Tag Team eG Foodblog: Light My Fire!

[Marlene]

Just to show you that fruits do make it into my house, just not necessarily past my lips. In the ongoing balance to keep Ryan filled up without letting him go overboard on junk, after school snacks are usually healthy things. We can move on to desserts and junk later. The bananas, yogurt and strawberries will go into a smoothie for him and he loves that peach fizzy water for some reason.

He's also a huge fan of sushi. Now, I couldn't tell you good sushi from bad, and this is supermarket sushi I know, but what the heck, it's healthy and he'll eat it.

The rain is still holding off so I decided to go ahead and make BBQ sauce.

Gather red onions, apples, and red peppers

then cut them up and toss in peanut oil.

In the meantime gather the rest of the ingredients and put them into a large pot:

Grill the oiled onions etc for a bit until slightly charred on both sides:

Then toss them into the pot and simmer for half an hour or so. You can simmer it right on the grill, or bring it in and simmer it on the stove. Grilltop simmering is a nice option for a hot day when you don't want to be working in your kitchen.

I tried valiantly to use my immersion blender to puree this, but the apples really don't get soft enough during this process. So I reverted back to my faithful blender. Do remember to keep your hand firmly on the blender lid, or you'll be cleaning BBQ sauce off your cupboards, clothes and face. I wonder If Ryan will notice I'm wearing a different shirt? Day two, second accident.

I use mason jars to store the sauce in. It's very thick and it makes a better condiment than a brushing sauce, athough it's divine, brushed on chicken while grilling. My brother goes nuts for this stuff, so 4 of these jars will go to him. I also ran out of mason jars, so there's some overflow in a tupperware container that you can't see.

The rain held off while I did this. It's now getting darker, and windy so we'll see what this afternoon brings but I've got pizza dough going in the breadmaker at the moment.

[MarketStEl]

Wow! A true triple treat! 

Lancastermike, please show Lebanon balogna.  I have wanted some with cream cheese ever since I read Laurie Colwin's description of it. this is maybe 12-13 years ago!

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From the archives, three weeks back:

(Taken at Philadelphia's Reading Terminal Market. It's in the rightmost of the three columns--regular in front, sweet in back.)

I'm looking forward to seeing it in its applied state, in a sandwich.

Edited May 11, 2006 by MarketStEl (log)

[lancastermike]

Mike, 160 for the pork? Shoe leather! I take mine out between 135-138, if I can catch it. It'll be 145 by the time you slice it, and that's plenty done enough.

100% correct. At 160 I'm not sure the dogs would eat it. Pork tenderloin can be a difficult thing to grill. I keep a close eye on them. No walking away to do something else. As I said above I use a thermometer. At one time I thought I knew what i was doing and eschewed the use of the thermometer. I am no longer afraid to use it. It is the one sure way to know what is going on with the food. i can tell a good bit by touch and by sight. But, the thermometer is very important to me.

[lancastermike]

Lunch time at work. Leftover sliced pork tenderloin on whole wheat bread with some nice grainy mustard and a slice of swiss cheese. A step up from yesterday.

It's pretty good. I broke down and bought a bag of Doritos from the vending machine to go with it. Today's beverage selection is a Diet Sprite Zero, formally known as Diet Sprite.

For many years i never drank ANY diet soda. I hated the taste. Than in january 2005 Maggie and I embarked on a South Beach diet phase. My beloved Coke Classic was verbotten. Now, diet is all I drink. i buy the long 12 packs of cans when they go on sale. I got them 4 for 10 dollars last time. Now one shelf in the garage is full of all sorts of diet products from Coke. Diet Coke, Diet Coke with Lime, Diet Cherry Vanilla Coke, Diet Sprite Zero, Diet Barq's Root Beer[Maggie's Favorite], and some other stuff as well.

The Diet Cherry Vanilla is really good. The Diet Coke with Lime I like as well.

One can comes to work wioth me every day without fail for my lunch.

The South Beach thing has sort of faed but some things we still do. Whole wheat breads, flavoring my own yogart with sugar free syrups and diet soda only remain. However, though there is a big bag of Splenda in my pantry, those caipirinhas we had last night were made with 100% cane sugar.

[lancastermike]

I'm looking forward to seeing it in its applied state, in a sandwich.

I am stopping at the market on the way home tonight. Lebanon Bologna is on the list and a sandwich Sandy will see

[MarketStEl]

Lunch time at work.  Leftover sliced pork tenderloin on whole wheat bread with some nice grainy mustard and a slice of swiss cheese.  A step up from yesterday.

It's pretty good.  I broke down and bought a bag of Doritos from the vending machine to go with it.  Today's beverage selection is a Diet Sprite Zero, formally known as Diet Sprite.

For many years i never drank ANY diet soda.  I hated the taste. Than in january 2005 Maggie and I embarked on a South Beach diet phase. My beloved Coke Classic was verbotten. Now, diet is all I drink.  i buy the long 12 packs of cans when they go on sale. I got them 4 for 10 dollars last time.  Now one shelf in the garage is full of all sorts of diet products from Coke.  Diet Coke, Diet Coke with Lime, Diet Cherry Vanilla Coke, Diet Sprite Zero, Diet Barq's Root Beer[Maggie's Favorite], and some other stuff as well.

The Diet Cherry Vanilla is really good.  The Diet Coke with Lime I like as well.

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Personally, I prefer Coca-Cola Zero over Diet Coke.

Coke Zero has a blend of sweeteners rather than just one, and the combination works better than any of them do alone. It's pretty darned close to the taste of regular Coke, and you almost don't notice an aftertaste.

[I_call_the_duck]

Naive question--what is so special about Lebanon bologna?

[lancastermike]

Oh My Lebanon Bologna, what to say. Wonderful smoky spicy taste. Flecks of fat, it goes so well with mustard and cheese on potato bread. One of the true culinary shinig stars of my home area. Nothing at all like that Oscar Myer bologna. They have cute commercials, but we got the real deal

Edited May 11, 2006 by lancastermike (log)

[Marlene]

Time for a 10 minute coffee break. I've rolled out the dough into rounds for pizza. Taking a tip from Weber's Real Grilling book, I oiled the dough round, placed parchment paper over it, then flipped it and oiled the other side. A piece of parchment paper on top, oil another round, place on parchment paper etc. The dough rounds are now stacked on a baking tray in the fridge.

It's really getting dark here and I'm afraid I'm going to get forced indoors for pizza although I'm still planning on grilling. So my question is, will oiled dough work on a pizza stone? Or is that going to be a problem?

[bavila]

Mike--my fave diet drinks are Canada Dry gingerale (especially the cranberry version) and Fresca (now in three flavors!). I've also made some kickin' fresh lemonade with the Splenda for baking (which does have some actual sugar in it). Also, don't you just love new potatoes on the grill?

Marlene -- lovely sauce. Must try.

[I_call_the_duck]

Oh My Lebanon Bologna, what to say.  Wonderful smoky spicy taste.  Flecks of fat, it goes so well with mustard and cheese on potato bread.  One of the true culinary shinig stars of my home area.  Nothing at all like that Oscar Myer bologna. They have cute commercials, but we got the real deal

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Thanks, Mike. Mmm...fat. Never was a big fan of Oscar Meyer--I prefer Hebrew National. But nonetheless I'll have to pick some up the next time I'm at Reading Market. BTW, your puppies are really cute. Is Gus a Bernese Mountain dog?

Marlene, that blender is so purdy. How long does that sauce keep?

[Megan Blocker]

Lunch time at work.  Leftover sliced pork tenderloin on whole wheat bread with some nice grainy mustard and a slice of swiss cheese.  A step up from yesterday.

It's pretty good.  I broke down and bought a bag of Doritos from the vending machine to go with it.  Today's beverage selection is a Diet Sprite Zero, formally known as Diet Sprite.

For many years i never drank ANY diet soda.  I hated the taste. Than in january 2005 Maggie and I embarked on a South Beach diet phase. My beloved Coke Classic was verbotten. Now, diet is all I drink.  i buy the long 12 packs of cans when they go on sale. I got them 4 for 10 dollars last time.  Now one shelf in the garage is full of all sorts of diet products from Coke.  Diet Coke, Diet Coke with Lime, Diet Cherry Vanilla Coke, Diet Sprite Zero, Diet Barq's Root Beer[Maggie's Favorite], and some other stuff as well.

The Diet Cherry Vanilla is really good.  The Diet Coke with Lime I like as well.

←

Personally, I prefer Coca-Cola Zero over Diet Coke.

Coke Zero has a blend of sweeteners rather than just one, and the combination works better than any of them do alone. It's pretty darned close to the taste of regular Coke, and you almost don't notice an aftertaste.

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I HATE the taste of regular Coke, and love Diet Coke. Probably because I was raised on the latter. All of these new potions are lost on me.

Mike, I love that you're a soda fan...what's your favorite soda to drink with a burger?

Edited May 11, 2006 by Megan Blocker (log)

[Marlene]

Marlene, that blender is so purdy.  How long does that sauce keep?

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The blender is a Breville. It's got six blades instead of the usual 4 and its 580 watts so it does a pretty good job on smoothies and sauces. Although I have to admit, I'm lusting after this

The sauce keeps a fairly long time. The longest I've had some around is 6 months and it was still just fine as long as it's kept in the fridge.

[lancastermike]

BTW, your puppies are really cute. Is Gus a Bernese Mountain dog?

Yes he is. Sophie was our first Berner and Gus the next. They are lovely dogs. Like many of the large breeds they don't have a real long life. Sophie was only 8 and ahalf. Gus is a youg guy and a happy, happy dog. not the place to talk about dogs, but he brings such joy to us that i can't describe it

[lancastermike]

Mike, I love that you're a soda fan...what's your favorite soda to drink with a burger?

If I had to pick just one it would be Coke Classic, if possible a sugar one not a HFCS one.

In any case it would not be a flavored one. No lime or cherry or anything. I really like the Diet Coke with Splenda. I think there are two kinds of diet soda drinkers. Ones like me who drank regular and want to find something that tastes like it. And those like Megan who were weaned on diet and never drank regular and have no memory of it. To my taste, Diet Coke with Splenda is the closest they have gotten. This product seems to have bombed as I can't find it anymore. I guess Zero is my next choice. Unless I go back to the real deal.

[Marlene]

It's raining but not too hard right now. We'll see what it's like when it's time to make dinner. Ry decided on the California rolls and fizzy water for snack. I wonder if I can convince him that a smoothie is dessert.

All this rain and prep work has made me tired, so an hour's nap is in order before finishing up dinner prep and deciding between the oven and the grill.

[lancastermike]

It's raining but not too hard right now.  We'll see what it's like when it's time to make dinner.  Ry decided on the California rolls and fizzy water for snack.  I wonder if I can convince him that a smoothie is dessert.

All this rain and prep work has made me tired, so an hour's nap is in order before finishing up dinner prep and deciding between the oven and the grill.

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I just went out for a minute on my break and it don't look good. We will see what is happening when I get home. I made the dough last night and it is in the fridge now. Will have to come to room temp for a while in any case so i am looking at later on to be grilling. That's when the forecast calls for a real deluge

[Marlene]

Here too for the deluge. Figures. We had two weeks of straight sunny weather before this.

[snowangel]

I just love having lunch with my friend Sue. We both noted that when we lunch with other friends, they are all over the small salad and sparkling water. Not us too. We figure that a bottle of wine is called for, and we eat with gusto.

So, when she suggested we lunch at Peninsula, I bit. I've heard nothing but raves about this new Malaysian restaurant. They also have some Thai dishes on the menu, which is not surprising, given that the two cuisines have had quite a bit of influence on each other.

So, ate we did. I also have a lot of leftovers, so great breakfast and lunch tomorrow (plus some dessert for after dinner -- I'd rather have savory dessert).

We had satay, lamb rendang, roti (filled with egg, onion and green chilis served with the curry sauce you see in the little bowl -- curry, potatoes and chicken), kway tio with charred shrimp and squid, and spicy salty tofu.

Everything was outstanding, although the rendang, tofu and kway teo made the roti pale in comparion. The kway teo was much different than the Thai style to which I am accustomed. The Thai style has wider noodies, served in a gravy with a lot of vegetables. This was more of a dry fry, and was quite spicy.

But, the dish that stood out was the tofu.

It was crispy and very hot-spicy and served on a bed of sauteed peppers (bell) and onions. In the photo above, I've cut the cube open and you can see how creamy the tofu is. The tofu is house made and exquisite. Were I to choose a dish of the year, this would be it, hands down. The stuff dreams are made of.

We waddled out and I made my first trip in over two decades to Hennepiin Lake Liquors. Sue had raved about their wine collection, and she was right. The staff is beyond helpful and the prices are great. I don't know squat about wine, other than what I like. They don't take plastic (checks or cash and I'd forgotten my check book), so I only got two bottles.

Now, after a ton of food and half a bottle of wine, I really want a nap, but it's off to make pizza dough and do something to make me hungry for dinner!

Edited to replace photo.

[mizducky]

And, I'm meeting a friend for lunch today on Eat Street, an area of South Minneapolis that has tons of international eateries.  I'm going to try and work in a trip to what is supposedly one of the best Asian markets in town (just down the street from the restaurant) and if I've got time, a Penzey's run.

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Oooooh! Asian market run! One of my favorite things in the world! Hoping you can sneak in a few pictures -- and of Penzey's too ...

Marlene, your barbeque sauce looks terrific, especially with the chunks of grilled apples, onions, and peppers. I have only just recently turned on to the concept of grilling fruits in any big way. Okay, in my case it's really pseudo-grilling using the George Foreman thingie, but what it lacks in smoke-and-flame factor it sure makes up for in convenience. Anyway, now I'm psyched to try grilled/roasted fruits as ingredients to add to other dishes. Cool!

[snowangel]

Eating machine number 1 (Diana) just arrived home. The four leftover satay skewers are gone, as is some of the rengang and some of the noodles. Better hide the rest of the leftovers or I'm not going to have breakfast in the morning!

Mizducky, we did not make an Asian market run. Nor did we hit Penzey's. We lingered long over lunch and the bottle of wine...

[mizducky]

Mizducky, we did not make an Asian market run.  Nor did we hit Penzey's.  We lingered long over lunch and the bottle of wine...

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Hey, lingering over lunch and wine is pretty darned high on my list of favorite things too.

[Marlene]

It looks like I'm good to grill. Question, need quick answer. Do i need to precook toppings like green peppers, pepperoni and sausage?

[Abra]

Marlene, that's a really interesting barbecue sauce. Will you share the recipe? And yes, pre-cook toppings. I think it's best if they're even a bit warm, that way you only have one thing to worry about, and that's getting the dough done right.

And Susan, that's some lust-inducing tofu you had. And it's not often one associates tofu with lust, I must say.

Mike, if you ever sully a caipirinha with Splenda, I don't want to know about it!

Edited May 11, 2006 by Abra (log)

[Marlene]

Oops. Back to plan B. I stepped outside to light the BBQ and the heavens opened up. Now I don't mind a little grillin in the rain, but with pizza, I have to stand out there the whole time My grill is not in a covered area, and I'm really not crazy about getting soaked. I may have to move the grilled pizza experiement to another night