Smithy

Sometimes, a simple dinner is all we want. So it was a few nights ago: brussels sprouts with bacon, in a balsamic vinaigrette. I think I've shown you this before. It's becoming a regular part of our meal rotation. We usually do it with another dish, but this was enough for us for dinner. Here's the before-and-after: We had a gorgeous sunset that night, and commented again on how far north the sun has traveled. When we first got here, it was setting to the left of the leftmost tree (the snaggy branches) in this picture.

Oh, I've zested more than my share of citrus after the fact of squeezing. Each time, I swear I'll remember to reverse the process the next time! I'm a slow learner, though: I probably still forget to zest first about 20% of the time. *blush* @ElsieD, I misspoke. I was thinking of cutting the zest -- that is, the peel without the pith -- using a vegetable peeler, then freezing those strips for use in infusions, salad dressings, or (if cut into smaller chunks) in hot cereals or yogurt. That's what my best friend does. You can also dry that peel and then break off chunks. If you know you want finely-grated zest, however, my method is useless. A Microplane or equivalent is your friend. Sorry for the sloppy writing.

My darling used to count on frozen peas or corn for lunch: a container (say, 2 cups' worth) of frozen corn or peas, with a touch of butter, microwaved until the butter melted. That was his routine lunch for a couple of decades of work before we met, both at his work and on his road trips. He has frequently spoken of how "cleanly" the energy burns from those midday meals, as opposed to a burger or other heavy fast food. I have come to appreciate their convenience.

We were gone several hours after my last post. Although I'd fortified myself with the aforementioned tuna salad sandwich, he'd only eaten his normal breakfast of fruit salad and cereal. Can you say "hangry"? There was NO time for dithering or fussing over dinner when we got home. We'd already decided on a pork steak (breaded, baked at 425F for 25 minutes) and vegetables. I'd planned on cauliflower tossed with tahini and yogurt, and roasted with shawarma spices. That would have had to share oven space with the pork steak. We quickly decided that there was no time for faffing about with juggling 2 dishes on 1 shelf. We settled for frozen vegetables of our choice, microwaved to preference. He chose frozen peas with a couple pats of butter. I chose frozen spinach dotted with crumbled feta. He also had toast, of course. We both loved the pork steak and our respective vegetables. Of course we also loved our respective beverages.

Sorry to read that your erstwhile favorite restaurant in Loreto was a disappointment. Thanks for the update, though. It looks as though you've found plenty of other good places to eat!

It's easy to forget how quick and satisfying a tuna salad sandwich can be. Canned tuna, a touch of mayo, olive oil, salt-cured (and rinsed) capers. There's only a bit of mayo in there, so I put more on the bread along with several small spinach leaves. This should hold me for a few hours. There's some for him too, if he wants it. No doubt he'll want to add Miracle Whip. Maybe he'll be satisfied putting it on his bread. 🙃

Snack for breakfast today. Uptopic I mentioned making tahini sauce. Some of it went into hummus using chickpeas I'd cooked some time ago and stored in the freezer. I'm still adjusting the seasonings. It didn't have enough pizzazz, so in addition to the lemon I'd already put in I added a touch of white vinegar and more salt. Not bad. The other things I've learned is that my hand-crank blender simply won't get this smooth enough. I didn't want to climb the stepladder to get the stick blender, but the hummus needs it.

Ribs again last night. I feel as though I'm showing the stereotypically dull "family vacation" slide show: "and here we are, standing in front of the Washington Monument...and here we are, standing by the Jefferson Memorial..." with nary a change. I did one thing different yesterday: sliced Yukon Gold potatoes and put them under the ribs, with the typical 1/2 cup or so of water in the bottom of the pan. It made for a one-pot dinner (except the greens we'd eaten earlier) but didn't really do the potatoes any good. They were done, but I think that so much water prevented them from absorbing much of the pork juices. He complained that I hadn't put enough barbecue sauce on during the cooking. I left it off mine altogether. Now that he's settled on a favorite of the ones we've opened, I'm going to start adjusting the other one to my tastes.

It's a little of both. We plan to leave this particular spot and start eastward again in a week, but we'll only be moving a couple hundred miles. Our general plan is to be home May 1, but if the weather continues to be as bad up north (and along our way) as we have then we may delay our arrival. This is the 6th snowiest winter on record at home. We aren't crazy about the weather along our way in our usual spots, either: central Texas keeps getting walloped; New Mexico is high enough that it keeps getting snow. Truth to tell, I'm not crazy about leaving here yet. I've gotten comfortable and developed a good social life, so could happily stay here longer. I'd be singing a different tune if it were as hot as usual for this time of year!

I've sent a PDF of the article. If anyone else wants it, PM me.

Have hair dryer, will travel!

We intended to, but didn't pick up the corned beef brisket during our last grocery store visit because we expected to be back this week. Didn't make it back. We're having ribs tonight, and maybe tomorrow we'll find some bargains!

I think it's hard to beat the combination of tomtoes (sun-dried or not) and cheddar, and your omelette looks delicious. What was especially special about these particular tomatoes?

Thanks, Dave. I notice you don't have tamarind in the recipe. Did you try it and discard the idea? (It may be too long ago to remember.) eta I'm not sure about the sauternes either. I was thinking along the lines of white balsamic vinegar, since we already have that around and it's another of DH's preferred condiments.

In past years, by this time I've been ready to expire from the heat for at least a month. This year has been cooler, but as I noted above the seasonal switch has been flipped from "winter" to "late spring". I've been watching and listening to the refrigerator labor, especially in the afternoon when the sun is hitting that side of the trailer. It was time to defrost today, and take stock of what we have. There's still a lot. Will that stop us going to the grocery store, or the specialty meat stores in Llano? Probably not. But there really are a lot of tube steaks in there!

I wrote Lea & Perrins to ask about the product, and they were good enough to inform me that they'd "taken the liberty" of forwarding my email to the appropriate department. This morning, Kraft-Heinz Consumer Affairs was good enough to write. I don't like the answer, but it's nice that they didn't simply ignore me. Now, on to finding an appropriate substitute!

Before the advent of eGullet, before I had even heard of Paula @Wolfert, I discovered Kitty Morse and her Cooking at the Kasbah (eG-friendly Amazon.com link), my first venture into Moroccan cookery. I don't know why, but I lost track of Kitty. I've now learned that she has a newsletter and a blog, and -- very enticingly -- a new book out that is part cookbook, part history from her grandparents' items stashed in a box in the closet. Bitter Sweet: a Wartime Journal and Heirloom Recipes from Occupied France (eG-friendly Amazon.com link) looks like it's going to be well worth diving into. Her blog entry announcing the book and giving its background is here.

I wash (if necessary) and reuse plastic wrap and plastic freezer bags until they develop holes. I have two strategies: for things like meat or bones, I put them into one of the lighter gauge plastic bags from a produce or bread purchase, then seal that inside the freezer bag. For things that aren't terribly greasy, or if the freezer bag gets dirty anyway, I wash it in hot water with dish detergent, then air dry and reuse. I haven't seen a fat scum build up in them, even though I know plastic is lipophilic. You may wonder whether I saved anything by using produce/bread bags inside the freezer bags. Well, this generally keeps the freezer bags from being messed up, and later I'll use the lightweight bags for collecting and disposing of garbage: possibly food scraps, more likely non-food waste that requires plastic for odor control. Someday I may be able to stop using those bags for that purpose, but I'm not there yet. Here's an example from my freezer, in case I'm not describing it clearly. When I'm done with that chicken, the interior bag will be used for garbage and the exterior bag will be fully reusable.

I'd never heard of it until my husband came along. It's his go-to condiment for adjusting many of my sauces; he prefers things sweeter and I prefer them more tart. I may have to try those copycat recipes to which FauxPas linked above!

Since I met my husband our pantry has always included two Lea & Perrins products: standard Worcestershire Sauce and White Wine Worcestershire Sauce. The latter is made with sauternes and some unnamed herbs, and is decidedly sweeter than the original. My husband loves it as an addition to sauces, and occasionally as a basting sauce on pork. A few years back it was relabeled as "Marinade for Chicken" but the ingredient list was the same. We just finished our bottle, and haven't been able to find more. None of the Yuma grocery stores (Albertson's, Fry's, Walmart) carries it. I can't even find it on Amazon! Albertson's and Walmart claim to carry it although the local stores don't, so I'm wondering if this is simply a regional thing. Can anyone shed light on what's going on? Screen grab from Walmart.com, which claims to carry it but doesn't actually offer a way to buy it, even by mail. https://www.walmart.com/ip/Lea-Perrins-Marinade-for-Chicken-10-fl-oz-Bottle/10308274

"We have so many sausages in the fridge and freezer, and a bunch of them are from Llano! We'll be going back there soon! We need to start using these up!" So said my darling, with the additional threat comment that he planned to cook Miiler's tube steaks every night he cooked until they're gone. That's a lot of hash. I decided to use one in a pasta dish instead, which is exactly what he'd hoped I would do. It was a good opportunity to use bits and pieces from the refrigerator and counter: cherry tomatoes on the verge of shriveling; ditto a red onion; sun-dried tomatoes in oil; mozzarella left over from making the salad for the potluck. I intended it to put it all with fettucine or linguini, then realized we hadn't brought any along. We have a pasta maker! No need to buy noodles when I can make them! So I broke into the special prize package of pasta I'd bought at the World Market. Incidentally, this olive oil I purchased at the World Market was a wonderful find. I wish I had better access to that store. The oil is smooth and mellow, and there's a spring-loaded pouring spot under the cap. After I got the onion sliced and started, I got ready to start on the sun-dried tomatoes. I'd forgotten they were already julienned. The steps for the dinner were pretty easy: soften the thinly-sliced onions in olive oil, then add the meat coins until they were browned, then add the cherry tomatoes and diced garlic, heat until tomatoes were beginning to pop. Add the sundried tomatoes and cooked pasta. Toss all with tomato paste (I finished a tube of it), pasta water, chunked cheese. I may have added a bit of cream or butter to thicken the sauce a bit. He said this morning it's another keeper!

Shelby, I used jarred marinated artichoke hearts. I don't think these are as good as the Trader Joe's Grilled Marinated Artichoke Hearts (which I've squirreled away since my last visit) but they weren't half bad in this salad. I haven't found anything yet to match the TJ's jarred product, but I agree that distance and travel time can be a nuisance.

@RWood, once again I find myself wishing we had a WOW!!! emoji. That's beautiful!

The salad was close kin to another salad you should try when the tomatoes are in. I've hung onto this recipe for years! Don't feel like cooking? Try this easy and savory Antipasti Salad (from the Duluth News Tribune)

Pre-storm sunrise a day or two ago. I realize this is a lot of posting activity in one go, but I'm behind in stories I want to tell you and it's pleasant to sit, drink coffee and listen to the mockingbird. I hope something generates questions or comments. (Thanks for yours, Heidi!) Besides, this way I avoid doing Real Work. What I've Learned About Potluck Parties in Retirement Communities A friend turned 80 a couple of weeks ago, and I attended a potluck birthday party to help him celebrate. It was cool but not cold: plenty nice to be outside, and a bunch of us brought our musical instruments and had a jam session. We also brought food. Lots of it, and a good variety, plenty to suit any tastes or dietary needs. I brought a more-or-less Caprese salad. It travels well and keeps well, and seemed a good choice for a potluck with that group: not likely to be duplicated, but not too strange. (I've had "exotic" dishes go begging before now!) The salad included good tomatoes, salami, the last of my potted basil, mozzarella, marinated artichoke hearts, and sourdough bread that I oven-dried and diced to make a bottom layer and collect the juices. The dressing was a simple red wine vinaigrette with garlic and more basil. I transported it in a plastic tub, then served it in one of our good wooden bowls that we carry along in the Princessmobile. We bought this one in Egypt. It was fun watching the lathing process. Wooden bowl. Varnished. No need to refrigerate that salad. I set it on the picnic table, next to but not in the large bed of ice that had been set out for salads. An hour or so later, I noticed that the bowl had been put into the ice bed. I moved it out and dried it off. Later on, same thing. And again when I collected the (very little) remains to go home. I'm happy to report that the bowl didn't suffer any damage despite its ill-considered and prolonged baths. What did I learn? Don't bring a fancy bowl to a Yuma retiree's casual outdoor party!