It has been a very lazy day here and I mentioned that I would like cehiche or something along that lines so Joelle said that since I have been such a good housefrau she is going to take me out for dinner. She’s showering up and while she was in there I made her a nice aviation cocktail. I did it just a skosh different than normal- I took a chopstick and dipped it in the classy maraschino cherries and then lined the rim of the glass with just a touch of chery juice so every time she took a sip that would be the first thing she smelled and tasted.
Despite being sober for however long it has been, I still make a mean cocktail according to the boss. Has it been a decade? I don’t really remember and always forget my anniversary which I know is in the summer some time. Whatever. The only way I would remember is if there was a running clock across the top of the god damned website like that national debt clock they used to have back when we were pretending the GOP still cared about that shit and the media dutifully amplified their bullshit.
I’m serious- if you’re an old like me, you can go back through your entire life and every couple of years remember a fucking political crisis or craze that Republicans pushed or created or exploited and find the news headlines that did their bidding the entire fucking time.
I think I can still make a good cocktail because when it comes to making drinks, I am basically a fully sighted man who lived for forty years, lost his vision, but can still make his way around the house because he knows where everything is. I still remember how everything tasted and how it will taste with other things and the like. I’m not proud of that, but here we are.
I’ll fill you in on dinner afterwards.
VFX Lurker
Sounds lovely! Wishing you two a great dinner.
Unabogie
At first read I thought you were drinking the cocktail. Good on you for your sobriety. I’ve been off and on a good part of my life.
Anyway, this week has been truly wild in politics. You have the fact that Trump has been deemed a fraud and a rapist by two different courts, and not a single GOPer has jumped ship. In fact, the erstwhile opponents like Christie and Haley almost pathologically refuse to throw their support to Biden and call Trump out for being an insurrectionist, rapist, fraud who can’t even legally do business in his home state.
Hildebrand
Cooking question – what is the best temp for oven roasting pork chops?
Ten Bears
I think it’s bad ju-ju, bad medicine to count the days (1987)
glc
Ok I’m over-literal, I know.
I don’t know what an aviation cocktail is. There are, of course, ways to find out, but I’m o.k. with that. Got the drift I believe.
zhena gogolia
These posts are great. My sober (as in, has never drunk alcohol and has no interest in it) husband is about to make me my cocktail. It consists of pouring some white wine in a glass, so not too difficult.
SiubhanDuinne
@Hildebrand:
I just realised I haven’t had pork in forever; was grocery shopping earlier and saw a nice little pork tenderloin, but did not buy it.
I’m also remembering my aunt’s baked stuffed pork chops. Can’t remember now what-all went in the stuffing, although I have a vague memory that some kind of dried fruit — apricots? prunes? — was involved. Whatever it was, it was defuckinlicious.
eclare
@glc:
I looked it up. Gin, lemon juice, maraschino cherry liqueur, and something called creme de violette.
wmd
I’ve been experimenting with cocktails. For a while I’ve known I should keep simple syrup on hand, today I made a 8 fl oz (240 ml) squeeze bottle of 1:1 simple syrup, and another one using strong Oolong tea and 2 parts tea to 1 part sugar. Should be interesting.
geg6
@Hildebrand:
Depending on whether bone in or boneless, it can vary. Not so much temp (350F is always a good temp for roasting) as time.
ETA: Subaru Diane reminds me that it also depends if they are stuffed or not.
eclare
@Hildebrand:
I think I cook my tenderloins at 350, so maybe 300-325, since pork chops aren’t as thick?
Or as geg6 says, 350 is a good default.
waspuppet
Oh they still have that. The Peterson Don’t Even Ask Me To Pay Taxes Foundation still runs it here in DC. And their bullshit is maybe slightly less amplified, but still.
eclare
@wmd:
What are the plans for the tea syrup?
Hildebrand
@geg6: @eclare: Thank you! 350 does seem to be the consensus. Always good to check in with the folks here – it is definitely a full service blog.
Yutsano
@eclare: Interesting. It’s always been my understanding that you cook pork at hotter temperature than beef. This could be a YMMV situation but we had pork loin steaks for dinner last night and they were cooked at 400°F/200°C for 25 minutes. They came out nice and juicy. And I like my pork well done*, so that could be why.
*I know it’s pretty safe to eat underdone pork these days, but I’ve had it and really didn’t care for the texture.
mrmoshpotato
I’m jonesing for a pot pie.
eclare
@Yutsano:
I use a meat thermometer for my tenderloins, when the arrow is in the safe range, they’re done. But I def do not like well done chops or tenderloins, to me those cuts can dry out, not enough fat.
Doc Sardonic
@Hildebrand: I normally do pork chops on the grill, sear them on the direct heat side and the move them to the indirect heat side at 350 to 375 (my grill is fairly accurate but you will get variations) until the instant read hits 135 for a nice medium pork chop
eclare
@mrmoshpotato:
Dammit. I’m full, and now I’m jonesin’ for a pot pie.
Kayla Rudbek
Tonight’s dinner will be https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/phyllo-chicken/ maybe with tomato or carrot ginger soup. I’m not sure how well the vegan substitutions for the eggs and dairy will go, but I figured that broccoli goes well with even vegan cheddar, and there’s bacon included as well.
Timill
I see Delia’s been poshing up her recipe: https://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/collections/easy-entertaining/pork-chops-baked-with-wild-mushrooms-and-creme-fraiche
Used to be store mushrooms and double cream (heavy whipping cream) were good enough, but now…
Doc Sardonic
@eclare: put some pot in a bowl, just remember to inhale, then you will be able to eat the pie in about half an hour
eclare
@Kayla Rudbek:
That looks decadent!
Spanky
@eclare: We hain’t et yet, but I know that tonight, like every night, will be
vegetarianvegan, dammit.mrmoshpotato
@eclare:
That’s why smothered pork chops are the way to go. 😋
Mmmmm mushroom and onion gravy.
eclare
@Doc Sardonic:
Hahaha…unfortunately totally illegal here, not even medical, and I have a professional license that I could lose if I got caught. Most of my neighbors are retired, and some days I can definitely detect a whiff when I step outside.
mrmoshpotato
@eclare: LOL! Beef or chicken? I’m leaning towards beef.
Delk
@mrmoshpotato: lots of dispensaries around. 😉
eclare
@Timill:
Mmmm…
eclare
@mrmoshpotato:
I stick to chicken pot pies…
mrmoshpotato
@Delk: When did they start selling frozen pot pie? I usually just go to the grocery store. Jewel’s? Aldi’s?
Greg Ferguson
You are such a prince!
👍💋🤠
mrmoshpotato
@eclare: I see. I’m thinking beef. “He even got to cut the roast beast.” -How The Grinch Stole Christmas
A woman from anywhere (formerly Mohagan)
@eclare: Exactly. I’ve never been a big fan of pork (chops or tenderloin) in general because I hate dried out meat and pork is so often overcooked. Always cook chicken thighs (which are very hard to overcook, compared to chicken breasts). And then I discovered pork shoulder (aka Boston Butt), which basically cannot be overcooked; it just gets more luscious and eventually turns into deliciod pulled pork (or carnitas, if you fry it). Absolutely not a health food, so I only do a shoulder now for Christmas dinner, although using up the leftovers keeps us going for another week, generally. Yum.
glc
@eclare: Noted!
I was taking it more as a category, in fact. Exacerbating my ignorance, I risk falling asleep halfway through the first one.
Lyrebird
Yeah, different story here, but I find when I have been a caregiver, if I’m preparing food or drinks (like tea that’s half sugar) that are not a good choice for me, when it was for them, no biggie.
That said, there are a few craving triggers that I just prefer not to be around.
Celebrating others’ and my own living life, that’s what I figure is worth my attention, not so much counting or judging. YMMV etc.
eclare
@A woman from anywhere (formerly Mohagan):
I also only cook chicken thighs, chicken breasts dry out and are tasteless.
And I live in Memphis, so bbq means either ribs or shoulder, chopped or pulled. I am a pulled pork plate girl. Like you, I rarely treat myself, but it is so good.
mrmoshpotato
@A woman from anywhere (formerly Mohagan): This is a very good tenderloin technique.
Lyrebird
@mrmoshpotato: Click on the “Buy Now” button on this site and it should tell you (Mrs. Callender’s) – various generations here like those.
mrmoshpotato
@eclare: I love chicken leg quarters (thigh and leg together). So juicy and basically impossible to overcook.
MattF
Good news! The guy who had built a matchstick scale model of the Eiffel Tower but was disqualified by the killjoy Guinness world records people because the model wasn’t built out of actual matchsticks has been vindicated and was awarded the record.
eclare
@mrmoshpotato:
Bookmarked, thanks!
sab
So today I went to the Humane Society thrift store because Ponyo is a messy feeder so she needs a place mat.
I found two matching ones.
Our rule is for everything I buy there I need to donate another thing. Today I came out way behind:
A bistro table with two chairs. I have been looking for these for twenty five years at least. The set I found look like metal although they are resin. And $15 instead of whatever huge price the others were. I am about to be 70 so my stuff doesn’t have to last long. 3 items.
Three cookie cutters. One was continental USA. I will bake and eat wrong cookies if we loose next election. I need Alaska and Hawaii cookie cutters but not holding my breath. Do they even exist? I had donated an extra donkey, they had it in the bin nestled with an elephant.
Also got Fleur de Lis because it is BIL birfday and he lives in Baton Rouge and has a fleur de lis tatoo. He doesn’t cook or bake but his cajun wife does.
The third cookie cutter was a star smaller than the one I already have. I might donate my bigger one.
Also an excellent tiny saucepan suitable for heating one or two cans of soup.
Also an excellant tiny spatula.
How many items to donate do I owe? My mugs were gone. Also too my 4 giant thistle (artichoke) plates.
Also they have lids for everything! All types and sizes. I donated none but just want to broadcast shop there for lids
ETA Yikes! I think I owe ten items. They want linens. I think I have many ancestral place mats and table cloths.
eclare
Let the TIFG sneaker jokes begin!
https://twitter.com/MarkAgee/status/1758977477219856861
raven
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA’
NotMax
You have Crème de Violette in the booze larder? Color me impressed.
MelissaM
An Aviation is fucking delicious!
I’ve never been brave enough to try ceviche, but then, living in the midwest, even with air transport of fish, it’s probably a good thing.
Jeffro
THUNDER ON THE RIGHT!
PUTINISTAS VS SLIGHTLY LESS DISGUSTING REPUBLICANS!!
j/k but: here’s the hack’s hack, Marc Thiessen, responding on Twitter to JD Vance’s stupid bloviations about “why aren’t the Europeans helping Ukraine by giving them every last bullet in their arsenals, huh huh huh?”
BOOM, baby!
Thanks Marc! You can go back to being a complete waste of atoms now
PS: I thanked him, sorta… ;)
NotMax
@mrmoshpotato
Callender’s frozen pot pies? Years and years and years ago.
Decidedly underwhelming.
Kayla Rudbek
@eclare: I know, six eggs and half and half and whole milk, plus two cups of shredded cheese. 😁
Geminid
@raven: RIP Georgia State basketball coach Lefty Dreisell, age 92.
Lefty Dreisell was Maryland’s greatest coach all-time and also coached JMU before he finished his career in Atlanta.
mrmoshpotato
@eclare: And the creamy diablo sauce is fantastic!
Suzanne
So I had a chuck roast in the freezer, and I knew that today would be a busy day, so I thawed it yesterday and cooked it up in the crock pot today. Seared the roast, deglazed with some onions and garlic, then simmered up a sauce of about 1.5 cups of wine (mostly red, but then I ran out and used some leftover white), some stock, Worcestershire, red wine vinegar, a bit of tomato paste, herbs de Provence, and then threw in some SECRET FABULOUSNESS..…. about a teaspoon of the Bomba fermented chili paste from Trader Joe’s. Then threw some carrots in about halfway through cooking, and then some mushrooms close to the end.
Verdict: fucken excellent.
karen marie
@eclare: It’s legal where I am but it’s still weird – and exhilarating – to walk into a store to buy weed. I’ve rarely seen a person under the age of 60 in there buying. It’s kind of funny.
I hope you damned kids are grateful to us old potheads!
RaflW
@eclare: “Image may not represent the actual product.” Hah!
I feel bad for the schlub who is gonna be applying sparkly gold Krylon spraypaint to $15 knockoff Converse Allstars.
sab
@Suzanne: You would be my favorite housewife. You would totally fail as my chef or political whatever chef/cook
Suzanne
@sab: Oh man, it’s so good. Mr. Suzanne just cleared his plate and pronounced it “perfect”.
karen marie
@NotMax: Try Sally’s double-crust chicken pot pie. So good!
I’ve made it several times as individual serving size pies instead of one big pie. If you have filling left over, you can add more milk and call it cream of chicken soup or serve it with rice. I’ve got to get my shit together and make it again.
raven
@Geminid: And we played Bama in Bear’s last game, the bowl again MSU after Leach died and we’re in College Park tonight!!! Go Illini!!
surfk9
@karen marie: Try Carla Hall’s chicken pot pie recipe and you will never go back.
NotMax
Overate way too much Instant Pot chicken cacciiatore last night. Still have enough left over to last through Tuesday.
As a slight nod to NATO, served it over Instant Pot Spanish rice. Have a separate inner pot with a non-stick coating I bring out for making sticky stuff such as rice.
;)
NotMax
@karen marie
Vaguely reminiscent of a tuna pie I sometimes prepare when the urge arises. Equally tasty eaten hot or cold.
Another Scott
Meanwhile, Katie Porter lost Brad DeLong’s vote.
I get where he’s coming from. But I know, like all of us do in our guts, that most people don’t vote on policy proposals, or philosophies of government, and all the rest. They vote based on impressions and constructing “personal connections” with an image of the candidates. Maybe her ad team know what they’re doing, and are willing to risk losing the top 0.001% blogger – economics – history professor demographic.
The primary is in around 2.5 weeks – on March 5.
Here’s hoping that Garvey is 3rd or lower!!
Cheers,
Scott.
Geminid
@raven: Maryland was UVA’s most bitter basketball rival back when Lefty coached them. Maryland is no longer in the conference, but I still don’t like ’em. So go Illini! Trounce the Terrapins!
hueyplong
@Geminid: Back in the day Lefty put my school (Davidson) on the map. More recently another guy helped a bit, too.
I got Lefty’s autograph as a 10 year old in ’68 but made his acquaintance for real about 16 years ago and have known him since. A real character.
karen marie
@surfk9: Nope, I’m sticking with Sally. I prefer her technique. The additional herbs might be something to consider though.
@NotMax: Tuna pie? Do tell!
Geminid
@hueyplong: That’s right! Dreisell coached at Davidson and made his name there. Dreisell’s run at Maryland ended under tragic circumstances, but I’m glad he could keep coaching for other schools.
MagdaInBlack
@karen marie: I find it pretty entertaining, esp the part where I get as SS (aging stoner) discount. I see a pretty good cross section of ages at my neighborhood dispensary, which the gods saw fit to place a block away from home.
raven
@Geminid: 5 will do!
raven
@hueyplong: REM’s lawyer is a Davidson grad and loves to let you know it.
hueyplong
@raven: Haha, I know of whom you speak. We eliminated Bert’s team his senior year in an intramural sport and there were hard feelings.
I still remember it fondly
P.S. The school is so small that pretty much everyone knew everyone else.
Suzanne
@karen marie: I just made Sally’s pumpkin bread (yes, I know it’s not pumpkin spice season). My substitution: she calls for orange juice, which I have tried, and I think it’s fine. But you know what’s better? Bourbon. So I did that.
Elizabelle
An Aviation cocktail? You, or Joelle, had creme de violette in the house? Srsly?
I iz impressed.
Elizabelle
@NotMax: Great minds. LOL. Not to mention maraschino liquor.
We are hanging out in the orchestra seats.
Elizabelle
@Geminid: Yes. A Terrapin, and a winning and beloved one. Rest well, Lefty.
KrackenJack
Had to look the Aviator Cocktail recipe up. Alas, having 90% of the ingredients leaves me 0% of the way to enjoying one. The crème de violette liqueur was my undoing. I, like NotMax, am impressed by the depth of your bar.
I ended up making a Cherry Lime Rickey. I have quite a few gins lying around since I try to sample and sometimes buy the local gin when I travel. I went with my standard Hendricks gin for this.
I used ginjinha, a Portuguese sour cherry liqueur, instead of the cherry juice (Ginja9 specifically). A couple of Bada Bing cherries. Had an open Fever Tree tonic, so I used that.
Refreshing. Makes me think of long summer afternoons.
Kayla Rudbek
The chicken phyllo hot dish worked fairly well without dairy or eggs, although I will put a bit of arrowroot or cornstarch in the milk mixture the next time to make sure it really thickens up (Violife cheese tastes better, Daiya cheese melts better, the best solution would probably be using a mixture of cheese) and a bit more black pepper or a touch of red pepper. I am too lazy to lay down each phyllo sheet one-by one, but phyllo is thin enough that putting a good amount of olive oil on the top sheet works to moisten the layers up enough.
feebog
@SiubhanDuinne: My wife makes a dish we call P & P. Pork, usually a small loin, but can be thick chops cut into edible bites, pearl onions, prunes. Add a whole bunch of spices I don’t recall, bake for about 45 minutes. Plenty of prune juice added to keep the pork juicy while cooking.
mrmoshpotato
@Suzanne: Excellent verdict!
Odie Hugh Manatee
JC, the dry bartender. Kind of like the old man I used to buy weed from. He grew some nasty stuff but he never imbibed. He grew it to keep his kids from getting busted and/or getting ripped off. Long gone now but never got busted.
Today my wife found out that her brother and his wife are 9 months dry. That’s a very good thing as they liked the sauce a bit too much. From what he told her there was a situation where his wife was away from home, needed help and he was unable to do so. Whatever it was it was enough for them to call it quits.
They are in their late 50’s so it’s a good time to call it good on the party life.
mrmoshpotato
@karen marie:
LMAO!
a thousand flouncing lurkers (was fidelio)
@eclare: for a very long time crème de violette was nearly impossible to find; the cocktail renaissance has brought back both that and many other unusual spirits.
Warning: it does smell like violets, so it may remind some of old-fashioned soap & body powder.
raven
@hueyplong: He seems so measured now!
Joelle
Cole was a real Insta Swinger- went for apps n cocktail at Clever Koi then din at their sister restaurant Across the Pond. Ceviche for him and shrimp tempura roll for me. Apps were beef short rip gyoza in bone broth and crab avacado Rangoon with a stunning honey horseradish mustard sauce.
karen marie
@Suzanne: Bourbon makes everything better!
Do you get her emails? A recent one featured these iced oatmeal cookies. I made them two years ago, and OMG, they are some of the best cookies I’ve ever made. I had to keep them in my oven overnight to protect them from the cat while the icing hardened. Incredible flavor and mind blowing texture.
NotMax
@karen marie
Okey-dokey. Tuna Pie.
Pastry for a 2-crist pie (thawed frozen crusts perfectly fine)
½ cup chopped celery
1 small onion, minced
2 tbl. butter or shortening
3 tbl. flour
2 cups milk
1 chicken bouillon cube (or 1 scant tsp. Better Than Bouillon)
2 cans tuna, shredded with a fork or chopped fine
½ cup diced cooked potatoes
2 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
.
Line 9-inch pie pan with one crust.
Sauté celery and onion in butter until soft. Blend in flour.
Add milk, then bouillon. Cook, stirring frequently, until thick and smooth. (If too thin, sprinkle in a smidgen more flour.)
Fold in tuna, potatoes and eggs. Check for additional salt, if needed.
Turn mixture into pie pan. Cover with second crust, seal and flute edges and poke a few steam vents toward the center.
Bake in 450 degree oven for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 400 and bake 20 minutes more.
Joelle
We kept calling it our hot 🔥 date. Because I told him every time he leaves the house with me we’re on a hot date by default. And this definitely fell into the ole hot 🔥 date category. I mean apps in one restaurant then dinner in another. Both at the bar chatting lazily with the mixologists while the did their second nature ballet of prep work. That’s just some phenomenal level of game. And we were home by sundown . Cole is without a doubt the hot 🔥 date master.
brantl
@Suzanne: Try a pot roast some time with 1/2 cup red wine 4 tablespoons soy sauce, 4 tablespoons oyster sauce ,1/4 teaspoon each of sage rosemary and thyme. Wowza.
NotMax
@brantl
Believe it or not, can substitute grape jelly for the wine, if chary of cooking with alcohol. Not 1:1, maybe one-third cup rather than one half.
brantl
@NotMax: I don’t want grape jelly with either rosemary, or sage, but if you like it, have at it. No offense, I guess that came off a bit snarky, but wasn’t intended that way. Plus, you burn off all the alcohol in the first 10 minutes of roasting, anyway.
NotMax
@brantl
There are some who, whatever the reason, don’t want anything alcoholic in the house.
Odie Hugh Manatee
@Joelle:
So what you are saying is that John is a hot master dater? 😉
Joelle
@Odie Hugh Manatee: epic pun