Birthday went pretty good, in fact. Friday night I cooked steaks, zuccini, and sweet potato french fries for 12 people.
The steak (1" inch thick bone-in rib steak) was brought to room temp and treated with peanut oil and my secret steak seasoning. They were dropped into heated cast iron frying pans and seared 2 minutes on each side. They were then put in a pre-heated oven (pan and all) to finish. After being pulled out, the steaks were allowed to rest for 5 minutes on the cutting board under foil, in order to recover their juices.
The most dangerous thing is pulling three piping hot cast iron frying pans out of the oven wihtout burning my hand as badly as I did the first time I cooked steaks this way.
At the same time, sweet potatoes were cut into french fries and covered in olive oil, kosher salt, and hungarian paprika. They were spread out on two cookie sheets and put into the oven ahead of the steaks. Everything came out at the same time.
Near the end, as the steak rested and the fries finished up, zuccini was cut into thin strips, dropped into boiling water for 45 seconds or so, then rolled in olive oil, dill, and grated cheese.
Most of that food porn was for Juliana, but the rest of you are welcome to watch.
I then smoked a cigar with my buddy Brian, then retired to the dining room for some Texas Hold 'Em. We played two games, each with 15 minute rounds, and I won the first one and got second in the last one. About $50 bucks total.
We then ate donuts and played computer games for the rest of the weekend, ending with the Seattle Seahawks ass-wuppin' victory over Carolina.
The next Saturday, my mother took me shopping where I got some keen shoes (or "kicks" as the kids say) and a couple of nice dress shirts. We ate lunch in a casino and I left my hat in the eatery by mistake.
I went back, found it, and on the way back stumbled by a craps table. Now, craps is a game where you roll 2 six-sided dice (die is singular of dice and a six-sided die is the kind you find in board games. In role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, you'd say 2d6; meaning 2 six-sided dice.)
Anyway, after bets are placed, the "shooter" gets to roll the dice. You can place bets on any number coming up in any way. An eight could be two 4's or a 5 and a 3. You can bet that it's an 8 or an 8 the hard way (two 4's.)
Allow me to digress a little. The numbers on the two six-sided dice, when rolled for craps, are added together. If one die has a 4 on it and the other a 3, then the number rolled is "7"; ie (3+4). You generate a number between 2 and 12 and the numbers generated are on a bell curve: 7 is the most common, with 2 (snake-eyes) and 12 (box cars) being the rarest.
Alright. The main, smartest bet on craps, is the pass line. You set money on the line (and more money as a "back-up" bet) and the shooter rolls. If he gets a "7" (the most common number), you win. If he gets a 2, 3, 11, or 12, you lose. If he gets a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10, it sets the point (I think it's called). Meaning your money stays on the line and he continues to roll. You can't bet on the pass line anymore, but you can place bets on other numbers coming up. Now, when he rolls, if he rolls a "7" you lose. Both any side bets, and your original side bet. If he rolls the point again, you win and money is removed from the pass line and the board is essentually re-set for the next shooter.
Knowing all this, I pulled out $20 I had won at poker, threw it down on the pass line in a $5 bet with a $15 back-up, and prepared to kiss it good-bye. Plus, my mom was waiting back at the entrance and I didn't want to make her wait longer than I already had.
Dude rolls a 10. Meaning (remembering your bell curve and craps rules) that the point was set at the hardest number to reroll (10s and 4s.) You can only roll a 6 and 4 or two 5s. Dude rolls again, gets a 6. Anyone that put money on the 6 (after the point was set) won. The rest of us wait. Dude rolls a 10. Seriously, that quick. They slide $60 bucks over to me, I scoop up the chips, and beat feet.
Then, Sunday night, lost $30 of it playing more Poker. Oh well.
In the meantime, my friend got me a great bottle of 12 year single malt scotch for my birthday, which I have held out drinking. Friday will be the day.
Sunday, this Sunday, I'm going to have a Super Bowl party for our beloved Seahawks. Low key, brats and boyb kind of thing (I don't drink much.) Any Seattleite that wanders through this entry is welcome to email me and show up. Assuming you have a journal entry so I can tell you're compatible with other humans and not a drunken idiot.
Go Seahawks!
The steak (1" inch thick bone-in rib steak) was brought to room temp and treated with peanut oil and my secret steak seasoning. They were dropped into heated cast iron frying pans and seared 2 minutes on each side. They were then put in a pre-heated oven (pan and all) to finish. After being pulled out, the steaks were allowed to rest for 5 minutes on the cutting board under foil, in order to recover their juices.
The most dangerous thing is pulling three piping hot cast iron frying pans out of the oven wihtout burning my hand as badly as I did the first time I cooked steaks this way.
At the same time, sweet potatoes were cut into french fries and covered in olive oil, kosher salt, and hungarian paprika. They were spread out on two cookie sheets and put into the oven ahead of the steaks. Everything came out at the same time.
Near the end, as the steak rested and the fries finished up, zuccini was cut into thin strips, dropped into boiling water for 45 seconds or so, then rolled in olive oil, dill, and grated cheese.
Most of that food porn was for Juliana, but the rest of you are welcome to watch.
I then smoked a cigar with my buddy Brian, then retired to the dining room for some Texas Hold 'Em. We played two games, each with 15 minute rounds, and I won the first one and got second in the last one. About $50 bucks total.
We then ate donuts and played computer games for the rest of the weekend, ending with the Seattle Seahawks ass-wuppin' victory over Carolina.
The next Saturday, my mother took me shopping where I got some keen shoes (or "kicks" as the kids say) and a couple of nice dress shirts. We ate lunch in a casino and I left my hat in the eatery by mistake.
I went back, found it, and on the way back stumbled by a craps table. Now, craps is a game where you roll 2 six-sided dice (die is singular of dice and a six-sided die is the kind you find in board games. In role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, you'd say 2d6; meaning 2 six-sided dice.)
Anyway, after bets are placed, the "shooter" gets to roll the dice. You can place bets on any number coming up in any way. An eight could be two 4's or a 5 and a 3. You can bet that it's an 8 or an 8 the hard way (two 4's.)
Allow me to digress a little. The numbers on the two six-sided dice, when rolled for craps, are added together. If one die has a 4 on it and the other a 3, then the number rolled is "7"; ie (3+4). You generate a number between 2 and 12 and the numbers generated are on a bell curve: 7 is the most common, with 2 (snake-eyes) and 12 (box cars) being the rarest.
Alright. The main, smartest bet on craps, is the pass line. You set money on the line (and more money as a "back-up" bet) and the shooter rolls. If he gets a "7" (the most common number), you win. If he gets a 2, 3, 11, or 12, you lose. If he gets a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10, it sets the point (I think it's called). Meaning your money stays on the line and he continues to roll. You can't bet on the pass line anymore, but you can place bets on other numbers coming up. Now, when he rolls, if he rolls a "7" you lose. Both any side bets, and your original side bet. If he rolls the point again, you win and money is removed from the pass line and the board is essentually re-set for the next shooter.
Knowing all this, I pulled out $20 I had won at poker, threw it down on the pass line in a $5 bet with a $15 back-up, and prepared to kiss it good-bye. Plus, my mom was waiting back at the entrance and I didn't want to make her wait longer than I already had.
Dude rolls a 10. Meaning (remembering your bell curve and craps rules) that the point was set at the hardest number to reroll (10s and 4s.) You can only roll a 6 and 4 or two 5s. Dude rolls again, gets a 6. Anyone that put money on the 6 (after the point was set) won. The rest of us wait. Dude rolls a 10. Seriously, that quick. They slide $60 bucks over to me, I scoop up the chips, and beat feet.
Then, Sunday night, lost $30 of it playing more Poker. Oh well.
In the meantime, my friend got me a great bottle of 12 year single malt scotch for my birthday, which I have held out drinking. Friday will be the day.
Sunday, this Sunday, I'm going to have a Super Bowl party for our beloved Seahawks. Low key, brats and boyb kind of thing (I don't drink much.) Any Seattleite that wanders through this entry is welcome to email me and show up. Assuming you have a journal entry so I can tell you're compatible with other humans and not a drunken idiot.
Go Seahawks!
VIEW 5 of 5 COMMENTS
amstar:
thanks!
unravled:
Oh god, that sounds good. I want steak!