C. sapidus

Agreed, tuna salad sandwich with something green and leafy makes a satisfying quick meal. I usually use chopped up dill pickles because I can never find our little jar of capers. Hot pickles or pickled jalapenos are fun, too. Lots of ways to jazz up tuna salad. Hot sauce, mustard, curry powder, etc. Never a dull moment . . .

Keema with coconut milk, spinach and cilantro, seasoned with lots of onion, chiles, garlic, ginger, and a cabinet full of spices (most notably ground fenugreek seeds, which impart a lovely aroma). Cumin rice with ghee, and green chutney with cilantro and fresh coconut. Younger son is home for the weekend - mostly for a better internet connection - but he does seem to appreciate home cooking more than before.

Kielbasa with yellow squash and zucchini, flavored with white onion, garlic, chipotle in adobo, jalapeno, and cooked down tomatillo salsa, and then finished with Mexican oregano and feta cheese. Polish tacos, maybe?

Very interesting, thanks for posting this @Smithy. I have an aunt who lived to 100 years old and followed a somewhat similar path. Her family fled Armenian genocide in Turkey when she was an infant, and then she lived under Nazi occupation in France before coming to the US. Her cooking though, was 100% French, and she imparted a love of food to all of her children. We have wonderful meals whenever we visit. 😃

Nice to meet you, too! Can you tell us about yourself and your food interests?

Palak paneer (spinach with freshly made curd cheese) and turmeric rice. Palak paneer at a local restaurant years ago got me started on Indian food, and remains a favorite. Anyway, food tasted great and the house smelled amazing. I had never made fresh curd cheese before. The recipe said to barely boil milk (I used half and half), add yogurt, lime juice, and salt, and simmer for a few minutes before straining out the whey. Curds separated nicely. I squeezed them in cheesecloth but there was no way they were holding together when “stirred gently” into the spinach mixture. So I need to check some other sources on making paneer. I vaguely recall hearing about a paneer press, for those who make it regularly. Still tasted delicious, but I prefer the texture of paneer in chunks.

That book does sound interesting. Re sourcing ingredients, I appreciate when cookbook authors list the proper ingredients as well as reasonable substitutes. Bonus points if they describe how much of a compromise the substitute ingredients represent.

You and me both. 🙄

How so? 🤷🏼‍♂️ Mrs. C picked up Truff at Costco. I like thick and flavorful hot sauces, as opposed to the usual thin and vinegary ones. The earthy scent is a bonus.

I was thinking spot fish (clicky), which are common in the Chesapeake Bay and east coast. I recall a bony fish with nice flavor.

Spot?

Leftovers for lunch: shrimp patia, cumin rice, and cucumber riata. Truffled hot sauce and fish sauce gave the patia some pop, and a squeeze of lemon brightened up the raita. Live and learn.

Yes, My Bombay Kitchen is a favorite. Glad you were able to do some online research here. If you haven't yet tried Andrew's Goa curry or Bombay curry, or even if you have, I would suggest those recipes. Also pumpkin with curry leaves, because it is ridiculously delicious for how simple it is. You have an excellent memory, @Shelby 😃

Ha, yes that would be me. Priscilla coined the phrase "eternal cucumbers" since that was one vegetable the boys were always willing to eat. And thank you! Boys are grown up and (mostly) moved out, but they are still happy to eat cukes. 😃

Shrimp patia from ‘My Bombay Kitchen’. Sauce was tomatoes, green chiles, dried chiles, garlic, cilantro, cumin, and turmeric, cooked down and finished with brown sugar, tamarind, and lime juice. Shrimp were marinated with cayenne, turmeric, and salt, and then seared and finished in the sauce. Rice with cloves, cinnamon, red and green cardamom, and bay leaf. Cucumber raita with red onion, green chiles, cilantro, and mint, topped with cumin, cayenne, and seared ginger

Leftover crab-stuffed Poblano chiles, reheated in the microwave and then broiled. Flavor was even better today

Crab-stuffed roasted Poblanos with jumbo lump crab meat, roasted Anaheim chiles, red bell peppers, celery, red onion, smoked paprika, and lemon zest. No panko so the topping was crumbled crackers, Old Bay, and butter, browned under the broiler. My first time stuffing peppers, but it won't be the last. Savoy cabbage slaw with chipotle. Gonna make this next time we smoke a pork butt.

Maggie the Cat was a presence and will be missed in her absence.

Thanks for posting this! Definitely going to check out Andrea Nguyen's latest. Her Into the Vietnamese Kitchen has been one of our most cooked-from. Vietnamese food is like a gateway drug for southeast Asian cooking. 😁

Omelet with a filling of feta, pre-cooked sausage, and chopped chipotle, garlic, and ginger.

Looks tasty! Although I expect some of your delicious bread would have been an improvement. 😁 I am most impressed with the tomatoes, though. They look remarkably good for this time of year. Do looks deceive? 😉

I prefer well-flavored foods so we cook a lot of Thai, Indian, Mexican, Vietnamese, Sichuan, etc. Also love long-smoked barbecue and seafood (crabs are a local specialty). I go into more depth on my foodblog (link in signature). Anyway, thank you for asking. I have a great deal of respect for those who can cook in a restaurant environment. No one ever accused me of being a fast cook.

Welcome, Gastrique! Wow, that was quite an introduction. I am glad that you found a passion, and that it helped you deal with some of your other challenges. I look forward to seeing your contributions here. Do you have a particular style of cooking that you prefer, or are you just trying to learn everything and specialize later? I will make one gentle suggestion, though. Cooking is chemistry and restaurants are businesses, so pick up what you can from your academic subjects. It might just be useful down the road. 🤓

No suggestions, sorry. Why a cleaver versus a chef's knife? Edit: Whoops, looks like you already answered.

Keema with spinach, turmeric rice