What's for dinner?

[JDub]

Manoa Marketplace

 

[WanderingRose]

Glad you had some time away, JDub, and that you are well.

If you’d posted you were going to be on vacation for awhile, I missed that.

But, now you’re back and we’ll all be watching for your dinner delights.

 

[JDub]

Glad you had some time away, JDub, and that you are well.

If you’d posted you were going to be on vacation for awhile, I missed that.

But, now you’re back and we’ll all be watching for your dinner delights.

Thank you Rose! Sam and I had burgers tonight (he ate two - I had 1 - special treat for him...)

Cheers!

J

 

[JDub]

Evening all.

Well, paraphrasing Dicken's, "It was the Best of Days, it was the Worst of Days". My luggage was found and arrived at BHM (YAY). The catch? I had to GO GET IT. Apparently Delta (and only Delta) has a 70 mile delivery limit for late / lost luggage and I'm (WAY) past that... Guess who isn't gonna fly Delta anymore? Anyway, I made a fast trip to BHM (only 5 hours ) and got my stuff (finally, had a lot of Omayage (gifts in it)) and got back about mid afternoon.

I didn't stop for lunch so I was pretty hungry by then, but I decided to just have a snack cause I was in the mood for RIBS. Yeah, I know, I've been chowing down on everything from sashimi to Crispy Skinned Golden Chicken in Special House Sauce to LauLau and Pippikaula, to Pineapple Bread Pudding... Pan Asian everything. It was great! Kinda tired of it quite frankly...

So last night I defrosted a small rack of babybacks, boiled a couple of taters this afternoon, made some of my famous (to me at least!) Tater Salad - diced spuds, chopped sweet onion, diced pimentos, relish, S&P, mustard, and Blue Plate Mayo (Got sta be either Blue Plate or Duke's). Also rustled up some doctored pork and beans, and a salad. The only thing faintly like the Local cooking I've been eating was the BBQ sauce. A mix of Kraft Hickory, and Hawaiian Sun Lilikoi (Passion Fruit) jelly heated together for a glaze.

Prepped the ribs with my rib rub, heated up the grill and threw them on. A MYSTERIOUS stranger SUDDENLY appeared at that point! Where he came from I don't know...., but I DO know that the Mangy Mutt wasn't planning on disappearing again till he got some... Grilled them up nicely, glazed them till they were a little charred and looked good but not quite done. Then I tossed them in a 280 F oven for 30 mike to finish and took a badly needed shower.

There you have it. A good old Southern style BBQ rib meal. I massacred that rack (yes... Sam got some stripped off the bones). Really hit the spot! Pretty good finish to a somewhat sucky day! Hope your all's day wasn't sucky and that you are having a "This Does Not Suck" dinner tonight (anyone else miss Bourdain as badly as I do?) Ima watch "Deadliest Catch" and then "Mystery of Skinwalker Ranch" then it's bedtime for this Bonzo!

Cheers!

 

[CosmickGold]

That's amazing that in one year, this thread has grown to TWENTY-EIGHT PAGES of delicious recipes, stories, and mouth-watering photos. As for me, I studied all the options and then decided to build out my van with no kitchen at all (no frig, sink, or stove). Instead, I filled that space with a clothes washer and spinner (plus sixty little hooks in rows on the ceiling for final drying).

So my diet currently consists of mayo, peanut butter, cocoa powder, dried milk powder, oatmeal, dates, pecans, spirulina, chlorella, and vitamin tablets; none of which requires a kitchen.

I enjoy my food and stay healthy, but I don't at all feel "superior" to you guys. Looking at all your wonderful preparations makes me have to swallow more often to keep from drooling!
Literally!

 

[Frood]

That's amazing that in one year, this thread has grown to TWENTY-EIGHT PAGES of delicious recipes, stories, and mouth-watering photos. As for me, I studied all the options and then decided to build out my van with no kitchen at all (no frig, sink, or stove). Instead, I filled that space with a clothes washer and spinner (plus sixty little hooks in rows on the ceiling for final drying).

So my diet currently consists of mayo, peanut butter, cocoa powder, dried milk powder, oatmeal, dates, pecans, spirulina, chlorella, and vitamin tablets; none of which requires a kitchen.

I enjoy my food and stay healthy, but I don't at all feel "superior" to you guys. Looking at all your wonderful preparations makes me have to swallow more often to keep from drooling!
Literally!

It's all a personal choice. I don't understand people who try to make it a values decision and say that
there is a right or wrong option in this matter. My father could live off of the same few dishes forever...
Myself, I would rather starve than not enjoy eating a huge variety of delicious food. I try not to eat the
same thing more than once every two weeks, and prefer not having the same meal more than once in
a month.

 

[WanderingRose]

I really envy you foodies who take such tremendous pleasure in cooking and preparing wonderful meals.

I am an excellent cook, but find it difficult to muster the interest more days than not, is the truth.

I cook a couple of times a week, and then eat leftovers out of my freezer.

 

[JDub]

Evening all.

I know the Western U.S. is experiencing a major (100 year or 1000 year drought?) but my area of the S.E. has been pretty dry as well. We got out of our own major drought a couple years ago and it's looking like we might be headed back into another one. It's only early May and the temps are in the 90's and my backyard is looking a little "Krispy".

I've gotten back into watering almost every day (my neighbors did while I was gone - many thanks to them). It's really early for virtual summertime conditions this early in the year. Lots of plantings and seedlings are still coming up and I have to pay attention to watering or I'll have no cucumbers, potatoes, peppers, or herbs etc this year. My spinach is about to bolt so I've made a point of trying to use as much as I can including tonight.

I'm still in a mainland style food kick but really didn't feel like a heavy meat centric meal tonight after a long day in the yard (mowing was fun - replay of the British North African Campaign in WWII complete with a dust storm! My mower stood in for Montgomery's tanks)... So I decided to run with an old standby - The Puffy Baked Omelet - Simple to make, fast to cook, and tasty.

I baked some some thick cut Applewood Smoked Bacon to add a little savory kick and then chopped up some odds and ends of veggies from my salad the other night, some spinach cut from my deck garden, even some leftover fries from my trip home on Sun ( mates very well with the omelet and gives it a flavor and texture similar to "Tortilla Espana", Some sharp cheddar and 3 eggs beaten with S&P, milk, and a bit of baking soda (for a rise) rounded it out.

Into the oven a 350 F oven for 20 mike (while I took myself into a shower), added some tater salad from last night, a cold cup of water and it was chow time. Not a thing to complain about and very satisfying to boot! Just another example of how food doesn't need to be expensive or complicated to make for a delicious, nutritious, and frugal meal. Anybody out there have a good meal recipe to share? Hopefully all of you did and that is was good and filling both for your stomach and for your soul..

Cheers to you all and stay safe out there!





!

 

[WanderingRose]

If you have eggs, there is always a nourishing meal in waiting.

 

[JDub]

If you have eggs, there is always a nourishing meal in waiting.

That's the truth. I love eggs and there's so much you can do with them.

Cheers!

 

[gizmotron]

I really envy you foodies who take such tremendous pleasure in cooking and preparing wonderful meals.

I just had a plate full of the best street tacos anywhere. Well almost anywhere. I took the recipe from an award winning street taco maker in San Diego. You see, the Barona Casino near El Cajon, California talked this vender into going into their food court. He makes the greatest salsa topping for the tacos from New Mexico Hatch chilis. He marinates the meat for several days. in appropriate seasonings. Then he cooks them on a hot flat griddle with a nice char. That is then placed into a large pot and waits for the customer's order. The meat and the corn tortillas are than flash cooked on another flat griddle and bundled up in serving bowls piping hot with the great salsa for each taco already on them. Then you are offered three different heat level topping sauces in a small travel cup with a lid for your meal. I always go with the hottest. So these tacos are fresh off the griddle, bundled and ready to go. You just place them on your tray with your selected hot sauce and WHAMMO! the best street tacos in the San Diego area.

I could live off these for the rest of my life.

Next time I will take pictures just to make your mouths water.

I would love to teach the Nomad world how to make this. It only took me 40 years to find it. It needs a video. I'm not that good at that.

 

[Frood]

I really envy you foodies who take such tremendous pleasure in cooking and preparing wonderful meals.

I am an excellent cook, but find it difficult to muster the interest more days than not, is the truth.

I cook a couple of times a week, and then eat leftovers out of my freezer.

I love chemistry too. Cooking is the most direct and truest form of applied chemistry I can think of. But more than cooking, I love the play of textures and flavors across my tongue.

I switched to one of the special "repair and protect" type toothpastes one time and it really screwed up my taste buds. Once I realized what it was I had to change back to a different toothpaste so I could still taste things correctly.

Meanwhile, during the time I thought I was losing my sense of taste, I was in a panic and miserable. I had zero interest in eating when I couldn't taste.

 

[Frood]

I just had a plate full of the best street tacos anywhere. Well almost anywhere. I took the recipe from an award winning street taco maker in San Diego. You see, the Barona Casino near El Cajon, California talked this vender into going into their food court. He makes the greatest salsa topping for the tacos from New Mexico Hatch chilis. He marinates the meat for several days. in appropriate seasonings. Then he cooks them on a hot flat griddle with a nice char. That is then placed into a large pot and waits for the customer's order. The meat and the corn tortillas are than flash cooked on another flat griddle and bundled up in serving bowls piping hot with the great salsa for each taco already on them. Then you are offered three different heat level topping sauces in a small travel cup with a lid for your meal. I always go with the hottest. So these tacos are fresh off the griddle, bundled and ready to go. You just place them on your tray with your selected hot sauce and WHAMMO! the best street tacos in the San Diego area.

I could live off these for the rest of my life.

Next time I will take pictures just to make your mouths water.

I would love to teach the Nomad world how to make this. It only took me 40 years to find it. It needs a video. I'm not that good at that.

I'm going to have to see if they are still there next time I am in San Diego fishing... The best tacos I've had have come from food trucks rather than restaurants.

 

[gizmotron]

The best tacos I've had have come from food trucks rather than restaurants.

Those salsas are also at the sit down Mex food restaurant if you don't want the food court. Back in 2015 the tacos were $1 each. I would buy four or five at a time. But the Mex Restaurant was the very best. It must be run by the same people. I make them for myself whenever I want them. I'll have to share that recipe. It just helps to see the cooking and prep method.

 

[Frood]

Those salsas are also at the sit down Mex food restaurant if you don't want the food court. Back in 2015 the tacos were $1 each. I would buy four or five at a time. But the Mex Restaurant was the very best. It must be run by the same people. I make them for myself whenever I want them. I'll have to share that recipe. It just helps to see the cooking and prep method.

Lol. I just looked on Google Maps to see... The sign above the restaurant in the food court literally just says "Mexican"

 

[Calaverasgrande]

Just had red lentil soup with carrots, onions, broccoli and vegan sausage.
Seasoned it with curry powder, cumin, black pepper and salt.
Was pretty great over rice. Felt bad that I had to toss a couple cups of it left over, but my fridge situation is on hold until the replacement DCDC cahrger gets here,

 

[Jimbo]

That sounds awesome!

 

[JDub]

Evening all. Another day of catch-up yardwork but I think I'm almost there. Summerlike temps aren't helping but I try to get things done before noon to save wear and tear on the old airframe. It's just extremely dry and there's a lot of brittle vegetation just waiting to go up with one spark so I've gott sta be careful!

Anywhoo, dinner tonight was leftover burger's brushed with BBQ glaze, Havarti cheese, and fresh veggies for my take on the ShakeShack Burger. Paired them up with leftover beans and potato salad for a quick and tasty meal. The burgers reheated very well too, nice and juicy. The "Mysterious Stranger" from last night just "happened" to show up as well... Funny how that always seems to occur right around supper time

The main chore was getting tomorrow's dinner ready. It's going to be Cuban Style Mojo Marinated Roast Pork (Lechon). A recipe given to me by by my friend Ben down in MeeAhmee and his gorgeous Cubana wife Priscilla (PreeCeeLah). It's basically a big hunk of pork butt or shoulder marinated overnight in a garlicky, tangy, spicy marinade called Mojo (2 cups of Sour Orange Juice (if you can get it or 3/4 Lime juice, and 1/4 Orange juice, a head of garlic peeled, S&P, oregano, comino, chopped onion, olive oil, and crushed Chile flakes.

Whirl all the ingredients in a blender, stab the roast all over to make sure the marinade penetrates, pour over, and marinate at least 12 hours overnight. Turn occasionally. Roast in a low 250F oven basting and turning until it's golden brown and crispy and shreds easily (about 8 hours). I'm going to serve it with "Moros y Christianos" (Black Beans and Rice) on the side, fried platanos (plantains) if I can find them, and baked yams. Of course lots of Mojo gets squirted on the Puerco! I love Latin food and have since I was stationed in Panama. Fantastic stuff!

Thanks to all the folks contributing to our thread and I hope all of you have had a good day and a great meal, parked somewhere scenic and safe!

Cheers!

 

[gizmotron]

OK, pictures matter in the food thread.

Street Tacos

 

[Frood]

I'm sitting in my office here in the early AM and I'm already starving after reading the above posts...