Whatcha Cooking today?

[worth1]

I always loved the Paul Bunyan stories where the lumberjacks would skate around with pork fat tied to their feet to grease up the giant skillet.
I spent all of my life growing up cutting trees and logs for the wood stove or the sawmill across the road.
In boy scouts I was the most sought after kid to have on the axe team cutting logs and tieing knots and ropes.
I was tiny compared to the other boys but could swing an axe like nobody's business.
Now that I think of it Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox is what influenced me to have a big pet blue grey Brahman bull and my love of food and giant skillets and kettles.
I must have read those stories a thousand times growing up.

[Sue_CT]

Around here a lumberjack's breakfast is eggs, sausage, bacon, ham pancakes or potatoes, etc. Basically the largest breakfast a restaurant offers with multiple meats. Breakfast for dinner? Glad you are OK!

[MissS]

[mention]worth1[/mention]If you love Paul Bunyan then your life won't be complete until you visit the Wisconsin Dells. There is even a restaurant called 'Paul Bunyan'. Big ole Blue right out front. There are log cutting competitions and lumberjack's breakfast.

[worth1]

@worth1If you love Paul Bunyan then your life won't be complete until you visit the Wisconsin Dells. There is even a restaurant called 'Paul Bunyan'. Big ole Blue right out front. There are log cutting competitions and lumberjack's breakfast.

I saw the statues in northern California in the redwood forest years ago

[worth1]

Couldn't make my mind up as to what I want for supper.
One thing led to another and I came up with a variation of the old classic Italian peppers and sausage.
Ingredients are......
Meyers smoked sausage from up the road.
Mount Olive fire roasted peppers and garlic with olive oil.
Green onions.
Small can of diced tomatoes.
Paprika.
Fennel seeds.
Black pepper.
One fresh jalapeño chopped and roasted no seeds.
The juices from the peppers in the jar.
Basil at the last as always.
The smell is killing me.
Going to have it on pasta..

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[worth1]

Not really cooking.
Folks you have all heard of Rum Raisen ice cream.
Well here is a rather odd twist.
I haven't looked on line so as far as I'm concerned no outside influences.
What we have here are cherries soaking in gin.
Once I'm good with them I will mix them all up with vanilla ice cream and chunks of dark simi sweet chocolate.
I'll temper the ice cream first and do it in the KitchenAid mixer and back in the freezer as fast as I possibly can.
Who knows i might even add some toasted pecan.
My motto is if ya can't buy it make it.

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[Amateurinawe]

A naughty breakfast. Half pounder home made burger and mushrooms cooked in butter...

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And with a surprise brie cheese middle....

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[pepperhead212]

I actually made this sambar for Sunday, and took most of it over to a friend's house. I made it with two bottle gourds and one eggplant, a large onion, and a small amount of cooked, shredded turkey, that I had in the freezer. They made some flatbreads to go with it, and we made some sort of quick pickles, with two of the bitter melons I took over. Funny thing - the lady is Indian, but I'm taking them these Indian ingredients from my garden, and she's asking me how to make them! She says she remembers some of the dishes that her GM used to make, but not the actual recipes.

I made this with moong dal, as the legume, and I put some quinoa in it, for more nutrition - much of what the black specks are. The rest is the mustard seed in the tarka, added at the end.
A sambar, made with a couple of bottle gourds, an eggplant, and some cooked, shredded turkey. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[bower]

I got a new stove! Nya nya ne na na.
Seriously holy smokin stove. This thing has so many bells and whistles I don't even know how to use it yet.
No, a stove is not "a stove". This is something completely different. Instantly hot burners.. I sort of mangled the breakfast trying to figure it out and have much experimenting to do.
However this strange machine did produce in its oven a perfect apple crisp last night for it's inaugural test. What? No more blackened edges a la toaster oven?
This is just a mind blowing thing... my son and DIL decided to buy me a stove. It's true I just got used to the 'countertop oven' and it's products and it's easy to be lazy about expensive and very cumbersome things. They not only chose this amazing beast, they also carried the old one out to the curb and brought the new one in up my double set of stairs. I am equally impressed with their athletic form as I am with their generosity and choice of cooking appliance!
Anyway they are gone back to their home this evening and it is too hot to cook for my own sake. But I do believe there will be some fine meals coming out of this shiny hot appliance. I'm stoked!

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[MissS]

Congratulations [mention]Bower[/mention]! It's about time. Your son and DIL have done themselves proud. I'm glad that they are taking care of 'Mom'.

[Amateurinawe]

Well congrats, [mention]Bower[/mention] , I can appreciate a great new oven. Now, the difficult bit is "what to cook first !"

[bower]

I have a chest freezer full of things to cook, so indeed what first? Ah, but you'd never think I'd be wishing for a cool day in July... Seriously the humidex in the 30's today is a bit much for me.
One thing for sure, there's turkey and fruitcake in my future (okay, not in July but... )

We had green salad, potato salad and jamaican patties last night - the patties were made and baked in yon serviceable toaster, and frozen in anticipation of a quick reheat on a hot day.
I like to put a lot of apple in my potato salad, so it's not a heavy bite. A couple of organic galas chopped up. And garlic scapes, and a few sweet gherkins. Dressing whipped up in a minute, Hellmans (of course!), horeseradish mustard, red wine vinegar. No garlic this time on account of the scapes.

[Sue_CT]

Congratulations, Bower, use it well and in good health! What a treat now isn't it? You will appreciate this new beast so much more for having done without one for so long!

[wildcat62]

Happy for you Bower.

[worth1]

I honestly thought of you often without a proper stove.

[bower]

I got a lot of good meals out of that Hamilton Beach all the same.

Today was so stinkin hot, all I cooked besides breakfast was to fry a ham steak to make a sandwich for supper. Rye bread, horseradish mustard and mayo, fried ham, old white cheddar, big leaf of romaine lettuce.
And a non alcoholic beer with that.

The new burners are nothing like the old coil stove - it's electronically temperature controlled. So it cuts in and turns red hot right away, but then it cuts in and out to keep the burner temperature steady. Compared to the old burners on the Kenmore, they are super hot... I'm cooking everything on "2" for starters.

[pepperhead212]

I made a batch of lentil salad tonight, with a bunch of cut up tomatoes, and those first ripe Gold Bullets ripening in the garden. Always a favorite in hot weather.
Lentil salad, made with the first Gold Bullet Habaneros of the season. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[pepperhead212]

Mostly leftovers today, plus all those tomatoes and refrigerator pickles I have been making. But since the weather was nice for one more day, I decided to grill some chicken. I got this idea when adding some veggies to the freezer - I had to take some things out! This is one of my favorites - simply chicken marinated in a simple cilantro pesto, before grilling, and a simple sauce, which is just a sugar syrup made by boiling sugar, water, and vinegar with crushed Thai peppers and minced garlic. Super simple, and delicious on seasoned grilled meats.
Thai grilled chicken thigh, with some nam jeem gratiem on it. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[worth1]

Talk about making Maine Yankees madder than a wet hen in a washing machine.
I added 4 more jalapeños.
1 10 ounce can of oysters juice and all.
A goodly dollop of Gochujang.
A 3 finger pinch of tarragon.
The flavor is amazing.
I can hear it now.
"That's not New England clam chowder.
My reply.
"You screw with my Texas chili, I'll screw with your clam chowder; so kiss off."

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[karstopography]

Speaking of Chili, that’s what my wife made tonight. Casi Terlingua chili mix, pretty good. Aldi 85/15 Grass fed ground beef is about right for this. Served over Fritos doesn’t hurt things either.