C. sapidus

Roasted Poblano, corn, and Italian sausage soup, courtesy of Mrs. C

Huevos camarones with olives, capers, sliced serrano, pickled jalapeno, green beans, onion, tomato, mint, and basil

Manchamanteles leftovers. The vultures had eaten all of the meat, so I was left with the pineapple-tangy, ancho-rich sauce, plus cubed sweet potato, plantains, and pears, with a garnish of pickled jalapenos. I added crumbled feta after picture time.

Beef rendang is not the most photogenic dish, and the last of the leftovers even less so. Tastes amazing, though. If you have never had rendang, picture a soupy curry where all of the lovely flavors have been concentrated to their essence.

Leftover palak paneer, made with onion, ginger, garlic, ghee, cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, coriander, garam masala, dried fenugreek leaves, and a little yogurt. Finished with a tadka of dried red chiles and paprika fried in ghee.

Family holiday meal pics: Manchamanteles ("tablecloth stainer") is usually considered one of the 7 moles of Oaxaca. Sauce was dried ancho chiles (toasted and soaked), onion, garlic, peanuts, almonds, and stale bread, plus ground cloves, canela, and black pepper, all blended, strained, and fried. Meats included pork butt, chicken thighs, and chorizo. Simmered the meat in the sauce and homemade turkey stock until tender, and then added cubed pineapple sweet potatoes, and pears. Finished with cider vinegar, a little sugar, and fried plantains. Served with chopped pickled jalapenos. Takes a while but so worth it. Quinoa salad Palak paneer and carrot salad with pomegranate seeds. Palak paneer is sis's favorite, so we have it every holiday meal. One of my favorites, too. Mrs. C's steelhead with honey-sriracha glaze. Nephew caught in the act, grabbing some before anyone else was even seated. Baked sweet potatoes with a maple-ginger glaze Last of the baklava and store-bought cheesecake and cookies for dessert. Pre-meal goodies included mulled cider, and cheese, salami, and crackers.

Dinner for the boys, one GF, and two of their friends: beef rendang, masoor dal, turmeric rice, cucumber and carrot pickle. Mrs. C made carrot and pomegranate salad, and at least one other salad. I was hoping to take pics of leftovers, but the vultures had a second dinner and finished everything. Family is coming over today, so I'm working on manchamanteles, palak paneer, and sweet potatoes with maple-ginger glaze. Nephews adore Mrs. C's steelhead with either soy-maple glaze, but I think she's making a honey-sriracha glaze this time. No promises about pics for any of that, either.

Made ChefCrash's baklava with a modified syrup of water, sugar, and honey, flavored with canela ("true" cinnamon), cloves, and lemon peel strips. Out of the oven and drenched in syrup. Should be at its best in a day or three, if it lasts that long (we have dinner parties all weekend).

Chorizo, roasted Poblano chile, takeout potatoes, onion, garlic, and Serrano chiles, topped with diced avocado. White pepper, cumin, and red Hatch chile powder for spices, and a little heavy cream to mellow things out a bit. Still fiery!

Tom kha talay with shrimp and bay scallops. Stir-fried bok choy with garlic and dried chiles

Larb fried rice with chorizo and shiitake mushrooms

Larb gai. Not pictured - sprinkled cayenne over top.

Good luck with the buck! One of my hunter friends only hunts does, mainly for the more tender meat. I may have told this story before but - his daughter became a vegetarian, but her one exception was venison because that is what she grew up eating.

Haha This version had red curry paste enhanced with chiles and garlic mashed up in the mortar. Other ingredients included sliced shallots, black soy sauce, fish sauce, roasted chile paste, white pepper, cilantro, and lots of Thai basil. Grapao in all its various transliterations means Thai (or holy) basil, so that is the key ingredient.

Chicken grapao ("kapow") topped with a fried egg. We had some leftover broccoli so I tossed it in.