C. sapidus

Sadly, no local sources for fresh green peppercorns so I used ones that were jarred in brine. I also have not had any luck finding grachai lately, but at least they had lime leaves.

Stir-fried bay scallops with chiles and fragrant herbs: Sear bay scallops and remove. Stir-fry mashed garlic and chiles, then add slivered ginger (sub for grachai), lime leaves, Thai basil, green peppercorns, fish sauce, sugar, and a sliced Fresno pepper. Mix in scallops to finish cooking and enjoy. Grilled eggplant chile sauce (nahm prik mah-kheua pow): Fired up the Weber and roasted Japanese eggplant, a head of garlic, serrano chiles, and shallots over charcoal until blackened. Cooled, peeled, and turned everything to mush in the Preethi blender. Seasoned with tamarind and fish sauce. One of the most delicious things I have eaten in quite a while. Mrs. C was elsewhere so I chose things that I love and she doesn't. Depending on your spice preference, this meal was either a symphony or an assault of flavors (I lean symphony). 😉 Jasmine rice to go with.

Rigatoni with spicy sausage sauce: saute garlic in butter, brown sweet Italian sausage, and then add chopped fresh tomatoes and cook down. Finish with cayenne and lots of grated parmesan before tossing with the pasta and pasta water. Mrs. C liked this, even though she is not usually much of a tomato sauce fan. Grilled eggplant with garlic, rosemary, and black pepper. Halve and score Japanese eggplant in a crisscross pattern, sprinkle with salt, and set aside to drain. Fill cuts with garlic, rosemary, black pepper, and olive oil, and then broil, basting occasionally with more olive oil. A favorite. Both from 'Marcella's Italian Kitchen'. I have not cooked much Italian lately, but friends stopped by for a Pug Play Date and we thought they might stay for dinner (they did not, but best to be prepared).

Breakfast tacos with shrimp, roasted chile Poblano, and creamy scrambled eggs. Seared the shrimp with sauteed onion, garlic, ginger, serrano chiles, and cilantro.

Tuna salad rellenos: Chile Poblano, roasted, peeled, and seeded. Tuna salad with chile serrano, bulbing onion, mustard, horseradish, cilantro, and mayo. Topped with soft feta and broiled in the oven. Turned out well for something I kinda made up.

Liuyang black bean chicken with long beans. Chicken thigh chunks marinated with soy sauce and then twice fried. Flavors included ginger, garlic, red chile flakes, Shaoxing wine, and rice vinegar. Mrs. C made beet salad with toasted walnuts and feta. Jasmine rice with sauteed ginger to accompany.

Gouda omelette, leftover BBQ beans, and rye toast

Nothing fancy for July 4th. Mrs. C pan-fried Alaskan rockfish and made a Tartar-like sauce. I gussied up stovetop beans with chorizo, onion, garlic, mustard, BBQ sauce, etc. Bourbon barrel pickles to go with.

Keema matar, made with ground lamb, onion, garlic, and chiles, tomato and yogurt, and spiced with cumin, coriander, cayenne, and garam masala, finished with lemon juice and peas. Would have added cilantro if we had any. Basmati rice, with cloves, cinnamon, green cardamom, bay leaf, garlic, and chicken stock, topped with onion greens.

Seared bay scallops with roasted chile Poblano rajas, onion, chile Serrano, and garlic, finished with heavy cream and cilantro.

Seared scallops with mushrooms and mashed sweet potato: Mash boiled sweet potatoes with butter and heavy cream. Sear mushrooms in ghee with a sprig of rosemary and remove. Sear scallops in butter with rosemary and remove. Deglaze the wok with Shaoxing wine, add heavy cream, and reduce. Season with S&P. This was the "last meal" for our house guest. She had the choice of this or keema. I think she chose well (even though I love keema).

Crab quiche, made with jumbo lump crab meat, bourbon smoked gouda, soft feta cheese, and heavy cream. Mrs. C air-fried baby okra to go with (not pictured).

Guests for dinner so Mrs. C picked up jumbo lump crab. Clockwise from bottom right: Tartar sauce Gertie's crab cakes, shallow fried in ghee Carrot and endive, cooked down for 60+ and 30 minutes in butter, respectively Street corn from the seafood place Green beans with almonds, courtesy of dinner guest Coleslaw, also courtesy of dinner guest

I made chayote al vapor for a potluck yesterday. Simple and delicious, just chayote, serrano chile, salt, and cilantro. To make a more substantial (and spicy!) lunch from the leftovers I sauteed white onion, chorizo, and pickled jalapenos, tossed in the chayote, and finished with feta cheese, fish sauce, and Mexican oregano.

Spicy soft-scrambled eggs with onion, garlic, chile serrano, pickled jalapeno, tomato paste, and feta cheese. Served with toasted rye bread. Egg and tomato tastes good but rarely looks appealing.

Sometimes it is fun to start with what's in the refrigerator and improvise an Indian-ish curry. This one started with a wet spice paste of ginger, garlic, and red and green chiles, pureed with chicken stock and fried in ghee. Added dried fenugreek leaves, turmeric, and every ground dry spice beginning with the letter "C" (canela, cardamom, cumin, coriander, cloves, and cayenne). Seemed a little thick so I added coconut cream with chopped fresh spinach. Finished with cubed zucchini and feta cheese.

Shrimp and zucchini al mojo de ajo: Saute garlic and onion, blend with chicken stock. Sear shrimp in the garlicky oil and remove. Sear zucchini, add cilantro, Mexican oregano, and the garlic puree, and cook down. Add shrimp and leftover walleye, finish with lime juice, and serve over leftover green rice. Pretty tasty for a night when neither of us had planned a meal.

Hope you like the rice, @YvetteMT First time making bulgogi. Marinated thinly-sliced NY strip steak with soy sauce, honey, toasted sesame oil, black pepper, and blended Asian pear, garlic, ginger, and onion. Grilled over charcoal, and served in lettuce leaves with soybean paste dipping sauce (fermented soybean paste [doenjang], gochujang, garlic, scallion, honey, toasted sesame oil, and toasted sesame seeds). Spicy cucumber salad on the side, with garlic, scallion, thinly-sliced onion, soy sauce, hot chile flakes, honey, sesame oil, and sesame seeds. Quite nice.

Yes, char on the gas burner, wrap in a kitchen towel to steam, and the skin rubs off pretty easily.

Welcome! I can't help you with baking, but I expect others here can and will.

Huachingo a la Veracruzana, but made with fresh walleye rather than red snapper. Saute white onion, garlic, flat-leaf parsley, and piquillo peppers. Add crushed tomato, S&P, chopped green olives, sliced jalapenos en escabeche, and some of the chile vinegar. When the sauce is cooked down, add the walleye fillets, poach in the sauce, and top with capers. Walleye was from a local fish market. Mrs. C grew up eating freshly-caught walleye, and approved. Looks like we will be sending more business their way. Arroz Poblano: roast Poblano chiles and blend with white onion, garlic, spinach, flat-leaf parsley, cilantro, and Mrs. C's freshly made chicken stock. Fry the rice, add puree, and then cook the rice in chicken stock. A favorite.

Shrimp and spinach curry with onion, ginger, garlic, cinnamon stick, green cardamom, dried fenugreek leaves, garam masala, ground coriander, ghee, and yogurt, finished with a tadka of paprika and dried chiles sauteed in butter. Recipe is for saag paneer, but shrimp substitutes nicely. I cooked this while Mrs. C was out of town - she says that spinach curries remind her of things she cleaned up when she worked as a nurse.

Sauteed onion, garlic, zucchini, and roasted chile Poblano mixed with leftover chuu chee bay scallop curry from last night. I enjoyed the vegetable-enhanced version more than the original.

Chuu chii curry bay scallops. Red curry paste was half commercial and half homemade (I was missing some key ingredients). Made with cooked-down coconut cream, so very rich. Fried rice with shiitake mushrooms and roasted Poblano chile.

Yes, chopping with a cleaver takes longer but I do prefer the texture. Using pre-ground meat is faster, and still yields a delicious meal when time is tight. Life is full of choices.