Cock, Just Cock

 

Breakfast, Sunday May 23, 2021: polenta and eggs: polenta (quick polenta, garlic powder, vegetable base, pepper, shredded parm ); leftover pizza sauce; mozzarella; gallus gallus 

domesticus ova.

We had corn pancakes a few days ago. Alexis likes them a lot so I made some extra for quick workday breakfasts. Something that I saw her mother do was make breakfast sammiches out of leftover pancakes, so I have done that on occasion. I used some of the corn pancakes for just that for a couple of days recently. 

On this occasion I actually asked (gasp!?) whether she wanted one. "How about something different?" was the reply. If you're gonna be different, do it fo' reals.

BTW gallus is Latin for cock.

I Orangen't Very Attentive

 

Breakfast, Thursday May 13, 2021: kohlrabi fritters (shredded kohlrabi, egg, flour, buttermilk, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pepper, avocado cream sauce (avocado, yogurt, sour creme, salt, lemon juice)); scramble (onion, spinach, mushroom, eggs, cheddar, tarragon, dill, salt); fruit.

The grocery that I regularly use has a decent produce section. It has a good and generally fresh selection of the basics. It has some shortcomings. The mushroom selection is buttons and portobellos, das it. The parsley is always sad, which makes me sad 'cause I really like tabbouleh. On the other hand they always seem to have pineapples really cheap. (There was recently a six week pineapple drought. It was difficult.) The other item that is exciting is blood oranges. They are not stocked all the time, but it is often enough that I always look for them. 

On my most recent shopping trip they were in stock and. . . wait for it. . . on sale. I got a little excited. Instead of carefully inspecting them I joyfully stuffed them in a bag. I realized my mistake this morning. I intended to just use blood orange as the fruit, but when I took one out of the bowl I almost put my thumb in it. This might be all right for a really ripe peach, but not an orange. It wasn't rotten all the way through, only in the spot my thumb submerged. I was able to use half of it. 

 

That's A Lot Of Breakfast

Brunch, Sunday February 2, 2020: jerk pork chop; french toast (whole wheat bread, egg, milk, almond extract, vanilla); mole vegetables (mole sauce, onion, green pepper, baby bellas).

It really is a lot of breakfast. In our defence, however, it really was brunch. On the rare day that we actually sleep in (she sleeps in) we sometimes have a large breakfast then an early supper. We might finish the day with a late snack. Another route is that we will have a light snack in the afternoon then a normal supper. Either way it is two meals and a snack. 

The bread was some half whole wheat that was getting on. Lately I've been experimenting with extracts in french toast batter. Almond, vanilla, lemon, hazelnut, orange are all good. Just depends on your mood. (Orange and vanilla are very good together. Anybody remember Dreamsicles?

The pork chop was from the gift that the renter's parents got us. I just dusted it with a little jerk seasoning then griddled it beside the toast. 

The vegetables were leftover from the night before. Saute whatever, smother with mole, simmer. Mole makes everything better.
 

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. 

Ain't Nobody Got Time Fo Dat

Supper, Friday March 22, 2019: nibbles again? (sardine fillets; olives; artichoke heart; corned beef; hummus; goat cheese; grape tomato; blueberry).

I was thinking about how this evolved, why do we eat "nibbles" frequently? (You don't see all the meals, obviously, and nibbles often mundane, not worthy of comment.) I came up with two primary reasons.

It's easy. "What? Easy? Who has all that crap ready to go? Ain't nobody got time fo dat." Lemme 'splain. This is an exceptional example, but I really did have all this stuff just "layin' around." Some are staples in our pantry. Others were purchased for another meal and here are the leftovers repurposed. I keep tinned fish, olives, and interesting cheeses on hand. The corned beef was for reubens. I just make hummus periodically, we both like it a lot. We use it in some capacity for several meals. Blueberries and grape tomatoes were on sale. If blueberries are on sale I shoot first and ask questions later. I will figure out what to use them for. So yeah, I really did just throw this together. 

It's slow. It works well with our evening routine She gets home. I finish supper. She cleans up. We talk about the day. She decompresses about work. I nod and make the appropriate expression. We do the crossword. Oh, and we nibble.

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. 

A Bowl Of Gooey Love

Breakfast, Friday October 19: breakfast bowl (refried roasted yukons and sweet potatoes, onion, cheddar, egg).

Potatoes are one of the few foods that can easily be repurposed (and actually taste good or even improve). Mashed potatoes find new life in potato pancakes. Roasted potatoes turn into home fries. Leftover bakers can become mashed and 'tater skins.

After he left the service my father managed a corporate restaurant for a few years before he became ill and subsequently disabled. The store had bakers on the menu as a side. Of course you can't just whip up a baked potato. (Yes I know about microwaves and yes they do a decent job but there is a noticeable difference in moisture, evenness, and texture, especially in the skin.) So at the end of the night there were at least a few 'taters left over. Since home fries weren't on the menu they went in the trash. My father intercepted some every couple of nights and brought them home. We ate a lot of potatoes.

Anyhoo, here I retasked some roasted yukons and sweet potatoes in a skillet with a little onion, salt, and pepper. Some of the sweets got really brown. they look burnt in the photo. They aren't. Top with cheese and a couple of runny eggs that you can break to let the yolk coat that browned starchy yumness. Super combo. A dollop of sour cream might improve it, but I didn't have any. We had to rough it.

Improvise, Adapt, Overcome.

Breakfast, Saturday June 24: roasted roots; scramble (onions, spinach, cheddar, eggs); shredded beef gravy; toast.

I'm including this one because it is an example of trying to put something together for a crowd that has odd tastes with limited ingredients. We were visiting family.

The previous evening I needed to whip up something quick. Meat is kind of a requirement but the supply was limited to some home canned beef. I suggested making something like chipped beef and gravy since there was also an abundance of fresh bread. We had some root vegetables from the garden. Throw in some salad greens and it was a reasonable supper. 

In the morning there were just three of us from the previous evening. There was a bit of the roasted roots and the shredded beef gravy. A little bit of scramble and a decent, if not attractive, repast was had. 

Squash? For Breakfast?

Breakfast, Friday June 16: leftover taters; seared squash; scramble.

So I tried a new variety of squash in the garden. It's called Grey Griller. It a zucchini varietal that is a very light green (the grey part) and a bit denser (the griller part, 'cause they aren't so mushy after grilling). They do very well just seared in a pan with a little olive oil and some seasoned salt. Sitting on the plate instead of sausage or bacon they make it a good bit healthier. The scramble was just scrambled eggs with a bit of chopped fresh chives and parsley. (It's always chives is just one, a chive? it's like pants. What is a pant? One leg? (Yup, chive is a single bulb and stalk. Pants is short for pantaloons which originally came in two pieces one for each leg. (Hell yeah! I love recursion!)))

Oh yeah, food. The taters came from a burger joint that we like that gives us a pile of steak cut fries. I think it is because we ask for no salt. The throw a couple of big double handfuls in the fryer and give us all of them regardless of how much they overestimated. So we take home half of them to use for breakfast the next day. I just cut them into chunks and saute like hashed browns.

So I Had These Ribs. . .

Supper, Saturday May 20: rib sandwich (pulled rib meat, habanero cheddar, rosemary and olive oil bagel); fried yucca; fried okra.

I Wasn't Joking

Lunch, Sunday March 7: bucatini and sauce; greens;

canned peaches. 

Not much to say here. I just wanted to show the color of the bucatini. When we packed up the leftovers from Friday I put the sauce on the bucatini and put it away. Then two days later I am packing lunch for Alexis and behold purple bucatini. I really did put beets in that sauce.

It Looks Like Spaghetti. . .

Supper, Friday May 4: Bucatini and sauce.

I was unfamiliar with this pasta until just recently. I was intrigued. Really fat hollow spaghetti. the texture and tooth of a really thick noodle but perhaps without being doughy. It did not disappoint. both of us liked it. The big fat noodle texture was great for the sauce I made. 

That not-bolonese I made a few days ago got re-tasked. I added some browned Italian sausage and, here's the weird but it worked part, beets. Beets? Really? Yes beets. Here is the logic. I wanted to add some earthiness and some chunkiness. The earthiness because the sauce had plenty of brightness from the tomato, herbs, and kalamatas. The sausage would bring in some more umami to add to the bean's contribution. So bring in some earthiness to bolster that of the beans. Plus, I happened to have some garden beets that needed to be eaten.

I Think It Is Still Kosher

Breakfast, Thursday April 14: roast beef hash* (leftover brisket, potato); mixed fruit; tomato juice.

*Here is another example of re-tasking. Sure the brisket is leftover, but it's not being used it the same way as it was yesterday. Instead of slicing it up I shredded it with the mandolin along with some potato. Now it's not "leftovers" it is something new entirely. 

I know I've commented on our tomato juice before, but I want to give the ingredients. I buy the tomatoes by the case at the farmers market in 25 pound boxes. Now check this out: second grade tomatoes AKA #2 are perfectly good tomatoes but they are blemished or oddly shaped so they are cheaper. They are fine for juice making and get this, in season a case will be as low as 8 dollars.  

To every case of tomatoes I add 2 jalapenos, a fist full of parsley (half a bunch), 4 garlic cloves, and 3 tablespoons of salt.

I think I will show the process later, after I get caught up.

Frankenbrito!

Supper, Friday February 3: carnitas burrito ( retasked carnitas filling, spinach ); fried squash; guacamole.

When you bring home the half of the ENORMOUS burrito from your favorite local Mexi-Cali spot by the time you eat it for lunch or dinner a day or two later the tortilla has turned into a gooey mass of library paste. DON'T EAT THAT. Open that sucker up, scrape out the filling. Use it in tacos or make a new burrito. 

We Eat Eggs For Breakfast, Why Not Egg Salad

Breakfast, Friday February 3: egg salad and rice crackers; oatmeal with apples and blueberries.

It's just eggs done a different way. Really it is my inability to toss out anything. This has served me well though, a lot of my ideas come from how to utilize what is at hand.

For my feelings on oatmeal look here.

Beans Are Good For You

Supper, Sunday January 8: speckled butter beans and pork; turnip greens; rice.

I know this is not much to look at and neither was the finished plate, but DAMN those beans were good. It looks like more pork than beans here but in fact it really was the other way around. The pork was from a smoked shoulder that a friend shared with us. I simmered the bone and its meat as well as some scraps with a little Mirepoix, (carrot, celery, onion). After the meat had begun to fall apart I separated it from the bone and mirepoix so that it would not be boiled to tasteless strings. once I had simmered the rest sufficiently (a few hours) I strained the broth, added soaked and cleaned beans along with the meat from earlier, and let that simmer until the beans were tender (another couple of hours). I only added salt and pepper. Sometimes it is just the simple combination of a few choice ingredients that can create an extrordinary dish.

Stock, beans, pork, salt, pepper.  Extraodinary.

Are They Enchiladas If You Use Flour Tortillas?

Breakfast, Sunday January 8: an assortment of small wraps (shrimp, bacon, feta, avocado, scallions, brie, habanero jack) .

This was for a to go breakfast. The idea, which worked quite well, was to send her to work with the roll-ups cold. She could then heat them in the microwave at work. I added a little fresh fruit and some salsa to round it out.

BTW, it is NOT an enchilada.

Garlic, Shrimp, And Feta, A Match Made In Heaven

Breakfast, Saturday January 7: cheesy shrimp toast (toasted tuscan roasted garlic bread (say that five times bitches), shrimp sauteed with scallion in olive oil, parm, feta); fruit and yogurt with poppy seed.

For the toast, just assemble and pop in the toaster oven til melty and yummy. 

Carambolas are tricky. They are really tasty when fully ripe. until that point they are just "Meh." Edible but nothing to write home about. Up until that point however, they are very pretty. Starfruit, the fruit that looks like a star. Whoda thunkit? Well the executive chef in the sky has a slightly twisted sense of humor. When these things taste good is usually right about the time that all of the abuses they have suffered at the hand of man come out. Plus the shape that makes them so appropriate for a garnish makes those abuses appear doubly. The edges of the fruit get banged up and them as it ripens they turn black. So there is a window of about a day, maybe 2 if you are lucky, when they haven't turned black at the tips but are coming into their full flavor. If you want the full effect from these guys you just have to be flexible with your planning and use them when they are peaking.

Avocados have a similar problem. If you buy one in the store already ripe then it has been test mushed by other shoppers and you will likely end up with an edible but ugly fruit. Since I use avocado a LOT more than I use starfruit, I solve this problem by purchasing clearly greeen, rock hard fruit and allowing them to ripen unmolested with the bananas and plantains (another food that needs similar treatment.

Holy Crap I Haven't Posted In A While

Supper, Friday January 6: split pea soup (onion, carrot, celery, peas, smoked pork,* pork stock, pepper); chard and mandarins; sweet potato.

* I have a friend who bought a couple of smoked shoulders from his church during a fundraiser that they periodically run. Two whole shoulders were too much for his family really so he gave me a large portion of one of the shoulders. Now traditionally the recipe would be split pea and ham, but what is ham? The cured and or smoked rear leg of the pig. The shoulder is the front leg or the front shoulder region (Boston Butt). Not only is this a reasonable substitution with respect to texture and flavor the other advantage is that the shoulder was not salt cured. I could create a lower salt version of one of my personal favorite soups

Breakfast On The Run

Breakfast, Friday January 6: breakfast burrito (potato, jalapeno, bell pepper, red onion, dried cherry tomatoes, chili powder, egg, egg substitute, goat cheese, habanero cojack, tortilla).

Fine julienne the potatoes. A mandolin works best. Dice the other vegetables. Spread the taters out in a smoking hot skillet with a little oil in it. I like to sprinkle the other vegetables on top then they get to brown on the first turn. BE PATIENT, let the potatoes brown before turning. After the first turn add spices and stir occasionally until everything is browned.

Add the eggs directly to the pan. I also use some no cholesterol egg substitute. Do as you will. Fold these all together until the eggs are done.

I used some goat cheese on the warmed tortilla. I like to warm them by laying them on the spatter screen over the filling as it cooks.

Portion out the filling. Add some more cheese. Roll it up. Roll out the door.

Alexis got one. A co-worker got another.