Kim Shook

Not sure if this is the right place for this post, but it can be placed elsewhere, if needed. Mr. Kim's birthday was in August and he decided that what he'd like to do is to take a class that he'd heard about that would get him certified as a BBQ judge. It was sponsored by Kansas City BBQ Society. The class was at our most local BBQ place – about 5 minutes away. He said it was MUCH more in depth than he thought it would be. And folks were there from all over the East coast. They were very jealous that he was just around the corner. He came home exhausted, happy and FULL of BBQ. Not sure where this will go, but he's thrilled to have done it.

I can't for the life of me find it, but someone here mentioned using this and said they quite liked it: They had them at Kroger, so I decided to try the potatoes, Cheddar and bacon one: It was actually pretty good. I prefer the potatoes and the bacon to be crisp, but everything was fresh tasting and it certainly couldn’t be easier. And not terrible nutritionally, either. A little high on sodium (440 mg), but good on carbs (3gr). I wouldn’t want Mr. Kim to eat them every day, but a couple of times a week would be ok. As Jess points out, I could put these together myself. But will I is the question!😉 Another morning: Just ham, eggs and Cheddar with some CSO toast!

A couple of recent dinners - Baked penne with Bolognese: Extra sauce: Salad: Wonderful ATK Garlic Bread: I've made this before and it makes a little more work than regular garlic bread, but worth it, I think. The real trick is after it has cooked a few minutes on a baking sheet, you flip it over and put another baking sheet on top of the bread and bake a little longer. That really puts a great crust on the bread - almost like grilling it. Shake and Bake pork chops, green beans, candied yams and fried green tomatoes: I no longer apologize for Shake and Bake since @Marlene once confessed that it was a favorite! 😁

My sister, niece and 8 month old grand nephew were up from Florida for a couple of days visit. Their first day, I did a sandwich platter with ham, roast beef, cheeses and turkey. I also did this good corn dip with corn chips and tortilla chips: It's just corn, Rotel tomatoes, sour cream and Fiesta Ranch dip mix. Very good. A church friend brings it to our pot lucks and it always is a favorite.

You might do a scaled down version of this. Meaning - layer your ingredients and top with the mayo and sugar. You could (and should) do it the night before and toss just before serving. Very simple, but very good.

This is one I need to remember. No one enjoys a meal that begins with the cook explaining how it could have been better if only I'd...

This is something that I've always wondered about. I find a huge difference between the "American" cheese that is wrapped in plastic and the kind that is not - either from the deli or what Kraft calls "Deli Deluxe". I detest the first and find everyone's condemnation warranted. But I like the latter and use it a lot. Anyone else want to chime in on this?

I am utterly determined to one day have this inscribed on my kitchen walls: "Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate and wine in one hand, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOO HOO what a ride!"

Please do. Alas, I cannot - at least out loud as it was Mr. Kim's effort. He brought the recipe home from a friend at work who loves to cook. He smokes, so he knows how to use the thermometer, too, but I wish I'd checked. Of course, in trying to help him figure out why the hell the chops wouldn't cook, I ended up overcooking the cauliflower and burning the snow peas. Sheesh. We ended up eating at Waffle House at 10pm.

Funny coincidence - I'd never heard of or seen these before this picture and then last night when we stopped by our local Asian market for snow peas, there they were.

I will never again neglect to make sure that my thermometer is set for Fahrenheit rather than Celsius, avoiding the resulting hockey puck pork chops.

Thank you, ma'am - also for the tomato peeling advice - MUCH easier! Fresh or powdered garlic?

Some advice, please. Mr. Kim is making pork chops tonight. We bought a big package of them from Costco. Boneless loin 1 1/2 to 2-inches thick. When he has taken his out, there will be 6 left. I'd like to go ahead and "suck" them 2 at a time. I don't know what I'll be doing with them, but most likely sous vide no matter what. Should I just bung them in the bags as is? Or should I preseason in some way that will work for lots of different preparations? I hate the thought of sucking them now and again later if I need to season. Seems wasteful. Thanks!!!

Those are some gorgeous biscuits. I know some southerners not 1 foot away from me who couldn't come near those!

A rare breakfast at breakfast time! Big meals make me sleepy, so I usually skip breakfast, except for breakfast for dinner!

Tomatoes are still pretty good, so last night we had them two ways – white bread and Dukes for the ripe ones: And fried for the green ones: Along with Mrs. Fearnow’s (local product - canned Brunswick stew - surprisingly good): Pickly stuff: And farmer’s market nectarines:

Breakfast for dinner the other night - fruit from the farmer's market: Corned beef hash (canned – an childhood favorite), fries (frozen) and ham and egg on an English muffin:

If I put weird things on pizza, I call it "flatbread", so that solves that problem😁. Honestly, my favorite pizza is crust (with giant charred bubbles), a little sauce and a little cheese. More than that and it starts to make me feel too full and that I've eaten a casserole.

I agree with @rotuts. I think you should try plumping them up in some kind of liquid. But I am mesmerized by how perfectly spaced they are!!!

If you are looking for a souffle recipe, look no farther than here. This is a wonderful and easy Michael Ruhlman recipe that I've used for years. One of the best things about it is that they freeze beautifully. And you cook them from frozen. I can't recommend it enough.

@Shelby – thanks for the good wishes. She is being transferred to a rehab center today. I am actually on the way to meet her there in a little bit. Dinner last night: Ham slice w/ marmalade, ginger and Dijon, fixed up Kraft and cornbread. I had made a layered salad for a church lunch on Sunday and carefully dug out and tossed only half then. That meant that we had leftovers: Tossed: Iceberg, cauliflower, hard-cooked eggs, bacon, red onions, mayo, sugar and cheese. Also some pickly stuff: My MIL’s pickled green tomatoes, marinated cucumbers and cheater sweet Kosher dills. A pic of that good cornbread:

"Dedicated egg poking devices". I love this. I have a little no-name egg slicer that has a "poking device" in the middle of it. I always poke my eggs before steaming for soft or hard cooked. Wondered if the same held true for steaming in the CSO. Made some very, very good cornbread last night in the CSO. Benton's bacon grease in the pan and in the bread. Deep, smoky taste and the iron skillet gave me a great crust. Conv/steam at 400F for about 20 minutes, after heating the pan and grease for about 15 minutes. See all that nice bubbling grease:

Did you poke a hole in the egg?

This stuff is magic. You can use it on the grill, so I think it is as sturdy as regular foil. Not much cooking lately. My mom is back in the hospital after another fall. Lots of back and forth. Only thing I've actually cooked lately: Salad and marinated cucumbers. Penne with Bolognese: Cheese and pepperoni rolls:

How about non-stick foil?