Journal

2021 - Week 33 Cooking Results

All Pork Hot Dogs

Good as always.

Mozzarella on bread, toasted, topped with tomatoes and bacon

Fresh mozzarella fro Lost Lake, ciabatta from La Mie, Tomatoes from Grade A Gardens, and Bacon from Lucky George, topped with greens. Came out pretty close to what I was picturing, which isn’t always the case. It was a nice alternate on the BLT. And though tis the season, I know that having them once or multiple times a week is a bit much for my wife, but doing this kind of makes it more of a different experience, even though the combination of ingredients remains about the same.

Cider-Glazed Pork Chops (going to sous vide the chops then finish in a pan)

Thick chops, cover in salt, pepper. Added olive oil and butter to the bag, vacuumed, sealed and set to run as I headed out to get a hair cut. I got back, tossed some fingerling potatoes with olive oil, pepper and savory seasoning and put them in the oven to bake.

I pulled the chops out of bag, they were effectively cooked. I seared them off in the pan while putting together the sauce, then finished the pan sauce with the rendered juices.

What was kind of amazing is that everything came together within about 2 minutes of each other.

I cut the meat of the chops, and we had a pretty good dinner. The potatoes were good, the pork with the sauce was good. All an all a good meal with some modifications to make sure that it’d come tighter in a timely fashion.

Orecchiette with Peas, Pine Nuts, and Ricotta

I’ve made this at least once or twice before, but this time I used some Lost Lake ricotta (new) and it was very good. An easy recipe, but one that is quite nice.

Sheet Pan Hot Honey Roasted Chicken & Summer Tomatoes

I picked up Blue Gate tomatoes today, and used about half of the larger ones I bought today. Fresh and fragrant.

I tossed the chicken with the hot honey sauce, I heated it up a bit (15 seconds in the microwave), to loosen up a bit of the crystallized honey. And set it aside for about half an hour (should’ve done it earlier). While that was resting, I rough cut up a little more than 2 pounds of tomatoes and let them rest on the counter for a bit while the time passed to get to that 30 minute mark.

I got the jasmine rice cooking.

I spray the pan before I put the chicken on the half sheet pan, then added the tomatoes. I spread the last half of the sauce over the tomatoes and a bit more over the chicken then sprinkled the entire collection with a good helping of the Momofuku savory salt.

I wasn’t using the bone in, skin on chicken thighs, so I ended up just baking it for 27 minutes.

The smell was nice as I pulled it out of the oven.

Served the chicken and tomatoes and rendered sauce over the rice and it was really good. You could smell the tang and taste the sweetness of the tomatoes combined with the salty and sweet and savory of the sauce and chicken.

Good things.

2021 - Week 32 Cooking Results

I suppose I should’ve checked closely the schedule of plan for my colonoscopy prep. I could have worked on Monday, and other then having very specfic restricitons on what I could eat for breakfast, lunch and snack. Instead I took a mostly relaxing day, doing a handful of chores (breaking down a stash of boxes for recycling, shredding papers, etc) and just relaxing most of the day. The inherent problem with the instructions are because you are starting at 6:PM it means you’ll be staying up pretty late as it work through your system, and the instructions says get up and finish prep with the last liter of liquid 4 hours before the procedure. So I finally felt able to fall asleep around midnight, and was up at 3:15 to finish off prep. I did get in a nap before the procedure and got called in early since the appointment before mine called in to cancel.

As a note, the nurses helping the procedure were very relieved that I was already vaccinated and it was much easier for them to put the oxygen in my nose.

They found two polyps, which were benign.

We headed to the cheese shop, picked up some lunch and went home. I ate, then headed upstairs to sleep. Shannon woke me up around dinner time, and I was up a bit more, then slept overnight. Normally I get around 5-7 hours of sleep a night, and on Tuesday I got 12.5 hours.

So here’s a reminder, if you are recommended to do it, get your colonoscopy.

Bacon Arugula and Tomato

Fresh mozzarella, a loaf of Whole Grain Sourdough that had shown up that day, and some fresh tomatoes from Blue Gate. Topped with some bacon from Crooked Gap. Good things.

Sheet Pan Shrimp “Boil”

This was surprisingly quick to put together. I picked up some gulf shrimp, pulled out some breakfast sausage (Lucky George) and corn from the freezer, and used potatoes I had already bought. Then added some leftover onion. I upgraded my purchase of the spicy salt to a pouch, rather than the jars, since I go through it fast enough. I ended up getting two, to get the free shipping. I ladeled over a couple of dashes of the butter sauce. Delicious meal overall. For me, I would’ve perhaps added more potatoes, but maybe that’s just me with that butter sauce and the potatoes. Certainly something to make again.

Sheet Pan Shrimp “Boil”

Brats

Still a bit tired after work, even though the previous day I slept an astounding, for me, 12.5 hours of sleep. Easy to do, good things.

2021 - Week 31 Cooking Results

Tuna with Warm Green Bean Salad with Shallots and Mustard

I thought about keeping the mustard thing going, so I quickly google tuna with a mustard cream sauce, then vaguely followed the recipe. I worked on all three parts at about the same time. Bringing the water to boil, prepping the sauce, so it can reduce, then getting the yellowfin tuna in the oven, then beans, in, out, shallots in, mustard and other things in, check tuna, tuna out, beans back in, put everything on a plate. A lot of quick cooking and thinking to have it all together. Not too shabby. Beans were a bit to mustardy for Shannon, and tasting her’s vs mine, she wasn’t wrong. Overall a success, though maybe I shouldn’t have pumped up the mustard as much as I did, but it did seem to treat the sauce well.

Grown-Up Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese

I should’ve used American, like I did the last time I did this, but it was still ok. Not creamy, but ok. I did add some corn startch that has helped smooth out the sauce in the past, but this did not pull it together.

Bacon Arugula and Tomato

Ahh, the season of tomatoes begins. I got a few and used a few. it may still be a bit early, but it is starting. I got a few more for this coming week.

Ham and Egg on English muffin

Good as always. Used up the last of the free ham.

Sheet Pan Shrimp “Boil”

Delayed! Forgot about a Saturday night thing, good thing I didn’t take the shrimp out of the freezer.

2021 - Week 30 Cooking Results

After missing their estimated installation date for the doors (new back door was late), They were here to install on this past Wednesday. Tuesday night, I went through and cleaned a number wasp nests from around the door, along the gutter. When they came knocking on the basement door asking if I had some wasp spray, I got my can from the garage. I thought maybe I had missed one. However, it appears that there was a giant nest between the brick, inner wall and the door frame on the back door. They went to the hard ware store and got six more cans. I guess the only nests I had gotten were the ones who felt the colony was too crowded. They did some good work. The front door is a bit odd now, as it actually retracts to close pretty quick, making the behavior of door less gentle. I’m pretty happy with our door and window choices. This was an experience for Mani, however, as he is not a big fan loud noises, especially unexpected ones. We have a guy coming Monday to look at the garage door.

Hot sauce burgers, vaguely based on this

So I added three tablespoons of of a local hot sauce, and, since Shannon doesn’t like the direct taste of fish sauce, a tablespoon of soy sauce and mixed them together. I think maybe there was a bit of heat, a bit of savory added to the burgers, but not enough to appear to have made a difference. I looked at the recommended sauce and passed on buying it. Perhaps just the modified ketchup would add the desired flavor. Anyways, it was ok.

Grilled Chili-Lime Chicken Sandwiches and Potato Wedges (not grilled)

Made mental and time adjustments to do this in the oven. Even though it was hot outside, it worked out pretty well. I don’t thing the wedges we probably close tot he same as if they were grilled, however they were still pretty good. I wasn’t able to find large Yukon gold potatoes, so I ended up using smaller ones. Perhaps something to reduce the water from the potatoes a bit? I dunno. Anyways, a good meal, I really liked the sauce.

Pasta with Sausage, Basil and Mustard

I had made this previously and the longest part of the recipe is getting the water to boil. I used a spicy brown mustard this time. Things came together well and it was a pretty good meal. I had it with Rose Champagne, that I meant to drink of the 4th, but didn’t. I also bought a (fancy) boxed wine for the purpose of being able to use wine in a dish, without having to finish he bottle. Though since I made this on Saturday night it probably wouldn’t have mattered.

Taco Salad

Good as always.

Tuna Melts

I thought I had more (non-special) tuna left, but I made it work. I may have added too much liquids, since I wanted to combine the tuna and its smell fast before I attracted Loki and Mani to the kitchen where they would be demanding. As it stood only Loki showed up and was a bit confused (like he smelled something but didn’t anymore). I used a small sourdough from a local bakery. I forgot that I put the pre-sliced one in the freezer downstairs. Pretty good, if a bit messy.

2021 - Week 29 Cooking Results

Hunh, looking back over time it appears I have had more feet problem then I thought. After a bit of waiting for pickup on Monday, I may have over used my right foot, causing a bit of inflammation. this was complicated by having to take Shannon to and from work, since her car was in the body shop to repair hail damage. As I was hobbling around, I watched my heart rate spike as I head upstairs, which tipped me over to actually make an appointment with my podiatrist. His only appointment was way up in Ankeny at 8:00 AM. A couple of x-rays and a quick consult later and I’m back at treating a “very inflamed” tendon and the actual bone spurs hiding around and behind it. The anti-inflamatory prescribed has me feeling mostly normal, where I can still feel where it is but, it’s no longer making me think about waiting longer to go up stairs to get more water or go to the bathroom, making it worth the pain or not. Back on the path to healing, I suppose. We did vaguely talk about surgical interventions, and perhaps the next go round this may be the thing to do.

This week, driving was a thing I reminded myself I actually liked. I enjoyed the trips to and from my wife’s work to drop her off. The nice cruise up to and back from Ankeny. Listening to music, windows down, a good mild but humid breeze (at least in the morning). The vast majority of my trips have been regular errands. Which, even if you vary the pathway, can be kind of a boring drive. The, while not new, but not recently driven pathways just felt nice to drive. Even with that in mind, I am still enjoying working from home. I have started to build a semi-separation, even though it is on this same desk, of work space at home.

Other then the call with the Allstate rep (lots of mis-hearing), the whole process went pretty smooth, dropped the car off on Monday, got it back Saturday, and looks like they got all the hail damage repaired, including the ones that made actual scratches. We paid our co-pay to the body shop, and I guess we’ll see how they hold up. It’ll be nice to be able to return to my normal morning routine.

Brats

Pulled out a set that had been partially used, cooked them up. I had mine with some beet kraut, which was pretty good. Later int he week I had smoked pickled beets on a sandwich from the Cheese Bar, and that was really good.

Pasta

Fridge and pantry cleaner pasta. Had a bit of Italian sausage leftover from a previous recipe, and some onions and pasta that I picked up along the way. With the herbs and spices that I had around, we came out with and ok pasta. Certainly not my best, but not to bad.

Bangers and Fingerling Potatoes

I had trouble finding bangers in the random collection of meats in the upstairs freezer bin, so I pulled out some blue cheese and bacon brats, and on discussions we had brats again (it was warming up outside), this time, since I don’t recall having them before, I had them with a simple swipe of mustard. I do need to figure out something to do with the potatoes though.

North African Tuna and Rice Salad

I didn’t have preserved lemons. I forgot to buy cilantro. My wife is not a fan of olives. Did I make it? I guess sort of? I did add more harissa. It was pretty good. Nice cold meal, with fine tuna. I had some leftovers so I added a bit of hot sauce and it was even better.

Hot sauce burgers, vaguely based on this

Delayed!