What's for dinner?

[MortimerEbinesr]

After being banned from the kitchen for 25 years, then on my own for 20, I'm learning to cook for myself & Sissy. Beans & rice has been a staple for years, but alone it gets old quickly. But with the Instant pot & adding sweet potatoes, onions, carrots, celery, other fresh vegs, sprinkled with taco seasoning it takes rice & beans to another level. Sissy does the prewash so well, I sometimes just put the dishes back in the cupboard.

 

[Ravella and X]

Portrait of a warm white sourdough boule:
Missing part is in my belly with olive oil & balsamic vinegar. Finishing up with a very spicy fermented green tomato

Not dinner, but the snack that ruins dinner

 

[JDub]

Way better dinner than many I've had that's for sure. Great looking loaf! What size is the dutch oven you use for baking?

 

[WanderingRose]

Looks yummy, Rav.

 

[Ravella and X]

Thanks JDub. I use a 10” 5 qt deep dish Dutch oven. it was a lovely day for charcoal baking outside. Gave the giveaway boule to a neighbor who just lost her husband this week.

 

[Ravella and X]

Looks yummy, Rav.

Thanks Rose. I may and may not be secretly glad to be out of whole wheat flour. White sourdough is a kinda super awesome break from whole wheat.

 

[JDub]

A lacto ferment, right? Do you ever get failures because it’s not anaerobic? I am fanatic about keeping all solids under the brine

Heheh, remember, this HAWAII style takuan from the "land of the plantation peasants". There's "none of that"! It's all sugar, salt, and rice vinegar. No traditional cold weather takuan making with Nuka bran. This is that fake takuan like the Halm's stuff you buy in the store but much better. I actually started a real fermented Hakusai pickle this morning in my ancient Japanese pickle press. Wombok cabbage, slivered ginger, negi, kosher salt, and Korean chili flake. It'll ferment in spring water for 72 hours on the counter then finish in the fridge.



You know how it is in the islands. "When in doubt, add more SUGAR!"

 

[JDub]

Thanks JDub. I use a 10” 5 qt deep dish Dutch oven. it was a lovely day for charcoal baking outside. Gave the giveaway boule to a neighbor who just lost her husband this week.

Lord, that's awful for her... What's she going to do?

 

[JDub]

On a lighter note, today was the first really nice day in several so I took full advantage of it. Went hiking at a state park across the Mississippi line. Sam enjoyed getting out as well since he's been cooped up too. Tonight is going to be another quick dinner. Homemade pizza. I made the dough with imported Italian tipo double OO flour for a real Neopolitan style crust.

The sauce is a simple one of crushed Roma tomatos (if I had company I would use real San Marzano's) simply flavored with olive oil, salt pepper, and home grown and dried basilico. Whole milk mooz, pepperoni, onions, and artichoke bottoms are the topping. 500 degrees for 10 minutes in the oven on top of my preheated Lodge cast iron 36" plancha in a well seasoned perforated pizza tray I "borrowed" from one of my FIL's restaurants many years ago. We'll see how it turns out!

 

[JDub]

Well, it turned out pretty good! I really like that cast iron plancha. I used to have to bake in 3 stages - prebake crust, then bake w toppings, then broil top. That super hot iron really adds some thermal mass. Just have to turn it a couple times and then slide it off the pizza pan directly onto the iron for a couple minutes to really get that crunchy crust.



I hope all of you stay warm and safe tonight with a good meal in your belly and a friend nearby.

Cheers!

 

[Ravella and X]

Lord, that's awful for her... What's she going to do?

She will do what we all do, JDub. Go on with living, but a different life than she’s known.

 

[JDub]

She will do what we all do, JDub. Go on with living, but a different life than she’s known.

It's true, but easier said then done. It's been almost 5 years since Angelia died and I've gotten on with life. That doesn't mean that I've gotten over it though, probably never will. The 23rd is her birthday she'd be 51 this year. Life truly is unfair.

Cheers.

 

[WanderingRose]

I like that plancha.

I have an old cast iron griddle at home, with a bale handle and gate marked, that I use in the oven to bake pizza on, also scones, biscuits, cookies, etc., and it gives the best crust.

We found it in a junk store years ago, shiny silver and new looking because the owner had found it rusted out in the woods somewhere and sandblasted the rust off.

Reseasoned and used regularly, it is glossy black and one of my favorites.

 

[Anon]

Egg Feast:

6 large eggs
Splash of (Almond) milk
Handful of spinach
(Honey wheat) crackers
1 Tbsp of Dijon Mustard
Oaxacan Cheese
Himalayan Salt

Add oil of choice to skillet and turn on high
Add spinach

While waiting for spinach to cook down...

Crack six eggs, yes I said SIX EGGS (Though it can and probably should be downgraded to three), into a bowl, add a splash of milk of choice, and whip until thoroughly mixed.

Add scrambled eggs mix into skillet, and quickly spread 1 tablespoon of Dijon Mustard, crumble and scatter 5-10 crackers of choice over it, and add a few cracks of Pink Himalayan Salt, and mix together.

While waiting for it to cook on the bottom...

Add pieces of Oaxacan cheese (or cheese of choice) as your heart desires.

Let sit for 2-5 minutes or until solid and slightly brown on the bottom

Flip and wait another 2-5 minutes

Fold in half and dish it out onto a plate.

Notes:

Cooks surprisingly fast. Don’t know if it was the crackers, mustard, or milk that did it.

 

[JDub]

View attachment 30393


Egg Feast:

6 large eggs
Splash of (Almond) milk
Handful of spinach
(Honey wheat) crackers
1 Tbsp of Dijon Mustard
Oaxacan Cheese
Himalayan Salt

Add oil of choice to skillet and turn on high
Add spinach

While waiting for spinach to cook down...

Crack six eggs, yes I said SIX EGGS (Though it can and probably should be downgraded to three), into a bowl, add a splash of milk of choice, and whip until thoroughly mixed.

Add scrambled eggs mix into skillet, and quickly spread 1 tablespoon of Dijon Mustard, crumble and scatter 5-10 crackers of choice over it, and add a few cracks of Pink Himalayan Salt, and mix together.

While waiting for it to cook on the bottom...

Add pieces of Oaxacan cheese (or cheese of choice) as your heart desires.

Let sit for 2-5 minutes or until solid and slightly brown on the bottom

Flip and wait another 2-5 minutes

Fold in half and dish it out onto a plate.

Notes:

Cooks surprisingly fast. Don’t know if it was the crackers, mustard, or milk that did it.

Looks really good! Another option you can use to cook is to follow your steps but bake in a 9 inch casserole sprayed w Pam at 350 for 25-30 min for that many eggs. It's done when a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.Make sure you have a tablespoon of milk per egg. Makes a fantastic puffy high rise omelette.

Cheers!

 

[JDub]

Evening all, another gorgeous day was on tap and while I didn't go far I just had to get out. Took the 4 legged moocher and went down to our city yacht basin park for a while. Right on the river, lots of space, and lots of great views. Even found a decrepit Galanz fridge someone seems to be using as a fishing seat, not what you expect to see.

Did some more baking when I got back and used the little bit of dough left from last night's pizza to bake a focaccia style round to go with soup tomorrow. Tonight it's going to be a junk food style taco salad without a lot of the junk. I baked fresh corn tortilla chips for the base by first cutting up the rounds to a good size, dipping them in highly salted water (which gives them that all-over saltiness like the commercial product) and then baking them on a rack at 300 degrees till crisp - about 30 min - Much healthier than fried and much more robust and crunchy than the commercial baked chips.

Then I fried up a pound of 90% lean chopped steak with some leftover rice added to give it bulk. I seasoned it with: dark chili powder, comino, oregano, garlic, dried onion bits, salt, pepper, cilantro, and crushed red pepper for that "Old El Paso/Taco Hell flavor profile. I'm going to assemble it tonight with Couger Gold Cheddar cheese, Jalapeno Ranch Beans, freshly shredded iceberg, sliced baby San Marzano tomatoes (grown in Texas) , leftover onions and cilantro in lime juice, and a dollop of Greek 10% fat yogurt (luscious stuff). I'm gonna finish it off with cheap Mexican hot sauce and a cheaper azz beer to get a junk food fix with a lot of the junk taken out. We'll see if it works out in a bit!

Cheers!

 

[JDub]

I like that plancha.

I have an old cast iron griddle at home, with a bale handle and gate marked, that I use in the oven to bake pizza on, also scones, biscuits, cookies, etc., and it gives the best crust.

We found it in a junk store years ago, shiny silver and new looking because the owner had found it rusted out in the woods somewhere and sandblasted the rust off.

Reseasoned and used regularly, it is glossy black and one of my favorites.

It's really a game changer when it comes to oven and range top baking and grilling. Hotcakes, eggs, pizza, tortilla making (for a crowd) etc etc. There's a reason why cast iron survives despite being so heavy. Just nothing that does it better.

Cheers!

 

[frater secessus]

If you don't have access to an oven, a dutch oven over your stove or briquets will do the trick for cornbread.

cornbread cooks pretty well in the crockpot

As does banana bread:

 

[JDub]

OK, sorry, got to do a LITTLE self congratulatory back patting here... That really hit the junk food craving spot. I've been studiously avoiding the new Taco Hell that just opened up here (it's replaced the old one which closed several years ago due to.... health issues... What's worse? Everyone KNEW about them and the place was still always packed... Yep...

Anyway, got it all assembled in 3 stages, chips, meat, beans, cheese with a quick blast in the nukalator, then dressed it all with the healthy stuff. It was pretty d*mn good even I say so myself. Still lots of ingredients leftover so I'll be figuring out what to do with them, manana.

As always, I hope the diaspora out there is doing well, are snug in their own little homes, have had a good dinner, a hot drink, and a shot of hope...

Cheers!

 

[JDub]

Evening all.

Today turned into an unexpected work and maintenance day. The new alternator for the Jeep arrived from Rock Auto and while the old one was outputting just fine, it's original to the vehicle so when they fail, it's always at the worst time. I replaced the old one with a 160 amper vs the 145 amp that came with the vehicle. Hopefully it's going to be the last one I'll need.

Did a few more under the hood chores and then headed over to see a friend who had Gall Bladder surgery (Ouch) last Fri. Did a couple of things over there and cooked some supper for them and left. Then it was whiney, neglected, dog walkie time and by the time I was through with all that, just STICK a fork in me. I was dun....

Soooo, by now I'm starved (no lunch) and I cast around for the quickest and easiest thing I could make with what I had on hand, which tonight turned out to be a baked omelett with cheese, ham, and chopped chives and parsley (Gary must have influenced my thinking). Combined with a couple slices of toasted focaccia , a mug of hot green tea and maybe a little slice of chocolate brownie cake a little later and I'm set for the evening (and an early bedtime)!




Here's to a good evening for all of you wherever you are. Stay safe, warm, and have a good dinner and a hot toddy!



By the way, I'm also including a picture of the most ridiculous product I've run across in a while... BACON GREASE! Just plain old regular BACON GREASE! I can understand duck fat but GOURMET BACON GREASE??? It also costs OVER $6.00! That's more than if you just bought the tasty bacon along with it and saved the grease for free! We're doomed... That's all I have to say...

Cheers!