pastameshugana

Something that is regrettably true about most of my kitchen escapades...

Thanks so much for all the input and thoughts. @Maison Rustique - no new medications lately (thankfully!) @Tropicalsenior - a shame! Now I feel kind of silly, because after all the handwringing over this, and trying to figure this out, I realized that there might be a simpler answer. Our iodized 'table' salt has been stored in a metal container all this time... some googling suggests that this could likely be adding the pronounced metallic taste I've been experiencing. This is good news for another reason: I despise that container and it's stupid-hard-to-open lid, so now I have a good excuse to buy a new one that I like! Fingers crossed that this solves the issue.

One of the things about heavy-handed rubs is that it always seemed to me they had the potential of limiting the smoke influence on the meat. I'm sure it's actually minimal when you consider the molecular sizes/etc., but one of those things that sticks in my head. On the other hand, I can't fathom the heavy BBQ basting that many do while smoking. In essence, you are now just smoking the sauce, rather than the meat. Or at least it sure seems that way.

I get the basic reasoning behind iodized table salt. I've never had a problem with it, really. Great for pasta water, or just kept in a dish for a quick salt addition when needed. I've also really enjoyed other salts over the years. Different sea salts, and while I certainly don't have a 'golden palate' there have been times when I've tasted salt that was definitely 'better' or 'worse' than others. However, recently, the iodized salt has started to really bother me, taste-wise. It's like I can suddenly taste 'it'. There's a distinct metallic tang that is really standing out to me that never has before. I've stopped using it when cooking almost universally, and on the table we've got sea salt in a grinder. It's weird because it's really sudden and pronounced. The other day my wife made pasta, and used sea salt in the sauce but the iodized in the pasta water, and I could taste it on the noodles. Has this ever happened to any of you? Am I becoming a salt snob? Am I destined to die of goiter because I can't stand the taste of iodized salt?

So, we had our 'Thanksgiving' early because the in-laws were in town (leaving today). Our big plans kept getting simpler as the schedule got fuller. Seeing the lions, family pictures, shopping, etc etc etc. So, on request, I re-made my 'not-shepherds-pie' from the dinner thread (with chicken and various veggies). Got a much better color on the top this time. I realized why we like this so much: It reminds me of the 'after thanksgiving' sandwiches we would make with all of the components of the meal between bread. For lunch today, I'll be putting this on bread with some cranberry/fig jam! Then Mrs Meshugana and her mom made some mini 'hand-pies', half were pumpkin, and the other half were blueberry/strawberry. Plus some homemade whipped cream. Those were outstanding. Some rolls and veggie sides. At most of the stores here you can buy fresh dough in a bag, you just refrigerate it until you're ready for it, then bake away. This batch was very yeasty, and tasted great with a real salty butter. Then, because we're in the Southern Hemisphere, the kids all jumped in the pool.

Given that salt isn't considered a spice, I vote that we include black pepper in the 'no spice' list. So, salt & pepper being a given in the pantry, I think I would have to say chilli (again in all it's forms and spellings, as @liuzhou said) would be the one I couldn't give up. You can get so many flavors depending on what and how you use it. But, I guess I'm technically breaking the rules by including black pepper. Although, I think if I had to choose only one (plus salt), it would still be chilli.

Both of these stuffed pumpkin ideas sound amazing. I'm pretty certain I'll be making some version of this. Especially since, here, as in most places outside of the US, pumpkin is nearly always a savory item, rather than sweet. Also @Rickbern's suggestion of springboek isn't a bad idea. It's certainly easy to find, as well as Wildebeest, Crocodile, & Zebra pate...

Thank you for all the great ideas to ponder!

I'm just curious to see what kinds of creative things people who both a) Celebrate Thanksgiving and, b) Don't want to make a turkey, come up with. We're in South Africa currently, and while I can find a turkey, it's a bit of a chore. And to be honest, I don't really love turkey all that much. It's just ... ok. We'll be having an early TG because family will be visiting, so I want to start to get a menu and a plan in place. There's obvious 'holiday mains' we can sub in, like a roast, a ham, etc.. Curious if anyone has any creative alternative ideas that might not be springing to my mind. I also wouldn't mind trying something completely different, like co-opting an entire meal - from mains to sides to desserts - from a different holiday or even a different culture to create a truly unique Thanksgiving meal. For us, everything is already upside down, as we celebrate what are traditionally fall & winter holidays in the summer, so changing the menu shouldn't be any more shocking than going for a swim after a Thanksgiving meal. Anyway, I'm open to creative ideas!

Ok, here's my question, but it comes from an experience: A week or so ago, while in an experimental mood, I thought it would be nice to try poaching chicken with milk. We had some thighs that needed to be used up, and I had been browsing some vaguely middle-eastern sounding recipes and thought I would create something. (Actually, I'm a huge fan of Ottolenghi's Jerusalem, but didn't have the ingredients to make one of my favorite recipe's, so I was just making stuff up.) What I think my first mistake was is taking the skin off the thighs. I reasoned that it would get 'squigly' and unappealing while poaching, so I removed it with the idea I would fry it separately and add crunchy bits back. The frying didn't turn out, so I had naked chicken. I added aromatics, salt & pepper, some seasoning to the milk, and poached low and slow until I got the internal temp where I wanted it. Removed the thighs and covered, then strained the milk and used it to cook the rice I was serving with the chicken. The results: the rice was really quite amazing. Had a velvety texture close to a risotto, but not quite. The interior of the chicken was also incredible. Really moist and pleasant. However, the outside-most of the chicken dried out pretty badly. I presume this was from off-steaming after I removed it from the poaching liquid. Also, the flavor imparted from the poaching liquid was negligible. I think I would have to both increase the amounts, and also do something like sweat or soften the onion/garlic, and maybe toast the spices before adding the milk to get more of that flavor into it. So - am I on a fool's errand? Is it worth pursuing the milk-poaching method further, any experience with this? As for the texture of the chicken: Would leaving the skin on have helped avoid the off-steaming and drying of the outermost layer? Any other words of wisdom to send my way?

I was craving Mexican, and the family was out again. When I get to cook on my own, it's very cathartic. I work from home, and it's a mostly 24/7 kind of job, so when I can get ahead enough to devote time to cooking it just feels good. Put on some Stevie Ray Vaughan and went to work! Had to cut 'tortillas' out of some 'wraps' from the store. Mrs. Meshugana is the tortilla maker in our house. The right size to cut was the lid from our sugar container: Melted some cheese and fried the shells in the cheese for something a little different: My wife absolutely loves elote, and we haven't had it in years. Boiled the cobs, stripped them, mixed with butter and a dab of plain yoghurt (in lieu of sour cream), some lime juice (and a wedge), and topped with chili powder and crumbled South African feta. Can't get cotija here, but this worked out well. The sweet corn, plus the sour and chili were perfect: Mexican rice from a random recipe on the internet. Turned out better than I was hoping, and my wife is a little bitter because she said it's better than hers (I disagree) and she's been doing it for years. The mince was pretty standard seasoning and some onion/garlic: And for dessert, I modified a fudge brownie box mix with: Dark Lindt chocolate pieces, cinnamon, and chili powder to make 'Mexican Hot Chocolate Brownies.' These were wonderful. The spices complimented it perfectly, and the little chunks of dark chocolate were lovely little surprises:

When I was a kid, the Entenmann's man came to our church (still does, just retired). There were always plenty of goodies to give out at the end of his route. The donuts weren't very nice, pretty plasticky, but my dad and me *loved* the danish twists and crumb coffee cakes. A quick glance at the website shows they are now owned by Bimbo, wonder how long that has been the case. But I also haven't seen one in ages, so distribution must be pretty small.

Norm, this looks (and sounds) great!

Lol

Alas, I figured as much. From my googling, it appears that to qualify it must, at bare minimum, be beef or lamb. Is that the main distinction? Also, is there a 'name' for a dish like this with chicken, or just 'chicken shepherd's pie'?