C. sapidus

On a Delaware road trip so I dined on takeout seafood. Softshell crab tacos! A first for me - I usually see soft shell crab sandwiches as fair food. Hush puppies and coleslaw to go with Crab cake sandwich: not bad, but deficient on big hunks of lump crab meat.

Seared tuna with a tomatillo, chipotle, and avocado sauce. Stir-fried mustard greens with garlic and oyster sauce. These were intended as components of two different meals, but sometimes stuff happens. Marinade was roasted tomatillo and garlic salsa with chipotles, sugar, and salt. Diced avocado was mixed in to make the creamy, tangy, spicy, and smoky salsa. Tuna was grilled over charcoal to medium rare (probably closer to medium on the thinner pictured piece).

Friend who is an adventurous eater came over for dinner. She knew I was making a Vietnamese stew so she brought a baguette, which was perfect for sopping up the sauce. Thit bo kho (beef stew with star anise and basil): Start by making annatto-flavored oil, then fry shallots and garlic and sear cubed beef chuck roast. Mix in boiling chicken stock, bruised lemongrass, fish sauce, soy sauce, and sugar. Simmer until beef is nearly tender, and then add sliced carrots. Toast and grind star anise, and then fry with garlic, shallots, long red chiles, and curry powder in annatto oil. When beef and carrots are done, mix this in, along with thinly-sliced onion, cilantro, and Asian basil. Tasted amazing. Cucumber salad and the baguette to go with.

Visiting younger son in Indianapolis, we checked out a new (to him) grocery store and picked up ingredients for tacos. He works long hours so we made plenty for leftovers. Store had house-made chicken chorizo sausages and sirloin steak taco meat. We added onions, garlic, jalapeños, diced zucchini, spinach, cilantro, cumin, and black pepper. Served with a choice of cucumber quick pickle, fresh mango, pico de gallo, feta cheese, minced jalapeños, and minced white onion. Also sautéed mushrooms with garlic and soy sauce (not pictured), one of younger son’s favorites.

Riff on Parsi scrambled eggs with bay scallops: sautee onion, jalapeno, garlic, and ginger in ghee. Mix in chopped cilantro and mint, add scallops and partly cook, and then finish with eggs beaten with milk. I meant to add some soft feta but oh well. Cukes on the side.

Scrambled eggs with leftover pork loin, flavored with three kinds of chiles (jalapeno, long red, and roasted Poblano), shallots, garlic, cumin seed, scallions, Thai basil, and feta in brine (which melted into the eggs).

Brown-fried diced onion with long red chiles, cayenne, cumin, and black pepper. Separately seared diced zucchini with S&P. Mixed everything together with a Poblano chile (roasted, peeled and diced). Finished with Thai basil, cilantro, and feta in brine. Not nearly as festive as @Duvel's lunch, but it hit the spot.

Fried rice with diced zucchini, leftover Chiang Mai pork larb, Thai basil, and a scrambled egg.

Preethi is an Indian mixer-grinder with blades rather than granite wheels. They are much burlier than a typical blender, however. I used to kill blenders within a year or so, mostly making Mexican dried chile sauces. In contrast, my first Preethi lasted about 20 years, and I often use it several times a week. Since the company is based in India, the default models are designed for 220V. They do make 110V versions for the US market, however. The version I have is 550W. I hope that helps.

Chiang Mai style pork larb, described on Larb laab larp (clicky)

Chiang mai style pork larp, from David Thompson's 'Thai Food'. An unusual larp, accurately described as "like a very thick curry redolent with spices." Paste was dried long red chiles, shallots, garlic, galangal, lemongrass, long red chiles, mace, black and white peppercorns, and roasted and ground cumin seed and Sichuan peppercorns, all blended in the Preethi. Fry garlic, brown the pork with a little fish sauce, and remove. Fry the sauce in the rendered pork fat, season with palm sugar and fish sauce, and simmer with the pork and a little chicken stock. Served with sliced shallots, scallions, cilantro, and mint leaves. Jasmine rice and sliced cucumbers to go with.

Mae Ploy? They make lots of sauces and curry pastes - which one do you like?

Fried rice with leftover black bean-garlic catfish, long beans, pork, fish sauce, and an egg.

Two of my favorite dishes: Garlic and black bean pan-fried catfish: Sear catfish fillets and remove. Stir-fry minced ginger, cilantro stems, and a head of garlic in the wok. Mix in black soy sauce, fish sauce, fermented black beans (minced), and a little sugar. Remove half of the mixture, add fish fillets, coat with the remaining mixture, and cook the fish about a minute on each side. Finish with cilantro. Long beans with roasted chile sauce: Stir-fry ground pork with white pepper and fish sauce, and remove. Stir-fry garlic, mix in long beans, add roasted chile paste and water, and cover until beans are tender. Uncover, add fish sauce and Thai basil, and cook until liquid is reduced. Jasmine rice to go with, but y'all know what rice looks like.

Pan-seared bay scallops and shrimp with choo chee curry sauce: Simple curry paste of dried red chiles (soaked), long red chiles, lots of garlic, shallots, shrimp paste, lemongrass, and lemon zest (sub for lime leaves). Fry the paste with coconut cream, season with palm sugar and fish sauce, and then add seared shrimp and scallops at the end. Broccolini stir-fried with garlic, oyster sauce, fish sauce, and white pepper. Simple and good. Cilantro, sliced baby cucumbers, and microwave cilantro rice to go with.

Mrs. C made a lovely fish chowder for dinner the other day, with Alaskan rockfish, clams, clam juice, potatoes, corn, etc. Quite delicious, but not enough for lunch so I supplemented with sauteed kielbasa, onion, jalapeno, fish sauce, and a scrambled egg.

Apologies, I didn't realize you wanted an actual location. Here you go:

Gas station parking lot, of course. Gas station is located next to a Latino market, which seems like good marketing.

Three that I use regularly: Mexican Everyday: Rick Bayless (eG-friendly Amazon.com link) (mentioned above - my copy is falling apart) Quick and Easy Indian Cooking: Madhur Jaffrey (eG-friendly Amazon.com link) Vegetables Every Day: Jack Bishop (eG-friendly Amazon.com link) I tried to make eG-friendly Amazon links, I hope I succeeded.

Taco truck tacos! Chorizo, al pastor, and carne asada for me. Mrs. C skipped the carne asada. Both with guacamole. Generously filled and topped. Apparently there is a tortas special on Wednesdays, but we were craving tacos.

For me, the main benefit of Falk copper pots excellent heat dispersion and no hot spots. For example, I have never needed a double boiler to melt chocolate. As others have said, we have other lids that fit just fine. This is what ours looks like after 20+ years as an everyday pot and little to no attention to the copper (although it looks like it could use a round of Barkeeper's Friend on the inside ).

Scrambled eggs with green beans and roasted Poblano chiles, flavored with diced kielbasa, onion, garlic, jalapeno, and cilantro. Egg yolks were a particularly vivid orange.

Lamb vindaloo: Brown-fry onions, add pulverized garlic, and then mix in a paste of grainy mustard, vinegar, cumin, turmeric, and cayenne. Brown stewing lamb, add coconut milk and water, then braise for an hour or so. Stir-fried cabbage with fennel seeds: We make this frequently, it is a favorite. Microwave cilantro rice to go with. Vindaloo was also really good mixed with the gorgonzola dip we made for wings last night (not pictured). I can't imagine that vindaloo with creamy gorgonzola sauce has been served too many times in human history.

My copy is also falling apart, despite somewhat less heavy use. Might just be a poor binding. My notes by that recipe state, "Excellent! Family loves!"

I am taking notes . . .