TicTac

Great looking meals …. Weather was great on Sunday so I fired up the Weber and threw a couple racks and some wings on. Dry rub. mix of Argentinian hardwood and cherry.

Thanks for taking the time to share your terrific travels with us! And since no one else mentioned it - under 5L/100km! That is impressive...clearly not flying at mach 1 down the Autobahn! 😛

'Soda' is certainly one of the larger contributing factors to many health issues in the United States. Unreal that people have still not caught on. Scary that governments still allow it. But then again, big pharma would not have it any other way! Only 'soda' I ever have these days (see; once or twice a year) is Ting or Brio - and the mood must really strike!

Morels are somewhat boring to begin with (my opinion - clearly), drying certainly does not help the poor shroom. Reconstituting in hot water, saving said liquid for a risotto, broth, sauce, etc is critical (most of the flavour ends up in there) - the resulting mushroom is somewhat worse for ware. Fresh morels are far superior. Does not do as well as say a porcini, when dried.

Love the idea of some bacon in the grind - bet it imparted a great smokey flavour and added fat for moisture!

Obviously the 'fat-less' part! The more fat, more flavour/moisture. Bring on the lard!!

Can you share more about the mushroom dish? Looks very interesting!

Yes - the Japanese fish monger that I get all my (to be consumed raw) fish from has it fairly regularly (I cannot get too adventurous due to the 'slowly' evolving palates of my kiddies - but they have some really cool and unique varieties of fish, will ask if I can take pics next time I am in store!).

As long as you don't mind sharing a bunk bed with your new sister....and hopefully you don't mind the top!

4 year old daughter requested sushi for her birthday dinner - who am I to say no to that?! King salmon belly (later seared for 10 seconds a side), king salmon and organic Scottish salmon - grilled kampachi collar, baby bok, tobiko - sauce added and mixed - fresh wasabi not pictured

OoOoh - fried oregano blossoms you say!? I must try those, as I have many in full flower mode. Thanks! The stuffed ones I coat in a slurry of cornstarch/rice flour. The ones sauteed with the queso fresco are nekkid. All flowers remain unadulterated - as you said, nice contrast in texture and very sweet in flavor!

Zucchini flower abundance this year (no complaints!) … stuffed with fresh ricotta, mozzarella, sliced prosciutto (Excuse the un-plated photo but it’s the best you’re going to get as these went straight to the mouth!) sauteed with a Mexican queso fresco and eaten with tacos

Good suggestion. Also Plantation Single Cask just dropped some new releases which are supposed to be excellent. @scubadoo97 - seems like you have access to a nice bourbon selection down in FL...seen the new Sam Houston 15 yet? Wish we could get that up here in Canada....damn LCkgBO!

Glass half full!

While I am not sure of Ann's favourite prep - I used to have a client in BC who ran a fishing outfit and would often ship me lovely packages of goodies. Halibut cheeks were often among them. They require but 3 simple ingredients - Butter. Salt. Lemon Juice. Enjoy!

Cook fixes that. Just like stinging nettle. I made a fantastic zucchini leaf/roasted potato soup with some frozen greens from last summer - they are also very good just as a side dish. I might try mixing some with ricotta/mozz and stuff the flowers with it.

Over watering is an issue - I have seen some white leaf mold/mildew forming due to far too much moisture lately. Not much to do about that. Get the small-mid size leaves and just sautee with some onion and/or garlic - they have a really nice flavour, almost nutty. Very healthy too.

Certainly a decent sized zucc.... I have been reading a lot about zucchini plants and their cousins. If you are having blossom end rot, chances are the female flower is not being fertilized. Lately I have taken to a fine paint brush, and playing matchmaker between my male and female flowers. Fruits are getting larger and larger - no issues. You can also remove the flower on the fruit after it has been fertilized and growth starts. Also, if you have yet to try - zucchini leaves are delicious!

Figs have to be in my top 5 favourite fruits - been getting some gorgeous organic black Greek figs this season...some were going south (I blame the plethora of other fruit now available) so I made a fig and vanilla bean jam.

Finally. some pizza was also consumed but who cares about pizza when you have stuffed, tempura’d flowers! followed by a gift from a lovely elderly neighbour

That waterfall.....!!!! Just gorgeous. I would have packed a picnic and spent the day at that last one. Magical.

Agreed. No sense at all. You can also see the flesh start to deteriorate around the edges towards the end of the video.

@rotuts - I seal it during the thaw process. I have made the mistake (through experimentation) of thawing unsealed in the fridge, and the fish tends to dry out too much and certainly will absorb any odors in the fridge as well. At the Japanese restaurant he has these fancy boxes from Japan that he lines with paper towel and places the fish in, and then puts the lid on, then back in the fridge it goes. I try to emulate that as best I can (sans the $400 hand crafted Japanese boxes).

I was taught by a sushi master years back that water is raw fish's enemy. It deteriorates the flesh resulting in your experienced mushy texture. I would remove from packaging, place on a plate with a paper towel on it (again, moving moisture during thawing away from the fish - another thing he taught me - which you can change once or twice) and then seal it up, either putting a bowl on top, plastic wrap (if I go this route, I ensure to avoid it touching the flesh - my plastic(s) neurosis) in the fridge for a day. Nice selection, looks like you are going to have some fun.

I have had them raw both after purchased live and prepared at home and at a local sushi place. Like most shrimp they are fairly mild in flavor and if fresh are best enjoyed with basic accompaniments. My preference is to grill them at a really high heat, preferably on charcoal and finish with salt and some good olive oil, perhaps lemon. Deep fry the heads and eat the whole thing.