What's Cooking (Take Three!)

That aside, I have generally found that people prefer brown. Probably because most of us grew up with all-white so the brown look more exotic though I have detected no difference in commercially produced eggs based on color alone.

Bingo. I think that's exactly right.

There is no difference in taste. I owned an Arucanya once that laid green eggs.

Two weeks ago, I found a lone 18-count carton of cage-free, yada, yada brown eggs marked down to $1.79 (normally $3.79) nestled amongst cartons of a dozen white eggs for $1.29. My neighbor tells me of some kid who refused to eat brown eggs. Oh well, more for me.

Here you can get huevos rancheros with red or green chile. I much prefer the red. And sunnyside up over corn tortillas. It's a nice dose of Vit. C. Yummy.

[Jenise]

There is no difference in taste. I owned an Arucanya once that laid green eggs.

Two weeks ago, I found a lone 18-count carton of cage-free, yada, yada brown eggs marked down to $1.79 (normally $3.79) nestled amongst cartons of a dozen white eggs for $1.29. My neighbor tells me of some kid who refused to eat brown eggs. Oh well, more for me.

Here you can get huevos rancheros with red or green chile. I much prefer the red. And sunnyside up over corn tortillas. It's a nice dose of Vit. C. Yummy.

We can argue about the taste difference. There IS one. Not between brown or white, but Bob picks up an extra richness from green eggs, which also have a proportionately larger yolk most of the time, and that's a reason right there. And I'm talking about eggs from the same farm where the chickens are fed alike. Blind, he can pick out the green by taste almost every time.

BUT, your post did it's magic. For breakfast we each had a bowl of fruit and an avocado/scrambled egg breakfast taco. I went Christmas, green salsa in the eggs and a guajillo-tomatillo red salsa on top. Wonderful! Bob said to "tell Larry thanks!"

There was a big ad campaign a decade or so ago around here (New England) pushing the message that "brown eggs are local eggs" and therefore better and better for you.

-Paul W.

Tonight I'll be making Sichuan stir-fried ground pork and minced chiles from Craig Claiborne and Virgina Lee's The Chinese Cookbook. As Craig says, "This is a dish to make strong men cough, and Texans, unless they are of the proper ilk and enthusiasm, weep capsicum." It's not as incendiary as Thai mahogany fire noodles or beef larb, but it's getting up there in heat for sure.

-Paul W.

[Jenise]

Interesting, Paul. I never knew that Craig Claiborne ventured into Asian cuisine.

I did a Yakiniku stir fry with orange bell peppers, onions, celery, and baby portabellas, which was determined by a meat find this morning. My menu frequently is determined what I find at the grocery store that morning.

Oh yeah, I forgot that I used some of my cayenne peppers growing in a pot. It's really prolific.

Company for lunch today! Yay. Another human in the house, well two humans, double the pleasure.
Came over all American and served oven fried chicken with Keith Floyd’s Memphis sauce and a salad from the garden followed by a rustic apple pie with cream. I even got organised and made the pastry, and of course the apples from my garden whilst I still,have some.

Fried chicken and apple pie! I'll be right over - give me a few years.

Interesting, Paul. I never knew that Craig Claiborne ventured into Asian cuisine.

In the foreword to The Chinese Cookbook, Craig explains how the book came to be. He had just finished publishing a cookbook and had vowed to himself, "never again". In his role as New York Times restaurant critic, he visited Virginia Lee's restaurant and interviewed her. He was impressed enough by the food that when Virginia Lee gave a course of Chinese cooking classes, Craig enrolled in the course. And that led to the cookbook.

-Paul W.

[Jenise]

Great story, Paul. A new supply for fresh organically grown shitakes ($6 for a 1 lb box at Costco) has me leaning very Asian of late, though getting other ingredients remains sketchy since I put off re-supply shopping, as I should, until the last minute humanly possible.

Tonight I'll be making Sichuan stir-fried ground pork and minced chiles from Craig Claiborne and Virgina Lee's The Chinese Cookbook. As Craig says, "This is a dish to make strong men cough, and Texans, unless they are of the proper ilk and enthusiasm, weep capsicum." It's not as incendiary as Thai mahogany fire noodles or beef larb, but it's getting up there in heat for sure.

-Paul W.

Wow Paul, just pulled the book off the shelf to check out the recipe, 1/2 lb Chiles to 1 lb pork, serious heat.
It’s been a while since I looked at this one but it was my goto Chinese cookbook for many years.

Peter, it's interesting that you stick with the Sunday roast tradition. Unfortunately, I don't have any roast-size pieces of meat.

I can't remember a time when we haven't had a roast when home on Sunday. Easy to cook and, as I said, we enjoy it. Cycle through lamb (joint or shanks), beef and chicken and sometimes pork or venison.

Our supermarkets have joints for roasting, marked as 2,3,4 or 6 servings, usually in a foil tray that you just stick in oven. This Sunday's beef didn't come in the tray, and it was large enough to supply slices of cold beef for Monday's lunch.

The Ernie Els 'Proprietors Blend' was really super, the Shiraz seemed to lift the Bdx blend to a higher plane. anytime they want to plant Shiraz in Bordeaux is good for me

[Jenise]

Yesterday was Meatless Monday, so I made a healthy barley and tomato salad loaded with three fresh herbs and four spicy greens, all picked from my garden, first such dish this summer and I'm ridiculously proud of it.

Dinner was pasta with asparagus sauteed with olive oil, lemon (juice & peel) and garlic. Really delish. The pasta's some really special stuff that I buy by the case from Rare Wine Company in Sonoma. We had half the pasta and all the asparagus sauce last night, and the other half of the pasta was formed into a cake that I'll pan crisp and serve under something else during the week.

Betsy & Dana cooked some great stuff last few days (bouillabaisse, fried chicken, Chinese salt and pepper squid, silken tofu in soy/ginger, duck breast) but my only contribution was ankimo (rare occasion my fishmonger had liver)
https://share.icloud.com/photos/0uf9EgK ... nkNXIjVU4A

the duck
https://share.icloud.com/photos/0mMXFRn ... m0CSaL7yCw

Wow Paul, just pulled the book off the shelf to check out the recipe, 1/2 lb Chiles to 1 lb pork, serious heat.
It’s been a while since I looked at this one but it was my goto Chinese cookbook for many years.

I usually make it with one pound of chiles. The chiles I use are rather tame--either jalapenos or the long, green chiles. It would be bordering on inedible if made with serranos or birds-eye chiles.

-Paul W.

Last nights dinner was a popular regular: penne pasta with crispy aubergine slices in a tomato and basil sauce, served with a salad (chopped iceberg & little gem leaves, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, olives and sunflower seeds) and Montepulciano d'Abuizzo.

[Jenise]

Betsy & Dana cooked some great stuff last few days (bouillabaisse, fried chicken, Chinese salt and pepper squid, silken tofu in soy/ginger, duck breast) but my only contribution was ankimo (rare occasion my fishmonger had liver)
https://share.icloud.com/photos/0uf9EgK ... nkNXIjVU4A

the duck
https://share.icloud.com/photos/0mMXFRn ... m0CSaL7yCw

Pretty stuff. In the picture of the duck breast, there's a mixed pickle, and one item is kind of umbrella shaped--it has scalloped edges, anyway. What is that?

[Jenise]

Tonight: a main course 'salad' of truffle-marinated purple asparagus spears (really giant ones, I love them) with boiled shrimp.

Last night I made pizza. I was surprised to find much less 00 flour than I thought I had so used the barest minimum so I can make them once more (flour is sold out instantly - we've been unable to get any flour in our home deliveries).

The pizza dough just touched the edge of the pan and was really thin with less puffed up rim when cooked than I prefer, but my partner, not knowing of my travails, was mightily happy with it, and that is what matters.

A pound of fresh squid came my way so a quick pan saute, followed by a few vegetables, and then 6 eggs... squidtata!

[Jenise]

Squidtata! Have to say, that does NOT have a ring to it!

We had the most magnificent take-out prime rib last night (helping local restaurants). Grilled brats tonight.

Squidtata! Have to say, that does NOT have a ring to it!

Better than franks or sauerkraut, not as good as tapioca. (Maestro, play: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbTsUlEi8pM )

The pizza dough just touched the edge of the pan and was really thin with less puffed up rim when cooked than I prefer, but my partner, not knowing of my travails, was mightily happy with it, and that is what matters.

Ha! The travails of the person working with the dough can often get forgotten at the table when one only sees the final product. I count on that a lot!

That said, when I have problems with pizza dough it's usually because the humidity makes it difficult to roll out, so then I have to keep adding flour and it ends up getting too thick. That doesn't go away when cooked! Trying to keep tonight's dough cooler than usual and hope for the best.