HungryChris

Lunch with Dogs and Boats from the Beer'd Brewery. HC

Scrapple and biscuits. These biscuits were my first ever and were too good to toss, but not good enough to settle for, so the only solution was to use them up and move on to my next attempt using self rising flour. HC

Another late babysitting night. Deb texted me when she was leaving and I had the oven preheated and the peppers, onions and cucumbers marinating in Greek salad dressing. The Korean BBQ wings went into the preheated oven shortly after her text. A late night dinner, but a good one. HC

Just back from a funeral service. I knew Regis well enough to say hello. He was the husband of Barbara, a secretary for the department head that I worked for some twenty years ago at The General Dynamics, Electric Boat Shipyard, where Regis was a drafting supervisor. Somehow, she and I established a friendship talking about such lofty subjects as how to make the best Caesar salad, crouton making techniques, where to get the best bouillabaisse and on and on. In later years I worked for their daughter in law at a different company and made friends with thier son on the golf course. I had not seen her in over twenty years, but as I entered the church and approached her to reintroduce myself, she grabbed both my hands and said "We used to talk about food!" On my way home, I was torn between taking my first taste of the Akvavit currently in my freezer, with some smoked salmon, or opening a fresh craft beer growler. I spotted freshly ground lamb as I was rounding out the dinner menu, and the rest was history. My first lamburger in several years with sautéed onion, sliced marinated mushrooms, tomato and lettuce. HC

I have used meat sauce when I had some on hand in the past, but there was no meat in this dish. They were stuffed with a mixture of mostly ricotta with some shredded mozzarella and grated Parmesan added, with a bit of garlic and fresh chopped basil and a beaten raw egg. I learned quite a while ago that they are far easier to stuff when they are just barely flexible, too al dente to eat. Just a few minutes in the boiling water, then drained and stuffed as soon as they are cool enough to handle. I have never tried soaking them in hot water, but I don't see why that wouldn't work fine. HC

Stuffed shells and shrimp cocktail. HC

We just made rezzi's for a cruise out of NOLA in March and I chose to celebrate with chargrilled oysters and a Caesar salad. HC

Normally, we only have biscuits and gravy while on vacation and I had never attempted it on my own. This morning I decided to change that. I would have been happier if they rose a bit more, but they were good nonetheless. HC

I worked one summer in a fish market and learned a whole bunch of things about fish. I learned how to recognize truly fresh fillets from the also ran, by the look and smell of them. I also learned that the biggest fish have had time to accumulate parasitic worms. We called these "pickers" because we had to hold them up to a bright light and pick out the parasitic worms. As a result, I like the smaller fillets and today, I found some small haddock fillets about the size I like <.5 LBs each from Point Judith, Ma. Fish and chips and fresh cole slaw were suddenly put on the menu. HC

On the right, a crostini with dried porcinis brought back from Italy that were rehydrated in a scant amount of brandy and reduced in butter, topped with prosciutto di Parma and mozzarella (reminds me of market day in Castellina in Chianti) and on the left, a layer of avocado, sliced marinated mushrooms and diced marinated onions topped with sharp cheddar. HC

Shrimp and sausage pasta piquant with a cucumber and avocado salad. HC

Another late dinner. As soon as the SIL texted that he was leaving work, the baked potatoes went in the oven. His half hour drive home and Deb's half hour drive home meant they would be ready just about the time she got home, and her well done, and my very rare T-bone could be coordinated. Mine takes 6 minutes, Deb's takes 18. HC

I cannot believe my good fortune this morning. I have been on a month long quest to find these and had pretty much given up. Just yesterday, laboring under the miserable conclusion that the glasses would not be part of the tasting experience, I placed an order for Akvavit at the local package store, after learning on the web that the nearest store that carried it was more than an hour away. I was told it will arrive next Wed. I left the house this morning and was briefly stopped by the power company a few hundred yards down my little rural road while they moved some equipment into place. I say briefly, but just long enough to spot these familiar shaped glasses at a table at an unlikely and poorly attended yard sale few doors down from my own on this frigid morning. I secured the pair for a dollar! @Anna N has been flaunting these for years and that is what motivated me to even read about akvavit in the first place. The town I live in has an inordinately large population of Finns, which I suspect came to my aid this morning. Apparently they too have a fondness for the stuff. HC

Deb had to babysit until past eight pm last night. Dinner was a Greek salad and Red Lobster Cheddar Bay biscuits. They bake in about 15 minutes and I put them in the oven as soon as I heard her pull into the garage. HC

Yes, cold and windy. Lit the woodstove for the first time this season today. My normal suppyler of Parks scrapple only had beef scrapple, so I found some Jones in another store. Jones is good, but not as good to my taste as Parks. I buy a few bricks at a time, thaw them and slice them up and then freeze them in IQF form so that I can just take as many out of the freezer as I want. HC

The only thing new here is the sharp cheddar and avocado toastie. HC

My pepper plants took their final hit by the frost last night. The few peppers that were tinged by the frost had to get used today. Pepper steak on jasmine rice. One TBS of gochujang brings it all home! HC

Killing frost last night. Everything but the lettuce bought the ranch. I was pleased to see the zucchini plants and the rapini in the far cold frame seem fine and the next crop of black seeded Simpson in the closer one are still doing well. HC

Poached eggs, a prosciutto panino and avocado toastie and scrapple with some fresh habanero salsa. HC

Homemade smoked salmon spread. HC

Saint November's day has come! HC

A 1.75 pound Atlantic salmon fillet that had been brined overnight, then put uncovered on a rack in the fridge overnight going into the smoker and coming out. HC

Never tried pan fried, but I'm not adverse to the idea. Maybe on my next batch. HC

Mortadella, Swiss cheese and kimchi on seeded rye, Reuben style. HC

Jones pork scrapple (my usual source of Parks was out), fresh 3 habanero salsa and tomato bruschetta. HC