S.I.P./Quarantine Cooking

Well, we are all in a mess, so lets have some fun and learn a few things along the way!  First and foremost might be that...you can make a burrito at home!!!  That's a bit facetious talking to this crowd here on THP, who have some of the maddest cooking skills on the interwhebz. 
 
SO, lets post what we are cooking at home, what is made from the pantry, what was out of but substituted, all basic cooking skills.....
 
I'll get it started!
 
A couple days ago, talking with my son who is now 21 and living on his own for the last 2 years, he said..."I gotta go, Mom, the roasted chicken is done.  We're gonna eat dinner now."  :sniff:  AWW!!!!  I'm a happy mom.....
 
 Here's what we did for family entertainment last weekend.  We rented Milo and Otis...for the DOG to watch!!!

 
what's in the meat drawer- pork chops
Pantry- wild rice (doctored up majorly!)
Breading with pantry crackers
tomatoes (cuz that was the best FRESH veg I could come up with.)

 
I didn't have Panko, so I blitzed some Mary's pepper crackers in the food processor with some flour,  added some spices and pepper powders, dredged the chops in seasoned egg/milk wash and then cracker crumbs.  Pan Fry in cast iron skillet with a bit of oil until golden brown and done.
 

 
Rice- Saute rice mix in some butter (ala Rice-A-Roni) until toasty nutty done.  Add water and chicken base/boullion, cook until done.  Key notes!  Use broth as the cooking liquid and saute the rice mix before with butter!  There are lots of quinoa, rice mixes....just don't cook with plain water.  Saute in olive oil/butter or not,  or not, but definitely use seasoning in the water. 

 
Looks kind of blah, but was really yummy!

 
 
next up... Pork, shrimp, LO wild rice-vs-white rice, beans........and andoulle...
 
share what you got cooking.  Might make this into a competition of who had the best cooking Hack, or best out of nothing dish, to be awarded when all of this shite is over.
 
and my husband has developed a strange affinity for watching musicals.
 
Paint Your Wagon
Oklahoma
Dirty Dancing (OK...that one's mine... )
 
 
I'm queuing up
Pirates of Penzance,
Showboat
South Pacific...

 
and Floyd's final episodes.....

 

[PepperFish]

Dried peppers store well and can be made into all sorts of yum.
 

 
These are some from last years grow.  They were dehydrated in November.  Thats right at 5 months ago but they still have such a potent smell and strong flavors.  Any dried pepper can ban be used and combinations lead to unique flavor profiles.  Pictured here are:  Yellow Scorpions, Bhut Jolokia, Pasilla and a sweet/hot paprika.
 

 
Top them off with hot water and let them sit for a while and they rehydrate nicely.
 

 
Blend the rehydrated peppers along with some caramelized onions and garlic
 

 
Run it through your equipment of choice, whether that be a food mill, sieve or whatever to remove seeds and skin
 

 
I used a sieve and got this very smooth texture.  You can use this paste for various recipes tonight I decided to
 

 
Take the paste and add back some of the soak water and various things from the pantry, I went with salt, pepper, vanilla extract, creole bay and nutmeg.  Bring to a simmer until its thickened back up.  Take half and set aside for later as a mole-esk topping sauce.
 

 
Take the other half and use it as a marinade
 

 
In the mean time take roughly equal parts of warm water and Maseca, which has been sold out at every grocery store I've been to for weeks.  Taco night might have to be put on hold if I can re up.
 

 
I like ping-pong ball sized pieces
 

 
Pressed out
 

 
Added to a hot skillet.  Flip, wait, flip, poke and you should get it to puff up into something wonderful.  They get stored in a kitchen towel to steam.
 

 
The meat goes under the broiler while onions and peppers get sautéed.  I'm using the last on hand, a couple of very soft jalapeños.
 

 
Add in a little of the sauce
 

 
Let the meat cool
 

 
Slice it up
 

 
Wash your hands and serve with a little sour cream, cabbage and a drizzle of that dried pepper deliciousness. 

 

[salsalady]

You're killing it, pepperfish! I like that you can use that pepper blend for different things.

 

[PepperFish]

That paste can be very versatile. I also like to use it as a pasta sauce. Or add it to soups and curries, or make a dipping sauce.

 

[salsalady]

Corned beef meal #3-\
Meal #2 was 1/2 of last night's corned beef, cabbage, potatoes, carrots plate.  For Breakfast. 
 
Meal #3 is grilled reuben , mostly traditional-ish....

 
custom sauce of mayo, Bubbies horseradish and some yellow blend pepper flakes

 
put some sauerkraut in a small pan on medium low to dry it out and warm it up.  Lay thin sliced corned beef on to of the sauerkraut, cover and let everything get all warm and happy.
 

 
I like to toast both sides of the bread.  Butter one side of the bread, lay it in the skillet with the Dry Side Down.  Flip it when the dry side is a bit toasty.

 
 Immediately add sawce to both sides of the bread.

 
Add swiss cheese to one side and the kraut/corned beef to the other.  Flip it together, flip it once or twice if needed to get everything all melty and happy.

 
Since we've been expending so much energy sitting on our butts.... (NOT!)...one sammich was more than enough for both of us. 
 
 
Still have the beans to post and some Chain Mail!  and not the chain mail the post office delivers...
 

 

[salsalady]

Browned up some bacon and andouille sausage, with fresh garlic, for the beans in a small cast iron fry pan.
 

 
The aftermath-

 
How to clean?  Chain Mail!  These chain mail scrubbers are readily available on amazon and elsewhere for ~$10.  They work great for cast iron cleaning.  It's easiest if you can add a bit of water to the still warm pan, then just scrub it up.  Cleaning this pan took about 20 seconds. 

 

 
I have a hook near the sink to hang the scrubber.  Give it a wash with dish soap and hot water when done with the cast and hang it up to dry. 
 
I have purchased 2 of these, and the 2nd one was not as heavy duty as the first one.  It still works good, just be aware of different weights of the product.
 
Plus, It's just kinda fun to be able to say you own some Chain Mail. 

 

[Guatemalan Insanity Pepper]

# DROOOOL       
 
i just started a new batch of sauerkraut today    won't be ready for a while  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

[The Hot Pepper]

Damn! SL busted out the chain mail garters! 

 

[PtMD989]

Hey SalsaLady, is that the bacon, the thick chunks? Awesome [emoji41]


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[salsalady]

PtMD, the butcher shop at Hanks Market, our local grocery store, make their own bacon. Some is sold sliced, some as chunks, which is what that was. It's way better than most of the packages.

 

[PtMD989]

Any bacon with the rind left on?


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[salsalady]

This picture shows a chunk we used in a sauteed cabbage dinner. 

 
and the chunk still in the refer~

 
 
Does this have what you call the rind on it?  I'm not sure. 
Hanks also does a coffee-infused bacon using coffee from one of our local 'award winning' roasters.  John grabbed that by mistake one time.  We didn't particularly like it, especially in the pot 'o beans.  But I guess there's enough of a call for it, they've been making it for years.
 
 
Today's dog entertainment (after we went for a walk to the post office)...Wolf Howls...some gal at a wolf sanctuary.

 

[PtMD989]

Many years ago, on our way UpNorth to deer camp, we would stop at roadside farm markets. We would pick up slab bacon with the rind or skin on it I tell ya it was awesome, the rind/skin was like rawhide for people [emoji106][emoji16]. We would have bacon for breakfast and you could still be chewing on the rind when it was time for lunch.


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[salsalady]

 We would have bacon for breakfast and you could still be chewing on the rind when it was time for lunch.


 

 
I'm not sure if I should :wahoo: or :EEEEWWWWW: that remark!

 

[salsalady]

We went a little sideways for dinner tonight.  John gets these FlipBoard suggestions, and one that stuck was Pasta Pizza!   Alright!  here we go!
 
angel hair pasta, a little bit of sauteed onion/garlic/mushroom/greenpepper....for HIS half of the pie....

 
In a large cast iron skillet (mine's a 10"er) heat some olive oil (and butter, cuz we like it), spread out the cooked angel hair pasta, and LEAVE IT ALONE TO BROWN!!!!  This is the hardest part for me, always wanting to poke prod, lift, peak.......  After it is actually crispy on one side, flip it over.

 
 
I did the Flip Over thing by sliding the pasta pancake onto a plate then up-ending it back into the cast for some more crispy.
 
When ready, spoon on some pizza sauce, layer on whatever toppings you have/want (ours were some sauteed veggies in HIS side, then pepperoni and  mozzarella.

 
Forgot to say, pop it all into a 350F oven for 20 minutes or so~

 
Topped with some Melinda's Red Savina from my Secret Satan Crazy Monkey!

 

[The Hot Pepper]

I bet that would be awesome on top of garlic bread, like an Italian loaf cut in half all melty with butter, slap that on top, eat it open-faced sandwich style.

 

[salsalady]

Like what John likes to do at Thanksgiving..... a turkey/stuffing sandwich!  Starch on starch!  
 
Yea, a loaf with garlicky butter, slap it under the broiler...
 
 
We did actually take a 1/4 piece on a plate and into the reefer, just like a pizza...

 

[luvmesump3pp3rz]

Browned up some bacon and andouille sausage, with fresh garlic, for the beans in a small cast iron fry pan.
 

IMG_20200401_112654473.jpg
 
The aftermath-

IMG_20200401_113553845.jpg
 
How to clean?  Chain Mail!  These chain mail scrubbers are readily available on amazon and elsewhere for ~$10.  They work great for cast iron cleaning.  It's easiest if you can add a bit of water to the still warm pan, then just scrub it up.  Cleaning this pan took about 20 seconds. 

IMG_20200401_113620577.jpg
 

IMG_20200401_113753509.jpg
 
I have a hook near the sink to hang the scrubber.  Give it a wash with dish soap and hot water when done with the cast and hang it up to dry. 
 
I have purchased 2 of these, and the 2nd one was not as heavy duty as the first one.  It still works good, just be aware of different weights of the product.
 
Plus, It's just kinda fun to be able to say you own some Chain Mail. 

i picked up one of those a couple of months ago, it works great!   oh yeah, that was a bangin` reuben sammie you made there!!!

 

[salsalady]

9.00 Dude hit up that fake pizza slice. Done and Gone!

 

[sinensis]

pasta pizza... very interesting. i might try that this weekend.
 
i've been eating good stuff tbh. shelter-at-home ain't all bad.
 
chicken katsu curry:
 
 

 

[salsalady]

MMmmmmm looks good, sinensis!
 
 
Today's meal.....Omelets with (hmmm... not LEFTOVER, but EXTRA) goodies for previous meals.
 
This might incite a serious debate, or maybe not.  The term LEFTOVERS -v- Previously Prepared......
 
Some of the ingredients for this evenings omelets came from previous cooks.  I consider LEFTOVERS to be a dish that was previously cooked, but not all eaten.  Like the Fettuccine Alfredo that came home with you in the ToGo box.   The items I'm using are Previously Cooked and some set aside for future use.  

OK, today's meal-
precooked chunky bacon
pre-sauteed onion/pepper/mushroom
eggs
cheese
avocado- fresh and was getting close to it's Expiry date
Hot Sauce from another SpicySecretSanta exchange
 (not sure why these pics are Yellow~~~~)