What's for dinner?

[Redoverfarm]

We also have a bread machine.  Used a good bit when new but not very often now.  Ocassionally my DW uses it to mix rolls and then removes and bakes the convientional way.  We had a hard time keeping it from drying out.  The crust got very hard.  Without all the preservatives it also does not last as long in storage.  But when it is fresh nothing beats it.

[glenn kangiser]

I actually used to bake bread the old fashioned way and that would still be my choice if I did it -- bread machine bread doesn't seem quite real to me, but I am not above taking a shortcut and buying the pre-made frozen dough and baking it.

I have gotten a bit lazy now and just buy flour tortillas and cook them directly on the propane flame on the cook stove just like a real Mexican.  Just toast and flip- toast and flip until they bubble up from the steam inside and get toasted in several places.  They are done when they are hot enough to burn your fingers as you flip them - -slide a cube of butter across them while hot and suck 'em up.

[StinkerBell]

I do the same thing with tortillas. I place them on the top gas burner and use a pair of tongs to flip and butter. I have seen people just eat them right out of the bag never toasting them up properly....I also will use a pizza cutter to cut triangles up on old stale tortillas then fry them up for my own chips. After you take them out of the deep fry you can add a little sugar and cinnamon, yum. Better then a churro.

[glenn kangiser]

One of the advantages of being from California, eh, Stink.  We are already learning to be Mexicans.

Guess we got the jump on the others.

Y nosotros habla un poco espanol.  Es muy bueno, si?

[Homegrown Tomatoes]

Glenn, tu eres un pocito loco, no?

[Sassy]

 

[StinkerBell]

muy poco espanol habla, glenn



HT...El Pollo Loco.....Good dinner choice!

[Sassy]

Stinkbell, just had a couple of the dollar soft corn tortilla chicken tacos (chicken taco carbon I think) from El Pollo Loco about a month ago - surprisingly good  and their little dollar salad is quite tasty...  I was pleasantly surprised - it's close to where I work, so we can send someone out to get food there, when we are really busy & can't get away for lunch or dinner.  Usually I bring my own food, though.

[StinkerBell]

I wish they had EL Pollo Loco up here....and In and Out Burger...

Funny thing is, some people think I hate Mexican culture. Tis not true! I just have a strong mind set on what is right and wrong. What is legal and illegal.

Anyways.....The chicken at El Pollo Loco is yummy.

[Sassy]

I wish they had EL Pollo Loco up here....and In and Out Burger...

Funny thing is, some people think I hate Mexican culture. Tis not true! I just have a strong mind set on what is right and wrong. What is legal and illegal.

Anyways.....The chicken at El Pollo Loco is yummy.

I feel the same way, Stink...  we used to go down to Mexico & work in a free clinic every month - all expenses on us...  I loved staying at different places there & I like the culture - much slower - you can actually relax & the people we met are very nice.

I also like In & Out Burger - don't like the cheese but the fresh fries & hamburger & lemonade (actually real lemonade) are always good & the food is fresh & hot, the places always look really clean...

You won't believe this, but when I lived in Washington, whenever I'd visit family down in California, the 1st place I'd hit was Taco Bell!  I can hardly stand the stuff now, but I'd have this craving for a Burrito Supreme 

[StinkerBell]

Taco Bells all over here....Burrito supreme extra sour cream!

[glenn kangiser]

Glenn, tu eres un pocito loco, no?

Si, yo soy muy loco.

[glenn kangiser]

I'll soon eat a 3x3 for you, Stink.

UMMMmmmmm, Yum.

[muldoon]

Were celebrating a bit tonight as today is our anniversary.  Been together for 10 years and married for 8. 
Tonight's dinner is http://www.fuegovivo.com  Neither of us have been there before, but it sounds good. 

[Redoverfarm]

Looks nice but I doubt they can beat your grilling.  I know she wanted atmosphere .  As for me tonight it was Dad's night cooking. Wife had a board meeting. So it is Omlets.  Filled with a variety of left-overs from the past couple days.  They cleaned up their plates so what can I say.

Hope you enjoy your evening.

[Homegrown Tomatoes]

Happy anniversary Muldoon and Mrs. Muldoon!

We had grilled bbq chicken, corn on the cob, homemade potato chips (the girls made), and coleslaw.  Some of the potato chips were a little burned, so the girls were plotting how to get them all exactly to the right doneness next time.  Meanwhile, when I reached in the oven to get them out for them, I didn't realize there was a hole in the oven mitt, and melted the end of my middle finger to the hot pan!  Yeouch!  Kinda hurts to type now, for some odd reason.

[glenn kangiser]

Sometimes it just hurts to be that hot.

[StinkerBell]

Congrats muldoon!

[Sassy]

Congrats!  How was dinner?  The looked good in the pics but no better than what you've served up per your pics - maybe you should start your own restaurant! 

[Redoverfarm]

Tonight is a Home Owners Assoc supper. Oh well there are only three of us that are building/remodeling.  Sort of a tradition that we get together for Liver & Onions, baked sweet potato, corn on the cob, salad & apple pie.  The one that is the chef has lived off grid for close to 30 years at the top of the mountain 4.5 miles past my place(dead end). 

[muldoon]

The dinner last night was really good, we both had a great evening.  I would recommend it to others as a nice place to go out for grown up time.  That being said, my wife told me my ribs were better than theirs.    - yup, she's a keeper

... in contrast, tonight was white rice, marinara sauce and meatballs with some black beans on the side.  Good, but not last night good. 

[MountainDon]

Congrats on the 10/8 years muldoon.    Keep it up and you'll get to where we are; 32/30, if I haven't lost count. Turns over another year in less than 2 months.   

[muldoon]

I took Friday off to make a long weekend a little longer, have to say it was a great idea.  Today I worked on some woodworking stuff in the garage and helped with the house a bit.  Got to make up some brats for lunch. 

It's the tried and true simple bratwurst sausage recipe - 1 red onion cut up, 1 stick of butter, 1 beer.  add a shake of salt to that and put in a little tin on the grill.  grill the brats right beside the pan until they are cooked and charred up but not burned.  Then into the pan with the onion and buttery beer to let them soak for another 20 minutes.  yumm. 

For dinner, I did some spaghetti.  started with tossing some olive oil and garlic in a pan, added in onions and bell peppers and cooked them down a bit.  Added 2 pounds or so of deer meat hamburger from a doe from 2006.  (deer hamburger is just lean meat + black peppered bacon in a grinder).  I made up the tomato basil sauce with from fresh basil from the garden.  Then looked at those leftovers from lunch and sliced the 1 and a half brats left and just tossed it into the spaghetti.  Worked out just fine, theres none left. 

Got my baby back ribs dry rubbed for tomorrow.  got the brisket wet rubbed for sunday.  going to run the smoker this weekend again.  I love 3 day weekend cooking. 

[muldoon]

I was talking to my wife earlier this weekend and told her I wasn't sure I wanted to barbq this weekend, that it was a lot of work and I was tired. We put together a nice romaine green salad with some tofu cubes instead.

yeah right. 

However, this year I did try something new.  In fact, I would call it possibly a foray into experimental madness.  Most of the ingredients are somewhat non-traditional in a barbq setting, but new things can be good things.   With that background this was our dinner. 

I started this brisket back on Thursday night with a wet rub.  After rubbing it, it was wrapped in saran wrap and put in the fridge for two days. 
------------
rub recipe
2 Tbsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp nutmeg
2 tsp allspice
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cloves
about 1 cup apple sauce -- 2 of the 4 oz snack pack sized
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp black pepper
1 shot glass crown royal
1 shot glass olive oil

All of this went on an 11 pound brisket. I kept some back for the sauce, about a 1/2 cup or so in a baggy.

Cooked it over hickory and pear, 9 hours on the smoke, then wrapped in foil to steam the rest of the way. brisket went on at 10:15pm last night fat cap side down. at 12:30 I flipped it to fat side up and let it cook all night. Woke up at 7:15 and the pit temp had come down to 190. meat internal was between 150-165. pit ran at 230 for as much of it as I saw. brisket wrapped at 7:15 (9 hours smoke).  Finished product was around 11am. 

When I wrapped the brisket I then started the beans, big can of bushes bbq beans, 1 hoegarden belgium beer, 1 cut up garlic clove, 5 handfuls of the leftover pork shoulder/pulled pork from last weekends barbq. Put it on the smoker in a tin where it sat for 5 hours in the smoke.

Also did the bbq sauce. took 2 12 oz frozen apple juice concentrate tubes, the leftover spices from the rub, 1 more jigger of crown royal and brought it up to a simmer. When it boiled up I added a bottle of generic honey barbq sauce. (I think it was the Budweiser brand that was on sale).

When the brisket hit 180 degrees internal temperature I opened the foil and glazed the top with that sauce. Then took it out and let it rest for about an hour.  still wrapped but in the oven. 

Out of seven people who were here for lunch, and four neighbors since- everyone says its a hit.  I personally think its a keeper of a recipe too. In the future, I'll add some paprika (maybe 3 Tbsp) to the rub, but thats about it. 

I'll add a picture later, I took one of the final result but cant do that now. 

[glenn kangiser]

Sounds great, muldoon.  What temp do you smoke it at?