It’s “Date Night” once again, so my wife and I will enjoy another good meal tonight. I prepared last night’s dinner on the grill, as I continue to experiment with “Beer Can Chicken,” originally done by me using a partially filled Diet Coke can. The can kept collapsing so one of the cooking channels suggested using a Bundt cake pan. I’ve struggled with getting a crispy skin on the lower half, as the pan seems to shield the heat. After an hour and a half on the grill, the four-pound whole chicken still appeared anemic on the surface, so I had to put it in the oven for another half-hour to brown it up. As a result, we had a late dinner. Next time, I will use all three burners on the grill. 

I’ve never been a cook or even a grill master, but vowed to make dinner at least one night a week in retirement. Pots, pans, ovens, grills, and even supermarkets are still intimidating to me. My wife is pretty spoiled when it comes to dining and it’s often difficult to appease her sensitive pallet. Last week, we enjoyed a pricey Outstanding In the Field (OITF) culinary extravaganza involving a table of 280 guests and a menu from popular Vancouver, B.C. chef David Hawksworth. The setting was along an inlet on the east side of the city. To be honest, it had been relocated from it’s original picturesque site to a much less impressive  industrial park. Outstanding in an industrial park?

Most of the OITF food preparation was done on massive grills and we had an opportunity to speak with the chef and his crew during a lengthy cocktail party. We ended up sitting at the end of the massive table behind a grassy knoll that blocked some of the rusty structures and barges along the waterfront. Our table guests included a group of television producers that discussed their involvement in the Amazon series, The Man in the High Castle, along with some children’s shows like Teletubbies. I don’t think I’ll spend much time watching the latter, but I’ve always been fascinated with Adolph Hitler and his  Nazi regime. I started watching it this morning. It depicts “a dystopian alternate history taking place in a parallel universe,” as if Germany had won World War II. It’s a far cry from sappy Downton Abbey.

Last night’s grilling effort marked the very first time that I also did the food shopping, since there was nothing in the refrigerator after this trip into Canada. My wife normally does the shopping for the recipes that I pick out. In this case, I selected the chicken and corn-on-the-cob that we ate. My trips to the store typically involve non-food items like bottled water, Diet Coke, dog food, vitamins, and cleaning products. She actually enjoys picking out the fresh produce and meats. I think I did all right on the shopping, but the grilling left a bit to be desired. Nonetheless, our dogs always seem to be happy with my cooking. I’ll try again next week with a different recipe to build back some confidence.