Mastering the Craft of Smoking Food

by Warren R. Anderson.

This is a good over view of smoking food, different types of smokers, and how to build your own.

Amazon fresh has also stopped rating their produce. This worries me.

Fresh produced used to be rated excellent, good, fair or poor. These ratings are gone. I'll see how the goes. I won't start buying bad fresh vegetables. If they can keep the quality up, this is OK. If not....

Amazon Fresh is ending automatic delivery. Nooooo! Amazon won't say why.

This is concerning for me. I've used Automatic delivery for years now. I don't understand why they would end such a nice feature.

The work of ordering won't change that much since my automatic delivery has been converted to a list that I can easily order from with one click.

What concerns me is the guaranteed delivery spot. In the past there were times I couldn't get overnight delivery unless I ordered two days in advance. Automatic delivery solved that. With Automatic Delivery, I knew my groceries would arrive every Sunday morning, even if the next day was a holiday and I was too busy to check my order on Saturday.

Amazon has been investing in their delivery service. Maybe they now have enough capacity to guarantee overnight delivery We'll see.

Ribs #2

This time I roasted the foil back for 4 hours on 225 and then four hours at 190. The ribs came out perfectly tender. RO didn't want his ribs broiled at the end, so I basted all of them with bbq sauce, and then only broiled half.

Both halves came out very tasty. RO insists the broiling dry's out the meat to much for his preference. For me, broiling gives you that great smokey, crunchy bbq feel and taste.

Slow cooked ribs.

I think these ribs are best when roasted for 6 hours. 5 is OK. 6 is that much more tender.

Pre heat oven to 220F

Brush ribs with a very light coating of your favorite BBQ sauce. Add pepper, cumin.

Wrap tightly in foil along with half a chopped onion and a few gloves of garlic.

Take the ribs out of the oven after 6 hours. Let them sit for 5 minutes.

The ribs will now be very tender, but not brown.

Take the ribs out of the foil, brush with more BBQ sauce, broil until brown.

Salmon Chili

Chop and fry up one large onion and a papper

Add a big can diced tomatoes,

add kidney beans

add cilantro-- two fresh handfuls

basil

oregano

celery seed

salt, black and read pepper. Season to taste.

Add Worcestershire sauce & balsamic to taste.

Fry up two salmon fillets.

chop into bite sized pieces.

add to tomato sauce

check seasoning.

From reddit...

First, I wanted to thank all the people who suggest recipes and tips. I've never made a real, "from scratch" cake before. The entire process took me about 5 hours (though that includes baking time and waiting for the crumb-layer of frosting to harden a bit, then for the entire frosting to cool before pouring the chocolate over it). You guys have definitely helped me discover that baking is more enjoyable than I had thought!
RECIPE
Sour Cream-Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting and Chocolate-Peanut Butter Glaze
This cake is INTENSE. Serve it in the thinnest slices possible, and keep a glass of milk handy.
Makes an 8-inch triple-layer cake;
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably Dutch process
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup neutral vegetable oil, such as canola, soybean or vegetable blend
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/2 cup coarsely chopped peanut brittle (I skipped this)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottoms and sides of three 8-inch round cakepans. Line the bottom of each pan with a round of parchment or waxed paper and butter the paper.
2. Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl. Whisk to combine them well. Add the oil and sour cream and whisk to blend. Gradually beat in the water. Blend in the vinegar and vanilla. Whisk in the eggs and beat until well blended. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and be sure the batter is well mixed. Divide among the 3 prepared cake pans.
3. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a cake tester or wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean. Let cool in the pans for about 20 minutes. Invert onto wire racks, carefully peel off the paper liners, and let cool completely. (Deb note: These cakes are very, very soft. I found them a lot easier to work with after firming them up in the freezer for 30 minutes. They’ll defrost quickly once assembled. You’ll be glad you did this, trust me.)
4. To frost the cake, place one layer, flat side up, on a cake stand or large serving plate. Spread 2/3 cup cup of the Peanut Butter Frosting evenly over the top. Repeat with the next layer. Place the last layer on top and frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining frosting. (Deb note 1: Making a crumb coat of frosting–a thin layer that binds the dark crumbs to the cake so they don’t show up in the final outer frosting layer–is a great idea for this cake, or any with a dark cake and lighter-colored frosting. Once you “mask” your cake, let it chill for 15 to 30 minutes until firm, then use the remainder of the frosting to create a smooth final coating. Deb note 2: Once the cake is fully frosted, it helps to chill it again and let it firm up. The cooler and more set the peanut butter frosting is, the better drip effect you’ll get from the Chocolate-Peanut Butter Glaze.)
5. To decorate with the Chocolate–Peanut Butter Glaze, put the cake plate on a large baking sheet to catch any drips. Simply pour the glaze over the top of the cake, and using an offset spatula, spread it evenly over the top just to the edges so that it runs down the sides of the cake in long drips. Refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 30 minutes to allow the glaze and frosting to set completely. Remove about 1 hour before serving. Decorate the top with chopped peanut brittle.

Peanut Butter Frosting Makes about 5 cups
10 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
5 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
2/3 cup smooth peanut butter, preferably a commercial brand (because oil doesn’t separate out)

1. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Gradually add the confectioners’ sugar 1 cup at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl often. Continue to beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes.
2. Add the peanut butter and beat until thoroughly blended.

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Glaze Makes about 1 1/2 cups
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 cup half-and-half

1. In the top of a double boiler or in a bowl set over simmering water, combine the chocolate, peanut butter, and corn syrup. Cook, whisking often, until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.
2. Remove from the heat and whisk in the half-and-half, beating until smooth. Use while still warm.

Celery seed

I have 1.5 pounds of celery seed in the spice cupboard. I don't know why I have that much celery seed. Hell, I don't know what to use celery seed for.

I'm starting to list all the meals I want to make regularly. If I leave that up to my mind, I make the same seven dishes over and over again.

Cabbage and onion in a beef broth
Chicken roasted anyway
salads with cranberries and red onion
beef wellington
salmon soup
ahi
lamb
brown rice with browned onion
steak
pork roast

More good scotch

Its from the Betty Bates memorial scotch collection. Seriously. My neighbor took his  in hesitance and bought lots of scotch with it.

Good scotch

Good wine

I made a Beef Wellington with tri-tip roast, and bacon, mushrooms and onions, rather than pate and duxell.

It turned out very good.

Schwan's

I've started using Schwan's home delivery in addition to Amazon Fresh.

One of my few complains with Amazon is that it's meat prices, especially beef, are on the high side. Of course, Amazon beef is all high quality. Much of it is organic or grass fed. But, sometimes I just want an inexpensive steak. That's where Schwan's nicely fits in.

Most of what Schwan's offers are fully prepared meals. They also offer a decent selection of steaks and roasts. Schwan's delivery isn't as convenient as Amazon Fresh. Delivery takes anywhere from 2 days to one week. They do offer unattended delivery.

Chili

I haven't made it in years. Since I'm trying to make meals that make lots of leftovers, I've started making it every week.

fry up...
1lbs turky beef.
onion

add big can diced tomatos.

With Chili #1, I used 2 cans kidney beans, plus the kidney bean water. One can tomato paste. 3 serano peppers

Chili #2 I used 2 cans black beans, drained. Two cans tomato paste. 2 serano peppers.

spices-- cumin, oregano, basil, garlic powder, celery salt.

#1 was a better chili. #2 was still very good. I'm going to try and reproduce #1.

Pho House Vietnamese in Renton

2844 NE Sunset Blvd Renton, WA 98056.

This is a great Pho Restaurant. Clean. Good food. Good service.

My partner surprised me with by purchasing a Vitamix 5200. I'm a little angry because it's a $500.00 blender and I don't like it when 'we' make big purchases without consulting each other.

On the other hand, it's a very nice blender. The design is very well thought through. With my old blender (blenders really) food would frequently clump in the blender and I'd either have to stop the blend and mix, or stick a wooden spoon into the blendar and risk having the spoon chopped up. This blender appears to have been designed to promote better cirulation. It also comes with a special tamper that lets you push foods around in the blendar without risk of smashing the tamper into the blades.

The sounds of the blendar sometimes worry me. It's not a quiet machine. The first time we chopped ice, it sounded like something had gone wrong. After watching the included DVD though, my worries have subsided. The blender can make loud griding noises. That's just normal.

The blendar can also heat soups. It doesn't have a heating element. The friction of the blades creates enough heat make a hot soup in about five minutes. This is useful.

What I like most about the blender is the quality of the purees. Food comes out smooth. With the old blender a puree created a considerable amount of pulp. The Vitamax obliterates the pulp. I no longer need to strain sauces or soups.

Amazon Fresh still ahead...

Amazon Fresh has been making changes that worry me. The minimum order with free delivery has gone from $30.00 to $50.00. Case discounts are no longer available.

I decided to compare Amazon Fresh against Safeway.com. As nearly as a could, I created the same shopping list on the two sites. The end result; the bills on the two sites were close; $154.59 on Amazon, $157.54 on Safeway . Safeway groceries were slightly less expensive. The $6.00-$10.00 delivery made the difference..

The delivery options are where Amazon really pulls ahead. Unattended and overnight delivery are very convenient. I can't imagine paying $10.00 for delivery during hour slot or $4.00 for a 4-hour slot.

Oh. Even better; tucked away on the bottom of the Safeway bill, but not reflected in the price is this line: "There will be a fuel surcharge of $1.68 for this order"

Amazon Fresh will remain my grocery provider.

A Terrible Beauty

http://www.aterriblebeauty.com/

How come no one told of this before? I love it. It's a wonderful Irish Pub that serves great food.

Frozen Veggies II

9oz frozen asparagus

9oz frozen baby Brussels sprouts

Heat a skillet it in a 450F oven. I turned on the convection as well.

After the skillet and oven get to temp, added about 2 tbsp oil to the skillet then dumped in the frozen veggies.

Roast for 20 minutes. Stir at 10 minutes to ensure everything is coated with the drippings.

Season to taste and serve.