Food & Drink

[Grumpy Bear]

My first experience with Goose Berries was in Fruit Cocktail and I loved them....until I tried them raw.  

 

Same was true of Campbells Tomato Soup. Loved it until I had homemade tomato soup from scratch. Point is, when we haven't had better we are quite pleased with what we are accustomed to. I still do a can once in awhile. Habit, ease but not preference. 

 

I might be odd man out here but when I am shown a better way to skin I accept that progress and look for more. 

 

A bad meal spoils my day.

 

I like Ruby Red Grapefruit. All my life I cut them in two and used a pairing knife to separate the sections just like mother taught me. Sprinkle a bit of sugar and eat with a thin long handled teaspoon. I didn't eat many as they were time consuming and wasteful to eat like that. Then I learn to Supreme a grapefruit in about 30% of the time and found they don't need sweetening if you are not eating pith and membrane. Learning this skill enhances my enjoyment and provided a sense of personal satisfaction in learning and mastering a new skill. Same feeling you get after detailing the truck.   Did I mention it is quicker?  

 

I'd bet I've eaten thousand of diner omelets made on a flat top. Okay, some call them omelets. It's a Persian dish the French perfected. You'll never get one on a road side diner and they are special. I don't eat them out anymore.  And when is the last time you got a soft boiled egg in an egg cup at a diner? 

 

[Grumpy Bear]

No Idea What to call this but: 

KILLER 

 

In a Rocks Glass

 

1 shot Q Premium Spicy Ginger Beer

1 shot fresh OJ

1 shot Evan Williams Black Label Bourbon

Juice of 1/2 fresh lime ( a little pulp is a plus) 

Top with ice, stir and serve. 

 

 

[Black02Silverado]

I found this and thought I would give it a try.  It's really good warmed up. Very light at only 30 proof.  Perfect for cold winter days. To bad it is a limited release each year.  I was lucky to find it on base, $17 a bottle isn't bad either.

[Grumpy Bear]

$1,064.82 + SH

https://www.reservebar.com/products/the-yamazaki-single-malt-japanese-whisky-aged-18-years/GROUPING-43745

 

So at a relatives Superbowl Party I took the opportunity to sample this. 

 

Wicked Good! 

Patriots, not so much

 

[Grumpy Bear]

 Blanched Green Beans

 

A veggie that is available year round IF you aren't finicky about taste, texture or nutrition. Canned they are cooked to death; bled of color, taste and texture. Frozen makes them tough as leather and a microwave makes them worse. Okay for soups and stews however. 

 

Lately they've been available fresh and in decent shape. So I reached back into the Way-Back Machine and brought three quarts of water to a boil. As the pan was heating I washed, cleaned and trimmed a pound, leaving them long. 

 

Doing about a half pound at a time I dropped them in boiling water for 3 minutes. Fished then out with a slotted spoon and laid them in a serving bowl in two batches. Melting a fat pat of butter each time tossing to spread the love. A bit of helicopter salt and plate them up with a nice serving of smoked salmon.

 

Not raw. Not limp. Vibrant color. Nice tooth. Al Dente. Flavor and texture as only the garden can provide. Someone's garden anyway.  

 

 

[Grumpy Bear]

Cod Loins

 

 

I swiped the photo from the Internet. Wife does these frying in a hot non-stick skillet. After getting the skillet hot the fish is helicopter dusted in "Old Bay" seasoning then spritzed with Avocado oil (aerosol can type) and fried 6 minutes per side. 

 

She paired these with steamed Asparagus both finished in melted butter. Lemon optional. 

 

She's got her technique down pat. Flaky and taste more like Crab than fish. I think the secret is oiling the fish and not the pan and seasoning between the fish and oil. It is special. 

[Grumpy Bear]

Five Senses

 

Sour Milk. Stale Crackers. Slimy Mushrooms.

Burnt toast. Boiled bland meat.  

 

We eat with our eyes, our mouth, both taste and texture, our ears and our sense of smell. Well, some of us do. 

 

When served a meal in a restaurant, some pay for the experience of a well prepared meal and some others pay to have someone else do the dishes. A few just to be seen. 

 

I don't think you have to have a Michelin Star to serve good food that pleases all five senses and I don't think it should require a second mortgage on the house to eat above the gutter. Seems I'm in the minority. I realized that today in a conversation with a waitress. We were discussing the art of the Omelet on which we disagreed. Once she understood what it actually is she shifted her focus to the prohibitive effort and time required to accomplish the task. My rebuff was, "To much time and effort to do their job?"  I wasn't just talking about what was cooked in the kitchen but the waitress failing to properly screen what she served and expected a LARGE tip for doing so.

 

We don't eat out much. I only eat about twice a day and one of those needs to be satisfactory to the whole experience. That often means I or the wife do the shopping, cooking and cleaning at home. Oddly or not, one can do this task for about three days of well prepared and pleasing meals for the cost of one awful eat out experience. But hey, that's just my take. 

[KARNUT]

We eat out for dinner with my brother in law every Saturday late afternoon. We have four favorite restaurants. We sometimes try new restaurants to break the routine. It’s more of a social event for about 15 years now. At home I do my breakfast and lunch. My wife is a great cook. My meals during the day are based on what’s for dinner. All guided by weight watchers. 

[Grumpy Bear]

13 minutes ago, KARNUT said:

We eat out for dinner with my brother in law every Saturday late afternoon. We have four favorite restaurants. We sometimes try new restaurants to break the routine. It’s more of a social event for about 15 years now. At home I do my breakfast and lunch. My wife is a great cook. My meals during the day are based on what’s for dinner. All guided by weight watchers. 

 

Great point. There is a social element that brings joy to eating! Good reminder. Thanks Stan.  

[Grumpy Bear]

Cabernet Sauvignon

 

 

This one took me by surprise. This one is a 2021 but the one I tried and loved is a 2023 which dispensed with the screw top and uses a synthetic cork. There is a silver top version that is not bourbon barrel aged and the difference is pronounced. Not a fan of the silver. It's already getting hard to source but modestly priced at about $17 tax included in Illinois. 

 

Granted, I am not a wine snob. I like a wine or not, so don't expect me to expound on this vintage and it's notes. I'm more of a "Can I have a second glass" versus "Is it rude not not finish this?" sort of tester. I can say it is not overly dry and is a very full bodied selection. I don't eat and drink so can't comment on that but it is a very nice drink at room temperature and even better if you let it 'breath' about an hour. 

 

If you try it, let me know what you think of it. Taste is a personal experience...I get that. 

[Grumpy Bear]

In the Neighborhood

 

 

My ignorance amazes me sometimes. I'd heard white eggs come from white chickens and brown eggs from brown chickens. Yea...about that. 

 

Each breed of hen lays a different color egg. These are from a very generous neighbor whose hobby is the rainbow of chicken breeds and keeping them happy. Free range and organically raised. There is absolutely a difference between these and commercial organic free range. Hers aren't cooped a thousand to a building with a 6" door for range access. They eat quite well and very natural. Herbs reinforce their diets to keep them heathy. 

 

Eating allot of insects the yokes are deep orange and taste quite differently that store eggs. Much larger yoke to white ratio and the shells are bullet proof. Not literally but....

 

Besides, they are just gorgeous. Unwashed they live on the counter for up to two weeks. How handy is that? 

 

 

Edited May 16 by Grumpy Bear