What are you eating?

[Luke]

That's a lot of rosemary.

You may want to try that brine without cooking the onion and garlic. More flavor.

Try throwing your fish in a brine if you haven't yet. Totally worth it.


Italian sausage with peppers and onions tonight with sweet potato fries. Football food.

[Luke]

Cleaning out the fridge night always makes for a great omelet. Made Denver omelets with tomato on the side. Good stuff.

And since apples were bogo, I have quite the plethora of them. I winged it and whipped together an off the cuff apple crisp. Two Granny Smiths chopped, one banana sliced, topped with a mixture of oats, brown sugar and butter. Baked at 350 for about 45 minutes.

Pretty decent. Nothing to write home about, but delicious nonetheless.

Also made a homemade Arnold Palmer. Suntea plus lemonade made with actual lemons. Way better than the stuff from a can.

[fastbilly1]

My wife is on a strict diet to win a weight loss contest at work, so we have eaten not much more than uncooked vegetables and the occasional chicken the past week. But tonight she is out, so as soon as I get home the charcoal gets lit and I am going to start cooking the sheep. Applewood smoked sheep meat is divine, nothing else is needed.

[Luke]

I spent over a half hour picking out two salmon fillets. Totally worth it.

I'm picky. No! Seriously, I am. You may or may not know, but fish also has marbling, like a decent steak. Take your time to pick a perfect fish.

Weird to some, but I am not a fan of cooked tuna (canned aside, I dig canned tuna). Tastes like, well, hot tuna. Raw tuna, however, is amazing. But something about a seared tuna steak is off putting to me.

Shifting gears, I plan on making pizza from scratch tonight. So cheap, so delicious. Dough, tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, anchovies.

Why anchovies have a bad rep, I'll never get. How anyone can love bacon and not anchovies mystifies me. Anchovies are basically the bacon of the sea. Think not? Try an ALT sandwich (anchovies, lettuce, tomato). And the way they melt in a pasta sauce...delectable. Give anchovies and green olives on a pizza a chance.

[fastbilly1]

Its cool to hate on Anchovies. Thats why I keep a pâté of it in my fridge.

[jp1]

Anchovies are good on or in something. By themselves, I just can't do it.

[Luke]

Anchovies are good on or in something. By themselves, I just can't do it.

I can get behind that.

But anchovies invoke some odd culinary trigger in some people where one second they love a dish, then "OMG! This has anchovies in it? I now all of a sudden hate what I loved one second ago!".

I get it. Most people eat with their brain and not their mouth. I mean, look as this nasty bastard:



That "thing" that looks like something out of a SPAWN comic is a monkfish, aka poor man's lobster. It's actually sweeter and tastier than lobster and makes for an incredible stew. People buy it for less than two bucks a pound because it is ugly.

And don't get me started on skate and scallops. You put a fifty dollar tag on a menu labeled "catch of the day" you can sell frozen salmon as grouper and most people wouldn't know the difference.

[Jrecee]

Some highlights from the past week:

Red meat. I've mentioned this before, but I'll say it again; Love the idea of a smokehouse burger, but never happy with the results. The bbq sauce covers up the taste of the beef, the fried onions are way too oily, soggy bun, and the cheddar melts, well, like cheddar.

Solutions!

Kaiser buns from a local sandwich shop. About $0.50 a bun, but worth it. Two slices of bacon per burger, from the Fresh Market. Perfect ratio of fat to lean.

Homemade chipotle bbq sauce, used sparingly, as I want the beef to shine through.

Smoked, aged cheddar. It actually melts and brings an extra layer of smoke to the burgers.

Speaking of, 1/2 lb. burgers, 3/4's of an inch thick. Little S&P, and that'll do.

Caramelized onions, not fried onions.

Are you grinding the bacon and putting it into the burger or putting it on top?

[Luke]

Putting it on top.

If I do "stuff" a burger, I mix cooked bacon with cheddar, which forms a ball. Place that ball inside the burger and you are good to go.
.
My favorite burger will always be a nicely cooked medium rare burger on a bun. I simply love the pure flavor of beef and hate hiding that flavor, which is one reason I never cared for a smokehouse burger. I'm finicky. The way I usually see it is "Here's a great hamburger...topped with corn syrup and other shit".

That said, once in a a while it's fun to mix it up.

Funny at that... I'm the same way with most foods. My favorite pizza is a cheese pizza. You make a good pizza, and there is no need for toppings.

[SirGawain]

Last night the wife and I made our favorite meal. We usually don't make a habit of eating this unhealthy, but every once in a while, we will whip it up because everyone in the house adores it. Deep fried pork chops, homemade mac and cheese, black eyed peas, and Mexican cornbread.