kayb

The recipes are not out of reach for an average, or even subpar, home cook. Simple ingredients, simple techniques. You'll love it. And it IS a great read.

Al Biernat's has a wonderful steak. They make a port/foie gras sauce that is to die for. Ate at Cafe Pacific a few years ago and had the best halibut I've ever had in my life. It was over roasted corn polenta. The waiter kept asking if he could take my plate, and I kept saying, "No," because I kept thinking if I waited a bit I could take just one...more...bite... Both are in Highland Park, a short Uber ride. I think it was 10 bucks last year; maybe not that much. You need reservations for Al's. Cafe Pacific, maybe, maybe not. Wouldn't hurt. Cafe Brazil (several locations, including one in Deep Ellum, adjacent to downtown and walkable) has marvelous coffee and a good breakfast, including some Brazilian dishes. I still order my coffee beans from there.

No, it's pretty unusual. And I've typically had good produce from this vendor. There's only one at the market I tend to stay away from, and his stuff is often just old.

Canteloupe and cottage cheese. Disappointing canteloupe, which aggravated me; got it at the farmers' market, and it should have been luscious this time of year. I may chunk the rest of the bowl. Just tasteless. Today was steel cut oats. Didn't photograph it. Just not photogenic.

No, you really probably shouldn't.

@Toliver -- Thanks. Snagged 'em both.

Popsicles were a buck and a half a throw when I bought them for the grandkids at the park a month ago. Point of interest -- popsicles work well during a break from playing on the splash pad; then you can send them back out there to get themselves rinsed off! ETA: Ice cream treats were higher; I think sandwiches were $2.

When I lived in Hot Springs, on the lake, there was an ice cream boat; a party barge fitted out with freezers. It would make the rounds of popular gathering spots in coves, etc., and would even come to private docks if summoned. I thought that was sheer brilliance. Always figured if I could get a license for a frozen dacquiri and margarita boat, I could make a killing.

I've had good success using sirloin, cut thinly across the grain. I cut it when it's semi-frozen to achieve the thinnest cuts.

When you've gotta get the hay in, you've gotta get the hay in. Been there, done it. The little country store that would dish you up a bologna sandwich in a hurry was our go-to. With a Coke and a bag of peanuts.

How odd. Most groceries carry white whole wheat down here. Didn't realize it was a rarity.

Ooooohh. Were those as good as they look?

And a fine delicacy I'm sure it was! I like boiled eggs with green peas. Don't see why they wouldn't combine well with Sloppy Joes.

You have come to the right place. Jump in! Share with us what you're eating and cooking! And welcome!

And you could always make fig newtons.

Two of 'em.

Awwwww...Isn't it CUTE???

Popcorn and an Almond Joy mini. And wine. I don't remember the last time I cooked dinner.

I love Charlie and will go hear him at any opportunity. If he's a PBJ fan, so much the better. Hope he's doing well...know he's getting on up there.

I will be following this with interest. Never thought about beef bacon, but if you can make duck pastrami...why not?

BLFGT. One of the South's finest inventions. I'm glad to see it go nationwide! ETA: The "insides" make a good salad, too -- bacon, lettuce, fried green tomatoes, some sort of creamy mayo-based dressing. To kick it up a notch, add ripe tomatoes as well, along with some corn kernels, and use fried okra for "croutons." Then you almost have the tomato salad from Hot and Hot Fish Club in Birmingham, which is a thing of beauty.

Y'all made me do it. Details on the Lunch thread.

Talk about getting the most out of 60 pounds of tomatoes -- I consider I've done that with this batch, though I'll think twice about trying to work through TWO boxes of tomatoes in one swoop. My kitchen, and stove, just aren't big enough. Just before the final water-bath last night was finished. The total: 17 pints, 11 quarts of tomatoes, 5 quarts, two pints of juice. Not shown, the four pints of roasted tomato-garlic sauce. On the other counter: The final quart of juice that didn't make it to the other side, the tomato-garlic sauce, and part of the 16 half-pints of tomato sauce made from the skins and cores. All that was left of the two boxes of tomatoes, less the waste I cut off in the form of bad spot, and the one or two tomatoes I just chunked completely. Learned this trick last year. You save your skins and cores (I had about 6 quarts) and simmer them for three or four hours. Then you hit them with your immersion blender, and run the resultant puree through the finest plate on the food mill. 16 half-pints of sauce. I started to toss the skins onto the compost heap, but remembered vaguely I'd heard something about using skins to make tomato powder. Thought, h'mmm. So i spread the skins, a thick paste at that point, out on parchment in the oven, set the oven on warm (170F) and I plan to leave them at least until bedtime, and possibly overnight. Once they dry out significantly, if they need further drying, I'll break them up into smaller pieces and stick them in the dehydrator for a day or two, until they're completely dry and crunchy throughout, and then run them through the food processor. It may not be worth a damn, but I thought it might be interesting on top of eggs, or maybe gratins, with some smoked paprika or otherwise added in. I will report. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. And all I've got to lose is a few hours of electricity.

Because sometimes you just need a burger and fries from your favorite burger joint at three in the afternoon when you've skipped lunch, and after talking about it on the Fast Food Burger thread, I was jonesing for a Presley's Drive-In Burger and fries. Poor photo, but... I confess a love for frozen crinkle-cut fries, when they're fried right. Presley's fries them right. Crispy outside, creamy in. Simple fixins on burger -- mustard, mayo, pickles. ETA: I love the diner melamine plates, too. You do get a throwaway styrofoam cup, so they can give you a to-go refill. Hit the spot.

We've got a 5 Guys; it's...OK. For a burger, there's an old diner/dairy bar I freqent; makes hellaciously good fries and onion rings, and the burgers are the good-quality thin patties with plenty of crust from the flattop. They toast buns on the flattop, as well. They have a drive-through, but the burgers and rings don't transport well; much better fresh, hot, eaten there. I find consistently when I travel, the local diner/dairy bar/cafe does a better burger than any fast food chain common to the South. In bigger cities, you may hit some regional chains with better burgers, but no In-n-Out and no Shake Shack here (well, there's a Shake Shack about 45 minutes away, but it's no kin to the chain, being one of the local diner/dairy bar combos, and it does, in fact, have a fine burger. I tried In-n-Out when I was in Arizona, and yes, it's pretty good.