PORK CHOPS ON THE GRILL

Made a fine charcoal fire laced with some hardwood.
Marinated four pork chops in olive oil and California syle garlic.  Put slices on each side and poked holes so the marinate could seep in.  All day.

Put them on the fire, closed the whole thing down to just smoke, and let them cook.
These were center cut chops with no bone, but they did not dry out with the garlic and oil in them
I did not get as much smokey taste as I had hoped, cut I don't think these hardwood pieces are as good as the beech I've used before.
It was good enough.
Elizabeth loved it. 
I served it with Russet potatoes and lightly boiled frozen corn.
I was pretty pleased with the result.

SUMMER VEGGIE BACK TO TRY

Easy!!
Onion, tomato, zucchini, yellow squash, you can also use eggplant - Slice thin. After drizzling on olive oil, sprinkle on Italian seasoning, lemon pepper, sea salt, onion & garlic powder. Then mozzarella. Bake 375 approx 30 min, just depends on how firm you like your veggies.

The slices were put on edge and upright in a glass baking dish.

QUINOA BREAD MACHINE BREAD

https://breadmachinerecipe.net/quinoa-bread-machine-recipe/https://breadmachinerecipe.net/quinoa-bread-machine-recipe/

Tried this on July 17 but used 3 cups white to a half cup quinoa for a 2 pound loaf.
Note that the yeast is handled differently for the bread machine.  No warm water build up.
Lucinda powder was substituted from sugar and I just used one teaspoon.

Did choose a light crust.

The settings on the bread machine still confuse me.  I hope I got basic.

It turned out to be very tasty but should have baked a bit longer as it is chewy.
It was plenty sweet enough. 
After cooling it was better texture, but it should have been baked longer.  I think the basic setting set it for about two and a half hours.  Next time I'll try to add time.  However, I just don't get the menu on that selection.

LONDON BROIL ON THE GRILL

I have not been grilling much, so the today I picked to do a London broil and then came thunderstorms and a huge and heavy downpour.

I still did the grill in the garage.

London Broil is a tough cut.  I pounded it a bit.  Flavored it with pepper and California garlic.
It cooked ups well, with a good medium rareness and was very tasty.  But tough.

When I was young and broke and going to class days and key punching nights, I used to grill these when they were on sale.  I remember one in the backyard on Clinton Avenue.  Frank was just a few months old and he puttered about in the nice yard with me.  That yard was a real treat with large old trees and plenty of open space.   I remember being very happy.
Out grill was a cheap one with no cover, so it took work to cook a thick piece of  beef.  I had to monitor it.  Margot must have cooked the rest of the meal indoors.
Funny what we remember.

INSTAPOT CHICKEN AND POTATOES CARROTS MUSHROOMS

I used three breasts with ribs.
Spiced with paprika, california blend garlic, pepper
Added two large portobello mushrooms
I cup water and a bit more.

Used the poultry setting and it automatically loaded it for 15 minutes.

It cooked up fine.

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August 6, 2020\

Four breasts with bones and skin.

They were a bit still cold from thawing.  

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No results from august listed, but as I remember I had to cook them for a longer time and attributed that to their not being thawed.

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September 2020

Four breasts with ribs cut in half.

nine portobella mushrooms whole

three carrots peeled and cut in thirds

one white onion sliced

last of the garlic skypes

spices

granulated garlic

paprika

black pepper

turmeric

21 salute Trader Joe's

Set one layer of chicken on the rack skin side up.

put in carrots, mushrooms, skypes

Pour in one peanut butter jar of veggie juice and one small bit as well.

Add half the spices

Put second layer of chicken

Layer of white onion

Other half of spices

Leave on the counter for a half hour to warm a bit.

Use the poultry setting but add 5 minutes.

This turned out to be too spicy for Elizabeth who especially disliked the turmeric.  I loved the whole concoction.

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May 14, 2022

Just wanted plain cooked chicken. Four split breasts. These were mostly breast with very little rib.  On sale for 99 cents a pound. Cup of water.  No spices.  

I reheat some with tandori, some tumeric, some black pepper mixed into a sour cream and a bit of olive oil.  I put it in the square caserole and microwaved for ten minutes on power level 7.  It came out very tender, very spicy, and just very good.  Elizabeth would not have like it, but there are other breasts with no spice.  

Needs garlic next time.

Pushed poultry and added 5 minutes.  

LOBSTER IN PAN OR INSTAPOT

Hard to figure time on boiled lobster.  Elizabeth said about 3 minutes but I remember from last time it was more than that on the package.  Could it be 11 minutes.  Seems long.  Most of what I read is about that time. I'll try it.

INSTAPOT

3 minutes, high pressure, quick release, 4 cups of water, trivet, ~1.5-2lb lobster. Caught by a friend I stayed with in Boston this weekend. Made two in a row this way, both came out great.

Had trouble finding much beyond lobster tails anywhere online in an instant pot. Make sure they were alive just before cooking. Zoidberg-y red shelled, tails curled tight when done, tail meat 135degreesF. If you've made it this far, hope it helps :)

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Another poster went to 8 minutes.

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Another went with just two cups water and a cup of beer.  4 minutes

Not successful.  I got good steam, but it never started the timer.  We took it out cooked, but felt like the steam gadget was not working, just leaking, not sealing.  I think we are back to cooking them in boiling water and a large pot.

I've researched and it much more than three minutes.  At least nine of ten.  I may do eleven.  Time for two lobsters is the same as for one.

BONNIE'S BEER BATTER FRIED FISH AND MALT VINEGAR 2 | Just A Pinch Recipes

RACK OF LAMB

After thirty minutes the lamb was still undone, so we put it in for another ten minutes.

I am wondering if the stove holds the heat well because this seems to happen often.  Of course, we like our lamb done more than some do, but this was really undercooked.

How to Make It

Step 1

Prepare the racks of lamb at least 1 hour (or up to 4 hours) before cooking: Chop together the garlic, salt, rosemary, and pepper to make a coarse rub. Rub the racks with the mixture, cover, and set aside. (If you are not going to cook them within 2 hours, refrigerate, then bring to room temperature an hour before cooking.)

Step 2

Preheat oven to 425° F. Heat a roasting pan in the oven for 10 minutes. Pat the racks of lamb dry with paper towels and coat lightly with the olive oil. Place the racks flesh-side down in the pan. Roast 15 to 20 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part reads 145° F for medium rare (the temperature will rise about 10° when the lamb is out of the oven). Transfer the racks to a carving board. Let rest for 10 minutes. Slice between the ribs to separate the chops for serving. Garnish with the fresh herb sprigs.

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August 5, 2020

Again the cooking time was not enough.  I did preheat the oven, but not the glass roasting dish.  It took more than ten extra minutes to get the red out.  Very frustrating.

One recipe suggests tenting it for fifteen minutes after cooking.

see recipe
https://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/roast-rack-lambhttps://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/roast-rack-lamb

November 20,2020

This time I made a dry rub of rosemary, garlic, black pepper..  I rubbed it into the fat and cut some small slices and poked some holes, and sprayed with garlic oil.  

I did preheat the pan.  I put the rack of lamb on parchment and it was easy to lift it into the preheated pan.

This time I tried 400 degrees for what I wanted to be an hour.  

I fell asleep and it was an hour and fifteen minutes.

Some of the lamb was cooked through, but some was red inside.  This tells me to rotate the pan while cooking.

The big problem was that spice rub and fat burned on the outside and detracted from what was otherwise a good tasting lamb.

Some recipes call for cooking it fat side down.  I'll try that next time.

I'll also try basting with lamb juices or olive oil.  Or perhaps peanut oil as it is better for deep frying and might be better here.

I'd quit altogether and just by lamb chops, or the butterflied legs, but this was a very tender and delicious cut.

HOMEMADE CHIAVETTA'S

Homemade Chiavetta’s
2 quarts vinegar (I used half cider and half distilled)
1/4 cup salt
1/4 cup pepper
1 head of garlic
2 tablespoons ground ginger
2 tablespoons ground mustard powder
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup poultry seasoning
2 tablespoons cornstarch
Place garlic cloves, all the dry ingredients and 2 cups of vinegar in a blender and blend on high
for a minute or so. Pour the mixture into a saucepan and heat over med-low, stirring, until it
starts to boil and the cornstarch thickens up the mixture. Remove from heat and mix with
remaining 6 cups of vinegar and allow to cool. Store in used vinegar bottle until ready to use.

July 17. 2019

Frank sent this recipe.
I did not make a quart, but made half or perhaps a bit less, using all the vinegar I had, a mix of Apple Cider and white wine.

I had to use whole cloves, but otherwise I stuck to the recipe, except of course for the salt.
I was amazed at how many spices this took, spices I rarely use too.  Cool.

It is quite good.  I almost followed the recipe exactly.  I put down pounded thin chicken breasts and put them in a bowl for soaking overnight.

I fried up one and doused it with the sauce.  It was good, but I like it stronger.  I'll get that if the chicken sits in it overnight.

I know Frank uses it on the barbecue, and I may do that, but I rarely fire up the charcoal.  A good bit of work.  Still, I have some steak too that I could grill.  

From a pork shoulder I have some pulled pork like pieces, and I'll try the sauce on that too.  I imagine it will be quite tasty.

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I went spices wild.  I used:
whole cloves
lots of poultry seasoning
turmeric
black pepper
garlic powder
ginger
corriander
mustard powder

I used mostly red wine vinegar but some organic apple cider.

I did not blend in the blender. This was a mistake.   Better to blend well.
I cooked it for a while and stirred.
Then I added the corn starch and cooked some more.