ktmoomau

Last night was angry pig fried rice, with one major caveat- Hubby doesn't really like egg in fried rice, so I omit it.  I mixed sriracha and pork together and sauteed that, then I put some oil in a frying pan, and then added some rice pilaf I had made with zucchini, carrot and celery that was leftover and needed to be used from the fridge.  I tossed in some frozen peas and corn, and some soy sauce and let this cook.  I then topped with the sausage.  

Monday night I made tagliatelle with red sauce.  I chopped some leftover beef that I had really thin and sauteed it with a little onion.  I then added store bought sauce (Rao's) that I doctored and stretched a little bit, with some garlic and olive oil. I forgot to do any prep for tonight's dinner, so not sure what I will end up with... 

I have been using the recipe off the side of the masa bag, and it works well.  I also used the dough recipe on the side there, added a few spices, and then used a different filling (shredded turkey, green chile, salsa verde).  I will check out that above recipe though.  After making the dough a few times, I think I have a handle on kind of what the filling needs to be consistency wise to play around with it.  What are others favorite fillings?

On 12/15/2018 at 2:14 PM, Mark Slater said:

Freeze it. 

I have never frozen wine before, I assume you put it in ice cube trays then throw it in a blender?

I have now acquired about three bottles of vidal blanc though our wine club (not all at one time, so two different vintages).  I need to use them.  I am not really a dessert wine kind of person normally.  I have a party coming up, could I make them into cocktails, or even better a punch??? If so, any ideas on what to mix with it to help tone down the sweetness?

So Dave, was it good? What did you have?  Inquiring minds want to know more.

This week was a final focus on turkey- turkey and rice pilaf with a lot of veggies.  Leftover turkey empanadas.  Turkey sandwiches with miso/sriracha broccoli.  Pasta with sausage, butternut squash, spinach, miso butter. 

I have been on a masa/miso kick recently.  

Or move somewhere people don't know him... but then he would also have to eat some humble pie.  

I feel like Eastern European/Med style restaurants are everywhere these days, maybe that is just me, a little sad to see the change in direction.

Don,

The US Government did not issue a proclamation saying you could not go to Waco, TX, and I am not sure they had a history of killing person who went onto their territory previously, but I don't know a lot about it.  I would compare this more to going to North Korea without permission and trying to convert people there to not be communist or to not follow their leader.  You know you are prohibited from doing it, and you know someone has died before doing it.  

17 hours ago, DonRocks said:

I will say this, however: On a certain level, there isn't *that* much difference between what these missionaries did, and what Al-Qaeda has done - in both cases, they're prepared to destroy societies, as well as give up their own lives, in order to follow God's word.

While I tend to think of both of these things as bad... I would like to say that I see a difference in that Al-Qaeda has killed likely as many Muslims as non-Muslims.  Maybe someone of a different type of Islam.  Not to say Christians haven't gotten into physical battles/wars with other Christians- certainly Catholic/Protestant wars happened for a VERY long time.  But saying that Al-Qaeda only kills non-believers to me is a false statement, as to me they, like ISIS, have become a political group who are not just following religious zeal.  I also think that going to a place you are strictly prohibited from going to a group of people who clearly want to be left alone is a do at your own risk, and accept all consequences and I don't think any government should be spending resources on this, it just was what it was.  

4 hours ago, dcandohio said:

Enchiladas with the same ground beef I used on the taco salad yesterday.  I had corn tortillas, so that is what I used.  Once the seasoned ground beef is prepared, a platter of enchiladas can come together very quickly if you have the other ingredients, which I did. 

I am making enchiladas tonight!  Do you not normally use corn tortillas?  I normally do, but I only have two corn and then some flour, so I was going to use flour tonight.

Last night I made beef pot roast in the instant pot.  I think it would have been better sous vide, but I didn't advance plan.  It was fine, Hubby liked it, and I don't really like pot roast, so I am never surprised that I still don't like it.  But I don't dislike it to the point that I won't make it for him, it's just a rare occasion.  

Took Mom to Northside 10 after some wreath decorating.  She had the Parmesan flounder, and I had the chopped salad.  Everything was good, my salad was crispy and fresh.  Mom REALLY liked her flounder, big portion, but good.  It's close to the house, so I am sure we will go try out other things.

My Mom and I went to Lena's the other night- mainly because of how late they serve dinner.  We ordered glasses of wine, and there was a fair amount of choices at what I think are a reasonable price point.  We got the eggplant parmesaen and the margerita pizza to split.  The pizza isn't bad, but it isn't great.  I think perhaps they don't do a long rise like some pizza places, so there isn't as much funk in the dough???  Just a guess.  The ingredients are good, and the oven is good, it's just missing a complexity in the crust itself, which gets nice rise.

The eggplant parm though was really good.  It was done lasagna style, stacked up high with cheese in between the layers.  Both Mom and I really liked it.  Very heavy, but we were hungry and cold and it hit the spot.  They serve it with homemade pasta with red sauce, it's more of an orange sauce in color, but I liked the flavor, again not my favorite, but not bad.  This place is a great bar, and I will try more of the menu.  It isn't a top pizza spot, even Lost Dog down the street, to me, is better on pizza.  But it is open late, service was very nice, and wasn't bad at all.  I would try more stuff on the menu, but might not worry about getting pizza.  I will say for the pizza though, it was really good warmed up in the oven the next day.

I bought some fresh tagliatelle pasta at the store, and made shrimp diavolo (shrimp, red sauce, red pepper flakes, onion, garlic, spinach, a splash of wine) for Hubby and my Mom.

On 11/18/2018 at 11:33 AM, KeithA said:

I thought I posted something similar elsewhere on the site. Maybe Don can find it. Here is my hummus making advice after making a lot over many years and eating it in the Mideast and all over the place in the US.  The difference between store bought and home made is the freshness and creaminess and the ability to adjust it to your taste.

First tip - start with canned chickpeas except for special occasions. The difference in final product between canned and soaking dried chickpeas is minor.  I find you can get a more delicate, airier hummus with soaked chickpeas but it turns a 15 minute food processor recipe into a multi-day affair with soaking overnight and long cooking.  

Second tip - fancy tahini is hard to detect once you mix it together with everything else. I tend to use cheaper Israeli/mideast or even Greek brands I can find in my grocery store. (I don't use Joyva). I have also tried Soom and didn't notice much difference. If you were making a more straight tehini sauce or dressing, maybe you'd notice the difference more.  

Third tip - figure out how aggressive you want the added flavors to be (such as garlic, lemon juice, or other non-dried spices added for flavoring). If you want it strong, then simply toss those ingredients in the food processor along with chickpeas and tahini for quick and tasty hummus. If you want more subtle flavoring, then roast the garlic or infuse the flavors into the tahini before adding to the food processor with the chickpeas. Again, Zahav recipe has a neat trick to blend garlic with lemon juice and let it sit and then press the garlic through a sieve into the tahini and mix before adding to the chickpeas. This of course is much more time consuming but does have a nice effect. 

Fourth tip - figure out your preference for chickpea to tahini (or other ingredients) ratio. Some recipes are chickpea heavy which often leads to a thicker/denser more neutral tasting hummus vs. other recipes call for a lot more tahini which is a bit smoother and of course much stronger sesame flavor. 

Fifth tip - taste it before you remove from the food processor and adjust it to your taste. Most recipes call for using a certain number of lemons but each lemon has a different amount of juice or sometimes garlic is stronger, etc. 

Sixth tip - start with a recipe that likely suits your personal preference. Zahav is heavy on tahini and subtle flavoring. I like it.  This recipe I've used for years from the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs is more chickpea heavy and strong on the garlic: http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/IsraelExperience/Lifestyle/Pages/HUMMUS -Chick-pea Dip-.aspx (when you only use the 3 TB of tahini.  Michael Solomonov's need cookbook as a quick recipe for hummus I haven't tried yet, but anything by him is worth trying. 

Seventh tip -process it longer than you think needed - it will help you get the smoothness you want. (or if you are cooking the chickpeas, follow the Zahav advice and overcook them).

Eighth tip - hummus is forgiving and if you plan to top it with dried spices like paprika, herbs like parsley, a swirl of olive oil, or strong vegetables like olives or even roasted meats - don't worry too much about having the perfect subtle, fancy hummus as these add-ons will likely overpower the base hummus. Save all of the above fancier ingredients and time consuming steps for when you plan to eat the hummus straight or with only a bit of an add on (I do like a swirl of extra olive oil).

Ninth tip - get some good pita bread (or make your own) to enjoy your hummus more. I haven't been able to find much great stuff in grocery stores - but I'll go with the Mideast bakery brand which is decent. I like Yafa Grille and Shouk's pita (which is the more pillowy type).  I'm less a fan of the thin lebanese pita you find at Lebanese Taverna and others place (note I like LT generally and the bread is good but not my preferred style). 

Tenth tip - I've seen some videos online and even a recipe or two that says to make hummus in a mortar and pestle or a bowl, but unless you like arm workouts and chunky hummus, stick to the food processor.  

For store bought hummus, I like sabra but there are a bunch of niche brands that I haven't tried and may be better.  there is a lot of funky, non-chickpea hummus available in stores. Like fake meats, know that it will not be the same, but if that is what you like, enjoy. 

If I may add an 11th tip... If your hummus is too thick, or if you leave it in the fridge and it get a little thicker than you want, if you add a little water, it may thin it to a more pleasant consistency.  I really like the LT hummus, and I like how smooth and thin it is, sometimes I have to add a little water to mine to get it to that level.

Last night was a southwestern rice bowl.  Ground turkey sauteed in adobo sauce, a rice-quinoa blend with corn made in the instant-pot, tomatoes, peppers and onions roasted in the oven with olive oil, worchestershire and southwestern seasoning by Penzeys.  Topped with tomatillo salsa, a little cheddar cheese and mine with avocado.

Last night was boring the same ingredients as above put into homemade tortilla with fennel and carrot that I previously quick pickled.  Sort of a med taco of sorts.

Ok, now topping my list of annoying social media of sorts habits is group text messages- a text message is for things that need to be known in an expedient way such as- my flight is early, can you pick up milk, we are at X bar.  Group text messages could also be used for coordination of events or happenings that also require expedient communication- at wine store, no prosecco, picking up champs.  Etc.  But I have gotten pulled into really annoying group text messages that are about non-immediate things or are just commentary.  Those items should be reserved for one on one conversations, messaging in a social way such as a google hangouts or etc, or email.  If you want to tell me the CDC recalled lettuce for instance, don't text me, email me.  If I get a text I check it somewhat expediently, more expediently than I may check email on a busy day, but people are abusing the ability to use text messages.  Ugh.

Trip to HHI for Thanksgiving:  Note- you can order a pre-brined fresh turkey from Whole Foods.

Wednesday was lunch at Poseidon, I had half a po-boy and half beet salad.  The salad was fine, the po-boy fell apart with every bite.  This place isn't bad, it just isn't good.  

Thursday we cooked.

Friday was a pop up dinner by Vivian Howard (Chef and the Farmer) at the Lucky Rooster, she cooked recipes from her cookbook that I hadn't had before and everything was amazing- the cucumber crab dip, red pea samosas, oyster pie, whole fish with these amazing ginger collards, sweet potato mash with orange and clove with lamb ribs, chicken thighs that were maybe some of the best I have had.  Anyway it was all delicious.  I need to cook more from her cookbook. Anyway, they do other pop up events from time to time so look out for that.

Saturday we went to Bluffton and ate at the May River Grill, while the Fried Green Tomato salad was quite good, I thought the entrees we got were mostly all misses, the pasta had way too much wine and lemon that wasn't cooked down.  The salmon- I could have done better myself, the crabcakes were just ehhh.  We did have drinks beforehand at the Calhoun Street Tavern in Bluffton and that was fun, good cocktails.

Last night was tuna in olive oil, mixed with capers and sea salt with pitas, I also had leftover hummus and spicy feta from Souvlaki bar for my pita.

I have an office near the space, if there is something cool over there, I would go for lunch.  There just isn't a lot that is cool as of now.  I did take a client to Lebanese Taverna for lunch.

City Center does lots of sparkly lights and lit up trees.  The Willard goes all out too.  

My husband played a podcast about Waffle House and hurricane indexes that was incredibly fascinating.

So just a note on appliances- I LOVE my house, and I will keep the appliances until they die, BUT my Bosch oven, dishwasher and microwave, and Kenmore fridge kick the butts of the Kitchenaid stuff I have now.  I have a wall oven- that has a convection feature, but it is super hot and noisy because it vents into the kitchen and not as big as my normal oven.  But the holes are what they are now, I would just prefer something that seemed a bit more true to temperature, you absolutely have to run it convection and even then you definitely have to turn your items, which I didn't have to do in my Bosch, it was just a great baking oven that was really true to temperature and REALLY even in temperature.  I also have a convection microwave- I have not tried to bake in yet, but maybe I should, maybe it will be handy, but again super noisy and vents for what seems like an incredible time after being used, the controls on both are not intuitive, Hubby misses some of his pre-cook buttons as he uses a microwave more than me.  The Kitchenaid fridge has slots the shelves and side containers slide into, instead of the bars in the back that you can hook shelves into, so you have REALLY limited placement on shelves, and despite being bigger than our Kenmore side by side, it fits a lot less.  The dishwasher is fine, it has a heated dry cycle which my Bosch did not, no complaints, but as an overall suite of appliances, I much preferred mine.  Oh well, this is something that will have to be replaced at some point and it likely won't be with other Kitchenaids, I will likely try something else.  My MIL is getting kitchenaids in her new house, I haven't told her how much I dislike mine, as she has already ordered them when I moved in, and she already has the same fridge as us, so maybe she will like them more than me.

Thursday  I made Spaghetti Al Bianco, Hubby's favorite pasta dish, with ground turkey instead of pork.  This past weekend, I made a shrimp hot and sour soup from Better Living.  It turned out really nicely, I didn't have mushrooms and Hubby doesn't like them anyway, so I put some miso paste, which worked nicely as a substitute.  I also put a little lemongrass paste in for depth, and a few chili flakes to kick it up just a smidge.  Saturday night was leftover pasta with spinach added.  Sunday I made a pork tenderloin roast that I rubbed with ginger paste, miso paste, maple syrup, apple cider and rosemary- this was just delicious, I will do this again.  I baked it with vegetables that I drizzled a little of the extra rub on and added some olive oil, salt and pepper.  I also made a kind of version of carnitas (at least the first step in the instant pot it will go under the broiler to crisp tonight) and will make either tacos or enchiladas or something tonight.