Nice Buns

 

Supper Sunday April 19, 2020: cheeseburger (with all the stuff); sweet potato chips; italian green beans. 

I'm beginning to get much better at the bun thing. Ya gotta make the loop in the knot really big, bigger than you think it needs to be. That also means that the dough rope needs to be a lot longer than you think it should.

I have got to get my raised beds put together soon. We are beginnning to get low on some of the canned goods that we regularly eat. This might be the last jar of Romas. I have to create some garden space for next season.

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.

Boredom

Breakfast, Friday October 26, 2018: deconstructed breakfast sandwiches (whole wheat biscuits, egg, cheese, sausage avocado cilantro);

pickle (okra, beet).

Nobody wants to be bored. In the first world*, and some of the third world, it would seem that there is no reason to be. There is access to the web through a cell phone. Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Ashley Madison ;) easily provide something to fill available time. It turns out though that there is a reason.

Creativity.

Yeah, it turns out that boredom is useful and may even be required to inspire creativity. Google it: boredom and creativity. 'Cause if you are reading this then you are probably bored. 

As a young man Sir Isaac Newton went on a self imposed exile from London fleeing the plague. While ensconced alone with few visitors in a small rural cottage he created or discovered no less than: the calculus; optics and the theory of light, the laws of motion, the law of gravity. . . 

Sir Isaac I am not, this will have to do.

*What exactly is the second world? Mississippi?

One Of The Greatest Combos Ever

Lunch, Monday July 16: lox bagel (sesame bagel, cream cheese, smoked salmon, tomato, 
lettuce, onion, capers).

I didn't put this together. There is a new coffee shop down the street that I really like. They have a small menu of sammiches and other tidbits. Most importantly, they always have shortbread, one of my favoritest thingses.

This is also a nice example of the penchant for Americans to create culinary mash-ups. Scandinavians devised the method of preserving salmon in salt. Native Americans smoked it. The capers are Italian. Cream cheese probably originated in Britain. The crusty chewy ring of manna probably started with Uigher merchants on the silk road.

New Yorkers put them all together.

Too Much Lettuce

Lunch, Sunday June 24: bean soup; cheese, lettuce, and cucumber wrap; olive; stuffed pepper.

Not much to say. We have a lot of lettuce from the garden so instead of a salad "how about a wrap.?"

Fancy Sardines. . . Is That A Thing?

Supper, Tuesday July 11: fishy cheese bagel (everything bagel, smoked habanero cheddar, fancy sardines, capers); beet and rutabaga salad; cucumber, radish. and tomato salad.

Sardines are in right now. Multiple studies have shown that there is a good correlation between consumption of fish, particularly oily varieties, and better health outcomes vis a vie heart disease, longevity, stroke. . . The problem is that we have gotten way too good at fishing. Modern vessels and techniques have seriously depleted the oceans of the most sought after fish. So we have authorities telling us to eat more fish, but doing so is potentially harmful to the ocean ecosystems, plus fish is 'spensive. ( I admit that this is a relative notion. Beef is 'spensive sure, but the Surgeon General isn't telling us to slam down more Krystal burgers.) So what is a concerned citizen supposed to do? Enter the sardine.

Sardines have become a hot item because they are 1) an oily fish 2) not particularly expensive and 3) a potentially sustainable resource. There is some disagreement over #3 but I suspect that if properly managed the sardine harvest could be sustained. It may even do some good for the ecosystems. considering that we have depleted many top tier predator fish. By harvesting more sardines we might be able to help balance predator-prey ratios.

Nevertheless I have a special fondness for the humble sardine. When I was a child, my father would occasionally indulge in a tin of sardines with some saltines. When I was old enough to appreciate them, about 5 years old, he began sharing his treat with me. My mother did not partake of this repast, she did not like "fishy" fish. She would eat varieties such as flounder, pollock, and perch. We lived near the coast and my father was an avid fisherman so we did eat a lot of fish. Even though my father was responsible for scaling, dressing, and filleting the catch, my mother would carefully inspect each piece for any stray scale or bone. There was no way that she was going to eat a fish complete with scales, bones, and entrails. 

This was, I think some of the fascination I may have had with the little salty, oily treats. The only thing missing was the head. Eating all of the parts normally eschewed was enticing for me at 5. Weren't boys supposed to like gross stuff? I was stereotypical in that sense. So when I opened the tin of these "fancy" sardines and saw fillets the 5 year old looked up and said "Hey, where's the bones and guts and stuff?" He would probably also noted that capers look like rolled up boogers.

Anyhoo, the sardines were good. Yeah, its a thing.

Isn't It Supposed To Be Red?

Supper, Tuesday May 23: tomato soup; grilled cheese (homemade sour rye, habanero cheddar, smoked gouda).

That depends on the tomato. I used yellow romas for this soup. We got a case of yellow romas at the farmers market last season and put them up as crushed tomatoes. The soup is pretty straightforward. Start with a mirepoix (1 onion, 2 carrot, 2 celery) and chopped garlic and shallot. Saute in olive oil til tender. Add a couple of quarts or equivalent of crushed tomatoes. Also add some basil, oregano, and black pepper. Bring this to a boil. Simmer until everything is tender. Puree with a hand blender. Simmer until desired thickness is achieved. 

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.

As Long As There Is Cheese

Supper, Sunday April 9: reuben; onion strings; beet greens with feta.

I've done all of these before but there are a couple of things worth mentioning. Thousand island dressing is one. I'm finicky about my reuben. Too often I have received soggy reubens. The kraut is put on soggy and the thousand island is laid on thick so that the bread is turning to mush before it gets to the table. I make the dressing for these. It's easy. Mayo, relish, ketchup, a little lemon juice. I Make it thick so it minimizes the bread sog.

The other thing to mention is greens. If you ever get beets don't toss the greens. Saute the greens in a little olive oil til tender. Add a little wine or lemon juice. Finish with a little feta.

My Bologna Has A First Name. . .

Breakfast, Tuesday March 21: PigCowChicken (english muffin bread, egg, trail bologna, swiss cheese).

So there is this bologna that is a staple in north central Ohio where Alexis is from. She calls it trail bologna (pronounced baloney, of course). Growing up in the south I had never seen the like. It looks like a very long polish sausage bent in on itself to form a ring (more on that in a minute). The texture on the other hand is definitely not that of the typical smoked sausage. It is fine textured like the large diameter bologna I grew up on. It has a different spice palette, but it is bolgna just the same. It is great with cheese and crackers or as a breakfast meat like in the photo above.

I made alexis a sammich with the above ingredients and some ohio swiss. I also made one to share with a co-worker. It is a small thing. It costs almost nothing and the time spent to make two is not much more than the time spent to make one. There will always be someone who skipped breakfast, and will be very appreciative.

Now for the amusing part. Alexis and her family and as far as I can tell everyone she knows have always called it trail bologna. When I inquired I was told that's just what it is called. So for years I assumed that it was the meat equivalent of trail mix. (It very well could be but that is not germaine to my story.) I've been calling it trail bologna for quite some time. On a recent trip to the region, we procured some of the product. This time i did something I had never before. I read the label. Turns out that the style of this smoked meat is "ring bologna" and, wait for it, the stuff is made in Trail OH. Since I have been inculcated I will probably continue to call it trail bologna. Whatever you call it, it's tasty.

Arrrrrg, There Be Sliders There

Supper, Monday March 13: pig sliders (sausage patty, pumpkin whole wheat biscuit, cheddar, onion, lettuce, mustard); fried squash; sauteed collards.

There is nothing particularly piratical about this plate except that I needed to use a pick on the sandwiches so. . .

In The South, If you Fry It, They Will Eat

Lunch, Wednesday March 1: cheese sammich ( asiago bagel, brie, zen greens, crunchy sprouts, artisan mustard); curly fries, fried squash. 

Not exactly the healthiest lunch, but I did sneak some veggies in there. We are not adverse to cold cuts, it's just that if you have to reduce salt somethin's gotta give. I would rather have the cheese. 

Lamb Gyro Or Lamburger On A Pita

Supper, Tuesday February 7: lamb gyro (ground lamb, harissa, tomato, lettuce, greek pita); onion strings; fried squash.

Seriously, I Have A Lot Of Pumpkin

Lunch, Wednesday February 1: pumpkin, bean, and kale soup; grilled cheese; pickled green tomato.

Pick a good pumpkin soup recipe, add some beans and finely chopped kale. I used cranberry beans here. Cannellinis would be really good I suspect.

We Like To Call It Bug On A Bun

Lunch, Saturday January 21: softshell crab sandwich

Not me. One of Alexis' favorite things in the world. Restaurant that we like.

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.

Wait, Where Am I?

Breakfast, Friday December 30: low sodium bacon, fried eggs, sour rye toast, Amish butter, fruit.

Change of venue. We have a modest beach condo. I do mean modest as we are by no means wealthy. We are a couple of lower tier professionals, a nurse and an educator who are a bit miserly in nature so we tend to have First World Problems. Nevertheless I keep a reasonably stocked pantry there so when we are at the beach meals are kinda like home with a lot of seafood added. You'll see.

Some would call this a "Traditional Breakfast" but they would be terribly mistaken, unless they were referring to only the last 90 years only as worthy of examination. The story begins with an advertising campaign cooked up un the 1920's by Edward Bernays. You can look him up so I will not belabor the story. Suffice it to say that he came up with the notion that one should start their day with a heavy breakfast. prior to this most americans ate porridge made from cornmeal or oats, meat and bread left over from the evening meal along with coffee if available. Also by the turn of the 20th century the consumption of breakfast cereal established, having first appeared in 1887 as a masturbation preventative by Dr. Harvey Kellogg. Bernays' brilliance was in getting thousands of physicians to agree that a heavier breakfast would be a better chioce. The rest is food history.

Is It Still An Gyro If It's On Naan?

Supper Saturday December 18: lamb gyro (roasted leg of lamb, radish, onion, lettuce, tzaziki); fried yucca; crudite.

I am fond of the pitas that are used by greek restaurants. When crisped on a flat grill they are just the right combo of crispiness and chewiness. Now if I had nothing better to do I would find a reliable source, but I have not, at least not at the grocers that I frequent. Plain naan is a very good substitute. It is a little different. The crumb is not as even so the texture isn't the same but the flavor, once toasted in a large pan is nearly identical. This is probably why I haven't been to motivated to find the real McCoy.  

In thinking this meal through I realized that with the sandwich and fries, so far the plate was hand/finger food. It also needed a little boost in fiber and some other nutrients. Finger food? healthy? Oh, how about veggie sticks? Done. 

So We've Got Half An Avacado. . .

Breakfast, Saturday, December 17: breakfast grilled cheese (sour rye, habanero co-jack, bacon, avocado, onion); mixed pickle; mixed fruit.

Saturday morning chat while making coffee: 
Me, "What's for breakfast? What do you want? We've got that bread."
A, "I don't know, what else is there?"
Me, "Ive got half an avocado sitting here."
A, "I know what we're having."
Me, "What?"
A, "Avocado."
Me, "OK then."

So what do you do with avocado and rye bread? Breakfast grilled cheese I guess. It was pretty yummy. Of course you could use regular co-jack or cheddar. Also you don't need to use rye. That's just what we had on hand.

A New Cheese Friend!

Lunch, Friday December 16: *grilled cheese; mixed greens; mixed pickle.

*We made a new cheese friend. It's called Dubliner. It is what you would expect if a sharp cheddar and a parmesan had a booootiful baaaaaby. Seriously its yummy and now I know it makes a good fancy pants grilled cheese. I has a pretty good melt texture.

This shot also shows the flexibility of Alexis' new bento box container. Compare it to this arrangement. Pretty nifty.

We pickle peppers and tomatoes from the garden or the farmers market. Alexis really likes pickled jalapenos or hot bananas. I like them too, but given the choice I would go with pickled green tomatoes. You can't see them in this picture but there are some pickled green cherry tomatoes in there. We pickle those with a little whole garlic, carrot slices, and cauliflower. Oh yeah, I didn't do the olives. That's just crazy talk.