"A good dark beer like a bock, stout or porter and a pinch of brown sugar."

LUV cooking with beer...in a tall mug adjacent to my operations...

The Gotch

Not cooking anything.
Just warning up my spaghetti sauce I made the other day with raisins.
This is the third time I've eaten from this sauce this week and the end of it.
A rather sad day but at least I don't have to cook.
Not unless you consider cooking pasta cooking.

Bone in Pork Shoulder on the BGE for pulled pork. Using hickory chunk. Kamodo set up at about 250 degrees. Meat Church Honey Hog rub. Plan to pull off the Egg around 195-200 F, let is rest a bit, then shred. Pork shoulder cost me $10. We can all eat off it for 2 or 3 meals. Will serve with some potato salad.

Mushroom, onion, green pepper and cheese omelet with toast and a bowl or mango cubes and fresh berries. I have been eating way too much lately and this was a nice light dinner.

Yesterday I put together 2 recipes of Cream Cheese Snickerdoodles, which are refrigerated until bake time. And one Wienerstube, and two chocolate orange cookies - logs to add to those in the freezer.
And 3 more logs of dough for the freezer tonight (I'm running out of space!) - Habanero Gingersnaps, 2 with sliced almonds, one without, for some people I know who don't eat nuts.

And something that I did last night, was to brown a pound of butter for cookies, which gives an incredible flavor to shortbreads and other butter cookies. I'm sure I've posted my method for doing this in the past, but here it is again, for those who missed it.

Simply put, what I do with this, that makes it different from other recipes calling for browned butter, is to add the milk back to the browned butter, bringing the weight back up to 1 lb (or whatever), so that the butter can then be used in any recipe, in which I want that delicious flavor.

After browning it, to about 285°, I cool it to about 150-160°, and add milk, to bring the weight back up to 1 lb, whisking it to emulsify it, so that I can use it in any recipe calling for regular butter. I just store it in the fridge in a jar, chipping out chunks of it, to use 4 oz at a time, usually.
Browning the butter for cookies, up to about 265 degrees. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Browned butter for cookies, up to 285 degrees, when I transfer it to the metal bowl. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Browned butter for cookies, cooled down to about 150 degrees, when I add the milk. Browned more, while cooling. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Browned butter for cookies, after adding milk, beginning to emulsify, at about 95 degrees. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Browned butter for cookies, beginning to solidify, around 75 degrees, when I put it into a Jar, to refrigerate. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Before this, I made sort of a Cuban Black Bean soup, of sorts, to take to my friends - the ones I have been feeding a lot lately, as they are remodeling their kitchen. One of the next couple of days I'll start baking these cookies.

I just got back from two stores.
One to get a hog head and a pork butt and the other to get some corn husks and hog lard they sell after making carnitas.
Other odds and ends too.
The head and the butt are on the stove as we speak cooking to make tamales.
Two separate kettles.
What a chore but the reward is going to be worth it.
Now I need to de-seed the chilies and get them going for the sauce that will go in the mix.
I always have many types and pounds of them on hand.
Everywhere I look I seem to have dried chilies stashed.
Actually I just called the store to let them know of the mistake.

Almond Orgeat. Ground up blanched slivered almonds (a ordinary blender does this nicely, the immersion blender just makes a mess) Sugar, water, brandy, orange flower water.

Basically, the sugar and water are brought to a boil, simmered a bit, the ground almonds are added, simmered a bit, brought to a higher temperature for a bit, set aside to cool for a few hours. Strain the liquid from the ground almonds through cheesecloth, add a bit of brandy and a dribble of the orange flower water.

First time making this. Comes out to be yummy almond flavored thin syrup. It’s supposed to be the magic special ingredient in some cocktails to make them extra tasty.

I saved the strained off ground almonds for almond shortbread cookies I plan to make just before Christmas.

Made about 5oz of the Orgeat. It last 2 weeks in the fridge. About 2 teaspoons go into a drink. That’s 15 zapatero cocktails between now and new year’s eve. I think I can do it.

First year doing the Christmas things with my new stove! Baked the fruitcake yesterday, a great slab of it. Had to use two breadpans to fit it into the ol toaster oven and it burnt pretty badly both years. This time I was pretty antsy and peeking and poking at any scent of a burnt raisin. I have to say how much I appreciated the smell of Christmas cake filling the house, however! The cake is a three hour bake but it starts to smell intensely by an hour and a half... I turned it down to 250 F for the last hour, and a good thing too. It was perfectly baked and ready at hour 3.
Today I've got started on my yearly batches of jelly. Black currants ready to strain and measure when they cool a little more. The smell of black currant is wonderful.

Love my Mom's fruitcake and Black current jelly is one of my favorites! Enjoy!

last night, i made split pea soup to bring to church, and for us. always with soup, i make a triple recipe.
that's all the largest pot we have will hold. i use a combo recipe from joy of cooking, and seven loaves, a
vegetarian cook book. i add ham hocks. church crowd liked the soup. they know who makes the soup in my house.
i also used the last of the 6lb sirloin tip roast to make one of my one pot wonders. the stock from the crock pot makes
a good base. i needed to add about a cup of water. taters, carrots, onions, garlic, broccoli, a turnip, and parsnip were chopped,
and add to the pot. seasoned with basil, oregano, savory, salt, and pepper. once the veggies were cooked, i tore up the roast, and
added it to the pot. it is a good way to use up left over roast.


keith

Making a big pot of Creole seafood Gumbo. Creole gumbo has tomatoes in it, Cajun does not. Both start with a roux. This roux is more cajun than creole since it has rendered bacon fat instead of butter. Shrimp will go it at the end.

This is the pickled onion salad mix that will go into to chick peas I just cooked today after soaking all night.
Ingredients are......
Red onion.
Chopped red ripe jalapeños seeds removed.
Lime juice.
White sugar.
Salt.
Anatto powder.
White vinegar.
Freshly ground cumin and Mexican oregano in the molcajete.
((((Getting a lot of use from the molcajete.))))
Freshly crushed garlic.
Stuffed green olives.
Once the short pickle is complete I'll mix in olive oil and then mix in with the chick peas.
Along with the remaining cumin and oregano.

Napa cabbage from the garden. Shrimp from the Gulf of Mexico, plus Chili garlic sauce, Hoisin, sesame oil, honey, soy sauce, fresh ginger, fresh garlic, green onions.

Great flavors. Will do this one again.

Meatballs made with fresh picked from the garden spinach. Tomato sauce made from frozen garden tomatoes from last season.

I’ve got a lot of fresh produce to consume soon. I’m giving away lettuce since the super duper extra winter warmth is rapidly maturing what I have. No way to preserve lettuce.

Spinach Meatballs with the homemade sauce turned out really tasty.

Coincidentally I'm having Vermicelli with my wild and crazy olive chick pea salad I made.
The stuff is very versatile and yes I'm eating it warm with the vermicelli.
No meat at all for tonight or at all today.

Husband is smoking a pork butt. He already made squash casserole, collard greens, and black eyed peas. I made the sweet potato pie.

He was raised in Arkansas and cooks typical New Year's Day food for the American South.

That is a large smoker. Your husband must have a big butt. Enjoy, and Happy New Year!

My husband will make maqlooba in a bit and for breakfast i made a frittata. I will alao probably try to knock out 2 batches of snickerdoodle dough and a batch of pumpkin bread.

rxkeith wrote: ↑Sun Dec 19, 2021 4:57 pm last night, i made split pea soup to bring to church, and for us. always with soup, i make a triple recipe.
that's all the largest pot we have will hold. i use a combo recipe from joy of cooking, and seven loaves, a
vegetarian cook book. i add ham hocks. church crowd liked the soup. they know who makes the soup in my house.
i also used the last of the 6lb sirloin tip roast to make one of my one pot wonders. the stock from the crock pot makes
a good base. i needed to add about a cup of water. taters, carrots, onions, garlic, broccoli, a turnip, and parsnip were chopped,
and add to the pot. seasoned with basil, oregano, savory, salt, and pepper. once the veggies were cooked, i tore up the roast, and
added it to the pot. it is a good way to use up left over roast.


keith

I hope your church appreciated the split pea soup. Making a large pot of it takes a huge amount of stirring. I make it in a 16 qt pot. I also have a huge pot (at least 40 quarts) that I never would attempt to use for split pea soup. I'd need a trip to a garden center to find something to stir with.

Sue_CT wrote: ↑Fri Dec 31, 2021 4:45 pm That is a large smoker. Your husband must have a big butt. Enjoy, and Happy New Year!

I saw what you did there.