Rainy Days and Tuesdays

It's been said that, "Into every one's life some rain must fall.".

Looks like today is that day for us out here on the East Coast.

Not that it's a bad thing, mind you.

It could be much worse seeing as how it's the middle of January. Rain rarely requires any shoveling be done.

So what's a retired guy to do on a raw, rainy January day?

Well, when the going gets tough, the tough bake bread.

Don't be surprised.

Baking bread is one of my favorite indulgences. It allows me to take out any frustrations I might have as I knead the dough. Then, the aroma of baking bread allows me to relax.

Honestly folks, name a better smell than bread baking in the oven.

I actually made some bread last week. I made Italian bread for the first time in a long while.

These lovely loaves were the result of a double recipe of my "double yeast" dough. While I was happy with the loaf and baguette up top, I was especially pleased with the boule. Rarely can I turn out a perfect round loaf. This one might have been my best effort ever.

I'm debating as to whether I'm going to even attempt some boules today.

Such is the weight of perfection.

All y'all will excuse me as I log off and ponder my bread dilemma.

Until the next time, all y'all take care of yourselves.

Air Traffic Mike, ret.

Let The Carnage Begin

One thing about the Iowa Caucuses, even if they have a crappy record of picking a winning Republican candidate from the field, they sure did a swell job of thinning out the herd.

Signs your candidate is getting out of the race:

- They call their operatives in other states and tell them not to do anything until they hear back  from the campaign.

-  They hastily call a press conference.

- The front runners mock the losers.

Let's face it, no matter how much candidates Huntsman, Bachmann, and Perry tried to paint a rosy picture over the last couple weeks, the fact remains that they are non-players from here on out. None even merit a mention as a Vice Presidential nominee.

Their problems?

Huntsman is dull. The dad from "Alf" was a more dynamic public speaker. He could be handing out gold bars and nobody would show up for fear of being bored to death. He got 745 votes. That's around 0.6% of the total voters.

Huntsman: Game over.

Bachmann is scary. Even she never knows what she's going to say next. She pandered to the Tea Party and even they stayed away from her in droves. The simmering feud with Sarah Palin didn't help her cause. Garnering just over 6,000 votes is actually a mandate. It's a mandate to quit.

Bachmann: Turn her over, Drive. She's done.

Rick Perry's problem is that God made him out of Rick Perry. He has no detectable extemporaneous speaking skills. When he couldn't remember one of the three agencies he wanted to shutter, even after he'd been given some time to think about it, he showed the world just what he was made of. He might play well in Texas, but the rest of the nation admires leaders who can think in complete sentences.

Perry: Git along little doggie.

So the field will be much narrower moving forward with Romney looking the strongest. Okay, so he barely eked out a win over Santorum and Paul. He still has a well oiled machine in place. We all saw how "well oiled" Gingrich's machine was when he had to unsuccessfully attempt to make on to the Virginia Republican primary ballot.

For God's sake, he LIVES in Virginia. You'd think he would have taken the time to READ the rules.

My prediction on the Republican nominee?

Mitt Romney.

Santorum and Paul voters are trying to send a message to the rest of the Party. When Santorum and Paul run out of steam, that will be the death rattle of the Tea Party movement.

It could also be the Republican Party's worst nightmare.

If either one runs as a third party candidate, it will siphon off enough votes for Romney to lose by a wide margin.

The threat of that puts Paul and Santorum in line for a shot at the Vice President's job.

That is also a nightmare for the Republican Party.

Both men are controversial. They are so far from the center that they will cost the Party a lot of the "middle ground" voters. Both men have enough baggage to sink a freighter. Also, in the heat of battle, expect them to be ripping into Romney on a more personal level.

Don't think for a second that someone isn't going to play the "Mormonism is a cult" card.

Why, you ask, am I writing off Gringrich as a VP candidate?

His ego would never let him play "second fiddle" to anyone else.

The field is going to be smaller, so watch just how personal the attacks REALLY start to get.

Get your popcorn and sodas folks, the show is just beginning.

Until the next time, all y'all take care of yourselves.

Air Traffic Mike, ret.

Happy New Year (The Old Money Edition) Part 2

There are few "givens" in the world.

One of those is that the early du Ponts made a lot of money off the manufacture and sale of gunpowder. At the turn of the last century they were so dominant in the field that the U.S. government ordered them broken into three separate companies.

That's big.

"Longwood", the estate purchased by Pierre S. du Pont in 1906 reflects just what one of the wealthiest men of his era could create given deep pockets.

How deep? Well, he and two cousins had enough money to buy the family business back from investors in 1902. Oh, and Pierre was no slouch when it came to gunpowder. Having graduated from MIT with a degree in chemistry, he was one half of the duo that created "smokeless" gunpowder.

Lest I forget, he made millions off investing in a small automotive company that under his leadership became the largest automotive company in the world.

Yeah, that one.........General Motors.

Seeing as disposable income was not much of a problem for the fellow, he set out to see the world. He also set out to indulge his passions of plants and music.

On a scale of 1 to 10 I have to give him an 11.

Pictures of the original estate with the "Conservatory" addition.

Now I have to tell you, you MUST click on picture number three of the poinsettias.

I'm 6'00" tall.

Those pictures were taken at eye level.

I'm a big fan of white poinsettias.

These were among the most fantastic I have ever seen in person.

The skies were getting grey and Wintry looking. We decided that maybe it would be best to walk the grounds and save the indoor exhibits for later.

Free map in hand, we headed out to see what we could see.

The small wooden cross was very moving. The Lenni Lenape tribe was once the dominant population of the Delaware Valley region. They were a peaceful tribe who negotiated with the European settlers.

We continued our trek eastward on the property. The next stop was the "Italian Garden" and its fountains.

For some odd reason we believed the fountains would be on in January.

Obviously, that wasn't the case.

Still, they were worth the long walk.


                                     

With nothing else to see past here, we headed back to the west.

With most of the "seasonal" gardens dormant, there wasn't much to see per se. However, to sundial was pretty interesting to spend some time examining. Maybe next time it will be a sunny day where we can check its accuracy.

We continued our trek westward.

Pretty soon we came across an odd looking building. It looked a bit like a bucolic office or a later attempt to make some rest rooms appear to match the time period when Mr. and Mrs. du Pont lived here.

It was neither.

While Chris was exploring the rest room, I walked around front.

Mr. du Pont was a huge lover of music. He had this outdoor stage and seating area built so he could hire bands to entertain his family and guests.

Pleas click on the picture of the sign at the end. I'm pretty sure John Phillip Sousa didn't play many "private affairs".

He did here, though.

We resumed our hike.

The du Pont's loved their small conservatory so much, that Mr. du Pont decided to build a slightly larger one on the property.

But that's only if you consider 4.5 acres under glass small.

The formal garden was to be the site for the New Year's Eve fireworks display. Frankly, my back was starting to spasm. Long story short, I fell off a step ladder as a teen and have had them ever since. Especially when I over do it. By this point, I was very close to being ready to leave.

However, I did want to walk down and get a view of this garden. It is where the majestic fountains that grace the estate were built.

Like the Italian Fountains, they were shut off for the Winter.

That doesn't mean we didn't see something cool.....

We saw the "soul" from one of the trees trying to escape.

I felt sorry for it.

Looked like it had been stuck there for some time.

Gotta tell all y'all, this was one of the best Christmas presents I've ever received.

We're looking forward to going back later this year.

I'd like to see the gardens in the other three seasons.

I'm a geek like that.

Until the next time, all y'all take care of yourselves.

Air Traffic Mike, ret.

Happy New Year......The Old Money Edition(Part 1)

One of my Christmas presents was tickets to a nearby botanical garden.

Okay.....I can hear the sarcastic remarks already.

So a trip to a botanical garden may not delight a lot of folks.

I'm not one of them.

I like historic stuff.

So if some rich guy from the early 1900's takes the trouble to spend a piece of his family fortune, turn his property into a national treasure, and open it up to the public, I have to say "I'm in."

Especially if the place has a top flight restaurant in the middle of the grounds.

So today, Chris and I took a ride to lovely Kennett Square, PA. We spent the afternoon touring Longwood Gardens, located at "Longwood", the former estate of Pierre duPont.

The gardens cover a bit over 1,000 acres. That's a lot of turf to cover. Before undertaking that sort of sojourn, we'd need some energy food.

Seeing as how Longwood Gardens has The Terrace Restaurant, specifically a fine dining restaurant called "1906", we opted to make reservations for lunch.

From the moment we were greeted, I had a really good feeling about this place. The hostess looked up our reservation on the computer and promptly seated us. The first thing I look for whenever I'm seated for a meal is  the cleanliness of the place settings.

You'd be surprised how many times I've sent back silverware or water glasses because they were not properly cleaned.

Our place settings were immaculate. Not so much as even one water spot on anything.

The busboy came right over with freshly baked brioche, butter, and a pitcher of water. The brioche was perfect. Warm, slightly sweet, light, and flaky. My impression of the place was improving every minute.

Chris and I ordered a couple champagne cocktails. She ordered a "Poinsettia" consisting of champagne, cranberry juice, and a couple raw cranberries. I ordered a "1906 Cocktail" consisting of champagne, creme de cassis, and Chambord.

Both were skillfully prepared.

A few moments after our cocktails arrived, our waitress was back to take our order. Prompt, but not pushy. I like that in servers.

Now here's where you'll only get half of the story.

Chris was taking pictures for one of her blogs.

I was taking pictures for mine.

Therefore, you get my side of the story.

I started off with a bowl of mushroom soup.

Why?

Kennett Square, PA is one of the largest mushroom producing areas in the nation.

Click here.

To say it was magnificent is to underestimate it by a wide margin.

It was creamy, earthy, savory, and sweet. The crispy fried onions really set it off.

From there, it only got better.

I ordered a locally grown, cider brined, center cut pork chop. It was topped with a cubed apple relish, and served with Brussell sprouts sauteed in butter, bacon, and lemon juice, and a wild mushroom saute served over grits.

It looked something like this:

I selected a 2008 Sonoma-Cutrer Russian River Chardonnay to go with it. I love wines from the Russian River region. This one was no exception. It was mildly sweet, rich but not buttery, had great "legs", and cut through the richness of the mushroom/grits and the sprouts.

For dessert, we split a locally produced butter pecan ice cream. If my butterfat level was low, the ice cream took care of that.

Okay, I published this without finishing the blog.

Mea culpa.

Tomorrow, the pictures from the garden.

Until the next time, all y'all take care of yourselves.

Air Traffic Mike, ret.

......Left Me A Mule To Ride

News wise, this isn't the biggest thing to hit the wires over the last 24 hours. However, it made my day.

In what can only be described as an act of sheer genius, the Flying Saucer in downtown Memphis added a new drink.

Well, new for them.

Not for me.

Paul Ryburn reports in his blog this morning that the Flying Saucer is now serving "Moscow Mules".

While beer purists might scoff at the notion of a classic cocktail being served on the premises, I for one applaud it.

Kirk, you're a genius.

The "Moscow Mule" and I go way back together.

My late brother Bruce purchased one for me after he'd played 18 holes of golf at the late, great Salem Country Club near Elsinboro, NJ.

It was considered by many to be the "House Drink".

Maybe it was the copper mug that frosted over from the ice inside.

Maybe it was the oh so refreshing taste of lime and ginger beer.

Perhaps it was the vodka that gently yielded to the lime and ginger beer.

Regardless, it was love at first taste.

Sort of like girls, but much less expensive.

Back here in South Jersey, it isn't terribly difficult to find one.

Just around the corner at J.G. Cook's Riverview Inn, they make as fine an example of one that a thirsty soul could ask for.

And the view of the setting sun over the Delaware River doesn't hurt, either.

A perfectly prepared "Moscow Mule" by J.G. Cook's Riverview Inn, July 2011.

Not shown, the Calamari appetizer that showed up two minutes after I took the picture.

The Calamari was just as good as the drink.

While I appreciate just how refreshing a "Moscow Mule" is during the hot, dry Summer months, I also appreciate how one sip of one in January can remind me of the warmer times to come.

The more spiritual among us would tell you that's what "Hope" is.

I'm most comfortable with my assessment.

A week from now, you can see me in the Flying Saucer (live and in person).

I will be more than happy to discuss the merits of a well prepared "Moscow Mule".

A select few will be sipping on one courtesy of me.

As the middle child in a large family, I'm quite used to sharing.

In the meantime, all y'all take care of yourselves.

Air Traffic Mike, ret.

Cooking Between The Holidays

There are a couple of topics I could tear into today and work myself up into a full roaring rant.

However, it is the "Holiday Season".

I'll save my rants for the New Year unless something dramatic happens.

We had a nice Christmas out here this year. Hope all y'all had the same.

Last night I made a run up to Philadelphia International Airport to pick up a friend and his family. They spent their Christmas in Walt Disney World.

I'm positive they had a nice Christmas.

Glad I could help out with the logistics for them.

It sort of signaled the closure for my Christmas. All is complete.

I could be planning for New Year's Eve.

Of course, New Year's Eve isn't here yet. It can wait.

That leaves me square in part of the "Holiday Season" I like the best.

If you're like me, Christmas leftovers are fine for a day or two. After that, they become a chore to eat.

Really, how much ham, turkey, or rib roast can one consume no matter HOW it's cooked?

Today, with the leftovers safely behind me, it's back to cooking Winter foods.

Cooking Winter foods is all about having a few already prepared items on hand. Take for example, meat sauce. I always try to have a quart or two of meat sauce, marinara, or any other sort of gravy in the freezer during Winter. The stuff is so versatile, it doesn't make sense for me NOT to have it.

I trundled on down to the basement this morning to see what was on hand.

I spied a quart of meat sauce. It dawned on me I had a bag of large cheese stuffed shells up in the kitchen freezer.

That took care of lunch.

Next to the quart of meat sauce was a package of boneless, skinless, chicken breasts. Chicken is a fine meal anytime of year.

That took care of the main course for dinner.

In my opinion, the key to cooking on the "in between" days of the "Holiday Season" is to keep it as simple as possible, using as few dishes as possible.

I don't know about you folks, but it seemed like I spent a couple hours every day washing dishes of some sort.

In keeping with my philosophy of "simple and few", this is what lunch looks like:

Cover the bottom of two small baking dishes with meat sauce.
Place two stuffed shells in each.
Top with meat sauce and Parmesan cheese.
Spray two small sheets of aluminum foil with Pam cooking spray and cover baking dishes.
Bake at 410F for one hour covered.

It doesn't get any simpler than that short of gnawing on a stick of pepperoni for 10 minutes.

For the record, I find nothing wrong with the pepperoni "recipe" and have availed myself of it more than once.

You can look for my pepperoni recipe, and other simple favorites just like it in my upcoming cookbook, "I Ate WHAT Last Night?: Air Traffic Mike's Guide to Late Night Drunk Food".


It's been years in the making with plenty of painstaking research. The research has been conducted by some of the most competent experts in the field of drunk dining.


One of the biggest innovations is the recipes are printed in both large clear text and "blurry vision" text. The "blurry vision" text is a patented process the gang over at Air Traffic Mike Heavy Industries, LLC. (the official social think tank of Air Traffic Mike) developed. They think that "ShitFontsed", as they named it, will make it an easy read no matter what condition your condition is in.


We're all very excited.


More to follow.


In the meantime I have to tend to my pasta dishes.


Until the next time, all y'all take care of yourselves.


Air Traffic Mike, ret.

Where's Waldo?

Well, if Waldo is flying on a commercial airliner, one sure fire way to find him is via http://flightaware.com.

I use this site any time I have family or friends coming in to see me, or those that need a lift from the airport.

Personally, I like the site because it gives me all sorts of information besides when the plane is expected to arrive. If there are delays to any of the major airports, the average delay is shown on the left side of the main page. Right now, as of 10:25 am, it is showing there are 1 hour airport delays at San Francisco Int'l Airport and 36 minute delays at Atlanta. That's really good information, not only if your folks are departing from one of those, but also if they are connecting through.

There are a number of services they offer their members such as "Flight Planning", and "Pilot Resources". My pilot friends require no explanation of those services. My non-pilot friends don't need them.

That's all I'll say about that.

It is pretty easy to use. All you have to do is type in the airline name in one box and the flight number in the next box below and *enter*. A new screen will come up. If the flight hasn't departed yet, it will show you the route of flight (at the top/center of the new screen). To the right there is all the other information about the flight, including the type of aircraft, departure point, destination, route of flight, date, duration, status, distance in direct miles and actual miles by routing, and fare information. If the flight is airborne, the next box below will tell you when the flight departed, when it is expected to arrive, the speed at which the aircraft is operating at, and the altitude of the aircraft.

That's a lot of information, and it's free.

For most folks, just being able to find out the estimated time of arrival will suffice.

Still, next time you have someone coming in to see you, you have an upcoming flight, or you're stuck at the airport sitting in front of an empty gate waiting for the inbound that will be your outbound, give them a try.

It'll be more accurate and honest information than you'll be able to get from the gate agent.

Until the next time, all y'all take care of yourselves.

Air Traffic Mike, ret.