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Post by paulf on Jan 19, 2023 12:58:35 GMT -5
I feel better now knowing I ate pig skin rather than guts. Another delicacy growing up was pickled pigs feet (my father loved them) and braunschweiger. I suppose that is a lot like hot dogs only finely ground. Braunschweiger is still a must have at Christmastime at our house. One son loves it, the other hates it, the grandkids won't touch it to find out. The big tube is gone in no time.
For lunch today is smoked pork links (homemade hot dogs) and canned chili.
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Post by pepperhead212 on Jan 19, 2023 13:43:55 GMT -5
Besides the skin, another thing that makes cracklings is when you render lard - the fat cooks out slowly, and what is left behind are the cracklings. A Mexican grocery store I used to go to always had a barrel of pork fat slowly bubbling away, and they sold the cracklings, plus the lard they rendered right there! I always said I was lucky they weren't closeby. I just now finished off my latest pound of braunschweiger, on the last couple of slices of homemade rye bread! Aldi's has a great braunschweiger - just a small pound of it, which is perfect for one of those loaves of bread. That is one of the few "lunchmeats" that I eat. It's been a while, but there is also a chicken liver paté that I make - I think I got it out of an old Julia Child book. Besides the 3/4 lb chicken liver, it has 4 oz each of butter and cream cheese, and has some cognac added to the pan, when the livers were done. Nothing I've found has been close to that recipe, though I have tried a bunch of them!
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Post by brownrexx on Jan 19, 2023 18:57:57 GMT -5
I think that I am going to pass on dropping in at pepperhead212 house for lunch.
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Post by pepperhead212 on Jan 19, 2023 20:43:56 GMT -5
Today I made a delicious salad, started a couple nights ago! lol Actually, I soaked 1/4 c of mung beans overnight Tuesday, then sprouted them Wednesday and most of today, giving me over 2 c of half sprouts (another couple days would give well over a quart of full sized sprouts). The original recipe that gave me the idea for this was an Indian dish, with partially sprouted moth dal beans, with some shredded cabbage, but that's all the similarity. I sprouted mung beans instead, and shredded some Brussels sprouts I had, as the base for the salad. I first pressure cooked about 1/2 c kamut, in 3 c salted water in the Instant Pot, for 15 minutes, released the heat naturally, then stirred the sprouts in, for about 30 seconds, to blanch them, then drained and rinsed with cold water, to chill, then drained. While that was cooking, I minced up a shallot, then soaked it in the juice of 1 lime (1.8 oz). Then I sliced up the Brussels sprouts in the food processor (basically shredding it), then diced up two ripe bell peppers, and minced up 5 green Thai peppers, along with about 1/2 c cilantro. I also drained a 6.5 oz can of kippered herring, and broke the fish up (later I added a half size can, as this didn't seem like enough). All of these I mixed up, then mixed in the well drained kamut and sprouts mix. Then I stirred in about 3 tb (or whatever the end of the bottle had!) olive oil, about 2 tb rice vinegar (adding a little more, until it tasted right), and a generous amount of nam pla prik (hot fish sauce), which was most of the salt in it. I always like making salads with Brussels sprouts, and this is a favorite one of the ones I've come up with, so far. Got over 2 qts of salad. 4 tb sprouted mung beans, soaked overnight, and now sprouted about 36 hours. by pepperhead212, on Flickr Finished salad, with sprouts, kamut, sliced Brussels sprouts, Thai peppers, bell peppers, cilantro, shallots, lime juice, rice vinegar, olive oil, fish sauce, and kippers. by pepperhead212, on Flickr With the leftovers, I'll probably wrap some in those leaf lettuce trimmings, and eat it that way.
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Post by brownrexx on Jan 22, 2023 12:44:00 GMT -5
SPAM and fried potatoes last night. DH loves Spam so my brother usually gives him a gag gift of Spam for Christmas. This year he got a 2-pack as well as a Spam slicer. I decided to make that for dinner last night and I actually do not mind the taste but boy is that stuff SALTY.
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Post by september on Jan 22, 2023 16:14:07 GMT -5
brownrexx , you can get low sodium or lite spam! I use it maybe a couple times a year instead of ham in scalloped or au gratin potato casseroles. My sis has some kind of party thing she makes with spam baked with brown sugar in the oven. I don't know what it is and have never eaten it, but she claims people rave about it.
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Post by pepperhead212 on Jan 22, 2023 23:29:25 GMT -5
I cut up a ham that I got cheap a while back, but couldn't take it over to a friend's house, because of someone in their family that ended up in the hospital,, with a non-covid problem, but people there were still visiting there, so I'm protecting myself. So I cooked the ham in the sous vide yesterday, then chilled it overnight, and today cut the bones out, the solid part (about 2 lbs), and the spiral part, and I got about 3 c of chopped up pieces, after I vacuum sealed about 8 3/4 lbs of ham, in 9 packets, for freezing. While doing that, I started a batch of blackeyed pea soup in my Instant Pot, starting with cooking out the fat from some of the trimmings, then added a large, chopped onion, and sauteed that, while mincing a couple large garlic cloves, with about 2 tb fresh sage leaves. I added that, when the onion was browning, along with about a tb of tomato paste, and stirred it about 2 minutes, then added 7 c water, the 2 large bones, 4 fresh bay leaves, a tsp Syrian Oregano (my thyme flavor), and a little salt, though not a lot, as more will cook out of the ham. I pressure cooked this for 75 minutes, while doing the other work. I had soaked the BEPs in some salt/soda water, about 6 hours, and when the bones were finished, I pulled those and the bay leaves out, and set them to pressure cook 8 min, then release 15 min. I got the rest of my greens from the garden chopped up - kale, cauliflower greens, komatsuna, and senposai - all trimmed back in December! I adjusted the seasonings, then the greens went into the soup at the end, and I just let them sit 5 minutes, before serving, with the cornbread. Misc greens, to add to the soup, and let sit 5 minutes, before eating. by pepperhead212, on Flickr Finished ham and blackeyed pea soup, with the greens. by pepperhead212, on Flickr This cornbread I made with a generous cup of roasted, peeled green chile peppers, from the freezer, a can of corn, and the acid dairy product I used, in place of buttermilk, was some yogurt. Otherwise, the recipe was almost the same as a jalapeño cornbread that I've made many times. a 9 x 13 pan of roasted chile cornbread, to have with the ham and blackeyed pea soup. by pepperhead212, on Flickr
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Jan 23, 2023 7:46:21 GMT -5
brownrexx, my DH likes SPAM, too, but I really don't. For me, SPAM would be a survival food. When I am in the mood for salty meat out of a can (it happens!), I'd much rather have corned beef and make a nice hash. pepperhead212, that black-eyed pea soup and cornbread looks really tasty! A great winter comfort food meal.
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Post by brownrexx on Jan 23, 2023 11:20:52 GMT -5
Laura_in_FL, I used to love corned beef from the can when I was a kid but I have not bought that in too many years to remember. I do buy a corned beef around St. Patrick's day and cook it and I really like that. september, I bought the low salt Spam in the past and he didn't like it as much so I just let him have whet he likes and make something else for myself. The only canned protein that I buy is tuna and I love that.
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Post by pepperhead212 on Jan 23, 2023 13:16:43 GMT -5
The only canned protein that I buy is tuna and I love that. No canned legumes of any type?
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Post by brownrexx on Jan 23, 2023 14:38:28 GMT -5
No canned legumes of any type? I mostly use my home grown dry beans but I do have a couple of cans of kidney beans in the pantry for chili. I was thinking more of meat type protein.
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Post by pepperhead212 on Jan 29, 2023 1:04:55 GMT -5
I used those new green chickpeas today, along with some barley, in an Indian soup, which I seasoned with that malvani masala spice mix I made a while back, plus a few other things. I started soaking 1 c of the green chickpeas in 4 c water, and 1/2 tsp baking soda yesterday. Today, I drained it, and rinsed it, and put it in the Instant Pot, with 5 c water, a tsp of salt, and a teabag (something used in chole masala, and other dishes with regular chickpeas). I pressure cooked it for 25 minutes, then drained, saving the liquid. Then I melted about 2 tb of ghee in the IP, and sautéed a medium diced onion about 6 minutes, until it was golden. Then I added 2 large cloves of garlic, minced, plus about 2 tb of tomato paste, and cooked about 2 minutes. Then I added 2 tb of the malvini masala powder, cooked briefly, then added the cooking liquid plus water to 5 c. Then I returned the chickpeas to the pot, along with 3/4 c pearl barley, and 3/4 tsp turmeric. I mixed well, and turned it off, put the lid back on, and set it to MANUAL 25 min., and when done, I let the pressure release naturally. Meanwhile, I got the spices and curry leaves ready for the tarka, and diced 2 small potatoes. And I got about 6 c of greens from the hydro chopped up fine, then tossed them in a wok over medium high heat, until wilted down to about 2 c, only about a minute. When the IP was opened, I added 1 tsp garam masala, and stirred in the wilted greens and diced potatoes, and simmered 8 or 9 minutes. While simmering, I made the tarka, for tempering, and stirred it in at the end. Then I topped with a little cilantro. Dried chickpeas - green on left, black/brown on right. by pepperhead212, on Flickr I was surprised how much these looked like the black chickpeas, once cooked. The taste was very close, too, though I'd have to taste them next to each other, to taste the difference. cooked green chickpeas - hara chana. They look almost the same as black chickpeas, once cooked. by pepperhead212, on Flickr Cooked greens, reduced by about 3/4. by pepperhead212, on Flickr Spices ready for making tarka, for chickpea barley dish. by pepperhead212, on Flickr Tarka, ready to stir into the chickpea barley soup. by pepperhead212, on Flickr Finished chickpea barley soup. by pepperhead212, on Flickr
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Post by pepperhead212 on Jan 31, 2023 13:57:48 GMT -5
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Post by brownrexx on Feb 1, 2023 9:35:40 GMT -5
Two night's dinners in one thread. I made one of my favorite salads 2 nights ago and I also made Appalachian Cider Beans from some of my dry beans. Giant had snow crab legs on sale for only $8.99/lb so that was last night's dinner with a salad and some homemade stewed tomatoes and okra from the freezer. 20230125_165959 by Brownrexx, on Flickr 20230131_170601 by Brownrexx, on Flickr
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Post by pepperhead212 on Feb 1, 2023 22:25:50 GMT -5
Tuesday night I made a type of vada, using the leftover chickpea barley porridge, adding some sooji, or coarse semolina to stiffen it even more, then, instead of deep frying it (the usual way those are cooked), I brushed a small amount of oil on the surface of them, then cooked them in a NS skillet. Turned out great! I also cooked some bok choy, that I harvested from my hydro - started with a generous 3 c, and it cooked down to a generous cup. Sort of a vada, made from the leftover chickpea barley porridge, with some semolina added. by pepperhead212, on Flickr 7 outer stalks from the bok choy in the hydroponics. by pepperhead212, on Flickr Those bok choy stems, chopped up to about 3 cups. by pepperhead212, on Flickr The bok choy, cooked about 90 sec, with a tb of nam prick pao ready to stir into it. by pepperhead212, on Flickr Bok choy, cooked with a tsp of soy sauce, and a tb of nam prik pao added for flavor. Cooked down to about a cup, from 3 c. by pepperhead212, on Flickr Tonight, a friend came over, and I made some guacamole, with some avocados I had to use today, plus a Mexican omelette, with some ham, roasted green chiles, from the freezer, and some queso fresco. Plus I gave him the two leftover vadas from last night, to reheat.
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Post by brownrexx on Feb 2, 2023 9:47:37 GMT -5
pepperhead212, your pictures make me look forward to my bok choy in the spring.
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Post by spike on Feb 2, 2023 10:07:09 GMT -5
Since it has been so cold out, I brought out my cauldron and made beefy, veggie soup. So good on these cold icky days!
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Post by september on Feb 2, 2023 10:41:24 GMT -5
pepperhead212 , I'm impressed you have nice sized bok choy from your hydro plantings already!
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Feb 2, 2023 11:35:52 GMT -5
Last night son #3 and I made Chicken Parmesan. Here it is, fresh from the oven (still on the baking sheet):
Yeah, a couple of pieces of chicken are pretty mangled...my son is new to butterflying and pounding out chicken breasts. The first ones were messed up, but the last ones came out nice. And even the mangled pieces were still tasty.
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Post by pepperhead212 on Feb 2, 2023 11:43:02 GMT -5
september I've actually taken some cuttings from those outer stalks a few times before, just 3 at a time, when mixi g with other greens, but a lot more this time, as it was getting quite large! Not overly tall, however, which is a good thing, for the hydroponics.
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Post by pepperhead212 on Feb 4, 2023 23:11:23 GMT -5
This cold weather makes this soup weather, so I made a batch of mushroom barley soup. I made it my usual way, starting with sautéeing an onion in EVOO in the Instant Pot. After 5 minutes or so, added about a tb of minced garlic, and a generous tb of tomato paste, and sautéed about 2 minutes, then added 7 cups of chicken broth, 3/4 c barley, 2 tb light soy (for part of the salt), a little Worcestershire sauce, then set the IP for 25 minutes on manual, and let release naturally. While that was cooking, I cleaned the soaked boletus, then chopped them fine, and cooked the strained liquid and the boletus down, while washing, and quartering the mushrooms. Added them to the last tb of liquid, then steamed briefly, then removed the lid, added 2 tsp olive oil, and when the water boils off, sauté 6 or 7 minutes, then set aside, until barley is done. I then took some of the broth and rinsed all the fond out of the pan, and added that, and the mushrooms to the IP. Then I added about 3 tb black quinoa (only to empty a jar) and 4 tb masoor dal, adjusted the salt, then simmered 20 minutes, then added 12 oz frozen peas, and cooked 5 more minutes. I then added about 4 tb of chopped parsley, and added a generous amount of freshly ground pepper, to finish it. A lb of mushrooms, cooked with almost an ounce of dried boletus, ready to add to the soup. by pepperhead212, on Flickr Mushroom barley soup. by pepperhead212, on Flickr
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Post by spike on Feb 7, 2023 13:39:42 GMT -5
Tonight is potato pizza!
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Post by hairymooseknuckles on Feb 7, 2023 18:42:04 GMT -5
Y’all know me. Usually if there is a way I can eat something without hurting someone’s feelings, I’ll cowboy up and eat it gracefully. Way back in the early 80’s, I drove up to Houston to visit my brother. He was at work when I rolled into town, so I thought I’d stop off and surprise him. I got there about bean time, so he sent a fellow off to pickup lunch for all of us. This darned fool brought back Chitterings & cornbread Dressing. I flipped the lid, saw that platter of guts and the smell darn near knocked me for a loop. I politely closed the container. My Brother gave me one of those looks and whispered, “You eat that!” Well…I gave it my best shot, but I just couldn’t. That was the stinkiest mess I’d ever smelled. Who in their right mind would go buy GUTS for someone to eat. I ain’t saying I’m too good to eat them, but really, who would do something so stupid!
This comes from a countyboy that’s eaten quite a few game animals from Opposum, Raccoon, Whitetail, Axis, Rabbit, Squirrel, Bison. Hell, I even ate An Armadillo once before I found out they could carry leprosy.
BUT…I draw the line at Snakes, Guts, Blood & Brains. UNLESS I’m starving!
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Post by hairymooseknuckles on Feb 7, 2023 19:11:11 GMT -5
Another little funny story. I used to live for hunting season, especially Dove, Rabbit & Quail. I never really got into deer hunting because my idea of hunting is not sitting in a stand and waiting for a deer to walk by. I always went to deer camp though. I guess mostly for being out in the woods. Anyhow, I was in the stand one afternoon and I’d had about all this sitting and waiting I could stand. As I stared off into the clearing, I saw a couple guys and they had this huge hog. They had tied the legs, stuck a tree branch through and were carrying it back toward camp. I knew they were from a couple of camp sites away, so I crawled down from the stand and headed back to camp. I’d never skinned a hog, not had I’d seen it done, so it peaked my interest. I watched those two guys hang that big sucker up and go about cleaning it. I decided right thete and then, If I ever did see a hog come by my stand, he/she got a free pass. That’s too darn much work for me.
I can…well I say I can, it’s been several years since I’ve cleaned game, but I’ve cleaned lots of dove, quail and rabbits. 1 minute for bird, two minutes for rabbit and I’m done. Squirrel on the other hand, takes a few more minutes because you have to be careful or hair gets all over the meat.
I have no desire to clean pigs, especially after watching it being done.
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Post by spike on Feb 7, 2023 19:36:23 GMT -5
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Post by hairymooseknuckles on Feb 7, 2023 20:53:39 GMT -5
Potato Pizza.
I like potatoes & I like Pizza, but I can’t say I’ve ever combined them. Where did you find a tader big enough to use as pizza crust. LAUGHING!!!!!
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Feb 8, 2023 9:22:18 GMT -5
hairymooseknuckles, I'd never heard of potato pizza, either. When I first read it, I figured she meant using potatoes as a topping on pizza, but maybe she meant using potatoes to make the crust. I have had potato bread before, so why not potato pizza crust? The point is, spike will eat potatoes in or on anything!
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Post by september on Feb 8, 2023 11:49:50 GMT -5
Apparently it is an Italian thing! Never had one, but would love to try it. spike , how do you make yours?
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Post by hairymooseknuckles on Feb 8, 2023 11:55:36 GMT -5
I’m a tader eater myself. Pizza too! september, That link u posted sounds dadgum good! I’m all in! spike, You get a thumbs up! WTG sister!
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Post by spike on Feb 8, 2023 12:39:36 GMT -5
The point is, spike will eat potatoes in or on anything! TRUTH!! september, hairymooseknuckles, I cheated and bought a couple Boboli pizza crusts (shameful I know)(but I am lazy)(and it is delicious). I use mashed potatoes as the 'sauce' or main layer. Sometimes I fix it up and make garlic mashed etc. Then I go nuts topping the potatoes with whatever strikes my fancy. I didn't get it made yesterday so it is dinner tonight instead. I am topping it with sausage, bacon bits, peppers, onions, mushrooms, maybe some pepperoni and will cover all that with cheese! Then just bake it till the cheese is all melty and bubbly!
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