Norm Matthews

That sounds nice. When I first moved back to Kansas City, there were two grocery stores that carried meaty ham hocks but in the last several years, they carry something they call pork hocks. They might have come from a pig but they were not ham and they were all bone, skin and gristle. Maybe they have one bite of meat. The guys behind the meat counter pointed to them when I asked if they had ham hocks. They said what they had were the same thing. I said if you ordered a ham sandwich and they bring you a pork sandwich, I think you would be able to tell the difference. Lately one of the stores have big meaty ham shanks but these were tough and chewy and had some gristle. They tasted like country ham cured ( instead of "city" hams) which also made them really salty.

Navy beans, ham shanks and collards. I am about to give up on finding good ham shanks or hocks anymore.

Last month, a store here had whole briskets for sale @ 5.99/ lb. I got one to cut it into 5 smaller roasts and put them in the freezer. Today one of them was our dinner. It was braised in beer with root vegetables. I forgot to take a picture of it before we ate. These are leftovers.

Grilled some Kalbi found in the freezer. The hot dog was in case we ate all the ribs and were still hungry. We didn't eat all the ribs. We had two kinds of kimchi and rice to go with it.

I was wanting to make some corn chowder. My mom made some that was really good. The recipe used a can of creamed corn but I prefer make it with whole kernel corn instead of what comes in a can. It also had bacon and potatoes and I added some ham to make it more of a meal.

I rarely buy ready-made soup. Seems like no one can make a good commercial soup. I thought a gumbo frozen in a boil-in bag might be different. When I put it on the table, Charlie took two bites and knew I didn't make it. I think I once read where someone said - If you are served a bowl of gumbo and it has rice in it, it isn't gumbo. Gumbo is served with rice but it isn't supposed to have been cooked with rice.

I don't remember ever hearing about German Meatballs so I had to try this recipe when I saw it. It is 2 parts beef and 1 part pork and was simmered with sauerkraut.

Several years ago, Charlie, Cassie and I were at a restaurant and she ordered Whisky Marinated Steak. She gave us each a bite and it was good. I had never thought it was a good idea to marinate a good steak before. A while later, I tried it at home and Cassie said it was very close. Today I tried it a second time. I also did Pioneer Woman's twice baked potato. She kept apologizing for how much butter, sour cream and cheese she added, but I kept thinking it wasn't enough, especially the cheese. The salad dressing was the China Coast recipe.

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.