Journal

2014 - Week 31 Cooking Results

Corn and Chorizo Hash

Delayed!

Pasta Frittata with Sausage and Hot Peppers (p21 Cook's Illustrated July & August 2014)

So this didn't work out for me.  The end result was good, but the issue here is the cooking time associated with the preparation.  So in trying to solidifying the top of the frittata they basically want you to slid it out of the pan, then flip it from plate to plate and slide it top side up back into the pan.  Since the eggs on top where not very close to being solid, it sort of...well...it spilled and made quite a bit of a mess.  So maybe my bad for not letting it get solid enough, but it would've been easier (and I thought about doing it) to broil the thing, rather then flip it.  Though I suppose most non-stick pans would not be able to be broiled.

Anyways, after it finally cooked and I cleaned up the mess a bit (more fully the next day), it was pretty good, but just kind of annoying.

Iowa Loose Meat Sandwiches

So I was trying to think of what this was supposed to be like.  A Maid-Rite, I would guess, and then I was trying to think of what that tasted like, and I really couldn't come up with anything.  I know I've been, but it's probably been a half a decade or so since the last time I was in a Maid-Rite.  So I don't really know if it was like one or not, but it was pretty good.  I would've added more mustard to the meat (even though you are supposed to add the mustard and the pickles to the sandwich).  But I'm a huge fan of mustard.

B?T (depending on availability)

Some Crooked Gap Bacon, some Cleverly Farms Arugula, and Butcher Crick Tomatoes (First of the market season) and some multigrain wheat from La Mie.  Just a good truly simple meal.

Spaghetti with lemon and olive oil

Simple, maybe not lemony enough, but good things.

Máni Kurth

  • Máni Kurth (Originally "Socks", 1, 2)
  • Adopted from ARL via All-Pets Animal Hospital
  • Male, Age 3 (ARL) to 5.5 Months (Based on Teeth via our Vet)
  • Under watch for mild cold
  • under treatment for diarrhea and Coccidia

We went downtown to visit the Iowa Historical Building.  While looking for change for the parking meter, we saw a little black kitten in the window.  We headed over to the coffee shop next to HoQ, I bought an iced coffee and got extra change and headed back to feed the meter and stopped to play a little bit with the little black kitty.  He gave us a lot of attention.  while another couple came in to look at it we decided to think about it while we walked through the Historical building.

After wandering around, looking up some names, and thinking about it, we decided to go.  We paid our ARL adoption fee and, without a temporary carrier, took Máni home.  He was very vocal about the travelling and kept trying to get back over to me, while I was driving.  We safely made the trip and while Shannon made sure the 2nd bedroom was cat free, we rushed him upstairs to a bit of isolation (don't want to spread the cold or anything else he has until we're sure he's safe).

Shannon made an appointment at her work and we spent some time with him while we she waited until it was time to trek him off to the Vet for a checkup (this time in one of our carriers).  Came back with some treatment and some special food and Shannon headed out a bit later for more kitten gear.

So far Freyja and Loki have been curious and a bit hissy, but hopefully they'll get introduced properly soon, and be a bit more accepting.

 

2014 - Week 30 Cooking Results

BATs (Bacon, Arugula, and Tomato)

So I ordered some La Quercia meats at their annual event at, and that included some bacon (they call it Smoked Prosciutto, but used to call it bacon).  That with some tomatoes from Blue Gate and some Arugula from Cleverley Farms and some La Mie bread.  A great intro to the season.  The only sad not here is that I have no tomatoes right now.  I will be taking some bacon out of the freezer for the purpose of hopefully getting some tomatoes sometime this week even if it's late in the week.

Mini-Pizzas with Quark, Comte, 'Nduja and fried potatoes

So this was the suggestion of Brent and CJ at the cheese shop.  It was ridiculous good.  Again I may have added too much cheese, but the combination of flavors included the mildly fried, then baked sliced potatoes, combined with the La Quercia 'Nduja, quark and comte...holy crap.  Anyways, hooray for the Cheese Shop and the wonderful people inside.

Brats with Green Chile

Simple meal for a prep to go To CR.  Good stuffs.

Pork Loin Chops with Green Chile

I admit, I forgot about the chile, but it was still quite good.  I cooked the pork loin chops so they had a nice sear on them, and served them with some corn, with an arugula and feta salad.

2014 - Week 29 Cooking Results

Moroccan Chicken Burgers with feta and Carrot Slaw

Little basil feta, some carrot slaw, it made for a good meal.  Sped up the process by using the food processor to grate the carrots.  Made off good.

Sloppy Joes (Local grass fed beef, local onions)

Made it a bit less spicy than I normally do.  Just didn't feel up to it that day.  But it was a combination of the spices I used.  Asian and Latin, but without a lot of heat.

Farfalle with Sausage and Fennel

I liked this.  I added some of the fennel fronds to the dish to make it more fennely.  Perhaps not so popular with the wife.  I thought it was a good combination.  Maybe without the fronds...

Pizza (some type to be determined)

So after going after some mozzarella (fresh), failing, and getting some great suggestions for alternatives from CJ and Brent at the cheese shop (very good by the way).  I later really decided that I did have my heart set on the Green Onion Sausage Pizza, so I headed over to a secondary source of mozzarella (not as good).  But it did have a good end, however, I still will follow the advice and CJ and Brent, because it sounds amazing.  Next week though.  I may have added too much cheese to the pizza...  Good anyways.

Lamb Burgers (probably in flat bread)

I added some of the harissa and some salt and pepper to the lamb.  Then we had them with in the flatbread...good stuffs.

Reading back over these these descriptions are kind of crappy.  I dunno I don't feel up to it.  I had a good day.  I delivered some bacon to a friend at the market (ran into him later said it was the first good bacon he had in months).  This made me feel pretty good.  Next week I'll probably be delivering some cheese for another friend at the market.

2014 - Week 28 Cooking Results

Cream Sauce with Sausage and Peas

So, funny thing.  I bought a bottle of wine (which has been more and more of a rare thing for me, since I've gone down the beer rabbit hole).  I opened the wine for the making of the dish, and didn't notice that this small piece from the lip of the bottle had fallen to the floor.

Quite a bit later, I stepped on this tiny piece of glass with my right foot.  The skin on the bottom of my feet have a very tough skin, so I just thought ti was maybe something like a piece of a gnawed off cat claw or something.  So take my right foot to brush off on the top of my left foot and proceed to cut the hell out of my big toe on my left foot.

I start bleeding quite a bit, so much so I that I had to call Shannon up to help (I didn't want to track blood all over the house).  There were spills and droplets all over the kitchen.  After a bit of cleanup and some wound care (who knew that first aid kit my parents gave me would come in handy?) the blood was no longer coming out rapidly.  And after a little bandage tape to keep the bandage on, the problem was reduced.  I then had quick clean the floor in the kitchen and bathroom, as not to let the cats get the taste for human blood (Loki was curious, Freyja was no where to be found).  After all that, I could finish cooking dinner.

That being said, this may or may not have come out quite right, but it was good.  Nothing like the mixture that I made in the dark the previous week.  Good things.  Admittedly we didn't find out exactly where the glass came from until much later, so we hopefully didn't eat any glass (I ended up pouring out most of the bottle of wine).

Pasta with Chorizo and Chickpeas

This, was fantastic.  This was the favorite thing that I've made with the Crooked Gap + Story City Locker Chorizo.  It really brings out the flavors of the chorizo.  Quite quite good.

Moroccan Chicken Burgers with feta and Carrot Slaw

Delayed!

Grobe Bratwurst (Strudl Haus)

So I've been slowly working down the list of these, and I like the Grobe (so much I brought some home for a dinner).  So yeah, good things.  Though it does look like the cut off part of one so that it came out as exactly a pound.  A bit silly.

Slaughterhouse Burgers

These were pretty good.  A differing formulation of the standard Gateway burger.  I'd have it again, but I really like forming my own for the most part.

2014 - Week 28 Cooking

I go early to the Des Moines Downtown Farmers' Market to generally avoid the crowds.  However this past Saturday, shortly after I checked to see if they were going to delay, they announced a delay.  Since I was not aware of this, I headed down to the market.  I, umbrella in hand, made it over to Grade A Gardens.  Since the market was closed, the vendors were bracing for the rain, wind, thunder and lightning and I was told that people couldn't sell until 10.  Not sure what to do for the next 3 hours, I eventually made my way home.

I was more than willing splash my way through the puddles (some minor street flooding too) to make my rounds, but I don't think everyone would've been willing to transact with me (especially with the warning not to from the DTFM group).

The day before (Independence Day) we headed over to a BBQ hosted (at least it seems to be (CJ & Kari's house, invited by Brett)) by CJ, Kari & Brett.  Food people always have the best get togethers.  Only a handful of items were purchased, most lovingly made.  This included the best potato salad I've ever had, a whole roast pork (into tacos, crisp skin into my mouth).  I got compliments on the cookies I made (even though I wasn't super happy with them) and Joseph got compliments on his (for the short time they were there).  A little boy (3 or 4?) followed me as soon as he saw us arrive, to where I put them down, and then grabbed one.  It was a nice combination of people that I knew(ish) but may not remember their names (not an uncommon experience for me) and a handful of people that I've had a several year mild friendship with (similar interests, shared spaces).

We met Old Sam (older dog (I heard 12 and 13 years old over the course of the party)) and Bam (younger dog) who were both very good natured.  Anyway we had a good time and felt good to be included.  We had a good time.

2014 - Week 27 Cooking Results

Pork Larb Lettuce Wrap

I saw how beautiful and delicious the heads of lettuce from Cleverley Farms were looking extra delicious (and early to the market).  So the first thing in my head was the Larb.  Now there were a number of recipes for larb, and I chose this one, because of the user of pork, which is our primary meat source right now.

So a side note here.  It seems almost random as to the heat level of jalapeno peppers.  Some you get that are as mild as a green pepper and other's closing other actually very hot peppers.  It is annoying to deal with.

Anyways, after 3 stores (normal, one I went to for bread and the one just a couple of blocks over), no thai chilies would avail themselves to be found, so I swapped with jalapenos.  It was a pretty good meal, the problem being with the heat level control.

Cream Sauce with Sausage and Peas

So this night was a total mess.  Leave work late, get a call late, then a random power outage (the store was over, almost finished with the work from home everything loses power.  Anyways by the fading light of day, because Verizon's service decided to go from the normal LTE I can get outside, to basically no data.  Can't load a recipe so I basically threw something together.  I'll have to make this again.

Pork Burgers

Om nom nom.

Cashew Pork with Snow Peas and Ginger

Good stuffs.  fresh snow peas.  I added a bit of broccoli that I had gotten that day.  Came together pretty quickly.

Pasta with Chorizo and Chickpeas

Delayed.