Topic: What are you eating / What did you eat.

[6pairsofshoes]

I used to smoke cigars back in college, and every now and then when I could get a good cuban cigar, I'd indulge but I haven't in years.

Ground fire is Fogo de Chão.  The churrascuria I liked best in Rio was called Majórica in the area known as Praia do Flamengo (Flamengo/Flemish Beach) along the north coast, on Guanabara Bay.  Here's a linkhttps://www.majoricario.com.br/.  It was not especially cheap but it was wonderful.  They had simple salads of hearts of palm, several different varieties of fried potatoes (I like them skinny) and the grilled chicken was to die for.  I don't eat red meat, so that was the extent of my adventurousness but I loved the place.  So beautiful and such good food.  I stayed near there in the Hotel Argentina, a 3 star hotel.  Not bad and I had a view of Pão de Azucar from my balcony (Sugarloaf -- it rises out of Guanabara bay).  Flamengo beach is a pleasant place to hang out although when I was there the water was too filthy to swim in.  (I just checked and found that a great percent of the sewage from local residents flows untreated into the bay, which is not to mention the adjacent oil refineries and their contributions).  It's pretty unwholesome, but a lovely stretch of urban landscape.  Hopefully, they will make some attempt to clean it up, but I'm not holding out any hopes of quick changes.

[Schmoogsley]

If I remember correctly, their water quality made the news at the 2016 Olympics.

[6pairsofshoes]

The municipal water supply was safe to drink as I remember, but it was a while back.   They have very good beer there.  Antartica and Brahma were two brands I remember drinking.

[Schmoogsley]

Coffee & Soylent Green.

[6pairsofshoes]

I made these blueberry muffins this afternoon.  I used light sour cream (because I won it at Safeway playing Monopoly) and frozen blueberries.
 They were delicious.  also some hummus because we were out of it.
 It freezes well so I make a big batch and freeze most of it in small containers that we can take out when the mood strikes us. 
https://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/best-blueberry-muffins-cooks-illustrated-318626

[Schmoogsley]

I've been a member of Cook's Illustrated for many years. Here is the recent hard copy I got because I recently purchased my first pressure cooker (I think I mentioned this purchase in another thread a while ago). I have a couple other cookbooks around somewhere.



Also, a couple PDF cookbooks.
I also have the recent Christopher Kimball Milk Street Cookbook. Too bad he had a falling out with PBS over America's Test Kitchen that he founded. Funny how, in the entertainment business, you can lose your own show. Careful what you sign. I guess that's true in any industry. Life's a madam...

[8ullfrog]

Mom has been making meatball subs, and honestly, I don't mind those repeats. The last batch of meatballs she bought were really small, like pizza topping small, and they smelled bad. Tasted fine, but smelled bad.

I'm pretty sure if the dish has melted mozzarella in it, I'll enjoy it. Like Babish says, it's all about that cheese stretch.

[8ullfrog]

Burritos.

Mom hurt her arm, so she required assistance.

I cooked the meat.

I hit it with garlic, onion salt, paprika, and DROWNED that poo in Worcestershire. I hear it's pronounced Wooster, but mom won't hear that.

Essentially, I spiced it pre-cook, then added the Wooster as I cooked.

Holy poo that meat was too good for burritos.

Like sometimes I feel like I should take it to the next level, learn how to cook fancy meals or something, but that meat was good enough.

Plus now we don't owe the roomie for going for pizza.

Dumbass said filipi's pizza grotto puts too much cheese on their pizza. There is no such animal!

There is "not enough cheese" and "golly I'm drowning on this stretchy Mozzarella".  Give me the second!

[6pairsofshoes]

Big salad of mixed greens with avocado and persian cucumber.  Vinaigrette.  Water.
Do I know how to live or what? 

[8ullfrog]

A boiled egg.

But that's not why I'm posting.

I have been kind of blase about sandwiches lately, so I decided to step it up a bit.

I made garlic bread (find your own recipe) a packet of au jus, sliced up some mozerella, and folded over some roast beef.

Was a nice step up from a simple sandwich, and didn't take too long to make. Still wish I was anywhere near good fresh RB though.

[6pairsofshoes]

That sounds satisfying.

I made some basil pesto, so we had a green salad (with lettuces I grew in a container) and then linguini with the pesto.  It turned out surprisingly well.  I planted basil but it didn't do much.  I had to buy the stuff for the pesto.  I guess the seeds were too old.  I usually get them discounted at the end of the season but they generally sprout for a couple more years.  10 for a buck at some places.  I think Walgreens had them and I stocked up.  The lettuce is better.  It's pretty reliable.  I put in a packet of spinach and got one plant.  The bird likes spinach.  So I pick him a couple leaves for dinner.  He chews it down to a nub.  He also likes corn.  Funny.  He won't eat grapes but jumps down on the floor to have a couple kernels of corn.  He acts like the grapes are trying to kill him.  Birds can be goofy.

[6pairsofshoes]

I'm hungry.  It's lunch time so I have to eat something but don't feel much like cooking.  I have frozen Quorn burgers.  Veggie burgers made with mushrooms.  They're really pretty good.  I throw one in the oven for 20 min and it's done.

I'll eat it with some potato salad and sliced tomato because I'm tired of sandwiches.  I'm too tired to focus much on cooking today.  This is easy.

[8ullfrog]

I had sausages. They were ok. Ran out of spicy brown, and ketchup was spotty, I need to go to the store, but that's so much more a hassle without the car.

I suppose I should whine less, I have a grocery store in walking distance, a lot of people don't even have that.

I want to try new BBQ sauces, but all the ones I see are just Midwest approved high fucktose cocktails. I can't remember the last brand that didn't fall into that rut.

Sweet baby rays did it, Stubbs did it, you'd be better off buying craptastic KC masterpiece or Bulls eye.

[8ullfrog]

While I know everyone hangs with baited breath to know what products I endorse, I found a good 'un.

Van Camp's no bean chili is FANTASTIC for chili dogs. I toasted up the value brand buns (little small, but you get what you pay for)

Cooked the dogs in water, street cart style, laid on the chili, diced onion, and some pickle chips.

Not a bad dinner, as far as I'm concerned. I'd wanted Pizza earlier in the day, but that probably would have been heavier than I would have liked.

There's always tomorrow for pizza, after all.

Now I'm hoping they make a version with beans, I imagine they'd make some absolutely kickass chili fries. I've got two bags of disappointing French fries from grocery outlet I've been looking to cash out for about two months.

It's like the haircut floor sweepings of other, better French fry companies. I sent the roommate out for one bag, he spent all my money and bought 3 bags. 

Fairly sure it was "Do the job wrong so you never get asked again" going on.

[6pairsofshoes]

I made scones yesterday so I am having one for breakfast with apricot & plum jams.  My tea supply is dwindling, so I need to order more.  It should only take about a week to get here.  I'm sort of annoyed by the general state of tea.  At some point in the last decade or so, I switched from coffee to tea for breakfast.  I drink about 250g of loose tea each month.  I'm a dull person of regular habits, at least in that respect.

I used to drink Earl Grey made by Jacksons of Picadilly.  It was the best Earl Grey on the market.  It was not easy to find, but Zabar's had it, on the upper west side of Manhattan, so that was a source.  I'd buy it in quantity when I went to visit.  Then, if I remember correctly, Twinings turned into corporate octopus, bought them out and discontinued the brand, or at least the sales to the U.S. (in the UK, they still have it in bags--ugh).  Note:  I am no fan of Twinings.  Their Earl Grey might be an effective paint remover, but there's no way I'm drinking that harsh brew. 

So then I got some Wilkinson's, which wasn't bad.  They're hard to come by as well.  I ended up with Fortnum's, which is sold in the U.S. at a 300% markup by Williams Sonoma.  That ain't happening.  So I get a year's supply at a time from Fortnum's in the UK plus a hefty shipping charge (and it's still cheaper than buying it here).  I went mental a few years back because Fortnum's had a sale and had discounted the classic teas because they were changing the packaging and so I bought several years' worth.

A friend bought me a kilo bag last year at Heathrow and that's almost gone.  I wrote to the dimwits at their customer service to ask about ordering another kilo.  Twice.  Crickets.  I guess the people now in their CS dept are illiterate or something.  Or maybe some toughs stopped by and broke their fingers so they can't type a response to customer inquiries.  I'll probably just order a billion tiny 125g bags of loose tea and call it a day.

This falls under the category of is what is now called First World Problems.  Oh well.  If that's the worst thing that happens to me, I'll consider myself fortunate.