Journal

2016 - Week 32 Cooking Results

 

BAT (Bacon Arugula and Tomato) (maybe as late as Saturday)

Bacon from La Quercia (they call it smoked pancetta, but clearly that means bacon, and they used to call it bacon), Arugula from Cleverly Farms, Tomatoes (grown in dirt) from Butcher Crick Farms and bread from Wild Yeast Bakery.  All excellent ingredients, I feel lucky that I can have these in my life at a certain point to make a magically delicious sandwich.

So there's a company that has been using "liquid gold" as a tag line, and other then the semi-unnatural color, there is clearly a bit of puffery going on there.  However the nearly clear pork fat that was rendered off of the La Quercia bacon, that is liquid gold.  I'll have to figure out how to use that in...something (maybe just spread that on toast?).  Yes this is clearly my internal fat kid talking, but when it comes down to it, I don't spend that much on bacon that often.

Egg Salad Tartines with Mixed Herbs

So the already boiled salted water + eggs + 9 minutes then an ice bath, seemed to work well with peeling, that and having really fresh eggs from Grade A Gardens.  This came together really well, making my own mayo, all the good things.

Lamb Pizza with Parsley - Red Onion  Salad

Delayed!  I was still adapting to being at work for several hours a day.  When I was supposed to do this, I was so exhausted I had to take a post work nap (there are a number of reasons for this, but that's at least one of them).  The dough is out for it's final rise today.

Tandoori Style chicken (skipping the grilled Naan)

I served this over a bed of lettuce, and we were graced with Joseph's presence for dinner, which is always nice, I don't get to see him enough.  The chicken tasted pretty good, and wasn't to hard to make.

Late Summer 2016 Road Trip - Day 1 - Great Plains Zoo (Sioux Falls, South Dakota)

There is a problem with this zoo.  It is clearly updating to be a new zoo, but many of the exhibits and habitats are in the old style, where it's more about making sure that the animals are there for viewing, rather then actually having some what of a semblance of a decent life for the animals.

Large parts of the zoo felt wrong, very very wrong.

Late Summer 2016 Road Trip - Day 1 - Grotto of the Redemption (West Bend, Iowa)

I do have a fascination with religious buildings and often times am drawn to them.  The amount of effort involved in making them and etc.  That being said, the crappy buildings that most people are putting up these days (religion, on the cheap!).  That being said, there is a clear indication that guy was a bit obsessed.  I'm not a huge fan of the iconography and the statutes used are kind of terrible, but the structure itself is oddly alluring.  There was a conversation about one of the angels being perhaps similar to Moroni, but on looking a bit closer, icon Moroni tends to be portrayed as more clearly masculine, while these angels were feminine or gender neutral.

2016 - Week 32 Cooking

Back into the swing of things, warming up.  A nice good sleep in my own bed.  I'm glad to be home and starting to work back into my routine.  clearly things will be off a bit, since we took today off to recover from traveling.  It's nice to know that I don't have to pack all my stuff up and get out another day in a row.  We're settling back in.  

The problem now is that I'm farmer's market free.  I may be able to get some stuff from Grade A tomorrow, but I can't count on that.  I'm gonna struggle a bit for this week, but Saturday, Tomatoes in season!  Grown in Dirt!

Dear Facebook

Dear Facebook, 

Make it stop:

 

No, I will not ever say yes

No, I will not ever say yes

I give you plenty of info about my life, you do not need one more indicator. 

Thanks, 

sam

 

2016 - Week 30 Cooking

This next week will be a combination of planning, volunteering and packing.  I'm taking 3 days off to volunteer at the ACS conference that'll be here in Des Moines.  So because I'm trying to trim out what's in the fridge and around the house, things will be pretty simple this week.  That being said, I fear I'm going to miss the prime part of tomatoes grown in dirt season.

I think I've come to a realization.  It has been difficult for me to adjust my cooking to keep my carb intake to a max of 60 grams per dinner (meal, but dinner specifically).  Example, I see Cook's Country's lemonade variances, and I'm thinking that sounds great, but when it comes down to it, I'd allow myself a taste (sip or two) and then wouldn't touch the rest of it.  Good for my waistline, but decreases my desire to make it at all (probably much to Shannon's loss).  Rice?  Mostly out.  Beans?  Kind of the same.  I can still have them, but it makes it difficult on portion size or in combination with anything else.  Pizza?  Yeah again, I can still have it, but it's not as satisfying.  Some of that my clearly be related to the restriction of minor-binging (a problem I have) which still holds that internal fat kid unhealthy satisfaction.

I have a box of Samoas from a niece, and I just realized I'm not going to eat those.  I wan't one cookie, and the rest I'm gonna drop off at the office.   

2016 - Week 29 Cooking Results

The Guberburger

Fairly simple concept, but a wonderful flavor addition.  The fat and savoriness from the peanut butter and the beef combined together well to make a messy, but delicious meal.  Had them with some of Wild Yeast Bakery's buns, as my brother is once again running his micro-bakery.  For me, I worry about his health (he's working way to much) but on the other hand...the bread...oh the bread.

Moroccan Chicken Brochettes

So I didn't do this.  I took the chicken, dusted them with salt, pepper, and dusted them with ras el hanout and baked them off.  Then there were options to do a sandwich or salad and we both had a salad.  Good stuffs, but just that it turned out ok, not because the dish itself was good, cause frankly I didn't read the time needs of the recipe.

Spicy Pork Salad

Needs a lot of mint, I have a side yard and a big and growing mint patch.  So I sat in the side yard and picked quite a bit of mint to put in the dish.  It didn't make much of a dent into the patch of mint, but did harvest quite a bit.  It also made me remember that I have have quite the combination of mint in there.  Chocolate Mint, Spearmint and peppermint.  It was interesting to smell them just picked and absorb those oils that are released in my hands and into the air.

I really enjoyed this.  Spicy then cooling mint with savory flavors.  Good stuffs

Sichuan Style Green Beans

Delayed!

2016 - Week 28 Cooking Results

Lobster Rolls

Shannon loves lobster rolls, lobster in many things, so being at CostCo, I thought hey, lets have a little treat and lobster it up.  It was pretty good.  I may have added more cayenne then was intended.  But still good.  We used some sourdough.

Spicy Lobster Pasta

This was pretty good.  Got to be careful on the carb count, but good stuffs.

Spicy Pork Salad

Delayed!  I made pork burgers cause I wanted a burger, so I have to thaw some more pork.

Sloppy Sammy's (tonight)

Good as always.

Eggs and Bacon (something in some combination I don't know yet, something with bacon, may break down and get a BAT, but I don't have tomatoes grown in dirt yet)

I wanted tomatoes, then I was reminded why I don't like tomatoes not grown in dirt.  *sigh* Tomato season will be here soon.