kayb

Asiago cheese biscuits with bacon jam. And the online version of the morning papers.

Two dinners that I thought ought to have been better than they were. Pork chops in cherry balsamic glaze, roasted broccoli with pecans, and home fries. I overcooked the broccoli, and the cherry balsamic glaze was not as good as I thought it should be. Poule au pot. I could've used a bigger pot. I thought this wound up tasting bland; the sage and garlic came through, but the bacon did not. And when I first carved the chicken, it was still bloody around the leg joint, so I finished it in the oven, thus the crispy skin. Chicken was good; butternut squash were mushy; potatoes were just OK.

Shrimp and grits.

I love okonomiyaki, and like Weedy, agree you can't make it here like they make it in Japan. But yes, I can do a reasonable imitation. I like to use the little tiny salad shrimp in mine.

Yesterday: Smoked salmon quiche, with country breakfast sausage and bran muffins.

I love to use sweetened creme fraiche with fresh berries of any description. There's a dressing of mustard and honey, a little rice vinegar, and some vegetable oil that I like on a salad of fresh figs and grapes. I do a salad of cantaloupe chunks with diced fresh mozzarela with a dressing of lime juice and vegetable oil, then sprinkled with a little grated parm. I also like cider vinegar and sugar heated to dissolve the sugar, then mixed with some sour cream or Greek yogurt. A good homemade balsamic viniagrette is marvelous with watermelon or strawberries. I love fresh peaches with white balsamic vinegar and sugar.

I like russets, but I also like Yukon Golds. And I like to rub mine with oil before baking. Helps crisp up the skin, I find. Favorite toppers: Crumbled bacon and a soft-boiled egg; chili and cheese; shredded pot roast and gravy; diced ham and grated Swiss with a dab of good mustard.

My favorite New Orleans restaurant is Mr. B's Bistro on, I think, Royal. The shrimp and grits are just perfection, and the bartender does a mean Pimm's Cup.

Broncos fan as well, because I am a Tennessean and Peyton Manning is Da Man. Munchy stuff at my house for three or four of us. Beer candied bacon. Fingerling potatoes topped with cream cheese and caviar. A big loaf of rye bread with pastrami and cheese baked inside it, and maybe some red cabbage on the side. Something sweet, yet to be determined. Nobody gives a rat about the ballgame but me, but they'll all eat the goodies.

Patrick, I'm in northeastern Arkansas, about an hour northwest of Memphis, Tennessee. The chuck comes from a local farm; I bought a quarter of a steer last fall. It dressed out about 125 to 135 pounds for the quarter, and cost me a bit over $600. I considered it a pretty good buy. Well distributed among steaks (different cuts), roasts, ground beef, shank, oxtails, short ribs, and a nice piece of brisket that's destined for corned beef this St. Pat's Day. On the hoof, I believe it was Angus.

Dejah -- intrigued by the soy sauce chicken. Do you cook the bird whole in the crock pot? Was that the two hours on high you mentioned? If so, do you stand it on its head (or where its head would be), or do you have one of those oval cookers which allows it to be laid flat? And how do you finish the skin -- I am presuming in the oven to dry and crisp? I'd like to try this. Lovely meals, all! One night recently, as it had been positively frigid all day, I decided it was time to warm up with some carbonnades a la flamande. About a 3-pound chuck roast, cubed, salted peppered, browned. Braised in the oven with four thin-sliced yellow onions, some rosemary, and a bottle of Green Flash Double Stout. Served over creamy grits.

I've fought the weight loss battle most of my adult life -- gained and lost the same 20 pounds probably 20 different times. I've found there are some things I can do that help, although as I get older, I find diet change isn't enough to do it alone, and I have to accompany it with some physical exercise, which I ought to be doing anyway. That's probably a function of hormonal changes as well as the fact my lifestyle is more sedentary than it was, say, when I was chasing toddlers about 25 years or so ago. But the things I do when I need to get it under control, which usually work: 1. Get away from junk food. Not too hard to do, as I detest most fast food anyway (I will eat McDonald's hash browns, and love Sonic french toast sticks). But I have a weakness for candy and potato chips and the like, particularly on the road. I try to replace those with fruit and nuts; a handful of almonds is still high-calorie, but at least they're loaded with protein. 2. EAT BREAKFAST! It's usually cereal or yogurt with fruit and granola, but it sets a good tone for me throughout the day, and I won't be hungry as much during the day if I start out with breakfast. 3. Lots of veggies. It's much easier for me to lose weight in the summer, because there's an abundance of fresh vegetables and I love them. 4. Lay off or cut down on the booze. I tend to drink more than I ought; three glasses of wine can add significantly to your daily calorie count, and I should school myself to stop at two. Or one. Or not having one at all. I have celiac disease, so gluten is out for me, meaning a lot of carbs (pasta, bread) are out as well. And I don't care for many of the GF substitutes for bread and pasta. But I love a potato, and grits, so those become my subs for those starches; I just have to be careful and eat them in moderation.

Call me another vote for Wright's. Flavorful, fries up well, not too awfully salty. I also like Petit Jean Meats, a local Arkansas firm; their products are available from their website, here. Their peppered bacon is particularly good. Off topic, but they also make a "peppered beef," which would be pastrami anywhere else in the world, that is To Die For.

It's been my experience that the worst breakfast sausage from an artisan maker is better than the best mass market you can get. I buy mine from the farmer from whom I buy all my pork and chicken (beef comes from a different guy). He vac-packs his in roughly one-pound packages, so you have to make your own patties.

Been enjoying sandwiches of late, after finally discovering a gluten-free bread that's worth making one. But I broke out of that rut for a brunch cooked for a friend -- latkes topped with an over easy egg, accompanied by some cubes of tenderloin (left over from Christmas), and the whole topped with hollandaise. With a baked pear and bran muffins on the side.

Tonight: rouladen, navy beans and ham, potato skins. No photos; we were all starving and fell into it before I thought to take a pic. Chocolate cobbler with butter pecan ice cream for dessert.

dcarch, I'll add my admiration to the rest. Particularly intrigued with the ham and black eyed pea pate. Details? They're neat-looking little things. Question on sous viding and holding meat. How long does it take a good-sized piece of meat -- say 4-6 pounds -- to come back up to temp in the water bath?

If I'm cooking with it -- Green Flash Double Stout. If I'm drinking it -- Boulevard's Long Strange Trippel. Yuengling Lager is also marvelous. I bootleg it on a regular basis.

Last night: Leftover blackeyed peas and jail slaw from New Year's, along with sweet potato and pulled pork barbecue hash. A favorite stand-by for a quick meal, as there's a good bbq joint less than a quarter-mile from my house.

New Year's Day breakfast was oeufs en cocotte, baked in a ramekin atop a layer of cheese grits, with the added attraction of some bacon jam dabbed around the egg yolk. Not terrifically photogenic, but awfully good.

I use my kitchen scissors when I'm chiffonading basil, but for chopping other herbs, I go with one of these that, in fact, a friend brought me as a souvenir from Alaska. It's called an ulu knife, and apparently was designed for the Inuit to scrape blubber out of whale hides. The blade is about 4 inches across, and it rolls through herbs nicely.

Beer candied bacon, and small potatoes, boiled, topped wit creme fraiche and caviar. Yes, it's cheap caviar. To my knowledge, it's the only kind you can get here in mid-America.

To find something I can make and take with me to keep me from eating junk food when I'm on the road.

No photo, but carbonnades a la flamande for 12 at a friend's house. In a departure from tradition, served over cream cheese grits as opposed to egg noodles. I would note that Green Flash Double Stout makes the best carbonnades a la flamande EVAH.

Back before I had to go gluten-free, I made a soft, white loaf that made just sublime toast. With butter and jam...or apple butter....yum. Gluten-free breads I've found are generally pretty worthless. However, I've found a brand call Rudi's, which at least bears a slight resemblance to ... real bread. The multi-grain is slightly sweet, and good for breakfast. The "Ezekiel" loaf is more savory, and makes great sandwiches. One with Broadbent country ham and Fontina is on my menu today.