Chips and Pico.

Black beans and rice.
Lots of background flavors.

Over stuffed Big Jim and Numex 6-4 peppers. Peppers got charred on the cast iron and skins peeled off, seeded. Stuffing was last night’s grilled chicken cubed up, fresh corn off the cob that got a bit of char, chicken broth, chili powder, and queso Oaxaca. Sauce was half and half, butter, garlic, and fresh cilantro.

Not a fried chili Relleno, but kind of on the same vein.

Going to rehash what I did with the chilies I used in the black beans.
Guajillo ancho and morita.
They soaked in the bean water for 24 hours also.
I then removed the seeds but left them intact.
They were cooked for awhile in the beans and removed.
Then with the molcajete and a fine mesh strainer I was able to get the pulp and remove the skin.
This went back in the beans for the continuing cooking process.
The only other spices were garlic powder cumin and tomato chicken bullion powder.
That bullion powder has salt in it so no other amount of salt was used.
The rest of the leftover beans and rice will be turned into refried beans for a giant burrito once the bean water is reduced.

Totally switched gears on the beans and blackeyed peas and decided to make a vegetarian pasta sauce but yet high in fiber and protein.
So far the results are astounding.
After much mashing and straining and the stick blender I managed to get all the goodness of the beans without any skin.
In reality the skin is practically indigestible anyway.
The creamy sauce is reducing down for the last time.

It was homemade pizza for lunch.


Recently I've been using a tip I read about using parchment paper to easily form and move around pizza dough. I trace the pizza stone size on the under side of the parchment and then cut it about 1/2" larger than that, also cutting out a "handle" for pulling the finished pizza off the stone and onto the peel. I can see the pencil mark through the parchment and use it as a guide for spreading out the dough. The pizza on the paper slides so easily off the peel on to the stone in the oven. No guesswork or crust accidentally hanging a bit off the stone's edge.

I've got a giant 10 pound pork butt bone in roasting in the oven at 375F in a cast iron dutch oven.
Had it in the freezer at -4 F for quite some time like bought in 2020.
Did a small taste test and it is just as good as the day it was bought.
That's because it was vacuum sealed and kept at such a low temperature.
Not rancid.
Spices are black pepper garlic powder and tomato chicken bullion powder.
I do NOT want a fall apart pulled pork roast thing simply because I don't like them cooked that way.

I know it seems blasphemous that a Texan doesn't like pulled pork but it's true.
I wasn't raised on pulled pork and it wasn't until I was 40 years old until I had it.
Much of this is due to my French mothers European cooking background.
I didn't like the texture nor did I like the BBQ sauce mixed in the stringy mess.
To me a pork roast is something you slice like you would any roast.
The roast will be pulled at approximately 145F and the temperature will be allowed to climb to what ever.
Probably 150 or a little more.

@worth1 I love bacon, and even my best vegen friends bemoan not having bacon. I've never really gone a bund!e on pork unless it a hog roast, and boy is the meat succulent, or a gammon done in cider. Pulled pork may have been around for years don't know but I've never heard of it till recent years and it is normally smothered in something sweet and sickly. Nah, give me a good roast beast anyday.

Ok, what ya cooking today. Well it's uk, it's sunday, and roast chicken dinner is a winner.

I had some leftover black beans and rice plus extra leftover rice.
Sliced off some of the pork roast and salvaged some of the pork fat and gelatin to add into the mix plus a little water.
Heating slowly in a kettle.
Rib sticking good.

A friend of mine brought me over some produce, including some tomatoes - that gazpacho I gave him a sample of, must have given him a craving, and these aren't really bad, probably because they are grown nearby - not the ones bred for easy shipping. So I diced them up to make my first batch of lentil salad (something that I make many times, once cherry tomatoes ripen). I normally put 1 minced chocolate habanero in each batch, and it's way too hot for most people, but I had 2 in this batch, and I was tempted to put in a third one, but they don't all lose heat when frozen - I've had that not happen! The habanero flavor was strong, so that was enough. I only used about 7 oz of chana dal, and about 9 oz of French puy lentils, since they cook in about the same time. Otherwise, I had all of the other ingredients, and it was almost as good as usual, though fresh tomatoes and habaneros will make a difference.

A friend of mine brought me over some produce, including some tomatoes - that gazpacho I gave him a sample of, must have given him a craving, and these aren't really bad, probably because they are grown nearby - not the ones bred for easy shipping. So I diced them up to make my first batch of lentil salad (something that I make many times, once cherry tomatoes ripen). I normally put 1 minced chocolate habanero in each batch, and it's way too hot for most people, but I had 2 in this batch, and I was tempted to put in a third one, but they don't all lose heat when frozen - I've had that not happen! The habanero flavor was strong, so that was enough. I only used about 7 oz of chana dal, and about 9 oz of French puy lentils, since they cook in about the same time. Otherwise, I had all of the other ingredients, and it was almost as good as usual, though fresh tomatoes and habaneros will make a difference.

Hamburgers last night. Cheeseburgers really. Pound of Aldi grass fed 85/15 into three patties and seasoned. Grilled to medium over medium direct heat from lump charcoal. Pepper jack cheese slice onto the patties in the last two minutes of grilling. Toasted buns on the grill.

Mayo, (blue plate), Aldi hamburger dill slices, sliced red garden tomato (giant syrian), iceberg lettuce. Too good.

Tonight, Grilled whole split into halves chicken (4.8 pounds) seasoned with big green egg citrus dill rub, that stuff is awesome on grilled chicken. Patty pan squash grated into a cornbread mix with some other things, onions, butter, sour cream, wife is in charge of this into the oven baked item. Son brought home a good sized bag of patty pan squash from work. Let’s find something to do with it.

I knew I was going to slice off some more pork roast but what I wasn't planning on was cranberry sauce.
I opened the freezer up and saw a wee portion of frozen cranberries i hadn't used.
((I have always got cranberries in the freezer, tons of them.)))
Well I made the dreaded things with chopped red ripe jalapeños as well.
Added spices cinnamon and nutmeg.
Cooling in the freezer as we speak.

More pork.
I ate to my fill and still couldn't finish it.
Layer of toast homemade gravy pork gravy rice gravy.
Carrots and spinach on the side.
Rice had a smidgen of tomato chicken bullion powder added.
Gravy beef bullion powder.

E-Z Mashed Potatoes.
Cooked the potatoes in hot but not boiling water starting off with cold water and slowly bringing up to 200F internal temperature.
Think low and slow to get even cooking.
Added....
Butter.
Garlic and onion powder.
Chicken bullion powder.
Black pepper.
Hand mashed to perfection.
This naturally will go with the pork roast and gravy.
Other side is sweet corn and sweet peas mixed.

The sweet peas and corn were frozen.
I simply let them sit in water until thawed.
Then ran hot water over them in a strainer and put into bowl in the oven to warm.
No over cooking no extra kettle to wash.

Here it is sprinkled with my still unbelievably hot Tajin spice blend concoction.