Got the grape apple salad ready.
Used fruit fresh to help preserve color.
Toasted salted pecans in pecan oil will go in later upon serving.
Don't want the pecans to get soggy.

Cooked the pecans in the pecan oil and put the stuff in a quart jar to seal.
Had some pecans leftover for the fruit salad with salt on them.
Took those and set aside.
Now I have an oily kettle I need to wash.
Or do I?
It's just pecan oil and salt so why wash the thing.
Was going to make chili today for my tamales so I will just use the kettle as is.
Pre planned this in advance.
Might seem weird but washing it to make chili in my opinion is a total waste of time.

[mention]worth1[/mention] yes i agree, and the added oil flavour to the chillie will add a certain piquancy

[mention]worth1[/mention] sorry it was a "pun"tastic opportunity. But i agree, that sounds like it will only add rather than conflict - mouth watering at the thought of it. Tamales is on my list, and i CAN get the ingredients so definetely in the new year...

The other days pineapple I candied more or less.
Caramelized you might say.
Decided to put some in the chili.
It isn't uncommon to buy tropical fruit here dusted or dried with hot chilies.
So I figured why not, after all it's the holidays.
Adds a pinch of tart and sweet to the chili.
Only other ingredients are, Gochujang red pepper chili powder ancho powder garlic powder cumin oregano and water.
Plus whatever salt was in the kettle.
Tastes rather amazing.

I went to the Jalisco Mexican market to pick up some last minute shopping stuff.
Bananas a ton of habanero peppers for fermenting to make hot sauce and general eating.
And a big pile of dried chilies.
Chili arbol and Guajillo.
Put one of the habanero peppers in the Chili.
Place was packed but everyone had a mask on and very respectful.
The place has an unbelievable bakery.

Here is last night's feast.
Chili on tamale rice with hot chili oil.

Got ham in oven naked 250 degrees F.
Will make adjustments and add things later on.

Pinapple ham disaster in the making.
Bourbon Pinapple juice clove syrup cooling off to go in fruit salad.

[mention]worth1[/mention] The decorating might need some work, but that sounds and looks delicious.

MissS wrote: ↑Fri Dec 25, 2020 12:55 pm @worth1 The decorating might need some work, but that sounds and looks delicious.

Yeah not one of my bests for sure but not really concerned.
After all it's gonna get destroyed soon.
Turned the temperature up to 370 after two hours and cooked till internal temperature got to about 116 F.
Put foil over it and inserted thermometer on the top of the stove.
Not one to over cook something that is already cooked.
Took picture but the temperature is still rising.
At 126 as we speak.
Also can't find my basting brush.
Probably outside by the BBQ pit.
Everything else is ready to cook.
Like the broccoli and mac and cheese.
Watching movies too.

Wild and crazy purple sweet potatoes under the marshmallows.
Spices include nutmeg sugar cinnamon and black pepper.
Plus butter.
Really good sauce for the ham made with the ham drippings including fat and cheese.
Plus some ghost pepper pineapple cranberry marmalade like stuff.
Fruit salad with pecans and banana hidden somewhere with the grapes and apples.
Steamed broccoli tree.
Pasta corkscrews and white cheese.

Lot’s of brown, and I’m okay with it. Axis Backstrap, garlic mashed potatoes, black eyed peas.
Axis venison has zero “wild” taste. It’s a very lean. Different than beef somehow, but can’t quite put a finger on it.

Axis, Chittal was brought over from the Indian Subcontinent in the 1930s and thereafter and have subsequently thrived in a wide range of west, south and central Texas. Something like 140,000 of the deer populate the state. There are bigger and more aggressive than the native whitetail deer and thinning out the herd of the invasives is encouraged. My daughter is happy to do her part.

Feliz Navidad!
I made Mexican for dinner - not traditional, but my friend likes it, and here is the only place he gets it. For only two, I wasn't going to make tamales - a traditional holiday food - but still made some favorites. I made some guacamole, to snack on, while I was making all that mess - not too often do I run my DW twice in one day! lol The smell of these Mexican sauces is fantastic! It started when I toasted the 4 types of chiles in the oven, @200°, for 20 minutes, then the slices of onion and all the cloves of garlic @325°, for 25 minutes. This is easier than doing all this in a dry skillet, and I often use this method when using a lot of these toasted ingredients.
I also used one of my pints of grilled tomato purée, to replace the broiled fresh tomatoes in each recipe.
Mole coloradito, still in the Vitamix. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Starting to cook the mole. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Mole, after cooking down 7 minutes. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Black beans, with greens and mole. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

The chipotle shrimp was faster to make, since the salsa negra was already made. And that was the hottest dish I've had since the last time I made Mahogany Fire Noodles - the hottest dish I make on a regular basis. And I only used 3 tb of that salsa negra, for 2 lbs of shrimp! Just put 4 shrimp, plus some sauce, on each corn tortilla, all of which were heated over a flame. I only ate one tortilla with the beans, to save room for several with the shrimp.
Chipotle Shrimp by pepperhead212, on Flickr

kept it simple here.
baked a couple loaves of bread
once the bread came out, scarchuks supreme squash went in.
i placed a brisket in the crock pot to cook.
boiled a pot of small potatoes from the garden, a mix of reds, white,
pinto, and ama rosa red fingerlings.
we went through a stick of butter.
we could of had a green vegetable or salad, but it was enough.



keith

Wow talk about hitting an appetite wall.
Totally lost mine after the first few bites.
Had to finish it for breakfast.