Norm Matthews

HMM. As a potter I have been using Titanium dioxide in glazes for decades. I had no idea it was edible. Live and learn.

The point someone was making about grading beef (if I understood it) was that there are a lot of different kinds of cattle available now and there was basically only one when the USDA grading system was established and the result today is a lot of all different kinds of beef being graded by only one standard. For instance, the grade of the whole cow is determined by the amount of fat in some particular rib (3rd or 4th?)in the cow

Time for smoking outside is getting short. I did a brisket in the smoker. I did all the smoking outside but when it came time to wrap it, it was getting late so I wrapped it and put it in the refrigerator and finished it in the oven today. Our local grocery chain, Hen House, has whole briskets for sale occasionally and when they do, their USDA Choice is only $45 to $60. That is about the same price for Prime brisket at Costco but the two times I got the Choice from Hen House, they turned out juicer and as tender as the Prime from Costco. I have heard mentioned that their Prime might be dairy cattle, IDK whether or not that makes a difference. I just thought I'd mention it and see if anyone cares to comment. The one I got for today had a funny shaped round end with a little piece sticking up. When it got done that piece looked burned but when I cut it off, it was not burned burned. It was blackened but just under the skin, it was moist and juicy. I imagine it was like Arthur Bryants original burnt ends. He'd trim off the blackened ends and put them out for free so people could nibble on them while waiting in line to order. People started asking other restaurants to put burnt ends on their menu. The restaurant owners knew there were never going to be enough burnt ends to have as a daily menu item so they came up with what Kansas City's burnt ends are today and not at all like Bryant's was 50 years ago. My smoker was 9 years old in June. It will probably last longer than I will.

I cooked some ribs in the smoker today.

Once or twice a year I come across a Country Fried Chicken that looks good. I am not a fan of the dish but Charlie is on a quest to find the perfect one. This was my latest attempt. Not pictured is some honeydew melon.

The chicken has some spicy elements but in my opinion, they were off-set with some sweet parts too. I am not a good judge of degrees of spicy as in hotness but I don't think it was.

This recipe was titled Korean Fried Chicken. It was different than any I'd seen before and a little easier. It was good.

I thought I'd try this recipe for Philly Cheese Steak sliders. Turns out they are good but the recipe is kind of fussy and Cheese Steak sandwiches can be messy to eat and these are messy. The buns stuck to the bottom of the pan and that made them hard to get out. I don't think I will make them again without some tweaks, like putting non stick foil on the inside.

This morning Charlie sent me a video showing someone making Korean street food. It was egg fried rice with shrimp. I found a recipe that had the same ingredients but for two, not twenty. He said it was really good but next time I will use the wok with the non-stick surface.

There was a recipe written by a Vietnamese lady for marinated and basted grilled chicken thighs that was inspired by a Chinese pork BBQ. Charlie really liked it and said he'd like to try it in a Bahn Mi sandwich.

I'd be glad to rent you a room or share left overs with you is if you were a neighbor.

Couldn't find anything interesting to make so settled on meatloaf and potato pancakes. Also had a pasta salad and baked beans.

I made a Chicken Paillard with a Mustard Beurre Blanc and a salad. I made the China Coast Teriyaki salad dressing so Charlie would eat it. He said it was funny that I made it because he was thinking he should start eating more vegetables. I added egg noodles.

This recipe that I tried today may be a Panda Express copycat. The chef who wrote it was Asian and said it was better than take-out. I don't remember if I ever ate at Panda Express. I probably did once or twice but I don't remember specifically if or when. Charlie still asks for the Game hen recipe at least a couple times a year.

Yes, you mix the two together, add the ingredients on both package directions and bake until done. It makes about twice as many as one package. Google yellow cake cornbread for several recipe directions.

Charlie is out with friends. I don't know if he will be home before dark. He will have leftovers tomorrow, I suppose. The older recipe was oven baked. It uses whole Cornish hens.

I have been making a chicken recipe with a honey and orange sauce since Charlie was little, so when I saw this one with orange, I wanted to try it. It is good but I have not decided yet if it like it better. It is batter fried and so a lot more effort to make it.

Charlie came home from his cousins house a while back and said Becky made it using one each of these and he said it was really good. I make it that way now from time to time.

PICADILLO INGREDIENTS 1 pound ground beef 2 heaping tablespoons sofrito 1/2 cup (4 ounces) canned tomato sauce 2 tablespoons Spanish olives, chopped 1 teaspoon adobo 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder Dash of dried oregano Salt and pepper to taste 1 medium potato, peeled and cubed small

Charlie asked for this yesterday. It took all morning to make Puerto Rican Empanadas from scratch but it is done and all I am going to do in the kitchen today.

I know this time of the year isn't suited to a lot of baking but I had just copied these recipes to try in the future and knew that if the future wasn't today, I'd probably never get around to trying them. They were Giada's Chicken Vesuvio, copy cat Olive Garden bread sticks and a Devil's Food Cake. I added pasta the the chicken because Charlie is not a fan of any potato that isn't fried.

For Gully: Covid birthday candle with a Devils Food cake.

I am guessing that England has many French food references since William de Normandie (The Conqueror) was from France and his French speaking court replaced the Saxon court. I always thought that is why the Saxon farm workers that produced the food had different names for the food than barons who ate the food.. ie cow, beef (boef), pig-pork (porc)_, deer-venison, chicken-poultry, etc.

These were the the ingredients but I didn't measure. I mixed them by eye and to taste. I used some brown sugar instead of white sugar. 1 tbsp [Sauce] Butter 1 tbsp [Sauce] Garlic, minced 1 tbsp [Sauce] Onion, minced 1 oz [Sauce] White mushroom, diced 0.25 cup [Sauce] Ketchup 2 tbsp [Sauce] Red wine 0.25 cup [Sauce] Fresh milk 1 tbsp [Sauce] Worcestershire Sauce 1 tsp [Sauce] Sugar 0.25 tsp [Sauce] Black pepper (to taste)

We had pork chops tonight.