That may not be completely accurate. I like Filet-O-Fish, Fish Sticks, and – well, I like shrimp, lobster, crabs, some of the fish you get when it’s properly prepared and calamari. Yes, calamari. Calamari is the food of the Gods and should be eaten at least thrice daily.
We recently hit Sea Salt during the middle of the afternoon. Given the reviews on Yelp and other sites, it seemed that they were too popular to try during peak hours. On a lovely, but cool, May afternoon we ventured in to check out the cuisine.
Signage is about zero.
The restaurant has a terrible website. Its signage is even worse. Then there’s the location: the middle of a public park in what probably was a picnic shelter with a kitchen at one point. None of that matters given the delicious food inside. The Minnesota hours work for locals, but if you’re from the coast, they close at 8 in the evening.
This is about it for signage.
My wife and I started with the Calamari. THE.BEST.IN.YEARS. I haven’t had Calamari that good since I was last in Monterey, California. It was flavorful, not oily, crisp to chew, and came with a great sauce. The serving was extremely generous, and I will order nothing but Calamari the next time. We’re talking 9 out of 10 stars – it was a tad bit salty.
9 out of 10 stars – cut the salt and it’s a 10.
The crab cake basket was the main reason we went for lunch – my wife loves crab cakes. She got the double (no such thing as too much crab for her. Keep catching them, Sig Hansen) portion which came with a crisp/dry cole slaw that was perfect for the meal. This wasn’t the best she’d ever had, but a solid 8 out of 10 stars. Worth the drive for Minnesotans who usually get their crab cakes from a box in the freezer section.
The garnish was delightful. Good sized cakes as well.
The chowder. OOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHH! Crab and Corn. Peppery. Chunks of potato. Creamy. Delicious. More. 10 of 10.
Fantastic.
But the thing that made me smile the most was the bread. They had little loaves of jalepeno corn bread with honey butter. I have pondered the worth of selling my soul for a lifetime supply of that stuff. Here it was and I could keep my faith. It was perfect. 10 of 10 stars. (seeing a trend?)
A bit heavy on the butter – I did that all by myself.
Interior. It’s nice in a very chrome/hipster sort of way. An impressive assortment of beers if you’re a drinker of said beverage. I don’t anymore, but the names all have good reputations locally. It more closely represents an indoor sidewalk cafe than a restaurant when you get right down to the nub of things. It fits the overall feel of the place, so it’s not out of context.
Lotsa brewskies to choose from here.
The staff. All pleasant and polite, and as far as looks go I fit right in with them. No tuxedos, not even coordinated T-shirts. The service was great and if you’re hung up on appearance you’re probably not eating at a building in the middle of a city park. The cooks know their stuff, and the food came out fast for having been made to order.
I have the same hat as the staff. Eclectic.
Would I go again? Absolutely. It’s on the list for afternoon lunches with my wife. I can only imagine how packed it is during the summer.
Price and quality went hand in hand, we spent about $55 with tip. Not bad. Very good, in fact.
Prices are reasonable, variety excellent.
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I have a favor to ask of my readers: would you kindly share this blog with your friends, family, and colleagues? We hit a million views in 2014, and while the readership continues a nice growth trend, it could be a lot better. Just hit the Facebook like button, share it on your timeline, tweet the blog with a link, and tell that person at the next desk that there’s this lunatic who writes about all sorts of stuff that they might like.
I appreciate your help. When we hit 2,000,000 readers I will give away something cool to a drawing from the subscribers (that’s the box on the right toward the top) who have helped promote this mess. No used sheets, probably not honey, more likely gift cards. Be a part of it. I’ll update from time to time where we’re at in the count. Thanks.
Right out of the chute, I’d like to say “Thank You.” You, my friends and regular readers, have voted to bring Tamara Jorell and your humble (that’s a lie) scribe into the top ten in the Faith 900 writers contest. Thank you for your kind attention to our requests. It is very much appreciated. I’ll let you know when the winners are selected.
Now, for the rest of our story.
Two years ago my friend Carol and I started making jam. It was fun. We already had the basic tools in each of our kitchens, just had to buy some supplies and we put up about thirty jars.
This year, we’re up to 149 jars and it’s not even canning season. The madness that is jam making has taken hold in my heart. I would like to share it with you and MWHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA watch you drift into that dead zone I live in every day. Shelves full of sweetened fruit preserves, specialized spoons, canning tools, and other implements of financial destruction.
Or, I’d like to share my love of a new hobby. It’s one of the above.
(One caution: the results of recipes like this vary quite a bit with the moisture content and flavor of the fruit you use. Assume, for a minute, that you have the same fruit as we did for that magic day. It will then turn out to be wonderful. If you blindly follow the recipe and your oranges are juicier, drier, or more tart, it may be something other than wonderful. You have been warned!)
Let’s start with the needed stuff to do it right. By right, I mean without struggling with all the mess and horror of using non-specialized implements. The basic premise is that you will do batches of 50-80 jars of your product.
A really long wooden stirring spoon/paddle. It should reach at least 6 inches above the rim of your biggest pot. You don’t want your fingers near that mix when it’s boiling. The one I use is handmade and was a gift. But you’ll find them on the web. Mine has a large paddle surface and it allows me to keep scraping the bottom of the pan so nothing sticks.
A large ladle. One that will hold at least 1/4 of a pint. Again, make sure the handle is at least 6 inches longer than the depth of your pot.
2 “Canning” pots. You can buy these at Walmart, Fleet Farm, and pretty much any place that sells canning supplies. The prices vary widely, but you can usually score them under $20 later in the season. I use two, because I hate waiting for stuff to cook.
A canning funnel and a jar holder. The funnel is designed for wide-mouth jars. It fits over the rim of the jar and gives you a guide to pouring in the mix for a good seal. It is so much easier than trying to ladle into the jar and then having to clean the rim to get a seal. The stainless ones look cool, but they transfer heat and you will be pouring 200+ degree jam through it 80 times. Plastic doesn’t transfer heat as well. I like plastic.
Gripper on the left, funnel on the right
The can gripper is the only way to go when placing and extracting jars in boiling water. It is designed to grab wide-mouth jars, keep your little fingers out of the boiling water, and give a good grip on the jars.
The two items are each under $15, and can be used over and over. Money well spent.
Jars. I like the wide mouth jars. Easier to use in my opinion. Pick the brand you want, all are pretty similar. Just beware when you buy them on sites like Snaigs list that the price is often no deal and the rims may be chipped. Buy new, they’re about $9.00 for a dozen jars. That’s the 1/2 pint and pint sized jars. Just sterilize them before using them. I wash them all by hand the morning of the cook while the “brew” is coming up to temperature. I do not reuse the lids, but I do reuse the rings. Shop the web for lids and rings, the prices vary widely and there are great specials all the time. I will never have to buy a lid again, I’ve got about a five year supply laid in. Ask my wife.
Preliminaries are over, now for the recipe:
Orange marmalade, blood style
I like blood oranges. They are in season for only a few weeks each year. You can use regular oranges if you want, but I like the unique flavor of blood oranges.
Chop/tear/rip up 55 large blood oranges. Do NOT include the white part known as the pith.
Juice 6 very large lemons
Shred peel for 8 oranges (1/8 inch wide, 1 inch or less in length)
Shred peel for 2 lemons (1/8 inch wide, 1 inch or less in length)
3.5 liters of high-pulp orange juice
5 pounds of granulated sugar
10 pounds of honey
19 ounces of Pectin
MOST IMPORTANT POINT: Stir the mixture constantly. Never let it rest for more than two or three minutes or you risk burning the liquid on the bottom of the pot. I use a heat diffuser (Different than this one, but quite similar) on the burner to even the heat. But you must be ready to stir this mixture for up to four hours. Teamwork!
This is where we start.
Easiest method is to quarter the oranges and remove the fruit with your fingers.
Take the peeled oranges and shred them. I put 2/3 of mine in a blender, and tore the rest up into gummy-bear sized bits.
It takes forever.
Shred the peel using a knife or other kitchen implement. It should look like this:
Shredded peel
Put the oranges, the juice of the lemons and oranges, and the shredded peel (both lemon and orange) in the pot. Start it out on medium to low heat.
Once the mix starts to heat a bit, add the orange juice.
Once this has boiled, test for sweetness. I included five pounds of sugar in the recipe because if your oranges and lemons are super tart you will need to keep adding sugar until it hits the taste point you seek. Ours were very bitter and required the whole bag. I know it’s a lot of sugar, but you’re making 70 1/2 pint jars of jam.
Bring it back to a boil and begin adding pectin until the consistency is correct. Generally it’s best to add a few ounces at a time and mix it in completely. Once the dribbles off the stirring spoon are globules versus a drizzle you’ve hit the magic spot. Some will put a spoon full of the mix on a frozen plate. If you can then turn the plate to the vertical and the marmalade doesn’t run, it’s the right consistency. It’s tough to judge, but thicker is better.
Once the mix is ready, turn the heat to low, or off. Using the ladle, constantly stir the mix so it stays consistent throughout the pot. Ladle the mix into the jars, using the funnel. Here’s how we set it up, and how the mix should fill the jar:
Gently place the lids on the jar and secure with the rings. Don’t tighten the ring all the way, leave a bit of play. When you put the jar in the boiling water bath you need to have it loose enough for air to escape from the jar.
Place the completed jar in the boiling water bath using the tongs. I set the water so that I can get three layers of cans in each pot. The trick is to gauge the depth: with each jar you add, the level comes up a bit toward the rim. If you get it just right, the top layer of jars will be 1-2 inches below the surface. The water must be at a fast boil when you add the jars. The jars will be hot, as you just put cooked jam in them. But they will be a bit cooler than the boiling water and so you have to keep the heat on the boiling pot the whole time.
Leave the jars in the boiling water for 15 minutes. This allows all the air to cook out, and when you remove the jar from the water the lid will be sealed in the ensuing vacuum. Set the jars on a table where they will be able to seal. Go back a few hours later and make sure all the jars are sealed. Tighten the rings down to hold the seal.
How do you know they were sealed in the process? Modern jar lids have an indentation on them that will pull down as the vacuum is applied. There is a satisfying “tink” noise as the lid is pulled down. You can also see it visually represented: if the dot is up, no seal. If the lid is flat it sealed.
Your jam should be good for up to a year. Some say marmalade is only good for 6 months. I probably won’t find out- it’s too good to last that long.
The recipe above made 70 jars of marmalade.
I hope you get as hooked as I am on this hobby. It’s not cheap, you can buy Smucker’s for less. But it won’t be yours and it won’t be nearly as good.
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I have a favor to ask of my readers: would you kindly share this blog with your friends, family, and colleagues? We hit a million views in 2014, and while the readership continues a nice growth trend, it could be a lot better. Just hit the Facebook like button, share it on your timeline, tweet the blog with a link, and tell that person at the next desk that there’s this lunatic who writes about all sorts of stuff that they might like.
I appreciate your help. When we hit 2,000,000 readers I will give away something cool to a drawing from the subscribers (that’s the box on the right toward the top) who have helped promote this mess. No used sheets, probably not honey, more likely gift cards. Be a part of it. I’ll update from time to time where we’re at in the count. Thanks.
It’s the final days of the contest and if you wait until Monday it will be too late.
My link is on top, my colleague Tamara Jorell’s right below it. Please click the links below and vote for us before you move on to the next item on your daily agenda.
Winning this contest means lunch with a publisher and a chance to pitch our books. Thanks in advance, and thanks to all who have already voted.
“You’ll have to speak up, Sir. I can’t hear you above the wind. Perhaps you could step inside somewhere? Oh, that’s much better. A reservation for a large group? Certainly. How many and when. Uh… well… certainly, sir.”
David hung up the phone a few moments later and slammed his head on the host podium. Drenched in sweat that could have come from the chicken fryer, he paged the manager.
“Yeah, Dave. What’s up?”
Tearing at his hair as though fire ants had taken up residence, David’s response was posted like the clacking of a manual typewriter’s keys: “There are 127 members of the Doorknobs coming for lunch. They want their own section and they should be here in about fifteen minutes. The leader said, “If there aren’t seats for everyone, and a glass with ice at every place when we arrive, we’ll just serve ourselves.”
Enrique had been the manager at Shirlene’s Steak House for three years. This had happened once before when he was a bus-boy. It took two weeks to put the place back together the last time. Without another moment passing, he reached behind the podium and pulled the fire alarm. Grabbing the staff before they could exit, he thanked the guests and apologized for the emergency. Locking the front doors, he gave orders to the staff to set every table with iced glasses and wait for the onslaught. Dialing the fire department, he explained that they’d had a false alarm and there was no need to send trucks.
Silencing the alarm, Enrique called the owner. They agreed it would be cheaper to feed the invading horde of outlaw bikers than to have the joint ruined again. Both agreed that staff safety was number one in their concerns.
Moments later the parking lot shook with the rumble of barely muffled engines. Wave after wave of bikers streamed into the lot, parking in a seemingly random fashion. Prospect members were left to guard the machines as the members clogged the doorway. No women in site, this was a combat run. Trouble would follow.
The leader, easily spotted by his extra grungy demeanor and plethora of patches, moved through the pack, delivering head slaps and kidney punches on his way to the front. “We have a reservation. We’re sitting down.” Without further ado, the regurgitated mass covered chairs with posteriors.
Servers took orders as quickly as they could. Tequila and Jack Daniels were top of the list, steak and chicken at the bottom. In the back, the cooks worked to produce orders as quickly as the bartender out front. That poor individual gave up even trying to keep track and just lined up every shot glass in the place in two rows: left for tequila, right for Jack Daniels.
Wondering why the servers had all vanished, Enrique signaled David to go check. When he failed to emerge, Enrique kept filling water glasses while he sent the bartender to check.
Three more minutes passed before Enrique felt his cell phone vibrate. Looking at the text message, he made his way toward the kitchen.
Opening the door he was yanked through and pushed along toward the back of the room by a series of rough hands. His kitchen was filled with SWAT team members. The last man in the line said, “Just wait out back. You’ll be safe. All your people are out there already.
As he headed into the mall adjoining the restaurant, Enrique heard the first flash-bang grenade detonate. They definitely wouldn’t be open for Sunday brunch tomorrow.
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I have a favor to ask of my readers: would you kindly share this blog with your friends, family, and colleagues? We hit a million views in 2014, and while the readership continues a nice growth trend, it could be a lot better. Just hit the Facebook like button, share it on your timeline, tweet the blog with a link, and tell that person at the next desk that there’s this lunatic who writes about all sorts of stuff that they might like.
I appreciate your help. When we hit 2,000,000 readers I will give away something cool to a drawing from the subscribers (that’s the box on the right toward the top) who have helped promote this mess. No used sheets, probably not honey, more likely gift cards. Be a part of it. I’ll update from time to time where we’re at in the count. Thanks.
This book contains a short story I did for a flash fiction contest hosted by my friend Charles Short at Christian Flash Weekly.
The first link was to the free pdf. It is meant to be used as a witnessing tool. If you’d like to buy a copy (I am doing it tonight) you can click on this link. I hope you enjoy it.
I’ve also managed to come in to the semi-final round with two different novels at the American Christian Fiction Writers Genesis contest. That’s kind of a big deal, as I have them in two very different categories. Not often you can pull that off. God’s been working on my writing. It’s paying off. Final round announcement will be made in about two weeks.
Last but not least, I was honored to be the emcee for the Catholic Cemeteries Memorial Day service. I got to talk about my friends, my comrades, and this nation I love. After 10 years I’m very comfortable at the podium. I would like to thank all of the people who attended on a cloudy day. Your remembering my friends means the world to me. God bless you all.
Big crowd, big hearts. Thank you all for coming.
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I have a favor to ask of my readers: would you kindly share this blog with your friends, family, and colleagues? We hit a million views in 2014, and while the readership continues a nice growth trend, it could be a lot better. Just hit the Facebook like button, share it on your timeline, tweet the blog with a link, and tell that person at the next desk that there’s this lunatic who writes about all sorts of stuff that they might like.
I appreciate your help. When we hit 2,000,000 readers I will give away something cool to a drawing from the subscribers (that’s the box on the right toward the top) who have helped promote this mess. No used sheets, probably not honey, more likely gift cards. Be a part of it. I’ll update from time to time where we’re at in the count. Thanks.
