They Will Never Ask For That Again

 

Special Halloween treat: corned tongue; bread; horseradish sauce.

Alexis' workplace decided to have a themed Halloween potluck. Bring "scary" food. Well the first thing that popped into my head was corned tongue. I will let the pictures do most of the talking. Above is the original product. I corned it, braised it, bked a giant batard to carve a lower jaw out of and created a cow-pire. They will never ask me for scary food again.

I slay me.

They Just Sploded!

Supper, Thursday October 24, 2019: pea soup (bacon, onion, carrot, celery, split peas, stock, salt, pepper, pinch of cayenne); mashed potato balls (leftover mash, cheddar, egg wash, breadcrumbs).

There is a little bit to look at here. First let me comment on the soup. Whether it is ham, bacon, smoked turkey. . . I like to brown the meat first, add oil if necessary. Then I set it aside to saute the mirepoix. When it is beginning to get tender I add some stock. I will use chicken stock I have canned or vegetable base and water depending on my mood. Simmer until the veggies are soft. 

At this point I have added a lot of flavor with the vegetables but split pea soup should be smooth sans bits of the seasoning meat. So I use a hand blender to puree the veggies. That is why I set the meat aside. Now add the peas and spices and simmer til the peas fall apart. 

What I want to say about the balls is that I made them too well. I am very good at breading things. These were so well breaded that the coating formed a hermetic seal around the potato and cheese filling. The coating cooked hard then the inside began to melt and finally boil. Those suckers started ejecting their contents like Kilauea. Seriously, they were spewing. I had to get them out as quickly as possible. I haven't attempted that again so I don't know what to do. Poke holes in them?

They were tasty though. 

It's an Asheville Thing

Breakfast: Saturday October 19, 2019: meatloaf wrap (tortilla. coarse spicy mustard, smoked meatloaf, cheddar, romaine).

I'm sure there was some fruit or something also, but it didn't make it to the picture. I smoked the meatloaf a few days back. I didn't talk about that. Don't know why, just didn't want to. I just mixed up some meatloaf, placed it onto a metal baguette form, and smoked it. 

The real star here though is the lowly condiment. It is a locally produced mustard. It is REALLY good. It is pricey as far as mustard goes but worth it. I could just eat it out of the jar. 

She Likes Mushrooms That Much

 

Breakfast, Sunday October 13, 2019: Sausagey fungus eggs (breakfast sausage, flour, milk, shiitake, pepper, scramble, cheddar); grilled pineapple;

thick cut bacon; bananana.

I have always thought that the word "banana" sounded kinda silly. It is a sound that a toddler might make. I tried to look up the etymology, but I could not get a consistent answer. I must admit that I didn't work too hard at it. . . One source said is was from Spanish or Portuguese "mande." I'm not too sure about that. Another professed that it was from the Arabic word for finger "banan." Now that is believable 'ceptin I tried Google translate and It could not make heads nor tails of banan. 

It will just remain a mystery

Some trivia though: over 70 million people in Africa get more than 25% of their calories from bananas (the cooking type mostly). It is a major staple food in Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean. 

Why does the sausage gravy have shiitake in it you ask? I had soaked some shiitakes for something I did not end up making. I saw them and thought "hmm. . . more umami maybe?" (Say it with me now: "Alliteration.") Turned out it was a good idea. Then while we are eating she says, "I'd never really thought about it but we eat a lot of mushrooms. I guess I really like mushrooms."

I kinda knew that.

Do German Leaders Have Lumpy Heads?

 

Supper, Tuesday October 08, 2019: cheeseburgers (homemade bun, LTOMWK, cheddar, 80/20 beef).

I use the same recipe to make pizza dough (mostly) as I do to make a couple of loaves of bread. The drawback, or benefit, is that it is too much dough for the size pizza I usually make. Lately I have been making buns out of some of the dough. Two rolls reduces the dough by just enough. I have even found an easy way to make Kaiser rolls. This was one of my first attempts. Not so good. I've gotten better. 

The method is amazingly simple. I was surprised it worked. You start by rolling the dough into a rope. Then you tie a loose granny knot in the middle. You finish by continuing wrapping the ends around the loop and tucking them in/under. Google it. It's not hard to find. The key is don't futz with it too much trying to get it perfect. That is what I did to those above and it did not go so well.

I was trying to make a joke about Kaisers and oddly shaped bread. Dumb.

Caulifarter. . .ah. . .flour

 Supper, Wednesday October 06, 2019: fried cauliflower and some other stuff.

Or is it fartiflower? Either way. . .

Scatological humor aside, I do love this stuff. So does Alexis. I really like cauliflower in about any form: steamed then covered with shredded cheddar; sauteed as part of a stir fry; raw with dip or in a salad; in a spicy aloo-gobi. Most of all I love these little golden nuggets. Something special happens inside the breading while the florets are steaming in their own liquids. 

Just beware, when refrigerated as leftovers they take on a peculiar odor.

Fartiflower.