snowangel

First up, breakfast. Blueberry pancakes with blueberries we picked at the cabin last summer. We have found a new blueberry hill that really produced last summer, and we got there at just the right time, so we came homw with ice cream pail full, which I stuck in the freezer. When I make pancakes or muffins, I just toss them in frozen. The pancake batter is buttermilk. Along with some breakfast sausage. This is the last of the stuff in the freezer, and comes from the Miltona Meat Market. They win awards for their sausages at the State Fair every year, and it is absolutely outstanding. Now that I've used up the last of it, I'll be making my own sausage. As you can see over on the Charcuterie topic, several of us have been bitten by the curing bug. You'll see some of my homemade bacon soon!

Way too late, I decided to do dessert. Once I saw the photos and recipe, I was bound and determined to make Ann_T's Silly Toffee Squares. I feared a disaster and I started out. I had a "bit of" burning on the bottom of the pan when I was doing the filling, but that was OK. I don't think there are supposed to be bits of burnt caramel in the filling, but I'm determined to forge ahead. I forgot to take a picture of the "crust" which went together like a dream. Topped and ready for the fridge: So, a few minutes ago, Peter and the buddy he has over for a sleepover demanded a taste. They weren't chilled enough to cut cleanly, but, the boys and I were ready At this state, these things are absolutely terrific, and I'm not a sweet eater. Dulche/caramely meets crispy and very slightly chocolatey. We will sleep well tonight! I will report on this most worthy dessert again tomorrow after they've firmed up, but cutting just a bit too early is not a bad thing! Now, does anyone want to tell me what to do with the pan in which I cooked the filling? The scotchbrite didn't touch it, and Bar Keepers doesn't seem particularly effective. I should have used a much heavier pan, but given the amount of ingrdients n the filling, this seemed lie the right sized pan. I could just flat toss the pan, but it was my great grandmother's..... Dear readers, ponder these treats and my pan. It's been a long day and I am off to sleep, perchance to dream...since the masses will want food in the morning!

As I drove home from the plant sale this afternoon in a driving rainstorm and horrid traffic, I thought. Perhaps I should just pull some spaghetti sauce and a loaf of heat and eat out of the freezer? But, no, I went with the plans. Satay. The harbinger was the kids calling me on the cell phone every five minutes (a cell phone which is new and I can hardly figure out how to answer) to whine about each other). Ah, rain. It brings out the worst of us here in Minnesota who expect May to be beautiful and wonderful. So, I got home, and after I got busy and got the satay in the marinade and in the fridge, I got busy on the cuke and shallot salad (with zucchini instead of cuke, because I was going to be damned before I got behind the wheel of the car again). The mis: This is a really simple, really wonderful salad/condiment. Water, sugar, vinegar, salt. Boil, cool. Add shallots, cukes, peppers ( I normally use Thai birds, but the radio, as I was driving home reported a major accident on the route that would take me by the Asian market I intended to get to, so I used jalapenos). It is a much prettier salad with cukes and red birds, but the zucchini worked far better than I thought and I wished I made about 5x as much as I did. Then, I got the mis ready for the peanut sauce The recipe I riffed calls for salt, but I opted for fish sauce (Tiparos brand, not pictured). Basically simmer some coconut milk with some curry paste (I toned it down for Peter and his friend), add a smidge of sugar (which I eliminated because Skippy has sugar added), the PB, fish sauce. This stuff is deceptive. It looks so runny in the pan, but a bit of cooking and cooling thickens it up. So, we waited and waited for the rain to disappate enough for me to start the chimney. Diana and I skewered the strips of chicken, and waited. We finally fired up the broiler. Lo to begin with to make sure the meat was cooked (rare chicken is a sure puke for me), then to high. Satay nees to be grilled. The flavor was good, but there was just that something missing. Since I didn't have that option, I should have broiled these on a rack, but I didn't, and it wouldn't have made them like they should have been. Next time, intuitioon. And, as the rain persisted, and I looked at tomorrow, I didn't trust leaving them in marinade until Sunday or Monday nights. My kitchen karma seems to be on hiatus.

My, but we've been busy! Give me a few minutes to download some pictures. I've been coping with disaster after disaster. As happens to me during every blog.

I hate trash. I hate having to pitch stuff that you shouldn't have to use in the first place. Those plastic bags at the grocery for produce? I rinse them, let they dry and take them back to the store to reuse. Again and again and again. My kids hate going to the grocery with me, as I come armed with bags -- plastic and paper -- that have been used. I recycle as much as possible, but much prefer reuse to recycling. That's one reason I spend a lot more money for the milk in the glass jars. OK, off my soapbox. Back to dinner. It's raining. Radar indicates it's going to really lighten up soon, so I'm holding out for grilling my satay. I'd hate to have to resort to the broiler

What an afternoon. The plant sale was great (more on it later this evening), but traffic on the way home was awful. I had forgotten until I was stuck on the freeway that not only was it raining, but it's The Opener. Bumper to bumper, tons of boats, trailers and RV's. I really should have taken the back streets... So, by the time I got home, I had to get busy on dinner. I'm doing chicken satay, which is a favorite of my kids. It takes a really long time to bone a dozen chicken thighs. For some reason, I find myself simply unable to buy boneless skinless chicken pieces. They are often very expensive, and if you don't have leftover bones, how do you make stock? I have carefully saved all of the fat and skin (a project for tomorrow or Sunday that you'll see!), and put the bones in a bag. Mis for the marinade: All mixed up: Ready for the fridge I use a plate on top instead of plastic wrap. I have a real trash fetish. Ask if you want! Now to fix a peanut sauce. I'm also going to do that cuke/shallot in vinegar and sugar, but I don't have any cukes. Does anyone know if zucchini would be awful?

Marlene, I think Chris should weigh in on this one for you because as I recall, his cracked butt was a tidge over 8 pounds and was also boneless. He could weigh in on whether you should tie it so we don't see your butt crack!

Sounds like you need an ice cream maker! I'm in the middle of laundry. You think you have laundry, Marlene, we're a family of 5! That equates to 70 socks per week. I'm still thiinking about dinner. Hmmm. Dessert. We rarely have dessert. Perhaps Diana and I should make something this afternoon when I get back from the plant sale. This is the plant sale I'm going to. It it huge and occupies the entire floor of the grandstand at the State Fair. I've learned not to go first thing on opening day because of the long lines stretching outside, and the last day is awful -- the stuff is half price, all banged up and in total disarray. I'm meeting a friend, and we will not be browsing. We've reviewed the catalogue carefully and are on a mission. I don't think I'll brine this butt. My fridge is just jammed and I had a hard enough time getting the butt in there.

A repeat of last nights dessert for breakfast -- lamb rendang! I think a leftover curry is just about my favorite breakfast. Whenever I make a Thai curry, I always make twice as much as we'll eat for dinner just so I have plenty for breakfast. It continues to drizzle and is only about 40 degrees here. Yuck. Mike, that bologna is interesting. What we associate with balogna here is a very finely ground sausage and very bland. What kind of seasonings is typically found in Lebanon bologna? It doesn't appear to be smoked, just cured? That mustard looks mighty fine, too. I'll have to add it to the list of things to look for here -- I love mustard.

It's raining here today. And, it is cold. I'm prepping myself for the day with coffee, and once the kids get out the door, I'll contemplate some breakfast. I'm also meeting some friends this afternoon at an awesome plant sale.

So, a busy mother deserves some dessert once things are quiet and the kids and nestled in, right? But, I don't do many sweets. It has nothing to do with health and all about taste. I could have had chocolate, or ice cream, or berries. But, there was that leftover lamb rendang. It won out. Reheated in one of a massive set of custard cups (two sizes, small and large) from my great aunt Laura. I did reheat in the nuker. I've discovered that reheating stewy meats works well on the defrost cycle. Just run it for longer. I'm off to bed. I wonder what the mix of spicy and Crest basic plain mint paste will be like?

Oy, would the boys have fun with this one! I only have great and easy access to bone-in, skin-on butts because I've plied my butcher with the result.

Imagine you're a 10-year old boy, sitting around with a friend: Kid: "Mom, what are you doing?" Mom: "Getting my butt out of the freezer." Boys dissolve in laughter. One boy asks mine, "Why is your mom getting her butt out of the freezer?" My boy: "Because she's going to smoke it." More laughter. My boy: "And, then she's going to pull it." Then, my boy (Peter) proceeds to tell the other boy about Chris's butt crack. By now, the boys are almost sick with laughing and the tears are running down their eyes. When they can finally contain themselves, the other boy (Michael) declares "Peter, you have the coolest mom." Anyway, I've pulled my butt from the freezer. It is a hair over 9 pounds, and was $.89/lb! I would have preferred one a little bigger, but my butcher knows that I want the fattiest one! My butcher knows and loves me. I made friends with him shortly after we moved. I asked for a nice fatty bone-in butt, and was sold one. A stopped by the following Monday with a plate of smoked butt, some sauce and buns for the guys in the meat department. They've never forgotten me. They are very, very good to me.

Shit. I just got the butt out of the freezer. It's going into the back garage tonight to thaw so I can brine the thing and smoke on Saturday. Either Paul fixes the vent problem on the Trusty Old Kettle or we buy a nw one as soon as the stores open on Saturday morning and hope for an easy and problem-free assmebly. The pizza thing. Doesn't help that we had almost gale force winds, plus by vent trouble. But, we would do this again in a minute!

This was not a smooth and seamless project. I'm sure glad I made twice as much pizza dough as I thought. I thought I'd be freezing some. I won't be freezing anything. My first four dough "rounds" were way too thin, so this was the result: Charred holes. Oh, well, I had more dough, and a nice hot fire. So, back to the other dough balls. Thankfully, things had gotten busy enough that they were still on the counter under a Monday day-of-the-week dishtowel (wash day according to the towel). But, before I even thought about putting a dough round on the grill, I got a half-sheet pan ready with the "mis" to set on the deck. Oh, wait. Even before I did that, I had to open a can of one of my most frequently used kitchen staples: (sorry for photo quality. Peter was practicing with the camera). I run thorugh two cans of these salt packed anchovies per year. Back to the "mis" Paul and Peter are commercial pizza sauce fans, Diana and I crused Italian tomatoes. The moz was from a block I bought at Costco (not the fresh stuff, which is usually too watery. More on that later.) Back to the dough. I did not really have dough rounds. I had dough amoebae. Cooking: Those odd little things are my ramps. I trimmed the tops off this time before grilling. Diana's pizza (crushed tomatoes, mozz and basil): My pizza: Diana didn't get the cheese on my pizza before I got the anchovies and ramps on, and got on way too much cheese. The bottom of my pizza: My thoughts: Marlene, you were absolutely right to remove the crusts to top them. That was a big problem. Crust thickness. Everything I had read stressed thinness of the crust. I know you don't want it too thick, but windowpane thin is way too thin. Paul had better fix my Kettle tomorrow or buy me a new one. Not having the ability to totally shut down the bottom vents is a huge problem, and if it's not fixed by Saturday morning, I'm not smoking a butt. The top vents, feh. But, those bottom vents are the key. I just flat couldn't keep the temp and fire down enough. Things I would do differently: Make sure I could close the bottom vents. Grate the cheese more finely. But, Marlene, I, too, had a fab teen moment. She was with me every moment of the way, and when my too thin crust was clearly a problem, had suggestions to make and just flat got to work. We had fun, and Diana wants me to get off the computer so we can talk about our next pizza grilling experience. Oh, other lesson. Don't try something that has potential to be this tricky after a huge lunch and a half a bottle of wine!

Mike, as I upload, I look at your dishwasher. Is it a KA? If so, I think it's the same one I have! Uploading photos and you'll soon see and hear about my trials and tribulations!

Grill lit, preps ready. The fact that my grill is on the deck (read other side of the house) is making this a lot of work. No, Mike, don't grill in the garage. We grilled NY strips in the garage once, and my car smelled like stinky steak (and don't get me wrong -- I love the smell of a grilling steak) for the rest of the winter. And, although I've never done it, I don't think that sleeping in the garage is a good idea. BTW, Mike, I have had a disaster during every blog. There was the basement flood. There was the camera that died. I think during one I also had a really sick kid. Takeout is a good idea, as is bacon and eggs, pancakes, or waffles. Or, just grazing and snuggling on the couch (or in the storm cellar!).

Grill lit. We just listened to the weather report. The "S" word was mentioned. Yikes!

I'm still on for grilling. I'm assuming that I should grill the ramps before topping the pizza with them. Saute the pepperoni ahead of time? Wish me luck. I'm going to need it. I'm normally so confident about new ventures, but this one...oh, well. Fingers crossed!

Eating machine number 1 (Diana) just arrived home. The four leftover satay skewers are gone, as is some of the rengang and some of the noodles. Better hide the rest of the leftovers or I'm not going to have breakfast in the morning! Mizducky, we did not make an Asian market run. Nor did we hit Penzey's. We lingered long over lunch and the bottle of wine...

I just love having lunch with my friend Sue. We both noted that when we lunch with other friends, they are all over the small salad and sparkling water. Not us too. We figure that a bottle of wine is called for, and we eat with gusto. So, when she suggested we lunch at Peninsula, I bit. I've heard nothing but raves about this new Malaysian restaurant. They also have some Thai dishes on the menu, which is not surprising, given that the two cuisines have had quite a bit of influence on each other. So, ate we did. I also have a lot of leftovers, so great breakfast and lunch tomorrow (plus some dessert for after dinner -- I'd rather have savory dessert). We had satay, lamb rendang, roti (filled with egg, onion and green chilis served with the curry sauce you see in the little bowl -- curry, potatoes and chicken), kway tio with charred shrimp and squid, and spicy salty tofu. Everything was outstanding, although the rendang, tofu and kway teo made the roti pale in comparion. The kway teo was much different than the Thai style to which I am accustomed. The Thai style has wider noodies, served in a gravy with a lot of vegetables. This was more of a dry fry, and was quite spicy. But, the dish that stood out was the tofu. It was crispy and very hot-spicy and served on a bed of sauteed peppers (bell) and onions. In the photo above, I've cut the cube open and you can see how creamy the tofu is. The tofu is house made and exquisite. Were I to choose a dish of the year, this would be it, hands down. The stuff dreams are made of. We waddled out and I made my first trip in over two decades to Hennepiin Lake Liquors. Sue had raved about their wine collection, and she was right. The staff is beyond helpful and the prices are great. I don't know squat about wine, other than what I like. They don't take plastic (checks or cash and I'd forgotten my check book), so I only got two bottles. Now, after a ton of food and half a bottle of wine, I really want a nap, but it's off to make pizza dough and do something to make me hungry for dinner! Edited to replace photo.

Only Paul and I like burgers that rare, and since he wasn't home until quite late, it was mine! The kids like them medium rare, too, so my burger went on last. With things like burgers, I find a timer to be an essential piece of grilling equipment. And, to all, I've done the peanut butter burgers before. I don't like peanut butter and I loved them. It's cloudy here, and the chance of rain is getting lower, so I'm going attack the weeds that didn't shrivel up. And, it seems cold (only 42 degrees F), so it's a sweatshirt day. And, I'm meeting a friend for lunch today on Eat Street, an area of South Minneapolis that has tons of international eateries. I'm going to try and work in a trip to what is supposedly one of the best Asian markets in town (just down the street from the restaurant) and if I've got time, a Penzey's run.

Abra, when I looked at those two lonely spears on my plate, I whacked my forehead with my hand and wondered what I was thinking. I, too, could have eaten a pound. Yes, you are right. Back fat. Why I didn't break it up into smaller pieces when I froze it, I'll never know. I'm figuring that if I'm making sausages, the texture will not be compromised if I can thaw it enough to pry off what I want and re-freeze it. Thoughts on this?

Marlene's recipe for peanut butter burgers can be found right here. The only caveat is that the meat needs to be mixed and pattied and fridged before grilling, which were not in the plans in our house tonight!

Guessing game. What's in the plasic bag next to the egg carton?