Camping, Princess Style

[Smithy]

28 minutes ago, blue_dolphin said:

 

I've never done it but I'd totally be up for removing the skin, crisping it up in the toaster oven or even a skillet and using it as a decadent salad topper!

 

 

Crisping the skin to make a salad topper would be excellent! This time, though, I just chopped it all together. Then I chopped celery and parsley and added that, bound it together with mayonnaise and a touch of dill pickle juice, and called it good. It IS good. The pieces perhaps could have been chopped more finely; this wouldn't spread nicely on bread for a sandwich. However, it's fine wrapped in lettuce or loaded onto a (large) celery stick.

 

 

I may try adding kimchi later, at least to a small bit, to see what that does.

[Smithy]

Dessert time for my darling (and later for me): a bit of Christmas self-indulgence.

 

 

The Yuma Optimists Club has its annual fundraiser selling See's Candies from a stand. For the last year or three I've bought a big box for the badly-overworked, underappreciated staff in our post office. They know us, even though we're only part-timers! This year I got particular thanks because they feel so overwhelmed and mostly hear complaints.

 

While I'm at the stand, I buy a small box for us. Hey, the money goes to a good cause. 😉

 

 

[lindag]

I add dried cranberries (plumped first) to my chicken  salad.  An outstanding addition.

 

[Smithy]

1 minute ago, lindag said:

I add dried cranberries (plumped first) to my chicken  salad.  An outstanding addition.

 

 

That sounds delicious! Thanks for the suggestion. 

 

Come to think of it, walnuts would be good too. I bet I can make that chicken last twice as long and be 4 times as good!

[blue_dolphin]

27 minutes ago, Smithy said:

 

That sounds delicious! Thanks for the suggestion. 

 

Come to think of it, walnuts would be good too. I bet I can make that chicken last twice as long and be 4 times as good!

 

If you're adding fruit and nuts (I'm partial to apples and grapes) to chicken salad, consider making it a curry chicken salad. Just toast some curry powder lightly to bring out the flavors and mix with your mayo. 

[Smithy]

On 12/21/2023 at 10:32 AM, FauxPas said:

 

You could save a video to YouTube and then share the link to that. I'd like to see if your can opener is very different from mine!  🙂

 

 

Done. At 59MB I doubt I'll be uploading many videos this winter, but "I" now have a YouTube channel! 🙂

 

 

 

 

[FauxPas]

16 minutes ago, Smithy said:

Done. At 59MB I doubt I'll be uploading many videos this winter, but "I" now have a YouTube channel! 🙂

 

Right, I completely forgot about your bandwidth issues down there! I do love the video though (and your opener).  🙂

 

[Smithy]

I had the chance to use the magic can opener twice for tonight's dinner; on a can of refried beans, and a can of red enchilada sauce. The can opener is ridiculously fun to use, just as a FoodSaver is ridiculously gratifying.

 

The dinner was enchiladas. The ingredients: good local pork chorizo (none of that pale nonsense from Duluth), a red onion, refried beans, some tortillas left over from a visiting guest last fall, grated cheddar, and cherry tomatoes whose time had long since passed. I cooked the chorizo and onion outside on the camp stove, partly because the poor stove hasn't had much use yet and partly to keep the mess outside.

 

 

I brought the cooked stuff in and went to work on the enchiladas. This is a dish I don't do often enough for efficiency, much less to make it all neat. Still, once everything was assembled it went into a 375F oven for an unattended hour. That left time to do other things.

 

 

The served enchiladas looked, well, messy and not very impressive until we garnished them at the table. There was chopped lettuce, chopped parsley and cilantro, sour cream, more shredded cheddar (which neither of us used) and salsa. Each of us had only 1 enchilada. We'll have another dinner and probably another lunch from the leftplanned-overs.

 

 

Someday, maybe I'll remember that I really must line the pan. I baked this in my enameled cast iron dish. I put enchilada sauce on the bottom before adding the enchiladas themselves, but the tortillas still stuck. The pan is soaking as I type.

[Smithy]

Well. The dust has settled, many phone conversations with family and friends have been enjoyed, the dishes have been washed and put away and our Christmas feast is behind us. (In my case, increasing my behind.) Now I can tell about yesterday's Christmas dinner.

 

Last week when I had to go to town and barely made it back before the flash flood warnings, it was partly because Nothing Would Do But We Had to Have Short Ribs for Christmas Dinner. We had talked about all the food in the freezer and how we shouldn't buy anything special, but I wanted short ribs. I had to go to town anyway for other errands, so it wasn't really a special trip. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

 

I knew I was buying too much meat, but I didn't think the one package available at Fry's would be enough. So I went to Albertsons, got more short ribs, and while I was at it added beef back ribs to the mix. I was curious about the difference.

 

 

When I unwrapped these, I thought the Fry's ribs had a strongish smell (note the darker color) and wondered whether they were spoiling. I washed them -- actually, I rinsed and patted dry all the meat -- and then coated them with this rib rub:

 

 

It was a gift from my sister a few years ago. The Spice and Tea Shoppe has been a source of some fine gifts over the years!

 

I browned the ribs on all sides, then added perhaps a cup of water -- enough to come halfway up the smaller pieces -- slapped a lid on the pot and put it into the oven as low as it would go. I think they braised in there for around 1.5 - 2 hours, but lost track of the time since I was working on other dishes in the meantime.

 

 

I was following the technique I learned during the eGullet Culinary Institute's weeklong seminar and labs titled The Truth About Braising. I must say I've always been delighted with the results, but I don't think I've cooked short ribs this way for at least 10 years, due to changing family dynamics and, probably, laziness on my part.

 

I bothered to take the extra steps: defat the sauce after the ribs were done, let them cool, remove the bones, then reheat the meat in the juices. It's more work, but makes a better presentation at the dinner table. In addition I learned from @Wolfert during the course and subsequent discussion that it helps add even more tenderness to the meat. In this case, I made gravy from the defatted juices, then rewarmed the ribs in the gravy just before serving. 

 

 

While the ribs were braising, I mixed up scalloped corn and a wing-it attempt at potatoes dauphinois using paper-thin slices of potatoes interspersed with butter and poured over with cream. The idea was to get a crispy base and tender potatoes. I think it went too long. Flavors were good, but there was quite a lot stuck to the bottom of the pan.

 

 

Earlier in the day I'd used the food processor while the generator was running, to make a cranberry salad. It's based on his family's recipe: fresh cranberries, a whole orange or two, toasted walnuts, a bit of sugar. It was to be an accompaniment to dinner, or a dessert, but we never got to it. It's been breakfast this morning, and will be for a few more mornings.

 

 

It took 3 loads of dishwashing (counting the food processor in the morning) and I wouldn't want to do this often any more -- but dinner was tasty and we have plenty of leftovers. I don't think we'll need to cook anything this week, beyond reheating things in the microwave.

 

A nice GSM accompanied the dinner. He isn't usually a wine drinker, but made an exception last night.

 

 

(He abstained from the barbecue sauce last night on his ribs, but has already noted that he'll probably put it on his next portions. 🤷‍♀️)

[ElsieD]

Do you notice any difference between the ribs bought at Fry's and Albertson's?

[Smithy]

19 minutes ago, ElsieD said:

Do you notice any difference between the ribs bought at Fry's and Albertson's?

 

No. I could tell the difference in short ribs by size, but not by flavor. The back ribs were slightly tougher and I only managed to remove the bone from one of them, but the flavor was similar.

[Smithy]

Yesterday was our day to go dump the holdings tanks, refill the water and propane and gasoline tanks, and dispose of garbage. It's normally a 3 hour operation, start to finish, but we decided to go to a different place in the misguided belief that it would go more quickly. Not only were we badly mistaken about the time and simplicity, but the paved road was actually worse than the dirt road we take to the other place. Note the position of the pot lids. These pots were on the floor, with their lids on, before we started!

 

 

Still, we got it done and got back in time for a walk and a fine sunset.

 

 

We finished the last of the beef ribs from Christmas for dinner last night. I'm not sure which planned-overs we'll have tonight, but we have plenty of choices.

[FauxPas]

@Smithy, do you two have any special plans for New Year's Eve? Any special meals? 

[Smithy]

43 minutes ago, FauxPas said:

@Smithy, do you two have any special plans for New Year's Eve? Any special meals? 

 

We plan to stay out here rather than go anywhere. Not sure about special meals yet, but they won't involve a trip to the grocery store! 😄

[Smithy]

I think I finally have time to update, and maybe keep up, this blog. We've been having musical adventures and medical misadventures, which register at opposite ends of the Fun Meter but are equally unrelated to food. As a result I've been photographing fairly often but disinclined to post.

 

For New Year's Eve I indulged my love of making things flame, and cooked my version of the New York Times' Creamy Pan Roasted Scallops with Fresh Tomatoes (that should be an unlocked article in the link) with good cognac to flame it. I wrote about doing the same last year, here. As with last year, I used shrimp instead of scallops. 

 

 

I thought it delicious. To my disappointment, he noted at a later date that he hadn't really liked it. It seems that his idea of seafood is (a) to avoid it or (b) if necessary, eat it fried. That's okay, I had a great time cooking it and eating the leftovers!

 

A week or so later we went to a holiday party and it gave me an excuse to go on a baking spree in the days before the party. The pecans came from the Texas Hill Country; I'd purchased them last fall in Llano. Note to self: no matter how good they are, they're even better with a bit of oven toasting.

 

The Bourbon Pecan Pie from George Graham's Acadiana Table (someday I'm going to buy one or two of his cookbooks) was as big a hit this year as it was last year. Good thing I took a picture before I loaded it up for the party, because none came home.

 

 

My second pie was David Lebovitz's Chocolate Pecan Pie with Bourbon, although I left the bourbon out in case we had teetotalers. This was a simpler pie to make because it required less cooking of the filling. I liked it better than the non-chocolate version, but it wasn't as popular with our crowd.

 

 

As it happened, I had more filling than would fit into either pie shell. I pulled out some sheets of phyllo and made a rough pie crust, then mixed the leftover fillings and poured them in. That stayed home. The phyllo dough was too crumbly to make a good shell (I'd bought it by mistake; I'd wanted puff pastry but picked up the wrong package) but in truth I liked this hybrid filling best!

 

 

Not shown: @Tropicalsenior's beloved Instant Pot New York Style Cheesecake. It's always a hit. I did end up bringing some home, but since it's a hit here too that's all right.

 

I came home not only with my own leftovers, but also with a substantial amount of sliced ham, a small amount of an excellent spinach salad, and partial containers of two different store-bought potato salads (one with mustard and egg, one with dill and sour cream). We ate those up fairly quickly in the ensuing days. I shared some of the ham and dessert with a camping neighbor who's become a good friend. I also made grilled ham and cheese sandwiches for more than one of our dinners. Delicious! 

 

 

My sandwich had a bit of sauerkraut added after the pan frying was done. I've been working to add live fermented foods, and more fiber, to our diets. Well...to my diet anyway. I'll tell more about that in another post.

 

All the holiday decorations are down, but the Christmas poinsettia lives on and brings us lots of cheer.

 

[lindag]

When you make your grilled ham and cheese next time try adding a big smear of yellow mustard prior to grilling.  Big flavor especially if you're a mustard fan.

A good friend made this years ago and it was a revelation to me.

[Smithy]

22 minutes ago, lindag said:

When you make your grilled ham and cheese next time try adding a big smear of yellow mustard prior to grilling.  Big flavor especially if you're a mustard fan.

A good friend made this years ago and it was a revelation to me.

 

I should have mentioned that. I learned it from my mother: mayo and mustard (the cheap yellow kind) inside; butter on the outside. My darling prefers Miracle Whip to mayonnaise, so I usually customize the sandwich with regard to bread and spreads. 🙂

 

[C. sapidus]

Have fun with the music, and I hope the medical misadventures resolve quickly.

 

Dunno if you will be anywhere near Las Cruces, NM but if so, I can strongly recommend the getting chile rellenos at El Jacalito Restaurant. One of the best things we ate in a month on the road.

 

[Smithy]

1 hour ago, C. sapidus said:

Have fun with the music, and I hope the medical misadventures resolve quickly.

 

Dunno if you will be anywhere near Las Cruces, NM but if so, I can strongly recommend the getting chile rellenos at El Jacalito Restaurant. One of the best things we ate in a month on the road.

 

 

I've changed my "reaction" at least twice, since I can't react both with "thanks" and "delicious", but I mean both! I appreciate the recommendation. We aren't sure yet which way we'll go home. We've gone through Las Cruces once or twice, but usually stay farther south. This time we may try to put ourselves in line with the April 8 solar eclipse. 

 

Anyway, thanks for this recommendation! It looks delicious, and I really do love a good chile relleno -- especially if I didn't have to make it. 🙂

 

[Smithy]

Earlier this week I noticed that the freezer was rapidly losing its freeze. Ice was beginning to melt. The ice cream bars we'd bought the day before were turning soft. *Sigh*. I turned off the refrigerator, emptied our two coolers and loaded the contents of the freezer into those coolers. I knew we were about due for a defrosting, but had hoped to put it off until the freezer had some empty space. What a dreamer I am!

 

When I emptied the contents, I saw that the frost was nearly an inch thick in places.

 

 

After 20 minutes or so of running a hair dryer on High in that enclosed space, it was frost-free. (The sides were beginning to warp, too. Note to self: this new hair dryer has more oomph than the old one. Use it on Low!) 

 

I reloaded the freezer. It looks a bit more ruly now.

 

 

Still. We have enough food. We don't need to include meat when we go grocery shopping.

 

And yet...I had to forcibly drag him past the meat department a couple of days ago!

[FauxPas]

30 minutes ago, Smithy said:

I reloaded the freezer. It looks a bit more ruly now.

 

Look at all that empty space you have now with the ice gone! Definitely time to restock, I'd say.  😃😄😮

 

(where is that emoji with the devil's horns???!!!) 

[Smithy]

I've been working to get more vegetables (variety, color) and fiber into our diets. Fermented foods into mine also, but I'm having to sneak them into his. Salami, alas, doesn't count.

 

The problem with all those delightful vegetables -- and I really do like them -- is the washing and chopping that must be done with most of them. Cauliflower and broccoli are special offenders that can sit, taking up far more than their alloted space, for over a week in the fridge. (I haven't figured out the right enticement to recruit Household Brownies to come do that work at night, when we're sleeping. Maybe there aren't any out here.) With a few exceptions like slaw mix I generally avoid packaged, already prepped vegetables -- partly because it adds cost and trash but also because it seems the more things are handled the more likely they are to be subject to a food recall. We see them often enough in this topic. The washing and chopping and special fixing can be meditative and relaxing when I'm in the right mood, but very inconvenient otherwise.

 

On the other hand, I have discovered bagged convenience foods: simmering sauces and prepackaged cooked rice. I'd never have expected to bend on these, but they are a very nice way to cut prep times -- especially with sauces whose flavor profiles I can't crank out without consulting a cookbook or three.

 

 

I'm not proud of these ingredient lists, but I can think of worse things. And they ARE convenient.

 

 

A week or so ago I hoisted my resolve and my knife, and went to work on broccoli, red bell pepper, green onions, and a tube steak or two. Sometime later they were all simmering in the sauce, and when we were ready to eat I nuked the rice and put it under said simmered ingredients.

 

 

We both loved it! I thought the sauce maybe a touch too sweet and spicy/hot for my tastes, but he said I needed to keep it around. So I've bought more. I also have a butter chicken simmer sauce and a tikka masala sauce, and several different types of rice packages. You'll be seeing them all, probably, during the remainder of our stay here.

 

Speaking of our stay here, we've had some lovely celestial shows. This sunrise and moonset were from roughly the day I cooked this particular dinner.

 

 

 

Edited January 21 by Smithy
Minor wordsmithing and spelling corrections (log)

[rotuts]

@Smithy

 

id be interested in the sodium content of those various packs.

 

if theynhelpyounget a tasty dinner on your plates 

 

terrific.

[Smithy]

It's a cool and rainy day today (hooray! rain!) so we're doing long, slow cooking projects today. For me it's Sunday Pinto Beans from The Homesick Texan's web site. Dead easy, so far. We'll see whether it's worth doing. It will be only for me: I'm out of Cooper's beans, and my darling has found a brand of "barbecued brisket beans" at the grocery store that he adores. I think they're too sweet. He thinks the Cooper's beans are too bland. Diversity makes an interesting marriage.

 

The beans so far are promising. The cast of characters includes pinto beans, ground cumin, chili powder, black pepper, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, bay leaves, baking soda, dried oregano. I didn't have bay leaves or onion powder, so I added Trader Joe's Umami mushroom powder for extra oomph.

 

 

Throw them all into a pot with 4 cups water, stir thoroughly to mix the spices (and admire the fizzing sound of the baking soda); bring to a boil. At this stage it smells wonderful! I like that combination of flavors.

 

 

When they've come to the boil, turn off the heat. Put the lid on, and load the pot into a preheated 275F oven. Walk away for 3 hours, then come back and check.

 

Now, a word about the lid. If @Porthos is reading he'll probably shudder, given his nature as a cast iron expert, but I'm looking for input here. This Lodge preseasoned cast iron Dutch Oven sat outside on our deck too long, and rust began to develop on the outer rim and in the indentations of the lid's exterior. This morning I scrubbed it with Soft Scrub, rinsed it with water, dried, then sprayed with Pam olive oil. It's sitting in the oven, supposedly curing again while it protects our beans. What do you think? Anyone? Will this work?

 

I'll report back on the beans and the pot lid later.

[Shelby]

16 minutes ago, Smithy said:

I have discovered bagged convenience foods: simmering sauces

I've started using them, too.  Misfits has had some and I decided to purchase.  Very handy and just as good --probably better--than I can make.  Like you, making things like curry sauces....tikka masala etc. do not come naturally to me and I have to have detailed instructions.  Can I throw together a huge pot of spaghetti sauce without a recipe.  Yes.  Those exotic type sauces etc. Nope.