C. sapidus

Went out for a rare fancy meal tonight at the newly-opened Wye Oak Tavern, the latest from the hometown celebrity chef Voltaggio brothers. Dessert looked good so we saved room by splitting several appetizers and sides. Apologies, but no food pics - my bad, the food was very visually appealing. The building dates to 1845, when the Visitation Academy was established, including a convent and girls' school. Like most churches in Frederick, it was converted to a hospital in 1862 after the Battle of Antietam. The convent closed in 2005, the Academy closed in 2016, and the Visitation Chapel was deconsecrated in 2024. We sat up on the mezzanine, near the pipe organ with a view to the bar. Drinks: Hat Trick for me (Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon, Spiced Rum, Urfa Chile-Infused Honey, Grapefruit, Lemon, Rosemary). St. Agrestis Phony Negroni for Mrs. C. Drinks were excellent. Fluke crudo: benne seed chili crunch, blood orange, salt and vinegar sweet potato chips. Fluke was sliced very thin, lots of flavor in the topping, and the thinnest and most delicate sweet potato chips I have ever seen. Maryland crab cake: shishito emulsion, blue corn tortilla, buttermilk lime crema. This was the highlight for me, with the sauce wonderfully complementing the gleaming hunks of jumbo lump crab Cheese ravioli: robiola bosina, black winter truffle, pecorino. Delicious Rigatoni: arrabbiata sauce, smoked parmesan, brown butter. Flavors grew nicely Savory pumpkin pie: honeynut squash, whipped ricotta, pumpkin seed pesto. Interesting - looked like it should be super sweet but it was not. Flavors were a bit muted, but the pumpkin seed pesto was Mrs. C's highlight. Young broccoli: broccoli chimichurri, crushed red pepper, crispy garlic. Very good Saved room for dessert: sticky toffee pudding. Worth it

We installed a Rev-A-Shelf pull-out trash can thingie 20 years ago, and it is holding up just fine. Yes, I realize this is only tangentially related to your question. Good luck!

Scrambled eggs with bay scallops, adapted from 'Zarela's Veracruz': Saute shallot and garlic, then add sliced jalapeno, pickled jalapeno, Kalamata olives, capers, crushed tomato, and cilantro with the scallops. When that is about cooked, scramble in the eggs. Spicy, with an interesting mix of pickly flavors.

One of our absolute favorite meals, especially with ripe summer tomatoes! Lunch concoction, lots of must-go's: Sequentially saute crumbled Mexican chorizo with cumin seed and sliced onion, jalapenos, bird chiles, and cabbage. Add a roasted chile Poblano and season with cayenne, pepper, fish sauce, and lemon juice. Yes, I was going for spicy. 😉 Toss in leftover salmon patties to warm, and top with feta. Sliced avocado to go with.

I have found bugs in dried Mexican chiles once or twice over many years. A spell in the freezer seemed to cure the problem. The only time we had a more widespread infestation was from fresh fruit stored ambient. But that was human error on our end.

Thai eggplant curry is one of my favorite things in the universe, but some dislike the texture. Or just cross-hatch a halved eggplant, stuff the cuts with fresh rosemary, garlic, and copious olive oil, and broil it under high heat. Delish. Anyway. Stir-fried shrimp with aromatic tomato-cream sauce: Stir-fry black mustard seeds until they pop, add garlic, and then stir-fry shrimp until partly done. Add a sauce of tomato paste, garam masala, cumin seed, cayenne, cilantro, minced jalapeno, bay leaves (sub for curry leaves), lemon juice, and coconut milk. Super easy. Stir-fried cabbage with fennel seeds: Stir-fry cumin seed, fennel seed, and sesame seeds, add sliced onion and stir-fry until browned, and then add sliced cabbage. Cook down the cabbage until browned, add cayenne, and finish with lemon juice and garam masala. A long-time favorite.

Dry-fried beef slivers: NY strip steak, de-stringed celery, ginger, and scallion whites, all cut into slivers. Stir-fry the beef until beginning to crisp, then mix in Shaoxing wine, Pixian dou ban jian, ginger, scallions, Sichuan peppercorns, and soy sauce. Finish with sesame oil off the heat. Lotsa flavor. Stir-fried rainbow chard with er jing tiao chiles, Sichuan peppercorns, and smashed garlic, also finished with sesame oil. Leftover rice to go with.

Let's call this "Mexican" fried rice: dinner leftovers (catfish, zucchini, and roasted chile Poblano in garlic-cilantro-lime sauce), plus chorizo, fish sauce, and an egg, topped with avocado.

Catfish al mojo de ajo con calabacitas: Garlic cloves sauteed and then blended with gelled chicken stock from a previous Mexican meal. Catfish fillets fried in the garlic-rich oil and then finished in the oven. Zucchini cubes, seared and then cooked down with roasted chile Poblano, the garlic sauce, and lots of cilantro. Lime wedges at the table. Arroz blanco: jasmine rice fried with white onion and garlic, and then steamed with chicken stock.

I remember HWOE. Welcome back!

Chorizo and feta omelet with sauteed shallot and garlic, topped with crema and Mexican oregano

Black bean chicken fried rice

Liuyang black bean chicken: marinate chicken thigh chunks with soy sauce and salt, and then fry twice until golden. Flavors include a whole head of garlic, sliced ginger, fermented black beans, shallots (sub for scallions), whiskey (sub for Shaoxing rice wine), red chili flakes, rice vinegar, and sesame oil. Jasmine rice to go with. Mrs. C made carrots in the air fryer with garlic and Parmesan. Mustgo cucumber salad.

Mrs. C said we had some cooked ground chicken in the fridge, so I volunteered to make keema. Did all the prep: chopped onions, ginger, garlic, chiles, and cilantro. Measured black cardamom, cinnamon stick, ground coriander, ground fenugreek seed, and garam masala. Opened a can of coconut milk. Went in the fridge to find . . . very little ground chicken. Sooo, dinner was keema-flavored spinach and peas. I did add some gelled chicken stock from making Mexican food last week. It all worked out.

Stir-fried chorizo with dry-fried shiitake mushrooms, long beans, and roasted chile Poblano. Shallot, garlic, ginger, serrano chiles, red Hatch chile powder, cumin, and garam masala for flavor, and a little yogurt to tame the heat. Classic Mexican stir-fry. 😉

Zucchini and Mexican chorizo with tomato, onion, garlic, chiles, cumin, and herbs. Fried plantains to go with.

Pollo en cacahuate (chicken in peanut sauce): First time making this, but it won't be the last (Mrs. C is a peanut sauce fiend). Sear chicken thighs and simmer in chicken stock. Saute white onion, garlic, canela, and allspice in the pan drippings. Blend with reserved stock and crushed tomato, and then simmer with the chicken. Next time I'll add some arbol chiles with the spices. Calabacitas picadas con elote y rajas (chopped zucchini with corn and roasted Poblano chile strips): Classic new world combo of squash, corn, tomato, and chiles, plus white onion, garlic, cilantro, and S&P. I cooked this in the pan where the chicken had been seared, which added extra flavor.

We had our big holiday bash in mid-December, so just the three of us (younger son is visiting). Keema matar and patiala pilaf from Julie Sahni's 'Classic Indian Cooking'. A friend from Pakistan dropped off a homemade dal, which fit perfectly with the meal. I forgot to take a picture of the fried onions topping the rice, which added a lot of flavor. Y'all will just have to use your imaginations.

We did our big holiday bash in mid-December, but younger son is visiting for a couple of days. Looking like matar paneer and patiala pilaf for Xmas dinner. I do not expect the leftover carnitas to last long.

Leftover carnitas with long beans and egg in leftover avocado-tomatillo salsa, topped with more avocado and fried plantain.

My most stressful kitchen mishap was a couple of days before leaving my first apartment. Work handed out gift cards for turkey so I decided to try making mole Poblano. I had the nut-thickened sauce simmering happily (or so I thought) on the back of the stove and went off to do other things. When I returned, the kitchen looked like a particularly gruesome murder scene. The sauce was so thick that every bubble sent rusty-brown mole everywhere. Visions of a lost security deposit started dancing in my head . . . Spent the next couple of days scrubbing down the kitchen. And yes, I got my security deposit back. And the mole was delicious.

Carnitas: pork butt simmered with white onion, garlic, pickled jalapeno, Mexican oregano, and water to cover. When the liquid simmers away, bake in a shallow pan with orange juice, orange zest, and Pepsi. Served with white corn tortillas and tomatillo salsa with diced avocado (forgot to add cilantro - whoops).

Paneer cheese, grated and scrambled with onion, tomato, chiles, cumin seed, cayenne, turmeric, and garam masala. First attempt from Madhur Jaffrey's 'World Vegetarian', a gift from a friend. The last of Mrs. C's tangy sourdough bread to go with

Roasted Poblano, corn, and Italian sausage soup, courtesy of Mrs. C

Huevos camarones with olives, capers, sliced serrano, pickled jalapeno, green beans, onion, tomato, mint, and basil