Update.
If you want the rice to brown you have to put it in the oil first and then the flour.
The flour would probably burn before the rice would ever brown..
But it still tastes good.
Not any burned flour though.

I had an apple leftover.
Canned biscuits.
Sugar Cinnamon.
Cheese getting to room temperature.

Likely the best fish tacos we’ve ever made, and we’ve made a lot.

https://onthewater.com/the-ultimate-bee ... fried-fish

This guy in the link nailed the beer batter, made it a study to perfect it and that he did.

https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/reci ... acha-mayo/

The sriracha mayo recipe. My favorite to date.

Roasted-n-seasoned Butternut Squarsh, a lovely and long suffering Mrs. Gotch fave: The Gotch

I like them cut like that with butter in the hole and wrapped to steam so I can eat the skin and all.
My mom always put bacon in each hole too.

I eating my pork roast with rice.
It all came apart and the bones slipped out.

Pulled pork my way.
As many of y'all already know I am NOT a fan of anything pulled like pork or shredded beef.
At least in the traditional BBQ type food.
But there are exceptions.
This is one of those exceptions.
Something in the style of an Indian curry.
I
Ingredients are beyond my memory because it started out as a pork picnic roast.
But in the final run I added cooked basmati rice.
And.....
Turmeric.
Garam masala.
Allspice.
Hot Indian red pepper that is much hotter than cayenne pepper.
Cumin.
fenugreek seed ground.
And so on.
No fat was removed.
It's very tasty.

Small hamburger steaks and fried onions.
A few home fries aka bratkartoffeln.
Salt and pepper to taste.

Bacon eggs and pancakes made with a shot of kirschwasser.
Steen's cane syrup on top.
The Kirschwasser was fantastic in the pancake mix.

Put this all in the oven. Garden produce and fresh redfish.

Homemade sauerkraut and homemade mustard from black mustard seeds hotdogs

worth1 wrote: ↑Sat Dec 14, 2024 7:11 pm I like them cut like that with butter in the hole and wrapped to steam so I can eat the skin and all.
My mom always put bacon in each hole too.

Hmmm, another use for Bacon? What're the odds...?
https://giphy.com/gifs/bacon-love-bette ... t2kmu0mQF1

The Gotch

I'm into a serious freezer crisis mode. No space!
Just to make things worse, I bought more stuff of course.
Had to shuffle everything, dug down and found a small beef roast I bought October 2023 and didn't manage to dispatch last Christmas season. About $8 for a 1.5 lb roast, way back then... I paid $15 for a same sized roast this week.
So the old forgotten beef got thawed and is now in the oven drenched in marinade - same old garlic salt pepper evoo fresh rosemary and balsamic vinegar but I only did a splash of the balsamic and substituted some Seaside Syrah.
Just tented it and haven't tasted yet but I can smell the Seaside flavor and look forward to that.
IDK if any of you have tried this California wine but it is unlike any other. Very mushroomy notes, I would guess that was aged in wooden casks and an authentic mushroom flavor as I don't think this note is found in grapes.
Definitely worth picking up a bottle if you see it. I was stoked to find it again especially during the Trudeau 'tax holiday' which doesn't amount to much but there are a few good deals to be had on wine all the same.

This Nappa cabbage. Going to stir fry with some shrimp, garlic, ginger, etc.

Old fashioned watery potato sauerkraut soup.
No fancy stuff no meat.
Just diced potatoes a teaspoon of dill pickle relish and homemade sauerkraut.
Spices are nutmeg finely ground black pepper onion powder caraway seeds and Knorr chicken bullion powder.
Waiting on potatoes to get nice and soft.
The flavor is kicking and it's cold outside.

Homemade croutons and muenster cheese on top.

Last night's Cornish game hen with stuffing and cranberry sauce.
Cooked to perfection by accident.

Against my expectations I actually picked up a non brined turkey. A small ten pounder, 'Halal', which as it turns out is a Muslim standard of being humanely treated and raised without antibiotics. Good by me.
So I ended up cooking it last night, then after tenting for 30 minutes cut it all up and put away for tonight's dinner. Used a dry rub just before roasting simply salt, black pepper, lots of garlic powder, Indian paprika and summer savory. Stuffing the traditional one, half a loaf of my bread with onions, salt pepper and savory and a spritz of evoo. It was very juicy and tender when I cut it up, and reheating at 400F for 30 minutes didn't spoil the quality. It was great to have the kitchen cleaned up and ready to make sides before guests arrived.
So tonight I'm working the leftover plan. Major soup material set aside, but lots of meat to spare. Turkey handpies of course! Must have chopped turkey, dressing and gravy for that. The gravy remains were a bit sparse so I thinned it out with a remaining bit of Seaside syrah. This wine is special - very earthy mushroomy flavor, pretty unique and I recommend it. Stirred that into the mix. So my filling is ready for pastry tomorrow.
It's a lot... may have to make two batches.

On Sunday I made a new version of one of my favorites - the mushroom barley soup. The first cooking I did since starting all those cookies! I started by soaking some dried boletus, then got to the initial cooking of the barley. Started with a diced onion in some olive oil, in the Instant Pot on Sauté mode, then added 4 cloves of garlic, minced with about a tb of fresh rosemary and a few leaves of sage, and after they cook a minute, I added a qt of beef broth, and 3 c water, and a tb of dark soy sauce ( more later). I added 3/4 c barley, and 1/3 c toor dal, set it on Manual/15 min., and let it reduce naturally.

While cooking, I cleaned up the boletus and chopped it, and strained the soaking and cleaning liquid, and let the two cook quickly, while cleaning and slicing the fresh mushrooms. Then I put them in the pan, covered a few minutes to steam them, then boiled it off, and added a tb of olive oil, and sautéed 6 or 7 min. Got the greens ready in the meantime, and the potato and butternut squash - part of one from 2023, believe it or not! when I uncovered the barley, it was still a little thin, so I added the mushrooms, greens, potato, and squash, and added a couple tb of masoor dal, just to thicken it a little. I adjusted the salt, with another bit of soy, covered, and set to Manual/8 min, and let it reduce naturally. The barley, and the veggies were done perfectly after that. But it thickened greatly when chilled overnight, so I had to thin the leftovers a lot.
The finished mushrooms, to go in with the potatoes and butternut. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Some diced red potatoes, and butternut squash, from '23, ready to go into the soup, with the mushrooms, for the second cooking. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Two kinds of Mizuna, from the hydro. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

About 2 cups of Mizuna, to go into the mushroom barley soup, for the last cooking. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Finished soup, ready to serve. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

A bowl of the mushroom, barley, potato, and butternut soup, with a little Asiago grated on it. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

On Monday I made something to take over to my friend's house for Christmas Eve dinner - something I remember that she liked a lot, the last time I made it: Keema Masala. Not a traditional Christmas dish, but I remembered that they all liked it, and it's low carb, which is good for her (I told her she's going to have to hide the cookies, though). I made. a double recipe, and this time I added about 2 c of chopped mizuna greens, and 3/4 c moth dal, pre-cooked some, and some frozen peas - all in place of the traditional potatoes, but much better for her low carb diet. And relatively easy to make, with all the ingredients.

It starts by lightly frying the whole spices - black pepper, black and green cardamom, Ceylon cinnamon sticks, and Indian bay leaf - just a minute, before adding the sliced onions, and lightly browning. Then some ginger and garlic is added and cooked a minute, before the meat and salt is added, and cooked and chopped up about 10 minutes, until totally browned, and almost dry. Then the ground spices are added - coriander, cumin, sweet paprika (used so there is no heat in this, besides black pepper), and turmeric - then cooked briefly with the meat, then the chopped up tomatoes and yogurt are added. This was simmered 10 minutes, then the pre-cooked moth dal was added, with the greens, then simmered 12 more minutes, then the frozen peas were stirred in, and heated until thawed, about 3 minutes. I let it cool, before stirring in about 1/2 c chopped cilantro.
Starting the Keema Masala, briefly toasting the whole spices in the oil, then browning the onions, followed by the ginger and garlic. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Cooking the meat until broken up, and almost dry, before adding ground spices. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

The chopped up tomatoes, with their juices, and 1/2 c yogurt mixed in. And about 2 c of chopped Mizuna, to add later. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

The cooked moth dal and Mizuna, added after cooking the tomatoes 10 minutes, to be simmered another 12 minutes. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Before simmering it those last 12 minutes, and adding the frozen peas, to heat through. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Finished dish, for Christmas Eve dinner, to go out and cool on my back porch - colder than my fridge out there! by pepperhead212, on Flickr

The very dark cilantro, from the hydroponics. I'll chop this and add after it cools. by pepperhead212, on Flickr