Outside the dugout: What's cooking?

St Louis cut ribs on the KJ.

 

Ribs are just starting to pull back and show some bone. Even though I have a Thermapen I find it much more reliable to judge the doneness of ribs by how much bone is showing. It is too hard to get an accurate meat temp with so much bone close by.

My SIL from France will be here on Wednesday. Her son said that I should smoke a brisket because she can't get it in France and he has had my brisket.

 

Tonight is NY strip steaks, a black bean salad, and mashed potatoes.

 

Getting near time to prep and start the KJ for steaks.

The black bean salad is something that my wife asked for without directions or a recipe. So I diced up half of a red onion, one red bell pepper, cooked three ears of corn and sliced the kernels off, added a large can of Bush's black beans that were rinsed, used 1/4 cup of olive oil and 1/8 cup of apple cider vinegar and a teaspoon of fine sea salt.

OK, but I wish that I had just a little cilantro to add to it.

 

Tonight is a creamy pasta sauce with sundried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, shrimp, heavy cream, basil, garlic, and red pepper flakes over penne. Not really Italian but very tasty.

And why is it that when you buy shrimp and they give you a "count" for how many per pound you usually have more than that and never less than that? Sounds almost like a premise for a Seinfeld bit.

 

I sometimes bake mahi or grouper with a macadamia nut, panko and butter topping after marinating in lime juice. Really good, but keeping it simple is also great.

It lets the great taste of the fish speak for itself.

I used to catch flounder and cooked very simply is the best. Stuff with spiced crab is nice, but I prefer it done simply.

 

Tuna salad with basil, fresh mozzarella, and tomatoes tonight.

 

Mowed my yard and the yard of a rental house we are selling tomorrow as a courtesy. Also finished making a door for a bathroom cabinet with glass and I don't have a rabbeting bit for my router so it was clever to do what I did. The tenons were weird (not the same depth top and bottom) and required some chisel work at both ends, but it did work.

Real cabinet makers would have said that I should buy the rabbeting bit and not do what I did, but I did it and it worked. And in actuality the joints should be stronger with more glued area.

I should have taken pictures.

 

London broil is a not fatty/tough cut of beef that is difficult to cook correctly. Similar to flank steak.

Sounds like you have a good way to do it.

Is the "beef bullion" bullion cubes? Too salty for my taste. Some beef broth might be better.

 

So my MIL asked me today if I had pomegranate molasses (which I did) for making a barley salad. I just assumed that she was making dinner for when her youngest daughter was joining us for dinner after flying from France.

Oops.

She wanted it for Sunday so I didn't cook anything.

Time for take-out.

Since my SIL just spent a year in Vietnam making pho or getting Thai take out was off the table. I think we are going with Mexico take out from El Indio. Not great like what I could get in Albuquerque or Santa Fe, New Mexican, but WAY better than Taco Bell. La Tienda is even better, but I like to sit there rather than getting take out. It reminds me of places in Austin that I would go to back in 1982. Now Austin is too precious, but I make an exception for Fonda San Miguel. They have always been awesome.

 

Tonight is braised short ribs over egg noodles. This time I am making it in the Provencal style with a braise of red wine, chicken broth, San Marzano tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, carrots, celery, garlic, rosemary and thyme with olives at the end and orange zest just before serving.

 

My MIL surprised me with almost two pounds of grouper and a tub of smoked wahoo dip. Guess what is on the menu tomorrow night.

Last night the take out was from Sonny's. My son said that he much prefers the meats that I prepare, but I do have to say that I like their beans better than mine.