Prepcook

Found a new beer in the local grocery store. "Brahama" from Brasil. Figured it was worth a try. In the style of Corona, but even worse. Sure did nothing to change my belief that Daytona Beach is the desert of good beer.

Linguine with Cumin Chicken, Tomatoes, Avocado, Cilantro and Sour Cream. (A tribute to my stepson who used to laugh at all the words in "What's for dinner, Mom?" and is now navigating F-18 Super Hornets.) We ate late, after watching "Sideways". The food was good but the presentation was affected by the wine we drank during the movie. ( We did not drink merlot! )

Last night it was my turn to cook and since we has some odds and ends in the freezer, I decided to make gumbo. First, I read over this thread. Gumbo, Jambalaya, Etoufee which, like most eG threads, was both informative and entertaining. I decided to use goose fat/butter for the roux, which turned out perfect! Thanks Susan. In addition to Tasso ham and Andouille sausage, I added chicken, shrimp, okra and some squid tentacles that were left over from who knows when. We drank a nice, inexpensive Zinfandel with it.

Boddingtons. Because it "is well known for its creamy head and smooth body" Boddingtons Home Page I drank it while going 'round and 'round on a riding lawn mower, contemplating a "creamy head and a smooth body..."

A New favorite, just discovered last night. Napoleon from a local bakery and 2005 Big Foot Barleywine. Nice ending to a great dinner.

One of my favorite Friday happy hours; drinking Michelob Light from a paper cup, shelling peanuts at the bar and slurping a dozen oysters on the half shell at the Oyster Pub in Daytona Beach.

As Susan mentioned, we had Pinto Beans and Kale. In the past, I have soaked beans then simmered them with ham hocks and served them with greens and coffee. Today, for a change, I put the beans and fresh ham hocks in the crock pot, cooked them on high for one hour while I got ready for work then set the thermostat on low for 10 hours. It was my first time cooking beans in a slow cooker. but it worked really well. Served with kale and a Beringer Pino Noir. It was a big step up from my college days when Pinto Beans were $.19 a pound and ham hocks were the same price...

Susan treated me to a stout float for an after dinner treat. Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout (Limited Bottling Winter 03-04) and Breyers vanilla ice cream. The stout has aged out of all its bitterness. Really nice. She posted it on Stout Floats vs. Proter Floats.

My standard topping is onion salt usually without butter. (unless Susan is "in", then it's lots of butter) I like Emeril's original Essence and several other cajun mixes from the grocery store. Once we knew people who served popcorn with steamed crabs which was pretty good with the Old Bay. Before I quit smoking, I used to love popcorn and a cigarette. Sometimes I still miss that.

What she said!

"Oh, My!!!" , to quote Dick Enberg, What a great week! Normally, I am reluctant to share much about myself, but not this week. (Although some have suggested that the number of my posts during this blog would support that reluctance). Suan and I love much of what good food is "all about" and we love this web site. I am looking forward to keeping up with the next blog and the next and the next... Thank you all for being so supportive. Russ (Prepcook) PS: For those of you who have come to know Susan through her posts, I happen to know that she is so much more knowledgeable and skilled than she lets on. I am lucky.

I just added salt. There were the usual condiments available, but this time I didn't want to cover up such a pretty piece of fish. I did get two dill pickle spears that I ate while we were waiting for Susan's order.

We spent some of today at the local annual art festival. We saw paintings, and pottery and jewerly from all over Florida and as far away as Michigan and West Virginia and New Zealand. We had some good food, listened to some pretty cool music, AcoustiCon, and bought a coffee mug. I suppose the weather in heaven is better, but I doubt it. When Susan gets the rest of the pictures ready, she'll tell you more. Now, I am going to start getting some things ready for a special Saturday night dinner.

Nice picture! Looks so good I think I'll have some for lunch tomorrow. (If there's any left.) you.

I just saw the pictures from coffee on the porch this morning. It was indeed, a beautiful day. Moments like that make going to work so much easier. No lunch today. I think that's not a healthy thing, but my mental health required me to get as much accomplished as possible, so I skipped. Tonight was a typical dinner. As Susan mentioned I love being the prepcook. I love to cut things up and chop things and get them ready. One of my favorite long time jobs is to peel the shrimp. Almost always I do this chore with a glass of white house wine, here sometimes referred to as "medication". Tonight the shrimp were fresh and local and peeled easily. When we cook together, like tonight, things work best when Susan takes the lead and I help with whatever she needs. Sometimes there is a lot to do and sometimes I just sit and drink my wine and watch. It's fun both ways. And almost always I learn something, which of course is never wasted.

I wondered the same thing when I saw the picture. Then I went to the fridge and checked. Turns out it's a basil leaf and a clove of garlic. Also turns out that the peppers stay down only if you frequently push them back down with one or more fingers. And I think they taste even better when they are cut up first because they char more evenly and are more meaty. Russ

Secondly, although it should have been first, Thanks for all the nice welcome notes. It is a real pleasure to be here and to be a part of something very special. Working for Hospice, I get lots of hugs. Your welcome feels like that. Now, back to dinner. I love this dish that Susan will tell you about. But, since I have to work tomorrow and need some sleep, I'll leave you with some information: It's good to like, no LOVE, garlic to really enjoy this dish. If, as I have been told, that the translation is "prostitute's pasta", I'm guessing business fell off after dinner. Thanks again for all the kind words. Good Night.

So anyway, I'm reinstated as a participating member so I can tell you about lunch. There is a speciality shop in Ormond Beach called the Vin' Yard. Because I was visiting a family in the area, Susan sent me in to get some Dutch Cocoa. The people there are very nice and explained that they were out but would call me when it came in, probably tomorrow. Before I left, I got a bottle of wine for dinner and a single helping of pasta primavera from their deli. I also got a cool bag of vegetable chips and a bottle of ginger beer. Usually for lunch when I have lunch, it's lunchmeat, cheese crackers and diet Pepsi from one of the many 7-Elevens that dot the streets of the greater Daytona Beach area. But for my first ever food blog, I wanted to get something nice. Well, the pasta salad was very good, the chips were unique but the ginger beer was way too sweet. I do recommend the Vin' Yard to those of you visit Ormond Beach. Now. I have to go see the parents of a Hospice employee to help them understand Medicaid, Nursing Homes and other options for care. Susan is going to fix dinner tonight. Can't wait.

So anyway, Susan assured me that if I posted the sauce that went with the pork that she posted pictures of, my evening would be much more pleasant than if I didn't. So, I sauted pieces of pear, garlic, mango, ginger, red bell pepper, and some hot red pepper in a bit of olive oil. When it started to brown, I added some vermouth and sugar and brought it back to a boil. Then I added water and let it reduce to syurp. Then I added some sliced ripe plantains, and after the mixture had cooled a bit, added some butter. It looked kinda cool, so I sliced the pork and topped it with this sauce, then served it with some green beans and boiled red potatoes, and some raw slices of the above fruit as a garnish. It went pretty well with the 2001 Fat bastard Shiraz. Can't say for sure, but it looks like the evening will go quite well. PS I really like this site. I wish I could read as fast as Evelyn Wood...