Lunch 2024

[BonVivant]

It's a national long weekend here.

Mussels with vegetables and flatbread.

Yoghurt and roe for the flatbread

------------
Prawns

Lotus root with seasoned kelp

---------------
(Cheese-crusted) Pretzels

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Who says I can't combine these 2 things I like...? (Photography and cheese! Used my embossing label maker from the 80's to make the embossed words. Cover the camera's and lens' logo and model name(s) with them. Makes camera fanboys curious when they can't see the brand/logo on my cameras.)

 

Edited May 20 by BonVivant (log)

[MaryIsobel]

19 minutes ago, BonVivant said:

It's a national long weekend here.

Mussels with vegetables and flatbread.

Yoghurt and roe for the flatbread

------------
Prawns

Lotus root with seasoned kelp

---------------
(Cheese-crusted) Pretzels

-----------------
Who says I can't combine these 2 things I like...? (Photography and cheese! Used my embossing label maker from the 80's to make the embossed words. Cover the camera's and lens' logo and model name(s) with them. Makes camera fanboys curious when they can't see the brand/logo on my cameras.)

You should have a lottery with the prize being a chance to dine with you. I'd buy a few tickets!

 

[Kim Shook]

Thank you all so much for the good wishes.  I’m definitely improving.  Trying hard to get back to cooking after being sick/recovering since basically the beginning of the year.  I’ve managed to make myself a few lunches, but we’ve also eaten out a LOT!

 

A fried bologna and cheese grilled sandwich and clam chowder:

The sandwich was great, but not so the soup.  It was a brand that was highly rated by a website I usually like, but I think that they were impressed by the down east design of the can:

The soup was bereft of clam flavor and the texture was grainy and gelatinous. 

 

One morning, I woke up thinking of egg salad.  I’d been wanting to try a new-to-me method of hard cooking eggs – the hot start method.  You bring enough water to cover your eggs to a low boil and quickly and gently slip the eggs in.  Bring to a boil, then lower to a slow boil, cover and cook 12-14 minutes.  Supposedly easy peel, no green, and perfectly cooked eggs.  Worked great for me – I’ve now peeled the entire batch and they were all fine:

 

With pepper, mustard, relish, and Dukes:

 

Lunch:

 

Jessica and I went down to Petersburg VA (about 45 minutes away) last month to pick up something and had dinner at a locally owned restaurant that has a wonderful buffet – a meat and threes kind of place.  Nearly everything is housemade.  Mr. Kim is NOT a big buffet fan, but I got him down there recently to wander in the historic section of the city and do a little antique browsing.  AND talked him into that place, Nanny’s, for lunch.  I think he liked it.  Hard to tell because he tends towards prejudice 😁.  My plate:

Fried chicken, mashed potatoes, collards, pulled pork, hamburger steak, and fried fat back.  Also hush puppies and chicken & dumplings:

 

Post doctor’s appointment lunch at an OLD favorite, Joe’s Inn.  Their in-town location was one of our college hang outs – great pizza, huge sandwiches, and cheap beer. This was their suburb location, but it’s just as good.  I had a meatball sub and onion rings:

 

Mr. Kim had baked spaghetti and their wonderful house made bread:

 

 

 

On Mother’s Day the three of us plus Mr. Kim’s mom did a little road trip to tiny Topping VA (about an hour away) on the Rappahannock river for lunch at a place called Merroir.  We’d been once before and were impressed with their location, food, and service.  This visit was the same.  We ordered a ton of food and shared and took some home!  We had the bread service:

Oyster stew:

which had gorgeous, sweet whole oysters in it, as well as the entire thing tasting beautifully of oyster. 

 

Jessica started with raw oysters:

We shared the burrata toast – baguette, burrata, roasted tomatoes, pesto, and balsamic glaze:

We also shared the Stuffin’ Muffin:

Oyster stuffing with a bacon and peppercorn cream sauce. 

 

Mr. Kim had the shrimp cocktail:

and grilled halibut with blistered green beans:

 

My MIL had the crabcake with slaw and remoulade:

 

My main was scallops with smoked corn, cotija cheese, paprika, and cilantro lemon sauce:

 

Jessica’s was the oyster po’ boy:

with slaw and house made pickles. 

 

For dessert, my MIL had the Key Lime Pie:

 

and we all had a bit of this dessert:

Caramelized bananas with some custard and candied pecans.  Everything was delicious and perfectly prepared.  We brought a lot home. 

 

A friend was having surgery.  I thought I’d kill two birds: take them some food and have something on hand for lunches for the week.  So, I made a batch of my mother’s vegetable soup and a couple loaves of No-Knead Peasant Bread to take to them.  My mise:

 

 

 

I attempted to make one pot of soup – enough for them and us to have a couple of meals.  Instead…

🙄😄

 

The bread:

 

Another morning I woke up craving hot dogs.  So, lunch:

 

 

It is soft shell season now, so after church this Sunday we went to a place called Halterman’s in Manquin VA (about 30 minutes from us).  We’d been a couple of years ago for Mr. Kim’s birthday and loved it.  When you sit down, they bring a basket of house made chips and creamy sauce:

 

We shared a wonderfully ooey, gooey crab dip:

 

 

The dip was fantastic, and the pita chips were exceptional, too.  Instead of just being served as is or baked to crispy, they were deep fried.  They ended up being crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.  I’d never had them done like that and they were perfect with the hot, creamy dip.

 

Mr. Kim had fish and chips:

All of this was SO good.  The hush puppies were crisp and tender and full of corn flavor.  The chips were really like chunky British chips.  I think the fish was cod – firm, moist, and sweet.  It was breaded rather than battered, but it was excellent. 

 

I had the soft shells with fries and deviled eggs:

The crabs were exactly what I wanted – simply made with a light batter and such great quality:

They were full of moist, sweet crab meat:

And they left the mustard in – so many places don’t, and it drives me crazy.

 

Today:

A bologna sandwich with excessive amounts of mustard and baked BBQ chips (an odd recent craving of mine). 

[MaryIsobel]

6 minutes ago, Kim Shook said:

Thank you all so much for the good wishes.  I’m definitely improving.  Trying hard to get back to cooking after being sick/recovering since basically the beginning of the year.  I’ve managed to make myself a few lunches, but we’ve also eaten out a LOT!

 

A fried bologna and cheese grilled sandwich and clam chowder:

The sandwich was great, but not so the soup.  It was a brand that was highly rated by a website I usually like, but I think that they were impressed by the down east design of the can:

The soup was bereft of clam flavor and the texture was grainy and gelatinous. 

 

One morning, I woke up thinking of egg salad.  I’d been wanting to try a new-to-me method of hard cooking eggs – the hot start method.  You bring enough water to cover your eggs to a low boil and quickly and gently slip the eggs in.  Bring to a boil, then lower to a slow boil, cover and cook 12-14 minutes.  Supposedly easy peel, no green, and perfectly cooked eggs.  Worked great for me – I’ve now peeled the entire batch and they were all fine:

 

With pepper, mustard, relish, and Dukes:

 

Lunch:

 

Jessica and I went down to Petersburg VA (about 45 minutes away) last month to pick up something and had dinner at a locally owned restaurant that has a wonderful buffet – a meat and threes kind of place.  Nearly everything is housemade.  Mr. Kim is NOT a big buffet fan, but I got him down there recently to wander in the historic section of the city and do a little antique browsing.  AND talked him into that place, Nanny’s, for lunch.  I think he liked it.  Hard to tell because he tends towards prejudice 😁.  My plate:

Fried chicken, mashed potatoes, collards, pulled pork, hamburger steak, and fried fat back.  Also hush puppies and chicken & dumplings:

 

Post doctor’s appointment lunch at an OLD favorite, Joe’s Inn.  Their in-town location was one of our college hang outs – great pizza, huge sandwiches, and cheap beer. This was their suburb location, but it’s just as good.  I had a meatball sub and onion rings:

 

Mr. Kim had baked spaghetti and their wonderful house made bread:

 

 

 

On Mother’s Day the three of us plus Mr. Kim’s mom did a little road trip to tiny Topping VA (about an hour away) on the Rappahannock river for lunch at a place called Merroir.  We’d been once before and were impressed with their location, food, and service.  This visit was the same.  We ordered a ton of food and shared and took some home!  We had the bread service:

Oyster stew:

which had gorgeous, sweet whole oysters in it, as well as the entire thing tasting beautifully of oyster. 

 

Jessica started with raw oysters:

We shared the burrata toast – baguette, burrata, roasted tomatoes, pesto, and balsamic glaze:

We also shared the Stuffin’ Muffin:

Oyster stuffing with a bacon and peppercorn cream sauce. 

 

Mr. Kim had the shrimp cocktail:

and grilled halibut with blistered green beans:

 

My MIL had the crabcake with slaw and remoulade:

 

My main was scallops with smoked corn, cotija cheese, paprika, and cilantro lemon sauce:

 

Jessica’s was the oyster po’ boy:

with slaw and house made pickles. 

 

For dessert, my MIL had the Key Lime Pie:

 

and we all had a bit of this dessert:

Caramelized bananas with some custard and candied pecans.  Everything was delicious and perfectly prepared.  We brought a lot home. 

 

A friend was having surgery.  I thought I’d kill two birds: take them some food and have something on hand for lunches for the week.  So, I made a batch of my mother’s vegetable soup and a couple loaves of No-Knead Peasant Bread to take to them.  My mise:

 

 

 

I attempted to make one pot of soup – enough for them and us to have a couple of meals.  Instead…

🙄😄

 

The bread:

 

 

Another morning I woke up craving hot dogs.  So, lunch:

 

 

It is soft shell season now, so after church this Sunday we went to a place called Halterman’s in Manquin VA (about 30 minutes from us).  We’d been a couple of years ago for Mr. Kim’s birthday and loved it.  When you sit down, they bring a basket of house made chips and creamy sauce:

 

We shared a wonderfully ooey, gooey crab dip:

 

 

The dip was fantastic, and the pita chips were exceptional, too.  Instead of just being served as is or baked to crispy, they were deep fried.  They ended up being crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.  I’d never had them done like that and they were perfect with the hot, creamy dip.

 

Mr. Kim had fish and chips:

All of this was SO good.  The hush puppies were crisp and tender and full of corn flavor.  The chips were really like chunky British chips.  I think the fish was cod – firm, moist, and sweet.  It was breaded rather than battered, but it was excellent. 

 

I had the soft shells with fries and deviled eggs:

The crabs were exactly what I wanted – simply made with a light batter and such great quality:

They were full of moist, sweet crab meat:

And they left the mustard in – so many places don’t, and it drives me crazy.

 

Today:

A bologna sandwich with excessive amounts of mustard and baked BBQ chips (an odd recent craving of mine). 

Wonderful array of tasty food. Could you explain "And they left the mustard in – so many places don’t, and it drives me crazy" to someone (me) who has never had a softshell crab?

 

[Kim Shook]

12 minutes ago, MaryIsobel said:

Wonderful array of tasty food. Could you explain "And they left the mustard in – so many places don’t, and it drives me crazy" to someone (me) who has never had a softshell crab?

 

When you pick a steamed blue crab, there are some parts that you eat and some you don't (at least I don't).  You don't eat the "devil's fingers" or gills.  There is a long, white, wormy looking thing that no one I know eats - I'm not at all sure what it is.  Something that IS edible is that "mustard" - called that because it actually does look like mustard.  There is some disagreement about whether it should be eaten or not because it is a filtering part of the digestive system.  I know, but it's really delicious.  Analogous to sucking a crawfish head, I guess - gross, but good.  😁  When you pick crabs, it's there and you can eat it or not.  But when you eat a soft shell, it's been cleaned inside and some places just snip off the eye area and then clean out all the innards, including the mustard.  A place that really respects crabs (and crab lovers) will be more careful and leave the mustard behind.  

 

There.  I hope that helped and that anyone who has better information than me will step in!  

[C. sapidus]

2 hours ago, Kim Shook said:

. . . Something that IS edible is that "mustard" - called that because it actually does look like mustard.  There is some disagreement about whether it should be eaten or not because it is a filtering part of the digestive system.  I know, but it's really delicious. 

 

 

Count me in the pro crab mustard camp

[Senior Sea Kayaker]

2 hours ago, Kim Shook said:

When you pick a steamed blue crab, there are some parts that you eat and some you don't (at least I don't).  You don't eat the "devil's fingers" or gills.  There is a long, white, wormy looking thing that no one I know eats - I'm not at all sure what it is.  Something that IS edible is that "mustard" - called that because it actually does look like mustard.  There is some disagreement about whether it should be eaten or not because it is a filtering part of the digestive system.  I know, but it's really delicious.  Analogous to sucking a crawfish head, I guess - gross, but good.  😁  When you pick crabs, it's there and you can eat it or not.  But when you eat a soft shell, it's been cleaned inside and some places just snip off the eye area and then clean out all the innards, including the mustard.  A place that really respects crabs (and crab lovers) will be more careful and leave the mustard behind.  

 

If you're familiar with lobsters it's the tomalley which is green (and yellow in crabs) that some eat and some don't. I do.

Great mixed with melted butter and spread on bread.

 

[johnnyd]

Blanched radish tops in black vinegar, soy, sesame oil and sugar.

 

 

 

[OlyveOyl]

Some open faced sandwiches I’ve made for lunch using the simple bread from “ Modernist Bread”.

Radish French Butter Radish sprouts 

Roast beef mustard broccoli sprouts

Egg salad and bacon

 

Tuna salad with preserved lemon and olive salad

Egg salad with pickles

Buttered bread for the sardine pâté

 BLT

Egg salad

Edited May 23 by OlyveOyl (log)

[rotuts]

@OlyveOyl

 

outstand selection pf sandwiches.

 

French // Danish //  delicious all !

 

a Kudos your way., for each one .

[C. sapidus]

Roasted Poblano and chorizo tacos with white onion, garlic, chile serrano, garden tomato, cumin, Mexican oregano, and the Thai basil I forgot to use last night

 

These turned out particularly nicely, probably 'cuz they were mostly chile Poblano 🙂

 

[blue_dolphin]

Fusilli with White Beans, Cherry Tomatoes and Corn Sauce from Cool Beans by Joe Yonan made with Rancho Gordo Caballero beans.

This is a nice summer pasta.  About half the corn is grated and becomes part of the sauce and the rest simply cut off the cobs. I added sugar snap peas.  Looking at the recipe, I thought lack of acid might be an issue and that I might want a little more spicy heat but made as written to see. The tomatoes do a nice job on the acid but you'd need a lot more to get some of that sweet/tart contrast in every bite. I considered olives, capers, and diced preserved lemon but they don't seem to fit the flavor profile. Sun dried tomatoes might work. I think diced peperoncini, pickled jalapeño or another mildly spicy pickled pepper might also do the trick.  I'll let you know if I get around to trying it.

[OlyveOyl]

@rotuts  Thank you rotus, it was fun to do and we enjoyed them, the simple bread was perfect for them.

[Kim Shook]

@OlyveOyl - your array of sandwiches looks so wonderful!  Fresh and delicious.  How I'd love to have access to that incredible spread.

 

Now this looks much less yummy 😂.  I'm really kidding.  It was really good and something we hadn't indulged in in quite some time:

Jersey MIke's #13 (the official Shook family Jersey Mike's sub).  We were out early trying to beat the holiday weekend grocery shoppers.  Mr. Kim is working from home today and took his lunch hour to go with me, so we succumbed to a craving when we drove by!  

[MaryIsobel]

On 5/22/2024 at 4:59 PM, Senior Sea Kayaker said:

If you're familiar with lobsters it's the tomalley which is green (and yellow in crabs) that some eat and some don't. I do.

Great mixed with melted butter and spread on bread.

 

Oh, okay - I have had tomalley butter.

[MaryIsobel]

22 hours ago, OlyveOyl said:

Some open faced sandwiches I’ve made for lunch using the simple bread from “ Modernist Bread”.

Radish French Butter Radish sprouts 

Roast beef mustard broccoli sprouts

Egg salad and bacon

 

Tuna salad with preserved lemon and olive salad

Egg salad with pickles

Buttered bread for the sardine pâté

 BLT

Egg salad

Radish French Butter Radish sprouts  - has to be one of the most delicious yet underated pairings!

[OlyveOyl]

@MaryIsobel…I think the radish just might be my favorite! When I can get the narrow French breakfast radishes, it’s even better.

Edited May 25 by OlyveOyl (log)

[MetsFan5]

8 hours ago, OlyveOyl said:

@MaryIsobel…I think the radish just might be my favorite! When I can get the narrow French breakfast radishes, it’s even better.

I love fresh radishes dipped in salt but I need to explore matching radishes with butter. 

[OlyveOyl]

Lunch today was a salad of FM greens, lightly cooked sugar snaps, tomatoes with a blackberry vinaigrette.  Steamed Swiss chard stems with chervil and an organic grilled chicken breast.

We had a slice of a  delicious Roman tart, flaky crust, Rhubarb Amarena  homemade jam, ricotta , pistachios and an almond paste streusel. 

[BonVivant]

A small "hot pot" meal. A few things that needed using up.

 

------------#2-------------------------
Roasted aubergine and Turkish peppers.

 

Kurdish tandir flatbread and the rest

 

Intensely aromatic Greek mint

 

------------------#3-------------------
Minty meatballs. There's already loads of mint in the mince.

 

Quinoa with lovage from the garden, and parsley.

 

The mint "branches" are getting bare. Finishing very soon at the rate I've been using. Good that I got 2 bags of it. At first I wasn't sure how to store it after opening. Then it occurred to me that it's much faster and easier to rub the whole thing in the bag and tip the leaves onto a newspaper. Remove all the small "twigs" that fall out together with the mint, now it's ready to use it in my food.

 

@MaryIsobelThank you!

 

 

[OlyveOyl]

For the radish lovers amongst us, a Radish butter to spread on baguette or crackers. This is going to get some finely chopped pistachios at time of service.

6 oz. of radish are finely chopped in the food processor along with two tablespoons of vinegar.  This is left to rest for ten minutes and then well drained until  totally dry.  While this is occurring, soften 4T butter, along with 1/4t salt and 1-2 teaspoons of horseradish, mix well. When radishes are as dry as possible, mix with the butter and add additional salt and horseradish if desired .

[KennethT]

Still trying to get rid of some herbs....

 

 

Pho ga with....

 

[YvetteMT]

@OlyveOyl that is beautiful and sounds delicious.  I'm a lover of radishes and horseradish, thank you for the directions!

[OlyveOyl]

32 minutes ago, YvetteMT said:

@OlyveOyl that is beautiful and sounds delicious.  I'm a lover of radishes and horseradish, thank you for the directions!

You are more than welcome! Just be sure the radishes are patted very dry on paper towels.

[Senior Sea Kayaker]

@KennethT Nice looking pho (another thing I miss going out for).

How about a few photos of your indoor herb garden? I can't recall seeing any recently.