Summertime Questions
Famously (so famously, it seems at times to be apocryphal but apparently it’s true), Ben Franklin’s journal contained, among other things, a question he asked himself every morning, What Good Shall I Do This Day, and a question he asked himself every night, What Good Have I Done This Day. I thought it would be fun to do that, but in a more lazy way, and ask myself a bunch of questions at the end of the summer. We’re about halfway through right now, for those right-minded people who consider summer to mean June, July, and August. And I carefully culled most of these questions from things I’ve done already, which also fits with my laziness theme.
I will add to these, and maybe make them A Thing for anyone to reference. Send me a crossed-off copy and I’ll make you a little felt pennant.
Here I go: What Have I Done This Summer?
Have you swum in a lake, pond, pool, ocean, or river? Bonus if it’s more than one. Double bonus for all.
Have you had to buy sunscreen at a convenience store because yours ran out in the middle of a trip?
Have you gone for a hike of more than 1 mile?
Have you had to wash a hat because of sweat and/or salt stains?
Have you had to wash bug spray off your sunglasses?
Have you taken a more-than-two-hour road trip?
Have you bought something at a convenience store because you stopped to use their toilet and you didn’t want to be rude?
Have you gone more than four hours without looking at your phone?
Have you eaten a meal outside?
Have you eaten a meal cooked over an open fire?
Have you slept in a tent, under a tarp, or in a cabin? For more than one night? In a row?
Have you visited public lands for more than 1 hour?
Have you paddled a kayak or canoe, or rowed or sailed a boat?
Have you learned to identify a species of tree or flower you couldn’t before?
Have you learned to identify a birdsong you couldn’t before?
Have you eaten wild fruit, vegetables, or plants?
Campfire burritos for a group
The family and I spent the Independence Day holiday weekend camping in Ohiopyle State Park with great friends. Ahead of the trip, we decided to split the meals among the fiveish family units who were camping. I decided on a low-fi version of Chipotle burritos, made buffet-style so anyone could make whatever kind of burrito they want (my picky children, for example, could make a shredded-cheese-and…shredded-cheese burrito). It worked out really well. Highly recommended for any group meal, camping or not.
All parts can be made ahead of time. That’s what I did, packing everything in three layers of aluminum foil and then reheating it over the campfire. Like a TV-dinner Francis Mallmann.
The main parts of the burrito/bowl are Basmati rice, chicken, black beans, and corn. The idea is, you can make a pretty decent homage to a Chipotle burrito. You can make a burrito bowl if you don’t want a tortilla or are gluten intolerant. You can make a vegetarian burrito. You can make a vegan burrito bowl.
INGREDIENTS
Serves 20. (Divide proportionally if making for a smaller group.)
4 pounds chicken breast meat (whatever kind is the cheapest; you’re going to be shredding it)
2 pounds Basmati rice
40-ounce can of black beans
29-ounce can of whole-kernel sweet/yellow corn (if available, substitute with 6–8 ears of fresh local corn)
16-ounce jar of salsa
20–30 burrito-size flour tortillas (depending on how many burritos/tortillas you think your group will eat)
16 ounces of your choice of cheese (colby jack, pepper jack, anything you like)
16-ounce tub of light sour cream
1 big red onion
2 green bell peppers
3 roma/plum tomatoes
6 limes
1 head of lettuce
Cumin
Garlic powder
Fresh-ground black pepper
Kosher salt
INSTRUCTIONS
Wash and trim chicken, place in two 3-quart baking dishes. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and cumin. Cover in salsa. Bake uncovered at 350F for 35 minutes or until internal temperature hits 165F. Shred the chicken.
(If you have a preferred rice-cooking method, use it! This is what works for me.) Measure out Basmati rice by the cup and add 2 cups of water per cup of rice. Combine in a stock pot and, uncovered, bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Once boiling, turn all the way down and cover. Simmer for 15 minutes. If your lid fits loosely, put aluminum foil between the pot and the lid to seal the steam. After 15 minutes, let sit until all the water has been absorbed.
Squeeze four limes into the rice.
Pour the black beans into a strainer and rinse.
If making ahead of time, take a medium mixing bowl/Corningware dish (I like the straight-sided Corningware, which makes a better package for, uh, packing) and line it with two layers of aluminum foil. Add the beans. Add a layer of foil on top. Remove foil pack from dish, and add more layers to your satisfaction. Refrigerate.
Repeat for the corn.
Repeat for the rice, which might take two or three foil packs.
Repeat for the chicken, which also might take two foil packs.
Finely chop the red onion, tomatoes, and green peppers. Combine in a bowl along with the juice of two limes.
Shred cheese. Chop lettuce.
If needed, reheat foil packs on a grate over a campfire until everything is warmed to satisfaction.
Serve buffet-style with warmed tortillas, sour cream, and choice of hot sauce (I prefer green Cholula).
To the makers of music — all worlds, all times
You should really watch Bill & Ted Face the Music, which is a surprisingly deep and good take on life and ennui and fate and earnestness and above all the importance music plays in everything. It’s not like Olympic Diving Pool deep or anything, but what could have in another reality been a Super Bowl ad is here an honest coda to a touchstone movie of the ’80s/’90s.
The icing on the cake is Keanu Reeves, one of the greatest actors of his generation who apparently wanted to do this and put his whole self into it.
It’s streaming on Paramount Plus right now, but also worth the couple bucks to rent it.
Be excellent to each other. Party on, dudes.
Rosemary pork chops with veggies
My Lovely Wife and I have been trying to find healthy (or healthier) recipes that our picky children will eat. This recipe failed the “will it make them whine about it” test, but it passes the taste test with flying colors. I got it out of the venerable Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book, but because (1) it’s winter and (2) jobs and kids exist, we substituted some of the fresh ingredients with frozen or dried versions. It still turned out great.
SUPPLIES
Eight-inch cast iron skillet
Cover for skillet (aluminum foil would work fine)
Cutting board (Ideally, two, one for the pork chops and one for veggies, but just wash it while the pork chops cook if you only have one)
Chef’s knife
Slotted spoon
Plate and cover (something to rest the pork chops on/in but retain the heat—I used a plate and a big mixing bowl turned upside down)
Digital cooking thermometer (I use the stabby kind)
INGREDIENTS
4–6 small-to-medium boneless pork chops
Kosher salt
Fresh-ground black pepper
Dried sage
Dried rosemary
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups frozen cubed butternut squash
1/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup orange juice
2 medium zucchini
1 medium onion
INSTRUCTIONS
Heat skillet on medium-high, pour in oil.
Trim fat from pork chops, cover in salt and pepper, add to pan. Cook about 4 minutes, turning once.
Cut onion into thin wedges. Combine onion with cubed frozen squash and rosemary. Dump into skillet. Pour broth and orange juice into skillet.
Bring to boiling, reduce heat. Simmer covered for 10 minutes.
Quarter zucchini lengthwise and cut into 1-inch pieces. Add to skillet with sage. Re-cover and cook for 5 minutes or until pork chops measure 160°F
Use slotted spoon to move veggies and pork chops to plate to keep warm while you reduce the remaining sauce. Bring skillet to boiling, then simmer uncovered for 5 minutes or until you only have 1/4 cup of liquid remaining.
Spoon liquid over pork chops and veggies when serving.
NUTRITIONAL FACTS
Per Better Homes and Gardens, per pork chop and 1 cup of veggies:
Calories: 220
Total fat: 8 g (saturated fat: 2 g)
Cholesterol: 63 mg
Sodium: 411 mg
Carbohydrates: 15 g
Fiber: 2 g
Protein: 24 g