Wastin Away

Note: I did not put that hose in the manatee's mouth. I was just passing by. So don't fine me if you are FL law enforcement.

This picture was how my Keys vacation ended. I guess manatees love fresh water so they come scurrying over(as fast as a manatee can scurry. Note the propeller wound on head) if there is a hose in the water. So this guy was about 8 ft and had some of his flipper missing. He bellied up for about an hour before leaving the bar.

That was the last day of a four day excursion. The whole family went with my cousins and their wives.

I am close with my male cousins. I am the oldest girl so they had to hang with me. The rest of the girls that came along after were much younger and way more boring.

Anyway, we rented a house in Marathon and drove around the Keys like maniacs. It was cold. Need I say more.

To demonstrate how sick I am, the only place I wanted to go was a restaurant called Alice's that served a tropical fruit shortcake with passion fruit cream. That was really the whole vacation for me. That and the joy of arguing with my cousins.

Snark, while driving, hit a seagull at night. It landed in front of the car and looked at the headlights. The incident permanantly scarred my cousin's wife Jean. She is a fanatical animal lover. She said she would always be haunted by look on the stupid bird's face. I am going to be haunted by the fact the seagull could have dented my new car and the fact if Snark had swerved we'd be in the drink. I don't think I won any points with Jean after that comment.

She also says I have the malocchio. I guess it means I have some curse on my head. This revelation came about because I can't see wild-life to save my life. I go on an airboat tour in the Everglades and guess what? I see only one baby gator. I go to see Key deer and I am the only person that did not see one. I go to see snakes and can't spot them. I didn't even see the seagull that was in front of me. So being the superstitious Italian chick Jean is, she decides I am cursed. Isn't there some kind of spitting thing that gets rid of that?

Anyway, my cursed head is glad to be home. As much as I like vacation I love home.

Superbowl Wings

2-1/2 to 3 lb. chicken wings (about 12 whole wings)
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
3 Tbs. toasted sesame oil
2 Tbs. rice wine vinegar
2 Tbs. soy sauce
1 Tbs. grated fresh ginger
1-1/2 tsp. Tabasco or other hot sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced and smashed into a paste using the side of a chef’s knife
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1 Tbs. sesame seeds, preferably toasted

how to make

Heat a gas grill to medium high or prepare a medium-hot charcoal fire. With a chef’s knife, cut off the wing tips; discard or save for stock. Separate the remaining wing pieces by cutting through the joint. Transfer to a large bowl.

In a small bowl, combine the hoisin sauce, sesame oil, vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, Tabasco, garlic, and cloves. Whisk to combine and spoon out 2 Tbs. to set aside. Pour the remaining sauce over the chicken wings and toss to coat.

Grill the wings, basting for the first 15 minutes with any sauce left in the bowl and turning with tongs every 5 minutes or so to prevent burning. (If the wings start to burn, turn the heat down to medium or move them to a cooler part of the grill.) Continue to grill until all the wings are very dark, slightly crisp, and cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes total. Transfer the wings to a clean bowl, drizzle on the reserved sauce, sprinkle on the sesame seeds, toss to coat, and serve immediately with plenty of napkins.

from Fine Cooking #59, pp. 82C