gulfporter

Blackened shrimp with grilled green squash.

Grilled open-face Italian sliders. Leftover day. Still have a dozen (now frozen) very good herbed dinner rolls that are delivered with carryout. Cut one into 4 slices. Topped with leftover cooked Italian sausage, fried onions and peppers, cheese and fresh basil. Grilled in olive oil in frypan with lid, until crusty, hot and oozy. Served with the rest of a half a cucumber found hiding in the produce drawer.

Looking for a way to use some brussels sprouts lingering in the fridge. Found this recipe. I used hot Italian sausage. No chives available here, so I minced some shallot and added it to pan with the sausage and sprouts. https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/spaghetti-brussels-sprouts-and-sausage-breadcrumb-topping It was very tasty, but wish my photo looked as good as the one in Food & Wine 😎

Grilled Korean pork tenderloin served with kimchi, riced cauliflower and gochujang BBQ sauce.

Lamb shanks and white beans in instant pot. Took meat off the bone to serve.

Moroccan crusted grilled salmon fillet. Served with leftover couscous with prunes, almonds and lemon.

Grilled Moroccan lamb with piri piri sauce. Couscous with toast almonds, prunes and lemon.

@mgaretz It kinda looks like a Christmas tree. Or have I had too much eggnog?

I will never again under-estimate the impact of filling an instant pot with a huge volume of very cold and very thick mole' sauce and 2 kilos of turkey thighs. I will never again under-estimate the impact of consuming rosemary mojitos prior to making dinner. Our Christmas Eve dinner plate:

We aren't cocktail drinkers, but hey, it's Christmas and my rosemary bush needed a haircut. Used this recipe, https://thebuzzmagazines.com/recipes/rosemary-mojitos

To test that theory I'll need some metal snips and a soldering iron 😎

Just returned from (what us expats call) the local "dollar" store with my new splatter screen. Didn't see the writing on the knob until I unwrapped it. Viva Mexico!

Love when I happen across a surprise when shopping here. Also love the phonetic Spanish spelling! Pan fried Brussel sprouts with a bit of bacon and the zest of an entire lemon. Recipe called for frying the gnocchi on one side; nice result with a bit of crunch contrasting with the soft texture on each piece.

Many years ago when were were somewhat new to Mexico, we sat down at an outdoor cafe' and ordered dos vinos blancos. The waiter looked around the cafe' then back at us and gave us the "shhhh" sign. He returned in a few minutes with two Solo cups of wine. Found out later it was Election Day, when alcohol sales are prohibited. Viva Mexico!

Duck confit with a mélange of camote, onion and apples. Schmear of pasilla chile and pineapple jam.

Seared sesame-crusted tuna over avocado slices with an Asian glaze. Served with pickled red onion, cilantro, chipotle mayo and wasabi.

If ever a year needed a holiday boost, it's 2020. It's been a tough year for all of us. Maybe this gingerbread house recipe is the inspiration everyone needs to make the 2020 holiday season joyous and memorable. 🎄 Even though some of us find baking a challenge, this gingerbread house is a labor of love that you can take pride in, something you will want to share with others at this time of year. 🎅 This recipe can take two weeks to prepare and fully decorate, so you may want to start this wonderful project early. That way you can include a picture of it in your Christmas cards or attach it to the online holiday greetings you send to family and friends. 👼 This gingerbread house does require some hard-to-find ingredients, specialized kitchen equipment and a bit of culinary finesse. But isn't 2020 the year for us to go outside of our creative comfort zones?? Your family and friends will be so impressed; their compliments will make your effort and hard work all worthwhile! ⛄ I already made this treat (and yes, it took me the better part of two weekends), but you can see why it is the perfect gingerbread house for 2020.

Never saw these in US and happened upon them yesterday in our Mexican village, for the first time. We had actually gotten some real (boiled) bagels earlier this week from a local baker and so I thought, hmmmmm, maybe these cream cheese slices will make my morning breakfast a tad easier??? Easier, maybe. But the mouth feel was gelatinous and the flavor, barely there. I was unable to get a 'hit' when I searched for a US equivalent. But if Kraft the parent of Philadelphia cream cheese, starts marketing these in the US, Stay Away!!! Oddly on menus here, if there is queso de crema (cream cheese) in an item, it is ALWAYS printed as, Filadelfia. Just Filadelfia. They don't say queso de crema after it. It is a brand name that in Mexico has become the term for the generic item.. PS: Found this article about filadelfia in Spain. It's a great read with quotes from chef Jose' Andres. https://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/06/style/tmagazine/filadelfia-story.html

It was a cloudy and relatively cool day yesterday so I made this soup recipe from the NY Times. To add a bit more body to it, some reviewers suggested adding rice or noodles. I had a few leftover veggie dumplings from an Asian carryout, so I added them. https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1021325-shrimp-cilantro-and-tamarind-soup

Yes. But I am married to a carb-hater. I made a BLT Panzanella this summer which he liked since the ratio of bread to the rest of the dish was low. Actually...just realized these will make great croutons!

Our new fave delivery restaurant sends dinner rolls with our order (even if we only order appys). We normally don't eat a lot of carbs, but these rolls are quite good (herbs mixed into dough). If we order a 'wet' dish like a birria (stew) or chamorro (falling apart pork shank braised in a chile liquid) having a roll for sopping is quite welcome. Problem is, they send a lot....as in 7 to 10 each time. Before you suggest I ask them to send fewer.....well, you've probably never lived in MX. If I were to ask for less, I will get none. That's just the way it is here. The other day I used some in a 'lite' stuffing for portobellos. Today i used as slider rolls. I still have 17 left in the freezer.

My vinaigrettes never have vinegar in them. I use standard Kirkland olive oil, fresh squeezed lemon juice, fresh garlic, Dijon mustard, s&p. I beat it with a fork. Ta da! I don't store it, just make enough for the salad we are having. I buy MXN extravirgin olive oil and use it for drizzles, etc. This one. Mexico's Olivo del Cielo is pressed only once and only at night. Truly artisanal product grown in the perfect soil and weather of southern Tamaulipas, near Tula.

Grilled portobellos with stuffing from leftover dinner rolls, corn off cob, black beans, onion, red pepper, jalapenos, poblanos, cilantro. I served them with chipotle mayo.

Chicharrones de pavo. I saved the turkey skin from the thighs and crisped up for a snack last night.