So I did promise to blog if it all turned into a messy disaster. So I guess I gotta go forth with the sad truth. Although it would have been much more entertaining if I had actually gotten so trashed during grilling that I wound up with some super cool looking scars. But sadly they're all on the inside.
This whole night owl number has a real knack for causing issues when one's orbit is coinciding with "normal" peoples who go to bed when it's dark. So at 4 in the morning prior to the event, as I've sat up fretting that I'm gonna get jack for sleep and never get anything finished in time before we have to get up there. By 5 a.m. I've come to the conclusion that the only solution lies in a well-past-midnight run.
So off to the Food Maxx for chicken legs, peppers, herbs and soy sauce. And I still say that I enjoy shopping when they restock the shelves. It's you and 3 other shoppers. You can nose through everything, agonize over purchases and reconsider items in the closest thing that passes for privacy in public. I must have been quite funny to watch as I agonize whether to mango or not to mango. It was too hard to pass up on them when they're that ripe. So mango salsa is back on the menu.
Scurrying home, I figure on two marinades. One asian and one carribean style. The first one was some veg oil, soy sauce, mirin, diced shallot, crushed garlic, lime zest and juice, diced red bell pepper, a dash of rice vinegar and a good hearty pour of sambal oelek. The other, I cheated and pre-made my mango salsa, then poured about a cup in with and added habanero pepper, diced shallot and diced red bell pepper, veg oil and soy sauce. The salsa was just mango, shallot, red bell pepper, a dash of rice vinegar, honey, minced habanero, lime zest and juice and a dash of salt and pepper.
At last, it's all together and bagged and in the fridge. A hopefully 4 hour nap and they should be nice and flavorful, I'll be near human and we shall be off to the party. Maybe an hour or two past my goal of "early", but soon enough to take some of the weight of grilling off of the happy Poppa.
Not taking into account that I had just probably put in more physical labor in 2 hours than I normally do in a week, and topping that off, over the past week I have averaged about 4-5 hours a night as well. So whose body decides to take the ample opportunity to induce a near Jedi-level coma state? This guy's!
I wake up and glance at the clock and OHCRAPCRACKERSOFASSDOOM!! It's 2 p.m.! Nononono...this didn't happen. I did not just blow all that stress and effort just to pull a Spicoli and over....sleep. Well, shit.
After a brief and poorly executed attempt at grooming I've come to grips with the fact that I've totally assed out on the pot luck. We still made it in time for the shredding of gift paper. I was quite pleased that the axe and shield combo we got for her was well received. And the nerf mace for Dad (he's gotta be able to defend himself, right?) was the hit of the party amongst the males, both young and old.
Ultimately the chicken was quite good though. We baked it last night, alongside some rice. And today shredded the leftovers and made some of the best enchiladas that have ever come out of our oven. I blame the king of the green chicken enchilada for teaching my lady and I some proper technique on how to make them perfectly. Thanks homeboy!
-Pook
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