You Are Stuck With Me

I have a list of people that I try to stay in touch with. If you are on that list, chances are you will be hearing from me, and, if you are really unlucky, you might have to put up with a culinary event like Stacy and Andrew Gordon did recently.

My daddy said to tell you that he beat you like a drum on your birthday. That message was delivered by a clever little 10-year-old with a twinkle in her eye. Even at 10 she was in on the fun. The sad truth is that her dad, Jerry MacDonald, did beat me like a drum pretty regularly on the golf course. That memory, and a history of fun evenings led to a culinary event at Stacy and Drew Gordon’s in the Lincoln Park neighborhood in Chicago.

Stacy and Jennifer at Age 10

The Kenny- MacDonald history is rooted in the friendship of Stacy and our daughter Jennifer. Both families moved to Memphis in 1990. We got to know each other through our daughters which has led to a lot of golf and even more fun evenings around the dinner table. The MacDonalds moved to Houston in 1996, but we have kept in touch because of those 2 little girls that are now great mothers and excellent candidates to be the next generation to enjoy supper clubs.

Susan and I were heading to Chicago for a wedding. Six years ago, we were in Chicago for a wedding and had a fun dinner with the newly married Andrew and Stacy at my chef friend Dean Zanella’s restaurant. Fast forward to today and we found a much different couple. Today they are the head of a growing family. Five-year-old Mack (named after my drum beating buddy) and three-year-old Brooke are the centers of their world. Knowing that dinner at a restaurant isn’t the same with the young family. I offered to host a culinary evening at their home. Poor Stacy was probably wasn’t too sure what she was getting her family in for.

We arrived at 2:30 in the afternoon with a parcel of goodies sourced from markets in one of the best culinary cities in the world. The afternoon was spent cooking in the kitchen with the whole crew. The highlight of the day for me was getting to interact with Mack and Brooke as they peeled garlic and tasted croutons, helping with the preparation.

Mack helping me cook

Stacy Gordon Dinner Menu (Click on highlighted item for recipe

Antipasti Platter
Kraft Mac N Cheese (for the kids)
Chopped Romaine Wedge Salad* With Mom Mom’s Vinaigrette
Grilled NY Strip With a Herb infused Compound Butter
Eataly Squash Ravioli With a Sage Brown Butter Sauce
Sorbet With Fresh Berries And Maple Syrup

Note: *Jennifer calls this the “Three Hour Salad”. She says that while it is one of her favorites, that I should try making it with 3 young kids hanging onto you. The preparation involves frying bacon, making croutons, slicing and dicing lettuce, olives, tomato, onion and making a homemade vinaigrette. What usually takes me 30 minutes, can take a busy mother of young children Three Hours. For the record it was Stacy’s favorite item on the menu. Prep time can be cut dramatically with store bought croutons and precooked bacon. The key ingredient and a must for flavor, is Mom-mom’s vinaigrette

The Crew At Dinner

Mack is very happy with his Mac N Cheese

Stacy and Andrew’s home is perfect for a supper club. I promised to host a celebrity chef supper club fund raiser for Stacy’s favorite charity. Sometimes being Stuck With Me can be an excuse for a fun evening. So let me know if you want me to host an Impromptu Friday Night.

If you enjoyed this blog and similar other stories/supper club lessons follow me on Facebook and Twitter and subscribe to get future blogs at www.impromptufridaynights.com/blog and check out my book Impromptu Friday Nights a Guide to Supper Clubs. Published by Morgan James Publishing and available through most channels where books are sold.

Stacy, the creative mom, went all out for Halloween Decorations

Rules To Remember If You Are Thinking About Quitting Your Job

These rules were told to me by a buddy Mike Moosman from New York and Memphis. While they are written about your job they can apply to quitting just about anything, including your supper club.

Rules

There are assholes everywhere
You are probably making pretty good money for what you do, where you do it.

2.a When in doubt, REMEMBER Rule #1.

These rules tie pretty closely to an experience I had with one of my favorite nephews. He lives in Orlando, but we have stayed in touch over the years via text. When he turned 16, he complained to me that his dad wouldn’t buy him a car…all his friend’s dads had bought their son cars… I responded to him “Yeah your dad (my cousin) is an asshole!” Then I queried, “If a lot of your friends and family are assholes, does that make you an asshole?” Guilty! We agreed, I can be an asshole. My nephew responded, yes but you are a good asshole. That isn’t such a bad handle. But, I have to confess, it is usually easier, not to be an asshole.

A few years ago, I had dinner with Mike Moosman while he was living in Chicago and I told him how I loved his: there are assholes everywhere line. He said: “I have a new Chicago saying along the same lines”.

Your worst day at Kraft (or any other compony) is better than you best day under the bridge (referring to the lower Wacker Bridge in downtown Chicago where the homeless live.)

It is so true. We can all complain about where we work or certain people we associate with. But, no matter how bad it is, you are probably a lot better off than many.

Food Safety…No Hands Please!

One of the keys to food safety is to stay away from things that have been touched by human hands. Then again, when you think about it, just about all food preparation involves touching food. If you think that everyone working in the kitchen is wearing sanitary gloves, you are delusional.

The funniest piece on party etiquette is the Seinfeld “Don’t Double Dip The Chip” episode. This the one where George gets confronted for double dipping his chip. While double dipping isn’t cool, there is probably less risk from the dreaded Double D than there is from unsanitary handling

RULES TO LIVE BY…

If you are doing the preparation, keep repeatedly washing your hands.
If you are eating at a party, avoid things that have been repeatedly touched.

On my first trip to the Philippines, I traveled with a Finance guy. I ate everything in sight and had no problems. The next trip I travelled with a microbiologist who schooled me on the dangers of food safety. I was careful, and I got sicker than a dog. The moral of this story is that sometimes a little knowledge can be dangerous.

There is a great article in the Wall Street Journal from 10/14/18 “Grazing Tables Are Suddenly Everywhere – And Nobody Knows How To Use Them” The Essence of the Grazing Table article is that at the first glance, they make a great impression, but if you know a little bit about food safety, they can be a direct route to a touch of the ptomaine food poisoning.

I ran a coconut company in the Philippines where salmonella contamination was a constant risk. We had extensive processing steps and procedures to manage the risk. There was only one room where the processed material was packaged and that room was run like an operating room. For example, all workers went through full body washes and hand scrubbing. They wore scrubs, special shoes, gloves and masks. Cleaning procedures were meticulous. As I have professed in earlier blogs Processed Food have become dirty words in todays marketplace. But, there is food safety in food processing that even George Constanza would appreciate.

One last word of advice on food safety. If you ever think you might be at risk for food poisoning. Say you are heading to a third world country famous for food issues, or even going to that grazing buffet at a party. Take one chewable Pepto Bismol in the morning beforehand as a prophylactic precaution. A food scientist friend taught me this trick and it has served me and many others well. Give it a try.

When in doubt…remember the no-hands rules!