C. sapidus

Zucchini and "Grandpa's Chorizo" with onion, garlic, and various chiles. Sauce was roasted chile paste and fish sauce. Finished with fresh basil and a little sweet (sugar) and sour (rice vinegar). I was very happy with this.

Interesting. I suspect I would not like most (all?) of these pizzas (using term loosely), but somewhat appreciate the, uh, unfettered creativity.

Current favorites are caramel whiskey and dulce de leche. Preferably with a really good hot fudge sauce. I used to love "coffee coffee buzz buzz" (with chunks of roasted espresso beans) but I have avoided it after once being kept me awake all night.

Baked beans with excellent half-smoke sausages. I jazzed up canned beans with onion, garlic, mustard, apple cider vinegar, ancho chile powder, smoked paprika, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and fish sauce. Mrs. C cooked half-smokes in the air fryer. Mrs. C made peach crisp with local peaches, dried strawberries, and dried blackcurrant. Yum.

Agreed! Glad you were able to find some locally

We had locally-grown eggplant, tomato, and a variety of chiles so I decided to wing it. Cube and salt the eggplant and set aside in a colander. Brown-fry minced onion, add a paste of chiles, ginger, garlic, and cumin, and cook down with fish sauce, turmeric, black pepper, cinnamon stick, and garam masala. Add chopped tomato and cook until reduced. Add eggplant and simmer until softened, finishing with a shot of heavy cream. Top with a scrambled egg (supposed to be over-easy but apparently our non-stick pan isn't any more). With all the BLTs lately I have been craving vegetables.

Fish and farmer's market bounty tonight. Mrs. C did everything except the mushrooms. Sablefish pan-fried in ghee and bacon grease: Very tender. Friends in Alaska said this was their favorite fish. Eggplant, sliced thinly and prepared the same way. We also had a sliced tomato but it escaped the picture. Mushrooms in pasilla chile sauce, topped with chopped shallot and feta cheese. The sauce was a blend of pasilla chiles (roasted and soaked), roasted garlic, a long red chile from the farmer's market, Mexican oregano, cumin, cilantro, chicken stock, and a touch of sugar (which I like with pasilla chile sauces).

BLTs again, this time with lettuce!

Went out for Mexican food. Local place only has mole when Abuela is in the kitchen, so that's what I ordered. Mole chicken enchiladas for me (I removed most of the cheese), chorizo for Mrs. C, and jalapeno poppers to share.

Clean out the fridge lunch. No, literally - I emptied out both produce drawers and gave them a good scrubbing. Seared shrimp, roasted Poblano chile, leftover corn, and a sauce of coconut milk, lemongrass, onion, garlic, serrano and bird chiles, curry powder, and fish sauce, finished with garam masala, Thai basil, cilantro, and scallions. Clean produce drawers are drying on the counter . . .

I have a Tojiro petty (paring knife) and have been quite happy with it, along with our Tojiro chicken boning knife. Other manufacturers may be better entries in a "my knife is sharper than yours" contest () but I have found Tojiro to be easily sharp enough for everything I need to do, quite durable, and excellent value. Tojiro petty (clicky) ^ I did not do a price check, so other sources may be less expensive. Good luck with whatever you choose!

Speaking of bell peppers . . . Chicken stir-fried with lemongrass and chile, from Andrea Nguyen's 'Into the Vietnamese Kitchen'. I think this was the first recipe I cooked from this book, way back when I did my eGullet foodblog. Anyway, marinate chicken thigh chunks with curry powder, fish sauce, and sugar. Stir-fry chopped lemongrass, shallot, and chiles (I used a mix of serrano and red bird chiles). Add the chicken and squares of red bell pepper (I also used Poblano chile, 'cuz why not), and sear on both sides. Simmer with coconut milk until reduced, and then finish with chopped cilantro. I also added garam masala, because the curry powder was not new. Rich, aromatic, and full of flavor with some latent heat. I should make this more often. Jasmine rice and sliced cucumbers to go with.

Roasted Poblano chile and shrimp tacos, with shallot, garlic, cumin, Thai basil, cilantro, fish sauce, a shot of jalapeno salsa, and a little heavy cream.

Most of the things that generate the flavors I love are not expensive - onion, garlic, chiles, fish sauce, etc. So I doubt how we eat would change much. Maybe get jumbo lump crab meat more often . . .

As long as it has veggies

B "no L" T's for lunch. Tomatoes were from a friend's family garden, and tasted like tomatoes (high praise). No lettuce in the house, but somehow we muddled through. Butter, mayo, S&P, and a little hot sauce on mine.

SIL leaves this afternoon so we went out for breakfast at Showroom, another Voltaggio place (used to be Family Meal). Me: Huevos rancheros with chorizo, frijoles refritos, avocado, tortilla chips, and (hidden) crema. SIL: Avocado toast flight. Mrs. C had bagel with lox, cucumbers, and capers (no pic).

For SIL's last meal here we went out to Wye Oak Tavern, a Voltaggio restaurant in a de-consecrated abbey. Instead of getting mains we dined on appetizers and sides. Started with coddies - salted cod brandade, cauliflower tartar sauce, cauliflower giardiniera (not pictured) Rest of the meal, from top left: House salad - iceberg lettuce, carrot vinaigrette, lime yogurt, chickpea crunch Shells & cheese - toasted panko, aged cheddar, chives Spiced sweet potatoes - pomegranate molasses, lime yogurt Broccoli rabe - broccoli chimichurri, crushed red pepper, crispy garlic Crab cake - shishito emulsion, blue corn tortilla, buttermilk lime crema Smoked beet pastrami - gruyere cheese funnel cake, thousand island dressing Macaroni - dry aged beef bolognese, fontina fondue My favorites were the sweet potato and broccoli rabe. After a little walking around we stopped for a flight of ice cream - roasted strawberry, caramel crunch, butter pecan, and honey graham.

Yes, roasted Poblano chiles over the gas flame on the cooktop, wrapped in a dishcloth to steam, and then the skin slips right off. Sorry you don't have Poblanos nearby. We can usually get good ones at the international market down the street, but these Mrs. C picked up at a farm stand.

Poblano chile and swordfish sausage tacos with thyme, Mexican oregano, garlic, half-and-half, and (non-traditional) shallots. Some (not pictured) were jazzed up with feta cheese and jalapeno salsa. Roasted Poblano chiles are a positive force in the universe.

Grill eggplant over charcoal: Grilled eggplant salad (yam makreua yao) from Thai Food: Cool and peel eggplant, then mix with mint leaves, sliced shallot, chopped scallion, lime juice, chile powder, and fish sauce. Serve topped with ground dried shrimp and steamed eggs. Temporary bachelor meal because Mrs. C is out of town and does not like the texture of mushy eggplant.

Not homemade - from Boston, apparently. Mrs. C picked them up at our local seafood market. Edit: I think she was hoping they were like the delicious smoked swordfish we had in Puerto Vallarta, which tasted like pastrami. No ideal why it hasn't caught on globally, I wish we could get something like that locally.

Swordfish sausage and yellow squash in spicy tomato sauce. The goal was to use up excess yellow squash, yellow tomatoes, and jalapenos from the farmer's market. Sauteed the jalapenos, onion, and garlic, added chopped tomatoes, and cooked everything down to a sauce with black pepper, fish sauce, ancho chile powder, and freshly-ground cumin. Added the swordfish sausage and cooked until nearly done. Added cubed yellow squash, sauteed until still firm, and then finished with Mexican oregano and crumbled feta cheese. Would make again, in the unlikely event today's circumstances repeat.

Catfish kebabs with cherry tomatoes and bacon. Marinated and glazed with Sriracha, habanero salsa, soy sauce, brown sugar, and rosemary. I was over-enthusiastic with the charcoal, to the bacon's detriment, but the fish and 'maters were perfect. Black-ripe platanos sauteed in butter

Mrs. C dragged SIL around the local farm stands and fish markets, so their bounty is what we had for dinner. Halibut cheeks, simply prepared with S&P. Yellow watermelon salad with tomatoes, balasmic vinegar, and Thai basil. Dry-fried green beans with chorizo, Tianjin preserved vegetable, ginger, soy sauce, and Shaoxing wine.