For Pete's Sake I'm Finally Into 2019

Supper, Saturday January 12, 2019: mole pork 

(braised pork, carmelized onions, mole sauce); cornbread; quinoa and corn;

avocado and cilantro.

We really like the off the shelf mole sauce that comes in the little jars. I like the little jars for juice glasses. It's wonderfully kitch, and reminiscent of the jelly jars of my youth that my mother bought. It is just great on chicken or pork. We have even used it on shrimp. Take a light touch in that case. Thin it out a bit. A lot of sauce on the shrimp overwhelms the shrimp.

BTW, none of this was difficult. The cornbread was left over from beans and cornbread night. The pork was also leftover. The beauty of sauces is in the transformation of the mundane. 

Happy Sushi Day!

Supper, Tuesday December 25, 2018: sushi;

das it.

I've probably already mentioned this but I'm too lazy to look. Alexis and I aren't so much into the Christmas thing. I'm not certain I could explain it fully. There are a lot of reasons. The big ones are: It's a set of rituals that people (gentiles perhaps more accurately) are expected to participate in while so few have a deep understanding of its history and origins. The holiday as celebrated in the US is a  weird blending of incompatible theologies. The consumption thing is out of hand. It's grotesque. Oh, and don't get me started on the decorations.

I did not grow up that way. It was celebrated with gusto in my family, but here's how not into it I am. Last holiday season I had to look up when it was. I don't mean the day of the week. I had forgotten that it is on the 25th. That might be a little embarrassing, but it does demonstrate just how little I give a. . .hoot. 

We do take advantage of sales to make some purchases. This time we got a wicked good deal on a washer/dryer combo. Multiple discounts and and rebates. We don't "Christmas shop." We lurk online cynically looking for deep discounts and make in person purchases only if necessary. 

Point is, Alexis volunteers to work the holiday so somebody else can be with their kids or whatever. (We are not so nihilist that we do not recognize that nearly every nominal Christian, and even a few others, place some value on the holiday.) Also for the last fifteen years give or take, Christmas dinner has been sushi.

I suppose it is our personal version of the orange on the seder plate. 

Toad

Breakfast, Friday December 14, 2018: toad-in-the-hole; bacon; ring bologna; fruit.

I'm not making that up, that is what it is called. It is just an egg fried in the middle of a piece of bread. Cut a hole, heart, triangle, whatevs in a slice of your favorite bread. Butter a pan. Add the bread and crack an egg in the middle. give it a couple of minutes. Flip to toast the other side. I like toasting the cut-out for dipping.

You Got A Salmon Thing Happenin' There

Supper, December 9, 2018: bagel with cream cheese and lox.

I normally don't show meals that I did not prepare but this one had to be celebrated. 

The short version is that I have a friend who likes to use his air miles to visit states. He has been doing this for years. I started going with him the last few trips (usually one a year). One of the stops on this trip was Mystic Connecticut. I was excited because they have an aquarium that has beluga whales. I've never seen them in person.

One of the whales, Juno, paints. I'm not making it up, Google it. I was so enthralled I bought one. 

It's called "Ocean Sparrow." It hangs in my library. (Really just a nice den/reading room.) When I look up from this convertible It is right in front of me. It makes me happy.

Something else that makes me happy:

That's not sand. That's gravel. That sucker is about a foot long. Pure nightmare fuel. Don't look too long or it will haunt your dreams. Forever. 

It'll probably eat your feet too. 

Also in Mystic was a diner. They had lox. I hadn't had that in a while. I was glad that I was a hankerin' for some salmon 'cause they did not scrimp on the lox. Seriously, look at the picture. There are actually two slabs of salmon one atop the other that are thicker than the tomato slices. It had to be a third to a half a pound of fish. It was almost to much.

I managed to choke it down. 

I had to see it was a fluke (lol) so I got it again for breakfast. No fluke (lol).  I managed to choke it down.

Because Okra

Supper, Tuesday November 27, 2018: cheeseburger sans bun (grilled beef, swiss, avocado); fried okra; roasted mixed roots; onion strings.

For more on okra or onion strings.

Happy Turkey* Day

Thanksgiving Dinner: smoked turkey; taters; red cabbage; roasted vegetables; graaaavy.

I love smoking a turkey on my kettle grill. I need to document that next time. 

* There is some small controversy over the claim that the plymouth colonists had turkey at their harvest festival of 1621. While there is no specific mention of turkey at the meals during the 3 day celebration, William Bradford, who was present, notes that around that time that "And besides waterfowl there was great store of wild turkeys, of which they took many. . ." As far as I am concerned this is a settled topic.

OK,That Was Kinda Weird

Lunch, Wednesday, November 21 2018: Nibbles: creamed corn; crackers; mixed cheese; olive tapenade; turkey heart.

Yup, turkey heart. I always take the bag-o-stuff that comes with the poultry and simmer it for a little broth. Sometimes I will add the stripped bones and skin later. I always pull the heart out before it gets cooked t death. Alexis likes the heart. So do I for that matter.

We call this sort of meal "Nibbles." Anything that is a collection of a variety of hand foods is nibbles.

The cheese on the left is a 10 year old cheddar. It's scary good.

Always With The Cilantro

Breakfast, Wed November 21, 2018, savory grains and fruit: savory grains (mixed rolled grains, vegetable stock, grilled chicken);
mixed fruit; cilantro garnish.

I've talked about this before. We like the savory grain thing sometimes in the morning.