What did I cook this weekend.....

Either toast them and grind them into your own chili powder (great in a BBQ rub....) or rehydrate in water and blend. Either way use a little restraint-I went a little overboard in that gator chili a couple pages back and used like 4 oz...I usually use 2.5 oz... Was a bit dominant... Added a can of cigar city Maduro though and balanced nicely

 

Sausage Biscuits and Gravy

 

You's funny.

 

I was looking for some smoked ham hocks & stumbled across jowl bacon! I hadn't had jowl bacon since I was a kid, so I bought it & cooked it up along with some eggs, hash browns & corn muffins. A nice, big breakfast for a chilly MT morning.
Regards, GF.

 

That... looks... like exactly what I want in front of me right now rather than this computer

 

That's it. I'm moving to Montana

 

I saw jowl bacon a few days ago next to salt pork in WalMart of all places. I had no idea what it was used for or how to use it, but I have to give it a try now. That looks fantastic! And I love breakfast dinners

 

There's a place near me called Bowery Bay that used to have "Pork Poutine" on its brunch menu.

Fries, scrambled eggs, white gravy and pork jowl.

It was unbelievably delicious, but apparently the hog jowl was difficult to source.

 

Walmart is where I got it too. Odd thing tho, the pkg says it's "Fully Cooked," but it looks pretty much raw in the pkg to me. Either way, I'm cooking it up.
Regards, GF.

 

I've used jowl in sausages before. It tastes like bacon but it's mostly fat. We have it in our local grocery stores.

 

Our local Dunedin Brewery serves poutine with shredded pork, tater tots and cheese curds. It's delish (had it last week).

 

Jowl is really one of those underloved and underused meat-cuts out there.

 

Did not make dinner last night. Made 2 lbs of beer cheese. Took a long time so the family had to fend for themselves for food. Wife made spaghetti using egg noodles. (All we had).

I ate a half a cucumber for dinner.

 

We had sirloin tip roast in the crock pot with slow cooker sauce with bourbon, peppers, onions & such with a big mess of mashed potatoes.

 

Made a kickass chicken piccata tonight. SWMBO ended up eating dinner at a work thing, so in a fit of rage and angst I ate her portion as well (pictured).

After eating all 4 chicken breast halves I am filled with much self loathing and fatness. Time to drown my sorrows in homebrew.

 

I tried something new the other day, well, at least they're new to me. Shirataki noodles.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shirataki_noodles
I used them in a sort of chicken & noodles dish that I thought up on the fly. 1st pic is the chicken & noodles in a mushroom sauce in the wok, 2nd is diced butternut squash sauteed in bacon fat with green onion, craisins & pecans, 3rd is the plated food. The greyish stuff on the top left of the plate was SUPPOSED to be lima beans, but they looked that way right out of the can. 1st & last time I buy that brand. I ate 'em anyway.
Regards, GF.

 

Your butternut squash just looks amazing! Did you roast the squash before you diced and sauteed it?

 

No, it was raw. Cubed like that, the heat penetrates a lot better & it cooks faster than roasting a whole squash in the oven. You can buy packets of butternut squash already cubed like that, they're expensive compared to a whole squash, but it's quick & easy.
Regards, GF.

 

What did you think of the shiritaki noodles? I tried some a couple of years ago...looking for some guilt free pasta options. I was not a fan. The equivalent of a nasty beer drain-pour. Couldn't do it. The dish you have pictured looks delicious! But tell me about the texture and flavor of the noodles.

 

I had a rotten day at work on Thursday, so Thursday night I made comfort food: Mom's meatloaf recipe, roasted potatoes, and green beans. Then SWMBO and I had leftover Halloween candy for dessert. It really hit the spot.

 

Last night made scalloped potatoes and ham. I had to leave just before they were ready, but I'm having for lunch today and it's not bad. The potatoes might could use a bit more salt, but if you eat some ham with it it's fine.

 

Not the OP on this subject but re: shirataki noodles - being part of the low-carb community, these have been around the block a lot on the board I frequent for LC. The consensus is the best thing to do is put them into a colander and rinse rinse rinse to get rid of that funky smell, then dry-fry them a bit in a pan til they shrink up a little.

I like them in Asian-inspired dishes or a chicken noodle soup but can't quite tolerate the texture of them as a substitute for pasta in other dishes.

 

Oh yeah, and in the last week, we've made 28 pints of sugarfree cinnamon applesauce, 2 half-gallon jars full of dehydrated apple slices which we then vacuum-sealed, a 5 gallon batch of beer, and right now I'm doing 4 pounds of peppered bacon and then 4 pounds of sausage patties, both of which will be cooled/bagged/frozen, then about 5 pounds of ovenroasted homefries which will be cooled/refrigerated for use over the next few days. Also need to add the isinglass and other goodies to the 5 gallon kit wine we started 10 days ago. AND we need to vacuum-seal the two nice barred surf perch we caught, cleaned and gutted and then froze yesterday. Better to freeze first til they're good and firm before vacuum-sealing them so they don't squish.

OH yeah and have a whole boneless pork loin which is currently curing to be smoked on Monday and will become buckboard bacon. We've been busy little bees around this kitchen!

PLUS gonna make a homemade pizza for dinner tonight and KOTC has also requested popcorn for our Halloween treat later. AND a nut-crusted, no sugar pumpkin pie.

Wow, I'm tired now.

 

Good choice. Earlier in the week I made a Beef, Pork, and Chicken meatloaf and a huge pot of mashed potatoes and some green beans. We had leftovers last night too. It's one of the few things where I gobble up the leftovers quickly.

 

You have been busy!
Pulling out some of my spicy/savory bacon for breakfast, weather is going to be less then perfect this weekend so time in the kitchen is assured.

 

It rained here most of the day - making it much easier to be in the hot kitchen all day!

 

Yeah, cold rain all over Ohio yesterday on our trip down to Carrol to pick up '04 Mustang GT. 40th anniversary car too. Handled the rain well. Had chicken tenders with different sauces, cocktail sandwiches, tacitos & such last night with some beers.

 

Before....

 

Thanks to arturo7's comment from the "Pig out food" thread.

I am making traditional picadillo for beef tacos later. Simple recipe:
2-3lbs beef roast (chuck roast today)
32oz enchilada sauce
3 bell peppers
1 yellow onion

Put the beef in the slow cooker and cover with sauce, dice up and throw in veggies, cook until beef is done then shred with forks removing excess fat & bones, throw shredded beef back in cooker and remove cover until the sauce reduces down and thickens up. I prefer yellow corn soft tortillas heated in the toaster oven. Then build your taco, which for me just means a large pinch of shredded lettuce, but you can go all out with sour cream, cheese, cilantro, etc...

 

After....

 

Pie with embellishmemts

 

Melana, please elaborate on both, looks delicious!

 

The bread is my twist on garlic bread. Rolled and stuffed with sauteed shallots and garlic and herbs. With provolone and parmesan.

 

^agree with this.

 

BBQ crockpot pheasant with smashed potatoes complements from the hard work from my dog this morning.


Dan6310

 

Apple pie

 

I envy you, my German Pointer is spoiled & lazy, but that's my fault, I never trained him. He will still stop and point though, amazing instinct.

 

Nice looking pointer.

She has never been trained. Natural instincts. She was a shelter dog we got 3 yrs ago. We go for walks often at local forests and just does a good job.


Dan6310

 

Mine was a rescue as well. My mom's first foster with Pet Helpers, but he took to me and I couldn't deny him. He will spot a single bird on a power line 50yrds away and just stop in the middle of a walk. Oddly enough, he'll point rabbits as well.

 

Went to Iron Hill for their Zombie Hopocalypse and had "zombie" tenderloin with a beet compote and a raspberry gastric...so good I didn't even pause for a picture.