gulfporter

Southern for sure but also for many African Americans; I knew Black families in Philly that always made it or brought it to TDay dinner and at Xmas, too. Of course many Black families have roots in the South.

The recipe from Yotam Ottolenghi https://ottolenghi.co.uk/recipes/sweet-and-smoky-mexican-chicken Adding my changes to the recipe. I didn't want the sauce covering everything. I made the "sauce" into a paste and schmeared half of it over the chicken which I marinated overnight. The rest of the paste I thinned with some chicken broth so it could be served at the table. Here's my notes,

Ottolenghi's Sweet and Smoky Chicken. First time using oven in our Tucson home. Skin was super crispy. It's a quasi molé and the sweet potatoes were part of the recipe. Cranberry sauce was courtesy of a can opener 🥫

This is our first TDay in US since 2016. In a new home in a new city, though we visited Tucson on day trips from our Bisbee home from 2003 thru 2013. Neither of us are turkey fans, and mi esposo is very anti-carb and the traditional 🦃 dinner is replete with carbs. So we're making Ottolenghi's recipe for Smoky Chicken. Will give it a good dose of chipotle in homage to our other home town. We'll make with only sweet potatoes, so there's a nod to TDay with it. My husband loves dark chocolate and that's in the mix, too. An ersatz quicky molé of sorts. https://ottolenghi.co.uk/recipes/sweet-and-smoky-mexican-chicken

Had the EXACT same meal on American, Guadalajara to Phoenix 2 days ago! Mine went down easy with a huge pour of a decent red wine 🍷 The boneless short rib was very tender and the green hummus had a bit of a kick; the red (I'm guessing beet derived) was bland (but pretty). Prior to the pandemic we flew often on American or United from Guadalajara to either DFW or IAH, respectively. Food was always fairly good. During the pandemic it was either non-existent or some fairly awful boxed "meals." Earlier this year we had some bad to awful meals both directions GDL-PHX. Including a breakfast that included a sealed unmarked cardboard bowl of what turned out to be dried instant oatmeal....but the attendant did not bring or offer hot water!! Got her attention and asked for a cup of hot water. I saw that the rest of the passengers were Mexicans and upon opening the bowl they shrugged and set it aside (there are only 2 rows in Biz class). When the attendant brought my water I suggested she offer hot water to others; she spoke not a word of Spanish! I stood up in the aisle and held my bowl to the small group and said, Es avena, necesita agua caliente. The attendant then brought everyone a mug of hot water. The attendant later told me she had flown down to GDL as a substitute and had no idea what was on the breakfast tray.

I have returned to Tucson after being SOB (South of the Border) for a month. Today I spotted the same cheap small panettones at the 99 Cent store....for .9999 (a buck). I love these (and yes I have had expensive ones in the past). The ones at Walgreen's last month also came in chocolate chip....I bought one for mi esposa and he liked it! Sorry but no choco-chop at the 99 Cent Store.

Try Tajin. It's not only a great salt rim, but sprinkle on cut up jicama and cukes. And to spice up any meal. It's quite addictive!

There's a smallish Walmart on the outskirts of our village. It is popular with the Mexicans as well as expats. Not a WM fan, but they carry a few things I can't get anywhere else, so I stop there 2 or 3 times a year. I happened to stop in earlier this week. I grabbed what I needed and headed to checkout. The self-checkout line was small and moving fast (has apprx. 10-12 stations within it). The 2 'human' checkout aisles ran to almost the back of the store. I was the only non-Mexican in the self check-out line. The 'human' lines were at least 70% expats as best I could gauge. Not sure why. Maybe because a lot of the old retirees are, well, very old and want help with bagging?? Maybe some are lonely and want to have some human contact?? Most of the Mexicans in my self-check out line were young, mostly Moms with a kid or two in tow (it was siesta, when schools close for 90 minutes) and likely in a rush.

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/10/business/self-checkouts-vs-humans.html

When I began watching his TV show I thought his first name was Otto. Duh! He's a very affable TV host/travel guide. And he's generous at his website with free recipes. https://ottolenghi.co.uk/recipes

No, I don't sous vide.

Curious to know everyone's menu. But first a question about this recipe I am contemplating. https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/christmas-dinner-wellington I've had good luck with BBC recipes in the past. But the cooking time on this chicken wellington is 1hr. and 15min. I know I can instant read the temperature when baking it, but that seems a bit long given the chicken is pounded quite thin. But maybe the mass of the chicken and the raw sausage makes the long oven time necessary. Since this is for Thanksgiving, I am thinking of using raw boneless turkey breasts. Would the cook time remain about the same? I will endeavor to pound the turkey as thin as is called for with the chicken.

@Tropicalsenior I wonder if Franco American is still in business and making gravy. My memory is that the gravy was thick and gelatinous until heated, no idea if all canned gravies are like that?? update: It appears Franco American gravy is available....in Canada! Can't find a US source. btw, sour cream is a somewhat pricey import item here in MX; while Mexican crema is ubiquitous IMO it's not an acceptable substitute due to both its consistency and sweetness. The recipe has all ingredients combined in one dish before going in the oven...it was one reason a novice cook was attracted to it. But as long as the sour cream heats through I'd imagine it could be added at the end. I will wait and make this in AZ when we are there over Thanksgiving and into mid-December.

My upbringing was poor and our food was equally poor and bland (Lithuanian). After we married (1971) we went to my MIL's for Sunday dinner most weeks. She made Chicken Paprikash often; I'd never heard of it but it became my favorite meal. I finally asked her for the recipe and she handed me a can of gravy! I made it several times as it was easy and cheap (I was at best a novice home cook). Over time I moved on to more ambitious recipes (my FIL gifted me a Gourmet Magazine subscription every Christmas, and later Bon Appetit). Today I saw a recipe for Chicken Paprikash in WaPo and started wondering if I could find online the one my MIL introduced me to in the early 1970s. Well, here it is --- https://www.cooks.com/recipe/ed19w3qx/chicken-paprikash.html Fyi, we both recall that after making it the first time, we doubled everything but the chicken as my husband enjoyed guzzling the sauce!

Seared sesame crusted tuna, avocado, pickled onions, cilantro with a schmear of wasabi mayo.

I did a spatchcocked turkey several years ago on my gas grill and it worked out well, we loved grilling any meat.

I never compared side by side, but have had 'green' wines in both countries and find them similar. I consider them crisp, not sweet. Goes well with foods that you would normally drink with white wines. Closer to Pinot Gris than a Chardonnay.

Not a wine connoisseur, but I've enjoyed Verdejos in Spain where we often vacation. Espied one at my local Ajijic liquor store and bought it last week. It's a nice one, at least IMO.

Soon to be clean-out-fridge omelet. Leftover roasted potatoes, orange bell pepper, MX bacon, fried onions/poblanos. Mixed grated cheese.

Lunch today at Peacock Garden; it's an amazing large open green space in the heart of downtown Ajijic. You don't really go for the food though today I had a good salmon baguette for only 120p (6.50 USD) with more salmon on it than is served at most eateries here at three times the price. But the real reason you go is for your dining companions. They are more active at dusk when we eat dinner there, but this guy was pretty friendly. fyi, peacock in Spanish is Pavo Real. Literally, the Royal Turkey.

And for my Canadian friends.............

Scored some Red Trumpet mushrooms at a frutería. Made into hash with some leftover roasted new potatoes.

Grilled shrimp over angel hair with goat cheese and toasted panko.

Quesadillas with grilled shrimp, goat cheese and my standard weekly mélange of fried onions, red bell pepper and poblanos.

My go-to dipping sauce for lamb chops is Cherry Preserves (I use Bonne Mammon because I can find it in MX) with a squirt of chipotle molido (pure chipotle, not a prepared sauce with any spices in it). Then a small squeeze of lime. You can use chipotle in adobo if a pure molido is not available. I realize chipotle doesn't suit everyone's taste, but this sauce has been enjoyed by all our guests; we serve it with grilled salmon, pork and shrimp, too. I personally prefer sauce on the side when it comes to most proteins.