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cyalexa

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Posts posted by cyalexa

  1. Went out on my property and picked some Sand Hill plums this morning.

     

    Going to try my hand at making some jelly later.  

     

     

    I have those at my place too. I don't make anything with them but do keep a bowl on the counter for snacking on like cherries. This year however, almost every fruit has insect damage and they are too small and too juicy to eat around the damage. 

    • Like 2
  2. We got 2 inches of rain last night. As a result, this morning was perfect for yanking bermuda grass out of the herb garden. I filled two 5 gallon buckets (packed!) and could have gotten a little more except I ran out of steam.  Fortunately, the deer seem to prefer my husband's hostas to my garden. 

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  3. Scottish strong ale from Oskar Blues Brewery. I had this at a restaurant in Nashville and really enjoyed it.  According to their website it is not available in OK but is available in the Wichita area. Fortunately, I'm visiting a friend in Manhattan KS in a couple weeks and will go through Wichita! From their website: brewed with bodacious amounts of malted barley and specialty grains, and a dash of beechwood-smoked malt. Old Chub features semi-sweet flavors of cocoa and coffee, and a wee-bit of smoke. A head-turning treat for malt heads and folks who think they don’t dig dark beer.
     
     

     

     

    IMG_20150629_121506_640.jpg

    • Like 1
  4. I forgot to mention it, but Significant Eater and I did a road trip to Nashville/Knoxville last summer. Enjoyed some good food, especially at Husk.

     

    Nashville Skyline

    I also enjoyed Husk when I was there a couple years ago. My Nashville to-try list is pretty long to go to a place a second time, unless it is someone else's choice. I'm gong to be in Nashville again in September and will be sure to check your blog first. I'm hoping to go to Catbird Seat.

     

    I forgot to mention Olive & Sinclair Chocolates. The samples were so good I ended up with a case (12 bars) of their artisan stone-ground chocolate bars: 

     

    4 cinnamon and chili - these were my favorite

    2 coffee bean - haven't tried these yet but the combo is one I generally enjoy

    4 salt & pepper buttermilk white - sounds weird but these are great, I don't generally care for white chocolate but these were so unusual and delicious I got a couple for me and a couple for gifts

    2 sea salt dark chocolate

    • Like 1
  5. Just returned from 6 days in Nashville. Hattie B's Hot Chicken lived up to its hype. Absolutely loved it! I had the mild but will order the medium if I go again. The Merchant was good but not great. The biggest disappointment was the fried green tomatoes. The tomato slices were too thin and the coating was too thick. Sadly, the remaining meals were at chains as I was with people for whom food is not the most important thing about a vacation (can you imagine?). 

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  6. cyalexa, how tasty are the Fig & Olive Crisps? 

     

    I love Raincoast Crisps, but the price - not so much! 

    They were tasty but the texture of the figs was off-putting. They were a bit chewy. I liked the size of the crackers - 2 small or one large bite.

     

    There is a Raincoast Crisp knock-off recipe floating around the internet and it has been on my "to try" list for a long time.

    • Like 1
  7. My brother came over and we had brown sugar bacon-wrapped sriracha onion rings (major yum) and black bean pepper jack cheese patties (meh). Watched Captain Phillips. Thought about going to town for the festivities but decided it was too hot.  

    I have been tweaking the recipe for the onion rings and have finally found the secret - gochujang and honey instead of sriracha and brown sugar. Now I can make them in half the time with half the mess.

  8. I am trying to reproduce zucchini cakes I had in a restaurant. I am pretty close but would be grateful for some help.

    The current working recipe:

    wet ingredients - 1lb zucchini grated, salted, wrung dry in a towel; a little minced onion, a little minced fresh oregano, a lightly beaten egg, black pepper, 15 grams grated feta

    dry ingredients - 1/2 cup AP flour, 1/2 tsp baking powder

     

    Mixed wet and dry (perhaps a bit too vigorously?). Shallow fried about 2 tablespoons at a time, flattened to 1/2 inch

     

    The flavor is quite close to what I am trying to achieve but the texture is too dense. I have 1lb zucchini left and can try again tomorrow. Should I decrease the flour? Increase the baking powder? Add some liquid? What would you do?

  9. Boy, does that place look like fun.  Definitely going to do it.  Thanks.

    I will be interested to hear what you think. Most of the buffet items were was quite different than the Mexican food generally served around here (which is probably more Tex-Mex). The chicken drums in mole was delicious. The stew with the pig skin was the most unusual thing I ate. The flavor was very good but I prefer my pig skin fried. The chicken enchilada was the only disappointment as it was made with white meat and was a bit dry. The place was clean, even though it was run-down, and the staff was very nice.  

     

    PS. I think you may have read my last post before it was edited.

  10. So, heading out from Houston toward Atlanta on Sat.  Going north first, to Shreveport, then I-20 east to Atlanta.  In no hurry to get to what awaits me in Atlanta.

     

    Any suggestions for places to stop along the way?  Would love something in Shreveport in particular.  Think I'll spend first night on the road there.

     

    And somebody said Wintzell's Oyster House in Montgomery.  I'll probably spend the 2nd night there so I get into Atlanta early in the day.

     

    http://www.wintzellsoysterhouse.com/

     

    Safe travels.

     

    I generally take a more northerly route but can recommend two restaurants close to your route.

     

    in Columbus, GA: http://www.yelp.com/biz/la-nacional-columbus - a bit of a dive although it was clean and felt completely safe for lunch. I really enjoyed the buffet and ate things I would never have ordered.

     

    and, if you decide to stay on I-20 to go through Birmingham: http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g30375-d3250988-r178754842-Saw_s_Soul_Kitchen-Birmingham_Alabama.html#REVIEWS, I would never go here by myself at night but it felt safe at lunch. It was loud, dirty, and the air conditioning was marginal but I would go back for the pulled pork on grits and greens.

     

    Also, one of my favorite outlet malls is just off of I-20, http://www.shopsofgrandriver.com/

     

    I think I'll be in Marietta the 3rd week in Sept and am planning on attending http://www.musiccityfoodandwinefestival.com/  on my way home.

  11. I found Pepperidge Farm top-loading New England style hog dog rolls at our local Food Lion recently for those in the Southeast area that Food Lion serves. This is the type of roll you get in Maine and Connecticut when you order a lobster roll from a shack or a lobster pound. I have never seen them down here before, and was very glad to get them.

     

    You can only toast them on the outside, but the make great containers for lobster rolls, chili dogs, or anything else where you want to pile on the toppings and eat it out of hand.

    This thread has got me thinking - next time I make hot dog buns I may try them as "toploaders". After I bake a batch I wrap them individually in foil and freeze. Freezer to toaster oven for 10 minutes or so then unwrap a bun nearly as good as just baked.  

    • Like 1
  12. Just returned from a trip to Dallas and stocked up on:

     

    Passito Pantelleria Ipsus - an Italian dessert wine

    Le Delice De Bourgogne - a triple cream soft ripened cheese to pair with the above dessert wine and

    fig and olive crisps - a riff on rain coast crisps

    chocolate covered espresso beans

    Josephbrau Dunkelweizen

    dijon mustard

    fontina cheese

    bacon ends and pieces - I cut each pound into quarters, chop them, vac seal and freeze. Easy to use in baked beans, greens, etc

    walnut halves and pieces

    Kalamata olive oil

    Morgado Ruby Port

    I like but did not need this time -  orange muscat champagne vinegar, pound plus chocolate bars

     

    There's a TJs coming to Tulsa in the next year or so and maybe to OKC after that. As we are a governed by bible-thumping red-necks they won't be able to sell wine, Port or unrefrigerated beer, but at least I will be able to get the other items.

    • Like 6
  13. When you live in Oklahoma, Dallas is a food mecca.

    This trip I ate at:

    Blue Sushi Sake Grill on Walnut Hill Lane

    I had the good fortune to show up during happy hour and took full advantage!

    The calamari was tender. I found it somewhat under seasoned and there was no salt on the table. I used soy sauce instead but would have preferred salt. I had one order of each of the speciality nigiri: blue balls - oddly sweet but still quite tasty; cherry bomb - good but not great; itchy salmon - excellant, I ordered a second helping; zuke maguro - good but not great. The service was good and I enjoyed sitting on the patio.

    Pera Turkish Kitchen on Preston Rd.

    I had the Adana, one of their "signature " dishes. It is well-seasoned grilled ground lamb. I found it delicious and also really enjoyed the cabbage salad served on the side. The baklava was also very good. Service was very good.

    Mesomaya

    The chicharrones appetizer was the best dish of the trip. I don't typically go back to a restaurant, preferring to try new places, but I will definitely go back for these. Very good service in spite of a crowd.

    Oso on Preston is apparently closed. The website and recorded phone message both say they open at 5 so I was frustrated to find the door locked at 5:20, especially given the traffic I endured to get there. Fortunately, Mesomaya was right across the street.

  14. Hi BovineSeaweedPork,

     

    I see from a google search that  Ayrshire potatoes are starchy. I may give your soup a try as both turnips and new potatoes are in season here (Oklahoma USA). Is the oatmeal in the second recipe added dry or cooked? I couldn't find another recipe online although there were several mentions of the dish.

     

    Cindy 

  15. if you have used the Flatter Side, which i have not, have you 'seasoned' it ?

     

    I don't remember seasoning the flat side before use. I've had them several years and may be forgetting. I have had a couple things stick to the ridges on the grate side (most notably pizza dough) but when I'm using the flat side is is usually for a fatty rib eye steak.

  16. Due to a family emergency, I'm going to be spending some time in Atlanta. I'm a granny so don't need info about lively nightspots. I'm going to be on my own and will have a car. I'll be staying in Decatur and visiting a rehab facility on the Emory campus. I am looking for info about casual lunch and/or dinner places where I will feel (and be) safe.

    I'm definitely not a picky eater so would like advice about any decent eaterie - regardless as to type of cuisine offered. I am particularly fond of Asian but, seriously, anything will do.

     

    This market is great. I didn't eat at the cafe so can't comment on it's quality but you could get "supplies " for your room.  http://www.dekalbfarmersmarket.com/

     

    I have family in Marietta and drive there a couple times each year. I take I-40 to Memphis then go through either Birmingham or Nashville. If your route is similar I may be able to recommend stops for your drive over.   

    • Like 1
  17. Try flipping them over and cook on the flat side.

     

    Ditto. Love this technique. No grill marks but an amazing crust that can develop quickly enough to leave a rare interior. I'll admit to burning a couple steaks until I got used to the intense heat.

  18. The dish is a new idea to me, but I wonder whether following the general procedure for smashed potatoes / crash potatoes (what an excellent, simple dish!) would do the trick? Roast, then squash individually (with a potato masher, bottle, whatever) to relatively flat; drizzle with butter, oil, whatever (balsamic vinegar on the beets?) then a few minutes under the broiler. Does that sound like it might work?

    That's kind of what I had in mind although I am vacillating on whether the caramelizing should be done on cast iron, in the hot oven or under the broiler. In the dish I am trying to reproduce the caramelization almost a char, 

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