Intermarkets' Privacy Policy
Support


Donate to Ace of Spades HQ!



Recent Entries
Absent Friends
Bandersnatch 2024
GnuBreed 2024
Captain Hate 2023
moon_over_vermont 2023
westminsterdogshow 2023
Ann Wilson(Empire1) 2022
Dave In Texas 2022
Jesse in D.C. 2022
OregonMuse 2022
redc1c4 2021
Tami 2021
Chavez the Hugo 2020
Ibguy 2020
Rickl 2019
Joffen 2014
AoSHQ Writers Group
A site for members of the Horde to post their stories seeking beta readers, editing help, brainstorming, and story ideas. Also to share links to potential publishing outlets, writing help sites, and videos posting tips to get published. Contact OrangeEnt for info:
maildrop62 at proton dot me
Cutting The Cord And Email Security
Moron Meet-Ups





















« What Makes You Happy? [Y-not] | Main | Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Stung by Wikileaks Revelation, Resigns as Chair of DNC »
July 24, 2016

Food Thread: Packaged Food: Is Any Of It Good? [CBD]

NeverGiveUp Lunch.jpg

Nevergiveup's kosher lunch: courtesy of the United States Army

Our intrepid Navy dentist is slumming with the United States Army for awhile, but at least he is eating well! Any Morons actually enjoy these meals?

And....what are the best packaged foods? Obviously potato chips and other snack foods are pretty damned good most of the time, but how about other stuff? I remember as a kid getting immense enjoyment out of Swanson frozen dinners, but that's because it was a treat, and we had to behave really well to get them (yes, my parents were smarter than their children).

******

A Moron who shall remain nameless (because I simply cannot remember who) suggested this site, and it's sort of fun. The blogger is suspiciously SJWish, but I did get a chuckle out of the first part of her biography....

I am the crazy neighbor with paint under her nails, glitter everywhere, a cat in every window, & the Christmas tree up all year.

Anyway, the link goes to a post about great Depression era recipes and cookbooks. interesting stuff, and indicative of how incredibly well off even the poorest among us are....

******


I asked a fellow glutton gourmet if there was an upper limit to the amount of bacon one should add to Mac & Cheese. He responded...

No. God no. I prefer "bacon with Mac and cheese topping" actually. That's the ratio you are looking for.

Makes sense.

******

Some of you may watch cooking shows, and while most of them are silly vehicles for mediocre chefs who happen to have some on-screen ability, some are fun to watch. This lunatic is obviously not an accomplished chef, but seems to get immense pleasure from eating and cooking, and that is, after all, the point. His recipe for Grilled Pork Tenderloin al Pastor with Avocado Crema actually looks pretty good.
******
Raffles sling.jpg

Anyone a fan of the Singapore Sling? I saw it mentioned recently and while many of the recipes I found seem overly sweet, it does cry out for a deft hand to make it an interesting concoction. Unfortunately my go-to bartender is moving on to greener pastures, and I don't think I will be able to convince him to make one for me before he quits.

It is times like this that the idea of indentured servitude makes a lot of sense.

******

Y-not here. Our host, who is indisposed right now, asked me to add a recipe and "hit the button" on the Food Thread this week.

Gazpacho.jpeg

Alton Brown's Gazpacho

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds vine-ripened tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped

Tomato juice (I use V8 )

1 cup cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped

1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper

1/2 cup chopped red onion

1 small jalapeno, seeded and minced (I use poblano peppers)

1 medium garlic clove, minced (More)

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 lime, juiced

2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon toasted, ground cumin

1 teaspoon kosher salt (I've been using a bourbon-smoked sea salt)

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (I've been using piri piri seasoning)

2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves, chiffonade (I use purple basil for color and a anise-y kick.)

Directions

Fill a 6-quart pot halfway full of water, set over high heat and bring to a boil.

Make an X with a paring knife on the bottom of the tomatoes. Drop the tomatoes into the boiling water for 15 seconds, remove and transfer to an ice bath and allow to cool until able to handle, approximately 1 minute. Remove and pat dry. Peel, core and seed the tomatoes. When seeding the tomatoes, place the seeds and pulp into a fine mesh strainer set over a bowl in order to catch the juice. Press as much of the juice through as possible and then add enough bottled tomato juice to bring the total to 1 cup.

Place the tomatoes and juice into a large mixing bowl. Add the cucumber, bell pepper, red onion, jalapeno, garlic clove, olive oil, lime juice, balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire, cumin, salt and pepper and stir to combine. Transfer 1 1/2 cups of the mixture to a blender and puree for 15 to 20 seconds on high speed. Return the pureed mixture to the bowl and stir to combine.

Cover and chill for 2 hours and up to overnight. Serve with chiffonade of basil.

You can see a video of this recipe being made at the Food Network.


Often gazpacho recipes include stale bread to add body. I've been skipping that and pureeing all of the ingredients, rather than reserving some of them as Alton Brown does. Then I add diced vegetables as a garnish when I serve the soup.

To make this more of a meal, substitute the basil with fresh cilantro and add cold boiled shrimp (unseasoned or seasoned with Mexican spices) when you serve it. Or ceviche.


Speaking of tomatoes, if you are inundated with tons from your garden (or if you went a little too wild at the farmer's market, as I did this week), you can freeze them. Obviously their texture is affected by this process, but they are supposedly still fine for sauces and stews.

I'm making up buckets of gazpacho which I plan to freeze, but I will also try this whole tomato method and let you know how it turns out.


What's cooking in your kitchens this week?

digg this
posted by Open Blogger at 04:09 PM

| Access Comments




Recent Comments
Biden's Dog sniffs a whole lotta malarkey, : "BOING! ..."

Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere [/i] [/b]: "Worked out solidly yesterday morning at the 1/5 mi ..."

Puddleglum, cheer up for the worst is yet to come: "I'm surrounded by worshippers of the god king Barr ..."

Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere [/i] [/b]: "[i] I hope you're cats are comforting you, Wolfus. ..."

JackStraw: "Can you imagine a world where somebody took a shot ..."

Puddleglum, cheer up for the worst is yet to come: "I hope you're cats are comforting you, Wolfus. ..."

Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere [/i] [/b]: "Mike Hammer is back and okay? Great news! Welcom ..."

T. Walz, Sodomist: " Less aloof? She's preparing to eat your cor ..."

Puddleglum, cheer up for the worst is yet to come: "Emojis don't seem to be working at the moment, oth ..."

Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere [/i] [/b]: "Odd dream that verged on nightmare. I was driving ..."

Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere [/i] [/b]: "Stateless, little Dagny La Siberienne cat, the alo ..."

JackStraw: ">> I'm not cutting off my dick, Jack. I will remai ..."

Recent Entries
Search


Polls! Polls! Polls!
Frequently Asked Questions
The (Almost) Complete Paul Anka Integrity Kick
Top Top Tens
Greatest Hitjobs

The Ace of Spades HQ Sex-for-Money Skankathon
A D&D Guide to the Democratic Candidates
Margaret Cho: Just Not Funny
More Margaret Cho Abuse
Margaret Cho: Still Not Funny
Iraqi Prisoner Claims He Was Raped... By Woman
Wonkette Announces "Morning Zoo" Format
John Kerry's "Plan" Causes Surrender of Moqtada al-Sadr's Militia
World Muslim Leaders Apologize for Nick Berg's Beheading
Michael Moore Goes on Lunchtime Manhattan Death-Spree
Milestone: Oliver Willis Posts 400th "Fake News Article" Referencing Britney Spears
Liberal Economists Rue a "New Decade of Greed"
Artificial Insouciance: Maureen Dowd's Word Processor Revolts Against Her Numbing Imbecility
Intelligence Officials Eye Blogs for Tips
They Done Found Us Out, Cletus: Intrepid Internet Detective Figures Out Our Master Plan
Shock: Josh Marshall Almost Mentions Sarin Discovery in Iraq
Leather-Clad Biker Freaks Terrorize Australian Town
When Clinton Was President, Torture Was Cool
What Wonkette Means When She Explains What Tina Brown Means
Wonkette's Stand-Up Act
Wankette HQ Gay-Rumors Du Jour
Here's What's Bugging Me: Goose and Slider
My Own Micah Wright Style Confession of Dishonesty
Outraged "Conservatives" React to the FMA
An On-Line Impression of Dennis Miller Having Sex with a Kodiak Bear
The Story the Rightwing Media Refuses to Report!
Our Lunch with David "Glengarry Glen Ross" Mamet
The House of Love: Paul Krugman
A Michael Moore Mystery (TM)
The Dowd-O-Matic!
Liberal Consistency and Other Myths
Kepler's Laws of Liberal Media Bias
John Kerry-- The Splunge! Candidate
"Divisive" Politics & "Attacks on Patriotism" (very long)
The Donkey ("The Raven" parody)
Powered by
Movable Type 2.64