Kim Shook

My all time favorite breakfast. That sounds delicious to me! His cereal concoction sounds like the most perfect bedtime snack ever!

Thank you! I should also have included a link to the recipe. Looking at it, do you think I should try a lower temperature than 350F? And since the filling is poured into the pie shell, rather than made ahead and spread in it, do you still suggest butter?

Interesting. I've never seen it done that way before. You must have to have a lot of practice to get it right doing it through the breast. I know that were I to try it, I would ruin the bird, though. I'll stick with removing the backbone.

This morning: When I was a little girl, the cereal commercials always showed their cereal being served with a side of toast, which even then I thought odd. If you had cereal, why did you need toast? And vice versa. I suspect it was required by their attorneys and says something sinister about the cereal. But, it was what appealed to me today. Besides we have Wheat Chex and I adore them😁.

@Tropicalsenior – that Sloppy Joe meal is outstanding and looks so perfect for a warm weather meal. I especially love the idea of adding surimi to macaroni salad and topping boiled eggs with Russian dressing! @rotuts – great looking soup. @CantCookStillTry – that chicken was one chubby little girl! Gorgeous! As are your perfect roast potatoes. So happy to “see” you!!! Dinner was frozen chicken breasts stuffed with Brie and apple (the apple was not terribly apparent), Rice a Roni, and a new to me recipe for Brussels Sprouts Gratin from the PBS show Cook’s Country. The sprouts: I messed up by starting these in too large of a baking dish and I neglected to check on their doneness in time and they ended up overdone. In spite of all that, they were delicious, and we all cleaned our plates! These were from the same company that makes the Chicken Kiev that I buy, and they were much better than I expected.

I saw the oddest (to me) thing last night on a British TV show called The Big Family Cooking Showdown. Someone was spatchcocking a chicken and did it on the breast side, cutting out the breast bone and leaving in the backbone. Does this make sense to anyone else? Because it doesn't to me. I think you would lose a lot more meat that way and I'd think the skin would pull back during cooking and expose the vulnerable breast meat. No one on the show mentioned it or seemed to notice the difference at all. What say you?

So funny - I knew that Kikkoman was Japanese, but it didn't register because it truly is on the table of just about every Chinese American restaurant I've ever gone to. I wonder if it's a regional (Southern US or Eastern shore US) thing?

That's a really good question! Because if it's the latter (what I'd be trying to do), Kikkoman is tasty and perfect. The usual choice of many Chinese American restaurants.

This morning: In the back are some sad looking cherries that got pushed to the back of the fridge and forgotten. They aren't spoilt, just wrinkly. Dipped in Cook Whip, they are ok. LOL

When I was very young (1960s and early 70s), frozen fries came in boxes - similar to the boxes that some frozen vegetables still come in. I used to spend a lot of time at the home of my English stepsister's mother (we are a bit of an odd family). She always had boxes of Giant (regional grocery store) fries in the freezer and, as a permanent fixture, a pot of oil with a basket in it on the stove. This arrangement was used as a pick up meal, an afterschool snack, part of a more complete sit down meal, etc. This was nirvana to the soul of my fat little carb-loving self, as you can imagine😁! French fries on tap, if you will. These were the best frozen fries I ever remember eating. I've since been told by British acquaintances that the practice of keeping a pot of oil with the basket in it on the stove at all times is a common thing in the UK.

@Steve Irby – that iron pot you used on Tuesday is fantastic. I have a giant one that my MIL gave me. A nice gesture, but it is so large as to be almost useless. I’d love one the size of yours! @Shelby – your noodle bowls are so perfectly elegant and delicious looking. And I still haven’t made lasagna! 😁 @kayb – oh, man! How I’d love to be sitting down to that “Beanie Weenie” dinner tonight! Last Tuesday Jessica requested my Onion-Garlic soup (actually, I’m pretty sure this is a Bon Appetit recipe from back in the 1980s). The soup: You can see that it is a bit greasy. I lifted a lot of it off with some ice cubes, but I think next time I’ll try using less butter. Tasted great, though. Gruyere croutons: Serving: Served with salad and a baked potato: Jessica’s 38th birthday was the 27th. She and I were in Norfolk/VA Beach all day sampling Filipino places and for dinner back home with Mr. Kim, she chose a Japanese place for dinner. Surimi salad: Crab Rangoon: Shrimp: Calamari: The appetizers are decidedly of the Chinese-American persuasion rather than Japanese, I guess. White dragon roll, salmon, and Hawaiian roll: Tuna & yellow tail: Volcano roll: Orchard roll: Hibachi steak (mine): On Friday, I had leftover sausage gravy and biscuits: On Saturday, to further celebrate Jessica’s birthday, we went up to the DC area. Back in Richmond that night we were hungry enough that we stopped at our favorite pizza place in the city. We were so hungry that we just gobbled at the salad before I got a picture: Pizza: Calamari: How does a pizza and sub joint that sells slices make the most tender and delicately flavored and crisp calamari in town? Just addictive. Steak and cheese: Last night my dinner was leftovers from our Filipino food adventure in Norfolk on Jessica’s BD: Pancit, pork bun, and lumpia. My dinner tonight was dim sum leftovers:

I like a glass so thin that I'm afraid to wash it and it better not have a rolled lip! Only rounded bottoms, too. I really do not like the look of those squared off things.

@kayb – you are my hero! That King cake is gorgeous! Wish I had one right now. Jessica’s 38th birthday was the 27th and for her dessert she requested “Not Yo Momma’s Banana Pudding”:

We finally tasted these Moon Cakes that Jessica bought a while ago. They were not yet expired, but close: They are beautiful: But we didn’t care for them at all: She is assured by friends that while we didn’t like this version (lotus paste), we should try other flavors and might like them better.

@blue_dolphin – your focaccia is absolutely gorgeous! @robirdstx – those shrimp plates are amazing. I wish we could get a meal like that near us! The 27th was Jessica’s 38th birthday. Mr. Kim had to work all day so she and I took a drive over to Norfolk/VA Beach area to sample some Filipino food. She has some friends who are either Filipino or married to a Filipino and live down there and she got recommendations. The first place we went to was Glory’s Bakery in VA Beach. We got lumpia and pizza bread: The lumpia were delicious and the pizza bread was VERY cheesy: Maybe a touch TOO cheesy. Jess felt a bit queasy after eating a few bites. We also got some pastries – a couple of turnovers (pineapple & cream cheese and a coconut) and a perfect elephant ear-type thing. Next was Jollibee which is a multinational Filipino chain restaurant. We got a piece of fried chicken w/ gravy and spaghetti. The spaghetti was distinctly different looking, with chunks of ham and hot dogs in the sauce and what looked like American cheese on top: The chicken was really good, as was the gravy that went with it. I’d rate the chicken just barely below Popeye’s and definitely above Bojangles. The spaghetti was just not to our liking at all. The sauce was decidedly sweet with, we found out, banana ketchup. Even Mr. Kim who hates waste and eats almost anything voted to chuck it when we got home. We also got a banana/jackfruit langka or hand pie (similar to McDonald’s apple pie, but with really good pastry): Our next stop was Felynn Restaurant. We opted for pancit, lumpia, and a BBQ pork skewer: They have an amazing menu, and it would have been fun to be with one of her friends so that we could have had a description of everything. Jessica tried to ask and when we heard “pig’s face” we decided on something we knew. The pancit and the BBQ were both delicious. The lumpia was good, but not as good as the first place we went to. The desserts were NOT a success. The fried wrapped banana had a strong burnt taste: It was wrapped in foil and stored in a hot case. I think that the sugary sauce must have dripped down the sides and burnt while sitting in the case. We also tried nilupak – cassava, milk, sugar, butter, and string coconut: Not much flavor and not a good texture for us. This is Jessica being polite: 😊 Next: Notice Pan de Hot Dog on top! Pan de coco (coconut filling): Ube bread: On Saturday, we continued to celebrate her birthday. The three of us went up to Wheaton MD to our favorite dim sum place, Hollywood East for brunch. Fried crab claw shrimp ball: Just a giant ball of chopped and minced shrimp with a little crab in it. Inexplicably stuck with a tiny little crab claw. Egg roll: For old times’ sake. Best one I’ve had in many years! I’ve been yearning for the egg rolls of my youth – stuffed full of fairly dark cabbage, tiny shrimp and roast pork with a shatteringly crisp skin. Just about every Chinese restaurant we frequented in Arlington VA and Chinatown DC had them, but they are seemingly impossible to come by now in Richmond. Even at our favorite Chinese restaurant here, I’d almost bet they frozen. While not perfect (it needed pork and to be fuller of vegetables), this one was really good – super crisp vegetables, shrimp and a perfect skin: Shrimp blossom rolls: Nicely crunchy with a minced shrimp filling. We ended up ordering a LOT of things stuffed with minced shrimp😊. Steamed pork and shrimp shu mai: These had a distinctly burnt flavor. Mr. Kim didn’t mind, but Jessica and I were really put off and didn’t have more than a bite. Golden Roast Pork buns: These were lovely, as usual. Baked roast pork croissants: The flavor was good, but the pastry was tough and flabby. Chicken and ginger dumplings: Delicious. One of the best bites of the meal. Bacon rolls stuffed with minced shrimp Jessica thought that the bacon was overly smoky. Shrimp toast: Shrimp rice noodle crepes: Perfectly tender and delicious. Lunch after church on Sunday at a local deli. Mr. Kim’s eggs and bacon with home fries: My eggs Benedict with hash browns:

@blue_dolphin – I’m really loving the idea of putting breakfast inside those pancakes. I just added a packet to my TJ’s list. This morning:

Welcome to eGullet, @Capouch! I'm very much looking forward to your contributions here! We lived in Batesville IN for a few years and found a LOT of good food in Indiana. Member @racheld's husband called Indiana the northernmost southern state and there's a lot of truth there! I will echo @kayb - I'd love to see more of your house and grounds!

Welcome to eGullet, @heylow! Lots of folks here share your interests and we'd love to see some local to you food, also!

Costco sells Korean BBQ flavor pork jerky in the US. It's delicious.

If I know I'm going to fry them in oil (the best, IMO), pretty much anything is fine - Ore-Ida, Alexis, even store brand. I am weirdly picky about onion rings and haven't found a brand I like much. The Alexia sweet potato fries are excellent. Frozen potato products seem to be very popular and therefore there have been some shortages. Recently I wanted tots and there were no national product ones in the case. I got the Kroger brand and we decided we actually preferred them. They are flatter than the regular ones and extremely crisp on the outside.

@Shelby – mmmm! Shrimp Alfredo! I have a bag of shrimp in the freezer. I was thinking about shrimp enchiladas, but that’s sounding really good to me! And you know, of course, that my “like” for your fungal feast on Saturday is ONLY for the salad? 😝😂 @mgaretz – as always, your beef stew is glossy, unctuous-looking perfection. Dinner last night was at our favorite nearby Vietnamese restaurant. We really hope that they are getting lots of take-out and catering trade, because they are always almost empty. Which is why we ate there🤔. So. Anyway, yet another place where we’ve been regulars for a good amount of time. Everything is always excellent and the people are fantastically welcoming and friendly (and that’s not just since the pandemic began). We shared a couple of appetizers - Rocket Shrimp: Crispy pork spring rolls: “Chicken Noodle Soup” – just a very small version of their Pho Ga: Perfect for me since I can’t eat a regular sized bowl, but love the delicious stock. I remembered to take pictures of the appetizers, but forgot the mains until we’d started eating! Jessica’s seafood pho: Shrimp, surimi, and fish cakes. Mr. Kim’s was basically the same, except with beef. I had what I always have, the Vietnamese crepe: This is one of my favorite dishes in the world and I can never make myself order anything else, though there are lots of things I’d love to try! Pretty sure that they are using pork belly now rather than the roast pork that they used to use.

@Ann_T– your chicken and mash and gravy looks so good. Your gravy is always gorgeous! This morning: ET bagel with smoked salmon cream cheese, ET sprinkle, and sausage links.

"Corn ribs". I cannot. 🙄😳

Made just about 14 cups of beef stock: I need two cups for the soup, so this is headed for the freezer.

👀