Norm Matthews

Korean beef bone soup is something I never understood even though my wife and MIL made it daily at our restaurant. To me it was just a weak broth that they used as a base for almost every kind of sauce and soup. I never paid much attention to it. I wasn't all that impressed with it. Fast forward a couple of decades and now my son is trying to tell me how his mom-who now lives in Las Vegas- makes it and I can’t get it through my head that you need to use beef bones. He keeps saying Ox bones and My brain keeps thinking OxTAILS. He says she washes them, boils them briefly then throws the water away(!) and starts over with fresh water. He must mean simmer, surely not BOIL. So recently there was a discussion here about homemade ramen with links to articles about Japanese and Korean soups and I finally got it. At the Asian Market the other day I bought a beef shank and a few pounds of beef bones and made the stock for him. I asked him if it tasted like it was supposed to and he said it was good. I froze most of it so he can make his kim che soup.

For supper today, I made beef bulgogi and grilled it outside, a Korean style spinach and a salad. At the Asian Market there was this bottle simply called Red Salad Dressing. I was hoping it would be like the kind we had at the Japanese Steak house but it wasn't. Maybe if I add ginger it will be closer. It was good anyway. We also had two kinds of kim che and rice

Bacon is on it's way. Perhaps several local bacon festivals will eventually go national . There is one in Eugene, Des Moines, Maryland and there is one in Kansas City too. http://baconfestkc.com/ http://www.kval.com/news/local/Bacon-Fest-celebrates-all-things-bacon-258041421.html Also bacon and bourbon seem to have become a popular party theme.

Leftover ham and pork made today's Cuban sandwiches.

Count me as one of those who don't think Cincinnati Chili is good. It is a yucky version of spaghetti and meat sauce. I do like very much the Greek style chili sauce for hot dogs though.

It may be easier to find during canning season in with the canning supplies. When I first moved back here to Kansas City two years ago in April I could not find any at first.

I already had this in the smoker yesterday when Charlie reminded me we had been invited to my nephew's house for a Bacon and Bourbon party. I took one slab to the party and the rest went in the refrigerator. This is a picture I took today to show what was in the smoker. The navy beans for Easter first became smoked baked beans then those leftovers became BBQ beans for the ribs and brisket. I used apple wood in the smoker. Ribs were finished in a spicy BBQ sauce that had a little pineapple flavored balsamic vinegar added. It is not good picture. The meats look kind of dry but they weren't. Slaw is store bought. For the Bacon and Bourbon party, Cassie made bacon and chocolate chip cookies and bacon wrapped asparagus with a bourbon sauce.

Thanks Patrick. I've sent a PM with the recipes if you are interested.

Making egg and ham salad out of leftover ham and left over ham and beans into smoked baked beans. Brisket is for tomorrow.

I don't know if there is any difference in results. I suppose there might be but as a rule, I use foil if I want to contain a mess and keep the cooking surface clean and use parchment when I want to bake on a non stick surface. I use parchment to line the bottom of cake pans and for baking dry goods like cookies. I oil the parchment on both sides for cakes, not for cookies and the like. They make non stick foil but I only bought one box and never got another.

I like your pork roast Steve Irby. Is that a shoulder (picnic) roast?

A popular bar food in South Dakota that is practically unknown elsewhere is Chislic. it is skewered and grilled or fried lamb kabobs. Here is a link to a recipe: http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/chislic-south-dakota-cubed-meat.html In Kansas City Kansas in the Strawberry Hill area, there is or was a neighborhood that is mostly Croatian. They, and Kansas City by association is known for Povitica bread. It is a sweet bread with a nut paste filling. Strawberry Hill Povitica makes non traditional fillings as well as the original walnut filling I grew up knowing. http://www.povitica.com/

Here is our Easter dinner. baked ham Povitica bread which is a tradition in the part of Kansas City where I grew up (Strawberry Hill) The rest of the meal was pretty traditional Southern style in memory of my mom: Greens, sweet potatoes, deviled eggs and not shown, cornbread muffins. Dessert was Pineapple Upside Down Cake with rum spiked whipped cream

As mentioned a few times before, it's used in dry seasoning blends. The only time I use it is for BBQ rubs and I use Spice Islands or Penzey's most of the time.

.99¢ here today.

Last week in the grocery store, I noticed Kikkoman is selling sriracha sauce.

Thank you Anna N. There was coconut milk in the chicken coating.

Dinner tonight was boneless, skinless, chicken thighs cooked Nonya Fried Chicken style. We also had rice, two kinds of kim che and a dipping sauce.

Kids had a date night tonight so I made dinner just for me tonight. They can have some for left overs tomorrow. I had a spinach salad with strawberries and black olives. Dressing was Framboise, olive oil, dry mustard and salt. I had rice, home made (in a mason jar) sauerkraut and pork loin stuffed with bacon and mushrooms.

Where do you work?

As others have suggested, Canning and Pickling salt is probably your best bet. It is 100% salt and dissolves quicker than kosher salt, is pretty inexpensive and comes in a 4 lb box. It is in grocery stores but sometimes it is stocked with canning jars instead of with other salt. Here is the kind I use.

I didn't take any pictures of dinner tonight but we had a celebratory steak dinner for my son. He has been away for a few days. The STEAK was rib eye cut rather thick and marinated for 4 hours in 1/2 C. packed brown sugar, 1/2 C. bourbon, 1/3 C. soy sauce, 1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar, 1 teaspoon Tabasco and 1 C. water. After 4 hours, I dried it, salted it and grilled it outside. Potatoes were washed, pierced with a fork four or five times, rubbed with oil, salted and baked at 375 for 1 hour and 20 minutes. Served with butter, sour cream, bacon bits, and fresh chopped chives. Cassie made sugar peas in the oven with cheese. She sauted some mushrooms too and brought a sparkling wine to serve with the meal. I made green beans but forgot to check on them until I smelled them burning. I saved as many as I could, cutting off the burned part. Charlie asked if I smoked them and said they were really good. Whew. for Dessert we had strawberry shortcake.

This was part of an article in today's Kansas City Star: "The problem centers in Mexico.....Bad weather and disease cut production earlier this year. Meanwhild drug cartels in the state of Michoacan are demanding extortion payments from lime growers and have taken control of a distribution center where they sell their limes, ...

I don't think David Chang serves uncooked country ham.

Country ham takes some time to make. After soaking it, boiling it and baking it, It is still to salty so I slice it and simmer it water the pan fry it. This extra step removes the 'too salty' effect. It is very different from city ham with a much more intense flavor. I don't do one every year but the extra trouble is worth it. Picnic hams have bones that make slicing a problem.