Stickman's 2014 Glog- That's all folks!

Devv · Mar 3, 2014

We're pulling for ya Rick! Hopefully the white stuff will go away and it will stay warmer!

stickman · Mar 3, 2014

JJJessee said:
That King Naga IS taking charge!
KN is on my 2015 front row.
Hang in there, spring will come.

Thanks JJJ... if you need some seeds this fall, let me know... I've got a feeling this plant is gonna be exceptional. I'll have to get some organza to make mesh bags so I can sequester the blossoms and get true seeds from the plant.

Penny said:
Great pictures and updates Rick...well done.!

Jeff H said:
Plants look real good Rick. Weather sucks, but it is March already. The weather should break soon I hope.

maximumcapsicum said:
Thanks for the tips Rick! Got to find some space for some marigolds in there.

Sucky weather. Hope it warms up soon up there. I'll definitely take the Hotlanta forecast.

ronniedeb said:
Looking good Rick. Nice to see some Wildlife photos as well.

Devv said:
We're pulling for ya Rick! Hopefully the white stuff will go away and it will stay warmer!

Thanks for the good vibe folks... it's good for keeping up morale during this interminable winter...

stc3248 · Mar 4, 2014

Yuck...cold sucks! You'll have full grown plants by plant out at this rate!

JJJessee · Mar 4, 2014

Thanks, Rick.
Hope this was the last big one for ya.

stickman · Mar 4, 2014

stc3248 said:
Yuck...cold sucks! You'll have full grown plants by plant out at this rate!

JJJessee said:
Thanks, Rick.
Hope this was the last big one for ya.

Unless we have another ice age... mini or otherwise, the snow should be pretty much gone here by at least the end of March. The Vernal Equinox is usually the tipping point, but we'll see I guess. <shrug>

On to more pleasant topics... in honor of Mardi Gras, I'm making a pot of Jambalaya for supper tonight. For those overseas who haven't heard of this dish, it's really just a way of cooking up leftover meats with rice, vegetables, stock and seasonings. The recipe calls for a pound and a half of meats... roughly 750g. Tonight I'm using Ham, Chicken and a spicy, smoked Cajun sausage called Andouille.

I brown the meats in an enameled cast iron Dutch Oven, remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. You only need a couple of tablespoons of fat to saute the vegetables, so I pour off all but a tablelspoon and add a tablespoon of my Naga Chile Oil, then chop 2 onions, 3 stalks of celery and a large green bell pepper and saute in the fat.

When the onions are translucent, I add a pinch of oregano, a pinch of thyme, a couple bay leaves and 2 crushed cloves of garlic

2 cups of raw rice and 2 pounds of diced tomatoes (1 kilo)

Salt and pepper to taste, and I added a teaspoon of my Chipotle powder

Stir in the meats and add enough stock to cover, bring to a boil and reduce to a low simmer. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally (to prevent the rice sticking) until rice is tender. Serve hot with the hot sauce of your choice... Laissez le bon temps rouler!

Devv · Mar 4, 2014

I just have to say YUM!

stickman · Mar 4, 2014

Yeah baby! The finished product... :drooling:

OCD Chilehead · Mar 4, 2014

Yum. Hungry now. I love the taste of bay leaves. A nice distinctive flavor with the smoked sausage I can imagine.

Trippa · Mar 4, 2014

Looks like a great warming dish for your current climate!! I got a recipe for jumbalya in a lonely planet spice recipe book my wife got me. ..I will have to have a closer look at it now...

stickman · Mar 4, 2014

OCD Chilehead said:
Yum. Hungry now. I love the taste of bay leaves. A nice distinctive flavor with the smoked sausage I can imagine.

Oh yeah... smoked anything! When I make the rub for my smoked Salmon, I use a cup each of brown sugar and kosher salt, and add a handful of crumbled bay leaves.

Trippa said:
Looks like a great warming dish for your current climate!! I got a recipe for jumbalya in a lonely planet spice recipe book my wife got me. ..I will have to have a closer look at it now...

Definitely do it Tristan... it's one of those Louisiana classics like Boudin, Cajun Blackening spice, Shrimp Etouffe, Gumbo, and Red Beans and Rice.

Pinoy83 · Mar 4, 2014

nom nom nom nom.....we just have a taco tuesday at work and used 3 fresh moruga .... :fireball:

georgej · Mar 4, 2014

Makin me hungry, Rick! that looks awesome!

stickman · Mar 5, 2014

Pinoy83 said:
nom nom nom nom.....we just have a taco tuesday at work and used 3 fresh moruga ....

I'll bet that cleared up their sinuses, eh? :mouthonfire:

Wish I coulda been there. :drooling:

georgej said:
Makin me hungry, Rick! that looks awesome!

Like Trippa says, it's a hearty and warming dish. What are you doing with the Brown 7 pods you harvested recently?

georgej · Mar 5, 2014

Not done anything with them yet. Might be in paprika stew.. It's been a while since I cooked it, the Last one the wife couldn't finish cause of a butch t in the pot!

Penny · Mar 5, 2014

Now that supper pot looks delish!!! And without seafood, even better!!

romy6 · Mar 5, 2014

stickman said:
Thanks for the vote of confidence Lourens... You probably haven't heard the Combat Engineers' motto... "The difficult we do immediately. The impossible takes a little longer."

I really did want to know how many days from transplant to ripe pods for the Naga Kings in your garden... can ya help a brother out?

I hope it's just the temps downstairs... they seem fairly healthy otherwise. Spring can't get here too soon for me Shane... I'm jonesin' man!

Hi Adam, first off... Paprika is really just a generic term for peppers in Hungary. I don't really have a favorite overall... but I like different varieties for different things. Some for powder, some for pickling and some for fresh use. If you want to know more, you can ask me or our resident Hungarian expert Habanerohead (Balasz)

That's cool... I've cooked Celeriac, but never heard of Root Parsley before. Hi Nulle, and welcome to the zoo! Would you want to share a recipe for melboller? Inquiring minds want to know...

Thanks Bill! I'm with you brother... like I told Shane... spring can't come too soon!

I spent the morning making "Black Mole" with the Chilhuacle Negro, Pasilla and Mulato pods I grew and dried last season. I wish you could all get a good whiff of it!

You had me at Mole

Just catching up on some much needed glog action. And I knew yours would tap my salivary glands and pepper addiction the most . Loving the color on this Mole. I will have to get with my mother in law and see if she can work me up a batch . keep in green ( and in a few cases purple ) my friend

maximumcapsicum · Mar 5, 2014

Jambalaya looks great? How was it?

Here's to the end of winter!

PeriPeri · Mar 6, 2014

That there be lookin' mighty fine sir!

maximumcapsicum said:
Jambalaya looks great? How was it?

Here's to the end of winter!

Hey maximumcapsicum, We in the southern hemisphere have barely seen the sun this summer so we are going to hold onto the sun a bit longer - sorry for you - you will just have to wait!

Just as you guys in the US have that thing about the Groundhog, we in africa say it's not going to be winter till the warthog goes back in its hole.

Ok, I made that last bit up... but we're holding onto the sun anyway :snooty:

stickman · Mar 6, 2014

georgej said:
Not done anything with them yet. Might be in paprika stew.. It's been a while since I cooked it, the Last one the wife couldn't finish cause of a butch t in the pot!

Ooh... you're speaking my language! :drooling:

Which one(s) to you like at your house? We usually have chicken Paprikash or Pörkölt.
http://www.saveur.com/article/recipes/Hungarian-Chicken-Paprikash
http://www.orangecountyhungarians.com/Hungary-Hungarian-Porkolt.html

romy6 said:
You had me at Mole Just catching up on some much needed glog action. And I knew yours would tap my salivary glands and pepper addiction the most . Loving the color on this Mole. I will have to get with my mother in law and see if she can work me up a batch . keep in green ( and in a few cases purple ) my friend

Glad to share your jones buddy...

You know, as much as you like the Mexican food, I'm surprised you're not growing Poblanos, Pasillas and Anaheims... If you could get a couple of half wine barrels, I bet you could grow some killer Poblanos and dry them for Anchos... :cheers:

Penny said:
Now that supper pot looks delish!!! And without seafood, even better!!

maximumcapsicum said:
Jambalaya looks great? How was it?

Here's to the end of winter!

Thanks folks... I personally like shrimp in my Jambalaya. My wife doesn't, so I usually make it without the seafood so I don't have to eat it alone.

Jambalaya is one of those dishes where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts... it looks pretty pedestrian until you taste it! Don't leave out or skimp on any of the ingredients either... especially the Andouille!

PeriPeri said:
That there be lookin' mighty fine sir!

Hey maximumcapsicum, We in the southern hemisphere have barely seen the sun this summer so we are going to hold onto the sun a bit longer - sorry for you - you will just have to wait!

Just as you guys in the US have that thing about the Groundhog, we in africa say it's not going to be winter till the warthog goes back in its hole.

Ok, I made that last bit up... but we're holding onto the sun anyway

Gee Lourens, that's just crazy talk... after the season you've had, are you sure you're not ready for a rest?

PeriPeri · Mar 6, 2014

lol Rick chilli pick'n crazy I tell ya. I have that Moruga glint in the eye and scorpion twitch in my neck... I must have more...