What's for dinner?

[maki2]

The easy part of retirement has been not spending a lot of time on cooking

 

[vanbrat]

Evening all.

Busy day today, Saturdays are my house cleaning and puttering about the yard day. No walks because I need to get started early while it's still cool. Watering is the first order of the day followed by fig picking. My tree has started producing ripe figs in bulk and they don't last long so they need to be immediately picked when ripe and eaten, processed, or frozen quick. Summer tree ripe figs are one of summer's biggest treats and when perfectly ripe, they literally drip honey. As you can imagine it's also a race to get them before the birds and critters do. I always leave some for them too, they've gotta eat like everything else. I also keep a big bowl of fresh water out for the birds, squirrels, and chipmunks. It can get pretty dry here come late Jul and Aug. They actually politely wait in line to water!

Anyway, I can't use everything coming off the tree - Think 100 POUNDS of fruit! So I try to give it away to folks who'll use them. I'll trundle big bags over to my neighbor Margie (Her hubby's the city public works director) who makes fantastic fig preserves with them (I always get some - it makes me put in the work to bake fresh, hot biscuits to smear it on along with plenty of butter - the BEST), I also freeze a store for myself to make ice cream (Fig / Banana), pickled spice figs, fig syrup, and just enjoy them fresh w breakfast. "Waste not, want not".

Tonight I had to figure out what to do with the last of the latest batch of mung bean sprouts I had started several days ago (try it on the road. VERY easy to do and loaded with great stuff for you). I settled on an old favorite - Egg Fu Yong. Basically a savory egg pancake loaded w veggies and a little meat (optional) that's an old standbye in about every Chinese restaurant back home (usually covered with a brown gravy) - except maybe fancy ones like Kirin in Waikiki. In old school places like Tasty Chop Suey in Kalihi. Hawaiian Chinese food is something that's a mishmash that has dishes not found on the mainland, in China, or anywhere else except good old Hawaii. Things like Crispy Gau Gee, Minute Chicken, Cake Noodle (Dang... I'm getting hungry again), and Pork Hash. All based on what was available in Hawaii and CHEAP!

https://www.yelp.com/biz/tasty-chop-suey-honolulu?start=20
I actually wrote about these a while ago but used them in the mighty St Paul Sammie that's only sold in the St Louis Area (think EAST St Louie) and no ones ever heard about them in St Paul!

https://www.stlmag.com/dining/st-paul-sandwich-included-in-luck-peachs-first-cookbook/
No bread and L/T tonight. Just a simple bowl of rice and a couple of these tasty babies (no gravy, not a fan with these). Very filling, very easy and VERY cheap! A little shoyu and a drizzle of Sriracha and I'm good to go.
I gotta cut this short, Sam is barking up a storm outside and he very rarely barks.

Cheers!

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I so miss the tree ripened figs from around my Grandmas house waaaaay back when.

 

[vanbrat]

I just finished 4 batches of fresh peach and pineapple jam and three bags of peach pie filling in the freezer and 4 bags of smoothy mixes in the freezer and 3rd batch of fruit leather and now I am looking to get more peaches and make some more pie filling as that was my first try and I loved it. I love this kind of cooking. And now that I am retired I can spend as much time as I want on it....
Hubby thinks it is good food and all, but he doesn't always get why I like to do this stuff.

 

[JDub]

The easy part of retirement has been not spending a lot of time on cooking

But I LIKE to cook! It's all the house and yard stuff that gets old!

Cheers!

 

[JDub]

Evening all.

Just leftovers again tonight. Rice and Shoyu Pork with a bit of salad. I'm getting back in the habit of cooking several different things and going through them during the week. Besides the above, I've got a skillet of chorizo pork for taco salad, burritos, and scrambled w eggs for breakfast. That's what I had this morning. 2 eggs scrambled with chorizo, cheese, onions, green peppers, and tomatoes. Served with hot salsa and some warm corn tortillas along with OJ and coffee. Stick to your ribs stuff. Lasted till dinner.

I quick roasted a small Rump Roast tonight I bought yesterday on sale ($3.49 lb - good deal) at our "Not the WM". With salt, pepper, and garlic powder. It's cooling in the fridge and I'll slice it tomorrow for sammies and teri beef. I still have a bit of pasta sauce I'll have to figure out what to do with - maybe boil up some zitti and combine w cheese and freeze for lunch sometimes. Tomorrow I'm planning on having grilled Viet style porkchops marinated in lemon grass, garlic, fish sauce, sugar, shrimp paste, and S&P. I'll serve it w rice noodles, dipping sauce, and a plate of fresh herbs and veggies- Basil, Mint, Cilantro, cukes, scallions, and tomato.

I had to go to our closest large town today for a Lowe's run and I gotta tell ya, "Ain't NOONE gonna be able to afford those prices for long"! Seriously, the price of hardware and gutter toppers has basically tripled since I last bought them... Even worse the price of plate lunch back home is soaring. My favorite mixed Asian BBQ plate was 17 BUCKS when I was home back in May! This is a NATIONAL (OK - Hawaiian) Emergency! Don't mess wit our PLATE LUNCH Bra!

https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2022/...-up-eateries-struggle-keep-up-with-inflation/
Hopefully you guys are surviving this without having to make some really tough decisions but i know many are... Hang in there.

Stay safe, sane and well fed out there folks.

Cheers!

 

[user 22017]

I just finished 4 batches of fresh peach and pineapple jam ...

I have a dwarf peach tree that my son gave me for Mother's Day 3-4 years ago. It is completely filled with peaches, but I'm sure they will all fall to the ground before they are ready to harvest. Happened the past two summers.

 

[Frood]

I have a dwarf peach tree that my son gave me for Mother's Day 3-4 years ago. It is completely filled with peaches, but I'm sure they will all fall to the ground before they are ready to harvest. Happened the past two summers.

You may need to cull some of the fruit... I read somewhere (or maybe it was on YouTube) that if you have a fully loaded tree you should cull up to 2/3 of the buds/fruit...

 

[user 22017]

You are probably right. I hard pruned it (goblet shape) the first couple years, but missed pruning the 3rd year and it got huge (too tall). Last night I noticed a branch so heavy with fruit it was drooping to the ground. I'll go out and prune it when it cools off. Thank you.

 

[JDub]

OK, Evening all. Happy Friday! I received the Bluetti Power Pack I ordered today. It seems to be a nicely made piece of kit. I've got it charging to 100% right now (it came at 67%) and it's doing so quickly. Very similar in size to my 2 GOLABS but a more powerful battery and ~ 3 hours more moderate AC duration. Comes with a built in light as well.

For the price it's very nice but I'm not crazy about the proprietary 12v solar input. Looks to be a coaxial cable type (think your cable TV connector) and the single (thin) center pin could easily be damaged if you jam it the wrong way. Aside from that, I think the recipient will be happy with it since she isn't going to be using any solar with it. Just charging it off the wall plugs to keep a CPAP (and other odds and ends) operating during a power out.



I also grilled up the Viet pork chops I started last night on my trusty little Coleman gas grill (under my vented range hood). They turned out nice and juicy with that great taste that Vietnamese food has (I'm a big fan). They're keeping warm in a 220 f oven. Just not that hungry right now but I'm thinking that'll change! I actually have a couple of guests hunting herbs out in the garden (told them to avoid the Wolves Bane, Nightshade, and Hemlock...) Hey! If I can get them to do it, it's one LESS skeeter bite for me!





That's it for tonight! Stay safe, sane, and well fed folks. Be careful out there.

Cheers!

 

[JDub]

Evening all. A rainy weekend with pretty much aquarium levels of humidity. Burning through leftovers as usual but yesterday was the 1st Sun of the month and our parish has its after service brunch that day. I've got to tell you that folks around here still know how to cook (don't give me grief, it's a fact that cooking is a lost art in many places). Roast Pork and Gravy, Baked Chicken, a fantastic riff on Imam Bayaldi (stuffed eggplant baked in oil and tomato sauce), Shrimp and Grits, and the works on side dishes (I was tapped for a salad and made a big bowl of "Texas Caviar" - Black Eye Pea Salad. Too stuffed to do much last night for sure!

Today was the first day of school in our district and since I live close to our elementary school it was a good bet to to take my walk early. Those soccer moms will run you over in a heartbeat for a better spot in the drop off line... Had a hankering for pancakes this morning and made up a batch of buttermilk flapjacks with a side of bacon (I usually bake a pound and it lasts me for the week). The only real cooking I did today was a Vietnamese Banana Cake - more of a banana custard cake in texture. I had a bunch of very ripe bananas and this was a good way to use them vs the usual banana bread or pancakes. Bananas, milk, egg, vanilla, cinnamon, flour and brown sugar. Turned out very well. Nice and caramelized on top with creamy texture. Methinks I'll have a slice with coffee in the morning! I might rustle up a burrito with last of my roast beef later. Refried beans, chopped and fried beef, chopped veggies and plenty of salsa. THAT oughta put me to sleep!

Anyway. Hope you all had a good weekend out there and are staying safe, sane, and well fed. Times are pretty crazy, if you can't keep a sense of humor than they can be downright grim so just keep a smile on your face (or maybe it's just pain) and try to have fun.


Cheers!

 

[vanbrat]

OK, Evening all. Happy Friday! I received the Bluetti Power Pack I ordered today. It seems to be a nicely made piece of kit. I've got it charging to 100% right now (it came at 67%) and it's doing so quickly. Very similar in size to my 2 GOLABS but a more powerful battery and ~ 3 hours more moderate AC duration. Comes with a built in light as well.

For the price it's very nice but I'm not crazy about the proprietary 12v solar input. Looks to be a coaxial cable type (think your cable TV connector) and the single (thin) center pin could easily be damaged if you jam it the wrong way. Aside from that, I think the recipient will be happy with it since she isn't going to be using any solar with it. Just charging it off the wall plugs to keep a CPAP (and other odds and ends) operating during a power out.

View attachment 32327View attachment 32328

I also grilled up the Viet pork chops I started last night on my trusty little Coleman gas grill (under my vented range hood). They turned out nice and juicy with that great taste that Vietnamese food has (I'm a big fan). They're keeping warm in a 220 f oven. Just not that hungry right now but I'm thinking that'll change! I actually have a couple of guests hunting herbs out in the garden (told them to avoid the Wolves Bane, Nightshade, and Hemlock...) Hey! If I can get them to do it, it's one LESS skeeter bite for me!

View attachment 32335

View attachment 32330

That's it for tonight! Stay safe, sane, and well fed folks. Be careful out there.

Cheers!

I just noticed..... You have the same tiles as my kitchen

 

[JDub]

I just noticed..... You have the same tiles as my kitchen

Great minds have the same kitchen tiles!

 

[JDub]

Evening all.

Another stupid hot and muggy day for sure. School around here has started and as I wrote last night. I've gotta be on my toes when I'm exercising or they'll get RUN over by some mama trying to drop off her kids and make it to work on time (in 2 minutes...) I'm not kidding ya. It's DANGEROUS around here during dropoff and pickup times. Regular Indianapolis Speedway.

Anyway, never did make my burrito last night (lack of interest), just hit the sack instead. Tonight also didn't find me with much motivation so I just had an old standby - Steak and Eggs. Last of the roast and a couple eggs, a piece of whole wheat slathered w marmalade. Quick and satisfying.

Having them always reminds me of a funny story (the only kind he really told about the war) my dad told me when I was a teen eating everything in sight. He was a Marine infantryman during WW 2 and took part in several assault landings. The big ones were Peleliu and Okinawa. The traditional assault day breakfast cooked for them by the Navy was steak and (powdered) eggs. Understandably, a lot of the men weren't too hungry and freely gave away their meals - to my Dad who apparently was a bottomless pit.

He said he ate so much steak (he threw the eggs away - nasty stuff), he would actually doze off on the Amtracks carrying them to shore (took several hours to assemble as they circled in place) which earned him a reputation as a Marine with ice water in his veins when in actuality it was a food coma from too much steak in his Belly!

I'm throwing in a shot of flapjacks I made yesterday as well to get rid of some buttermilk. My Grandfather George who was from Vermont on the Canada border would often eat buckwheat cakes called "Ploffs" (I have no idea why... Anybody???) but he wouldn't put syrup on them (he had plenty of maple syrup, he owned shares in a sugar maple grove), he'd eat them wrapped around pork chops or bacon or fish (Coastal New England) like a tortilla.

Said it was how they did it in the lumber and railroad camps of his youth (he was born in 1893). My Great Grandfather - also George - died in 1914 in the Goffstown NH State Hospital as a result of being crushed in a railway accident (he was a Brakeman - horribly dangerous job) in 1913 which is how my Grandfather ended up in CT, they had to move because there was nothing left for he and my Great Grandmother to come home to after a year caring for my GG. Life was pretty damn tough back then, unforgiving, and harsh with no safety net... "Leviathan" anybody?

So that's it for tonight. As usual, stay safe, sane, and well fed out there folks.

Cheers!

 

[JDub]

Evening all.

Quiet day today. Not as hot but very muggy. Today was shopping day and I usually hit up the Walmart first, then the "Not the Walmart", then whatever else isn't covered by the first 2. Our WM here is just plain terrible. Badly run, always out of stock, and with so little competition, they stock the most expensive national brands with few of their cheaper generics because they know they can easily undercut our other small (very) chain grocer here in town. Don't even get me started on the dumpster quality produce dept... I often drive 45 min to one of the other WMs to get a better selection - the small town S of us has a MUCH better WM store with less then half our population -

Acquaintances who work at ours tell me it's strictly poor management responsible but since the store is making a ton of money, corporate doesn't care. Sad, this WM so far put away a very nice little family owned grocer that was in business here for 60 years, and a Bruno's we used to have. The only reason we still have another one is due to the city council granting the store a 50% rebate on sales taxes they collect. Otherwise we would be at the mercy of Bentonville. I always try to give our Indy as much business as possible although they are a good deal more expensive. Not today! I was walking through and stopped to talk to the produce manager (a fellow AF vet) and picked up a very nice, fresh head of cabbage, then I noticed a display of Folger's coffee in various varieties on clearance sale - for $2!

I looked at my friend and said "you're kidding"! "Nope" he says - they're almost expired (I'm writing this drinking coffee - Community brand Dark Roast - from storage that's 2 years over the BB date - tastes great) I went digging through them and most had BB dates between the end of Aug and Sep. Sooooooooooo... I bought 24 cans (there are fewer in the pic because I dropped off a few and opened one random one to check quality - just fine. Looks as though I'm set for a while longer in the caffeine dept! What's even better is, the same cans with a bit longer in BB time are $8.99 just up the aisle... People were buying them but not the discounted ones "because they're EXPIRED"... Hoo Boy... I actually did some cooking tonight - Chinese red braised boneless short rib I got today with rice and Korean Banchan and the last of the Banana Cake, I'll post that too... Ima set my coffee for tomorrow, drive the pooch outside for a last pitstop, then I'm hitting the rack.

Stay safe and sane and "unexpired" out there folks. It's a crazy world...

https://www.tcm.com/video/1142861/its-a-mad-mad-mad-mad-world-1963-movie-clip-natural-born-flyer
Cheers!

 

[barefootrebel]

Great score on the coffee.

All your meals look divine!

 

[vanbrat]

If I liked coffee, I would like a buy like that. I love finding good buys and Hubby is famous for finding them. Much better at it then me. Since he only drinks maybe a cup a day that much coffee would last him a lifetime.

We had meatloaf tonight one of my Mom's favorites. With salad, melon, grapes, beets. and for just me broccoli. And freshly made Bisquit's. And some of my famous homemade jam. She was so happy she even offered to do dishes.

 

[ToyotaEscaper]

I had some freeze drieds tonight. Managed to get EBT finally a week ago so been eating better. Actually surprisingly pretty good and takes up very little space and last well in the summer heat which is nice. The nice zippered foil pouch keeps it warm so I had a little bit and ate the rest later at night.

 

[NctryBen]

I’ve been not that hungry or motivated lately to cook or eat in the evenings. Don’t know why... but your posts may encourage me to work on that a bit. When pain levels are high and I’m wore out so much it sucks that desire out of ya. But lately I have been trying to eat better and we have a good local meat shop. So flavored chops, brats and good hamburgers have been my recent palette. Coupled with either potato or rice side. I have to get back to shopping in town better and getting the salads and things going again. Like I say, reading your posts I see you can struggle too some in motivation and such. I guess having more healthy choices on hand helps.

 

[Frood]

Evening all.

Quiet day today. Not as hot but very muggy. Today was shopping day and I usually hit up the Walmart first, then the "Not the Walmart", then whatever else isn't covered by the first 2. Our WM here is just plain terrible. Badly run, always out of stock, and with so little competition, they stock the most expensive national brands with few of their cheaper generics because they know they can easily undercut our other small (very) chain grocer here in town. Don't even get me started on the dumpster quality produce dept... I often drive 45 min to one of the other WMs to get a better selection - the small town S of us has a MUCH better WM store with less then half our population -

Acquaintances who work at ours tell me it's strictly poor management responsible but since the store is making a ton of money, corporate doesn't care. Sad, this WM so far put away a very nice little family owned grocer that was in business here for 60 years, and a Bruno's we used to have. The only reason we still have another one is due to the city council granting the store a 50% rebate on sales taxes they collect. Otherwise we would be at the mercy of Bentonville. I always try to give our Indy as much business as possible although they are a good deal more expensive. Not today! I was walking through and stopped to talk to the produce manager (a fellow AF vet) and picked up a very nice, fresh head of cabbage, then I noticed a display of Folger's coffee in various varieties on clearance sale - for $2!

I looked at my friend and said "you're kidding"! "Nope" he says - they're almost expired (I'm writing this drinking coffee - Community brand Dark Roast - from storage that's 2 years over the BB date - tastes great) I went digging through them and most had BB dates between the end of Aug and Sep. Sooooooooooo... I bought 24 cans (there are fewer in the pic because I dropped off a few and opened one random one to check quality - just fine. Looks as though I'm set for a while longer in the caffeine dept! What's even better is, the same cans with a bit longer in BB time are $8.99 just up the aisle... People were buying them but not the discounted ones "because they're EXPIRED"... Hoo Boy... I actually did some cooking tonight - Chinese red braised boneless short rib I got today with rice and Korean Banchan and the last of the Banana Cake, I'll post that too... Ima set my coffee for tomorrow, drive the pooch outside for a last pitstop, then I'm hitting the rack.

Stay safe and sane and "unexpired" out there folks. It's a crazy world...

https://www.tcm.com/video/1142861/its-a-mad-mad-mad-mad-world-1963-movie-clip-natural-born-flyer
Cheers!


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Do you get frost or freezes where you are? Maybe plant a few coffee-berry trees/bushes... MI Gardener actually grows his own coffee in Michigan, but it's in a pot and he brings it indoors
during the winter months...

I have never had good luck at ANY WalMart grocery... For whatever reason their prices are way higher than any other store in the area (there is a Sam's Club about 5 miles away with the exact
same items about 30-40% lower price... comes from same distribution center I think so Huh?!?). Produce is generally really low quality, meats are super high price... Dry goods and canned/frozen things are average prices at least. Anything fresh though? *wince* Makes your wallet bleed.