A burger with sauteed foie gras and caramelized onions. With both kids in school, lunch dates are frequent and no need for a sitter. This juicy sample came from a  local joint here in Long Beach called Working Class Kitchen.

It was amazing.

baseball

Fall ball is in full swing, no pun intended. Saturday means practice followed by a game on Sunday, but there’s something really nice about being surrounded by trees, other great parents and a kid who loves to smack the ball into next week.

Along with games comes snack enrollment, a hot topic because every parent’s food choices are different. Personally I’d rather skip the whole thing but somehow it seems like a tradition, so for now I’ll try to push the fruit and cheese sticks and maybe a granola bar. I really don’t mind being the dad with a cooler full of boring eats.

Babble came up with an interesting list of why being a dad rocks. Obviously I agree with the whole list and then some.

Did you know you can use your kids Crayola crayons when the big one hits? No not for playing hangman, each crayon is supposed to burn for 30 minutes and because the pack sizes seem to be getting bigger and looking more like a Pantone color chart, you’ll have more than enough light to last until help appears. Step aside tea candles.

My best eat this week at home? A simple meatball sub. Usually, that’s what the kids will have if we visit Togos, our favorite sandwich place. Make your own with 3-4 meatballs covered in pasta sauce. Lay some sliced Havarti on top and throw it under the broiler until melted and bubbly. Easy and takes about 5 minutes. I swear I was Italian in a former life.

How does Bacon Donut Holes with bacon fat frosting sound? Check these out from Oh Bite It. Don’t forget a napkin.

I’ve always wanted my own wood burning pizza oven in the back yard, but lately I’ve had great results with a square pizza stone on top of my gas grill. Yes making your own dough is impressive but if you can’t, don’t be shy buying store bought. The key is to roll it out paper thin and keep the toppings light and simple. With a smear of leftover pasta sauce from the meatball sub night, and some sliced chicken and apple sausages, all I needed was to top each pizza with a well-aged Gruyere cheese. 

Amongst all of these activities and eating, we still had time to watch the movie, Grease. My daughter who dances three times a week loved the classic musical and even I got a little nostalgic.

Have a great week everyone,

Gerry.