Made 13 bean soup tonight.

1 package 13 beans
3 ham hocks
1 med onion
8 cloves garlic
2 celery stalks, also some of leafy portion
1 can diced tomato
2 can tomato sauce

salt, pepper, chilli powder, bay leaves to taste.

soaked beans over night, placed in crockpot on low with ham hocks in a.m., with onion and garlic.

Had to transfer to bigger pot in evening to add other ingredients, plus beans were not quite done yet.

After about 1 hour of additional simmering, it came out pretty close to perfection.

EDIT: Looks like I made a gallon, maybe a gallon and a half or so. Plenty for family and leftovers.

Gypsy-I made your seafood Mac tonight. Thanks! I owe you one.... It was delicious!

Lager Waffles with Rosemary Vanilla Maple syrup
 

Serves: 4 waffles

Ingredients:

* Waffles:
* 1 cup all-purpose flour
* 1/2 cup Yuengling Traditional Lager
* 1/4 cup whole milk
* 1/4 cup vegetable oil
* 1 egg
* 4 teaspoons sugar
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1 teaspoon pure vanilla
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
* ---
* Rosemary-vanilla syrup:
* 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
* 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla
* 1 sprig (about 3 inches) fresh
* rosemary
*

Instructions:

• Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, lager, milk, oil and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Pour the egg mixture into the dry ingredients, and stir until just combined, taking care not to overmix. Let the batter sit 30 minutes.

• While the batter rests, combine the syrup, remaining 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and rosemary in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Bring to a simmer, then keep warm over low heat.

• Preheat a waffle iron. Spoon between 1/3 and 1/2 cup of the batter onto the grid (no need to oil it first; the oil in the batter is sufficient). Spread with a rubber spatula, cover and cook according to the manufacturer’s directions until golden and crisp. Repeat with remaining batter, and serve immediately with the warm syrup.

• For crispy waffles, place cooked waffles directly on the bottom rack of a preheated 400-degree oven for 2 to 3 minutes.

It IS good, isn't it? Glad you enjoyed it! Ina Garten can really put a great spin on a classic!

POT cooking
 

Ok, today I have chuck roast covered with a half cup soy sauce, 1/4 cup brown suger, half cup of red vineger, a ton of garlic chopped, two onions chopped with a red pepper chopped. On "topp" of it are three sliced portabella mushrooms. This is an all day cook, 10hours on low. I think I should of put some hot peppers in it, maybe at noon time I will do that. Sounds good.:munchin

Just made up a big pot of....






ratatouille, with chicken. :D

Roasted some sweet potatoes and even made some cornbread. I know...odd combination. But good.

Last night made Roast Loin of Wild Boar stuffed with Chorizo, sauteed zuchinni, summer squash, baby carrots and mushrooms and Red Beans and Rice. I sliced open the loin, cut a V shape out of the bottom piece where I placed the Chorizo. I laid the V shaped piece along the edge then replaced the top piece of the loin. I used a dry rub on the meat then roasted it for 1 hour at 375. I pulled it from the oven to rest and drizzled a Carolina vinegar/mustard sauce. Wine was a Paso Robles, California Cabernet. I was not at home so no pictures but it was very good...

Just made Ma Hor, "Galloping Horses," a Southeast Asian dish. It is basically a Lettuce Wrap, and here is my spin...

Have the butcher grind a sirloin steak for you, course.
Buy a head of Butter or Bib lettuce.
Dry roast some peanuts, and rough chop.
Grab some Mayo, and whisk in some chopped chipolte peppers.
Get a watermelon, peel and cube the meat in a medium dice.
Grate some fresh ginger into a a small bowl.
And finally, have some freshly ground roasted Cumin.

Now you are ready to gallop!:D

*Peel the lettuce into leaves, then half into cups.

*Sprinkle the cumin onto the watermelon cubes and toss in the bowl.

*Brown the steak, adding a little soy sauce and fresh ginger.

*Place a heaping spoonful of meat into the lettuce cup and top with the cumin dusted watermelon.

*Top with chopped peanuts, and drizzle the chipolte mayo on last.

*Enjoy!

Holly

If you need a sous chef let me know, I can be in Kalif in a few hours.......;)

TS- I thought you are the Executive Chef? I'm the sous chef...

We can work that out if we're doing roast loin of wild boar! I'm a pretty good cook. Have knives will travel. (I think I read that my knives cannot be over six inches by Calif law and I cannot be in possession of more than 3 at a time.;))

Well, that was my last loin. I am going up to King City, next month to shoot another pig. You are more than welcome to join us....

Catfish
 

Attachment 21410Made 2 lbs of catfish tonight. Mac n cheese from a box, green beens on the stove.

The catfish was dredged in whole buttermilk, and a mix of corn meal, flour, cayanne pepper, garlic powder, black pepper, and salt. I just kind of eyeballed the portions.

That was left to sit for five minutes and dipped and dredged a second time.

Fried in about a half inch (I am cleaning my tape measurer now;)) of olive oil as we were out of vegetable oil.

My best batch was the last as the oil was at a good temperature.

Peach cobbler from the frozen food section for desert.

TOMORROW:

March Madness finger foods...

fried mozzarella sticks homemade (ranch and marinara), and veggies tempura style, also homemade. Ice bath panko, and dipping sauce, instant dashi base, though I usually make my own dashi.

My wife picked these Ribeyes for dinner.....one pound each. Have I ever mentioned how much I hate electric stoves?

And the finished product.

Looks delicious! I hate electric stoves as well.


I made Quiona with roasted red peppers and roasted mushrooms. Seasoned with cilantro, chives, garlic, lemon zest, a bit of lemon juice, sea salt and some red pepper flakes.

Crudite
 

Made this yesterday, just a Crudité, using fresh carrots, celery, snowpeas, red and yellow bell peppers, shitake mushrooms, kalamata olives, cherry tomato, and a few other things...

This is a classic dish that can be very simple to make, is low calorie, and you can utilize fresh produce to boost your energy levels...or so I have been told.:o

Served it with a fresh basil ranch, and garlic hummus.

A little research and I came across the history of Crudite, and found it quite interesting...:munchin

Holly

History

"There is no known history of crudite recipes recorded in any kind of cookbooks even those that pertain to the early French recipes. Nor does the American cuisine have any documentation of the crudités. The earliest indication of the raw vegetable platter can be traced back to 1955 when Ginette Mathiot listed the ‘Hors D'Oeuvres Cru’ in the cookbook titled ‘La Cuisine Pour Tous’."
http://www.ifood.tv/network/crudite

I made these....

Into this...

Care to send some to the masses?:D

Very nice!!!! What's your recipe?

TS- These are Bratwurst, I also made Cheese Brats, Spicy Italian links and Hot Links. I am at work, now, when I get home I will send you the recipes. I got them on line then experimented until I got them where I wanted.

That sausage looks mighty tasty, Mark.

I'm not making anything myself...BUT...this is where we'll be on Sunday evening. I'll let y'all know how it goes. ;)

http://dallaschaine.org/olympic-dinner-4-1-2012/

Last Saturday, we enjoyed a four couple wine pairing dinner with the head of the Dallas chapter of the Confrérie de la Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Bailliage de Dallas, Dr Clay Cockerell, and his wife, Brenda, who also own Coquerel Family Wine Estates in Calistoga. It was an exceptional evening and his wine library (15'x15' w/8' high built-in wine storage on three walls - each slot 3 bottles deep) was...well...WAY out of my league but :lifter

This lifestyle is one of the reasons we're planning to move to our ranch in NorCal this year - a desire to spend the remainder of our days among people who enjoy the search for that next OMG bite of food and sip of wine, and looking to remove the unnecessary drama from their lives. :D

Zum wohl!

Richard :munchin

Let me know when you get back out here, Richard. I will personally deliver some sausage to you. The Spicy Italian is great on pizza baked in a wood fired oven. I use my gas grill with oak chips and a pizza stone. Exceptional.

I think a batch of my late grandfather's special porridge would be in order this evening (or tomorrow for the UK-UofL game). However, it's nothing too exciting...just tomato soup mixed with several cups of water, ground sausage, canned corn, and potatoes. I honestly think he probably came up with it by throwing a bunch of ingredients that he found into a pot one evening when my grandmother wasn't cooking, and the rest is history. It sure is delicious! :)

Bone-in medium rare Ribeye w/Cattleman's Choice Beef Rub, tri-colored roasted potatoes (red skin, baby gold yukon and purple potatoes w/olive oil, garlic, sea salt, and spices), and grilled asparagus (coated w/Eliki extra virgin olive oil and herbs de Provance spices), served with Gloria Ferrer "Carneros" 2008 Pinot Noir.

http://www.gloriaferrer.com/carneros-pinot-noir

I only wish I had made more. ;)

And so it goes...

Richard :munchin

Next time I want to see some grill marks on that beef!

I did something simple today for tomorrow, beef-bourguignon. Used Eric Ripert recipe. Will take pic's tomorrow.

http://www.aveceric.com/2011/12/24/b...-with-carrots/

My idea of evolution - beautiful!

Inspiring images, to say the least. I have always wanted to make some bratwurst. I'll look up some recipes, are there any tips you might add. Also I had occasion recently to eat those dry sausages you find in meat stores over in Switzerland and Germany...I can't think of their name, I sure would like to make them!

The term I've used/seen used is "landjagers" for the dry sausages.

There are lots of recipes on line for sausage. Seasoning Mixes are available in many places. Brats are supposed to be made with veal but one recipe I had suggested using bacon as a substitute. It works great! Bacon makes everything better!!

Tonight -

* Italian all-pork sausages, sauteed bell peppers and onions,
* Mashed potatoes blended with milk, butter, extra sharp aged cheddar cheese, sour cream, bacon, and onions
* Doña Paula Estate 2009 Malbec (91 pts)

A good night's sleep and boot camp @ 0530.

Life is...very good! ;)

Richard :munchin

Is that "Boot Camp ®" or the old "Daily Dozen"? :confused: ;)

Pat

Transformation Boot Camp ®

This morning's camp entailed:

1/4 mi warm-up jog
stretching/brief on today's plan (circuit 3x with 30 reps/20 reps/10 reps for each station except the sprints/stairs)
Power Jumps
Pulsing Push-ups
Sumo Squat Jumps
100m spriint
Step Repeaters (18" ledge)
4 flights of stairs to garage rooftop
Barbell Curls
Incline Pushups
Ski Jump Rope Slams
Dips
Medicine Ball Squat and Overhead Press
Kettle Bell Bentover Rows
Star Jumps
Run down ramp to Tricep Pull Downs (bands)
100m sprint
Bentover Pulsing Chest Flies w/hand wts (mine are 8#)
100m sprint to station 1 and on to next round

Our instructor mixes things up well on a daily basis and we have a very good group of ffolkes in the camp. It makes for a quick hour in the mornings I attend (M-W-F).

Richard :munchin

Hummmmmmm.............:cool:

Big Teddy :munchin

Richard- Sounds too harsh, dude! I'll stick with yoga. Welcome to California. Auuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuummmmmmmmm....

Greek Easter Bread
 

The whole house is permeated with the aroma of Tsuoreki. or Greek Easter Bread. My bread machine makes a fantastic loaf of this sweet cake/bread.

Tomato side dish
 

Nothing super great for dinner tonight, but this side dish is quick, easy and tasty. Perfect for hot days, too. It has an Asian flare, but will probably go well with just about anything.

Slice the tomato and lay the slices out on a plate. Drizzle with vinager (I've used apple cider and on a different occasion rice vinegar; apple cider is better IMO). Then drizzle with soy sauce, then two to three or so drops of sesame oil per slice. Sprinkle with pepper (I used black pepper).

You can serve right away, or let sit for about 15 minutes.

I have also made this with firm avacado added into the mix and marinated for about 30 minutes.

Beautiful weather last night to eat outside on the patio.

Italian pork sausage, sauteed bell peppers and onions, and roasted tri-color potatoes (red skin, baby gold yukon, and purple with olive oil, garlic, sea salt, and herbs de provance spices) with a 2008 Columbia Valley 'Amitage' red blend ($8 at Sam's).

LIG!

Richard :munchin

Had me an Everything Bagel with cream cheese, fresh black pepper, and thinly sliced smoked pacific Salmon. And some Macallan 12 year old scotch. Manliest bagel ever, and absolutely delicious.