The perfect day for it so we’re going with a big pot of chili. We’ll serve it over white rice topped with Sargento fine shredded sharp cheddar cheese. The back porch is available for you (if you button up) and we have choice of preferred adult libations. Life is good in Gator Nation!
Just finished making the "retro" tongue and groove beaded pine ceiling boards. These are a full 3 1/2 inches wide (with tongue) and a full 1/2 inch thick. What you can buy (except from specialty lumber yards ($$$) or from boutique vintage salvage (also $$$)) is smaller. That would be OK if I was replacing the entire ceiling. Bought some 1x4 pine (actually 3/4 x 3 1/2) this morning. The width was exactly what I needed so no need to do some ripping with the table saw. The easiest and best way to make the boards thinner was to use a planer. Almost had a disaster. I almost missed a staple in the side of one board. That would have nicked a blade in the planer. I have an extra set of blades, but didn't want to change them out when they are perfectly fine now. Tongues and grooves are perfect. It helps to have really good router bits. The beading varies from board to board. Some are perfect and some are so so. I didn't have the correct bit but this is a porch ceiling and it is good enough. And I had to ditch my router table fence and use a reasonably straight board and clamps as a makeshift fence. The lack of vertical feather boards was an issue so I couldn't keep uniform pressure. Still it worked out OK. For dinner I am grilling a sirloin tip roast. I think that I will set up the KJ indirect at 400 F and sear the meat in a very hot skillet first. I salted the meat this morning as that helps with moisture retention. Sounds like the Gators had a bad day at the ball park. That happens.
Big Bill....... Ever try your chili over angel hair pasta with Parmesan cheese on top? That's my usual go to method. Stay warm, brother!
Being as we made a big pot of chili yesterday (and it’s a very good pot) and there’s plenty left (as was the plan) we are going with chili cheese dogs tonight. They are always good! Tonight it’s BallPark Angus Beef bun length dogs with Sargento shredded sharp cheddar on top of the chili part of the chili dogs. Beautiful day here today so it’s back porch ice cold longnecks and chilled wine this afternoon/evening. Life is good in Gator Nation!
I made the mistake of buying some pre-seasoned Salmon. Way too much salt! Winkipop of course enjoyed it so it didn't go to waste. I'll make some rice tonight to mix with it to finish it off. Guest star Joanna Moore on Gunsmoke today. She was Ryan O'Neil's first wife. Such a great show. Nice surprise today to find a brand new Corona replacement blade in my garage for my pole saw. Will save me a trip to Lowes. I use the pole saw mostly to saw off flower stalks before they develop on my Foxtail Palms and also to trim White Birds of Paradise. Otherwise, it's a ladder and my Milwaukee Hacksall. This fiberglass telescoping saw has been the best design I've ever used!
So sad about the rain out. Missed a chance to have pregame beers with @gtj31 because he was close by and wanted to see the game. He told me he can't make the rescheduled date. He is probably very busy with the chaos in the oil markets. Tonight I will be making sauteed rapini with hot Italian sausage and penne.
Rain day here, I guess like most of Florida. We’re going with an inside supper tonight—fried cubed pork steaks with fresh green beans and new potatoes. We will have fried cornbread to go with. It’s a tumbler of Kentucky Straight Bourbon kind of evening—I’m going with 1792 tonight, Ms. Jan will stick with her chilled wine. Life is good in Gator Nation!
1792 and four roses small batch are two of my favorites on the lower end of the $$$ scale. I got a 14 year old single barrel bottle of 1792, but haven’t popped it open yet. Too many open bottles right now to get into it, but I’m looking forward to it.
If you’ve got a single barrel bottle of 1792 you’ve got a smooth 100* bottle. If you haven’t had this see if your store can get you Bowman Brothers Virgina Straight Bourbon—Small Batch is 93* and Single Barrel is 100* That might be the smoothest 100* bourbon I’ve ever had the pleasure of trying. They both are impressive.
This one is a little hot@ 132 proof. Store pick, not a regular release. I have a store pick of the 1792 bib as well, that one is 100 proof. I have a bottle of the bowman small batch too and we have gotten into that one. It is pretty good stuff, I agree.
Is chicken ever referred to as a 'sweet' meat? I just cooked some thighs and boy howdy are they good just plain jane without any seasoning or sauce or anything! Just boiled them in water. I actually got them for Winkipop more than me but you know Dad's position here as quality control requires he tests all products to make sure they meet proper standards for his little girl. Unreal......I've never tasted chicken so good as these!
I got a bottle of Four Roses single barrel from a friend for Christmas. Still have some. Nice, but when I drink brown stuff I tend toward Islay single malts and rye with mixers. One favorite is rye with fernet branca, simple syrup and bitters AKA a Toronto. Technically one should use a Canadian rye for this cocktail, but I usually use Old Overholt.
Adding to my earlier post - I guess it's just the higher fat content in the thighs that help with the taste. Vs. breast meat, for example.
That is part of it. It is hard to cook thighs to a safe temperature without drying out the breast meat. I have found that slow cooking/smoking works wonders. I know that chickens do not need to be slow cooked because they don't need to have a lot of collagen softened. But slow cooking allows the thigh meat and the breast meat to come to correct temperatures at the same time with some finesse on grill placement. Spatchcocking is a good thing to do when starting out on this path.
A night off from cooking tonight—Fat John’s Pizza it is! Rain early today and sunshine with blue skies from about noontime on. The back porch is open and ready for your leisure—we are restocked and ready to go. Life is good in Gator Nation!
Spot on right there Lurk. I also much prefer to grill/smoke/cook any chicken as bone-in chicken, I think that this helps with a moister more flavorful taste.
