It's What's For Dinner

Supper, Wednesday January 15, 2020: blackeyed 

pea falafel.

I'm quite fond of this recipe for a couple of reasons. I really like blackeyed peas. The same goes for any of the beans in that family, cow peas, field peas. . . Some of these were once considered fodder so found their way into the diet of poor southerners (historically, read some whites and most blacks). My father fit the bill so I learned to like cow peas. 

Blackeyes are easy to cook. They do not require soaking and they do not take a long time on the stove. Solves the problem of "I'd like some beans for dinner. . . well I guess tomorrow." Most other beans require a much longer time investment.

Broad beans, favas, are a pain in the butt. You have to peel them. The alternative, box mix falafel is WAY too salty. OK, that's three, or maybe four. Anyhoo, I like this falafel mix.

Poop. I don't know where the recipe is. It's mostly just falafel sub blackeyed peas, but when I started writing this I was gonna put up the recipe. I'll have to look and post later. 

BTW Brass does not like January.

 

OMG, OMG, OMG!

Supper, Wednesday January 1, 2020: cod nuggets; fried cauliflower; caesar salad.

I finally caught up to this year.

It's That Time Of Year

 

Supper, Friday December 27, 2019: gnocchi and oysters (onion, broccoli, shiitake, portabella, parsley, parmesan, cream, gnocchi, salt, pepper); stuffed mushrooms (goat cheese, baby bellas, paprika).

Oysters are available all year now, but there is still something a little special about having them over the holidays. My father loved oyster stew. My mother, who would have died before eating an oyster would nonetheless make it for him. I'm not as big on the stew as he was, but I will eat them any way they come. I am especially fond of them raw. Alas, I am immunosuppressed. No more raw seafood for me. 

Boo.

  

I Don't Feel Petite

 Christmas dinner: petite filet, roasted roots,

broccoli casserole.

We're not big on Christmas. Not judgey just not our thing. However, I hate to miss the opportunity to make a special meal. Particularly when the most expensive part is free. 

We have a young man who rents the apartment in the upstairs of our house. We cut him a sweet deal in trade for help with maintenance. He helps cuts the grass, helps with projects, . . . He just graduated from college. That is where I met him from my former life. 

What's this got to do with anything? I think his parents are appreciative of our offer (and maybe the fact that he didn't have to move back as many Millenials have). They were very sweet and sent us a small kit from one of those frozen cryovac steak companies. They were PFG.

Sometimes Simple Is Better

Supper, Friday December 27, 2019: stuffed mushrooms (baby bellas, goat cheese, paprika, salt).

Whatever you decide to put in them stuffed mushrooms are a sublime treat. Crab, crab and cheese, spinach and cheese. . . They are all good. They are not difficult. Mix up the stuffing, mush it in there, bake. 

Most recipes call for a little short of a dozen ingredients, many of them just spices, so they really are not a burden. Despite that I wasn't in the mood. I had surplus mushrooms, and a lot of goat cheese. Both of them can go bad quickly, so I decided to use them together. The two most important things that started me on this path were: I had a lot of goat cheese so filler (breadcrumbs) was not necessary; Alexis really likes goat cheese. 

Wash and stem the caps.

Sprinkle with a little salt

Mush in a ball of cheese.

Sprinkle with paprika (or cayenne, or tarragon, or. . .).

Bake.

Das it.

We did have other stuff for dinner but it all paled in comparison.

 

Oh, I'm Thankful All Right

Supper, Tuesday November 19, 2019: Sunday Roaster.

I should really remember to smoke things more often. So what is stopping me? I think it is a paradigm that I have manufactured about the task. I tend to always go big. Pork shoulder, brisket, turkey. . . They are all a big time investment. Plus there is the whole "How are two people going to eat this before it turns" problem.

There is s simple solution. Just go smaller. Half butts are available or most grocers would be happy to cut one for you. There's turkey breast or a duck. I smoked a meatloaf recently. What's above is not a turkey but one of those plump little roaster hens. It was our Thanksgiving dinner since Alexis always works over the holiday.

We had some roasted taters too. I love those purple guys.

Remember, if you roast potatoes, got overboard a little. Leftover roasted spuds turned into home fries in the morning are sublime. (Under the eggs.)

 

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.