Journal

2020 - Week 27 Cooking Results

Brats with Mexican Street Corn Salad

When you follow the recipe, it tastes better. This time I ended up using jalapeño powder, instead of the chile lime powder that I used last time, and it was much more consistent, balanced and a lot better.

Pork Hot Dogs and Black Bean Salad With Corn, Cilantro, and Chili-Lime Vinaigrette

This was a nice, multi-textured side salad. Simple to make, and pretty good. I was careful to measure the lime juice. Nice pairing with the all pork hot dogs

Pasta with Sausage, Basil and Mustard

A bid to try to get things done.

I couldn’t find two Spicy Italian sausage packages in the freezer so I I used one spicy and one sweet.

I pulled out the basil out, and it looked like it had turned, so I tossed it.

I tossed the salt into the water, perhaps a bit to much, it boiled over with quite a ferocity, even putting out the gas burner. I had to let the air clear a bit before relighting.

Other then that, it turned out pretty good.

Until it tried to kill me.

A bit of sausage tried to enter my lungs, one way or the other, and I spent a bit of time hacking up a bit of lung and sausage, and after that, and catching my breath, things were fine after that.

Still good, I like low level taste of mustard, a bit and cream and the sausage. I would like to try it with basil and also not choke on it to get an honest assessment.

Grilled Cheese Eggsplosion

I went into this expecting to mess them up. Per my wife, her grandfather made toad in the hole a number of times. So I followed the directions, even using the shorter sourdough loaf I’ve been buying. It still worked out for the most part. Strangely enough, the first one turned out prettier then the second (mine). This is a bit of an excessive recipe, to be sure, but even so, it was fun to make and pretty good.

Frittata With Bacon, Corn, and Gruyère Recipe

I got my replacement 10” non stick pan. I started tings going, got the corn ready by defrosting it in the microwave. Following the directions as written. I didn’t add Gruyere to my list for some reason, so I just swapped out cheddar. I was working along and finishing up. It was pretty good.

The next morning, however, I went to microwave something, and there was the corn, in the microwave.

So uh…No corn? Anyways, it was still fine.

2020 - Week 26 Cooking Results

Brats with Mexican Street Corn Salad

So I started with the corn salad with high hopes, I like the process. Then I made it to tart by adding way to much lime juice at the end. At first I wasn’t sure what my wife was talking about, then I taste her’s and it was way more tart then I think it should have been. In thinking on what I did, I added all the juice from a lime, way more then a tablespoon, and then also added a spice mix my aunt got me that includes dried lime in it as the “chili powder” which turns out to have been way too much.

My bad. It made for a nice topping to the taco salad mix, when I add it with leftover tortillas.

Pork Burgers and Black Bean Salad With Corn, Cilantro, and Chili-Lime Vinaigrette

I could not find pork in my freezer, either of them, well ground pork. So I ended up using lamb. I did not think the salad would go with lamb, so I had Shannon bring one home.

Pizza, the one I make, specifically requested.

I forgot to add yeast…I’m not even sure I have yeast.

Chicken on Salad

This ended up with chicken in a sandwich. I ended up using olive oil and covering them in the Momofuku savory salt and baking the chicken thighs. Made for a good dinner.

Taco Salad

Good as always.

I finished up the Elderflower Syrup, giving it an extra day and a half of steeping (~3.5 total). I’m currently using 5/6 of the plastic lids I bought to go around the mason jars. I want to finish the last of the Elderflower vodka from last year and start up a mint vodka, where I will pass mint leaves over and over through it (transferring from bottle to bottle).

2020 - Week 25 Cooking Results

Thai Basil Chicken

In a habit of these quick cooking meals, I once again made sure I prepped everything first. Got the chili fish sauce ready and put it in the fridge. I cooked everything quickly and let it cool off a bit while we medicated Freyja, and got dinner ready to go.

Easy Fried Rice Recipe

This was easy. I did add some extra stuff, but over all followed the recipe. Made for an easy meal. Unlike most times, I prepped everything first.

Pepperoni French Bread Pizza

Simple. I do like the pre-bake with the garlic butter. Made for a pretty good dinner and lunch the next day.

Skillet Beef Enchiladas

Since it wanted 90% lean beef, I bought meat from the grocery store for the first time in a bit. This was a nice dinner, and pretty easy to do, though I do think they need to break up the directions a bit. It feels like there should be 4 or 5 steps in step 2.

Hamburgers

I mixed the savory Momofuku salt into the beef from Lucky George. I made little burgers. It was nice.

2020 - Week 24 Cooking Results

Western Omelette With Bell Pepper, Onion, Ham, and Cheese

I had tossed my ten inch non-stick skillet since it was, well, sticky, I needed a ten inch pan though. I did my best, but I kinda sort of mess this up. Yes it was still the ingredients and it tasted good, but it was not really an omelette.

Brats and Pasta Salad with Peas and Pesto

I walked outside, let my feet feel the grass, and then harvested out of my growing mint garden. I got well over a cup of fresh mint and made mint pesto. I’ve ben ignoring the plot for the most part for a number of years. It has not grown like this. I think it has had just about the right weather fo the year. So it is time to use the mint.

I have homemade creme de menthe started already, and am looking at another mint alcohol thing.

The brats turned out good, as they always do, and it was nice to make a salad that goes with it, without buying it from, less than ideal recipes and sources.

Peruvian-Style Grilled-Chicken Sandwiches With Spicy Green Sauce

I set the chicken in the brine Friday, as part of the things I did on a day without work. I pulled the chicken out about 30 minutes before I started. It wanted to be grilled, but, I don’t have a thing that does that. So I put them in the oven at 350 for a bit. I got all the other things ready and when put together in a sandwich. I used some of the leftover peas and pesto pasta salad as a side dish. It was a good meal.

Sausage, Egg, on an English muffin

Good things. I’m going to have to get more sausage.

Tuna Melt

It ended up not being a melt. I didn’t feel like turning on the stove that evening. So I ended up just making a tuna salad. It was a nice combination of flavors, even though I didn’t use that good of tuna. On a bit of sourdough, with some Prairie Breeze. Good things.

2020 - Week 23 Cooking Results

Taco Salad

I made the mistake of forgetting to buy guacamole. Besides, that, it was pretty good.

Brats

Garlic, skinless brats, good things.

Vegetarian Citrus Pasta With Swiss Chard

This was on my list of things to do, when I was told to decrease my potassium intake, a bit. I hadn’t seen the numbers quite yet, but This seemed to be a bit contrary to those drives. But a plan is a plan. I believe this was my first time using sumac as a spice. I liked it’s having that citrus flavor without tall the actual juice. I’m going to look into a bit more. I used rainbow chard, instead, since that was what I had. I’m not a fan of whole wheat pasta, generally (behavior, etc) but this actually worked out pretty well.

Stir-Fried Lo Mein Noodles With Pork and Vegetables

This took a bit. Using some Napa cabbage from Grade A Gardens, pork chops from Crooked gap, and various other ingredients from other places, I prepped everything as directed. and then executed. I really liked the sauce that was on everything, it was really quite good, but took a bit. That night we also had Blue Gate Strawberries and some whipped cream.

Garlic Scape Pesto Recipe

Simple, and quick. I want to say a bit too much garlic? Thought that’s not quite fair as it is what it says it is. I thought I had pine nuts, but I did not. But I did have some back walnuts from Grade A Gardens, as I made a pesto with it earlier, it seemed like a good alternative. It was quick, but a bit dramatic in flavor. Still a nice simple dinner.