In Amelia's Footsteps

A few years back, I spent a day in Lower Manhattan. I had driven with Mandy across the country to her new residence in Queens and while she reported to work for her first day on a new job, I took the subway to the City for a quick walkabout.  I rode the Staten Island Ferry, walked to the site of the World Trade Center and generally enjoyed being in that wonderful and historical place for a few moments. The next day, I got on a plane and came home.  It was the only time I have ever spent there – and as it was extremely limited (and as I was sick as a dog with a sudden cold), of course I am planning a return trip someday. There is more to see of New York City.

I have recently been reading much about Amelia Earhart.  I am reading about her and I am reading the few books she wrote herself.  She’s such an icon that few today know who she really was.  Even in her own time, her public “face” was carefully constructed and deliberately controlled to the extent it could be.  But in reading her own words, I feel I am getting to know her to a degree.

Whitehall Building in 1930

Tonight, while reading in her book The Fun Of It, written and published in 1932, she wrote of having visited the Head Weatherman of the USA (in those times), a man who collected and disseminated the National Weather Service’s forecasts to interested parties.  His name was "Dr. Kimball." She had made use of his services while she was involved in planning and executing the 1928 transatlantic flight in the Friendship with Wilmer Stultz and Louis Gordon where she was the “first woman to fly the Atlantic” (actually as baggage, as she put it, but that's another story).  This was about one year after Lindbergh flew to Paris in the Spirit of St Louis. 


Earhart’s profession, after that first Atlantic flight, was “promoter of aviation and its possibilities.”  Up until that flight and the doors it opened for her, she was not a career aviator.  But in this new role, as America’s ambassador of flight, she went to see this nationally-renowned meteorologist in his headquarters atop the Whitehall Building near Battery Park in Lower Manhattan, he whose information was indispensable to the aeronautical adventurers of that day.  There, she learned how each day’s weather data was collected, plotted, and predicted, and what this weather guru thought should be the future needs of his profession and its work, as it grew.  Much of what they discussed has come to pass in the subsequent years.

Whitehall Building as it looks today!

This Whitehall Building, where Amelia visited at some point between 1928 and 1932?  It is at 17 Battery Place across the street from Battery Park.  I looked it up on Google maps to see if it is still there.  It is.  I saw the satellite photo, and tonight, I looked at the front doors that Amelia walked through on her way to her interview upstairs (I love Google Street View).


I walked right past those front doors as I walked about Lower Manhattan that day a few years back. I am sure I looked at that building – because I looked at them all while letting the sights and sounds of Manhattan soak in.  So I discovered this evening that I have stood where Amelia Earhart stood and walked where she walked!  You know how I love to do that, live history.  Bliss.

NOTAM - A notice to present day airmen (and women) from an old and timid aviator.

I am an eternal student pilot and here are two of the main things I have learned: (1) no one is exempt from the laws of physics and (2) attitude is everything. Ernie Gann believed that the outcome in flying was largely controlled by "fate."  I only agree with that partially; we also quite often make our own luck.

I have been a pilot for many years (still a student though).  I started flying as a teen in the mid to late 1960s, and gained the first of my civil licenses in 1975.  Although I do not fly anymore,  I have something to say that is relevant.  If you fly, this is for you.  I survived my mistakes (often through dumb-luck) and I learned how to keep from bending aluminum and shearing wings off on trees. I never landed gear-up, mostly because I learned from others that it can be difficult to taxi back to the ramp once you do that…

From the beginning, back in the late 60s, what causes aircraft crashes has been of interest to me because foremost, I saw that many crashes happen for the same reasons over and over again.  There isn’t much new under the sun when it comes to human nature and physics, although we do still get surprised occasionally.  I love to fly and while I understand the risks, meeting my death doing so was never in my plans.  In examining the circumstances and errors of those air men and women who have augered flying machines into the ground, or rocketed straightforwardly into the cumulo-granite, we might avoid the same fate. 

Others agree with this basic approach; this is why the FAA and the AOPA sponsor Aviation Safety Seminars; this is why we pilots practice our flying skills repetitively.  Back in the good old days, I used to make it a matter of religiosity to read the MASS report first page to last, every single month (a summary of NTSB crash investigations). I’ve still got ‘em around here somewhere, along with all my old textbooks on flight physiology, of which I was a devoted student for about thirty years.

We drill, we fly simulators where we can set up emergency scenarios and aircraft failures of almost unlimited varieties, and learn how to extricate ourselves safely from the deep, dark pit of air-crash smoking-hole despair while there is still blue sky below.  We do this (study and drill) so our responses are correctly ingrained when mere seconds count. The worst advice ever given to a pilot whose “engine was on fire, hydraulic gone, gear won’t budge,” was "just wing it.”  While we make jokes about that, and about what a “good landing” is, these jokes are left behind when it’s wheels-up time because bouncing is not standard operating procedure for landings.  Aviating is serious business and should be undertaken only by those who can think, not only quickly but correctly.

From a time shortly after the Wrights first flew from a North Carolina beach, flight into adverse weather has been killing us.  Neophytes and experten alike have suffered this untimely demise on regular intervals through the years. It results from hubris, it results from get-there-itis, it results from ignorance. It results from thinking that because you have a “hot” and capable aircraft, you are somehow exempt (or more exempt) than the “other” guy.  Sometimes we think because of our immense load of piloting skill that we will somehow recognize impending doom and through those superior skills, think and act on the fly, in time, and survive.  This is the pilot the government’s flying manuals many years ago used to call “Ace Manymotors.”  Ace was the bad example.  Ace was an oblivious idiot.  Ace was, once or twice, or three times, me.

Uh..  no go?

Now that I’ve set this up for you, let me get to the point.  When it comes to weather, I learned early on what “go” and “no-go” was, sometimes almost by mistake.  Light general-aviation aircraft are what I am talking about. High-performance aircraft operate in a different world and they blast through yours in a hurry, if you're a GA pilot.  They have their own set of problems.  But if you are flying something with limited ceiling, in which group I include anything under FL250, you live and breathe as an aviator in an often stormy, dangerous world.  You need to learn what go and no-go is, visually. Those who do, survive.

I was lucky enough to survive my encounters with Jupiter Pluvius and his bastard off-spring (and in some instances, luck was all it was).  But you, if you are young or green, might never have seen what “no-go” is.  Go flying with, and listen to, the more conservative greybeards in your hangar (but not the crazy ones). Don’t be ashamed not to risk it.  If you are not sure, stay on the ground if you can’t give bad weather or poor visibility a wide-berth.  Don't just rely on the meteorologists either - they can get it terminally wrong.  Most of them work in basements with no windows and they haven't looked out there for hours.  It's true, I wouldn't lie to you.  Do you know when the last totally accurate weather forecast was?  It was when God told Noah...  Really, get all the information you can, but be sure to use your own eyes; there's no substitute.  A pilot has always been taught that he or she is responsible to collect all the available information concerning any proposed flight - and nothing is more important.

A couple of times, here in the intermountain west, I looked ahead to clouds and thunderstorm activity and thought, “I can make it through that, look, there’s light at the end of that tunnel," only to soil myself from "excitement" shortly thereafter -  when said storm threatened (or succeeded) to engulf me while I was scud-running.

In December 2013, a “good” pilot flew his beautiful Beech single into a rocky tree-covered ridge, after flying into and losing his engine (and his lift) in “known icing conditions.”  I’m not being facetious about his flying skills; I didn’t know him, whether he was a cautious man or a risk-taker and I don't know what was in his mind.  I only know that he was reported by others as a competent aviator.  Still, I wonder who didn’t teach him that storms like he was facing in the northern Rockies that day are no-go?

This pilot had just overflown a primitive back country airstrip, when, with rising terrain in front of him he reportedly picked up a load of ice. He not only had structural ice, but induction ice as well. The aircraft had a mechanism to clear the induction ice, but the pilot may not have followed procedures to accomplish that (that mechanism was determined to have been functional by the NTSB crash investigators).  It's also possible that the ice was so heavy that it overwhelmed the aircraft's capability to clear it.

He was apparently attempting to get back to that field he had just overflown. If you take a look at the approach to that field [Yellow Pine, ID] in clear weather, it is in the bottom of a narrow valley, almost a gulch, with high ridges on both sides. There are "YouTube" videos of the twisting approach to it; take a look at them. This is a tricky approach even in VFR conditions.  It was impossible in bad weather, with a load of ice and no power. He flew into a situation where he had zero chance.  Unfortunately, by the time he realized that desperate fact it was too late. 

From where I sit...

From the safety of my armchair, I can tell you that looking right in front of him and knowing the reported weather, he had to know this was a risky day for flying in a light single, IFR or not, even a high-performance one, and yet he took four others of his family with him.  His judgment that morning was definitely flawed.  At the risk of being preachy, what is it about nasty weather that we don't "get?"  Bad weather can kill you no matter who you are, and it will.  He deliberately flew into it, he quite predictably suffered the worst possible set of circumstances and failures, and he ended up without any options.  We never think it can happen to us, but it does happen on a regular basis.  It happens so frequently that some almost consider it normal.  So until you know what go or no-go is definitively, don’t guess. The plains, the forests and the mountain-sides are liberally scattered with the wreckage of those who did. Some of them were my friends.  

I wish "rest in peace" to the victims of this mishap.  Even more, I wish peace and comfort for the wide circle of friends and family these fine people left behind.  But these deaths were preventable and I find that excruciatingly sad.

[The NTSB's report on this incident cited continued flight into known icing conditions as the primary cause of the crash.]

Notice to advertisers and gossip-rag media types…

I will not be opening or reading ANY article about anyone or anything this year that employs the following stupid and overused words or phrases:

1.    “Weird Trick”

2.    “Flaunts”

3.    “Rocked”

4.     “Terrified” (as used in a context where no one could possibly be terrified by whatever it is they are writing about; overly-dramatic misuse of our language, over-exaggeration).

5.    So and so “comes out.” (A person’s sexual proclivities and sex life are or should be their own business and not a matter of interest to the general public, as long as no crimes are committed. I, for one, do not need to know).

6.    Anything that “goes viral.” 

7.    Any comments personally denigrating “libs,” any comments personally “smashing conservatives,” any comments that are demeaning of the President or his family (whether yours or mine). You may criticize policy or programs or laws, but shut the hell up about the President as a person.  Shut the hell up about the character or intelligence of people who do not share your opinions, especially people you don’t personally know.  I guarantee you that many of them are smarter than you.  Learn to listen. Our irrational hatreds are destroying our country from within.

Also, stories about people “they” keep shoving in our faces, especially people who possess no claim or reason to be prominent or famous whatsoever:

1.    “Justin Bieber”

2.    Either “Simpson” sibling

3.    Any “Kardashian” (or Jenner)

4.    Any “Lohan”

5.    Any “Spears”

6.    “Octomom”

7.    “Duck Dynasty” (who in the hell watches this trash anyway?)

8.    Endless coverage of crimes and “nothing-going-on right now” crime scene coverage, especially when reported from hovering helicopters.

9.    Photos of “baby bumps” that have no other purpose but to show us the bump.

10.                    News programs that do not report the news, that instead think they ARE the news (this is almost ALL of them). I really do not need to be told every few seconds that you “are holding the powerful accountable.”

11.                    “Reality” TV

12.                    Repeated showings of the same commercial.  Even worse, the consecutive showing of the same damned commercial back to back, or any commercial that tells me to "ask my doctor."  Get out! 

13.                    Commercials that insult a person’s intelligence.

14.                    Anyone or anything I’ve added to this list in the past.

These things are illustrative of our dumbed-down popular culture.  I wonder; when and how did we become such an ignorant, brain dead species (?)  Or is it simply that the ignorant and brain dead have “come out.”   I think Thomas Jefferson would be disheartened; he might think that perhaps his worthy opponent and friend Adams might have been right after all.

What to do with a left-over turkey

Not my turkey

OK, so Thanksgiving dinner is over, your turkey no longer looks at ALL like that pretty picture over there → and you now have the massive task of taking care of its remains.   What to do, what to do…

It’s a big job, but not insurmountable – just do it one thing at a time.  And don’t throw anything away – get the most for your turkey dollar.  Just a few ideas:

First things first.  If you are like me, you actually carve just about as much turkey as your guests will consume (plus a little extra for piggy seconds).  So the first task is to finish carving the turkey up.  I neatly slice what I can, then pick off the remaining big pieces with my (clean) fingers. 

Of this, I split the turkey slices and large pieces into 2 or 3 portions; I package and freeze two of them, and put the remainder in the refrigerator for a second (and third) turkey dinner tomorrow.  Hopefully, you have lots of leftover side dishes to go along with all of this when the time comes.  You can have a standard turkey dinner, you can chop and mix some of it with gravy and have hot turkey sandwiches, etc.  There's another idea down at the end of this piece. 

The smaller pieces I chop and make a turkey salad for sandwiches:

Turkey Salad
1 or 2 cups of chopped turkey
1 gob mayo ( a couple of TB maybe)
1 or 2 tsp mustard
Chopped celery
Chopped onion (green is great, but regular old yellow onion is also good)
Pepper

Mix this all together in a bowl. Vary the amount of mayo until it looks right, and not too dry. This is a simple mixture, but it's great on soft white bread with crispy iceberg lettuce, or on left-over dinner rolls.  You can add a chopped hard-boiled egg if you've got one handy.

Now, you’ve still got some-kind of large turkey carcass sitting there.  Make stock!  Throw him into a large pot with all of his bones you've got hanging about, cover him with fresh cold water, add a few pieces of onion, celery and peeled carrot (leave these in larger pieces so you can easily discard them later).  Add a clove or two of smashed garlic and season with some other herbs and peppers.  I use salt-free mixes or just pick things out of the garden if I have any (thyme, rosemary, etc).  Heat to a boil, skim off as much foam as you can and then reduce to a simmer (covered) for several hours. 

While this is simmering, clean up your mess and your kitchen.  Wash the dishes.  Watch the game.  Whatever.  At the end of the evening, if it is cold outside, I put the hot pot on a wire rack to cool outside overnight, then finish the cooking the next day (if necessary), because there probably isn’t room in the refrigerator for it at this point.

After four or five hours of simmering, you've got some great stock to make soup, or use for anything you need turkey stock for.  I set some aside for soup and put the remainder (after it cools of course) into 1 pint freezer sacks; you can put 1 or 2 cups in each sack (premeasure it exactly so you know how many to take out to thaw when you need it) and lay them FLAT on a cookie sheet or a plate in the freezer to freeze flat.  Write the ID and date on the sack before you pour in the broth. Once they freeze and hold their shape, you can take them off the cookie sheet or plate and store them neatly upright.

Of course, before you do all of that, you'll want to remove the bones and pieces into a large colander which you've set over a large bowl; after it has a chance to drain for a little while, pour that broth back into the rest. Then strain it all before you package and freeze it.  If it is fatty, let the fat separate and skim as much of it off as you can.

Now… You’ve got a nice large bowl of bits and pieces – and some of that stuff in there looks pretty nasty, eh?  So get yourself a small knife, and wash your hands up real sanitary-like, we’re going to pick through all of that simmered refuse and dig out ALL of the little pieces of meat and put them into a smaller bowl.  This is the part of the job that takes the longest time, but it’s not too bad once you’re busy at it.  It goes pretty fast.  But don’t hurry – there’s probably a pound or two of meat you can put back into the soup pot in there, hiding.  Pick through the bits and pieces, separating the stuff you don’t want from the little bits of meat.  The larger chunks can be chopped with the knife while you work. 

Once you get this all done, you have been tossing the bones and gristle and other little nasties into the trash sack nearby while you work (haven't you?), and what you have left is a bowl of little bits of turkey meat that are great for making turkey soup.  A ten-pound bird will net you about 2/3 of a pound of meat bits – but you may get a pound or two from a larger turkey.  I take this “soup meat” and split it into smaller portions – and freeze what I won’t use right then.

Kinda like my soup

Turkey Soup
1/3 pound soup meat (as above)
1 carrot, peeled and chopped or sliced thin
1 stalk celery, chopped or sliced
1/3 onion, chopped
1 chunk cabbage, sliced and chopped
1 handful of peas
2½ cups turkey stock
Herbs, salt and pepper for seasoning
Small handful shell macaroni or pipettes, etc.

Add a small bit of oil to a pot, toss in the vegetables and sauté for a few minutes on medium heat.  I don't use large chunks like that photo up there -- but you can do them however you want to; it's YOUR soup. When about halfway cooked, dump in the stock and the turkey.  Season as desired with an herb mixture.  Add some chopped fresh parsley.  Pepper is good…

Bring to a boil, then simmer for about ten minutes.  Add the pasta and cook about 10 minutes more on low heat, just a little past "simmer."  Have a small glass of wine while you do this, or play with your dog.  When it is finished, adjust your seasonings (I almost always add a bit more as turkey soup tends to be a bit bland) and after it cools, put it in the fridge or freeze it for later dinners when you’re tired or cold.  This makes about a quart of finished soup, mas o menos.

This concludes our small exercise in making the fullest use of a Thanksgiving turkey.  I like a little variety, so I’m going to toss one more recipe out there for some of those leftover turkey slices/large pieces.  A friend of my Mom gave her this recipe and it is a fun way to use up some of the leftover turkey.  I couldn’t find Polly-Anne’s exact recipe in my Mom’s recipe box, so I looked online until I found one that looked most like it.  This came out about identical to the way I remember Polly-Anne's “Turkey Taco Ole.”  Allrecipes.com calls this Southwestern Turkey Casserole.  Whatever you call it, it’s pretty darned tasty.  It’s a southwestern-style turkey-tortilla version of lasagna!

• 1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
• 1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
• 7oz can diced green chilies, drained
• 1 cup sour cream
• 10 oz diced or chunked leftover turkey
• 16 corn tortillas, cut into strips
• 8 oz shredded mild cheddar

 Heat oven to 350.

1. Grease a 13x9“ baking pan.
2. Make the required number of tortillas, or use store-bought if you have to.  Cut them into strips.
3. In a large bowl, combine the condensed soup, the turkey, the sour cream and the chilies.
4. Arrange half the tortilla strips evenly in the bottom of the pan. 
5. Spread half the soup/turkey mixture over the tortillas. Top with half the cheese.  (Instead of shredded, I used ultra-thin slices of Sargento mild cheddar and it worked great). 
6. Repeat the three layers (tortillas, turkey mix, cheese) ending with the cheese. 
7. Place in the oven for about 40 minutes.  Cheese should be browned and bubbly.  Upon removal from the oven, let it set-up for a few minutes before serving.

I halved this recipe and made it in an 8x8 baking pan.  I use only the Cream of Chicken soup when I do this, 1 can.  Use lower-salt soup if you can find it – canned soup has a huge amount of sodium in it. [Please note; you CAN make home-made condensed soup, using your own stock.  I made this recipe recently with a smoky home-made turkey stock and it was very, very good. I cannot serve my family foods that are high in sodium, and this was my reason for not using the canned soup.  Not to mention the great flavor!]


This is not at all spicy.  You could hot it up by adding a tsp or two of dried red pepper flakes to the turkey/soup mixture, or use a can of jalapeños instead of the green chilies. This is one of those dishes that tastes even better the 2nd day.



My Grandma said...

“The best thing I ever have in my kitchen is a friend who likes my cooking.” 
          Lulabelle Pruitt

Remembering John Kennedy, 1917-1963

John F. Kennedy - 35th US President

"Two generations later, the assassination still stirs quiet sadness in the baby boomers who remember it as the beginning of a darker, more cynical time."  [ABC News; November 22, 2013]

Fifty years ago this Friday morning, not just a man, not just a president, but a dream shared by many Americans was shattered by an assassin's bullets in Texas. His leadership not only brought hope to Americans, but he brought hope and encouragement to others around the world as well. I thought perhaps this anniversary could pass unnoticed by me because I have been jaded by the sordidness of American politics, by the fallibility of men, and that after the passage of so many years the residual effects of these memories would not be significant, that I could ignore them.  They were, I thought, something from a distant past. 

In that, I was mistaken, as the memory of those events has today brought me much sadness. We cannot know with any certainty how history would have judged the Kennedy presidency absent his assassination. His plans were cut short before they could play out, so his possible successes and his failures will remain conjecture forever. But we do know that a large measure of our innocence was taken from us that day. Those of us who lived through the events of late-November, 1963 never saw the world in quite the same bright way again. At age ten, I was not "political," and I have never had an opinion about JFK's politics - the tragic cost of his loss only became clear to me in subsequent years, and those far-reaching effects lie totally outside the realm of his beliefs or his political platform.

I have been reading a lot about John Kennedy this week, and I have been looking for something meaningful to share with you.  The words of his inaugural address came to mind.

“Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans.

Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and the success of liberty.

Now the trumpet summons us again. Not as a call to bear arms, though embattled we are, but a call to bear the burden of a long twilight struggle; a struggle against the common enemies of man – tyranny, poverty, disease, and war itself. In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom.

In the hour of maximum danger, I do not shrink from this responsibility, I welcome it. The energy, the faith, the devotion, which we bring to this endeavor will light our country and all who serve it and the glow from that fire can truly light the world.

And so my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world - ask not what America can do for you - but what together we can do for the freedom of man.

With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land we love - asking His blessing and His help - but knowing that here on earth
God's work must truly be our own.”

John Kennedy
Inaugural Address - January 20, 1961

JFK's Eternal Flame

Who I remember on Remembrance Day; Fred Ferguson

On Memorial Day, we remember those we lost.  On Armistice Day, or Remembrance Day, we remember those who served.  We have had so many wars, and beyond that, so many others have served in times of peace, that the faces and the names tend to get lost in the masses.  So I thought for this Remembrance Day, I would find one name, one face, and pass along his story to you.

Almost the first name that came to mind was Fred Ferguson.  He was of my own time, almost my generation, about the age of someone who could have been my big brother, or a young uncle.  Today he’s 74 years old; he retired as a Major in 1982. Even after retirement, he has continued to "serve" our community in different ways. Years ago, I believe in my activities with the (then-named) Confederate Air Force, I got to meet Fred Ferguson; I consider that an honor to this day.

He was born in Texas, from where so many good things come.  He joined the Army as a young man in 1958, in Phoenix, and ten years later was serving in Southeast Asia.  That was the year of the Tet Offensive. He had become, by that time, a helicopter pilot, flying what we remember today (somewhat affectionately) as the Huey, perhaps the most-recognized icon of the Vietnam War.  In the climactic battle at Hue he distinguished himself with clear-headed action and a determination to get the job done under horrific conditions that many others wouldn’t risk.  That's not just empty prose - others looked at the situation and refused to go.  But Fred Ferguson wouldn't leave American troops and aircrew behind as their position fell to the North Vietnamese. Here is what his Medal of Honor commendation reads:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. CWO Ferguson, U.S. Army distinguished himself while serving with Company C. [1st Air Cav]

CWO Ferguson, commander of a resupply helicopter monitoring an emergency call from wounded passengers and crewmen of a downed helicopter under heavy attack within the enemy-controlled city of Hue, unhesitatingly volunteered to attempt evacuation. Despite warnings from all aircraft to stay clear of the area due to heavy antiaircraft fire, CWO Ferguson began a low-level flight at maximum airspeed along the Perfume River toward the tiny, isolated South Vietnamese Army compound in which the crash survivors had taken refuge. Coolly and skillfully maintaining his course in the face of intense, short range fire from enemy-occupied buildings and boats, he displayed superior flying skill and tenacity of purpose by landing his aircraft in an extremely confined area in a blinding dust cloud under heavy mortar and small-arms fire. Although the helicopter was severely damaged by mortar fragments during the loading of the wounded, CWO Ferguson disregarded the damage and, taking off through the continuing hail of mortar fire, he flew his crippled aircraft on the return route through the rain of fire that he had experienced earlier and safely returned his wounded passengers to friendly control. CWO Ferguson's extraordinary determination saved the lives of five of his comrades. His actions are in the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit on himself and the U.S. Army.

Ferguson

“For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty.”  When you read the reports of what he did (or hear him tell the story), those words take on new layers of meaning. They become real.  On the ground, in the smoke, in the horror of a fierce battle with jagged metal flying everywhere, he kept his head and focused on the plight of others. We cannot imagine what that is like, the reality of it, unless we’ve been there, unless we've been immersed in the white-knuckled, mind-numbing terror. 

Citizen Ferguson served his country – us – for about 24 years.  He served in peace and he served in war. He deserves our thanks and our remembrance today and every day.  Wherever he is, whatever he’s doing, I hope he knows that he and others like him are the reason we remember on Remembrance Day. When I think about the face of a Vietnam-era veteran, a true hero, it is men like Fred Ferguson that I think about.

Dick, this one's for you.

I like fish tacos!

I've been making fish tacos this week for a quick supper.  These are a Baja and San Diego tradition. They're not too difficult -- and mine have the same "bite" that you can find in a fast food joint.  So why pay more?

First off, most of them come in a soft corn tortilla, so that's how I made them all week.  But I was thinking it might be even better to use a fried corn tortilla instead -- so I may try that next time.  The difference is oil.  For soft, I heat a cast iron griddle, no oil, and when hot I cook each tortilla about 15 secs on one side, then flip and do about ten seconds more.  Make your taco while it is still hot.

For crispier tortillas, put a couple tsps of oil on the griddle once it is hot, and fry the tortillas maybe 30-60 secs.  Fry them on both sides a few secs, then about halfway through, fold them in half and fry a little on each side.  You can use tongs, I usually just work quick with clean fingers, but beware the hot oil.  Drain 'em a few moments on a piece of paper towel.

When I make tacos, I try to have everything else ready -- side dishes I mean, and serve the tacos hot as they come off the griddle -- each person can stuff their own. Or the cook can fill the hot tortilla with the meat mixture and let each diner do the rest at the table.  Whatever works for you.

Here's the ingredients I used for my fish tacos this week...

Fish.  You can use frozen fillets or fish sticks if you want, prepared and cut into chunks.  This fish is by its nature a bit mushy in texture.  Or, better yet, I got a small piece of cod (any firm white fish will work well) and cut him into chunks, dredged each piece in a mix of flour, cayenne, onion powder, salt and pepper.  I fried them for a little while on medium+ heat until they were golden.  Little pieces of fish don't take long.  With a little more time on my hands, I'd probably prepare the fish in a basket on the charcoal grill for a lighter meal.  Cooking the fish is the LAST thing you do though.

For the compleat fish taco, you need a coarse cabbage slaw, and a nice guacamole "salsa."

Slaw ingredients:
2T light-flavored olive oil
2T lime juice, preferably fresh squeezed
salt, pepper and sugar.
Two or three handfuls of coarsely shredded cabbage (shredded stringy is the custom).

When tossing the slaw, stay as dry as possible with your dressing -- two much dressing makes for soggy slaw.  Crisper is better on a fish taco, but you do want the tangy flavor of the lime dressing. It's a tightrope!  I used about 3/4 tsp of white pepper, 3/4 tsp of sea salt, and about 2 tsp of sugar.  You can omit the sugar if you wish.  I happen to like it better with the touch of sweetness.

Now the guacamole:
1 ripe avocado
1/8 cup sour cream
1/2 jalapeno, seeded and chopped fine (I use a little food chopper)
1 T minced fresh onion (red, green, sweet, whatever)
1 T chopped cilantro (dry is fine, but use less by half)
1.5 T fresh lime juice
The avocado seed.

If you want hotter, use the whole jalapeno and more cayenne.  Maybe a jalapeno seed or two.  Keep your cotton-pickers away from your eyes though.

Peel and mash the avocado with the sour cream and the lime juice until smooth.  Add the remaining ingredients and place in a tightly sealed container WITH the avocado pit. Make this about an hour before your meal.  (Slaw too). You can also add some minced fresh garlic to this -- sometimes I do, sometimes I don't.   Good either way.

To make the delicious fish taco, cook the desired fish, and heat or fry the tortilla.  Place the tortilla on a plate, spread a TB or so of the guacamole on the middle of the tortilla, top with some slaw.  Be careful not to get the slaw dressing on the taco too much -- it will get soggy.  I usually dip a little of the slaw out of the bowl and into a strainer for a few seconds, letting the dressing drain back into the slaw-bowl, before putting it on the tortilla.  Top this with several chunks of the fish!  (this is for the soft corn tortillas -- for crispy ones, you fold the ingredients inside the hot crispy tortilla as it comes out of the oil.

This is enough for 3 or 4 tacos, depending on your fish size -- and there's enough salsa for about twice as many more, so you're half-way to fish tacos for tomorrow's meal too.  If you want.

I'm low rent -- I served these with Mexican-flavor Rice-a-Roni.  Hey, it's a work day, gimme a break!