Norm Matthews

Last night we had Sofrito Shrimp, rice and a salad for dinner.

There were about half a dozen people inside. It was 3:30 pm Monday and we stopped for lunch on our way back from the airport. To the right of the picture of the wood yard is another tall pile of wood and there was a guy there with a pick up truck.

Its looking like i am going to have to get a new grill soon. Certainly before I try this. It does look good and I'd like to give it a try. I grilled some peppers the other day, then a few minutes later did a few more and they wouldn't burn like I wanted them to. a couple days later i grilled a steak for ten minutes per side and it nice marks on the outside, it was still 90% raw on the inside. I'm looking at a Broil King grill.

I also severed all ties with them after some persistence and instance on my part due to their aggressive marketing techniques. I even got some spam email from some of their underwriters. (they don't have "advertisers") They also made me mad at them for other reasons but I won't let this turn into a long rant.

When Cassie and Charlie got back from Las Vegas (visiting his relatives who had not yet met Cassie) they took me to a belated Father's Day dinner. We went to Woodyard BBQ. It is a place that sells wood to BBQ restaurants and individuals who enter contests or just want some wood for their own smokers or even for a fireplace. They have a lot of different kinds of wood but were running low today because of some upcoming competitions. The restaurant has been featured on TV shows by Anthony Bourdain, Andrew Zimmern and Guy Fieri. We got there on a week day between lunch and dinner so it wasn't busy. On weekends there is live music and lines out the door. Cassie had a smoked turkey sandwich, Charles, pulled pork and I had sausage with chili and cheese. Here are pictures from the back showing the wood yard and entrance. PS There was a sign saying they will custom make a smoker or grill to your specifications.

BakeWise and CookWise, both by Shirley Corriher

http://www.foodandwine.com/blogs/life-changing-lessons-jacques-pepin

Liuzhou your skewered lamb photo brought back pleasant memories of an old friend who dug a pond in his back yard, pushed all the dirt up in the middle to make an island then built a playground so he could entertain his friends. He always grilled lamb on skewers and had beer on tap. He called it shashlik. I sculpted some gargoyles for his castle.

I just got back from my second trip ever to Costco and saw they had USDA Prime whole brisket packets and they averaged about $15.00 less than I paid for Choice at McGonigles. I just finished lunch. It was some of that leftover pulled pork with bourbon BBQ sauce on a Brioche bun from Costco.

Whew. This was too much work. First I made the pulled pork in the smoker yesterday, then I roasted and peeled Anaheim peppers, stuffed them with the pulled pork which was simmered with a tomato, chili and onion sauce, then wrapped each one in tortillas and baked them with tomatillo sauce and topped with cheese. The original recipe used chicken but I wanted to use pork and that took an extra day. I hope they like it but not enough to ask for it again too soon.

I found this link informative. http://www.nigella.com/kitchen-queries/view/Using-Limes-Instead-Of-Lemons/2659 This is what I suspected about the main difference: ie sugar content for limes is a slightly higher (and since vitamin C is an acid, it's a little lower in acid too). This lime is slightly lower in vitamin C and slightly higher in natural sugars than lemons, making it a little sweeter than lemons.

I tried to hold mine at about 265º. It was only 3.5 lbs. It stalled after 5 1/2 hours at 180. Two hours later I took it out. It was reading 193º in some places and 185º in others. It could have stayed on longer but it started raining (again) and getting dark. It shredded OK but as I said, a little longer, say 195 or so would have been better. I only used salt, pepper, and a little garlic powder as a rub on mine. The enchilada sauces I plan to use today has the rest of the seasoning. Most of the time, I think two or three hours of smoke is sufficient with meat, but I have never used pellets. I hear they impart a lighter smoke flavor than a stick burner.

Mine took maddening long as well but I am making this for later too.

I saw a recipe for Chile Rellenos Chicken Enchiladas that I thought looked really good but then I thought it would be better with pulled pork instead of shredded chicken. I asked Cassie what she thought about it with Carnitas and she thought it would be better with plain pork in the slow cooker. I decided to put it in the smoker with just salt, pepper and garlic rub instead of anything BBQ tasting. Here is the pulled pork. I'll make the echiladas in a day or two.

Excuse me while I go sit on my front stoop with a bottle of bourbon to see if anyone complains. Kansas representatives are trying to raise taxes to meet a budget shortfall that they themselves created so I could argue that by buying the booze, I am doing my part to help out with the financial crisis.

Ah. The guy who gave me the recipe is from New Jersey so I'm confident that his reference was the same as your description.

I made the black beans that Pactrickamory mentioned recently and also got some T-bones out of the freezer and made Adobo steak Tacos with Pineapple salsa

The guy who gave me the recipe said it was the Greek style used back east on hot dogs. I have another friend formerly from Ohio who said it was like she remembers. I have tried it and we all like it. I have tried Cincinnati chili and do not like it at all. When I served it a couple times, no one in my family liked it. I have no explanation why he called it Greek style, I just passed on the recipe he gave me for hot dog chili and have tried it and think it is really a good combination.

My son's Korean grandmother made Kim Bob with hot dogs or Spam.

An internet friend from New Jersey sent me this recipe. I have tried it and we think it's really good on hot dogs. “Greek Style” Hamburger & Hot dog Chili Sauce 2- Tbs. Cooking Oil 1- Medium Size Onion ( *Chopped Fine ) 1- Clove Garlic minced finely. 1-½ Lb. Chopped Meat ( Ground Three Times if You Can Get It ) 1-½- Tbs. Cumin Powder 2- Tbs. Oregano Powder (alternate = Dried / & Ground in mortar and pestle ) ¼ -tsp. Cayenne Hot pepper 1- Tbs. Red Paprika (Hungarian Preferred) 2- Tbs. Chili Powder (* Not the Hot ) 1- Can Tomato Sauce ( 15 or 16 oz. size ) 3- Cups Water* ( L@@Ks like a lot, but needed ) Salt & Pepper to Taste …. ( *I use Kosher Salt ) Brown Meat in Oil..with Onions till browned. (Drain off Excess Fat) Add all the other ingredients ; Cook over low heat until thickened. ( I place it on a heat diffuser so the bottom won’t burn; even though it is on low flame.) * It takes a while to thicken, and patience is worth it with this recipe. ( Cheating, by adding less water is a No- No with this one) [Tried it, been there, and not a good idea] The flavors take time to meld and marry into the meat. Stir Frequently so as not to burn. Enjoy! ……..[ Recipe.. From Jim & Tina’s Kitchen ]"

After I got out of the Army, I was an art teacher in Junction City from 1969 until I retired about 11 or 12 years ago. One of the coaches retired and opened a commercial pig farm. Not long after that one of my best friends started roasting a hog once a year on his birthday. He stopped sometime in the late 80's when he realized that over half of the people at his party were strangers. His cooker was a 50 gallon drum cut in half, hinged and with grates and a stand welded on. He also made his own wine. He got me started in my interest in BBQ and I made some wine and beer back in those days too. I assisted him a couple times during the cook but not with the initial prep. Several years later, my neighbor asked me if I could do a pig for them. I said my smoker was not big enough for a pig but I could handle a piglet. It turned out good but the next year, they borrowed my smoker and did another piglet Korean style. It was delicious. All of those people are gone now but maybe my son can get his uncle to tell him how to do a Korean style pig someday. It was in Linsborg Ks, that Heritage Foods was started by a poultry farmer and heritage pigs were raised just north of where I lived... still are.

Trader Joe's is always the first one to have valencia oranges at this time of year. It's only for the summer months when I can get these oranges that I make and drink orange juice.

Here is a birthday cake my daughter-in-law made for a young person. I think the controller and game cartridges were made with rice crispy treats.

Thank you. Here is it after it was plated. Yes there were tomatoes on the counter too.

Dinner will be later but the entree and potatoes just came out of the oven: Meatloaf.