gulfporter

I flew to AZ the middle of October for a quasi medical emergency. Things have stabilized, I'm on a new medication, and thankfully avoided hospitalization. Had oh-so many tests and doctor visits, from Radiology to Urology to Infectious Diseases. Some days I had 4 appointments within 5 hours!! I say this in a shameless attempt at sympathy towards another rather mediocre meal based on a powdered envelope and leftover rotisserie chicken 😎 I did manage to make the riata myself 🙃 The good news is I am able to fly back to Mexico this weekend if my flights come to fruition. In fairness to the McCormick Company, the flavor was better than expected.

Had leftover grilled pork tenderloin and turned it into Moo Shu Pork. Quickie recipe using bagged coleslaw mix and flour tortillas. More or less used this recipe but went heavy on the shiitakes, fresh ginger and of course, hoisin sauce. https://www.marthastewart.com/1548188/moo-shu-pork-stir-fry Not a looker, but taste was quite good.

I like it. But when it's 90 degrees, any chilled Pinot Grigio hits the spot!

I'm a sucker for funny names.

https://a.co/d/9pTQyRy (eG-friendly Amazon.com link) Days are getting shorter here in Tucson, but still great dinner time grilling weather. Got a solar chargeable grill light (also came with USB charging cable). Auto on/off when you lift grill hood. Has indicator when charge level is getting low. Two lighting levels. Installation was a matter of seconds. So far, so good.

Tired of the soggy turmeric-laden grocery store pickles. Even the refrigerated ones lack a decent crunch and flavor. Bought these at Walmart. Super crunchy and good cuke taste. Added bonus....has a SPICY version 🌶️🌶️

Tried this new (to me) pasta product for dinner last night. Fully cooked microwavable penne that's done in 60 seconds. As promised it was al dente. Pricey. I'll go back to boiling a full bag of dried pasta, then portion into ziplocks and freeze. They are handy and put less pressure on the cook when concentrating on a sauce and/or protein.

Grilled salmon with stuffed mushrooms. I bought the prepped mushrooms at Safeway . They grilled nicely next to the salmon, took the same amount of time. They were good, but the cheese wasn't needed on them. Served with cherry chipotle dipping sauce.

Mi esposo continues to make oddball low-ingredient recipes. While called a "brownie" it's really more a fudge, but better (not nearly as sweet). Firmer, too. Recipe here https://kirbiecravings.com/2-ingredient-healthier-no-bake-cottage-cheese-brownies/

I do look over and trim any silver skin, other bits. I cook mine far closer to medium than rare these days for a better product. While these aren't as tough as shoe leather, they could/should be more tender IMO. I'm going to do a dry brine when I make the duck this weekend. I have a standard homemade rub I use on many proteins and will try it on the duck and see if it helps tenderize.

I don't SV.

My only option for Duck Breasts locally are frozen Maple Leaf Farms brand. I am pretty good at searing them after years of doing so. However these duck breasts are just a tad tougher than what I expect. I do not want a marinade that changes the taste/flavor. Señor Google suggests a salt brine. Anyone have an opinion on a way to tenderize duck breasts?

Hot Smoked Salmon Chowder with Gnocchi.

It's back into the upper 80s here in Tucson (normal high 80). So I'm drinking whites, esp. Pinot Grigios more often than reds. This is a nice fruity one, but not at all sweet. Crisp.

White Bean Chicken Chili topped with sour cream, avocado, cilantro and green onion,

Not seen here at Costco in Tucson, but surprisingly the Costco in Guadalajara carries it. That Costco is less than an hour away from our MXN home). We bought it and it was excellent, similar to salmon but milder. Here's a picture of the steelhead I bought in early October at the Guadalajara Costco.

Went to Costco Tucson on Monday for fresh salmon, lamb racks and the mandatory $4.99 rotisserie chicken. Struck out on the lamb racks; a Meat Dept. employee came out to help me look. He didn't find any either, went back to check the butchery area, then returned to say, "I can't believe it: not an ounce of lamb in the store!" Dejected, I left with the salmon and rotis. There is no other place to readily find lamb near me in Tucson. I've been checking their online same-day delivery app and saw Out Of Stock on the lamb racks the rest of the week, until this afternoon. I will likely wait until post World Series and Football weekend, and head there Monday. Our local Costco has Express Self-Checkout lines. Have used twice and they are F-A-S-T!! Of course we only buy 4 or 5 items each trip, bring our own bags, but we never had to wait in a line to access these checkouts. Costco's rotis chickens remain large and tasty. We got 5 meals out of it for the two of us. A Thai chicken salad; an Indian-spiced hot sandwich topped with raita; two meals (4 servings) of white bean chicken chili; and a chicken salad sandwich with pecans and dill.

My late MIL introduced me to creamed pearl onions on 🦃Day. In a cream sauce with a dash of nutmeg. When I am in US and making the Big Meal, I always include them. Growing up our 🦃Day table included my Uncle Wally's fresh kielbasa (he owned a meat market) as well as my grandmother's kugelis which had a very dark brown crust and a lot of salt pork in it. My family emigrated to US from Lithuania. I expect to be in Mexico for 🦃Day this year. While Turkey Molé is a Mexican 'thing' it's reserved for the wealthy as 🦃🦃🦃 are uncommon and expensive in Mexico and almost all are imported. I made a Turkey Molé several years ago that cost me 3 days of labor, and a thousand pesos for a rather small bird!

Love your description! We like LGBoD, but not on 🦃Day. We halve then caramelize until almost charred (with shallots), often adding Indian spices to them as a side. Other times we incorporate into pasta dishes with pancetta, prosciutto or good ole bacon. Have tried shaving them thin to use as a salad base, but not worth the risk to fingertips.

@ElsieD This recipe, but he used vanilla bean ice cream. https://kirbiecravings.com/3-ingredient-pumpkin-creme-brulee/

Mi esposo made 2 ingredient Creme Brulée. Well, 3 if you count the sprinkle of sugar to caramelize. Just ice cream and egg yolks. I was very surprised by how good it was!