gulfporter

Hotter than it should be here, so salad makes sense for dinner. Salmon over arugula with a fewleftover roasted new potatoes, Kalamatas and hard-boiled egg. Not quite a Nicoise since the green bean sellers were not out and about. Dressing: lemon, Dijon, garlic. Not the prettiest salad, but nice and light for this weather.

No...never knew that was a thing. We let ripen, eat a few days, make one banana dessert, then give the rest to gardener's family and neighbors.

After a one year hiatus, Yes! We Have Some Bananas! Noticed them the other day; my gardener Jose' says 100 dais, mas o menos. Looks like a bumper crop.

My no-bake peanut butter/cream cheese pie is in fridge setting up. After firm and chilled I will schmear it with melted chocolate. Once years ago I tried to 'upscale' the standard recipe by substituting real whipped cream for the Cool Whip. That experiment resulted in a weeping pie almost immediately. And it really didn't improve the flavor profile. I never made this pie in Mexico before because there is no Cool Whip. I mentioned this First World problem to a friend who pointed me to what she said is an acceptable Cool Whip sub. Oddly, not sold frozen, but in the refrigerated section. Less sweet (a good thing IMO) but the same hydrogenated oil. Oh...discovered I didn't have any powdered sugar after I started making it. Honestly you cannot tell it's missing. Simple recipe...1 small jar peanut butter, 1 8 oz (more or less) cream cheese, 1 container Chantilly (Cool Whip substitute). I bought a pre-made cookie crust for base. It won't win any baking titles but mi esposo will love it!

Friends in northern CA told me that one local pizza shop on Pi Day will sell small pizzas for $3.14 with unlimited toppings.

Our last home in the US was near St. Petersburg, FL. Their regional airport carries the airport code of PIE. On Pi Day the local Chamber of Commerce handed out mini-pies to arriving passengers.

Grilled salmon over arugula and (leftover) corn/black bean salad. Dressing: Dijon, lemon juice and olive oil. Surrounded by a few roasted potatoes.

Heads up---- 3.14 is Monday. It's warm here, so I'm looking at no-bake pie recipes.

Glazed Udon noodles with leftover rotisserie chicken, diced zucchini, onion and red bell pepper. Sauce is mix of orange and lime juices and zests, hoisin and chicken broth. Topped with cilantro and peanuts. High heat level as I add a serrano pepper to the sauce and serve with a hefty squirt of siracha.

Re: coleslaw. Decades ago at a potluck I asked the (mayo based) coleslaw maker what made hers so good. Horseradish. Since then I can't eat coleslaw without it. If I get take-away as soon as I get it in the house I add a dollop of prepared horseradish. Makes all the difference in the world.

Mediterranean penne. Shrimp, Kalamata olives, oregano, shallots, garlic, lemon, in a reduction of white wine, a heaping tablespoon of jarred chimichurri sauce, chicken stock and white wine. Topped with Panko (pan toasted in olive oil and garlic) and parmesan. We really liked it but it took longer than I thought it would to get it together. Maybe it's just old age!

EZ omelet....leftover French fries (re-fried in duck fat till ultra crispy), onions, peppers, poblanos, cheese, cilantro.

Shiitakes are a rare find where we live. I sautéed and simmered in bacon fat with some onion and garlic. Served with grilled pork tenderloin marinated with lemon and rosemary. The shiitakes were the star of this meal, spooned over a creamy polenta.

EZ Valentine's meal. Bought a bottle of Patricia Quintana's Adobo de Ciruela (plum sauce, spiked with ancho chile, etc.). Used half the bottle to marinate boneless thighs for a few hours; reduced the rest of it to make a slurry for the plate. Grilled the chicken and got a good char thanks to the marinade. DH made corn and black bean salad...he has returned as my sous chef, just 1 week after his total hip replacement!

Taco Tuesday. Seared sesame crusted tuna, pickled red onion, avocado, cilantro and schmear of wasabi-mayo.

Was eating it by hand, pulling it apart as I went. It was in the very last bite and I felt it between my fingers. As a friend wrote after she saw the picture....that's almost as good as getting a 13th pierogi in a box of Mrs. T's.

In the last slice of Tres Reyes cake this morning, I found a second Baby Jesus. Don't recall Mary having twins. But I didn't pay much attention in Catechism class.

This morning mi esposo found the Baby Jesus in his slice of the Couronne. It is hidden in the cake to symbolize when Mary and Joseph hid the baby. The person who finds is considered the 'godparent' this year and has to throw a party on Candlemas, Feb. 2nd. Candlemas is the day on which the baby was taken to the temple to be baptized. We aren't religious but I appreciate food-related traditions and the reasons behind them. I'm gonna let my DH off the hook for the Candlemas party as his Hip Replacement Surgery is scheduled for Feb. 1st.

It's Three Kings Day here; used to be date when Mexican children got their gifts. There are a lot of festivities planned on the Plaza later. Hot dogs and cake for the kids, after they bust open the humongous piñatas that have been hung in the Plaza trees. Afterward there is a free mariachi concert. We committed heresy and instead of the traditional Mexican Rosca, we bought a Couronne from a French patisserie, mostly because they offered a small size.

@liuzhou Wow, those are beautiful! Mushrooms aren't used much in MEX cuisine compared to Asian, Italian, French. There are a few exceptions which occur in isolated areas but never make it to our backwater village. Friends who go to the main market in nearby Guadalajara say they rarely see any fresh shrooms of interest, maybe an imported pack of shiitakes. There are psilocybin mushrooms in MEX, originally (and still) used by indigenous peoples in religious ceremonies and to treat health issues. There are also people here who use them purely as recreational 'magic mushrooms.' A few years ago on a road trip a few hours from home, we saw street vendors selling outrageously orange mushrooms. I was tempted but declined. Back home I mentioned them to a local chef friend. He was so sad we didn't buy them. Said they were excellent and from a volcanic field and their season is very limited. Dang!

Thx @heidih Have bought oyster shrooms here in past...they've always had white tops, no color at all. And no flavor, frankly. But I don't know King ones or any other than the Plain Jane whites. Panfried one just now. You are right, the stem are not same texture as tops. I will slice and fry tops to use in sauce; maybe experiment with stems another day.

I bought yesterday at Walmart Mexico. The labeling is no help. Tasting raw, they are stronger than a white or a Portobello. Almost like a raw shiitake in strength of flavor (though it been years since I tried a raw shiitake). The top is very tender (again raw) but not sure if the stems should be cooked and eaten or discarded?? They are a bronzy gray and the color in picture is accurate. My plan is to make into a mushroom sauce for our splurge meal today, a Wagyu steak.