Author Archives: Nik Bronder

2nd Annual Lobster Bake

DSC_0006.JPGDSC_0007.JPGDSC_0016.JPGDSC_0019.jpgDSC_0036.JPG

To mark the end of summer we had our Lobster Bake this past Sunday.  We used basically the same process as last year but on a smaller scale.  Since there were only six of us (and five lobsters) this year we opted to go with smaller lobsters so everything fit into the single pot with just the propane burner.  No need for two pots or any boiling.  I set the single pot up on the burner, filled it with about an inch of water and a good amount of Kosher salt.  I have a steamer rack that fits the base of the pot, on top of that I added the seaweed, then the corn and potatoes and then the lobsters with the clams and sausage going in last. The entire cooking process only took about 15 minutes and everything was good to go.

This year we pushed everything back to mid September so that it would hopefully be cooler out. Last year it was closer to the end of August and it was still really hot, plus there were a ton of flies as the shells started to stack up. Also, we moved to a Sunday evening instead of an all afternoon/night affair.  Everything turned out really well and it seemed to be very simple.

DSC_0001.JPGDSC_0040.JPGphoto 3.JPGDSC_0027.JPG

DSC_0025.jpgDSC_0031.jpgphoto 4.JPGphoto 5.JPG

Side Notes:

DSC_0002.JPG

* In the bag of seaweed we used for steaming I found this tiny crab. He was let go in the backyard to fend for himself.

DSC_0039.JPG

** We made smores on the grill for desert.
*** Much like last year’s Lobster Bake we got all of the seafood from Dirk’s Fish and Gourmet Shop.
**** Most of the awesome food photographs were taken by Bedford who moonlights as photog for Town & Country.

Year of Baseball Concludes.

Year of Basbeall

My Year of Baseball has ended. I started out on this journey as a way to give Baseball as a sport more of a chance and to put Football out of my mind for 4 months. It worked in both regards. I attempted to keep score during each game to varying degrees of success which kept me much more involved in following the game play by play. It was fascinating to see a couple of the newer ball parks in contrast to the two oldest. It’s also interesting to see how each area/neighborhood around the park is setup. All the while I ignored the NFL Strike/Insane Free Agency.

Year of Baseball by the Numbers:
Being that it is Baseball, I kept my own stats throughout this experience. I’ve seen seventeen games in seven different stadiums with an average ticket price of $36. The most expensive game was Cubs – Yankees ($80) and the cheapest was the Sea Dogs – Mets minor league game ($9).* The farthest I traveled for a game was 918.9 miles (Coors Field), the shortest was 0.7 miles (Wrigley Field) and the average distance was 227.5 miles. The oldest ballpark I visited was Fenway Park in Boston at 99 years, the youngest was 2 year old Citi Field in New York. The average ballpark age was 48 years. On this odyssey I had a total of 49 beers (averaging a mere 3.3BPG*). The highest temperature game was the Boston – Mariners game at 100°F, by contrast the coldest was the third Cubs – Mets game at 42°F.

Here’s the complete list of games I attended:

DSC_163-166-1.jpg
Nationals – Mets in New York on April 8th

Coors Field
Cubs – Rockies in Denver on April 17th

DSC_67-72.jpg
Twins – White Sox in Chicago on May 3rd

The View From My Seat: US Cellular Field - White Sox - Rangers -
Rangers – White Sox in Chicago on May 17th

Serious fog at the White Sox - Indians game -
Indians – White Sox in Chicago on May 19th

Panorama of the White Sox - Dodgers  game:
Dodgers – White Sox in Chicago on May 21st

Wrigley Field: Cubs - Mets
Mets – Cubs in Chicago on May 24th

Rain Delay at Wrigley -
Mets – Cubs in Chicago on May 25th

Panoramic View of the Cubs - Mets game at Wrigley Field - #Yearofbaseball
Mets – Cubs in Chicago on May 26th

IMG_0878.JPG
Tigers – White Sox in Chicago on June 4th

PNC Park Panorama - #Yearofbaseball -
Mets – Pirates in Pittsburgh on June 11th

National Anthem for Sunday Night Baseball at Wrigley Field: Yankees - Cubs - #Yearofbaseball #WrigleyField
Yankees – Cubs in Chicago on June 18th

Panorama of the Seadogs - Mets game at Hadlock Field -
Mets – Sea Dogs in Portland on July 19th

Panoramic of Fenway Park -  #Yearofbaseball
Mariners – Red Sox in Boston on July 22nd

Panorama of US Cellular Field: White Sox - Red Sox -   #yearofbaseball
Red Sox – White Sox in Chicago on July 30th

Panorama fro US Cellular Field: White Sox - Yankees -  #Yearofbaseball
Yankees – White Sox in Chicago on August 3rd

Panaroma from US Cellular Field: White Sox - Yankees. #Yearofbaseball -
Yankees – White Sox in Chicago on August 4th

Holy Shit. Yankees 13, Sox 1 -

Throughout all 17 games Julie and I kept score with the Eephus League scorebook, always adapting our methodology and penmanship. At many times it made the game go faster and more enjoyable.

Side Notes:
* BPG = Beers Per Game
** The least expensive Major League game(s) were all four White Sox games in May ($14).


View Year of Baseball in a larger map

*** With more than 3,868 miles traveled these are the stadiums I visited.

Red Witch Schooner on Lake Michigan.

DSC_0056.JPGDSC_0060.JPGOn a boat with @julierubes and @Toddonomics - the City by the Lake -IMG_1778.JPGDSC_0039.JPGDSC_0031.JPG

Last night we were able to finally check off the ‘I want to go on a boat’ item from Julie’s list of things to do this summer.  We went out on Lake Michigan on the Red Witch Schooner to see the (weekly?) fireworks.  There was no wind so there was really no sailing but the boat motored along and until we had a great view of the skyline.  The tour was 3 hours and they served drinks as well as BYOB.  I think they overbooked the ship because there was barely room for everyone to sit down on the deck but overall it was a good experience.

DSC_0036.JPGDSC_0038.JPGDSC_0040.JPGDSC_0041.JPGDSC_0044.JPGDSC_0051.JPGDSC_0069.JPGDSC_0071.JPG

Side Notes:

@ejech no, this is amazing -
* The View From My Seat.