How About Some Hope?

I know, I know, I know, last week I was mournful couldn't leave it alone debt ceiling guy. Well, forget that guy, this week I'm hopeful, enjoy the summer, corn's in and the worlds all right, had a great weekend, screw the earthquake, screw the hurricane, what me worry? Guy. Went to a wedding on Long Island this weekend. Weddings are awesome unless they're yours. If they're yours you're stressing out way to much to enjoy the moment. Like Christmas your own wedding is one long build-up to moment that, no matter how perfect, can't live up to the long build-up. Being a guest at a wedding is like Thanksgiving, you're surrounded by people you care about, there is plenty of food, nobody cares if you drink to much, and if you are really, really lucky there might be football. (I can name at least 2 weddings that had football, sweet!)

Saturdays wedding didn't have football, but it had a banjo player, lobster, free drinks, perfect weather, steak, did I mention the free drinks? a bus ride to the after party, fruit trees, a great setting, and of coarse the  pure joy of people in love.

The fruit trees would be to the left, the huge corn hedge to the right. Even I was impressed.

That's what you saw when you burst through the corn hedge. It was a perfect girlgasiam moment. (for the purpose of this blog a girlgasiam has nothing to do with sex, it is the moment that happens when reality and  magical expectations meet. For example; when a girl scout troop accidentally runs into Justin Bieber in a public place. That high keening sound that can sterilize frogs at 100 paces defines an actual girlgasiam. Older women don't make the sound but you can still see a girlgasiam on their face. Women seem to be more open with their emotions, more open to the possibility of magic, and more willing to display the combination of the two in public. Hence the girlgasiam. It is a very good thing, especially at a wedding).

I have to admit that field does sort of make you want to just roll around in the grass. I, being an old tight ass, refrained, but it made me feel good thinking about doing it. The ladies, all in cruel shoes so they would look good, shed their footwear at once to frolic in the grass. Oops! Remember fruit to the left, corn to the right, that means bees in the middle. Ouch! Even multiple stings couldn't ruin the party though. So after a day of drinking, bocce, croquet, and music there was steak, lobster, potato salad, snap peas, and corn salad. Wicked good corn salad.

Wicked good!

Now this was caterer corn salad. It was wicked good, but for your purposes hold off on the salad until you have already had the corn a different way. A while ago I told you how to roast corn. Well, we need to roast a mess of corn. Have a grill with one side on low heat. Arrange the coals so there is only indirect heat on one side of your grill or just turn off one side of the grill if you are using gas (Duh!) Load the low heat side of the grill with ears of corn. 4 minutes, quarter turn, 4 minutes, quarter turn, keep going until the corn is cooked with plenty of char on the kernels.

Mmmm Mexican grilled corn!

1. In a small bowl mix a couple of tablespoons of mayonnaise, a teaspoonful (or more if you'd like) of adobo sauce, salt and the juice of a lime.
2. Grate up a mess of cotija cheese ( a low moisture cheese from Mexico ). The flavor is similar to parmesan so don't go nuts looking for it unless you want to be obsessively authentic.
3. Spread a thin film of the dressing on the corn.
4. Roll the corn in the cheese.
5. Sprinkle the corn with finely chopped cilantro.
6. Go nuts but save some of the corn for tomorrows salad.

1. Take 5 or 6 ears of the corn you gorged on yesterday. Stand an ear on its' end and remove the kernels with a downward slice.
2. Dice a red onion fine.
3. Dice a halapeno fine ( remove the seeds and ribs if you are a heat sissy).
4. Cook two strips smokey bacon, Mmmm bacon! crisp. Crumble it up.
5. Take 1,2,3,4 and mix in a bowl.
6. In a separate bowl mix some corn oil, (not olive oil it will overwhelm the corn. If you don't have corn oil use canola or safflower oil.) lime juice, salt, pepper, and cilantro.
7. Combine with the corn mixture. Let it come up to room temperature before you serve.

By the time the sun had gone down everyone should have been done, but weddings seem to bring out the party in even the most staid individuals. Look! Dowager aunt Minerva is doing the hooky poky. Great food, multiple girlgasiams, free alcohol... who wants to go home? We didn't. So magically up comes a bus to whisk us off to the after party.

You can never go wrong with a townie bar.

Three dollar 16 ounce drafts in frosted mugs, Old Bay Chips, fooze ball, Red Sox on the tube, darts, and a bus load of women that had free cocktails all afternoon. Time for a guygasiam. No not me, you all know I keep an even keel, respect boundaries, don't take advantage of the drunk, and go home alone. I did grab me a bag of those chips though.

  You have to think the world is a great place where people can fall in love then combine that love with crab chips just so I can have a great weekend. I take the last three posts back. Life is great. Screw you hurricane. Screw you east coast earthquake. Life is good.