ton of pepper plants and now we have a ton of peppers on the ton of pepper plants.

Last year I made Habanero Sauce which lasted us until now.

This year it's all about Thai Chili Sauce. It is a kicky addition to salad dressing or on top of Green Beans in Black Bean Sauce

How to make Thai Chili Sauce:

Cut as many Thai Chilis as you have
Place in jar
Add fish sauce
Lid Jar
Wait a day

Much easier and less caustic than the Habanero Sauce Debacle from last year.

After a summer of serving people multi-course meals in kicky shoes that have no place in the kitchen, I have learned a few things.

A. Stone patios are uneven and cruel

B. High heels are not an excuse when you knock diner in the head with large plates of food. Go figure.

C. When you slide willy nilly through a tasting room with hot soup, you're either going to earn a tip or scorn.

D. Barbecuing in stilettos is sexy. Barbecue on stilettos is not.

E. 12-hours, four courses, three broken toes = Naturalizers.

The other evening we had dinner with some friends in their apple orchard. We cooked game hen marinated in lime, orange and smoked paprika and served them over the black beans and rice.

We cooked the suckers over a raging apple wood fire made in a weber grill.

Keep the Weber away from the house.

Serious issues arise if you don't.

Marinate the hens for at least a day. Add garlic for that extra something or brown some as a garnish for the rice.

Slice some peaches
Toast some pecans
Tear up some smoked fish
Top with smoked fish

Dressing:
Juice from one orange and one lime
Add 2 tbs. champagne vinegar
Whisk in olive oil
Add pepper

Have under the apple trees in an orchard.

Next up, cornish game hens cooked over apple wood.

Of late a friend of ours has been ranting about all of the bloggers he serves. To give him a voice, I've summarized his angst.

Top three complaints from your server about you, the restaurant blogger.

Note taking: You are there to eat and enjoy. Notes don't help you eat. They don't help you enjoy. They make you look like a weenie. Stop acting like a weenie, eat something. If you can remember what you ate, write about it.

Mentioning other online reviews: Your server is there to deliver food to you, not hear about what you read online. Eating out is entertainment and a little hobby for you, for your server it's a hectic job.

Taking names so you can skewer people on the web: Not fair. Not cool. Not a service to others.