HungryChris

My lunch yesterday, haunted me with just how good and satisfying it was. So much so, that I did it again today. This is quickly becoming a favorite sandwich of mine: Cooked salami, marinated zucchini ribbons, roasted red peppers on Tuscan bread with mayo and Dijon mustard. Because I'll be smoking some salmon and pork ribs that I spotted on sale recently, I'll be chained to the furnace, so to speak, for most of the afternoon. Friday the thirteenth seems like a good day to stay home and an adult beverage seemed appropriate. HC

Steak night here. I bought these a few nights ago and had to make it happen tonight. I happened upon a package of baby bellas at Aldi and used @Anna N's escargot without the pesky snails recipe. Deb and I are both big fans of escargot, especially those that include the pesky snails, but liked these as well. HC

Very nicely done! Thanks very much. HC

Salami, marinated zucchini ribbons and roasted red pepper with mayo and Dijon mustard. HC

My favorite clear broth clam chowder and some cheddar bay biscuits made it happen tonight. I think it will be linguine with white clam sauce tomorrow, but neither Deb nor I are the least bit scared. HC

Yes, tree ears or cloud ears, but on the package, it simply says "Black Fungus" which is quite catchy, don't you think? HC

Something tells me that a door is about to open, @Shelby, that you will not be able, nor want to, close. HC

I happened to spot these pork tongues in the market today. I picked them up three times and only put them back twice, so here they are. I have put them in the same Morton Tender Quick cure that I do with beef tongue and have 2 to 3 weeks to figure out what I will do next. HC

This is a meal I have grown to treasure. Dried black fungus that has been brought to life with a simmer in a bit of water, baby bok choy, sugar snaps and zucchini coins that have all been sautéed in a bit of oil, garlic and ginger, Korean noodles (I buy several varieties) , some kimchi, a bit of chili oil and a little pile of pickled ginger for garnish. Between the kimchi and hot chili oil, the heat will cloud my vision with tears, but does not slow me down! HC

Stadium brat from Aldi with kimchi, onions and ball park mustard. HC

Speaking of pollinators, I'm just in from my "busy Bee" work among the zucchini plants. HC

For starters, a little thank you to @MetsFan5 for bringing this dish to my attention, clams oreganata. Rather than simply use the called for combination of oregano leaves, parsley and garlic, I chose to use a combination of the leaves and blossoms, with the parsley and garlic, which seemed to spike up the flavor and aroma and filled the air with a promise of great flavor when I opened the grill to bring them to the table. Tomatoes from the garden, that had been showered with a little salt, herbs and a splash of olive oil made a great side. Yesterday was the farmers market in our little town, and I got some corn there, thinking that I could declare it to be "FCD" (first corn day), but the corn was a disappointment. I think Lake View Farms, which runs an honor system farm stand, does not have enough regular patrons to keep the corn fresh. I got the feeling that the corn I purchased had been picked a few days ago. "FCD" will just have to wait. Now, back to the clams. We loved them! Because I had used the smallest clams to top the plates of linguine a few nights ago, the only ones I had left were a bit larger than the littlenecks called for. I was afraid they would be a little tough, if I used them whole in the stuffed clams, so I steamed them open and chopped them up before incorporating them into the stuffing and I think that was a good call. Next time, I will try the recipe using the little guys as prescribed. HC

Yesterday, I had the season opener tomato sandwich. Today, it was salami, tomato and cucumber with some pickled green tomatoes from last fall. HC

We had kielbasa cooked in foil on the grill and cold salads, last night, but this dish of fresh tomatoes from the garden was the highlight for me. HC

Chicken salad on toast with dill and capers, lightly breaded and fried zucchini with spicy garlic and lemon aioli dip. HC

Egg salad on toast, tomatoes with black truffle salt. HC

The heat wave continues, as does my push into hot weather dinner options. Tonight, we had pasta salad, first of the garden fresh cucumber salad, leftover potato salad, jerk chicken wings from the grill, chicken liver pate, egg salad and ripe brie with crackers. HC

There is just nothing like a nice fresh beer that you like. I truly wish I could get my growlers filled while taking a walk! The one I frequent the most is a good 12 mile drive, each way, but happens to be in the old factory where my dad worked when I was little and I was in there all the time with him. It is very nostalgic, but I wish I could walk there. HC

I just added it to RecipeGullet. HC

This will easily make enough sauce for 6 to 8 meals. I like to use 10 littleneck clams on each plate, so if this meal is for 2, get 20 fresh littlenecks. I like to go clamming and use the larger ones for the chopped clams. I open them raw and drain the juice and add it to the sauce at the same time I add the wine. In the winter, when it isn't practical to go clamming, I buy raw chopped sea clams and there is little sacrifice to quality of the dish. It is also a whole lot easier than opening the big clams yourself. Ingredients 1 pint of chopped clams 10 washed and scrubbed, live in the shell, littleneck clams for each serving 1 cup dry white wine 6 TBS olive oil 1 large head of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped 1 small bunch each (the bunched stems should cover a nickel) , chopped, of: curly parsley cilantro sweet basil (1 TBS if dried) salt and pepper to taste Directions In a 2 quart sauce pan add the oil, garlic and heat, without browning, to infuse the oil with garlic flavor. After a few minutes add the wine, herbs and bring to a simmer. Once it has simmered for a few minutes, remove from the heat and blend with an immersion blender. I tip the pan and start and stop a few times, trying to avoid splattering. Once the bigger lumps have been smoothed out, return the sauce to the heat and simmer until the wine (and clam juice, if using clams you opened) has been reduced by half. When it's time for dinner, add the chopped clams to the sauce and bring to a simmer. At the same time, put the salted pasta water on the heat. Once the sauce is at a simmer and the pasta water is at a rolling boil, add the littlenecks to the simmering sauce and turn up the heat and add the linguine to the pasta water. At just about the same time the pasta is cooked, the clams should be opening. I drain the pasta and return it to the pan it was cooked in (off the heat) and give it a splash of olive oil and a stir. Give the sauce a taste and adjust salt and pepper. Dish out the pasta servings and count out the open clams onto each. If they have not all opened , leave them at a simmer while picking out the ones that have. If they are fresh, they should all be open by the time your are done. Add some sauce with the chopped clams onto each plate and serve at once. Discard any clams that do not open. I like to serve with warm garlic bread, freshly grated parmesan or Romano cheese. HC

This is pretty unusual for here, but I did buy individual tomato plants in mid-May and picked particular plants because they already had little tomatoes on them. The largest and smallest are from a plant variety called Mountain Fresh and the middle sized one is from a container plant called Better Bush. The latter is a variety developed by Bonnie Plants and was a gift to Deb from that company, which is a regular customer at the truck shop where she works. It too had small tomatoes on it when she got it. I took a chance planting my plants in the ground as early as I did, but it happened to pay off this year. The only plants I started from seed are Burpee Fourth Of July Hybrid and, like last year, are the least advanced of the lot. HC

Having just (at your suggestion) found a video of Anne Burrell, making them and will definitely give it a try. Thanks. HC

An early trip to the clam beds, yesterday morning, paid off in spades last night, with linguine and clam sauce with garlic bread. Raking in clams, then standing over the counter chopping garlic and herbs isn't great for your back, but when it's time to sit down for dinner, it all seems worthwhile. Usually, I'm on my own, but Deb came along with me yesterday and took this pic of yours truly heading out to my favorite spot. She would point to areas that she thought I should check, and was calling herself the "Clam Whisperer", by the time we returned to the car. Yesterday, The average clam was pretty big, which is usually a sign that you have been in an area that has not been worked in quite a while. There were just enough small ones to top off the plates with whole tender clams. HC

Deb went clamming with me this morning and we made out pretty well, by "raking in" about six dozen. The day got even better after we got home: Today we celebrated "FTD" (First Tomato Day), better, still, we celebrated with a Three Bagger!!! HC

I will definitely be giving it a try. HC