Whatcha Cooking today?

[worth1]

I guess it's cheap hotdogs tonight with no chili because I forgot the canned chili at the store and I don't feel like making any.
And I don't feel like looking for any frozen chili in the freezer.
Any who I have a kettle on the stove with 3 hotdogs swimming in water with Knorr beef bullion powder in it.
Slowly getting warm.
Mayonnaise mustard Cholula hot sauce with added habanero and sweet pickle relish.
Nothing fancy just something to get me through the evening without starving to death.

[pepperhead212]

Later today, a friend visited me, because she came out here from Arizona for the first time in 6 or 7 years (?), and a Niece of hers was married last week. When asked if there was anything she wanted me to make, there were two things I make countless times, that obviously made an impression on her - that lentil salad, and that pasta salad, both made with raw tomatoes in large quantities. I made the simplified version of the dish, without the olives, capers, and anchovies, because I wasn't sure if she was "watching her salt", and those would not be good for anyone doing that! Turns out she is, but not too much, so I gave her some of that kalamata olive paste, to stir in what she could handle. She liked it so much, she wanted to buy some from me! I gave her a jar of it, but told her I can't be blamed for any future salt problems she has!

We had some of that lentil salad earlier, then I made the pasta salad later, and some brownies for dessert. I only ate a couple, and gave her the remainder to take with her - what I always do with brownies, otherwise, I would eat them quickly.
3 more lbs of tomatoes cut up, for the simpler version of that hot pasta on the raw tomatoes - my friend visiting requested this, too. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

A cup of chana dal, and half cup of whole oats, cooked together, like I did for the last pasta salad by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Simplified raw tomato pasta salad, requested by a visiting friend, along with that lentil salad. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[worth1]

I've got my raisins soaking.
One quart in Bacardi Black 80 proof.
One quart in Evan Williams 100 proof Bottled In Bond Kentucky bourbon.
Half gallon total.

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[karstopography]

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After the brisket finished up yesterday on the BGE, I opened up the vents on the Egg and roasted most of my eggplant to make a big batch of baba ganoush.

Cole, our eight month old grandson, absolutely demolished the baba ganoush. He was reaching for it and literally smacking his lips for more. Never seen any baby be so keen for something to eat and he’d already been eating something else.

Baba Ganoush does look like baby food.

Pan toasting white hulless sesame seeds is I think the key to making a very good baba ganoush. The jarred store bought tahini always brought baba ganoush down several notches, but toasting the seeds right then and there and mashing them a little in the mortar and pestle elevates the dip.

Such a simple dish for those that have excess eggplant. Roasted eggplant, roasted garlic, lemon juice, EVOO, toasted sesame seeds mashed (tahini), fresh parsley, and a pinch of ground cumin if desired.

I stir in a spoonful of creme fraiche to make it even creamier.

[worth1]

Frittata.

I've got a breakfast brunch thing going on in the oven.
It is 4 jumbo eggs.
4 pickled jalapenos chopped.
Harissa sauce about a tablespoon or more.
One big yellow sweet onion chopped fine.
Teaspoon of garlic powder.
Half teaspoon of 16 mesh black pepper.
Pinch of salt.
Olive oil.
Tablespoon of Mexican oregano.
Tablespoon of butter.
One of my favorite hot link sausage cooked on skillet and cut up.
1 slice of white American cheese from the deli diced up.
10 inch or less magnalite skillet.
Mix eggs in bowl with whisk and a little water.
Add chopped ingredients including sausage and cheese.
A dash of olive oil mixed in.
Add a good amount of olive oil and the butter in the skillet and heat up until it'll sizzle.
You want the bottom to fry.
Put skillet in oven on 350 and bake until top is sizzling.
Turn oven down to 250 to finish the inside.
The oil will come to the top and make the top crispy as well.
I'm topping mine with arbol salsa.

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[worth1]

Two cans of cling peaches.
Sinful amounts of white and light brown sugar.
Black strap molasses.
Steen's cane syrup.
Big can of canned biscuits rolled out thin.
Bourbon whiskey a bunch probably a half cup.
Water for flour slurry to thicken filling.
A small amount of dried up raisins.
Saigon cinnamon.

I put all the filling in the kettle and simmered until it got thick and gooey.
Rolled put biscuits flat and lined pan with more sugar and cinnamon.
Put in filling and covered with the rest of the biscuits.
More sugar and cinnamon.
The reason for the flour to thicken as opposed cornstarch is cornstarch with break down under heat and thin out again.
Flour won't.
Homemade walnut French rolling pin in action in foreground.
Put in oven at 375F.
We shall see.
It'll probably be a disaster but that filling sure is good.

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[worth1]

Out of the oven and put on soft butter and spread some leftover filling on top for moisture and back in the oven.
Out of the oven and cooling.
I'm not even for sure you could call it a cobbler but it looks good whatever it is.

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[worth1]

I don't know why I do this to myself.
I just had a sweet tooth.
Why can't I be like normal people and just buy a sack of cookies or something.
Rest assured this filling won't be runny.
The stuff life in the kettle sans peaches set up like Jell-O or pudding.

[worth1]

Big pile of English peas picanha and a sausage.

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[Sue_CT]

That’s a lot of meat, Worth! Looks good though.

Yesterday I made a sausage, pepper and onion grinder. Don’t recall ever having made one before. Local store had an offer, buy their store brand of Italian sausages and they gave you the green peppers, vadalia onion, and 6 grinder rolls for free. I think it came with a bulb of garlic too but not sure what I was supposed to do with that. Saved it for something else. Sautéed the peppers and onions in butter, cooked the sausages until nice and brown all over, and it was delicious!

[worth1]

That’s a lot of meat! Looks good though. Yesterday I made a sausage, pepper and onion grinder. Don’t recall ever having made one before. Local store had an offer, buy their store brand of Italian sausages and they gave you the green peppers, vadalia onion, and 6 grinder rolls for free. I think it came with a bulb of garlic too but not sure what I was supposed to do with that. Saved it for something else. Sautéed the peppers and onions in butter, cooked the sausages until nice and brown all over, and it was delicious!

That picanha is about the size 6a deck of cards maybe a little bigger
.
I didn't eat the sausage or all the peas.

[worth1]

What I'm really looking forward to is the peach cobbler concoction.
It set out last night and in the refrigerator this morning.
I'll probably get some ice cream on the way home.

[Npowers]

I'm making apple butter to can, bagles is breakfast, blt's for lunch and pork tenderloin green beans and stuffing for dinner

[Sue_CT]

Going to marinate and grill a tuna steak. My brother was disappointed in his, said he could barely taste any tuna flavor so he is giving it all away. He was told this is sushi grade tuna.Neither one of us eats sushi.

[worth1]

That's expensive tuna on the market but don't get caught selling without the permits.

[worth1]

I stopped off at the store and bought a small Pecos Texas seedless watermelon.
The stem was dried up and the soil side was creamy plus it's late in the season.
The Pecos county Texas melons are the gold standard for melons here.
They're grown in the middle of a desert.
I used to work out there.
Next I got a halfway decent t bone steak with a little of the tenderloin on it I've put in the freezer before I cook it
This allows for some sort of crust to form before it cooks too much on the inside.
It's not very thick.
Picked up some fresh deli sliced hot soppressata sliced thin and some yellow deli sliced American cheese.
The soppressata smells like a dog so it's good.
That means it's fermented and dried properly for this type salami.

[Sue_CT]

Grilled Tuna steak. I over cooked it because it was raining and thundering and I wasn’t out there watching it and the grill got too hot. I can’t eat raw seafood or fish because of my immune status but still will cook it less next time. Very tasty!

[worth1]

I can't deal with raw fish either in a restaurant I just don't trust the source.
If the fish isn't taken care of properly the parasites in the gut will end up in the meat or some such thing.
We all know the rest of the story.

[worth1]

I've got a whole medium baking potato in a pot of water covered to cook on the stovetop.
Turned burner on medium to let slowly get to boiling.
It's going to be just like a baked potato without all the oven heat.
Especially if you bake them in foil that just steams them anyway.
Foil was ment for camp fires and hot coals not the modern kitchen oven.

[worth1]

I've mentioned it before but I have a thermometer stuck in the potato in the water.
When the temperature gets to 112F it's done.
If done slowly like tough meat the critter will cook evenly.