3. July 2008 by Mike.

It’ 90 degrees in Charlotte, NC as I arrive. I have a 4 hour lay over, so I thought about calling Roy Williams to see if he wanted to do lunch, but I figured he’s recruiting somewhere. Either that, or he’s out shopping for Jayhawk gear.

Getting through the Frankfurt airport was pretty smooth, until the metal detectors. First I checked in with US Airways, then Anne walked with me to the passport clearance. We said our good-byes and I continued on to my gate.

I cleared the detectors OK, but my carry-on bag did not. Since I was carrying all my electronics, they took me to a private room to do a hand inspection. What was interesting was they had me unpack the bag. They weren’t interested in my laptop. They wiped my Canon camera, 70-200 zoom lens, and laptop charger with the swabs they ran through an analyzer. I didn’t realize until later that our digital video camera was also in the bag.

We are on the runway going toward our gate. Now I get to go deal with US Customs …

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20. May 2008 by Mike.

I smoked some whole trout we bought at Costco after work Tuesday evening. Four were about $12.50. Anne loves smoked fish and I hadn’t done any since last summer.

I always remove the heads and tails, and usually remove the fins. I was in a hurry tonight, so I left the fins on. If you want to do some fish head soup, let me know and I’ll save the heads for you next time! Don’t they have cute little eyes?

I do not use any seasoning when smoking trout. I oil the rack and the outside of the fish and just depend on the smoke for flavoring. I start with about 20-30 charcoal briquets, then add my wood. My neighbor and I buy wood from one of the local wood lots and spilt the order. Since my wood box isn’t very long, I always cut the logs in half with my chainsaw. I also use an axe to remove the bark so I don’t get any off-flavors. Depending on the size, I’ll split it once for smaller pieces. You might also notice that I always use a water pan to help keep a high moisture content.

I smoke fish at right around 200 degrees. Always leave the smoke stack vent wide open and control your temperature with the vent on the wood box. I’ve used my smoker long enough to know it’s settings. The wood shown above lasted about 1 1/2 hours. I only had to add additional pieces one more time. The fish goes on the exhaust end, furthest from the heat.

A few hours later is was done. Since I do the cooking, Anne always gets to do the deboning. We ended up with just over 27oz. of fish. What time did you say you were stopping by?

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17. May 2008 by Mike.

     I was sad to hear of the passing of Robert Mondavi yesterday. He was the patriarch of California fine wine. When he opened his winery 1966, California was still know for it’s jug wine. It was the first new winery built in Napa since Prohibition. In 10 short years he was beating French wine in the famous Judgement of Paris wine tasting.

      Mondavi Winery was the first winery I ever toured in the late ’80s. The fine folks at the now defunt Wines & Spirits distributorship in Kansas City set me and my traveling companion up with a private tour. We got to go behind the scenes to the lab and other places the normal public tours don’t get to see. I actually got to meet  his son, Tim, and his wife Margrit as she was overseeing the set up of an event later that evening.  The wine tasing at the end was superb, needless to say. I’ve had a fondness for Mondavi wines ever since.

     He sold the original Oakville winery in 2004. It was a decision he later regretted. Unfortunately the corporate atmosphere soon intervened. Most consumers today are probably more familiar with the lower end Woodbridge $7-9.00 line of wines that are popular today. His philantrophy will allow his name to live on for generations. He donated $35 million dollars to UC Davis to establish the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science, and another $10 million for their cultural arts center. He also donated $20 million to help fund the Copia: The American Institute for Food, Wine and the Arts in downtown Napa.

     “To succeed and have a happy life, you need common sense, a commitment to hard work and the courage to go your own way. Interest is not enough – you must be passionate about what you do. Find a job you love and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.”- Robert Gerald Mondavi (1913-2008)

R.I.P., Mr. Mondavi

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