Saturday, September 3, 2011

God in threes A Poem by Daigneault

God in Threes

A Poem by Daigneault

Throwing Angles at the rain

It’s …

Yes

No

There

These words that cannot say

Of soil and song and joy and truth

Water knowing water

That tree thinks of time

And I live with words

A current a vale

Or light and God

At some point

I am the land and sky

Where are the words

Evading me but all around

I want the words

I need the words

Where are the words

Where?

Why not?

When?

It moves through me

All around

The warm breeze loves the autumn leaves

One but not

So I wait

A hope a prayer

Yes a prayer

Wordless, together and yet just beyond, so close, one but not, tangible, but not

Un-said un-known

Other

No we

Know we

Caged locked I see the door

You dry cold worn

She has lost so much and we can’t find a path

Old now is this the last few pages of that book she wrote

Of a life of fantasy he was on the road on those women but where was she?

I cannot look as the fire grows dim as she grows dim this bright lonely light

Was this her truest lie this life she almost had

And I on the sidelines alone throwng angel at the rain.

I cannot find tears or pain that can see this error in our basic makeup

We calmly watch as our families burn to ash

Less than ash for ash can be touched at least it has the heart to leave us filthy

They just leave and that that is left behind is not them in any way

My father called it garbage but I think it is less

How can a life end in so little

Where is true sadness

Where is the mind going why how

Please help me to find my way back to the surface

The light

Blood and fire and pain and deep pounding breaths

Beautiful breathless muscles pushed beyond their limits

Life fresh soil and sweat

Please

Please

Awake

Am I

A cross between sight and pain

The horizon I see it

And I feel it sees me

Knows me

Once again I am alive, If only for today

I come to this cross road again and again

This light is out there and I feel my mind working again and again

But I fear that monster that is just out of my vision.

His breath wet and putrid

Just a round that next corner

Always taking

A thief

But the fight goes on

I know that all is there if only I can extend my grasp

Just become strong enough to reach once again

I can see that thing that I wish to call light

But that is the wrong word

But I can see it and feel it

God in Threes.

Tabouli salad with Cucumber yogurt sauce

Tabouli salad with Cucumber yogurt sauce
I did a little comercial today and we made a dish of quonia with middle eastern flavors. It reminded me of this wonderful dish that works well when it just too darn hot!


Tabouli salad
1 C Bulghar wheat, dry
1-1/2 C Water, boiling
1-1/2 TSP Kosher salt
Dressing
1/4 C Olive oil, extra virgin
1/4 C Lemon juice, fresh-squeezed
1 TBL Lime juice, fresh-squeezed
2 CLOVES Garlic, finely minced
1/2 TSP Mint, dried
Finish
1 C Plum tomatoes, diced
1 C English cucumber, diced
1/2 C Scallions, chopped fine
1 BUNCH Italian parsley, chopped fine
2 TSP Kosher salt
Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
Cucumber yogurt sauce
1-1/2 C English cucumber, peeled
1/2 PINT Sour cream
1/2 PINT Yogurt
2 CLOVES Garlic, minced fine
1 TBL Mint, dried

Salad
1. Pour the bulghar into a mixing bowl, then add the salt and pour in the boiling water.
2. Cover with plastic and let soak for 30 minutes.
3. Whisk dressing together and stir into the bulghur.
4. Allow flavors to blend in the refridgerator for three hours.
5. Carefully stir in finishing ingredients.
6. Taste to correct seasoning.
Sauce
1. Shred cucumber with a cheese grater.
2. Combine all ingredients and allow to chill in the refrigerator for a few hours before serving.

Monday, August 29, 2011

Grilling Fish 101

When I was a kid, the grill was a place for hamburgers and hotdogs. I can still remember the first time I saw my neighbor, Mr. Munier, barbecuing chicken. He covered the chicken with a store bought BBQ sauce, placed foil over the hot coals and then tossed the chicken on the foil. It was a constant firefight. The smell was great but the end product was both burned and under cooked, with pieces of the burnt aluminum foil stuck to the chicken. I never understood the use of foil on the grill. As I grew older I was always looking for new grilling tricks. Once on vacation in Washington, I saw family friend grilling salmon. He got the grill hot and then made a little pouch out of foil. He lathered the salmon with Mayonnaise and sour cream placed it in the pouch and the closed it tightly. The fish was very good but even at that young age I knew this simply was not grilling. I’ve seen variations of this trick including butter wine and herbs, or Italian dressing and even salsa. Although it cooks on a grill, this is a way to steam the fish or if the pouch is open it’s grill baking. Either way you’re missing a real treat… grilled fish. Grilling fish is easy if you know a few basics, and I do… so I thought I’d walk you through them.

First, clean the grill very well. Then you want the grill medium hot. I like fillets better that fish steaks when it comes to grilling. Start out with a firm fish like salmon then as your technique improves try more delicate fish. Also, in the beginning try fish with the skin still on. Start with a fillet that is about one inch thick. The rule of thumb for grilling fish is ten minutes of grilling for every inch of thickness. Spray both sides of the fish with non-stick vegetable oil spray. Place the flesh side (non- skin side) of the salmon down and immediately drag it back and forth the same direction as the grill surface runs on your hot grill, for about ten seconds. This keeps the fish from sticking. Grill the fish for two minutes and then using a thin metal spatula cut the fish lose from the grill and turn it over so the skin side is down. Drag it back and forth for ten more seconds, and grill for eight more minutes. Cut the fillet loose from the grill and carefully place it on a serving plate and serve immediately. Don’t worry if you lose the skin the on the grill, in the beginning that happens. I look at the skin as a safety, to keep the fish from sticking. As time goes by and you get a feel for this you won’t care if the fillet has skin. Depending on your grill and how you like your fish done, you may want to increase, or decrease the cooking time. However always start with two minutes on the first side, then adjust as needed on the second side. What you want, is to learn the nature, of fish on your grill. It will be a little different on every grill. In closing I wanted to give you a recipe for the juiciest salmon I’ve every eaten and the recipe is so easy. Have fun and E-mail me if you have any grilling questions.

Pacific Rim Grilling Sauce for Salmon

1/4 cup Hoisin sauce

1 Tbl. Dark sesame oil

Mix together. Brush some of the sauce on the flesh side and then place the fillet on a hot grill flesh side down for about 2 minutes. Brush the skin side with the sauce. Carefully flip it. Then coat with the sauce again and grill it for 8 more minutes, lid down. It will come off the grill in one piece.

Makes enough for 4 – 8oz. salmon fillets

Who Are You?

Who Are You?

I was going through my Blog Stats. This tells me who is reading my blog and where they are. Below is a long term breakdown of the eleven thousand times one of you have dropped by our blog. Historically most of our readers are from the good old USofA. Next it’s The UK, then Canada, Germany, Malaysia, Australia, Slovenia, Russia, and then the Netherlands (which I’m sure is from my friends Sabina and Roland).

Okay, once again, I’d like to know who you are and where you are from, so if you have the time and the desire to help. Please tell us a little about how you ended up at our site and where you are from. I write on everything from food to low cost building design, with crime stories and poetry thrown in, along with stories about our ongoing bread project and cooking school. What was it, that drew you to our site? This will tell me where we’re serving you and not just practicing our writing. Just go to the bottom of this posting and click on comments.

United States

7,761

United Kingdom

388

Canada

306

Germany

234

Malaysia

185

Australia

174

Russia

117

Slovenia

104

Netherlands

87

Latvia

84