Kim Shook

Welcome to eGullet, Urag! Let us know something about you! Have a great time here!

So glad that you liked it! Shaloop was great and I wish that s(he) still posted here. I miss a lot of old timers!

Oh, man, I'd LOVE this machine. I love to chew ice, but try not to do it very often. On the rare occasion when a restaurant has crushed or (be still my heart) shaved ice, I go to town on it. Don't worry about me - I have blood tests every 4 months and I'm fine.

Michael Ruhlman once said: "Many argue that breakfast is their favorite meal and of course it's "the most important meal of the day" (who came up with this slogan?—I do fine on coffee and Crest)" I agree. I adore breakfast food - sweet or savory, but only after I've been up a few hours. I grew up eating dinner at 7 or later and still like that hour. Mr. Kim grew up eating at 5. I accuse him of being raised by seniors. He used to start hanging around the kitchen at 6 (about the time I'd just be getting started with dinner prep) looking woebegone, but he's used to it now.

I've never quite understood the whole "It's 100 degrees outside! Time to stand in that heat over a grill" thing. When the temperature rises I crank up my AC and cook INSIDE. For me, outside cooking and eating is for spring and fall.

Dinner tonight was sausage sandwiches made with Aidell’s Italian style chicken meatballs with mozzarella, fries and fried green tomatoes:

Sunday we had BLT’s for lunch. Untoasted and toasted: Discovered after 33 years of marriage that Mr. Kim doesn’t like toast for his BLT. The things you find out! Interesting topic, though. Are there sandwiches that you prefer toasted to untoasted and vice versa? I go back and forth. Served with corn and fries:

Shelby – fantastic meals. Those onion rings look great and your mac and cheese always gets me craving some. Too funny about your scratch batch of Sloppy Joes not being very good. Heidi – I think of that discussion every year when I start my pickles! tug – loved your sardine pasta. What a great pantry meal. Sunday night was breakfast for dinner: Croissant French toast and scrambled eggs. Topping on the right is the stewed plums that Caroled made and sent home with us: So incredibly good.

Smithy - I've sent Mr. Kim a message asking him to give me the info to pass on. Maybe Caroled could chime in here, too, since she lives with the fellow. huiray – we saw plenty of Skylines and White Castles in Indy. Just too busy with our visit to bother stopping. It made the perfect on the way home lunch. Funny you should mention Hollyhock Hill. We ate there on our last visit to see Racheld and Caroled. We loved it. As southerners we were surprised at how good the fried chicken was in Indiana when we lived there. Rachel’s husband calls Indiana the northernmost southern state and the fried chicken bears that out!

Last night’s dinner started with the usual salads: Then 1970’s comfort food – Manwich sloppy joes: Served with corn and marinated cucumbers: It’s funny – I did not grow up with Sloppy Joes, though Mr. Kim did. In fact, the first time I ever heard of them was from his sister making some comment about “everyone eats Sloppy Joes”. I made them and loved them and during our early marriage (when we were broke) I served them so often that Mike protested. I still like them and haven’t ever felt the need to make homemade ones. Mr. Kim and I were talking after dinner and we both agreed that neither of us felt any need to try an actual recipe. I do add a little BBQ sauce and A-1 to the canned sauce, but I’ve checked recipes and other than big chunks of onion and pepper (which I hate), I’m pretty sure the ingredients in the can are the same as the ones in the recipes. I mean what could be more authentic than Manwich?

Lunch today was what is probably my favorite sandwich in the world: White bread, mayo, American cheese and tomatoes. I feel like I’ve outed myself.

Yesterday’s breakfast was a gift from my MIL via the freezer: Still lovely hot cross buns.

Friday was the day that we left for home. For breakfast, it was back to Lincoln Square. We had a delectable banana bread French toast for the table: Mr. Kim had the St. Paddy Benedict: A Benedict with sublime corned beef hash and sautéed tomatoes. Gorgeous shot of perfectly cooked poached eggs: C opted for the Apple Turkey Club: Turkey, bacon (lots of it), sliced apple and all the rest. My eG friends will be glad to see the absence of ham and cheese . I had the biscuit platter: Under the eggs is a biscuit with some of the best, most sausage-y gravy I’ve ever had. I have had so much so-called sausage gravy that was just cream gravy with some sausage tossed in at the last minute. This stuff had the sausage flavor through and through. I think that Rachel just nibbled at the banana bread French toast, but Caroled had some sort of omelet: We said our sad goodbyes and headed off to VA via Ohio and West Virginia. While in Ohio, we stopped for a double lunch, while still in reach of two old favorites. We each had a slider at White Castle: An appetizer, if you will. The main course was here: When we moved to Indiana, we got our first taste of Cincinnati chili. We’d never even heard of it before. We instantly fell in love with it. I know a lot of people object to it for various reasons, but we don’t. I like all sorts of chili, BBQ and even Club sandwiches . A Coney (no onion): 4-way with beans: Bite: This was the last of the trip pictures, since dinner was in WV at 10pm at Arby’s. Filling, hardly picture-worthy! It was a wonderful, chatter and laughter-filled trip. I’ve said before that I’m now ashamed of myself for years ago calling my daughter’s online pals ‘imaginary’ friends. It is so true. I’ve made so many online friends – some I’ve met and some I haven’t – that have been true, caring people in my life. They have helped me when I’ve had questions, been concerned about troubles in my life and remembered my challenges and stepped in to assist. I do my share of complaining about the internet and its influence, but when I think of all the friends that I’ve made through eG, I’m very grateful.

On Thursday we had what we called our carb-fest breakfast at their house. It consisted of a delicious cheese/cinnamon coffee cake from Schmidt’s bakery in our old town of Batesville: Doughnuts and cinnamon-raisin bread (also from Schmidt’s): And skillet toast with that gorgeous rye bread from Shapiro’s: And for some protein, Rachel’s incomparable ‘Paminna cheese’ to spread on the toast: Dinner started out with some huge shrimp and some fiery cocktail sauce: C grilled steaks and lamb chops: Marinated and grilled exactly like we all liked them. Alongside were some vegetable kabobs: Caroled roasted cauliflower (how could eG folks get together and NOT have roasted cauliflower?) and Rachel added some bocconcini and vinegar to the tomato salad: Caroled flattered me by requesting that I make my scalloped tomatoes: C and Mr. Kim brought dessert home (as if we needed it – and yet we dug in) from Long’s bakery. Doughnuts, cinnamon and apple fries (like fritters) and something called a Mary Ann: This was about the size of a cupcake – chocolate cake on the bottom, whipped creamy stuff piled on top and the entirety dipped in chocolate. As she did each evening, Caroled provided a delicious and wonderfully curated cheese course: I have to say that I was amazed and deeply touched by how much trouble these dear folks took to make sure that I had what I liked. Mr. Kim eats almost anything, but I am so terribly picky. Very few vegetables, no Indian, no spicy stuff, etc., etc. Rachel even made me my own potato salad leaving out the raw onions and Caroled made two kinds of bacon because she was afraid that the peppered kind would be too hot for me.

On Tuesday we had lunch at Shapiro’s Deli in Indy. I’ve wanted to go here forever. Rachel posted about it on her eGullet blog and I’ve seen it on TV, too. The dishes included their famous Rueben: Completely perfect and perhaps the best rye bread I’ve ever eaten. The pastrami on rye: Gorgeous and moist. The exact right amount of fat. The chicken salad on an onion roll: I had the peppered beef, a sandwich I’d heard about on Food Network’s show “The Best Thing I Ever Ate”: I am so glad that I had this. Different from any deli meat I’ve ever tasted. Wish we could have brought home a pound or two. We shared a couple of dishes and desserts. Lovely chopped liver: Latke: Key lime pie and German chocolate cake: Everything was so good. We were sorry that we didn’t know about Shapiro’s when we lived in Indiana. On Wednesday – Rachel, Mr. Kim and I took a day trip to where we lived in Indiana - Batesville. Lunch was at our old favorite Hobo Hut. Had to take pictures of the oddities (to us) of Indiana menu items – fishtail sandwiches and Manhattans. Fishtail sandwiches are just triangular shaped fish filets and Manhattans are what Indianans call open faced turkey or roast beef sandwiches with gravy. Another funny thing that we’ve only seen in Indiana is this: Anytime we ordered a side of slaw to go with a meal in Indiana, it was served before your meal, as a separate course – like a salad. It confused us when we first lived there. Rachel opted for the classic cheeseburger. Mr. Kim had the daily special – kielbasa, kraut and mashed potatoes (with a side of Wonder bread): I had the pork tenderloin deluxe: Every bit as good (and as enormous) as I remembered. The tiny town of Batesville has changed a lot. Not all good changes - places that we loved were gone and new chain restaurants have opened. But some changes were great. One new place is called Dotty’s Bulk Food Basket. It is similar to the Amish/Mennonite bulk food stores that I’ve encountered. They have every kind of spice and herb imaginable. All kinds of specialty flours, baking mixes, dried fruits, candies, etc. I found some fantastic sprinkly-type stuff in their vast cake/cooky decorating area – colors and designs that I’ve never seen before. I also found a huge bag of Lucky Charms marshmallow bits that I’ve been looking for (there is never enough in the box). I’d give a lot to have a store like that here in Richmond.

We left on June the 6th for a visit with friends in Indiana. Old time eG’ers will remember the incredible and incomparable Racheld who used to write the most wonderful posts there. Her daughter Caroled still posts here. We were visiting them and their extended family including Rachel’s husband, C, their DIL K and granddaughter, Miss O. Rachel and I became email buddies after ‘meeting’ at eG and this was actually our 2nd visit. On the way we stopped in Charlottesville, VA for our first breakfast. Doughnuts at Spudnuts: Not a lot of selection: Just fabulous, soft, delicate doughnuts: Second breakfast was at a cute looking diner in western VA. Fairly standard food. We didn’t take pictures and I don’t remember what we ate. Enough said. We stopped in Ohio for lunch. Which put us in reach of this fellow: If all you have is Shoney’s, you may not know the deliciousness that is Frisch’s Big Boy. Mr. Kim had the pork tenderloin: This sandwich is something we had never heard of until we lived in Indiana about 25 years ago. We’ve still never seen it in VA and that is a sad thing. It is a wondrous sandwich and should be embraced everywhere. And I had the Big Boy – what the Big Mac is trying to be, but won’t ever be: When we got to Rachel’s we were too busy talking to bother taking pictures, but they served chicken and rice and fabulous Southern long-cooked green beans with potatoes. She taught me a good trick, too. They buy rotisserie chickens and pour off the juices and add a little soy sauce to them. Makes a great little moistening sauce for the chicken or the rice. On Sunday we had breakfast at Lincoln Square in Indy. The dishes: Cornflake crusted French toast. Incredibly good. I will be doing this one at home. Greek Omelet and perfect hashbrowns: Mickey Mouse pancake: Gotta love a place that will make a special pancake for a kid. Their gorgeous “Extreme Angus burger”: If I ever get back to Lincoln Square at lunch time, that’s what I’m having! A Western Omelet: On Monday – Caroled made a lovely brunch: It included perfect hashbrowns, scrambled eggs and crustless quiche: Also croissant French toast, bacon and perfectly ripe and sweet strawberries: Something that I missed getting a picture of was the topping for the French toast. She basically stewed fresh plums with sugar and made a syrup chockfull of sliced plums. It was absolutely ambrosial. Dinner that night was a group effort. Caroled made sausages and some of the best baked beans I’ve ever tasted (didn’t get a close shot of the beans): Rachel did a tomato salad, potato salad, and a creamy jalapeno dip (some pictures missing there, too – we were hungry and talkative): Everything was fresh and delicious. C did ribs. Here’s a picture of the groaning board: C’s ribs were a big surprise. He does them from raw on the grill in about an hour. They were very, very good and had a perfect texture: tender without being mushy. Mr. Kim was paying close attention!

huiray – as always, your food looks beautiful and delicious. In particular the shrimp dish that you posted yesterday! Those shrimp nestled in the greens and the crisp bean sprouts looked so fresh and beautiful. The day before Father’s Day we met Mr. Kim’s dad and stepmom at one of our longtime favorite places – a German restaurant about an hour and a half away. We’ve never eaten there that we didn’t eat ourselves into a coma, but I guess that’s German food for you! On Father’s day, Mr. Kim had requested cheeseburgers, salad and blueberry shortcake, but with all the food we’d consumed the day before and having been without power for all of Saturday night, he opted for takeout ribs instead. We got them at a local place whose claim to fame is besting Bobby Flay on his Throw down show. Mr. Kim’s pulled pork is much better, but the ribs are very good! We started with pepper jelly on cream cheese and Ritz crackers: For southerners, it kinda has to be Ritz. The ribs with leftover vegetables from yesterday bounteous meal: Last night we went to Charlottesville for the Paul McCartney concert. Stopped at an old favorite for Mr. Kim to finally get his Father’s Day cheeseburgers: We lived in Charlottesville when Mr. Kim was in grad school and we were broke. Charlottesville has some fabulous restaurants, but we mostly ate at places like this (unless our parents wanted to come and take us to dinner). This little family place, open since 1945 has the best fried chicken and burgers in town and serves breakfast all day. Every town needs a place like this. Wish mine had one! Just realized that the only thing that I’m posting that I was actually responsible for is the cream cheese and pepper jelly, which I only assembled .

Just wanted to pass this on. I bought an Oxo scale a couple of months ago. This one: http://www.amazon.com/OXO-Grips-5-Pound-Pull-Out-Display/dp/B0020L6T7K/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1435169002&sr=8-2&keywords=oxo+scale It works as well as I need it to. I was perfectly happy with it, but then the readouts began to fade. They are those liquid crystal displays and some of the sections were not displaying. Made it hard to tell if something weighed 3 oz. or 8 oz. I emailed Oxo and explained the problem and asked if they had any suggestions for fixing it. For some reason, I neglected to save the receipt, so I wasn’t sure where or exactly when I bought it. I got an immediate response requesting a photo and date stamp to be sent email to them and they sent me a new one the next day. Excellent customer service, I thought.

Dinner tonight was kielbasa, noodles w/ gravy, Brussels sprouts and kraut: We must be the only people who like straight up SOURkraut! Everyone I know buys the kind in the bag or jar and simmers it with something to ‘tame’ the zing. We like the canned kind – cold or hot – the picklier, the better!

Poor Shelby! Hugs to you. In spite of all that, you still find time to actually cook. And I’m betting those meals were not as boring as you say! My heroine! As always, everyone's food looks amazing. I was clicking 'like' non-stop! We were out of town the week of June 6th through the 12th (putting a trip report together now and will post in a little bit) visiting eG’s Caroled and racheld and family and most of my time back has been spent getting organized again! Sunday morning we had a church potluck. I brought Chicken Pineapple & Macaroni salad: This has been a family favorite for years. My mother’s best friend used to make it and it just means summer to me. Dinner that night started with salad: Short ribs w/ caramelized onions: On egg noodles. Not terribly summery, but they were in the freezer and needed to be cooked. Served with broccoli and crusty bread: We’ve eaten since this week, but I hardly know what!

Shelby – I can certainly attest to the deliciousness of your lime cracker pie. It is certifiably crazy, but incredibly good and refreshing. A perfect summer dessert. Beth – I am just so impressed with what you’ve been creating. Well done, ma’am!

I am very much enjoying this show. Love listening to people on the TV that sound both Southern and intelligent! I do wonder if her marriage is going to survive this project!

Here you go: http://recipecircus.com/recipes/Kimberlyn/SALADandDRESSING/Green_Goddess_Chive_Dressing.html

Patrick – re: you celery comment on 5/17. It’s actually rotuts who hates celery. I’m ok with it. But I detest bell peppers! liamsaunt – those pizzas were works of art. I’d even have tried that eggplant one (I’m a bit veggie averse – like your brother). kayb – dear God, Kay – that brisket/corn/pea/yeast roll meal had me banging my head on the table. There is no way I can find anything approaching that tonight and there is nothing else I want after reading that. Ninagluck – I loved the look and sound of that egg yolk so much that I ‘liked’ your post even though I don’t like asparagus! Sorry to be so MIA lately. As my FB pals know, I had a bad fall a couple of weeks ago. I’m really fine now – stiches out and turning every shade of the rainbow. But I sprained my wrist and typing and cooking were difficult. So I’ve got just a few things to contribute. We had some friends over for dinner last month and Jessica did most of the cooking. She made fantastic chicken enchiladas: To go with them she did black beans with chiles: And a version of street corn with fresh corn, mayo and cotija cheese: I provided a salad with Green Goddess dressing, white sangria and dessert: The cake was Daiquiri pound cake – one of Jessica’s favorites. I got a craving for spaghetti. Too hot for it, but this happens to me a lot – wanting out-of-season dishes! Started with salad: Plain old iceberg with carrots, radishes, cucumbers and bleu cheese dressing – another craving! Bolognese and cheesy garlic bread: I made racheld’s (past poster) fabulous chicken salad as my contribution to a friend’s BD party. Bowl of ingredients including eggs, pecans, grapes, celery and apples: Chicken is under all that good stuff. Finished: Served on mini croissants. We are leaving for Indianapolis (to visit said racheld and her daughter, Caroled) tomorrow morning, so we are trying to eat up what is in the fridge before we go. Like our eat-up-the-freezer pre-Christmas meals, things are getting a bit odd. This was ok, though. Started with a cheese tray: Cheddar and Boursin. And the last 5 wonderful Castelvetrano olives! Some men’s club Brunswick stew: Fresh corn: Couldn’t resist this in the store. Not really ready yet, but pretty good. And now that I’ve learned the microwave, shake out of the husk trick, we have corn a LOT!

rajoress – oh, dear. I went straight to the blog and printed out the strawberry cake recipe. That cake just reached out and grabbed me! Some recent baking: Daiquiri pound cake: Missed getting a slice picture, but the texture was nice, as usual. This is a real go-to recipe for me. I’ve never had it fail and I started baking it as a teenager! Did some orange rolls for a ladies of the church meeting: These are cheat-y, but delicious rolls. They start with whomp Crescent rolls, but then the filling and glaze are made with fresh orange zest and OJ concentrate, so that redeems them somewhat. Made some Torie’s Cherry Chocolate-Chunk Cookies for an party at Mr. Kim’s office: