Christmas Eve/Christmas, New Year's Eve/Day 2020/21

[ElsieD]

Two thoughtful things happened Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve.  On Christmas Eve, my neighbour set up a table midway down the long hall filled with single serve B-52's, chocolates and various other goodies.  On New Year's Eve another neighbour put out a bucket of 200ml sized Henkell Trocken and a couple of other types of wine and slipped a note under everyone's door with instructions to "help ourselves".  Nice touches in an otherwise kind of bleak Christmas and New Year's (but thankful that me and mine continue to be well).  

[Tri2Cook]

New Year's Day: pork tamales, pre-steamer. Accompanied by Mexican style rice and pinto beans. Unless somebody wants to see the leftovers I'm having tonight, no plated pics. No time for unnecessary distractions during the Rose bowl and Sugar bowl. 

[heidih]

Were the tamales sauced inside or added by eaters? Rose Bowl you say! - does not exist without snow capped San Gabriel mountains in background and sunshine that makes the frozen ones want to migrate to Los Angeles. 

[Duvel]

20 hours ago, heidih said:

soyrizo

Ok ... now: what is that ?!

[heidih]

3 minutes ago, Duvel said:

Ok ... now: what is that ?!

 

You may not want to know but it is well flavored. It is a soy version of Mexican chorizo which I like but can be half a pan of fat. Has to be well cooked before into a dish. This is the soy stuff folks here laugh at -  most common brand in my market  https://www.caciqueinc.com/products/soy-chorizo/

Edited January 2, 2021 by heidih (log)

[Duvel]

Thanks ! Interesting ... reminds me of vegan Döner. I think where spices dominate the flavor profile, as long as you can get the mouthfeel right I’d be happy with a meat substitute. Now where do I get this in Germany ... 😜

[Tri2Cook]

17 minutes ago, heidih said:

Were the tamales sauced inside or added by eaters? Rose Bowl you say! - does not exist without snow capped San Gabriel mountains in background and sunshine that makes the frozen ones want to migrate to Los Angeles. 

The pork was somewhat saucy but there was also sauce on the side in case I wanted more. The extent of "eaters" was me... although, I shared a little with my daughter's cat. It was still the Rose Bowl, Cali wouldn't budge on it's zero attendance policy so the powers-that-be took the money elsewhere. They don't tell you in the brochures that those majestic California mountains, at least in the lower half of the state, are pretty much invisible from just a few miles away when there's not sufficient wind to flush out all the smog trapped between the mountains and the incoming ocean winds. 

[heidih]

14 minutes ago, Tri2Cook said:

The pork was somewhat saucy but there was also sauce on the side in case I wanted more. The extent of "eaters" was me... although, I shared a little with my daughter's cat. It was still the Rose Bowl, Cali wouldn't budge on it's zero attendance policy so the powers-that-be took the money elsewhere. They don't tell you in the brochures that those majestic California mountains, at least in the lower half of the state, are pretty much invisible from just a few miles away when there's not sufficient wind to flush out all the smog trapped between the mountains and the incoming ocean winds. 

not true  I am on the far SW end of basin up pretty high many miles away  and I can see the snow now and do most winter days   Yes only other change of venue was once because of Pearl Harbor attack and fears on West Coast.  Adventuresome cat! Sounds like you have some extras - they do freeze well. 

[heidih]

41 minutes ago, Duvel said:

Thanks ! Interesting ... reminds me of vegan Döner. I think where spices dominate the flavor profile, as long as you can get the mouthfeel right I’d be happy with a meat substitute. Now where do I get this in Germany ... 😜

 

Kenji did a version several years ago that sounds tasty but as is his way - has a lot of steps. I'll take the under $2USD packet and fly. The texture is smooth and nice for a quick flavor boost with eggs and potatoes in tacos etc. My soup was like velvet with no messing around - just stirring when added hot water. The difference this tme I think was that I added water/broth in 3 stages so perhaps the split peas absorbed more readily.  I read the topic here and could not wrap my hd roung reported issues of graininess and the drama folks went through - seiving and blending.  https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2015/02/vegan-chorizo-food-lab-recipe.html

[Tri2Cook]

22 minutes ago, heidih said:

not true  I am on the far SW end of basin up pretty high many miles away  and I can see the snow now and do most winter days

That could very well be the case. I haven't been there in longer than I want to think about. I had family that lived in the Fontana area and once me and my grandmother went there to visit. On our third or fourth day there, my grandmother came in from outside on a windy day and said "hey, there are some big mountains out there." They had literally been invisible before that day because of the smog. Maybe things are better now or maybe it was just something unique to that particular area.

[Norm Matthews]

22 hours ago, kayb said:

Took your advice, @heidih. This morning is going much better than yesterday's did. I declare it an official do-over. Happy New Year!

 

(Note: I did not eat the damn scorched peas nor the nasty greens. I'm going to trust that cooking -- and burning -- them was sufficient.)

 

@Norm Matthews -- try cooking your peas from dried with a couple of big spoonsful of "community organizer" from Vivian Howard's This Will Make It Taste Good. I had eaten a similar relish on peas since I was a kid, but that book made me try cooking with it. From the taste of 'em before they scorched, it worked well.

I have that book. I'll give it a try. Thanks.

[Porthos]

On 1/2/2021 at 2:35 PM, Tri2Cook said:

That could very well be the Maybe things are better now or maybe it was just something unique to that particular area.

The inland empire fairs much better these days.  In the late 70s I was working in Monrovia just a couple of miles from where the mountains really start to rise. I remember days where you couldn't see the mountains at all mid-afternoon because of just how dense the smog was.

[heidih]

11 minutes ago, Porthos said:

The inland empire fairs much better these days.  In the late 70s I was working in Monrovia just a couple of miles from where the mountains really start to rise. I remember days where you couldn't see the mountains at all mid-afternoon because of just how dense the smog was.

 

Too close maybe -  like have to look up.  I see from distance. Monrovia - the home/HQ of our beloved Trader Joes. I did see them when I went there for  meeting. Yes they all wear Hawaiian shirts in the offices.