Foodgasms

[Recidiva]

Do you have a nickname that works with veggies?

Reggie?

 

[Saint Peter]

I had a slice of citrus cheesecake that Ulaven brought home from the hotel last night. Yummy.

As long as he's my friend, I'm good.

I thought he was a frat boy now.

 

[Recidiva]

I thought he was a frat boy now.

He is. AND he replaced an air conditioner this week. AND he just installed a portable pool in the back yard.

He's a superhero.

 

[Saint Peter]

Reggie?

Sam I Reggie?

I think I like ...Fuck better. Thanks for the old college try.

 

[Saint Peter]

He is. AND he replaced an air conditioner this week. AND he just installed a portable pool in the back yard.

He's a superhero.

Very nice. My neighbors have a pool. The splashing is watering my plum trees.

 

[Recidiva]

Sam I Reggie?

I think I like ...Fuck better. Thanks for the old college try.

Yours was better.

I was just attempting to ride in the wake of your wit lightning.

 

[Recidiva]

Very nice. My neighbors have a pool. The splashing is watering my plum trees.

Our son's been waiting since LAST summer...

This is not the kiddie pool of my childhood. Inflatable, 3 feet deep, filter, cover...

And we don't have to give up our yard.

 

[Saint Peter]

Our son's been waiting since LAST summer...

This is not the kiddie pool of my childhood. Inflatable, 3 feet deep, filter, cover...

And we don't have to give up our yard.

The old hard plastic jobbies are nothing compared to the inflatables. Nothing like "swimming" in leaf soup near the end of the summer. The filter and cover make all the difference.

I think the pool has increased the noise level out of that backyard by a factor of a jet taking off or so.

Sam I'm edgy might just work. I may have shot that down too soon.

 

[Ulaven_Demorte]

Our son's been waiting since LAST summer...

This is not the kiddie pool of my childhood. Inflatable, 3 feet deep, filter, cover...

And we don't have to give up our yard.

It's a perfect pool to put on our brick patio right next to the brand new Air conditioner.

8 feet in diameter, 3 feet deep, a cartridge filter and bromine feeder all for around $100.

I'm heading out to buy a cover and then I'm going to soak for awhile in the pool.

 

[Recidiva]

It's a perfect pool to put on our brick patio right next to the brand new Air conditioner.

8 feet in diameter, 3 feet deep, a cartridge filter and bromine feeder all for around $100.

I'm heading out to buy a cover and then I'm going to soak for awhile in the pool.

*deep sigh* He's dreamy.

 

[Recidiva]

The old hard plastic jobbies are nothing compared to the inflatables. Nothing like "swimming" in leaf soup near the end of the summer. The filter and cover make all the difference.

I think the pool has increased the noise level out of that backyard by a factor of a jet taking off or so.

Sam I'm edgy might just work. I may have shot that down too soon.

Well, it's right next to the air conditioner, which is going to be loud until...well...*counts* six more months, pretty much.

I'm leaning toward tiki torches and nighttime soaks now.

I don't have to worry about the fire ants sneaking up on me.

 

[Saint Peter]

... and then I'm going to soak for awhile in the pool.

http://www.inflatable-swimming-pools.com/Baby-pool.jpg

Dreamy!

 

[Recidiva]

I have been emboldened by ingredients...

I'm going to order some yuzu juice and some tamarind concentrate.

Anyone else have any online-ordered ingredients they like?

Also - anyone from England or more culinarily bilingual than I - I'm doing some Gordon Ramsay translation - Parma Ham is prosciutto?

 

[Ulaven_Demorte]

http://www.inflatable-swimming-pools.com/Baby-pool.jpg

Dreamy!

This ain't yer little girlie pool bub.

 

[rosco rathbone]

I had a foodgasmic moment, like in the first post of this thread.

I was trying to make harissa, morrocan chili sauce. I had my New mexico and Guajillo dried peppers soaked in hot water, drained, and minced in a big pile. I had my garlic-salt paste ready. I was thinking "eh, this probably isn't going to turn out all that well, but fuck it."

I roasted cumin and coriander seeds in a skillet and then ground them in my new green marble mortar; which looks like something a Chinese apothecary would have used to prepare potent powders during the Age Of The Warring States. I was thinking, "eh, yet another one of those bullshit 'authentic" cooking maneuvers that they want you to do that fails to repay the labor put in".

Then the smell of the ground seeds hit me. It was so light and fresh compared to the dry, bitter, dusty smell of the pre-ground spices. I bent over to get a better smell and the whole panoply of odors hit me, the peppers, the garlic, the evoo I had standing by in a measuring cup.

I thought, "holy shit! This is going to be great!".

Actually, it was so so. Meh. But that's the kind of moment that keeps me going with my usually unsuccessful cooking attempts. Some day!

 

[Recidiva]

I had a foodgasmic moment, like in the first post of this thread.

I was trying to make harissa, morrocan chili sauce. I had my New mexico and Guajillo dried peppers soaked in hot water, drained, and minced in a big pile. I had my garlic-salt paste ready. I was thinking "eh, this probably isn't going to turn out all that well, but fuck it."

I roasted cumin and coriander seeds in a skillet and then ground them in my new green marble mortar; which looks like something a Chinese apothecary would have used to prepare potent powders during the Age Of The Warring States. I was thinking, "eh, yet another one of those bullshit 'authentic" cooking maneuvers that they want you to do that fails to repay the labor put in".

Then the smell of the ground seeds hit me. It was so light and fresh compared to the dry, bitter, dusty smell of the pre-ground spices. I bent over to get a better smell and the whole panoply of odors hit me, the peppers, the garlic, the evoo I had standing by in a measuring cup.

I thought, "holy shit! This is going to be great!".

Actually, it was so so. Meh. But that's the kind of moment that keeps me going with my usually unsuccessful cooking attempts. Some day!

I love that. New smells, new tastes, new grooves.

I love the toasted spices. I've had enough of those "Mmmm..." moments that I really love doing that now.

I made my first mole sauce a few weeks ago - and I used cinnamon sticks, star anise and coriander, roasted them and ground them. So good.

Sometimes my daughter walks into the kitchen and says "I just want to stand here and smell..."

Moments like that, I adore. Just breathing in fresh ginger if I'm slicing it, or sauteeing onions.

I have no idea how to make a decent curry...I'm looking forward to it 'cause of the whole spice blend thingy.

 

[rosco rathbone]

I love that. New smells, new tastes, new grooves.

I love the toasted spices. I've had enough of those "Mmmm..." moments that I really love doing that now.

I made my first mole sauce a few weeks ago - and I used cinnamon sticks, star anise and coriander, roasted them and ground them. So good.

Sometimes my daughter walks into the kitchen and says "I just want to stand here and smell..."

Moments like that, I adore. Just breathing in fresh ginger if I'm slicing it, or sauteeing onions.

I have no idea how to make a decent curry...I'm looking forward to it 'cause of the whole spice blend thingy.

Smelling those peppers, which have a rich mexican chocolately smell, made me think for half a sec "I should try some mole or classic mex cooking". Then I realized, no--know your role. That's overreaching for me. Curry, forget it. No way I'd even bother with something like that without taking a class. I get plenty of dissapointment trying my (apparently) simple shit like falafel.

I do like to try new things and you have to fail to progress, but I'm still a tyro.

 

[Recidiva]

Smelling those peppers, which have a rich mexican chocolately smell, made me think for half a sec "I should try some mole or classic mex cooking". Then I realized, no--know your role. That's overreaching for me. Curry, forget it. No way I'd even bother with something like that without taking a class. I get plenty of dissapointment trying my (apparently) simple shit like falafel.

I do like to try new things and you have to fail to progress, but I'm still a tyro.

I've been in my comfort zone for years, and now I'm having fun doing some things I thought were out of my reach.

I've been surprised in ways that things I thought were out of my reach were actually pretty simple if I had the right techniques or tools.

I'm not saying lots of it doesn't suck or fail, but I do know more just because I've been trying.

I don't want to risk losing respect for the medium, and I'm not about to make spam mole...

But I'm having fun. I might be mangling it, but nobody's gonna know but me and my poor family. They sorta have to be nice to me if they want me to keep cooking the stuff in my comfort zone.

I tend to overreach by thinking "Oooh, I need a tandoor!" and having to figure out how to make naan in a regular oven that might not kick total authentic ass, but is still yummy..maybe by the third or fourth time.

...and sometimes maybe not.

I'm still buying french fries in a bag because...WHAT a pain in the ass...

 

[rosco rathbone]

Yeah, you have to keep pushing, that's for sure.

I need my african hot sauce for my african black-eyed-pea fritters.

I don't know what it is with me and the deep fried bean snacks, but I can't stop trying to cook them and watching them dissolve in pools of hot oil. This willo no doubt be more of the same.

I got it out of Madhur Jaffrey (the trini version), but looking for another version online I found this kind of cool site:

http://www.congocookbook.com/about_african_cooking/an_african_dinner_c_1750.html

 

[Recidiva]

Yeah, you have to keep pushing, that's for sure.

I need my african hot sauce for my african black-eyed-pea fritters.

I don't know what it is with me and the deep fried bean snacks, but I can't stop trying to cook them and watching them dissolve in pools of hot oil. This willo no doubt be more of the same.

I got it out of Madhur Jaffrey (the trini version), but looking for another version online I found this kind of cool site:

http://www.congocookbook.com/about_african_cooking/an_african_dinner_c_1750.html

That sounds delicious.

I've seen a bunch of shows lately about Bahia cuisine and its relation to African food.

What has amazed me more about trying to buy larger or more primal cuts of meat and using all the bits of it...or grinding it myself, or using all the different prep techniques...

So many of the dishes that came out of absolute necessity and creativity.

It had never occurred to me how true genius a quiche is - all the bits and pieces of what you have left over...bits of meat, bit of cheese, thick rough cut bread as a crust, a few eggs...

I have gotten a depth of appreciation for the amazing ability through history of people to use the odds and ends...and create joy out of it.

Every time I try to innovate I reinvent the wheel that has appeared at the basis of every cuisine, and has been camouflaged by the convenience of being able to go to the market and get anything I want without having to improvise.

I'm more and more humbled the more that I cook.

 

[BoobsNBrains]

I'm still buying french fries in a bag because...WHAT a pain in the ass...

It takes just minutes to peel some potatoes and cut them for fries. I keep a separate pot of oil that's *just* for french fries.

Actually, that sounds pretty good...hmmm...

 

[Recidiva]

It takes just minutes to peel some potatoes and cut them for fries. I keep a separate pot of oil that's *just* for french fries.

Actually, that sounds pretty good...hmmm...

I have it all, I have the veggie cutter, I have the deep fryer, I have tried the double-fry method, the...on and on...

However, just grabbing them from the freezer and dunking them in the fryer or throwing them in the oven is just as yummy for me, my son likes it better.

I think I have tried about six different methods, including one that involves freezing them in batches...

My verdict is: Not worth the trouble.

Same with potato chips. I CAN make them...not worth the trouble. Lays on the whole, more consistent and in the end cheaper - $2 for a bag instead of me spending an hour on the mandolin and fryer and keeping the potatoes in stock.

 

[Batch]

I had coffee with a splash of milk and Splenda. No greens. No eggs. No veggies.

I hope we can still be foodies together.

I dunno, you kinda like a

barbarian.

 

[BoobsNBrains]

I have it all, I have the veggie cutter, I have the deep fryer, I have tried the double-fry method, the...on and on...

However, just grabbing them from the freezer and dunking them in the fryer or throwing them in the oven is just as yummy for me, my son likes it better.

I think I have tried about six different methods, including one that involves freezing them in batches...

My verdict is: Not worth the trouble.

Same with potato chips. I CAN make them...not worth the trouble. Lays on the whole, more consistent and in the end cheaper - $2 for a bag instead of me spending an hour on the mandolin and fryer and keeping the potatoes in stock.

Just for this...I'm making fries tonight.

 

[Recidiva]

Just for this...I'm making fries tonight.

That'll show me.