Make My Day

(Apologies to Clint Eastwood, "Dirty Harry")

I was having a losing argument with the vacuum cleaner (a story for another day) when the phone rang.  It was Pete.  "Hey, Mom, if you're not busy, I thought I'd come up and maybe I can talk you into sharing a steak with me."  "I'm not, and you can."  Whoop whoop!  Make my day!  I put the balky vacuum cleaner away and sat down to watch Lidia, one of my favorite TV chefs, for a minute.  This segment was all about agrodolce, a multipurpose Italian sweet and sour sauce.  One recipe had the sauce over butternut squash, and I thought, "I've got plenty of butternut squash (thanks, Beau), the sauce looks easy and quick, and the dish would go well with steak," and I started putting it together.  I didn't have to worry about timing because the dish is served at room temperature.  As long as it isn't a green vegetable, Pete is pretty adventurous in trying something new.

When Pete came in, he not only brought steak, in his magic bag he had Anaheim chilis, sliced mushrooms, a package of strawberries (to be frozen for his next visit), and two avocados just for me.  Pete puts frozen strawberries in his water instead of ice cubes, and I'd run out.  Working together, he sauteed mushrooms and I tried a couple of ways to batter dip and fry the mild chilis (he'd bought the chilis because of the name; he'd been raised in Anaheim) and marinate baked and caramelized squash in the agrodulce.  Pete and only Pete can grill the steak, and I'm not the one to argue with success.  I kid you not, it was a veritable feast!

We had time to talk and enjoy a leisurely meal together.  What could be better?  It was a good day.