Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Since when do we limit our critiques to things we could do better ourselves?

Compromise? There is no middle ground between a firefighter and an arsonist.

So many bastards, so little time.

It’s all just conspiracy shit beamed down from the mothership.

I’m more christian than these people and i’m an atheist.

With all due respect and assumptions of good faith, please fuck off into the sun.

Seems like a complicated subject, have you tried yelling at it?

Hi god, it’s us. Thanks a heap, you’re having a great week and it’s only Thursday!

We need to vote them all out and restore sane Democratic government.

Trump should be leading, not lying.

Boeing: repeatedly making the case for high speed rail.

You’re just a puppy masquerading as an old coot.

I’d like to think you all would remain faithful to me if i ever tried to have some of you killed.

New McCarthy, same old McCarthyism.

I’d hate to be the candidate who lost to this guy.

Everything is totally normal and fine!!!

In my day, never was longer.

Democracy cannot function without a free press.

If you can’t control your emotions, someone else will.

Anne Laurie is a fucking hero in so many ways. ~ Betty Cracker

Bark louder, little dog.

Speaking of republicans, is there a way for a political party to declare intellectual bankruptcy?

Nancy smash is sick of your bullshit.

If you tweet it in all caps, that makes it true!

You are here: Home / Food & Recipes / Cold and Wet and No Energy – It Must Be Fall (Open Thread)

Cold and Wet and No Energy – It Must Be Fall (Open Thread)

by | 73 Comments

This post is in: ,

open-faced sandwich with bacon, lettuce, egg and beautiful summer tomatoes
Food porn, courtesy of JeffreyW

With TaMara on hiatus, we haven’t had a recipe thread in what seems like forever.  Can’t wait for TaMara to return!

In the meantime, what are your favorite fall and winter recipes?

For me it’s chili and soups.  I think I could live on soup.  And bread.  Or anything in JeffreyW’s pictures.

Anything you want to share?  Or anything you’ve been wanting to try?

Reader Interactions

73Comments

  1. 1.

    Scout211

    Ooooh, recipes!

    During the big atmospheric river/bomb cyclone yesterday I made a beef stew with sweet potatoes that was yummy and as it was slow cooking, the house felt warm and cozy all day. I found the recipe online.

    Our rain gauge only shows 5 inches but has an extra inch at the top to catch the rain. This morning it was full to the top. So we had 6 inches of rain in 24 hours. We rejoice. ?

  3. 3.

    dww44

    So what about Ta Mara’s hiatus? I knew I’d not seen her around anywheres but for how long is she to be away. I always enjoyed her food posts.

    Since it’s not really chilly here, my thoughts haven’t moved to my homemade vegetable soup (with chunks of ham;it’s a real meal), normally the best harbinger of cool weather in my household.

    I did buy a chuck roast on sale and didn’t have to shoot the whole week’s food budget. Am looking for a new way to prepare it as the spouse wants one that is less spicy. and doesn’t give him heartburn. Our aging digestive systems don’t handle heat and spice the way they once did.

  4. 4.

    SiubhanDuinne

    I mean that looks delicious and all, WG, but I had my heart set on your dining on cookies and wine tonight.

  5. 5.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @dww44:

    Our aging digestive systems don’t handle heat and spice the way they once did.

    I’m really sorry to hear that. I love hot spicy food, and I’d be very sad to have to cut back on that pleasure.

  6. 6.

    WaterGirl

    @SiubhanDuinne: I baked 3 chocolate chip cookies – I am so good – there turned out to be enough dough for 5 but I am saving the other two to bake tomorrow.

    I ate my green grapes first as an appetizer, then the cookies.

    I had my booster this morning and it’s catching up to me, so I am about to get into my PJs and watch TV.  I think maybe a nap until I wake up to go to bed :-) may be my main course tonight.

    I will catch up on the thread in the morning.

  9. 9.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @MomSense:

    Nice. I have a little bit of Belgian Chocolate and an even littler bit of Coffee Chocolate Chip ice cream. Think I’ll finish off yesterday’s tuna salad and then close out the evening with ice cream straight from the container.

  11. 11.

    Hilbertsubspace

    My favorite in the winter is Hot and Sour soup, with half the rice vinegar replaced with chinkiang (Zhenjiang) vinegar.  But you have to add the chinkiang after cooking or it loses some of its flavor.

  12. 12.

    KrackenJack

    I’m going to make a ham and bean soup. I have a homemade pumpernickel loaf in the freezer just waiting for that. However it will have to wait until I get caught up with my other responsibilities.

  13. 13.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    Since it’s an open thread:

    Legal expert details potential future of mask mandate lawsuits

    Less than a week after a group of parents sued against the mask mandate in Boardman Local Schools, several parents from New Castle and Grove City have joined a federal lawsuit against the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, the Pennsylvania acting secretary of health and acting deputy secretary of education.

    The suit wants the court to issue an injunction against school mask mandates issued by the state. It claims UPMC has told parents it will not honor requests for medical exemptions from mask-wearing

    “I haven’t really heard of that occurring anyplace else,” says Valley attorney Matt Mangino. He calls UPMC’s position in this lawsuit ‘troubling’.

    “A healthcare provider…has a responsibility to look at every patient who comes in and make a patient by patient decision as to whether a mask would interfere with that student’s ability to learn, or cause other side effects detrimental to that young person,” Mangino said.

    The Boardman lawsuit is awaiting a ruling in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court.

    Mangino says there’s a better chance of proving cause for a permanent injunction versus the temporary one the Boardman parents want.

    “That has already been decided in other Ohio county courts where they’ve found it’s not irreparable harm,” said Mangino, adding that the parents may go for a permanent injunction, since that doesn’t require them to prove irreparable harm.

    And at least right now, it appears the federal suit in Pennsylvania may have a better chance of holding up in court.

    “For a healthcare provider to say we’re not even going to consider these exemptions…I think has potential consequences,” Mangino said.

    Do you agree with Mangino? What do the BJ legal beagles think of his analysis?

  14. 14.

    Math Guy

    2 lbs pork tenderloin cut into cubes (about 1.5 inches), large diced shallot, and about a teaspoon of dried marjoram marinated overnight in ale. I use New Belgium Brewing Co. Trippel. The next day put into a slow cooker on low for about 8 hours. Serve over rice, noodles, mashed potatoes, or polenta. I sometimes sauté some mushrooms to add to the meat before serving.

  15. 15.

    cope

    Not really winter food (hey, I reside in Florida, OK?) but I made chicken chow mein from scratch for the first time today. We bought a hundred bucks worth of Asian cooking stuff for our aspiring chef grandson yesterday and my wife grabbed a bag of chow mein noodles for us as well. It was especially tasty with the addition of some Bachan’s Japanese BBQ sauce recommended by someone here on the BJ. Thanks, someone, good tip.

  17. 17.

    brendancalling

    Love me some BLTs, and if I can get the ingredients, hot and sour soup is great, as Hilburtsubpace said at 11. But for me, my favorite stuff when it’s cold and dank includes gumbo, jambalaya, stews, pot roast. I’m making seafood stock this week—got a few pounds of shrimp shells and a lobster carcass, although I’d prefer crawfish carcasses to the lawbstah.

    I have NO energy today. I was up in Montreal all weekend, and went to this bluegrass session that was supposed to start at 8:30. It didn’t get going til 10, GPS did me wrong on my way home at 11, and I got to sleep at 2:30 AM or later—only to wake up at 7:00 am for work.

  18. 18.

    Chetan Murthy

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka):

    that UPMC’s position is “troubling”?

    No idea about the lawsuit, but UPMC’s position is the only correct one.  Until cases come back down, everybody must mask.  Those who cannot mask, must not circulate; they must stay at home until cases come back down.

    And I say this, in full knowledge that this means some of our fellow Americans will be deprived of some of their rights.  But their right to move about does not trump the rights of others to life and bodily health.

  20. 20.

    brendancalling

    @Chetan Murthy: gotta say, I LOVE the Quebec VaxiCode passport. It’s very nice to go to a bar or restaurant and KNOW that you’re not risking a disgusting and deadly infection. My bartender from last night was telling us that she felt a lot safer at her job now, and that the unvaccinated don’t even try to come in anymore.

  21. 21.

    Chetan Murthy

    @brendancalling:

    It’s very nice to go to a bar or restaurant and KNOW that you’re not risking a disgusting and deadly infection.

    It’s part of why I won’t be going into restaurants even after case rates come down to a level that I think is OK for using public transit, going to the pool, etc.  Until I know that it’s safe and I won’t get a (breakthrough) infection (and then roll the dice on long covid) I’ll be staying away from other humans as much as possible.  And this is in San Francisco, where we can arguably expect the safest conditions.

    Problem is, plague-spreaders like In-n-Out Burger think they have some special rights.  So staying away from all that shit.

  22. 22.

    JoyceH

    Lately I’ve had an absolute craze for tortilla pizzas. Because they’re yummy and SO easy to make! A tortilla, topped with pizza sauce and cheese, ten minutes at 400 degrees, and voila. You do have to remember to sprinkle the Italian Seasoning lavishly, or it will be bland. But it’s reasonable calories, and staves off the urge to order in a jillion calorie pizza, so there’s that. But I’ve been making them ALL the time, every day or every other day. I suppose I’ll move on to something else eventually, but… not yet.

  23. 23.

    Chetan Murthy

    @brendancalling: Different answer: Quebec is just a place that takes seriously the safety of its population.  Unlike basically anyplace in the US, even California.  I read that even now, state departments aren’t demanding vaxx proof from their workers, even though there’s a state mandate.

  25. 25.

    JoyceH

    @Chetan Murthy: ​
     

    Problem is, plague-spreaders like In-n-Out Burger think they have some special rights. So staying away from all that shit.

    That’s why I find the police and fire departments’ resistance to vaccine mandates so enraging! You can DECIDE not to go to In-n-Out Burger, but you don’t have a choice about whether or not to interact with cops and fire. When your tail-light is out or your house is on fire, you can’t say to the cops or firemen, ‘no thanks, I’ll just wait for someone vaccinated.’

  26. 26.

    Roger Moore

    One of my new favorites is a caramelized carrot soup made using the instant pot.  You pressure cook carrots with enough butter to coat them and a tiny bit of water with baking soda.  The baking soda makes the carrots caramelize (technically undergo the Maillard reaction) in about 20 minutes at pressure cooker temperatures.  After the pressure has released from the pressure cooker, you add carrot juice, some more butter, and a salt to taste, then puree the whole thing with an immersion blender.  It’s a very simple and reasonably quick recipe, and it’s really delicious.

  27. 27.

    West of the Rockies

    I made an easy soup last night.  Started with a navy bean soup mix, added diced Canadian bacon, a can of diced Italian-seasoning tomatoes, and later some diced potatoes…  so good!

  28. 28.

    Sure Lurkalot

    @Mike in NC: I’ve got a storied recipe if you’d like. Supposedly from the Famous Barr (department store in St. Louis) lunch room that my grammy took me to. You probably have your own favorite!

    I bought stuff for chili in today’s grocery run. Today it got to 80 in Denver. Yikes, that’s not chili weather!

  29. 29.

    Chetan Murthy

    @JoyceH:

    You can DECIDE not to go to In-n-Out Burger, but you don’t have a choice about whether or not to interact with cops and fire.

    Indeed. I wrote my mayor and supervisor:

    Subject: Plague rats in uniform: how are we supposed to be safe when *police* refuse to get vaccinated?
    To: MayorLondonBreed, Supervisor

    Dear Mayor Breed, Supervisor Mandelman,

    I read with great agitation the reporting that 7% of the police force have requested religious exemptions from vaccination. This is a matter of great concern for citizens: we can opt out of interaction with all manner of other city workers, but we *cannot* opt out of interaction with police officers.

    1. The city government should ensure that every worker who interacts with the public is vaccinated, and place all unvaccinated workers in non-public-facing roles, until this pandemic is over.

    2. If these plague rats are going to continue to interact with the public and enjoy the use of force, at the the very least they should wear different uniforms, so that the public can know that they are a danger, and can avoid them as much as possible.

    I am beyond outraged that my taxes are going to pay for people who will spread infection in our populace.

    Sincerely,
    Chet Murthy

    ==========
    https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/Nearly-200-S-F-police-staff-want-religious-16486136.php

    Nearly 200 members of the San Francisco Police Department have applied for a religious exemption from the city’s employee vaccine mandate, the highest number of waiver requests from any city department, by far.

    About 91% of the city’s 35,140-person workforce is fully or partially vaccinated, but 2,706 employees, or 7.7%, still have not been vaccinated. Meanwhile, 1.4% of workers — 489— haven’t reported their status.

    The rules require employees who work in high-risk settings, like police officers, to be vaccinated by Oct. 13. All other employees must be fully inoculated by Nov. 1.

  30. 30.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @JoyceH:

    This! These jobs are about public safety. It’s infuriating that these firefighters and cops don’t care about that

  31. 31.

    seaboogie

    @Scout211:

    I’m in NorCal, so same with the weather…and navy bean soup with smoked pork hocks that also felt so cozy and smelled so nice – I love soup weather!

  32. 32.

    trollhattan

    @Scout211: ​
     Wasn’t that something? Thank god it didn’t hit mid-winter with a snowpack. We broke a 140 YO single-day record. Surprised, shocked really, how little water remains just twelve hours after the rain stopped; that’s how dry things were.

  33. 33.

    Raven

    We drove down to the beach, got out of the van and it was like a mild tear gas tent. Fucking red tide and they are saying it won’t get better for a while.

  39. 39.

    JMG

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): Their primary concern is proving they are above the law and rule, not serve, their fellow citizens.

    Point 2: A simple black bean soup. Soak dried black beans, saute onion, green pepper and celery, saute some chorizo. Add sauteed things to beans. Mix in chicken stock (instant pot is amazing for making double stock), cumin and maybe a little smoked paprika. Simmer until it tastes right. Serve with good bread and maybe a firm cheese like a gouda or cheddar.

  40. 40.

    Chetan Murthy

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): I think there are two separate questions: (1) what’s the medical responsibility; (2) what’s the public health responsibility.

    On the former, sure, a doctor has a responsibility to act for the welfare of their patient.  But in the middle of a pandemic, that responsibility is overridden by the doctor’s responsibility to act in the best interest of the entire community.  This is the basis for allowing “crisis standards of care”, for example.  Or reserving PPE for medical workers.  So it matters that there’s a crazy pandemic, and that per capita covid case rates in PA are a bit over twice what they are in CA, and deaths a little under twice.

  44. 44.

    UncleEbeneezer

    Sundubu Jjiggae.  Korean Spicy tofu soup with anchovy broth, kimchi, pork belly and a whole bunch of Gochujaru (Korean red pepper flakes) and an egg.  Recipe courtesy of Maangchi.  We also add mushrooms.  It is one of the staples of our brief “cold” weather periods we have here in SoCal.  We often make it when we go to the E. Sierra.

  45. 45.

    Drdavechemist

    Here’s a nice, easy fall recipe (credit to Eating Well magazine):

    Roast butternut squash pieces and onion slices with olive oil, sage, salt and pepper (halfway through roasting, add matchsticks of Canadian bacon)

    While squash is roasting, boil water and cook farfalle (bowtie pasta)

    Toss cooked pasta with roasted squash

    Top with diced tomatoes, chopped green olives, and grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

    You’re welcome!

  47. 47.

    Chetan Murthy

    @UncleEbeneezer:

    Korean Spicy tofu soup

    YES!  YES!  I remember when I was (and somewhat still am) an antifu!  antifu!  But then I tried Korean tofu soup, and wowsers, I was a convert!  I learned how to make it and all!  Sadly, I don’t have easy access to the ingredients, but hooboy, this is a winner!  So many ways to make it, and they’re all *delicious*!

  48. 48.

    Chetan Murthy

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): These people pushing this lawsuit may no longer be interested in covid, but covid remains most definitely interested in them.

    .@IHME_UW is projecting a #COVID19 surge in the US this winter. But many factors will alter this trajectory.
    1. Vaccine mandates.
    2. @US_FDA approval and rollout for child 5-11 vaccination.
    3. Boosters.
    4. Masks.
    It is simply our behaviors. Get your vaccine and wear a mask. pic.twitter.com/91kt5ZmqvN
    — Ali H. Mokdad (@AliHMokdad) October 22, 2021

    There are graphs in the embedded thread.  It’s chilling.

  50. 50.

    Chetan Murthy

    @debbie: Well, as they say, “never get out of the boat”.  But yeah, you’re right.  The thing I remember, is that the IHME was consistently on the optimistic side in their projections.

  54. 54.

    randy khan

    My go to (and really obvious) cool to cold weather recipe is pot roast.  It’s the 1970s Joy of Cooking recipe with one change, which is to add potatoes.

  55. 55.

    Jackie

    My family loves homemade Chinese pork noodle soup on cold, rainy nights. I worked at a Chinese restaurant for a few years after high school and was taught how to cook it from the experts. They were known for their soups.

  56. 56.

    Pete Mack

    Eggs hadnt occurred to me. I instead make open-face BLTs with red onion and cheddar under the broiler. (Obviously, the lettuce goes on afterwards.)

  57. 57.

    laura

    @seaboogie: hey you, it’s been a while since I’ve seen your nym.

    I like soup and stew and roasty stuff. Sadly, it likes me too. We had a cream of mushroom soup for lunch yesterday and I’d put a pork shoulder in the oven at 225° saturday night before bed. We had the reheated roast with risotto milanese and fried zucchini. It was so satisfying. Pasta fazool is going to make an appearance before the week’s end, but tomorrow is dedicated to pork egg foo yung using the Woks of Life website’s recipe. Spouse is already thinking about moko loco with the leftover brown gravy.

    Missing TaMara….

  59. 59.

    mrmoshpotato

    @laura:

    I’d put a pork shoulder in the oven at 225° saturday night before bed

    As visions of pork shoulder danced in her head.

  60. 60.

    Lymie

    Made ramen using Halfbakedharvest recipe. Yummy! Also soup with butternut squash, apples, leeks, and sage – pretty good!

  62. 62.

    JAFD

    Took some of the cash I got from Uncle Sam this year, got myself a bread machine for my birthday. Made, earlier tonite,
    https://breaddad.com/classic-oatmeal-bread-recipe/
    replaced the milk (running low) with 2 eggs (celtic challah ?) and water, and added about a cup of raisins
    Ate about half of it for supper. Thought it very good, let me know your opinions if you try it.

    In pre pandemic days, went to favorite BBQ place of some friends, had the ‘Smoked Beans’, said I thought it could be duplicated at home. So…

    1 pound dry beans
    Look thru to be sure no pebbles, rinse off, drain

    2 medium size onions – Chop up, fry till golden in Instant Pot (You can add some celery or carrots or garlic here. This is a very plebian, ‘clean out the refrigerator’, dish)

    Somewhere between 1/2 pound and 1 pound of smoked meat. Chop into
    bite-size pieces. If fatty, ‘fry out grease’, use that to fry onions. (Local supermarkets sell ‘lunch meat ends’ quite cheap, I’ve used these here. Whatever you have…)

    A 12 ounce bottle of barbecue sauce (ShopRite has ‘Original Barbecue’,
    ‘Honey Barbecue’ & ‘Hickory Barbecue’. I’d start with your equivalent of the latter)

    About 4 cups water.

    Combine all of above in Instant Pot. (Use some of the water to rinse
    out sauce bottle)
    Seal up, set to ‘High Pressure’ and timer to 70 minutes

    If too ‘soupy’, you can simmer down or add thickener

    Let me know how you like it

  63. 63.

    NotMax

    Winter soups?

    Beef barley (MUST include marrow bones to suck all the goodness from).
    Cabbage soup (sans ham, thank you very much).
    Good ol’ peasant style potato soup (extra points if it includes caraway seeds).
    Peas potage (updated by yours truly* from a medieval recipe; made with peas and lettuce).
    Onion soup (I prefer to not Frenchify it).
    Corn chowder.
    Creamy mushroom bisque.
    And the classic “Jewish penicillin.”
    .
    I love a thick and hearty New England clam chowder but it’s a PITA to prepare (especially because finding any clams other than canned here at a non-bank breaking price is nigh unto impossible)

    *Considered special enough to be served at a state dinner in Brazil for the Pope, Listed on the individual gold-inked handwritten in calligraphy menus (in Portuguese) as “Pea Soup a la [my first name].”

  64. 64.

    NotMax

    @JAFD

    got myself a bread machine for my birthday

    Yippee! Enjoy the heck out of it!

    Should you not have one, a good quality bread knife is a boon. Have been really, really pleased for years now with this one.

  66. 66.

    NotMax

    @No name

    Took a while to find: recipe posted here way back in 2014.

    ;)

    The prosaic story:

    Served it to a relative visiting from Brazil, who worked for someone high up in the government. She later contacted me to send her the recipe as she thought it would be a perfect addition for the planned state dinner.

  68. 68.

    NotMax

    @No Name

    My pleasure. She later sent along what I presume was either her copy or an extra copy of the menu, which hangs, framed, in my kitchen to this day.

    ;)

  71. 71.

    bluefoot

    @Chetan Murthy: ​
      A friend of mine has a serious autoimmune disease. The drug she is on is known to prevent proper immune response to vaccination in a large percentage of patients. Without the drug, she can’t function. Her doctor doesn’t have a lot of confidence she’d survive getting COVID. She has (now former) friends who won’t vaccinate or insist on eating indoors for social gatherings, despite knowing her medical situation. Neither of us can believe the sheer number of sociopaths there are.

  72. 72.

    bluefoot

    It’s cold and rainy here in New England, which means chili weather. I have a batch of chili in the fridge and plan to make cornbread to go with it for dinner. The recipe I use is adapted from one I tore out of a fitness magazine years ago.
    I also made some vegetable soup, which is usually “I have all these veggies I should use up, I’ll make soup”. Basically aromatics, a can of crushed tomatoes, veggies, tarragon, thyme, pepper, maybe a bay leaf, cubed tofu and some veg stock if I have some. Otherwise, water.
    If I don’t have enough veggies for soup, then they become fried rice or stir fry.

    I got some lamb on sale last weekend, and I’m trying to decide if it’s going to become rogan josh or something else.

  73. 73.

    J R in WV

    We did a lot of BLTs over the summer, while local tomatoes were in the farmers’ market. But they are so juicy I build the sandwiches without the tomatoes, and serve them sliced on the side, with balsamic vinegar and olive oil on them, just a dribble of each. And Hellmann’s mayo on the bread, from the local bakery, just like home baked bread.

    I normally wind up with a strategic reserve of bacon fat in a jar for the winter, but at one point the jar shattered, wasting the vast majority of our retained bacon fat. But then I found bottled bacon fat, along with duck fat and Indian prepared Ghee butter on the shelf at Kroger’s, saved by the modern food culture!

    I used to make my own mayo when we kept yard birds, but not worth it with grocery store eggs… even the free range hens, tho the eggs are great, they’re also $7 a dozen.

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