Culinary Conversations

[Sue_CT]

Even at a regular grocery, if you go into the international section you can find it and other spices by Badia at a fraction of s price you get charged for them in the spice isle.

[worth1]

HEB store brand $6.48 a pound.
Come tamale season the stuff will be everywhere in the store along with chili powder by the pound along with corn husks bags of masa and tamale kettles.
It's my favorite time of year.

[Sue_CT]

5.49/lb with free prime shipping on Amazon. Haven't priced it in the local grocery lately.

[worth1]

This lady was born in Mexico and as a little girl washed clothes and dishes by the river.
Moved to the US learned to speak English and graduated from the world famous Le Cordon Bleu school of cooking.
When I fist discovered her I knew there was something different.
Here she is making authentic Mexican enchiladas.
Or at least one variety.
On a side note some Know it all told me enchiladas weren't from Mexico.
I argued but you can't argue with stupid.
Just click on watch on YouTube.

[Sue_CT]

Picked up a watermelon today that had a sticker that said "A slice of Texas". Haven't tried it yet.

[worth1]

Picked up a watermelon today that had a sticker that said "A slice of Texas". Haven't tried it yet.

I hope it turns out good.
I have had horrible watermelon grown in Texas.
The last one I bought was to die for.
Now around Spiro Oklahoma there are some killer watermelons grown on small truck farms.

[worth1]

Here is something I pulled from the CDC.
Now you tell.me how I'm supposed to prevent a wild animal from eating raw meat.
Seriously who writes this stuff?

To help prevent Trichinella infection in animal populations, do not allow pigs or wild animals to eat uncooked meat, scraps, or carcasses of any animals, including rats, which may be infected with Trichinella.

[worth1]

With all the Mexican food I cook i can't believe I don't have a molcajete.
Well I cured that problem today.
I have a little mortar and pestle but it's uncomfortable to use.
I wanted something big so I got one.
It has already been seasoned with rice and salt.
This is what you do with a new one to smooth it out by hand to get rid of any volcanic rock or granite particles.
Do this as many times as it takes till the powdered rice and salt come out clean and white.
You only have to do it once.
This one is 6 inches across on the inside.

20210906_120455.jpg

[pepperhead212]

Here's something that I did with my molcajete before using - I sealed it, using food grade water based polyurethane. It is incredibly porous, but I sealed both parts of it, and let it cure a couple of days in between each seal - by the third time, much less is soaking in, and then I let it sit about a week, before using it.

Another thing I did, to the 3 feet, was put some clear silicone seal on them - about a 1/8" thick layer - to protect the countertop, and make it skid-resistant. In 30 years or so, I still haven't had to repair those "feet".

[worth1]

Here's something that I did with my molcajete before using - I sealed it, using food grade water based polyurethane. It is incredibly porous, but I sealed both parts of it, and let it cure a couple of days in between each seal - by the third time, much less is soaking in, and then I let it sit about a week, before using it.

Another thing I did, to the 3 feet, was put some clear silicone seal on them - about a 1/8" thick layer - to protect the countertop, and make it skid-resistant. In 30 years or so, I still haven't had to repair those "feet".

I read on line they make fake one's out of concrete.
Seriously, how low can you get?

[brownrexx]

Picked up a watermelon today that had a sticker that said "A slice of Texas". Haven't tried it yet.

I have bought several this season and most say Grown in Georgia. All but one of them have been fabulous.

[worth1]

Gotta big surprise for this weekends cooking.
Everytime I go to the store I forget something I need for it.
Then I run out of an ingredient and can't make it.
This time I remembered everything.
And to think it's one of my favorites and not popular anymore but used to be.
Haven't had it in years.

[worth1]

Anybody noticed the rising cost of pork belly?
Running low on homemade bacon but reluctant to pay 25 dollars for a pork belly.

[pepperhead212]

I've definitely noticed that, with the prices going way up, while the pork chops and other cuts only went up slightly, and sometimes on sale for the same prices as always. Oh well, I can boycott things like that, when prices go too high.

[worth1]

It's all this popularity of pork belly and other cuts.
Even beef cheek meat is unaffordable.
Tongue 25 dollars.
The poor Mexicans are being priced out of the traditional foods they have eaten all their lives.
All thanks to food network and celebrity chefs.

[worth1]

I can get 24 ounces of bacon for 10 dollars.
I can get pork belly for a little over or a little under 4 dollars a pound depending on brand.
Still worth making my own but not by much.

[worth1]

Upon successfully making corn tortillas it is the first time I ever experienced that buttery taste people discrbe.
Went to the store and stocked up on both yellow and white masa for tortillas.
The bag I was making the experiments from was for tamales.
Small difference in grind size.
I also discovered during my experiments that 2.5 to 3 ounces is a good size ball for the tortilla press.
The other thing is from watching a video by Villa Cocina that you make a small disk shape that is a little thicker on the edges before you press.
Last but not least the plastic file folder things were a complete fail.
After I went to plastic from gallon freezer bags everything worked.

[worth1]

Just when you think you're nuts you discover other people are making jalapeño martinis.
I bought a bottle of gin and a bottle of vermouth.
The vermouth is for cooking.
Then the lights came on.
I have everything you need to make a martini.
Honestly I haven't had a martini since I was 12 years old.
No olives so I substituted extra crispy extra crunchy homemade pickled jalapeño slices.
Put it in one of my cactus cocktail glasses.
Not enough of a fan of the dreaded martini to do it again.
It was okay but saving the vermouth for pasta sauce from now on.
What a waste of good vermouth.
The peppers were good, 'probably the best part.
Now I know why I haven't had a martini since I was 12 years old.
Back to gin and lemon lime soda pop.

[worth1]

Had to run to the store again.
Totally forgot I was almost out of black peppercorns.
Solved that problem and got 2 8 ounce containers.
When the second it opened I'll replace one like I do just about everything else.
Since the price of many what used to be cheap cuts of meat has went up I found beef hearts for $ 1.97 a pound and got two whole beef hearts.

These will go in the Dutch oven that I put all the drippings from the barbacoa in and slow cooked in the oven along with whole onions and a salsa I made this morning.

[worth1]

Now that I have enough meat to feed an army.
The heart meat is outstanding but not as tender as the beef cheek and lamb breast.
No strong flavor as exclaimed by others.
At least not for me.
Growing up we had beef heart once a year from our steer we had butchered.
Along with the tongue.