HungryChris

If you have a dish that you make on a regular basis, chances are that you have screwed it up a time or two and the more you screw it up, the more you learn what to look for as the dish progresses and the quicker you become at spotting an emerging problem. Failure has taught you what will happen if you don't step in and make some corrections. Usually those failures will also give you an idea of what should be done to bring the thing back onto the tracks. If you are using a recipe with which you are unfamiliar, quite often, it takes as much of a leap of faith to choose to intervene as it does to carry on with the recipe. I think that is where your body of experience, as a whole, will guide you or at least learn to better guide you next time. HC

Poached eggs, fried zucchini, bruschetta on avocado toast and fresh salsa. Next time, I will not bother with the eggs. HC

Aldi has had boneless chuck roasts on sale for $2.99 pp the last month and a half. Every time I am in the store, I look for good ones for the freezer. Sleet and freezing rain today made me think of IP beef stew and they are perfect for that. HC

Fried eggs, bruschetta and home fries, loaded. HC

We had steak last night. The deck was a skating rink so I chose to stay inside and use the broiler. Rare, broiled steak is no prize to look at so I also chose not to take any pictures. It looked a little better as a steak sandwich for breakfast, though. HC

A 2 egg omelette with sauteed cubanelles, sweet onion and tomatoes with ham and home fries. HC

U-10 to U-15 gulf shrimp always go on sale this time of year and it is a good excuse to make one of Deb's favorites, baked, stuffed shrimp. HC

Chicken in red curry. HC

Caesar salad, shrimp cocktail for dinner tonight. HC

Another Christmas ham croque monsieur. There will be more ham to come. Some will go into the freezer for future use. I sliced up some for more sandwiches. But, I have to admit, I am pretty pumped about the near future. HC

Poached eggs on toast, fried zucchini and fresh salsa. HC

Bruschetta HC

A Christmas ham Croque Monsieur. HC

We had Christmas Dinner yesterday. Running around today with last minute gift deliveries, I noticed my favorite sushi place was up and running. Christmas Lunch today. Merry Christmas! HC

Poached eggs on toast, ham and fresh salsa. HC

These cell phone pics are not the greatest, but they tell the story. A few years ago, Deb was forced to find a new job and chose to go with a low pressure position at a truck sales and service shop. Quite the contrast from being on conference calls with foreign countries at all hours of the day and night! She has grown increasingly pleased with her decision. The first Christmas there, the Christmas luncheon consisted of Chinese take-out, no beverages, plastic utensils and most of the guys just left without partaking. Deb was horrified with the situation and took the liberty of volunteering my services for the following year. So, last year I made a big antipasto, sausage and peppers, baked ziti, smoked salmon and cold cuts. It made a big difference and it was actually fun to do, especially when I saw how well it was received by the guys. Yesterday was the second one and, once again, we had fun. One of the guys deep fried a 20 lb turkey out back to add to the feast. This year, I added potato salad, cole slaw, deviled eggs, a smoked salmon spread rolled in fresh dill, some marinated mushrooms, pickles, shredded lettuce and sliced tomatoes for the sandwich makers in the group, to the mix. First, let me set the stage. It all takes place in one of the garage bays. Smoked wild caught Sockeye Salmon. It was great to see the guys dig in HC

Funny, I used to work in a medicinal chemistry research lab and just yesterday as I was using a measuring cup, to make brownies, I was thinking about how seldom meniscus enters my vocabulary these days. Glad to see it used in such a constructive fashion. HC

I don't think there is anything special about Shake and Bake (I use one of the many knock-offs) that you could not reproduce with a careful eye on the salt content. Now I am going to have to give that a try. HC

Shake and bake pork chops and peas. The butternut squash took a little longer and ended up as leftovers. Deb took one to work for lunch today. It will be interesting to hear how that worked out. HC

Yes, 10 minutes, QR. Usually 4 at a time. Fresh salsa, pico de gallo and sour cream. HC

I kinda like the pork and red sauce refrigerated tamales. I will sometimes buy several and freeze them. They come back to life very well from frozen in the IP. HC

Truth be told, I am not the only catfish out there. Rise up and be counted! Hello, my name is HungryChris and I am a catfish. HC

The catfish finds himself on the clean-up committee once again this am, going after some stubborn invisible leftover stuffed chicken legs. HC

Fresh Point Judith Squid, I like to clean and prep them myself, not just because it is $2.99 per lb vs $8.99 per, but because I cleaned it myself and know the product much better as a result. To me, these are prime size, being just about a foot long on average. Once you get the moves down, cleaning is a piece of cake. Once cleaned, cutting them up is pretty simple. I cut the "tubes" into 3/4" rings. I shake them up in a plastic bag with about a half cup of flour, seasoned with salt, garlic powder and smoked paprika. I used to use clip on thermometers, but they were awkward and always got in the way. When, you have a big pot of flammable oil over a gas flame, ( I use a wok) simple is best. I love the infra-red hand held thermometer, simple, quick and now, inexpensive. Get the peanut oil up to 375 F. I Fry them up in small batches, so the temp only drops to about 350 F, then drain on paper towels, season with a sprinkle of salt and keep them in a warm oven as the later batches are completed. Tonight, I served the calamari with salads and spicy garlic and lemon aioli. HC

I had some leftover garlic spinach stuffed boneless chicken legs that I sliced into medallions, reheated with a tomato and pine nut sauce and paired with fried zucchini with spicy ranch dip for breakfast this morning. Here is the chicken leg I took slices of. HC