C. sapidus

Tacos with three fillings: Shiitake mushrooms in a pasilla-ancho-chipotle sauce, seasoned with roasted garlic, Mexican oregano, cumin, black pepper, and cilantro. Beautiful inky-maroon color but sadly mostly hidden in this pic Roasted Poblano rajas with white onion, garlic, thyme, and Mexican oregano Lazy guacamole with lime and hot sauce Topped with diced white onion and feta cheese. I'm not sure that mixing everything together entirely made sense but it sure was fun.

Younger son asked for BBQ pork on his birthday / July 4th-ish. He invited over friends who are Muslim, so I will also be smoking a chicken.

Last of the green beans with eggs, onion, Serrano chilies, fermented black beans, garlic, chilie jam, and feta cheese.

Fresh blueberries are lovely, but they have a more gentle flavor compared with blackberries or raspberries. It will probably not be shocking that I prefer the more strongly-flavored berries. 🙄 Sorry you lost your blackberry patch, that is a shame.

Mrs. C picked fresh blueberries and made a crisp. Lime zest and no added sugar so it tasted like fruit. I'm posting it here in Dinner because, well, that's what we had for dinner.

Late breakfast eater here, so I'm usually just cooking for myself. Sometimes Mrs. C will just "try a little taste." I don't really care how long it takes because I like playing with food. Or sometimes just heat up leftovers in the microwave.

Green beans, leftover pulled pork, and eggs. Seasoned with browned onion, garlic, Serrano chilies, cayenne, cumin, black pepper, Mexican oregano, and a little fish sauce.

Firstly, thank you! Poached green beans in water until done and then removed. Sliced and sauteed chicken andouille sausages and then removed. Sauteed onions until reduced, and then added chopped garlic, serrano chilies, and fermented black beans. Cumin, black pepper, and garam masala for spices. Cooked down a small can of Hatch chilies 'cuz they needed using up. Finished with cilantro and the last of the feta cheese. Needless to say, this was improvised. 🙄

Hearty and tasty breakfast

Scrambled eggs with spinach, Panang curry paste, tamarind, red chilies, garlic, ginger, fish sauce, and feta cheese. Very flavorful.

Shrimp sautéed with black mustard seeds, garlic, and curry leaves until partly cooked, and then simmered with a sauce of cream, tomato paste, garam masala, cumin, cayenne, diced jalapeno, cilantro, and lemon juice. A favorite. Green rice with Poblano chilies, cilantro, spinach, white onion, garlic, and chicken broth, finished with peas. Green chutney with cilantro, garlic, jalapeno, lime juice, and sugar. Bit of a culture clash meal but everything comported nicely.

Agreed. Whether the plant genome changes through modern science or through ages-old plant breeding, the end result should not be much, if any, different. My issue is with the tendency to make vegetables more bland. Bitter things should have some bitterness. Poblano chilies should not taste like green bell peppers. Etc.

Cubed lamb shoulder with garlic, ginger, curry leaves, garam masala, cumin, turmeric, cayenne, and green chilies, finished with black pepper and lemon juice. Served over rice with peas, onion, cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon. Masoor dal, finished with ghee-fried onion, paanch foran, cumin, turmeric, paprika, cayenne, and tomato. With no paanch foran on hand I ground up equal parts cumin, kala jeera, aniseed, coriander, and fenugreek. Rice and dal were from a pamphlet-sized 1986 cookbook, probably the first Indian recipes I ever tried.

Great to see a trip report from my old home turf. Wheaton, Langley Park, College Park, and downtown Silver Spring were all within bicycle range when I was in grade school. Cracking crabs within view of the docks is about as good as it gets, and those Old Ebbitt Grill crab cakes look divine! Also, I have always had a weak spot for crab and artichoke dip. Plus oysters - yum! Y'all were doing seafood right. We used to get dim sum in Wheaton, but I am sure the place closed long ago. Also, sign me up for salted caramel bread pudding. I agree with you that the Spy Museum packs a lot into its space. There is also the National Cryptologic Museum at Fort Meade, if you like that sort of thing. Thanks for the trip report!

Quesadillas with a filling of dry-fried mushrooms, three kinds of chilies, garlic, cumin, cilantro, and a decidedly nontraditional cheese mixture (gouda, parmesan, and feta). Don't think I have ever made quesadillas before, but these were yum. You can see I started back left and got better as I went.

Gingery cauliflower and potato soup with browned onion, ginger, and garlic, spiced with cumin, coriander, cayenne, and turmeric. Blended in the Preethi and topped with crushed pistachios. Chicken thigh chunks marinated and twice-cooked with black pepper, turmeric, cayenne, cumin, thyme, garlic powder, and paprika. Note: that is a teacup-sized plate, not freakishly huge chunks of chicken 😉 Store-bought rosemary bread, excellent for dipping in the soup.

I get down your way from time to time, so I would be interested to hear your adventurous recommendation!

Sounds like a lovely trip. Besides all of the fine-looking food I particularly noticed the beautiful stained glass at the church (Mrs. C used to do stained glass, but now is starting to learn fused glass). And those chocolates look fantastic. Thanks for the report!

Garlicky oven-roasted chicken, from Into the Vietnamese Kitchen. Mrs. C made broccoli with lime and delicious watermelon radish with ghee in the air fryer.

Green beans and chicken sausage, flavored with onion, garlic, ginger, fermented black beans, and three (!) bird chiles, cooked down in broth. Finished with Mexican oregano and a sprinkle feta cheese to tame the fire a bit.

Green bean and sausage breakfast tacos, with onion, garlic, bird chiles, cumin, Mexican oregano, and feta cheese. Turned out particularly tasty. I simmered the green beans in bone broth and fish sauce, removed the green beans when nearly done, and then concentrated the broth with the onions and sausage.

Sometimes, and for various reasons. Oh, you want more detail? I might remove seeds (and probably some pith) if I want to: Reduce heat for those who do not appreciate capsaicin Get more chilie flavor for a given amount of heat Avoid seed texture I might leave seeds and pith in if: Cooking for myself (usually) I am not worried the recipe will be too spicy for diners More heat is called for I got in the habit of removing seeds and pith when the boys were at home. One is pretty tolerant of capsaicin, the other not so much.

Nontraditional keema with ground chicken, onions fried caramel brown in ghee, garlic, ginger, bird chilies, curry leaves, turmeric, garam masala, lime juice, and flat-leaf parsley. I make keema quite often, and Mrs. C said this was her favorite yet. Spinach with ghee, whole cumin, cayenne, and turmeric, cooked down with bone broth. Microwave lime-cilantro rice to go with (quite good, so am happy to be lazy until it is gone).

You could also make a jalapeno hot sauce with some of your bounty.

Can you describe your experiences with Walmart parking lot camping? Are you allowed to set up outside the RV, or are you expected to remain inconspicuous? Are there designated areas and/or times for campers? Is it a comfortable experience, or a little creepy? No campfires, I assume? 😉 Thanks!