We are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for.
Here's how my mother-in-law does it. Slice tomato, then a whole large Basil leaf, then a slice of mango, then a thin slice of mozzarella. Repeat. She runs it down in slightly-slanted rows on a platter. Repeat in rows until platter is filled. A little salt and a drizzle of oil and vinegar on top.
Readers know we think it's a sin to grill a great steak (like a ribeye, for example), but we are totally on board with grilling vegetables, burgers, hot dogs - and fish. Fish is great for the grill.
We took my father in law out for dinner yesterday to our favorite Italian joint. I had two appetizers for supper (I often like to do that): Carpaccio, and the steamed PEI mussels in Green Harissa.
Well, that harissa/mussel broth was the tastiest new flavor I've tasted in a year. Wow. Luckily for me, there was no cilantro in it (I am among those for whom cilantro tastes like gasoline).
There are many variations on Green Harissa - you can google them. It's not meant to be overly hot, just tangy. As best I can tell, this one contained jalapenos, garlic, mint, scallions, black pepper, salt, flat-leaf parsley, olive oil, lemon zest, a little sugar. Some water. No spices, because the mussel broth had plenty of good flavor. Mix raw in blender or immersible blender.
For vegetables or fish, you might want to use some of the spices the recipes suggest.
Flank steak is from the abs of cattle. It's inexpensive, lean, a bit tough, and tasty. If a ribeye is made for pan-frying, Flank is made for a hot charcoal grill.
Here's how we make it great: Marinate overnight in supermarket Italian dressing with some honey added. Throw on a very hot grill for a few minutes on each side so you get a good crust from the marinade and the honey. It should look like the photo inside. Rest for a few minutes, then slice thin on the bias against the grain.
Really good served with grilled vegetables: peppers, asparagus, tomatoes, squash, mushrooms, etc.
I had the delight of attending a Connecticut Shad Bake on Sunday after a day of trout fishing. My pic above of shad (with lardons) on planks, with a tray of shad roe above. Shad roe is a special food for us. Shad Bakes are done on rough planks over an open wood fire.
Some pics of somebody else's Shad Bake. Yes, you nail the filets on the planks. The only seasonings are salt and pepper.
Shad are anadromous fish which migrate up rivers to breed in April and the beginning of May. The jolly bake I was invited to attend had Connecticut River shad, expertly-boned (few people know how to filet a Shad) along with whatever sacks of roe that the female Shad contained.
Nice outdoor party, in the woods by a large pond. Seemed like I had two degrees of separation from people I met there.
Serve it up with beer, cole slaw, potato salad, and strawberry shortcake for dessert.
A daughter visiting from LA helped me work the garden today, and decided to make a tart for her friend. Crust from scratch, of course. That's a BD family specialty- flakey pie crusts.
Rhubarb tarte is amazing, in my opinion. We grow good rhubarb here. I took it from my Mom's rhubarb patch when she died. Rhubarb takes minimal care, grows like a weed but does not spread. Just a pile of cow manure on top in early Spring.
Ribeye, whether as a roast or cut into steaks, is the tastiest and most succulent cut of any ungulate. I prefer the steaks over the roasts, because I love the contrast between the surface, caramelized char and the almost raw center. Pan broiled, of course. Salivating as I write that... To me, regular prime roast is just an excuse to eat fresh horseradish.
Since we're on the topic, what's a New York Strip Steak? Not my favorite, but ok in a pinch. In my opinion, the only cut suitable for a grill.
Some of our readers, like me, have butchered countless deer (not perfectly, but well-enough) and know all the cuts of hoofed critters first-hand.
One more: Italians (Northern Italians) love their steaks. It's the luxury Secondi in Italy. When I cook a steak, I sometimes throw a couple of sliced onions in the juice, sometimes some garlic too but it's not needed. Good steak needs only salt and pepper, maybe some olive oil, and butter. Italians like to flavor steak with lauro (laurel leaf) or rosemary. I do not care for that Lauro (Italian Bay) flavor.
The BD family will also be celebrating another almost- arising from death on Sunday. My father in law recovered from his quadruple bypass after a near-fatal heart failure, returning back home from San Diego on Saturday and we'll all provide an Easter feast for them down in NJ after their Mass - if they can get to Mass. They never miss Mass. At worse, a priest visits but they do not need that yet. Guy emails me that he feels great.
Along the way, he learned that one or two drinks per day can help prevent future heart problems. Will not need to twist this Irishman's arm about that wholesome remedy. It seems mild to moderate alcohol enjoyment prevents heart disease. Diet, otherwise, does not seem to matter at all so no fruits and greens and nuts for this Irish meat and potatoes mensch.
Most cultures in the world have some form of fried dough treat.
In the US, you have to know where to go to get a fresh deep-fat-fried donut with a hard crust. I am no fan of Dunkin Donuts' donuts because they seem like cake donuts to me. No crunch, no grease, no good. OK for a quick sugar fix.
I can't figure out whether any Dunkin Donuts are fat-fried or not. There was a time when they were made on premises by Fred, but no longer. They are made off-site and delivered early. And yes, their bagels are frozen. I've seen them delivered at 4:30 AM. Toasted, tho, they aren't terrible bagels.
I go for their bad coffee.
The cool food court under the Plaza Hotel has a kiosk that fries mini-donuts to order. The real deal. Great. A place in Wellfleet used to do it, but it's gone now.
You want a ribeye as thick as you can get from the butcher. One inch is not really thick enough. Go for the 1 1/2 or 2". Worth the price. Please, never subject a ribeye to a grill.
I am more of a beer or wine guy, but for treats with buddies I am known to go for a whisky. That means Scotch, not bourbon. No bias, though.
I was introduced to Highland Park by Craig McDonald in Scotland. A man who knows his whiskys and lots of other things. If you can put up with male teasing, he's good company on hill hikes in the highlands.
With the kids mainly out of the house, I began a plan in 2017 to catch up with pals alone or as couples at least twice a week. It has been great fun. As a natural introvert, I recommend it as a plan.
I am blessed with interesting, smart, creative, and amusing pals who, like me, always have stories to tell. It's a very good thing for guys to get together, and not just in guy Bible study groups, poker, or with sports. A good reality check, laughs and tears, tragedies and triumphs. Very little politics.
Mrs. BD has been in charge of the social life in the past, but I take care of my own now. Drinks, burger, whatever. Connecting is not just for the gals. I believe that gals need gal time and guys need guy time.
A whiskey makes guy communication more open, because guys tend to be reserved. God made spirits for a reason.
The problem with home-made pizza is that an oven does not have the hot surface or heat of a wood-fired or commercial pizza oven. That's why we usually pre-cook the crust before cooking again with the toppings. 500 degrees or close is oven pizza temperature. Also, pre-heat the darn oven.
Pizza dough is easy to make, or to buy fresh pizza dough balls at your market. My preference is a thin, cracker-like crust with burn marks on the bottom.
Our current favorite topping is rather effete, but don't knock it if you haven't tried it: Olive oil, Goat cheese, arugula or dandelion, sliced fresh figs, and sprinkled with pignoli and then with some ground pepper. Best to wilt the bed of arugula in some oil for a minute first.
I worked late last night, so Mrs. BD and her Dad brought me a take-out Osso Bucco from one of our favorite Italian trattorias where they had had dinner.
I've made it several times, and have eaten it out for dinner several times too. This was the best. Done right, the veal shank meat falls off the bone and can be cut with a fork. The jus has to be thick, flavor-packed, with no darn tomato in it. Porcinis - ok. They added a handful of small apple cubes towards the end of the long cook which added a bit of sweetness to the jus - perfect touch.
It was on a very small bed of papparedelle - my favorite. Just enough to grab some jus. Since it's a northern Italian specialty, it's sometimes served on a bed of polenta or rice. Or just plain.
That's real Italian cuisine. My advice: Have a great one in an excellent restaurant, and then try to copy it at home. No tomato.
A chef friend brought me this canned treat from a trip to Paris. She swears it is delicious, and she is always right. It's a goose confit cassoulet. Cassoulet is peasant food, and confit is for things that would be difficult to eat without the confit treatment.
If you've made a cassoulet yourself you know how much work it is, mainly making the confit. I've done it only twice, making confit of things my friend and I shot: Snow Goose breast, wild boar sausage, wild duck leg, pheasant leg. It is remarkable how the confit process can dissolve all of the tendons in a duck or pheasant leg.
Anyway, if you want to try the canned I discovered that you can get them via Amazon, shipped from France. What can't you get on Amazon?
Here's a homemade cassoulet, correctly finished with breadcrumbs on top. You serve it with baguette. Yes, it's a white bean casserole with sausages and confit meats.
100 classic French recipes. Every chef owns a copy of this. Lots of photos. Try the mussels in cream sauce. The Techniques section at the end is clear, with photos.
Sarsaparilla Float: Just with a scoop of vanilla ice cream (Root Beer also ok, but not quite as good)
Summer really begins this weekend, up here, with Independence Day. Just a few summery links:
Readers know we think it's a sin to grill a great steak (like a ribeye, for example), but we are totally on board with grilling vegetables, burgers, hot dogs - and fish. Fish is great for the grill.
We took my father in law out for dinner yesterday to our favorite Italian joint. I had two appetizers for supper (I often like to do that): Carpaccio, and the steamed PEI mussels in Green Harissa.
I have always preferred my marshmallows to catch on fire to produce a somewhat burnt crust. Others like them just browned. 
Ribeye, whether as a roast or cut into steaks, is the tastiest and most succulent cut of any ungulate. I prefer the steaks over the roasts, because I love the contrast between the surface, caramelized char and the almost raw center. Pan broiled, of course. Salivating as I write that... To me, regular prime roast is just an excuse to eat fresh horseradish.
Better than I could have done:
Popularly known as Easter. The word Easter comes from the Teutonic goddess of spring, Eustre.
A Greek Salad seems too healthy to be tasty, but it is. 
Most cultures in the world have some form of fried dough treat.
I am more of a beer or wine guy, but for treats with buddies I am known to go for a whisky. That means Scotch, not bourbon. No bias, though.
Like Apple Pie and a bit easier. Much easier than a Tarte Tatin.
"Osso bucco" means marrow bone. 
100 classic French recipes. Every chef owns a copy of this. Lots of photos. Try the mussels in cream sauce. The Techniques section at the end is clear, with photos.