Advertisements
Back to Basics Cooking
Tidbits
I gathered ripe habaneros for more of that delicious fruity sauce. I will seal and freeze some and keep the remainder out for another batch as soon as I can get to the store for more juice.
Nothing notable about this meal. I did add some mild curry powder to the rub as an afterthought before popping them into the oven. It would have been much better to make a marinade of it with some oil.
Did I mention that the refrigerator/freezer that was installed for the kitchen remodel quit? We had a GE dispatched tech over twice, once to tell me that yes, it was not cooling and the second time to add some coolant gas. There was some back and forth via texts and emails with the customer rep. They decided to replace the fridge with a brand spanking new one.
The men delivering the new one carried it through the door by means of straps under the unit – blew my mind. I had never seen the like. Ingenious method.
I made enough cheese sauce and steak to have another go at it. The pickled peppers were good, again. I will make another batch when some of them turn red.
I toasted a couple of flour tortillas for tacos the other day. I had some hot Italian sausage to use up so that became the meat layer. I browned it in a skillet with jalapenos and onions with a goodly sprinkle of taco seasoning and it was very good. Also in the taco were refried beans, shredded cheeses, salsa, and fresh tomatoes.
Ollie is doing the kitteh safety scan before entering through the open window from the roof outside. Bitsy will let him go first, just in case he misses the kitteh eating monster that may be lurking within.
Tidbits
Here’s Ollie, stalking through some tall grass.
Another sous vide flat iron steak with chimichurri. We’re liking the chimichurri quite a lot. This one has red jalapenos for a little color. Our recipe deletes the cilantro in favor of parsley and fresh oregano. On the side are stir-fried green beans and hash browned potatoes.
Kroger makes better fried chicken than KFC. The habanero dipping sauce is just killer.
InstaPot country ribs with sauerkraut, carrots and potatoes. I used the meat setting and did a natural release. The carrots held their shape but were a tad mushy.
Cheese steak sammich. I made the sauce using the sodium citrate/water method. One cup of water with one teaspoon of the citrate brought to a simmer with shredded cheddar whisked in. I didn’t use the stick blender and it was fine despite leaving little lumps of cheese. I saw no downside to that.
I’ll leave you with a Tiger Swallowtail on Lantana with a backdrop of Black-eyed Susans.
Pork Noodles (Slight Return)
Don’t hate me. In my defense, it was a pretty big tenderloin. I’m down to using spaghetti to fill out the noodles part.
Pork Lo Mein
This one is made with ramen noodles, just boil for a few minutes and then drain. Add them to your stir fry pan right away, or if the rest of the dish is not yet ready toss with a little oil to prevent clumping. This is a pretty good primer on this quick and easy dish.
Pork Noodles
I dropped in an egg to poach in the broth and spooned on chili oil. Chicken broth with thin sliced pork tenderloin.
Gadget Post – 5.5qt Saute Pan
I liked that last skillet I bought from these people so much that I ordered another pan. My first go at cooking with it is the old standby – sloppy joes.
Modern Mac & Cheese
Not sure how modern this recipe is but the Serious Eats folks called it such and who am I to say no? I can’t quite get over the melting of the cheese into simmering water instead of a white sauce but it works.
I bought this at Amazon. I’m sure it is going to last a long time unless we go cheese sauce crazy. I made a half recipe using a pound of shredded cheddar and I have to say the sauce it made is very good. I used most of it on the mac but had enough left to coat the veggies, too.
I will note that the sauce retains its creaminess longer as it cools instead of setting up. Alas, clean-up is not any faster.
