C. sapidus

When I was in college, Marathon Deli was my favorite place to eat near campus. The restaurant was run by a Greek family, all with flaming red hair. Still there, lo these many decades later, but moved around the corner. I ordered two old favorites, gyro and carrot cake. They seem to be using the same recipes - the carrot cake had a lovely, lemony, not-too-sweet icing, and the gyro was dressed with a sauce somewhere between tzatziki and creamed feta cheese. Nothing tastes quite as good as memories, but this came pretty close. But sadly, no more red-haired Greeks.

Mushroom and roasted chile Poblano tacos with garlic, basil, feta, and a chipotle cream sauce.

Boys used to request chapli kebab ("slipper burgers"), or as they called it, "spicy burgers." Wagyu ground beef with minced onion, chiles, ginger, garlic, cilantro, and spices. Mrs. C made baby bok choy with peanut sauce (also good on the spicy burgers)

Tom kha soup with crab, halibut, and shiitake mushrooms. Bruised galangal, lemongrass, shallot, bird chiles, lime leaves, and cilantro stems in chicken stock and coconut milk, simmered and then strained. Finished with palm sugar, fish sauce, lime juice, cilantro, and chile jam to taste. We had planned crab cakes but our houseguest was sensitive to gluten, so we changed direction. Maple-glazed sweet potatoes with a syrup of maple syrup, butter, orange zest, orange juice, and brown sugar. Guest had a nut sensitivity so we skipped the walnut topping.

Culture clash tacos: leftover dry-fried green beans in a chipotle-cream sauce with eggs and feta

Mrs. C made air-fried halibut and beet salad I made dry-fried green beans and baked sweet potato with chipotle butter

I don't know either. One web site states that "Mexico inherited this Ceylon cinnamon tradition from Spain" and that these cinnamon sticks are "imported almost exclusively from the island of Sri Lanka." Cinnamon vogue - Mexican cinnamon sticks I do know that the Latino markets that I frequent offer "canela," which is Ceylon cinnamon. Quite inexpensive, too.

Bricklayer's eggs with green beans: Ancho and guajillo chiles, toasted, soaked, and blended with white onion, garlic, and a little honey. Sauteed the green beans, fried the sauce, and then folded in the eggs and feta cheese. Topped with more white onion. One of my absolute favorite breakfasts, based on a Diana Kennedy recipe.

Gochujiang shrimp over feta cheese omelet. I liked the mix of rich, spicy, and tangy elements.

Returned home to a fairly empty fridge, but we had a leftover baked sweet potato. Sauteed onion, garlic, and chiles, and then added panch foran, red Hatch chile powder, and turmeric. Yogurt was moldy so I added half-and-half with the diced sweet potato, reduced the sauce, and finished with S&P and an egg.

Me: "You have any plans for dinner?" Mrs. C : "Nope" Me: "Uh, I guess I can slap something together" Shrimp, andouille sausage, leftover pork loin, and zucchini with sauteed onion, garlic, chiles, and tomato paste, deglazed with chicken stock. Microwaved cilantro rice and a baked sweet potato to go with.

Scrambled eggs with leftover pork loin, the last of the spinach, feta, garlic, and ginger

Tom kha shrimp and shiitake mushroom soup with cucumber salad. Chicken stock and coconut cream simmered with galangal, lemongrass, lemon zest, bruised bird chiles, bruised shallot, and palm sugar. Strained the soup, dry-fried the mushrooms, and then added with the shrimp. Finished with chile jam, lemon juice, fish sauce, basil, and cilantro.

Last night Mrs. C cooked salmon and cabbage with a lovely lemon-cream sauce. Salmon did not survive dinner, but the cabbage, sauce, and an over-easy egg made a nice breakfast.

Mrs. C has a big jug of Amarena cherries, which did the job nicely. But I like orange peel, too, if we have them.

Gai yang: chicken thighs baked and then grilled. Marinade included ginger, garlic, coconut milk, fish sauce, soy sauce, white pepper, and Bourbon. Mrs. C steamed broccoli and doctored up pre-made sweet potatoes with Indian spices and yogurt, served with air-fried pistachios. Since the Bourbon was in the kitchen anyway, we accompanied dinner with perfect Manhattans. 😃

Zucchini, shiitake mushroom, and andouille sausage, sauteed with onion, garlic, chilies, fish sauce, and spices, and then finished with feta and cilantro.

An autoclave is definitely capable of sterilizing chicken stock, as long as the proper time / temperature / pressure regimen is followed. A pressure cooker could certainly achieve the same end. But once open to the atmosphere, there is the potential for the stock to be re-contaminated and, at the appropriate temperature range, for pathogens to grow. Just to be a contrarian, I will point out that even an autoclave does not destroy prions (which, granted, are a special case).

Pollo escabeche and jicama salad with lemon-cilantro dressing

Fried rice with green beans, spinach, mushrooms, and andouille sausage. Onion, garlic, bird chiles, and fish sauce for flavor. Finished with cilantro and feta.

Thanks! Marinated in fish sauce and toasted/ground coriander and cumin seed.

Stir-fried beef with spices (from 'Thai Food'), cucumber salad, jasmine rice. There was cilantro on the beef after picture time.

Over the years my tuna salads have, uh, evolved. Tonight's had sauerkraut, sweet-hot pickles, mayo, horseradish, Poupon mustard, S&P, bird chiles, and a generous dollop of chile crisp. Probably equal parts tuna and sauerkraut+pickles. With cukes on potato bread.

Saute chorizo and remove. Saute shrimp and remove. Saute bird chiles, garlic, and shallots with green beans. Add crushed tomato and spices and reduce. Return shrimp and chorizo to the pan, and simmer with half-and-half. Feta cheese. I wish we had cilantro.

Going over to see friends this evening. They say they are not making dinner but that doesn't mean there will not be a 5-course meal. Consequently, light dinner. Plantains finally got good and ripe after a week on the counter. And yes, we prefer them "well done"