There's No Place Like Home

Breakfast, Friday Sep 21, 2018: eggs with salsa and mushrooms; fried squash; 

pineapple tidbits.

Just another "put it together with whatever you have on hand" meal. Why put mushrooms in salsa eggs? 'Cause they were going to go bad soon. The tidbits were leftover from a recipe that did not use the whole can. Of course Alexis put that hot BBQ sauce on everything.

  

We had been traveling for a conference and were happy to be home. We were in Louisville KY. There is some good food to be found there. Yeah, there's the bourbon thing, and we did see some distilleries, but we also found some really good food. I had one of the best reubens ever at a pub on Main. We also had some Louisville style pizza. Kinda like Chicago style but with the cheese on top.

So here is why I like St Louis cut ribs

So here is why I like St Louis cut ribs. Back ribs are nice and all. They are more tender than St Louis. They are less fatty. Tenderness doesn't matter so much when you are going to slow smoke. Side ribs make up for the fattiness with some pretty big slabs of meat. There is another benefit. St Louis cut usually has a substantial piece from the side of the belly. I usually trim some of this off to make seasoning meat, for beans and greens and such. (Cut the meat into pieces no more than a few inches a side. Coat liberally with rub. Layer in kosher salt. Lots of kosher salt. Cover and leave on the counter for a few days. Remove, shake off the excess salt, leave a thin coat. Bag and refrigerate.) 

Sometimes you get a pleasant surprise. A pig that didn't skip crunches. One of the racks in the two pack had a couple of inches of this.

So what did I do? I sliced it up. I'm not set up for cold smoking and curing so I sliced it then tossed it with some rub. Oughta be tasty. BTW the seasoning meat is in the background.

Here's a trimmed slab ready for the fridge overnight. Tomorrow it becomes.

T B C. . .

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things. . .

Supper, Thursday May 16: bagel sammich (smoked sausage, gouda, cheddar, rosemary and olive oil bagel); mixed fruit with yogurt.

Alexis' shift has changed so that she works 9 to 9. Those are weird hours. It's a little strained trying to work meals in. We have decided that unless she is running late that we will have breakfast together. I will pack her a lunch. We will have something relatively light for a late dinner. Maybe a snack in the late afternoon if either of us is getting hangry. 

I like fruit. Alexis not so much. She's OK with strawberries, blueberries, and pineapple. She eats the pineapple with scorpion chile bbq sauce. Huh? She barely tolerates the rest except melon. Nope, no melon. Oh yeah, the favorite things: sausage; cheese; bagels.

I learned a trick recently though. Those "water enhancer" drops are a great way to flavor plain yogurt. the large tubs of plain yogurt are a lot cheaper than the small serving size cups. Plus you aren't adding sugar. Of course if you have a thing about artificial sweeteners. . .

Oh Boy Do I Have Some Catching Up To Do

Breakfast Monday May 13: mixed fruit; shrimp sauteed in butter, scramble (eggs, cheddar, baby bellas, ramps).

Ramps you ask, what are ramps. They are a type of wild onion with a small bulb and broad tender leaves. They are also notoriously odiferous. They smell like a combination of a very strong onion with garlic. They are not for the unsophisticated palate. In our part of the country they are available in the spring. They can be found at farmers and tailgate markets for a few dollars a bunch. They can be used in place of garlic or onions or as a centerpiece to a dish. I like to use the whole plant. The leaves are very tender. 

Diner beware: If you eat too many, you will smell like them. Seriously. I think it comes out from your pores. 

Not Alexis, But Gotta Share. . .

Friday, September 07, 2018 Reuben and Tots

This is a bad photo. Sorry, dark bar and I wasn't considering this for a post. 

We went to a patient conference on my disability in Louisville KY. Of course we hit a few distilleries on the journey as it is close enough for us to drive there. The previous 2 years the locations were San Diego and New Orleans. Not road trip-able for me. When we attend this annual event we plan a little extra time to see a little bit of whatever city the conference is in. Louisville is a happening place. We found some great food very near the conference on "Wiskey Row" (Road? I don't remember.) 

Anyhoo, I bring this all up because I really like a good reuben, and as the joke goes lots of places serve up something that is definitely not like a good reuben. The reuben is my hot sandwich bellwether, meaning I judge an establishment by their reuben. The sandwich I had that day at a pub on wiskey row was one of the best I have ever had. The kraut was grilled and there was just enough dressing. The bread did not turn to mush. I believe the meat was cooked in house. It was not the oversalted precooked affair. 

Didn't hurt that they had Tots as an option. 

Oh, yeah, that is Willford, my companion manatee.

Meat Is Our Number One Ingredient. . .

In The Garden

I bet you have seen one of those commercials that compares the family dog to a wolf. I suppose it is intended to feed some desire in pet owners to see the manatee nee bulldog beside them on the couch as a noble predator, stalking his quarry. . . Bit of a stretch.

Yes dogs are decedents of wolves, but how? Prevailing theory now is that proto-dogs self selected in the garbage heaps near ancient human communities. So dogs are opportunistic omnivores. 

The picture above is our dog in the garden nomming on a discarded ear of corn. To my knowledge he has never been given corn right off the stalk. He found it, brought it out of the picked over stalks, peeled the husk back, and ate the nibblets off the cob. Opportunistic omnivore. 

Oh, yeah. He loves crabgrass too. 

Everything Is Better With Pizza Sauce

Breakfast, Wednesday September 05: pizza omelet (egg, jalapeno, red pepper, onion, mushroom, bacon, mozzarella, pizza sauce); garden tomato; banana.

As far as Alexis is concerned everything is better with pizza sauce on it (coleslaw?). So when I said I would saute some veggies for eggs her demand was "As long as mine has pizza sauce on it." We had sauce on hand because I was out of town for a few days. "What's that got to do with it?" you ask. If I am not going to be home I usually make sure she has stuff to make herself flatbread pizza. It's not that she is incapable of cooking for herself. She works 12 hour shifts. When she gets home she is tired, but usually has some chore(s) to tend to in my stead: pick beans; water plants; tote boxes upstairs; other housework; etc. So I try to make it easy for her to make herself some comfort food.