On the NBA Lockout

I have been watching with an increasingly concerned viewpoint what the owners, players and league officials are doing to this game. Now I don't know all of the details of the negotiations, and have no labor law or collective bargaining qualifications, but I can speak of this situation from a fan's viewpoint, which I definitely am.

And what I hear through the news reporting is both alarming and disgusting. I hear of owners being called slave masters, players being labeled greedy and star players bolting to play in Europe and of course repeated calls for contraction. What will happen is that both sides are intent on killing the goose that lays the golden eggs.

Yes, there are too many teams in the National Basketball Association. There are markets which can no longer support or justify a franchise. Greedy owners are as much to blame as the players, driving up salaries by repeatedly working to outbid each other for star players. And let's face it, there are multimillionaire players in this league; so for some of them to characterize owners as slave masters is ludicrous.

The pie has become smaller due to economic and market pressures; everybody is going to have to take a smaller slice, and I think some teams will need to disappear. It's a market correction, something we ordinary folk who buy the tickets and subscribe to the cable and satellite feeds to watch the games have been suffering from since 9/11/2001. Welcome to tough times.

Sure the big stars can jump ship and play in Europe, but what about the mid-level and minimum salary guys who don't have that option? The players association should be fighting for them, but that's not been mentioned much. I'm afraid that reality has hit the players just like it has for every other American worker.

I am not gloating; I'm saddened because we're going to see a very different NBA emerge from this turmoil - when it does. It's not the die-hard fans it will lose; it's the casual viewers. Major League Baseball had a similar crisis in the previous decade. Remember they cancelled the 1994 World Series. What saved it was the Mark McGwire - Sammy Sosa home run record chase of 1998. Ironically that was discredited by steroids - but the new fans it attracted forgave baseball and they never left the sport.

There are no such opportunities in the offing for the NBA. Players and owners are all going to have to swallow some humble pie and figure out a way to give back to their fans while attracting new ones. Hiw about starting by lowering those outrageous ticket prices? If they don't do something conciliatory we may not see an NBA game until the 2012-13 season. By then it may be to late.

The Best Meals

It's my contention that the best tasting meals are often the unplanned ones - those made up from scratch at the last minute, like tonight's meal for example. I came home today and found no meat thawing in the fridge. But I did find a package of fully cooked chicken sausage and some shaved Asiago cheese. With the fresh vegetables such as green and red peppers, garlic, onions, and the like that we always have on hand, this was a snap to put together with our dry and canned goods cupboard. Use what peppers you have handy:

Ingredients

1 pkg rotini or bowtie pasta
4 links Italian style sausage, sliced thin
1 green pepper, sliced
1 red pepper, sliced
1 yellow pepper, sliced
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
1/2 yellow onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup grated or shredded cheese, Parmesan, Asiago or other Italian style
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp dried basil
Dash red pepper flakes

Directions

In a large pot bring 8 cups of salted water to a boil and cook pasta to al dente, drain and set aside. Retain some of the pasta water in the pan to keep it from sticking together. While pasta is cooking heat oil in a large covered skillet and toss in all of the vegetable except the garlic. Saute until the onions are clear and add the garlic and the dried spices. Continue cooking for another minute and add the sausage, heating through. Finally pour in the tomatoes and the drained pasta, tossing the mixture to coat thoroughly. You may sprinkle on the cheeses here or wait until plating.

Cover the pan and heat until liquids have been absorbed. Plate and top with more cheese and serve with crusty white bread and a full-bodied red wine.

Home, Sweet Home Chicago!

This photo of Chicago is courtesy of TripAdvisor

What is it about Chicago that draws me back? Well I suppose that I can answer that question myself, after lived here from 1956 to 1987. It's home, of course. Filled with the whole gamut of memories one can accumulates in thirty plus years of living in any one place, from joy to pain and everything in between. As I drive through the neighborhoods (and yes, Chicago is still a city of neighborhoods, despite all of the great imagery of it's awe inspiring skyline in media images), I am reminded how working class the city really is. On practically every block of major arteries you see small business; family-owned and operated stores, shops and medical practices. And such diversity too!

For me the first thing that I think of the cuisine available here; Italian, Mexican, Puerto Rican, Soul, Greek, Polish, Jewish, German, Middle Eastern - it's all represented here and in abundance. One of the most wonderful smells that I remember as a child was walking down 18th street near Halsted and smelling fresh tortillas and Mexican sweet breads being made in a tortilla shop along that street. It's still there and I'll bet if I walked there again I would still smell those wonderful aromas.

But today as it was back when I lived here, it's a dangerous city too, full of violence. If you go looking for trouble you will quickly find it. And sometimes the trouble will find you when you are not looking for it. There are certain places that you just do not go to, especially at night. That's true of any major city, for sure, but the Chicago spin on crime is particularly distinctive.

I am reminded that a major reason why we left the city (my wife was born here too), was that as a young married couple we had our apartment broken into and ransacked on the near north side. That incident was particularly troubling to us because the whole building we were living in was robbed in broad daylight. If you have ever had the misfortune of being broken into you know how violated you feel afterward.

Still, those unpleasant memories aside, the city calls for me. I have always loved it's cultures, it's sports atmosphere, it's restaurants, and of course the many great institutions of higher education here. One of which, De Paul University, is my Alma mater and which brings me to town this week to attend Reunion Week activities.

I've made my home in Tucson, Arizona, another great city that I adore - in an entirely different way. But my first home was here, in the Windy City. And I will always consider it home base, no matter how far I am away from it. Anytime come here it brings a smile to my face!

New Blog Page

Hey Everyone! Welcome to Tom's Rest Stop. This is the new place for my ramblings and recipes! Stay tuned as I have a backlog of things to post! Thanks for being so faithful!

The Phenomena of Staycations

The economic hard times have had a huge impact on summer vacation travels, and since 2001 there has been a dramatic rise in vacationers either treating their own homes as a resort or taking short, local trips to lodging and resources their own cities and states have to offer. Wikipedia cites these important benefits to staycations:

1) Staycations are far less costly than a vacation involving traveling. There are no lodging costs and travel expenses are minimal. Costs may include transportation for local trips, dining, and local attractions. "The American Automobile Association said the average North American vacation will cost $244 per day for two people for lodging and meals... Add some kids and airfare, and a 10-day vacation could top $10,000".

2) Staycations do not have the stress associated with travel, such as packing, long drives, or waits at airports.

3) Indeed, a few people go as far as only leaving their home for their usual errands (such as food shopping). Those with backyard swimming pools have an advantage as they can spend more time swimming without leaving their property and sometimes have as much fun as they might have had going anywhere.

4) Staycations may be of economic benefit to some local businesses, who get customers from the area providing them with business. In 2008, the tourism bureaus of many U.S. cities also began promoting staycations for their residents to help replace the tourism dollars lost from a drop in out-of-town visitors.

The benefits are even greater if you live in a state that has great tourist features such as luxury resorts, nature sight-seeing attractions or amusement parks. In hot states such as Arizona many resorts offer wonderful summer rates because their occupancy rates tend to be low; it has been an alternative to simply closing up for the summer, as some still do here.

We have taken many weekend staycations over the last ten years in both Tucson and Phoenix; Hermosa Inn, Westward Look, The Phoenician, Miraval and Tubac, Marriott Dove Mountain and Starr Pass have all have been destinations for my family.

The rates are usually great, the accommodations and dining have been awesome, and it feels good to support attractions in our own back yard. Plus we can drive to all of these resorts with a 120 miles radius of our house. That mean drive time of two hours or less. The new Marriott Dove Mountain is a fabulous resort seven miles from our front doorstep. Why not patronize them.

The Wigwam Golf Resort has had a celebrated history in the West Valley area of Phoenix (Litchfield Park) since the 1950's. And recent refurbishments to the restaurants and rooms have been fantastic. I am not a golfer, but I do appreciate the four courses on this property, the first to be designed by Robert Trent Jones in Arizona. The Golf Course there is championship quality. All are beautiful!

This was not our first stay at the Wigwam. The last time we were there was a few years back. The smooth jazz saxophonist Kim Waters performed a concert there and we won a radio call in contest for a weekend stay. That was fabulous.

Our sojourn this weekend included a package of massages, manicures, pedicures and fine dining. Yes we pampered ourselves, but why not? With rewards points that Linda used from her work and the summer packages that were offered we were able to enjoy this resort all all of its amenities for about $200 a day. And at 109 miles from home, the travel was a snap!

That Perfect French Fry!

One of my food weaknesses in life are French fries! I work out, I watch what I eat now and I am trying to keep my weight and cholesterol down. It’s a struggle but it is also something most of us wrestle with, especially as we grow older.

So when I indulge in fries I try not to get the fast food kind, but go the frozen route, and bake them in the oven. But that’s no bargain either because the fries are laden with fat, salt and chemicals before they are frozen, so there is the dilemma.

This weekend I was watching America’s Test Kitchen and the subject of making good fries at home was on the program. If you want a detailed explanation of how they came up with the procedure I am about to describe you can go to their website for the information. What I am going to do is simply discuss my experience with making them the way they prescribe.

The suggestion is to start with cold peanut oil and Yukon Gold potatoes, sliced evenly into ¼ -inch sticks. Don’t bother peeling because this type of potato has a very thin skin. America’s Test Kitchen insists that the procedure does not work as well with other potato varieties. You are after a crunchy golden brown outside and a creamy interior.

Place the potatoes in a large frying pan and cover with cold peanut oil. Wait! Won’t the potatoes soak up all that oil? According to the testers, no they won’t. The amount of oil that is soaked into the potatoes is proportionate to the temperature. The higher the heat, the more water is driven out and replaced by the oil!

So bring the potatoes and oil to a rolling boil. When the oil first starts to vigorously boil, start a timer! Fifteen minutes maximum. And don’t stir them around, except to gently separate any that are stuck either to the side of the pan or together. You don’t want to break up the potatoes.

At fifteen minutes or when the potatoes have that golden brown color, remove them from the oil with a slotted spoon or spatula and place on paper towels to drain. Salt at this time to taste, and you are ready to dine!

I tried this method today and it worked great! I only used one medium potato so I didn’t quite need the entire 15 minutes they called for (I could visually see the browning that I wanted in the pan). The fries were crunchy, creamy and not at all greasy or soggy. The cool thing about it is that I wasn’t ingesting seven or eight chemicals that I can neither, pronounce, spell nor wish to eat, and I was able to control the salt content.

So what about deep fryers? We've never owned one because we don't fry foods all that often. The show tested six fryers during their research into making the perfect French fry and found that none of them gave very good results. Fries invariably turned out soggy and oily.

If you are on a strict diet, fries are problematic. But we are talking about occasional indulgences here and not a dietary staple. Try it for yourself and see!

Smoking a Brisket on a Gas Grill

The summer's almost over for me but there are still a few days left to get out in my back yard and do some grilling and smoking. I love a good Texas brisket that has been well-smoked; it is lean, tender and quite juicey.

It is also a tough piece of meat if not properly prepared and let's face it; many of us have gas grills only. Also, if you live in an apartment complex there may be rules prohibiting the burning of charcoal grills. But you can get great smoke results on a gas grill if you take the right steps in your preparation.

I'm using several sources, including old rub recipes we have accumulated, and material from Steven Raichlen's book, How to Grill. It's an excellent manual for grillers, with lots of pictures, and simple instructions. It's also quite massive at nearly 500 pages. Here we go!

Dry Rub

3 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp coarse salt
2 tbsp black pepper
11/2 tsp brown sugar
11/2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp cayenne pepper

Optional Marinade

½ cup red wine
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp chopped garlic
2 tbsp spicy mustard
2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper

Mop Sauce

1 cup white vinegar
1 cup beer
1 cup bourbon
1/2 cup molasses
1 tbsp garlic salt
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp black pepper

Meat Preparation

Apply dry-rub seasoning to the meat the night before cooking and allow it to sit, draped in plastic wrap, in the refrigerator overnight. This allows the seasonings to absorb into the meat and cure it. If you are using the marinade instead, use a turkey roaster bag and pour the marinade over the meat in the bag, sealing and refrigerating overnight.

With an especially large brisket I have actually applied dry rub and used the wet marinade together to make sure the meat has a chance to thoroughly tenderize before the smoking process begins and guaranteeing a succulent brisket!

Grill Preparation

Fill a large bowl or gallon bucket with wood chips of your choice (I like applewood or hickory) and cover with water, allowing the chips to soak for at least an hour prior to cooking time.

Ignite the gas burner on one side of the grill, leaving all other burners off. Turn the dial of the lit burner to the highest heat setting.

Place a handful or two of the saturated wood chips inside a smoker box or in the center of a large aluminum foil sheet. If using foil, fold it over the wood chips several times to fashion a foil pouch and create a dozen or so vent holes in the pouch with a fork.

Place the smoker box or foil pouch on the lit burner side over direct heat, close the grill lid and allow the wood smoke.

The Smoking Process

When the wood is smoking place the cured meat on the cooking grate above the unlit side of the grill and close the lid.

Turn down the burner dial so that the cooking temperature drops to between 200 and 250 degrees F.

Check the hardwood smoker box or foil pouch every hour to ensure smoke continues to flow. If smoking ceases, add more wet chips to the smoker box or add a new foil wood-chip pouch. While you are adding more wood chips you will want to baste the meat with the mop while you have the lid up. For added moisture I place a foil tray of water, some of the spices I used in the rub and a cup of beer or wine on the rack above the meat. That is replenished with water every time the lid is up for basting and checks on the wood.

Smoke most large briskets 4-5 hours or until the meat has an internal temperature of 190 degrees for medium well done.