C. sapidus

Firstly, that lamb looks delicious! Second, I do have one bit of experience with regard to Big Green Eggs. We had a large one, which was great for feeding hordes of people. But for routine cooking it took way too long to heat up, so we rarely used it and eventually passed it along to a nephew (who uses it all the time). So, for regular usage, I think smaller is better than bigger, unless you absolutely need bigger. Good luck!

I appreciate the kind offer, but I know I have found candlenuts locally. Or, as you said, just remember to mail order some. 🙂

"Candlenut" chile paste: Long red chiles, shallots, garlic, and macadamias subbed for candlenuts "Fish in spicy coconut gravy" (gulai ikan): Rub snapper fillets with salt and lime juice. Simmer chile paste above with turmeric, crushed galangal slices, lime zest (sub for lime leaves AND lemongrass - bad day at the Asian market), and coconut milk. Add fillets, tamarind, sugar, sliced long red chiles, and fish sauce. Would make again, preferably with all the ingredients. Cucumber relish:

Eggs with Poblano chile rajas and chorizo, flavored with shallot, bird chiles, garlic, feta cheese, cilantro, and Thai basil. Cucumbers and corn tortillas

Java salad with peanut sauce (gado gado, but I skipped quite a few ingredients 'cuz there's only two of us): Blanch sliced spinach, cabbage, and chayote, then dress with peanut sambal. Peanut sambal (sambal kacang): Blend together long red chiles, bird chiles, garlic, tamarind, palm sugar, and peanut butter, and season with fish sauce. Mrs. C is a peanut sauce fiend, so I'll make this again. Before mixing: Grilled scallops: Marinate scallops with blended cilantro stems, garlic, shallots, ground white peppercorns, ground coriander seed, curry powder, palm sugar, and fish sauce. Skewer scallops, mix a little coconut milk with the marinade, and grill over charcoal with oak smoke wood, basting with excess marinade. Next time I'll build a hotter fire. Served with Mae Ploy sweet chile sauce.

Garlic-black bean pan-fried monkfish: Coating was chopped cilantro stems, ginger, a head of garlic, fermented black beans, dark soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, cayenne, black pepper, and a little sugar. Fry monkfish fillets and remove. Stir-fry the coating, remove half, add the fish, and then slather with the remaining coating, turning once. A long-time favorite. Finish with cilantro. Jasmine rice to go with. Mrs. C has developed a serious muhammara addiction, and made another batch. Friend made a beet dip, which was very good. Sliced cucumbers and toasted naan to go with. Friend also brought dessert: it was like flan in a puff pastry crust, baked in the air fryer. No pics

Last of the Oaxacan chorizo with roasted orange bell pepper and an over-easy fried egg. Sauce was a paste of long red chiles, shallot, garlic, and cumin, plus the last of the "super spicy" kimchee, fish sauce, and a squeeze of lime. Mrs. C is going back to the fishmonger - I hope they have more chorizo.

What's wrong with wood? Preferably end grain. 🙂

Coho salmon with blackening spices, courtesy of Mrs. C and the air fryer. Parmesan-crusted yellow squash, courtesy of me. Bell peppers, carrots, and store-bought hummus, leftover from having friends for snacks and dessert on Friday.

Oaxacan chorizo, Savoy cabbage, and sliced onion with a sauce of cooked down tomato, long red chiles, garlic, black pepper, cayenne, and fish sauce, finished with feta cheese.

Stir-fried bay scallops with roasted chile paste, garlic, ginger, minced serranos, and fish sauce, finished with slivered serranos and mint. Didn't have enough lettuce for wraps so I made tacos. 🤷🏼‍♂️

Must be BLT season - this one with Sriracha mayo

Seafood salad (yam po taek) with monkfish, bay scallops, and shrimp. Dressing was roasted chile paste, lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, lemongrass, sliced garlic, mint, and minced serrano chile. Served with lettuce and a good farmer's market tomato.

Leftovers from last night's dinner: Bulgogi and Mexican green rice with sorrel and epazote. A friend contributed a Greek salad, to complete the multinational meal. Russian neighbors gave Mrs. C some sorrel plants, and she has been growing them in a pot. Neighbors use sorrel in their green borscht, but we both enjoyed the nice sour tang that sorrel gave to green rice. Will make again. I made the bulgogi in the wok with shabu-shabu steak. I would not do that again, flavor was good but the cut was just too thin.

We had leftover pork loin (from Mrs. C - very tender), Savoy cabbage that needed to be used, and half a can of coconut milk. End result: green curry pork with cabbage, flavored witg "super spicy" kimchi, green curry paste, shallots, slivered ginger, garlic, serrano chile, fish sauce, and scallions. Quick cell phone pic 'cuz we had places to be.

Seared zucchini and soft-scrambled eggs with red onion, serrano chiles, garlic, coconut milk, and feta cheese, seasoned with epazote, fish sauce, black pepper, and garam masala.

We have a couple of monster zucchini to use up, gifts from friends. Mrs. C is making spicy zucchini bread with one, so I used the other for lunch. I started out thinking al mojo de ajo, because that works with zucchini and shrimp, but it ended up a green curry with red onion, green curry paste, and a paste of cilantro, ginger, serrano, habanero, garlic, and palm sugar, plus cumin, cloves, mace, bay leaf, and black pepper for spices. Coconut milk and fish sauce, of course, and a little tamarind for sour. Very, very tasty.

Leftover potato crema with shrimp, shiitake mushrooms, roasted Poblano chiles, and corn. Soup base was yellow potatoes and garlic, simmered in chicken stock and whizzed up with the immersion blender. Next time I would include the corn in the soup base.

Chorizo, cabbage, and egg, flavored with "super spicy" kimchee, ginger, garlic, fish sauce, turmeric, and a habanero, then mellowed somewhat with heavy cream.

Hi, David, and welcome! Looking forward to hearing more about the food in your life.

Gosh I love rendang, and that one looks gorgeous.

Camarones al mojo de ajo (garlic shrimp): Marinate shrimp in a paste of garlic (lots of garlic), black pepper, rice vinegar, and salt. Saute with butter and olive oil, and finish with lime juice. Served over last night's leftover salad. Finished off the last of the muhammara with toasted naan, but there is a picture above.

A friend came to dinner last night, and these are the leftovers: Thai beef salad (yam nuea): Marinate strip steak with garlic, black pepper, and soy sauce. Grill steaks over charcoal until still mooing, and then slice thinly. Saute garlic and then add lime juice, sugar, fish sauce, black pepper, roasted rice powder, and the sliced beef. Served as make-your-own salad with butter lettuce, sliced cucumber, tomato, mint, cilantro, scallions, sliced shallots, and sliced long red chiles. Mrs. C made another batch of muhammara (roasted red bell pepper dip) and this one was even better - more heat, and plenty of sumac. Served with toasted, buttered naan.

Mrs. C had muhammara (roasted red bell pepper and walnut dip) at a restaurant and recreated it at home. Toasted naan to go with. Delicious! More jambalaya fried rice, this time with shrimp and extra chorizo. There is at least one more meal's worth in the refrigerator . . .

Jambalaya fried rice with seared shrimp, kimchee, habanero and Fresno chiles, garlic, and a rare double-yolked egg. Probably have something similar for dinner - Mrs. C made a lot of jambalaya (not that I'm complaining, mind you).