HungryChris

This time of year, when asparagus starts showing up cheap (this batch was $1.69 pp), I like to bang out some asparagus pickles for summer salads and snacks. I hope to get some on the table from my patch, but I could never pickle those. I will have to eat them fresh. HC

I was just looking at that Ahi Tuna in the Aldi flyer and think I will get some tomorrow. How was it? HC

Homemade pickled pig ears and a cold APA. HC

Corned beef hash, pan fried zucchini, leftover roasted asparagus, fried eggs O/E and marinated mushrooms. HC

There is a time for every purpose. HC

OK, I decided to go old school and have tender large meatballs in red sauce. In my experience, the priorities are as follows: Mix breadcrumbs, whole eggs, half & half, finely chopped parsley and more garlic than you think you need and let it sit for half an hour. Add the meat (ground beef, ground pork and ground veal), roll into balls (I chose large sized this time) and drop into simmering sauce and simmer for about 4 hours to get everything nice and tender. Skim off any fat that rises to the surface after the heat is shut off. HC

I had that issue a few times on corned beef tongue, until I started injecting the meat and leaving it in the brine for 2 weeks. That took care of it. HC

In my opinion, that looks waaayyyyy too thick for sandwich slices. HC

Could not have said it any better! I moisten mine in lightly salted water, shake in a bag of flour, dip into a watery egg wash and shake in a bag of bread crumbs with a bit of garlic powder and quite a bit of Tajin, before frying in 375 F peanut oil. I find them absolutely addictive any time of the day, but usually can't wait until after breakfast. HC

Corned beef hash, mixed fruit and O/E eggs. HC

I do love crawfish, but they are next to impossible to get here, unless you want the precooked and frozen or are willing to pay a huge shipping charge. We visit Las Vegas on a regular basis and a few pounds of crawfish at the Boiling Crab is a regular event for me. HC

King has always been my favorite, but has recently soared to over $27 pp. That is just way too much for my pocket book. I still remember when I first entered the work force, one of my first purchases was a few pounds of King at 69 cents pp for great big legs and claws at a self serve station at the local A&P. I guess those days are long gone. HC

Dungeness crab is one thing on my have yet to try list. They are hard to find, live in these parts and I am always afraid they have not eaten in weeks and will be empty in the shell. I do want to try them, however. HC

Snow crab festival Friday. HC

Quality control is such a big part of my life's work. HC

Yes, boiled and cooled down. HC

Homemade corned beef hash, poached eggs, and yes, the zucchini fries are back. Looking through the seed catalogs weakened me. HC

Steak night in CT. Well marbled NY strip steaks, scalloped potatoes and roasted asparagus. HC

Leftover cherry smoked, pulled pork with slaw and vinegar based BBQ sauce. HC

Mussels in wine, garlic and herb broth with hot bread. HC

I have made quite a few batches that were good, but finding decent heads of Napa cabbage around here is both difficult and expensive, for some reason. It's cheaper to buy kimchi. HC

@Shelby, It has a strong "aroma" that will put some people off. I'm not going to predict how you would like it, but I will tell you how I was first exposed to it. I enjoy reading about things like the making of fish sauce and kimchi, but had never tried it. I worked with a guy that I became good friends with. His wife is Korean. One day I was visiting and I asked her if she ever made her own kimchi, which she often did. She whipped up a batch of kimchi fried rice in what seemed like 5 minutes and put it down in front of me and I liked it very much. We make the hour each way trip to Hartford every month or so and I read about a big Asian market there (A'Dong), that I began to visit. I could write all day about the things I enjoy seeing in those markets! Things that upon visual inspection, you don't know if they belong in a salad or the fireplace, but I digress. At first I would buy little one pint jars and chop it up to use on hot dogs instead of sauerkraut, then made the jump to sandwiches and was chopping it up to make a spicy tartar sauce, that Deb even likes (she likes kimchi fried rice too). The little jars would be empty before I knew it. I then made the leap to quart jars and began to crave it every few days. I began eating it as a side dish or just right out of the jar. Now I buy it in two quart jars (2 at a time) and get nervous when I start to run low. I began locating little hole in the wall markets that I could buy kimchi in that were nearby and crossed many of them off after looking at the use-by-date. If I am running low, I will make a special trip to nearby (1/2/hr) Cranston, where I know I can get the size and brand I like. Plus I like the cleaned up empty 2 quart jars for home made refrigerator pickles. I would be interested to read how you felt about it, if you do decide to take the plunge. (The kimchi in the picture is not my favorite, but pretty close and the only one I can get on my normal shopping excursions). HC

That was the last push I needed. Just got back from picking out 2 dozen along with some live mussels. HC

A kimchi and mortadella sandwich is always a home run for me. HC

Brie toasties topped with capers and caramelized shallots with mixed fruit. HC