gulfporter

Any orange liqueur can be used in margs, including this one. This brand is popular at liquor stores, sometimes it's the only orange liqueur in smaller shops.

Never a big fan of margaritas (other than Tamarindo ones). In recent years I enjoyed Ranch Water which is similar (but far better) than a margarita. After awhile I realized what I REALLY liked was the orange liqueur. So that's my after dinner drink now, sipping on a shot glass of it. Yes, I've had the Real Deals like Grand Marnier and Contreau, but my fave locally is this one. Price 98 pesos ($5.25 USD). Accompany with a square of dark chocolate and that's one great dessert.

First full day back in Ajijic after 5+ weeks in AZ which included surgery that ended well with a good pathology report. Celebrated our return at a Hole In The Wall place within a 10 minute walk from home where we've enjoyed many MXN meals. I had enmoladas de pollo, chicken (no cheese or other stuff inside, just white meat chicken) stuffed into in-house corn tortillas, smothered in the best molé sauce outside of Oaxaca. So much chicken in it, I could only eat two, brought the 3rd one home for a future snack. Mi esposo had an arrachera baguette (marinated skirt steak) that was huge; he couldn't finish all the fries (took them home, too!).

We stayed in Montepulciano as we drove around Tuscany and Umbria about 10 years ago. So hilly! Not only good wines, but great foods too.

Most recipes say 8-10 minutes to sear duck breast skin side on med high. A week+ ago time I found recipe that said sear, starting with a cold pan, on med low 15-20 min. and it was better. Today I read, sear till NO more fat rendered on low. I did, and it took 25 min. Then I flipped for 5 in. Then rested 7 min. Best we've had as far as crispy skin AND tender meat. Meat a little pinker than picture, but way more cooked than usual, and way more tender. In Tucson I buy frozen, pack of two at a Fry's Supermarket for $16. They aren't huge, but I serve 1 for the two of us, supplement with larger sides of veg, carbs.

I added crushed garlic (I buy the frozen Dorot brand) to olive oil, brushed on sliced bread (happened to be a sour dough). Because I was grilling the lamb, I put the bread on the 'bun rack' of the grill. Have to watch closely! Let them cool completely, then cubed them.

My pork tenderloin went a few minutes too long on the grill. Still tasted good, had been marinating in chipotle overnight. Side was leftover white bean, tomato salad in pesto with homemade croutons. Cherry-chipotle dipping sauce. The tail end was very thin and it was over-cooked. We sliced off the thicker end for lunch; will simmer the other pieces in bbq sauce for sandwiches later in week.

I was alcohol-free for 2 weeks prior to a recent surgery. Making up for it now. This was a better than average Pinot Noir.

I used this recipe as a guide to make lamb pistachio burgers for grilling. I hand blended crushed pistachios and the other ingredients with ground lamb. Came out very well, used his sumac yogurt as topping. https://ottolenghi.co.uk/pages/recipes/lamb-pistachio-patties-sumac-yoghurt-sauce

You and I are on the same bandwidth....I just finished prep for tonight's Ottolenghi meal.

Full bodied. Goes great with pizza.

Lemon goes well with blueberries. I got the orange marmalade and cardamom idea from this recipe that we also make especially in winter. https://cookingwithcarlee.com/simple-giant-orange-cardamom-roll/

It's from WaPo so it's copyrighted. This is link. https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/blueberry-cornmeal-cake/ As a subscriber I can send limited free links to others. I will send a link to your msg's here at egullet. fyi, the recipe calls for making it in a cast iron skillet; I gave mine away during out last move. It just became too darn heavy for my hands (Dupuytren's Contracture issues). So I combine all ingredients and put in well greased-floured 8 or 9 inch square pan. Though I bet it'd be extra good in a skillet! The recipe calls for corn meal; I have always used polenta, the fast-cooking time (the one I use cooks in 5 minutes stove top). Not sure if that's called "quick" or "instant." As I said, this time I added cardamom (a spice we both adore) to batter and instead of the sprinkle of sugar on the top before baking, I skipped that and instead brushed orange marmalade over the top when it came out of oven.

I've made this Blueberry Polenta Cake before. I found it a tad too plain. This time I added some ground cardamom to the batter and I glazed it with orange marmalade as soon as I removed it from the oven. We both like it better with these minor changes. I got a crack and a small dip in the center but so far the interior seems fine, not sure if that will be true when we get to the center of cake. I did it in Viking oven with convection bake....dropped the bake time from 45 to 50 minutes to 37 minutes when I checked it by thermometer and it was between 202 and 210 degrees depending on where I poked it (ouch!).

TJ's Indian frozen offerings are some of best things in entire store. They are the only frozen meals we keep on hand for last minute rushed meals. Or when mi esposo is Home Alone.

Grilled blackened salmon on a croissant with beefsteak tomato and arugula. This prep picture, before grilling.

Refreshing!

Mountain Lion!!!! I'm impressed and thanks for the explanation on hunting, quotas. We saw one once at Bandelier National Monument in NM (west of Santa Fe). It loped in front of our car, moving slowly with one glance at us. When we told the Park Ranger at the Entry Gate, he was so jealous. He said he'd worked there 20 years and never saw a mountain lion, though his colleagues had.

Maybe that would happen if I were doing heavy duty knife work. But as I said, just 2 in my household, so chopping or slicing half an onion or shallot, or 2 apple, a beef steak tomato, halving grape tomatoes....it's literally 10 to 30 seconds per veg or fruit. Not enough time to infiltrate the paper plate. If I was cooking for a family of 6, it might not be feasible. Most of the proteins we cook are already portioned by the seller or by the protein itself. In MX at home we mostly eat shrimp (which I buy deveined and shelled by hand at local fish shop), or salmon which the purveyor slices to my specs or I buy a fillet that I grill whole then portion with a fork to plate. . About the only meats that need post-cooking slicing at our US home are lamb racks (I separate into ribs) and duck breasts that I slice. For these I have an old wooden board (going back to our marriage in the early 1970s).

I use a paper plate to protect my counter. Just the two of us and works fine to chop a shallot, dice a cuke, slice a tomato, take corn of a cob.

True confession: Most of the time I use a paper plate.

Grilled rack of lamb.....oh the flare-up! Time to clean the grease tray 😇 Side is white bean salad with grape tomatoes in a light pesto, topped with garlic bread croutons. Cherry-chipotle dipping sauce.

Grilled blackened salmon. Pasta salad with cuke, green onion, tomato. Dressing was store-bought Cilantro-Avocado (in refrigerated section). Was a tad cloying, so I added juice of half of a robust lime and cracked black pepper.