HungryChris

I enjoy the stadium brats as well. This was labeled as a "seasonal item". HC

Greek salad, chourico stuffed clams (from some that I harvested today) and a shrimp cocktail. HC

I really don't know the difference between a cured and an uncured brat.(If you had asked me as a child, I would probably have pointed at one or two of my sisters, as being a bit of the uncured variety). I got this uncured one at Aldi this morning and had it for lunch. Loved both the flavor and the way it dominates the roll with it's size. I paired it with sautéed onion and an immature green bell pepper from the garden. I find the flavor and skin of the immature GBP to be quite pleasant after a just few minutes in the pan with some olive oil and a bit of salt. You GBP haters will just have to move on! HC

I returned from a wedding in Minnesota late last night, but not too tired to notice the 79 cent per 8 oz package of button mushrooms in the flyer. I absolutely love marinated mushrooms, which seem to improve with age, so off I went this am for a 2 quart jars worth, and I'll be back! HC

Looks like something for lifting hot jars out of a pressure canner. HC

For some reason Deb came home with a loaf of Wonder Bread yesterday and proceeded to make a PBJ this am. I decided to go out to the garden and pick the first of the most recent wave of Bibb lettuce and try my hand at making a kicked up version of the BLT of my youth. We had some herbed tomatoes left over from dinner. It was a bit messy, but, oh, so worth it! HC

Baked stuffed boneless chicken leg quarters, fresh garden tomatoes, roasted garlic mashed potatoes and peas. HC

I'm on @Shelby's side. Yes it does!!!!!!

Mushrooms are on sale this week at Aldi and I have been out of marinated mushrooms for a while now. Two pounds makes about a quart. I will probably do 2 more batches this week. HC

Greek salad, left over from dinner. Not the least bit elegant, but the catfish has no complaints. HC

Linguini with clam sauce and a Greek salad. We are headed to a wedding in MSP, and these clams, the last of my most recent harvest, have to get used up. I have a feeling that my breakfast tomorrow, will be leftover Greek salad, which is fine with me. HC

I was going to put the final coat of paint on the cold frame today, but, it's just too hot out there. So, I turned my attention to lunch, a liverwurst spread with chopped onions, some warm, ripe brie and a bit of kimchi. HC

Earlier in the season, I made fun of the Burpee Fourth of July tomato, but they have impressed me, and I will be growing them again next year, just starting them earlier, I guess. Here are some I picked before breakfast, joined on the plate by some shishito peppers, scrapple, marinated zucchini and poached eggs. HC

Last night was steak night. I fetched these from the freezer. I bought them for their ideal size and marbling, on sale, some months back, and Debs's request for a steak night, this morning, brought them out to the light of day. They were as good as they looked. I had mine very rare and Deb's was her preferred med well,.............I always flinch when I hear her order med well at a restaurant, but I can't say anything to you that I haven't already tried on her. I am just the frustrated servant! I also know that a well marbled steak is much better than a lean one, when cooked to death like that. HC

When I spotted mozzarella balls in water at Aldi this morning, I thought of this post. We have bought the ones in marinade at both TJ's and Aldi and I decided that a little experiment was in order. Here are the ones I got at Aldi (for $2.99), along with a few things I wanted to infuse in the TJ's EVOO. I simmered the garlic, rosemary, thyme and bay leaves in oil for a bit. While it was cooling down, I picked a few sprigs of basil and drained the cheese balls and transferred to another container. When the oil was cool, I poured it into the original cheese ball container, followed by the cheeses balls and the basil. I will let this stay in the fridge for a while and see how they are. HC

Because this soup was made with Korean BBQ chicken, the broth is dark and your typical chicken soup is out of the question. I have found that a hearty soup with pureed tomatoes and root vegetables is a tasty solution. I like to top it with grated Romano cheese. HC

The last few scraps of fresh haddock from last night, shishito peppers and yet another zucchini squash that I managed to pluck from the garden this morning that I gently sautéed and dusted with fresh grated Romano cheese after plating . HC

No green tabasco, but, truth be told, I did add a few dashes of Crystal to the onion and dill relish tartar sauce. HC

Fish and chips. I think haddock is best. HC

In a surprising, but not unpleasant development, it seems the hour or so I spent removing every last squash beetle from the zucchini plants has paid off. They have come back to life with a renewed vigor! HC

Cicchetti dinner tonight. Chourico stuffed little neck clams, silver queen corn, blistered shishito peppers and garden fresh tomatoes. February dreams!! HC

BLT with shredded lettuce left over from taco night. HC

Taco night. Deb does not like shredded lettuce on hers, but I do, so I have my little bag of shredded lettuce at the ready (top right of the last pic). Deb's condiment of choice is pico de gallo, mine is habanero salsa HC.

Deb and I have waited outside quite a few times on Wooster St. in New Haven for a seat at Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana. Also, more than once, we have been crestfallen, after the hour drive, by a little sign in the window that read "No Clam Pies Today". Every time we succeeded, however, I would lust for the day that I could make that pie at home. Having recently taken up clamming, it's a natural fit. I do appreciate your comment!! HC

https://www.fornobravo.com/pizzaquest/recipe-neapolitan-pizza-dough/ When I set out to make pizza dough, I use Peter Reinhart's method, above, but just as often, I will buy a pound of dough at Walmart for 89 cents. I usually have at least one in the freezer, and will micro it back to life a few hours before dinner. The most important thing I have learned is to get the dough up to room temp and knead it out into a pizza shape over the course of several attempts, keeping it covered with a heavy cloth, in between sessions to keep the moisture in, until it will accept being spread out as thin as you want, without springing back. Then, I transfer it onto a pizza peel that has been well coated with corn meal that acts as little ball bearings when it's time to slide it into the oven. I have a piece of 1/4 " steel plate (6.35 mm) that I had cut out of scrap steel, to fit my oven, at a local steel fabrication business, that I use as a pizza stone. My old electric oven would get up to 550 F and would bake a perfect thin crust pizza in 11 minutes. My current gas oven will only get up to 475 F and will take 14 minutes for that same pizza. I preheat the oven for 45 minutes after it has reached 475 F to ensure the steel is up to speed. This clam pizza is made as follows: Put about 3 TBS olive oil on the dough and spread out with a pastry brush. Sprinkle the entire crust liberally, with 5 cloves of finely chopped garlic. I used about a dozen medium sized clams (they are called middle necks around here), that I had opened, drained and chopped. 1 cup of finely grated Parmazon cheese 1/2 TBS each of dried oregano and basil Slide the pie onto the pizza steel and bake for 14 minutes (my oven, maybe not yours), but you want the brown highlights around the crust. Top it with a handful of chopped fresh basil. HC