I think today at lunch was the first time I had a chance to sit down and really enjoy the fact that Howard is no longer working for Novell. We ran our separate schedules during the morning, Him drawing, me running around on errand. Then about 11 am we both wound up in the kitchen pondering food. Howard started prepping hamburgers for the grill, I puttered and cleaned. In the end we both sat down at the (clean!) table at the same time and ate lunch together. I got to eat hot yummy food that I hadn’t cooked and to be with Howard. I think it is the best lunch I’ve had in a very long time. It was like the storm of stress and schedule rearrangment cleared and there was this beautiful moment of calm.
I really want self-employment to work for us.
And, for the record, the burgers were really good
The burgers were excellent. I’ve discovered a new trick that I’m adding to my Perfect Burger criteria (too lazy to link — Google “Howard Tayler Perfect Burger” for the article): thrice-flipped grilling.
You lay the patty down in an orientation we’ll call 0 degrees, and cook it until the top starts to bleed around the edges.
You flip it, keeping the orientation at 0. Thus, the grill-marks on the up-side of the patty are parallel to those on the grill. Cook it until the top starts to bleed again.
You then flip it with a 90-degree rotation, so the 0-degree grill-marks on the up-side (and the down-side) run parallel to those on the grill. Cook until the top starts to bleed again.
The third and final flip needs no rotation. The grill-marks on the down-side will be parallel to the grill, and the up-side will have a checkered pattern of sears on it.
This checkered pattern ensures even crispyness of the outside of the patty. The repeated flipping and draining ensures that the patty isn’t too greasy, and, if your grill supports it, drops grease into the fire releasing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (my favorite carcinogen!)
At any rate, the burgers were delicious.
Re: And, for the record, the burgers were really good
This kind of attention to detail is why I love to let Howard cook. I just get to eat the nummy results.
Re: And, for the record, the burgers were really good
Geez, Howard…unfair visuals! I swear I can almost smell burgers! I’m sitting in a windowless office in central Indiana just dreaming of flame-grilled homemade burgers. Somehow my microwaved lunch just doesn’t cut the mustard…sigh.
Ah well, I’m glad you & Sandra had a lovely lunch!
=)
Bravo!
It will.
===|==============/ Level Head
Self-Employment Burger Making Goodness
just read the post about quitting novell, and i must say the tone had worried me. but it seems that unreferenced stress and hecticity (yeah i doubt thats actually a real word) were more issues then you let on. now me, to be honest, i’ve never been anything approaching a religious type, so i have to forcibly beat down my instant mental response when one who is mentions religion. that being said, i realize it really doesn’t matter if it’s God, your concience, the Voices in Your Head, or evil killer monkies who hide in your closet and want your Pants. in the end you do what you know is right, and you live by the consequences, both good and bad. I’m glad you’re doing what you need to do and i hope for the very best for you and your seemingly ever growing clan. and hey, if all else fails, maybe you could open up one of those gourmet burger joints that seems to be the rage out here in Seattle. McShlockBurger 😀
P.S. Sandra, don’t let him get too comfy and domesticated…we all still count on him providing the best of the humorous sci-fi webcomicary.
Amoryl, Loyal Fan