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More of the usual today. This is the view of the tidal creek from the back deck of the house we are staying at. We drove out and decided to try and get a parking spot at the Beachcomber for dinner. We lucked out. We not only got a parking space, we got an open table. The menu never changes specials Steamer clams Fried clams (whole bellies, of course) Caesar salad with grilled shrimp Oyster po boy Fish sandwich We were seated next to the raw bar/steamer station and I snapped this picture in a quiet moment. Right after I took it, the guy on the left got 12 tickets. Cahoon Hollow beach. The dune seems to erode more every year Some of us wanted to go for a beach walk after dinner, so we headed over to Duck Harbor It was too cloudy for a sunset, but we had a nice walk until lightning started up in clouds offshore Everyone left the beach rather rapidly after that!

That one is from Domino's China, too. Fruit pizzas are not at all uncommon here. It was a limited edition for 七夕(qī xī), the QiXi festival, China's equivalent of Valentine's day, which was yesterday. The Chinese writing doesn't mention the banana, but it looks like that. It is no longer available. What stunned me most about the one I posted was the incongruity of the volcano* cake on a savoury pepperoni pizza. *The literal translation of the term they use.

No, they are dessert offerings. Even this one, from Taiwan, I believe, has bananas as a topping.

Yes, but do they plunk s'mores makings, volcano-style, on the middle of an otherwise-savory pizza? (If so, I probably don't really want to know about it)

Dinner was a faux moussaka meaning there was lamb, eggplant and a touch of cinnamon in the stew but without the refinements to make it a real moussaka.

I liked the way the grater made swift work of an onion. It's sharp and efficient. It would be nice were it a little longer, but I suspected that going in. However, that's just a personal preference, not really a complaint or an objection. The grater has a couple of nice features. One is a rubber edge that helps to stabiize the grater on the work surface and minimize it from sliding around. The other feature, and perhaps more subtle, is the bend in the grater's handle. Every other similar grater I've seen has been straight from handle to the end of the blade. This bend allows for a slightly different and more stable grip and positioning of the grater. The bend, and the rubber tip, also allow the grater to be used in a horizontal position on the work surface, allowing better leverage in certain situations. Well thought out, IMO. And, quite important to me, the grater stores flat in a drawer, saving space that a box grater would take up.

I am happy to report that I am loving the new CSO-500. I tried reproducing the above fish using the air fryer function and it may have come out even better. And tonight, we tried some frozen spring rolls from HMart in the air fryer and they were so crispy - I never would have believed it if I didn't see it.

Couple of dinners on a disc golf vacation. First, from the Burger Barn, a food truck (really a food mobile home) in Jeffersonville VT. The “nutty goat” burger (cherve, maple-roasted walnuts, bacon, caramelized onions, and mayo), and jalapeño poppers with big-hunks-of-blue-cheese dressing: Next meal was at Alchemist Brewing: Jamaican tacos (jerk pork, jerk chicken, and fried fish) with Heady Topper DIPA, followed by Luscious British-style imperial stout. Highly recommended Heady Topper. Enjoyed a jazz band while listening to the rain on a covered patio.

Oh, there are tons of them around here!

Lemme see. Chocolate (check ☑️). Marshmallows (check ☑️). Put it on a graham cracker crust and I'm all in. Can't believe no one's created a S'mores pizza before!

My version of Buffalo Chicken Salad. Arugula, halved grape tomatoes, seedless cukes, minced shallots tossed in bleu cheese dressing. Topped with slices of a crunchy fried chicken thigh (from carryout up the street). Doused with Mexican hot sauce.

Urgent Newsflash! Warning! Danger! New is breaking that some deviant extra-terrestrial employed by Domino’s Pizza has decided that it would be a good idea to dump a chocolate lava cake onto what appears to be a pepperoni pizza! Available at branches in China! Obviously some terrorist plan to cause mayhem and chaos among the masses! Fortunately for me, and the good decent people of Liuzhou, there are, as yet, no Domino’s outlets here in town. They are mainly only in the large cities, especially Shanghai. Take suitable precautions! Biohazard suits are recommended for all humans and their pets. P.S. I'm hoping those while things are cyanide pills to put the unwary out of their misery. .

Today I used the first method, non microwave. What guides my choice can be any one of several things, and sometimes a combination of things. If, for example, I may have recently eaten something very soft, let's use whipped potatoes as an example, or hummus, I may want something with more crunch to provide strong contrast. The first cooking method can provide somewhat greater crunch ... I can get the tots almost kettle-cooked, rippled potato chip crunchy. The choice of seasoning affects the decsion. Sometimes, like today, I'll use straight vinegar, usually malt or cider. The straight vinegar soaks into the tots more than other condiment choices, like ketchup, BBQ or hot sauce, all of which are thicker or more roughly textured. To offset the soaked vinegar somewhat, method one is helpful. My microwave oven sits at an elevated position, and because of my complicated back issues, it may be uncomfortable to raise the plate with the tots to oven height, so method one is used. OTOH, if my back isn't bothering me, or if I've taken my pain medication, I'm more inclined to use the microwave method. And then there's my mood. I may not want to take the extra steps to plate the tots, microwave them, crush them with a fork, and then Brevillize them. Just dumping a few straight from the bag onto the tray in the Breville is more to my liking - quicker, less fuss, allows me to do other things besides baby sitting Potato Tots. HTH

As mentioned earlier , similar , but now 2 baked potato dinner. smaller generic diner peas . I like peas this way. previous mushroom gravy ' enriched ' [ Chef-Speak ] w IDS CkStock. thickened w a little Wondra. Superb it all was.

this is what I sliced out of the above , to add to the mushroom gravy for tonight's MLDinner this is @ room temp. 68 F. ' straight up '

Thanks! Which method did you choose today and what guides your choice?

I do it in one of two ways. The first, I preheat the Breville at 425 or so degrees for a few minutes, cook for 20-21 minutes, then add a minute or two of the broiler at 500-degrees. The other method is to heat the tots in the microwave for three-four minutes, crush 'em a bit to create more rough edges, and them cook 'em in the preheated Breville at high temp. Both work well for me although the results are slightly different.

@Shelby everything looks so delicious. and when the discussion is Pizza , the answer is always @Shelby's Id die for that pizza , right now.

It's been an odd weather summer. Lots of rain (not complaining). Garden hasn't done as well as in past years but we're getting enough tomatoes to eat every day so that's all that matters. It's been a high in the mid 70's the last few days. So strange for August in Kansas. @rotutsyour meatloaf looks delicious. I made some a few nights ago but forgot the bacon on top. I need to remember to do that next time. @Smithyhow I love Chile rellenos. I just don't love making them from scratch lol. Maybe I can talk Ronnie into stopping into TJ's next time we're in the area. Chicken and hatch Chile stuffed peppers with homemade salsa and a fig galette. Last of the homemade bread --BLT's, fries and shishitos. I need to make more bread. I know it looks like we've fallen off the low-carb wagon but I swear we haven't . I just seem to only take pictures of carby meals lol. The apple tree we've had forever that maybe produces one apple every 2 years decided to have a bumper crop. I picked these earlier this month and right now I have a huge basket full that I need to make pie filling out of. They aren't the prettiest apples but they are MINE lol. Pizza and salad Needed to use up some fish we had frozen before it gets burnt so a mix of fried walleye and catfish along with zoodles and stuffed jalapeños. SV'd pork chops, squash and greens With quite possibly the best dessert I've ever made (which might not be saying much because we all know that's not my forte lol). Maybe some of you saw the peanut butter and jelly popcorn I posted in the snacking section? Anyway I've had PB&J on my mind I guess. I had some delicious Thomcord grapes (my favorite grapes ever) that I got from Misfits. I decided to make a galette out of some of them and thought OMG what if I spread a bunch of peanut butter on the crust before I add the grapes??? SO GOOD. I was so looking forward to making another one but Misfits didn't ship my Thomcord grapes this week . I have them in my basket again for next week so maybe I'll get lucky.

Well this looks awesome. It's been a while since I've been enabled 😳 I do not need this I do not need this. But I love soft serve.

First Look: On Meat

Yes Peel tomatoes and put into your pot. Add chopped jalapeños right away and let it all cook for a while. Season with salt. Can as you normally would. If you have leftover tomato juice it makes wonderful bloody Marys. Rotel uses green chilies....if I ever had any on hand at the same time as I'm making this I'd add some of those, too.

@liamsaunt Looking good , in this case , might not be tasting as good.

Shrimp and Chorizo Taco from Wes Avila’s “Guerrilla Tacos” - corn tortillas are filled with seared shrimps, cherry tomatoes and crumbled chorizo. Topped with tomatillo salsa (tomatillos, avocado, serrano chili, garlic, cilantro and lime juice are pureed)

Wednesday my husband and I walked into town to go to the farmers market. I bought a couple jars of local honey to bring home: one early summer honey (lighter and sweeter), and one made from August flowers (darker and more potent) I noticed we have an apple tree growing in the yard. I am not sure what type of apples they are (google image says they are Liberty apples) or if it’s allowed to pick them as a renter, so I am just leaving them there. We spent the afternoon walking around the beach and pier near the house. We ended up having to jog back to the house because severe weather moved in very quickly. We had crazy lightning and even large hail. A beautiful rainbow appeared in the backyard after it was over. My sister and niece showed up and wanted to go to Mac’s Shack (of course). There was a 90 minute wait for a table. Drinks It was very dark by the time we got food, so I only took a few pictures. Oysters Fried cod cheeks Seafood stew with clams, mussels, and scallops in a lobster broth Halibut with lobster mashed potatoes Yesterday my husband and I got up early and did a six mile walk. My niece and I then walked out to the little used bookstore in town. It was pretty depleted since they are closing for the year in a few weeks. My niece found a couple of things to buy, but the only thing I discovered was an entry for my annual “strangest book I spotted on the Cape” contest My sister really wanted to go to dinner at Pepe’s in Provincetown. I am not a huge fan of this place but was overruled. We did go for a long walk at Herring Cove beach before dinner, which was nice. The meal was, as I anticipated, pretty mediocre. Oysters Rockefeller (dry) Grilled vegetables with burrata (I think they forgot to grill the vegetables. they were essentially raw) Clam flatbread (did not try, but was told it was good) Cod dish (lukewarm) Clams with linguica (no comment from my brother, but he finished it so it must have been pretty good) Halibut (overcooked, everything on the plate but the fish was cold) Steak frites (overcooked) Coconut cake. This was good. They charged $7 for the scoop of ice cream that was on the $16 slice of cake. Sigh. Hopefully we can skip this place for the next few years. We barely made it back to the beach in time for sunset Afterglow