A Mothers Day Weekend In The Midwest

At one point in time the Midwest seemed like a foreign land to me. I had heard of Kansas City and Lees Summit, Missouri because my father traveled here for his work. As a kid I had watched the Kansas City Chiefs and the Kansas City Royals playing in that foreign land. Being a southern boy that was born and raised in a town of 50,000 I was overwhelmed on Razorback football Saturdays sitting in the stands with my pops and my brother amongst 55,000 people realizing, there were more people in the stadium than my hometown. When I first realized my wife and I would be moving to a metropolitan area of 2 plus million I thought to myself, I know that place, there is the Chiefs, the Royals and there is a little town called Lees Summit that dad used to travel to. Within a week of that day Lees Summit became my home and is my home. Now, I am a Midwestern guy that has some southern roots. Yesterday was just another of the thousands of great days I've had in my Midwestern home. However it was not just any day.

My wife and I moved to the Kansas City area to continue our careers with what at the time was the largest communications company in the world. It was the same communications company my mother and father worked 35 years for, the same communications company that my father traveled with to the once foreign land. After getting the great opportunity for early retirement my wife and I took advantage of that and retired from our first careers after 25 years. We took a year off and I contemplated what I would do in my next career. I wanted to drive! I love being in a vehicle and seeing things go by, listening to the radio and being a part of the outside elements. I thought about being an over the road driver but I love home and my family to much to be gone that much. Then one day it came to me, I would love to drive in the country, see the farmers working in the fields, have wildlife sightings and deliver the mail. So that is exactly what I do and love. How lucky am I!

I woke up yesterday with a great sense of anticipation. I will experience my favorite workday of the year and then come home and cook my wife her Mothers Day dinner. She has Mothers Day plans with some of our new family members so I will be cooking Prime Rib for her Mothers Day dinner on Saturday night. But first things first! Today is the USPS Food Drive To Stamp Out Hunger. This is the day that our generous caring customers leave food items for their mail carriers to pick-up and help the food pantry's restock during a time where they traditionally run low on donations.

This is my truck as I am leaving to deliver my route. It is loaded with mail and packages and I hope to replace that with food as the day goes along.

After 5 plus hours and 54 miles I am extremely pleased! My dear people in the country side of Grain Valley, I am very proud to be your mail carrier. I will always be out there watching out for you, your families, and your property as if you are my family. Thank you so much for letting me serve you. It is truly a pleasure.

 After a truly great work day and feeling a real sense of accomplishment I get to go home to the person on this earth, that I love more than anything. I will be honoring the lady that has spent 35 years with me, traveled to this once foreign land with me,  allowed me the honor of being her husband and most importantly the father to her three children. No man could ask for more than I have been blessed with in those 35 years.

The Mothers Day menu will be Prime Rib, Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Grilled Asparagus. When I arrived home Peggy had garlic roasting and some appetizer sized stuffed mushrooms side by side in the oven. I will start by prepping the grill and putting the rub on the Prime Rib. This is a small rib roast that I cut off of a whole rib eye loin a short while back.

I find this as a preferable way to buy beef when the prices are good. It allows me to cut steaks to different sizes. From this particular loin there were 8 nice rib eyes, and a small prime rib. On this occasion I also purchased a strip loin that weighed approximately 15 lbs and cut Kansas City Strips. I get the knives and vacuum sealer out and stock the freezer. The trimmings from the two loins made an outstanding steak vegetable soup on that February day when there was still a chill in the air.

Here is tonight's prime rib which is approximately 35% to 40% of the size of the ones I normally cook. For many, they will look at this cut and say it is too fat and I will agree that it is fat and then tell you, that is why it is the most flavorful cut of roast/steak. You will see two things that appear to be fat on this rib eye, white harder fat and white streaks (marbling) within the meat. When you see a cut of beef that is heavy on these white veins of fat grab it as fast as you can. Odds are it will be Prime grade or at worst Choice grade. You will not be seeing this in Select grade and I would tell all that can afford to do so to stay away from Select grade or lower. The best chefs will be hard pressed to make you a tender flavorful steak, brisket or roast from a Select grade or lower. This is a Choice grade which I find very acceptable, the marbling you see in this rib eye will render out as it cooks and that is what will make this cut so full of flavor. The white harder fat is essentially holding the cut together and what doesn't render out will be left as scraps on the plate.

This cut does not need any real dressing up. I am rubbing it with grape seed oil, mainly to hold the dry rub on and allow me to work it into the surface. I will use a Montreal Steak Grinder, Sea Salt and add some cracked Black Pepper.

When the loin was boned out it allowed it to collapse and become elongated. That is fine for steaks but for a rib roast I want it to be more uniform to cook longer and more evenly. To accomplish this I will use some butcher sting and tie it up.

After searing the exterior for several minutes over the coals I've prepared the grill for indirect cooking. I seared it just long enough to get the fat cap on top to start rendering some fat very early in the cook. I've moved the rib eye roast away from the coals with a heat deflector underneath. I've prepared a drip pan with 2 cups of beef broth, garlic powder and onion powder. It will catch some of the drippings and I will use this to flavor an aus jus to be served with dinner.

I will level the temperature off at 325. I've inserted a meat probe to be able to monitor the internal temperature without opening the grill. Meanwhile Peggy and I are able to sit and enjoy some time in the sun room. Once the cooking process starts moving along I will start preparing sides.  Peggy has peeled some Yukon Gold potatoes, and I am fixing to make the best Garlic Mashed Potato recipe I've ever had. I will drain the potatoes and add a small amount of butter for flavor. I use a small knife and pop each clove out of the pod of garlic adding all of them to the potatoes, followed by a generous drizzle of the olive oil  that the garlic roasted in. This will give them a smooth, silky texture that is unmatched. I use condensed milk to get the final consistency I like.

This is as simple as cooked asparagus gets. I 've broken the spears where they want to break, tossed them in olive oil, and seasoned with kosher salt and cracked black pepper. I've prepared a grill and this can cook in the length of time that the meat will rest. When we have this with steaks we shut the air flow off on a hot grill and throw the asparagus on while our steaks rest. I'm using a separate grill tonight.

The rib eye roast is ready to come off and be tented and the grill is ready for the asparagus. I cooked the roast to 133 degrees internal. It will probably come up to 137 or thereabouts while resting. I like the rare side of medium rare and Peggy likes the more medium side of medium rare. This should please us both. I cooked at 325 degrees until the internal temperature hit 115 and at that time I opened the air vents up and took the grill to 425 degrees for the last 15 to 20 minutes until reaching the desired temperature. This adds a crustiness to the outer edges and renders more fat.

Everything is ready and it is time for a late dinner. I carved the rib eye and I liked what I saw. The meat though medium rare, is still very juicy.   As the meat cools further, the juices will soak in and Peggy will have her light pink cut that she desires.

While we prepare our plates we will preview the wine we will serve with dinner.  I am a firm believer in finding a good bargain bottle except for very special occasions. Tonight we are having a Cabernet we had on hand that retails for about $15. I can always find a good wine to pair with a meal for $15 to $20 and if I'm feeling thrifty I can find a nice wine for $10. Peggy has put the aus jus together using fresh beef broth, some pan drippings and kitchen bouquet. A good horseradish will top the rib roast off.

My plate:

Peggy's Mothers Day dinner:

It has been one of those days that I will file away and think back to, when I count my blessings. It was around 6 pm when I could actually start cooking, yet dinner was served at the same hour as many of the times we go out with a reservation. To my wife Peggy I would like to say, you have opened my eyes to so many great things, you have not only supported my hobbies you have embellished them by giving me wonderful gifts I've used to pursue them. You inspire me to be creative and encourage me when I fail. So much of who I am is is a result of being with you. I hope you have a wonderful Mothers Day.

To all the other mothers out there, I wish you all a Happy Mothers Day. Try to find a day to enjoy in the kitchen or on the deck with the grill. I know it is hard to enjoy cooking when you are cooking for a family after a hectic day but it is possible because Peggy and I used to do it. It is relaxing and rewarding while nourishing your family. I cannot count the number of you, past and present that have greatly influenced my life. To my mom you were and are simply the best. I do miss you, but you are with me every day in all the little ways you taught me to live my life. Happy Mothers Day all.

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