Kim Shook

We usually go out somewhere for brunch after church, but Mr. Kim spent the whole day smoking 6 pork butts for aA church fundraiser, so this was what I served: A Carolina dog (mustard, chili, and slaw) and Fritos. Both the slaw and the chili were purchased, but the dogs were Kirkland, so that raised the level a bit. 😄

Thank you so much for doing this, @Shelby! It is always interesting and appetite inducing and inspiring. Now, go put your feet up and have a glass of wine! ❤️

@Margaret Pilgrim - what is "family dressing"? I definitely over-shopped for my friend’s visit earlier this week. Lots of cheese that wasn’t eaten when she was here meant a cheese and bits and pieces dinner last night. Cheeses: From 12 o’clock – Cheddar, Spring Brook Farm Tarentaise, bleu, fromage d’Affinois, Appalachian, and manchego. The plate has some kind of truffled cheese on it. I detest truffles in any form (other than chocolate😁), so I was making sure that it wouldn’t touch anything I might want to eat. Sausage and crackers: The upper right crackers are ones that I make with frozen dumplings (flat, like noodles) and the sausage is beef from Sausage Works in NC. Also: Jessica’s contribution: Rotel dip and chips. Fruit and salad: Hard deli rolls and pimento cheese sausage balls: We still have a LOT of cheese left. Now I have a little story for you. So, Mr. Kim, Jessica and I are having dinner at a favorite Chinese restaurant tonight. Jess and I share the Pupu, as always, and she orders Crispy Beef with Orange Peel as her main course. Our food comes. Jessica puts a couple of pieces on her plate and I take a piece of hers, too. I eat mine – it’s good. I plan on eating more. She decides to get up and wash her hands. While she is gone, the waitress comes by and says, “Did I give her chicken or beef?”. We look at the plate and sure enough, it is chicken. We didn’t even notice. Ok, easily fixed. Waitress says, “Did she eat it?”. Forgetting that I ate a piece, we say, “no”. So, the waitress, using a large spoon and HER FINGERS takes the two pieces of chicken off Jessica’s plate and puts them on the main plate. She puts down Jessica’s ACTUAL order (beef) and carries the chicken plate down to another table and serves it to them. Let that sink in. Mr. Kim and I sit there appalled. I am smothering a fit of giggles and Mr. Kim is so flummoxed that he knocks his entire glass of water into his lap. At this point, Jessica comes back to the table and seeing us, says, “What’s wrong?”. We explain and she says, “Well, I ate the pineapple and the cherry off the plate and I’m pretty sure there is a maraschino cherry stem on that plate”. 🤣

I think this is why the phrase "horrified fascination" was coined. Maybe if I needed bulk eggs for something? Or...no. I just don't think I could manage to touch this thing. LOL

I was actually thinking about that when I posted it for you - it does make a huge amount (though it lasts a long time - we are still eating it). I think it would work if you weighed stuff. Don't forget to toss the banana slices with lemon juice like @Toliver suggests - I need to add that to my recipe!

Here you go!

Honest to God, at first glance I thought this was a roasted chicken. I think I need an exam.

Cheesecake freezes amazingly well. If you have time, take the side off, freeze the cheesecake, then remove the bottom. I would line it with parchment no matter how you do it. But remember that cold cheesecake is easier to maneuver.

Girl, I am exhausted just reading all this and all I've done today is make a double batch of @caroled's baked beans for my FIL's BD tomorrow. You and Chum will have both earned naps at the end of the day! I'd give anything for that plate of fried fish!!

@pumpkinIT - I live in the area and would be glad to help. Please give me a little more information about what you like to eat, your budget, who you are traveling with (any kids?). Let me know and I'll try to help.

Not with the Edwards.

The chocolate ones you set out overnight to proof. The regular ones only need to be set out for 1/2 hour. I like to keep a bag of those on hand.

Those are the Pepperidge Farm ones. This is a COMPLETELY trashy version of banana pudding - Jello pudding mix, sweetened condensed milk, boughten cookies, and COOL WHIP!!! 🤣

Had a good friend visit for a couple of days. Had lunch when she arrived on Monday. We started with @David Ross' Apple, Pear & Parsnip Salad: This is such an easy and lovely salad. She loved it. Served with @Michael Ruhlman's Cheese Souffle: This is frozen before baking and baked from frozen – so good and impressive and not at all stressful. Wegman’s Cheddar bread, toasted:

I hate when people say this, but I have to say that I'm a bit embarrassed to post the dessert I'm posting based on the glorious things that y'all have been making. But, it is what I made and we loved it and are still enjoying it, so here goes. Had a friend come visit for a couple of days. I made one dessert for the two days she was here - Paula Deen’s “Not ‘Yo Momma’s Banana Pudding”: My favorite version – no yucky vanilla wafers! I always think that vanilla wafers were invented before people figured out how to make real cookies. 😄

Easy breakfast for an overnight guest – Benton’s bacon and Edward’s country ham: Trader Joe’s frozen regular and chocolate croissants: (Am I the only one that sees the sloth?)

I know, I know!!! 🙋‍♀️ (Used to live near Cincinnati) Chili Pasta Beans Onions Cheese Is anyone else as ridiculous as I am when debating hitting the “like” button or not? I consider whether I could avoid the things I dislike – ie: could I eat around the mushrooms or skim off the topping of raw onions? If so, I “like” it. I can’t get rid of spice, so those don’t get a “like”. Etc. As if anyone truly cares whether they get a “like” from Kim Shook or not. LOL @Ann_T – I would adore either of your Khachapuri (bread and cheese are life to me), but the escargot one makes me positively swoon! Genius. Had an old, dear friend from high school come for a quick visit on her way back to Boston from NC. She is a joy to cook for – loves to eat and loves all kinds of food. Dinner was shrimp burgers: IP collard greens: 9 minute perfection. Jessica’s “Street Corn”: Plated:

I don't know if there are more gimmicks, or I just have less tolerance. I'm finding him a little tiresome these days, no matter the show. Who was the genius at Food Network that decided to put him on opposite Sunday Night Football? He has so many male fans, I'd think they would choose some other night. As for us, we've been choosing football.

I’m so glad to see you blogging, shelby and so sorry to hear about the dental problems. I share your fear of dentists. And my sister-in-law is our dental hygienist so I cannot even neglect going to the dentist when I’d like to. I’m looking forward to everything you do this week. Feel better and have fun.

Mine doesn't toast completely evenly either, but I'm fine with that. I flip for people who care about that.

You know, I really should sit down at my computer and peruse the dinner thread when I’m making my shopping list for the week. I get home with my groceries, come here and am dissatisfied with everything I’ve bought and don’t want the meals I’ve planned. I’m looking now and find that I want @Ann_T's Shepherd’s Pie, @HungryChris' skewered shrimp and salad, @scubadoo97's smoked trout and grilled shrimp, @Shelby's roast, @Margaret Pilgrim's Swedish meatballs, @liamsaunt's gorgeous black cod…etc. Sigh. Well, back in reality land - We were at Wegman’s yesterday and got an Edward’s petite country ham and these interesting looking potatoes: Tomatoes: Ham: With scrambled eggs: The potatoes were surprisingly good. They also had a version with sweet potatoes. I’ll be buying these again. Served with a lovely freezer gift: Sweet potato biscuits from Yoder’s (an Amish/Mennonite market near Charlottesville VA) and cinnamon biscuits from Callie’s Biscuits in Charleston SC. It was all very good. But looking at what y’all have made lately, I have ambitions. 😁

Ok, I had to look up all three of those words. 😁 Looks so good! @Anna N - when you say 6 1/2 minute eggs, are you boiling or steaming them or what? Because that is exactly what I'd like my eggs to look like! @BonVivant - dear Lord, those figs. I think I lost consciousness for a minute. Just absolutely gorgeous (the food and your photography) and delicious looking. Roast beef with muenster and horseradish cream, turkey with lettuce and mayo and my favorite skinny little pretzel sticks that are so hard to find:

I have been intending to start brining more of my meats. But in all the research I've been doing on the internet, the timing for brining is all over the place. For instance - for chicken (pieces or whole), I've seen everything from 2 hours to 24 hours. I trust y'all a whole lot more than the sites and cooks that I've been reading. What's the deal??? I truly hope I haven't opened up a can of culinary worms and that y'all don't fall to fussing amongst yourselves. Help!!! 🤪

What is it that you don't like about CSO toast? It occurs to me that you may simply not like your toast the same way that the rest of us do. Not a fault of you or us or the CSO, but maybe just a difference in preference.

Off-topic, but I am loving that documentary. It is so good that I watched 2 hours of it on MUTE in bed the other night because Mr. Kim was asleep and I was too lazy to go downstairs! To bring this on topic, the only thing it is missing in the show is FOOD. You know they had to be eating some good food traveling all around the country like they did in the early days.