Norm Matthews

Lasagna tonight. Charlie said it was really good but I wasn't too impressed.

The oven in the stove when we moved in was not working. I replaced it with an electric flat top stove. Within three years the front burners were not working. One would be turned on high and as soon as the pan got hot, I'd turn it down but when I came back in a couple of minutes, it was still on high. It wouldn't work on any setting except high. The other one would never get hot enough to boil water. When I was looking for another one, I mentioned that it was too bad it costs more to run a gas line to the kitchen than would the stove. He told me that gas lines could be installed for gas stoves and fire places at a fraction of the cost they once did. That was the best news. I had the gas stove put in about a month later. It has been working just fine for nearly 7 years now..

Thanks. That is a vintage phone that has a real bell. Sounds loud enough to startle the cat. It had to be modified to be able to ring with lower voltage electronic ringers used now. It still works but isn't connected anymore. It is there to cover up the wall plug but it will always stay.

In a couple of weeks I will have been in this house for 10 years. I thought it would be fun to see how the kitchen has changed over that time. There are a lot of pictures. Maybe I should do one part of the kitchen at a time. So the first picture will be of a part of the room as it looked just before or just after I moved in.The next one will be after a year or two, then some time later and the last on taken today.

@liuzhou Is very correct. Rijoa Reserva are generally chosen from the best vintages and grapes rich enough to support being aged in oak for at least a couple of years. What happens to them after they are bottled is unknown, but after bottled, generally, are expected to be drank after 3 to 5 years. Some factors that might make it too far gone after 20 years are being stored upright, in a room with fluctuating temperatures, exposed to sunlight for a period of time . PS Very few wines continue improve with that much age even in the best of conditions.

The recipe called for hazel nuts but there weren't any at the store so I settled for pecans instead.

I copied @Kim Shook recipe. I'll try it soon. I don't make pancakes or waffles very often and usually use (Formerly know as Aunt Jemima) brand. I usually have to throw it away because I use it so little, it passes its expiration date. Since it uses only added water, I can make small amounts but I know scratch made are considered better and this looks like a good one. PS: FWIW Bread flour has higher gluten content, Ideal for yeast breads. Lower gluten flours, like Southern type flours are better suited for use with baking soda/ powder as leavening. AP flour is a compromise between the other two kinds of flour. It works OK for either kind of baking but not as well suited for either kind.

It was a nice warm day when I decided to fire up the smoker and do some ribs but then it turned rainy and cold and stayed that way for the next few days. The forecast for today was only moderately cold and minimal rain so I went ahead with the plans. I thought I'd do pasta with mushrooms and nuts instead of potatoes but whimped out and did potatoes too. The cole slaw was the KFC copycat one that Charlie likes. The pasta sauce was made with creme fraiche

We had Buffalo Wing for dinner tonight.

I simmered my brisket for 3 1/2 hours the day before and refrigerated it in the water it cooked with. That way, when cold, it slices quite nicely and then is returned to the broth and reheated.

Often in the past, I have made Irish butter: it is butter, softened, then some Irish whiskey and sugar are whipped in.

Thanks. The white sauce is 1 cup sour cream, 2Tablespoons scallions, 6 Tablespoons horseradish and 1 Tablespoon chopped dill pickle.

WikiTree has an app that lets you check on other people to see if you are connected. It just recently expanded to go back more than 50 generations and yesterday they gave out some famous Irish people and their code numbers so anyone who as a tree on there can see if they have any connections. Turns our I am a 49th great grand nephew of St. Patrick. I guess eventually, if you go back far enough, everyone is related in some way. I always make my own corned beef brisket. It has to be brisket. Even though corned beef isn't Irish, Irish people who immigrated are associated with corned beef, probably because it was a cheap. The best thing about the next day is that there are going to be Rueben sandwiches. The only new thing on our menu this year are soda scones. They turned out really well and will become a regular.

We had steak and potato cakes with cheddar cheese mixed in. PS I will have to try @gfweb glazed potatoes soon.

It sure looks like they are trying to mimic KFC while being careful not to come close enough to get in trouble.

It was snowing this morning and forecast to go on all day so I went to the store before it got too bad. Pork chops looked like a good idea. I made stuffed potatoes and corn as well.The only thing different that usual was I tried some Kentucky Kernel seasoned flour instead or plain.

Here is a list of ingredients on the bottle of Chick-fil-A sauce. Charlie is always on the search for a good chicken sandwich and he always asks for extra sauce. He was very happy when it showed up in the store. Chick-fil-A was his favorite chicken sandwich until KFC came out with theirs. PS It looks to me that is just says: Mayonnaise, BBQ sauce, mustard, preservatives and adjust seasonings to taste.

I made a one pot dish of chicken thighs, cherry tomatoes, green beans, red onions, garlic, oregano and white wine.

No pictures but yesterday I saw Charlie eating a sandwich and thinking he had ordered it, I asked him what it was. He said he took left over chicken thigh, left over slaw and Chick-fil-a sauce and put them in a hamburger bun. He said it was good.

I don't know. I am not a big fan of mayonnaise based coleslaw and my son does not like any coleslaw except KFC. My impression is that the dressing has less mayo than most and possibly sweeter. Here is the list of ingredients and the directions are to mix them and refrigerate at least 4 hours. 1/2 C. mayo 1/4 c. milk 1/4 C. buttermilk 1/3 cup granulated sugar 1 tsp salt 1/4 tsp ground black pepper 1 and 1/2 tbsp white or apple cider vinegar 2 and 1/2 tbsp lemon juice 1 medium head of cabbage 1 medium carrot 1/4 medium yellow onion minced

The chicken was more crispy than usual.

I did a lot of frying today so that means I'll have to do a lot of cleaning up later. I made a copycat recipe for McD fries and a copycat recipe for KFC slaw. I came across an interesting recipe for fried chicken which is half peanut flour and the other half is Wondra. I used thighs, cut out the bone, butterflied, and trimmed off some of the skin. We liked it and there was no peanut taste that we could detect. The only slaw that Charlie likes is KFC and he said it was really good. I let the fries get a little browner that I should have.

I made a Tortellini soup with cheese tortellini, spinach, Italian sausage, beef broth and evaporated milk. A while back a friend gave me a recipe for grape salad and said it was a favorite. It was more of a dessert than a salad. It was good but it reminded me of something someone in the 1950's might take to a church social.

Ribeye steak was 3 for $20. and it was nice enough to cook outside. The steak recipe used a reduction baste of wine vinegar, soy sauce, fish sauce, sugar and garlic. We also had cracked potatoes and asparagus baked in cream, two cheeses and red pepper flakes.

dinner tonight was breaded pork chops with parm. cheese in Italian bread crumbs and a Southern milk gravy plus potato pancakes with sour cream and green beans.