The Michael Vick Kick.

It's Sunday, and on Sunday I feel like I can write on things of a more philosophical or moral nature without compromising the focus of the weblog and driving away the folks that read the food reviews. As the title suggests this post is on the public reaction of anger or disgust directed at Michael Vick.

Michael Vick was a starting quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons and a very wealthy man, thanks to his contract with the Falcons. He was arrested and convicted of cruelty to animals for his involvement in dog fighting. The kind where dogs die or are maimed severely. It is a gruesome and cruel activity -- and legitimately illegal. Michael Vick spent 2 years in prison for his participation after his arrest and conviction.

Cynics suggest that Mr. Vick is now engaging in a public relations bit in order to play football again. That is, he needs the money and if does not display some humility the NFL and the public will not accept him back. I understand cynicism, but it can be wrong and misapplied.

Others suggest that the crime was, in some sense, unforgivable, that to allow him to play again in the NFL is a kind of tacit endorsement. Again, an understandable sentiment, but who among us will be left standing if mercy is always withheld.

My disposition is simply this: he admits that he has done wrong and acted recklessly. He is asking for a second chance. Not a third, fourth, or fifth, just a second. Give it to him.

I watched the first public interview of Vick, Coach Reid and Coach Dungy at his side, and frankly, Dungy's endorsement is good enough for me. The possibility that Mr. Vick is working them and us through them is not my concern. A man should be be taken at his word until he proves his word is not worth taking.

The worst that can happen is that we will have been duped. So what. Give Michael Vick a break. He served his time. He paid for his crime in prison-time and through the loss of everything he once had: his money, reputation, and occupation. Isn't that enough?

He deserves the forgiveness he is asking for and he deserves to get back on the football field to try to do life right.

Towards that end, I wish him well.

How to Make an Open-Faced, Grilled-Cheese Sandwich.

Updated August 2020

My wife calls this simply cheese on toast. She has eaten it for breakfast, more days than not, all of her adult life. And since I was the weekend breakfast cook when the children were young, I learned how to make it right.

An open-face, grilled cheese sandwich is oven-grilled and better than a pan-grilled chesse sandwich, in my view, because it is not pan-fried greasy, and better than bruschetta, in the winter anyway, because the hot bread and cheese are cooked and blended.

Here are the ingredients.

Slice of Bread
Preferably fresh bread that can be sliced thicker the normal store-bought sliced bread, but a quality pre-sliced is okay, too. I like the bread about 3/4" thick. I like a whole wheat bread because the density of the bread suits and carries the melted cheese well.

Cheese
We use sharp cheddar. I am sure other kinds of cheese will work as well, but some of them don't oven-grill well. I have tried other cheeses when we were out of cheddar, and they tended to brown too quickly on the exterior.

Slicer:

Invest in a simple one part block cheese slicer. Under $10 and it'll last a lifetime. Like this:

 

We like the sharp or medium Tallamook or Cabot

1. Lightly toast the bread in a normal toaster. Lightly, not toasted-through crispy.

2. Slice the cheese. On a 3 inch block of cheese, the slices are about 1/8" thick and you need about 4 - 6 slices. The edge of the cheese should extend about 1/4" past the edge of the bread. 

3. Place the cheese and toast on a cookie sheet or piece of aluminum foil and layer the cheese on the toast. Important: Make sure that the cheese overlaps the edge of the toast by a 1/4" or so.

4. In a conventional oven turn the knob to "Broil" and place the cookie sheet with toast under the open flame or heating element about 8" - 10" from the heat. Close the door.

5. Here's the tricky part. And important. It takes a couple minutes to get the cheese melted, but the desired amount of "cooked" is past the stage of a grilled cheese sandwich. "Cooked" for us is an almost toasted-cheese level of cooking. See picture above. The cheese will bubble on top. That's what you want to see. I let it get a good bubble working to where the oil is melting away from the cheese. BUT, if you let it go too far, all the oil and moisture will boil off and the cheese on toast will be tough, which my wife actually likes. I like it before it gets to that stage.

Make it better: In the summer, when tomatoes are fresh, I like to place a slice of tomato on top of the cheese after it has cooked a while and almost ready. When the tomato is warmed, in about a minute, it is ready.