Weekend Evaluations: 'All I Want to Do is Drink Beer for Breakfast'

Things at work are crazy - no time for long winded explanations; but it's bothering me that I'm not keeping track.  So here are the last two weeks in one post.

Got the first winter share, all root vegetables all the time.  The list of what's included looks short, but we always get a lot of everything.

Weekend Evaluation: I knew it would be bad, I did not know it would be this bad

We're having people over for Gretchen's birthday in a couple weeks.  For her birthday the challenge is to frame a dish, or flavors, she likes in a new way. Last year's dinner was tarte flambee and a brown butter spaetzle dish, which was more or less a take on the farmer cheese/noodle thing she's all about. This year is still kind of coming together, but I'm starting to get ready.  

So the next few weekends will be a combination of testing and prep work.  

Weekend Evaluation: 50% More Ingredients

It was another slow weekend from a cooking standpoint.  We ate at a friend's house on Saturday, where I was pretty interested to see the recent chicken pot pie recipe from Cook's Illustrated being made.  I have to say the crumble top was really good - a smart recipe, that was well executed.

Gretchen brought cake to dinner, so she was in the kitchen a bit too. The Hazelnut cake she made has been really successful both times she's made it.  My cooking this week - a little less successful.  I've been falling into a trap of too many things on the plate; and my rut of having everything stacked lately has been another rut, that's caused bad results.

Weekend Wrap-Up (Sept 4-6 & Sept 11-12)

Lard Rendering and Tomatoes Dehydrating

Since it's still technically summer, we're still busy, so I'm combining two weekends into this one post.



Weekend Evaluation: Owner of a Lonely Heart (aka Heart of the Sunrise)

This was the weekend of beef heart.  I've had a small beef heart in the freezer for months, so I decided it was time it come out of there.  To break it down into workable pieces of meat you have to trim away lots of silver skin and fat; which leaves the leanest meat you probably can find.

You'd think all of those uptight people who eat chicken breast and who've influenced our pork industry to breed out all of the fat from our pigs would love this cut....but oh yeah- they're scared of everything, so they wouldn't try heart.

This was also the first weekend of our vacation, so we were out a lot, and we went to Meatopia - a BBQ event on Governor's Island - marred by the unacceptable inclusion of Sixpoint beer.

Weekend Wrap-Up (June 5-6)

Bacon, Anyone?

Sorry this is up so late this week.

Here's what Tom made this past weekend:

- Oatmeal Ice Cream (my idea!)

- Pickled Asparagus 

- Smoked Bacon

- Smoked Blackstrap Molasses Ham

- Molasses Glazed Ham Steaks w/Mushroom Cognac Sauce; Sauteed Chard with Roman Beans and Smoked Bread Crumbs

- Fava Beans, Sauteed Garlic Scapes

- Whole Wheat Flat Bread

- Whole Wheat Sourdough Sandwich Bread

- Merguez Sausage with Grilled Spring Onion, Zucchini, Garlic Scape, Spinach, Olives, Feta with Flatbread and Potato Salad

Weekend Evaluation: Never Had a Touch to Lose

A minute to learn...a lifetime to master.

How can anyone get good at anything when you do it once a month at most - depressing.

Weekend Evaluation: I heard if you don't use it, you'll lose it

I was out all day on Saturday at a cooking demonstration and a party.  On Sunday we were at the Mets game; so I didn't get make a ton of stuff.  Also we're moving soon, so I've been trying to clear out the freezer.