Camping, Princess Style

[Smithy]

10 hours ago, Porthos said:

There's also Tapatio. When a friend was working a serving counter he was once ask for Tuh-PATio sauce. It's been a joke within our group ever since. 

 

Reminds me of when I was in high school in Central California. A new "Mexican" place had just opened not far from school, and our new friend (recently immigrated from Oklahoma) wanted to go check it out. "Let's go to TAYco Bell!" she said, "I've never had a TAYco before."

 

We just about died laughing about her mispronunciation, and teased her about it probably harder than we should have.

 

And yes, I AM old enough to remember a time before Taco Bell.

[Smithy]

Breakfast today.

 

 

Now I'm wishing I'd bought more minneolas in Yuma. These are really good.

[lemniscate]

2 hours ago, Smithy said:

Now I'm wishing I'd bought more minneolas in Yuma. These are really good.

 

Don't overlook any local Tangelos if you see them.   The ones I got this season were honey sweet.   I also dried the peel for "I don't what but I'll think of something" to preserve their presence.

 

[Smithy]

Breakfast this morning: toast with a marvelous Kirkland cheddar cheese that my best friends bought for me at Costco; cherry tomatoes; and the last of leftovers from yesterday's lunch.

 

 

The "remains of yesterday's lunch" deserves some storytelling. A friend from Phoenix and I went to a Mexican restaurant that the Camp Host had recommended. There aren't any pictures; it was so dark inside that we both needed our call phone flashlights to read the menu! I had a chile relleno and a beef enchilada, accompanied by the standard refried beans and Spanish rice. I forget what he had, 2 burritos maybe, with the same accompaniment. Conversation was the main point of the meal. That's good, because I found my food decent but forgettable. I've had better versions of both the burrito and the chile relleno.

 

Here's a closer look at the today's remains of the chile relleno:

 

 

The cheese was nice; it had a rather tart flavor that I've never encountered before and would be pleased to try again. The breading was -- well, not much to it, and I'd have expected some sort of sauce with it. There was no sauce. (There was none on the burrito, either; both were simply nestled into the refried beans.) Somehow the whole thing had distinct layers instead of being a happy marriage of ingredients.

 

As I said, getting together was the main point anyway, and we had a good time catching up.

 

From there we went to see the Dwarf Car Museum. It's an amazing place, well worth a visit if you're ever near Maricopa, with amazing mechanical craftsmanship and funny old memorabilia. The only culinary connection is this startling (to me) bit of machinery among the collection of vending machines hanging around the museum: a soup-dispensing machine!

 

 

I never knew such a thing had existed. It may have been common in some mechanics' garages, to allow workers a choice for lunch.

Edited March 30, 2023 by Smithy
Elaborated on the soup dispenser (log)

[Smithy]

Dinner last night: Yet More Ribs (really) and vegetables of our choice.

 

 

He chose green peas, microwaved from frozen with butter. I dressed some Rancho Gordo Royal Corona beans, freshly cooked, with pesto. He had his preferred Kinder's hot barbecue sauce; I used their Cali Gold. Not bad. I'll be able to get through it, but hope we'll be back to Llano in a couple of weeks so I can load up on their sauce and work on duplicating it.

 

There's a story, and some commentary, on the Royal Corona beans. First off, these things are HUGE once theu're fully cooked and plumped. I cooked these with a few chicken bones from the freezer and a couple of bay leaves, also from the freezer but originally from Texas. I've been carrying these harvested bay leaves in the freezer for several years. They're still good.

 

 

I cooked them partly to make space in the dry storage cooler (and, of course, require more space in the refrigerator) but mostly so I could cook this recipe soon:

 

Gigantes Plaki (Greek Baked Beans)

 

You're supposed to cook it using a can of cooked white beans and a can of tomatoes. Trust me to start from scratch.

Edited April 1, 2023 by Smithy
corrected recipe title (log)

[heidih]

Love gigante beans. A local deli counter used to offer them for sale - but the were more simply dressed with oregano, garlic, oiive oi and a hint of red wine vinegar. So comforting at room temp.

[ElsieD]

@Smithyif that meal happened here, we'd be on the same vegetable page but his plate would have rice on it and mine, spuds.

[Smithy]

39 minutes ago, heidih said:

Love gigante beans. A local deli counter used to offer them for sale - but the were more simply dressed with oregano, garlic, oiive oi and a hint of red wine vinegar. So comforting at room temp.

 

That sounds like my dressing for 3-bean salad. I'll have to try it with these beans alone, after I've tried the recipe I linked above.

[Smithy]

It's a beautiful day outside, supposed to get hot. We're planning to cook outside this evening and take advantage of the sunshade. Last night it was corned beef and potatoes. @Porthos asked a couple of weeks ago whether we were doing that for St. Patrick's Day and I said we'd intended to but neglected to pick up the brisket. Perhaps, I said, we'll find some on sale later.

 

We did.

 

 

This is another case where the loyalty card made the difference between buying and not buying, based on the price. Based on the price, I got two. It's a good thing, too -- because while this brisket was pretty good, we both found it lacking in that distinct corned flavoring. The spices weren't intense enough. Although I suspect it has more to do with the original processing, there must be a way to give it oomph. Even the potatoes, boiled in the same water as the brisket, were pallid compared to our expectations. Maybe what we need to do with the second brisket is to add extra corning spices to the water. Suggestions are welcome, with the proviso that this is my darling's dish and he will insist on boiling.

 

 

 

(Yes, we have a lot of topics about home-corned beef, or sous vide corned beef, but I haven't found anything directly addressing the question of boosting wimpy corned beef. I have also posted the question over here to revive the most relevant topic.)

Edited April 1, 2023 by Smithy
Added link to related topic (log)

[lindag]

The church brisket that's done here in town is made and then slathered with a mix of mustard and brown sugar and wrapped in foil then put in very slow oven.

While it's the best by far that I've ever had it doesn't seen like that's the flavor you're looking for.

 

[rotuts]

@Smithy 

 

that's very interesting .

 

was the wimpy-ness : salt related ?

 

Id guess not .

 

consider mustard seed , what ever you have

 

added whole to  the next bath .  and other

 

flavors :  whole bay leaf , possible whole black pepper corns ?

 

 

 

 

Edited April 1, 2023 by rotuts (log)

[Smithy]

1 hour ago, lindag said:

The church brisket that's done here in town is made and then slathered with a mix of mustard and brown sugar and wrapped in foil then put in very slow oven.

While it's the best by far that I've ever had it doesn't seen like that's the flavor you're looking for.

 

 

I appreciate your comments, but you're right that it sounds way far from what we want. I wouldn't mind trying it sometime if someone else cooked it, but I'd be reluctant to commit an entire cut to it without trying it first.

 

1 hour ago, rotuts said:

@Smithy 

 

that's very interesting .

 

what the wimpy-ness : salt related ?

 

Id guess not .

 

consider mustard seed , what ever you have

 

added whole to  the next bath .  and other

 

flavors :  whole bay leaf , possible whole black pepper corns ?

 

 

You probably have the right idea: figure out what's in those spice packets, then double or triple it. Peppercorns, bay leaves, mustard seed...anything but cloves! (Well, no cinnamon or allspice in this either.) I think the saltiness does appeal to us although we know we should be rinsing that off, but this is already salty enough that there's no consideration of salting anything after serving it.

[Smithy]

1 hour ago, lindag said:

The church brisket that's done here in town is made and then slathered with a mix of mustard and brown sugar and wrapped in foil then put in very slow oven.

While it's the best by far that I've ever had it doesn't seen like that's the flavor you're looking for.

 

 

I should have asked before: is that a straight brisket, or has it been corned first? 

[heidih]

I always thought the little spice packet was what is termed generically as  pickling spice. Always seemed pretty consistent across brands. Your nose can be a powerful tool. Always bought by price and looking at underside to make sure not buying a hunk of fat as neither son or husband could dral woith that. Oh and flat cut. I;d cut some of the potato in small cunk so you could sample 3/4 way through and adjust the salt. If does not give you the smell you expect as it is cookin, that s when I;d add more of the pickling spice. I also would cut a whole head of garlic in half  and add at start as we all like it. Method - crock pot 

[Smithy]

1 minute ago, heidih said:

I always thought the little spice packet was what is termed generically as  pickling spice. Always seemed pretty consistent across brands. Your nose can be a powerful tool. Always bought by price and looking at underside to make sure not buying a hunk of fat as neither son or husband could dral woith that. Oh and flat cut. I;d cut some of the potato in small cunk so you could sample 3/4 way through and adjust the salt. If does not give you the smell you expect as it is cookin, that s when I;d add more of the pickling spice. I also would cut a whole head of garlic in half  and add at start as we all like it. Method - crock pot 

 

I like the idea of adding a head of garlic. Thanks for that! As for the pickling spice: not all blends are the same. The brand I bought recently included cloves. I should have read the label! The cloves even come out in the jalapenos I pickled last January. I don't like it. I threw the rest of the box away, rather than continuing to let it take up space in my overcrowded cabinet. (Our camp host didn't want it either.)

[Porthos]

4 hours ago, Smithy said:

It's a beautiful day outside, supposed to get hot. We're planning to cook outside this evening and take advantage of the sunshade. Last night it was corned beef and potatoes. @Porthos 

 

This is another case where  Suggestions are welcome, with the proviso that this is my darling's dish and he will insist on boiling.

It's amazing how many chains Kroger owns.  In southern Calif it's Ralph's,  in our new neck of the woods it's Smith's, for you two in southern AZ it's Fry's.

 

If we manage to meet up late winter/early spring next year I could bring your darling a sample of my slow-cooked (8 hours) corned beef, cooked in Guinness with root veggies. 

 

[Smithy]

56 minutes ago, Porthos said:

It's amazing how many chains Kroger owns.  In southern Calif it's Ralph's,  in our new neck of the woods it's Smith's, for you two in southern AZ it's Fry's.

 

If we manage to meet up late winter/early spring next year I could bring your darling a sample of my slow-cooked (8 hours) corned beef, cooked in Guinness with root veggies. 

 

 

I'd love that.

 

Is your recipe / method the same as when you wrote this? Corned Beef, Fat and Guiness

[Porthos]

@Smithy. Yes.

[lindag]

15 hours ago, Smithy said:

 

I should have asked before: is that a straight brisket, or has it been corned first? 

They just use the regular store-bought stuff.

I'm not an insider there so not privy to the details.

[lindag]

In parts of the West it's Fred Meyer.

 

[Smithy]

And now for something completely different: what @Kim Shook calls Whomp Rolls.

 

My mother used to make these on occasion: sweet rolls for special-occasion breakfasts; croissants or biscuits for special dinners. She didn't do much scratch-baking although she was an excellent cook, and these were delightful conveniences. I'm more of a scratch baker, when I bother to bake. My darling's mother was always a scratch baker, as far as I know. So you've seen the sweet rolls I've made him a couple of times this year. (If you haven't but you want to, take a look here.) He's been agitating for more and wondering whether the sweet-rolls-in-a-tube would be easier. We decided to find out.

 

 

Those of you familiar with "whomp" packages will remember that these have a paper/foil wrapper sealing the outside. When you peel it off per the directions, you'll expose a seam in the cardboard tube. Note the instructions on the cardboard.

 

 

Press with a spoon? That's no fun! It's much more fun to whomp it on the edge of the counter and watch the contents poof out.

 

 

Put on a greased (or parchment lined) baking sheet, bake for 15 - 20 minutes at 375 if your oven is that steady, and pull out when the rolls are golden brown. Spread with the frosting that also comes in the tube, just under the cap.

 

 

Enjoy.

 

He had 3, I had 2. He's already staggered off for his morning nap to let the sugar rush die down.

 

Advantages of these biscuits:

• They're much quicker and more convenient
• It's fun to whack that tube
• They're puffier and more tender than mine. My dough needs work still.

 

Advantages of my rolls:

• They're bigger
• They include pecans and dried fruit
• They don't contain any funny chemicals -- which, admittedly, might be the reason they aren't as tender and puffy.

My rolls are also not as sweet, but that's a matter of taste and the icing on top. We haven't decided about that yet. (Well, I have, but I'll see what he has to say.)

 

Will I keep a tube of these around? No. Will I make them again sometime? Maybe.

[Smithy]

Yesterday evening was beautiful weather for cooking over a fire, and he did: tube steaks over the wood fire, beans of our choice (dressed as we wished) to accompany. Wood smoke really does add a nice flavor to grilled foods.

 

 

 

Tonight will be more complicated for me, if I get off my backside and start prepping! Otherwise we'll be eating planned-overs. 🙂

 

[Margaret Pilgrim]

Planned-overs = two for the price of one.   My favorite deal.

[Shelby]

I wish I was better at planned-overs.  

[Smithy]

4 hours ago, Shelby said:

I wish I was better at planned-overs.  

 

The way you cook, Shelby, you surely have leftovers. You need to just rename them. That's what we do! 😉