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Covid 19 & Yakiniku preparation

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Right at our local pick-apart here in Fredericksburg VA, there is a food truck. Authentic simple Mexican food, tacos mostly.
One of the best-kept secrets are the food trucks at the LKQ yards in the Houston area. And two of the three yards have Whataburgers in close proximity, too. Choices, choices.

The LKQ yards in close-in Baltimore also have food trucks, but I haven't tried them yet.

We've had the Chevy's Fresh Mex food truck (from their Annapolis restaurant) visit our neighborhood two times during the Covid pandemic. Every day the food truck visits different 'hoods around Annapolis to cater to the locals.
 
...I enjoy salmon (crispy outside, medium inside) the best way to cook salmon is to treat it like a steak...
Yes, yes and yesss!!! Crispy skin and just barely done on the inside!!! Great simple tips on cooking! Very similar to what we do with it.

At any given time, we always have salmon at home. Once per week, we also cold cure it to be sliced, kinda "Scandinavian" style... It's like the life is not complete without the fatty salmon, at least not in this house!
 
@Jlaa, so contrary to the nachos, you're sounding like a salmon preparation vet..... :seesaw:
HAHAHAH I would just like to add that Covid-19 has really afforded me the opportunity to expand my cooking techniques. Whether or not my techniques are any good is another story, but I have expanded them.

Similar to the "best garage tools" thread, I recently decided that I need a meat slicing machine. With the SIP directive, slicing meats would be absolutely critical to the functioning of my family. Our long-lasting-survival is contingent upon the slicing of meats. All the meats. Sliced.

And so I bought a meat slicing machine: Amazon.com The link says "NLA" but this is not true. Every so often this becomes available again, and usually very inexpensive - only $99. If you want immediate availability, you need to purchase the more recently, slightly more powerful model, at $159: https://www.amazon.com/ChefsChoice-615A-Precision-Thickness-Efficient/dp/B078YYDF8N/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=chef's+choice+slicer&qid=1605372967&s=home-garden&sr=1-2

IMG_1272.jpeg IMG_1274.jpeg IMG_8744.jpeg

And then, in another fit of needing-to-have-this-tool-itis, I bought a portable gas stove. A really good one. One that is super powerful. And carefully designed. Amazon.com

And now we can be like @captruff and eat Yakiniku / Korean BBQ on our back deck* (Yakiniku seemingly being @captruff's favorite food) 🤣

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*back deck recently outfitted with Costco string lights on sale because of C19 pandemic, here: https://www.costco.com/feit-electric-48'-led-filament-string-light-set.product.100405061.html

Also slicing home made roast beef sandwiches, because Arby's, which is a childhood favorite of mine, no longer exists near me. 😩 1605373208759.jpeg
 
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Perhaps someone can post a "500Eboard COVID Salmon" recipe..... 🐟
If anyone has "extra" time, I've made this early this year, very very good imo! Rustic, flavorful, feeds entire family...

 
If anyone has "extra" time, I've made this early this year, very very good imo! Rustic, flavorful, feeds entire family...

This looks great. Vaguely mediterranean perhaps? But the roasted sweet potatoes are not mediterranean. Regardless, the variety of texture looks great. I will see if I can use some of my newly acquired tools to make this. 🤣
 
I keep telling him not to go near Припять.....

I've been to Pripyat' and Chernobyl in the autumn of 2017.


We've met with @kiev few times (too short), but indeed, there are many similarities and memories for sure!
Mostly, that to us eastern Europeans, Americans and American culture might as well be Martians and Martian culture 😄

dad was a manager of one of the Moscow's premier restaurants of that era.
Oh boy!!!!! I know that your father has 10,000 unreal, amazing, mind-bogglingly funny stories. Which one of the one's mentioned here was it? Mostly true or mostly false?

I remember getting to attend a fundraising breakfast and meeting Richard Nixon in 1968
That is a very cool childhood memory to have!

There were people of all sorts of positions and backgrounds there, and the one thing I recall is that regardless of the subject, discourse was always civil.

That's what's missing today. How things got so polarized escapes me
I think that many Americans refuse to hear what they actually hear. Instead engaging in irrational re-interpretstion and/or dismissal. When one side says that this is a racist country that exterminates, oppresses, and puts people in prison based on their skin color, that, with a cold-blooded purposefulness, the game is rigged from the day one AND, on top of all that, this country is trying to murder the whole planet (climate) - THEY ACTUALLY MEAN AND BELIEVE IT.

Exactly what is there for them to discuss with enablers and supporters of such an evil construction? I think, the strengths of institutions is the only thing holding the floodgates now and it's apparent that one side is busy chipping at them.


It's easy to compare the same news as reported by the WSJ compared to the New York Times or Washington Pos

Sorry, I couldn't resist: it's New York Slimes and Washington Compost. There's also an Associated Depressed. MSLSD and a Clown News Network. I heard this on a the "Radio Hate". Always cracks me up. Again, sorry 😁

Like you, @Duh_Vinci, I have stopped watching news on ANY mainstream media

I haven't had cable since 2014.

The smartest, most practical and down-to-earth people I have tended to know are the people who DO NOT live in "echo chamber bubble" big cities on the East and West Coasts. People who live everyday lives and work everyday jobs. They are not rural, flyover-territory "rubes" or "low-information voters" that you hear the cable network people talk about

Exactly my experience. Suburban corporate plankton, most of the time, is indistinguishable from androids

==============

As to cooking, I mostly grill and pan fry basic dishes with just 1 ingredient (not counting salt)😁
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I've always had a tough time cooking salmon until I realized that for the way I enjoy salmon (crispy outside, medium inside) the best way to cook salmon is to treat it like a steak.

  • Timing is most important (to avoid overcooking) so uniformity of pieces in size and shape (3" thick sections of fillet) is needed.
  • Need high-fat salmon (not coho or any of the leaner ones)
  • Sprinkle a little salt on the salmon and that's it.
  • Crank up the pan on the stove with NO OIL OR BUTTER OR ANYTHING --- Pan sear, flesh side down for 2 minutes.
  • Flip salmon, skin side down, pan sear for 1 minute
  • Put the entire pan with salmon in a 425F* oven for 4-6 minutes, depending on thickness of your cut.

Remove from oven and enjoy plain, or add whatever flavoring you want. The result is perfectly seared salmon with a juuuuust-done interior --- no overcooking. And quite healthy as there is no added butter/oil/fats.

@Jlaa @Gerryvs, You keep the Salmon, Give me a Prime Rib Eye anyday.:thumbsup2:

@ Jlaa Try Tacos w/ beef or chicken :)
 
As to cooking, I mostly grill and pan fry basic dishes with just 1 ingredient (not counting salt)😁
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@Jlaa @Gerryvs, You keep the Salmon, Give me a Prime Rib Eye anyday.:thumbsup2:

@ Jlaa Try Tacos w/ beef or chicken :)


@kiev @TerryA - Yes, Ribeyes are fantastic. That's an impressive amount of ground meat, but c'mon, @kiev, you are not doing the ribeye hoarding properly. Has this board / COVID 19 taught you nothing about hoarding car parts, and now food? :stickpoke: I am disappointed that you have not adopted the lifestyle of boundless gluttony. 🤣 You have to buy the ENTIRE rib eye -- like this:

FullSizeRender.jpeg 62249312010__265D03CB-170D-4E1A-BD9D-9DD6FB4F3608.jpeg
 
@sheward: A great source for some REAL investigative reporting is Glenn Greenwald, the fiercely independent investigative reporter who recently left "The Intercept" which he co-founded. He is a guy who separates his political beliefs from his professional work, and is not afraid to delve into sensitive topics and set the record straight.

His own colleagues censored him over election-related reporting he was doing there, so he resigned. Greenwald was one of the guys who helped expose the "W" Bush administration Iraq policy, secret NSA surveillance of US citizens, and the Snowden expose, and much more. He is about the closest as I can think of these days, as to what a non-partisan investigative reporter (once called a "muckraker") is in today's world.

His work since recently leaving The Intercept is available here: Glenn Greenwald

Read a few of his pieces, and you will have a difficult time arguing with his reporting.
I'm aware of Glenn Greenwald and I've been following the story of his leaving the Intercept. One of the last real journalists with courage integrity.

drew
 
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Still on my sourdough bread adventure as Panini are part of my regular lunch rotation working from home.

I finally made some that taste great and what I was chasing all this time. I feel like the dog that finally caught the car.

Of course I consumed an entire Sunday doing this. I followed the YouTube video below where my favorite comment is "thank goodness for bakers, because no one has time for this shit"


IMG_3587.jpeg


 
During my childhood in Ukraine (born in Odessa), this country was portrayed by the communistic regime as the worst country in the world, while secretly they all envied this country. Even in children’s books, the portrayal of Americans was never kind. “You” people were always showcased as arrogant, greedy, selfish and ignorant. But we never wanted to believe that America was actually filled with people like that and many took it upon themselves to come here and find out. Since living here starting in 1978, I have found out that all of that communistic propaganda was just that, propaganda. But never would I have believed that this country is capable of trying to destroy itself from within and that has escalated in the recent decades. The political aggression is just mind blowing to me. What happened to civil debating each other’s views without coming to blows, or worse, as we have witnessed. I wasn‘t raised with any animosity towards race, my family always felt that all people can live in harmony, especially in this country, as this country was based on these morals. The poem on the Statue of Liberty was the first thing my parents told me about and they told me how great this country is, regardless of your race or religion. So while living here, I have watched this country change so much from within, that I can’t believe what I’m seeing. The disdain for each other has spiraled out of control and it seems that decency towards each other is all but dead...I hope I’m wrong.

For me personally, the alternative in staying in Ukraine would have meant a mandatory military draft, serving in the Afghanistan war and most likely being killed. My mom told me that to keep me out of the Russian military, close to 300K dollars would have had to exchange hands back then. I owe my parents everything for bringing my brother and I to America, and to let us find out what made this country great. I just hope the future of this country is not as bleak as it seems now.

Side note, my festivities for tonight will be chicken tabaka (цыплёнок табака).
 

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@Jlaa my family hates me on road trips because I am a sucker for Arby’s beef-n-cheddar sandwiches. I always stop at Arby’s. I don’t know if there is beef or cheddar on there but I love it!
Yum. Arby's was the only fast food place my Dad would eat. He loved the "Horsey sauce" and their Jamoca shakes. I rarely go to Arbys, but when I do I always get a Jamoca shake in remembrance of my Dad.

Dan
 
@kiev @TerryA - Yes, Ribeyes are fantastic. That's an impressive amount of ground meat, but c'mon, @kiev, you are not doing the ribeye hoarding properly. Has this board / COVID 19 taught you nothing about hoarding car parts, and now food? :stickpoke: I am disappointed that you have not adopted the lifestyle of boundless gluttony. 🤣 You have to buy the ENTIRE rib eye -- like this:

View attachment 118312 View attachment 118313

Not to worry, we have meat here!


Dan
 
@Jlaa my family hates me on road trips because I am a sucker for Arby’s beef-n-cheddar sandwiches. I always stop at Arby’s. I don’t know if there is beef or cheddar on there but I love it!
Yum. Arby's was the only fast food place my Dad would eat. He loved the "Horsey sauce" and their Jamoca shakes. I rarely go to Arbys, but when I do I always get a Jamoca shake in remembrance of my Dad.

Dan


Yes! We worship at the temple of 1605391936299.png (Note the old-skool sign).
During the time my mother was pregnant with my younger sibling and on bed-rest, my dad was in charge of food. That meant Arby's, and lots of it! @LWB250, like your own Dad, Arby's was the only fast food my Dad eats.

So, today, @RicardoD, I am a fiend for Arby's Beef-n-Cheddar sandwiches. Like you, I would opine that the WHOLE POINT of a road trip is to eat at Arby's. Beef'n'Cheddars and Supers! As well, like your own family, my wife is completely ambivalent towards Arby's. HOWEVER, you might be pleased to note that it is possible to train someone to crave Arby's.

My child was born and raised here in CA, which is decidedly not the land of Arby's. However, I have indoctrinated my child in the Religion of Arby's ...... going so far as to bringing home Tchotkies from the Arby's Historical Museum located in the HQ of Arby's in Atlanta for my child's enjoyment (I'm not kidding you. One year my company had a Quarterly Sales Kickoff Meeting in Atlanta ---- in the same building as Arby's HQ ..... so of course I visited HQ during a break....)........

.... and now my own child is completely enamored of Arby's (beef'n'cheddars!) and therefore since two of three people in this family crave Arby's, Roadtrips always equal Arby's.
 
From :sniper: to salmon cooking. I like it.

Being a keen USA tourist it is always really strange to walk into outdoor world or even Wallmart super centres etc and see people casually shopping for a shotgun or rifle. Total opposite here and I like it that way I must admit. I dont feel the need to get armed because most likely not one house one my road has one.
 
I can get all the Arby's I want (and do!) but long for In-N-Out......
I now live in the land of In-N-Out and there are 3 locations within 10 miles of my house. In-N-Out is v. good, particularly given the absurdly cheap price.

That said, the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence, and I long for Arby’s. In particular, I miss the Arby’s that was close to me and has now shut down. There was a teenaged mixed-race kid there that worked the cash register. You wouldn’t know it by looking at him, but in addition to English, he could easily converse and take your Arby’s order in Cantonese, Russian, and Mandarin.

That’s America - an idea that many cultures can come here and mix-it-all up. The USA being an IDEA (as opposed to being an ethnic identity) is what I admire about this country. I have no doubt that today’s toxic political environment is just another blip - perhaps similar if not exactly the same as the 60s with Kent State protests/shootings, JFK, RK assassinations, civil rights unrest, MLK assassination, Vietnam war, draft, etc.

I think today’s environment is the “blow off valve” that our society has built into it. We need this catharsis. We will change, adapt, and be stronger for it.
 
I wonder if the other Canadian members on this forum have the same experience as me. Living in Canada I see the odd hunting rifle but never the kind of weaponry displayed on this thread except on the evening news. But then again I have never eaten at Arby's either. LOL
 
From :sniper: to salmon cooking. I like it.

Being a keen USA tourist it is always really strange to walk into outdoor world or even Wallmart super centres etc and see people casually shopping for a shotgun or rifle. Total opposite here and I like it that way I must admit. I dont feel the need to get armed because most likely not one house one my road has one.

You won't see that any more. Walmart has cut back on what they sell as far as firearms and ammo.

You would probably find it stranger to be in a Walmart in a "constitutional carry" state, meaning that people can "open carry", that is, wear a sidearm in clear view. Arizona, Indiana and others are open carry states. When we were living in Indiana between 2008 and 2011, I was in line at our local Walmart with my youngest son, a high school student at the time. The gentleman in front of us was clearly not a law enforcement officer but was wearing a really nice 1911 in a holster on his belt. My son was a bit surprised, as having lived in Florida all his life (not an open carry state) he had never see something like this before.

I'm ambivalent about it, as I feel like the majority of gun owners are safety minded people and are highly unlikely to start pulling a firearm and using it unless the situation was quite dire. I have a concealed carry permit mainly because it allows me to bypass the Federal and local waiting periods for firearm purchases. Concealed carry is a lifestyle, as you have to commit to doing it 100% of the time if you're going to do it safely. I'm not that committed.

Dan
 
The last time I recall honest, two-way political debate and compromise was the presidency of George HW Bush in the 1988-1992 time frame. Things have gone downhill gradually since then, but IMHO really took a turn for the worse starting in 2009.

Since then, there has been literally zero ability to compromise on anything between the political parties. It’s turned into a zero sum game, all or nothing, winner and loser.

Social media has catalyzed this, and made it a very personal thing among many people. It allows people to demonize others with no consequences, because they’re doing it from behind a keyboard.

In the old days, you didn’t fume and swear at the president. Or if you did, it was over beers with a friend. Now, people spew vitriol, hate, death wishes and worse with impunity. At the President, politicians, and at each other.

The politicians are the worst. Most of them have no class. For every boorish Trump, or judge-ramming-through McConnell, you have a speech-ripping-up Pelosi or a 225,000-COVID-death-blame-pinning Biden.

Why can’t we have some politicians who set a new example, break the cycle, and work together (even just a little bit)?

I don’t have much hope. This summer’s mayhem proved to me that we are too far down the path of destruction, and can’t come back from it. Our country is in a very dark place that we will not get out of.
 
Why can’t we have some politicians who set a new example

Politicians are reflection of the people. And that's why, indeed, there's little hope. I think Trump was the last major offensive to recapture the "good old USA". Demography is destiny.
 
Oh boy!!!!! I know that your father has 10,000 unreal, amazing, mind-bogglingly funny stories. Which one of the one's mentioned here was it? Mostly true or mostly false?

As to cooking, I mostly grill and pan fry basic dishes with just 1 ingredient (not counting salt)😁
View attachment 118310
View attachment 118311
Those stories, now that's some funny shit! Yes, some are true, some are "not so much" And dude, enough ground beeeeeeef? A pan seared steak, cooked in ghee/olive oil, sprig of thyme and basting while cooking - as good as any grill version. Good steak will speak for itself!
you are not doing the ribeye hoarding properly. Has this board / COVID 19 taught you nothing about hoarding car parts, and now food? :stickpoke: I am disappointed that you have not adopted the lifestyle of boundless gluttony.

View attachment 118313
Now, that Sir is the way to do it!!!
I followed the YouTube video below where my favorite comment is "thank goodness for bakers, because no one has time for this shit"


View attachment 118317


These are beautiful breads Ricardo, and thank you for sharing the video, I'll have to give it a try!
During my childhood in Ukraine (born in Odessa), this country was portrayed by the communistic regime as the worst country in the world, while secretly they all envied this country. Even in children’s books, the portrayal of Americans was never kind. “You” people were always showcased as arrogant, greedy, selfish and ignorant. But we never wanted to believe that America was actually filled with people like that and many took it upon themselves to come here and find out. Since living here starting in 1978, I have found out that all of that communistic propaganda was just that, propaganda....

Side note, my festivities for tonight will be chicken tabaka (цыплёнок табака).
You see, my memories and experiences while living in USSR were quite different, not in middle/high school, not in the nursing college I attended. Perhaps because my "I begin to understand life" and somewhat "formed" my identity happened in the mid to late 80's, and we all know what by the late 80's, the "Soviet Union" was crumbling down... The rest was history. Sure, the US was never portrayed as "The friends of the world" at the government level, but among the people, I never felt any great animosity toward the US... When we were getting ready to leave USSR in 1989, our History teacher in the nursing college came up to me, gave me a hug, and said something along the lines of "I whish you very best in your new beginning in America, I think you will love it there..." And that was a tough woman to crack...

On the side note, Комсомо́л - I was never excepted into that organization, I started to listen to Metallica and Iron Maiden in mid 80's and "my hair was too long", after few basic speeches to what "the proper attire and appearance of school boy" should be, including the hair, I somehow failed to see how Lenin's "hair style" is any better than the one of Kirk Hammett's, :deniro:

BTW, speaking of Odessa, the loss of one of it's greatest Mikhail Zhvanetsky, loved that guy!

The Цыпленок табака, staple in our household still. To all who like chicken, this is the simple recipe that everyone need to try at home at least once, you will be hooked! Salt, fresh cracked pepper, garlic... Flattened out and cooked under the "press" on the griddle/skillet in butter. We tend to use Cornish hens lately, size and tenderness. But yea, that, delicious, crispy, juicy, buttery, peppery... all that!!! Ya'll got to try this!!!

Regards,
D
 
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You won't see that any more. Walmart has cut back on what they sell as far as firearms and ammo.

You would probably find it stranger to be in a Walmart in a "constitutional carry" state, meaning that people can "open carry", that is, wear a sidearm in clear view. Arizona, Indiana and others are open carry states. When we were living in Indiana between 2008 and 2011, I was in line at our local Walmart with my youngest son, a high school student at the time. The gentleman in front of us was clearly not a law enforcement officer but was wearing a really nice 1911 in a holster on his belt. My son was a bit surprised, as having lived in Florida all his life (not an open carry state) he had never see something like this before.

I'm ambivalent about it, as I feel like the majority of gun owners are safety minded people and are highly unlikely to start pulling a firearm and using it unless the situation was quite dire. I have a concealed carry permit mainly because it allows me to bypass the Federal and local waiting periods for firearm purchases. Concealed carry is a lifestyle, as you have to commit to doing it 100% of the time if you're going to do it safely. I'm not that committed.

Dan
I find the differences between the states in gun laws to be interesting. I had a concealed-carry permit in the Republic of Texas, but there is NO WAY IN HELL pretty much ANY civilian could ever get one in Maryland. In fact, the gun laws are now looser in Washington DC and in California than they are in Maryland !! Yet I am the same person, no different than I was in Texas. But not to be trusted with weapons in Maryland !!

So my beautiful leather IWB holsters sit in storage in the basement, waiting for the day when I live again in a state (my next and final stop is very likely going to be Maine) that has reasonable gun laws.
 
Over the years, getting up every morning at 5am to to go work, it's like internal alarm, even on weekends! Espresso was already brewed and consumed :thumbsup2:

Besides, doesn't seem like you are that far behind ;)
Yep, 5:45-6AM every day for me. Already on my second cup of coffee !!

Sunday early morning is the day when the REAL work gets done on the forum administration. Additional "snapshot" backup, system maintenance, log purging, system and database optimization, image backup to my local computer, and so on. 6-9 AM is the most productive time of the day.

Screen Shot 2020-11-15 at 7.02.22 AM.jpg

No Wall Street Journal print edition on Sunday to distract me. Well....maybe the WSJ crossword puzzle from the Weekend Saturday print edition, to help keep my brain fresh......

And yes, I drink my coffee BLACK, and do my crossword puzzles in BALL-POINT-PEN....

8F81D96C-CEB8-49A4-A964-40C31CB848FA.jpeg
 
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For me, it’s the other way around. I just got back from my regularly scheduled Italian tuneup, which is normally done earlier in the night, but this time I decided to extend the tuneup to and back from Santa Barbara.
 
When we were getting ready to leave USSR in 1989, our History teacher in the nursing college came up to me, gave me a hug, and said something along the lines of "I whish you very best in your new beginning in America, I think you will love it there..." And that was a tough woman to crack.
That resonates with me along the very same lines. I still vividly remember my parents and I sitting in the principal’s office of my school, telling the principal that we were leaving for America and that I need to be pulled out of school, so we could get ready. My principal told my parents no problem with me leaving school, gave all of us a big hug, cried a bit and told us that maybe we’ll see each other in America. A month later, my migration to America began. Back then, our visa out of Ukraine was for Israel, cause we could not list America as our destination. So we had to take a train to Czechoslovakia, then a train to Vienna, Austria (where we stayed for two weeks, such a beautiful city), then a train to the coastal city of Ostia, Italy (just outside of Rome), where we stayed for almost four months before flying off to NYC. In Austria, we changed our destination to America and in Italy we finalized our new destination. The time spent in Austria and Italy was needed to get our paperwork in order and because a lot of families from Ukraine were also migrating at that time (between 1972 and 1978, Ukraine had a very large number of people migrating to America), it took a while to process the families. To this day, I remember how much I loved getting off the train from Ostia to Rome, coming up from the underground train station and seeing the Colosseum...you can’t put a price on that feeling.

BTW, speaking of Odessa, the loss of one of it's greatest Mikhail Zhvanetsky, loved that guy!
Yeah, we lost our national treasure with his passing, my parents are in shock and my dad raised a long and warm toast to his legacy. He was one of a kind and will be dearly missed. I myself, have not gotten over the loss of David Bowie, Prince and Lemmy, as well as the recent loss of Neil Peart. Especially with Peart, as he was the sole reason I took up drumming in my teens. I can’t bring myself to listen to Rush for a while now...it’s just too soon for me.

The Цыпленок табака, staple in our household still. To all who like chicken, this is the simple recipe that everyone need to try at home at least once, you will be hooked! Salt, fresh cracked pepper, garlic... Flattened out and cooked under the "press" on the griddle/skillet in butter. We tend to use Cornish hens lately, size and tenderness.
One of the key components to its preparation is to rub down the hens with lemon juice and sour cream before adding the rest of the spices and let it marinate for a few hours. The press should be at least a kilogram in weight, so we usually place a few tea kettles filed with water on top. As Julia Child used to call this dish the brick chicken.
 
I find the differences between the states in gun laws to be interesting. I had a concealed-carry permit in the Republic of Texas, but there is NO WAY IN HELL pretty much ANY civilian could ever get one in Maryland. In fact, the gun laws are now looser in Washington DC and in California than they are in Maryland !! Yet I am the same person, no different than I was in Texas. But not to be trusted with weapons in Maryland !!

So my beautiful leather IWB holsters sit in storage in the basement, waiting for the day when I live again in a state (my next and final stop is very likely going to be Maine) that has reasonable gun laws.

I’m trying to imagine this country with a concealed-carry permit across all states with the way we seem to deal with our political views...still trying to imagine.
 
That resonates with me along the very same lines. I still vividly remember my parents and I sitting in the principal’s office of my school, telling the principal that we were leaving for America and that I need to be pulled out of school, so we could get ready. My principal told my parents no problem with me leaving school, gave all of us a big hug, cried a bit and told us that maybe we’ll see each other in America. A month later, my migration to America began. Back then, our visa out of Ukraine was for Israel, cause we could not list America as our destination. So we had to take a train to Czechoslovakia, then a train to Vienna, Austria (where we stayed for two weeks, such a beautiful city), then a train to the coastal city of Ostia, Italy (just outside of Rome), where we stayed for almost four months before flying off to NYC. In Austria, we changed our destination to America and in Italy we finalized our new destination. The time spent in Austria and Italy was needed to get our paperwork in order and because a lot of families from Ukraine were also migrating at that time (between 1972 and 1978, Ukraine had a very large number of people migrating to America), it took a while to process the families. To this day, I remember how much I loved getting off the train from Ostia to Rome, coming up from the underground train station and seeing the Colosseum...you can’t put a price on that feeling.
Well then, if your story does not bring back memories... Very same path... Train from Moscow to Prague, 4-5 hours layover, beautiful city, gorgeous architecture! On to Vienna, Austria, following the bus to the "staging" area, absolutely stunning and rather remote part Austria, Rohr im Gebirge We ended up staying there for a bout 5-6 months for some reason. Mountain streams and fields, beautiful beautiful country side!

I was still 17 at that time, wanted to earn some money. I was pretty good at art/drawing etc, so I offered the owner my "services" to freshened up the fine details of the hotel and restaurant signs... He said "I'll let you know tomorrow"... Tomorrow came, and I indeed was offered to use the paint brush, but a different kind, the very wide one, along with the bucket and a roller, not exactly to do the "fine art" but to paint the pig barns :buggin: It was a little different from the RN clinical hospital work I've grown to like, but hey, money is money, and about $25 per day was enough to buy brats, wurst, cheese and bread for 4 of to feed (mom, dad and my 9 year old brother).

Then Italy. Ladispoli... Small, very charming town! About a year there. Did construction work there, mostly restoration of water community villas. Also about $25-$30 per day... Freshly baked Rosetta bread, stuff it with freshly sliced Mortadella, cheap $1 can of dark beer, sit on the grass and enjoy the sun at lunch! Very friendly people, rode a bicycle everywhere (or walked), once per week, took a train to Rome.

1990, Fredericksburg VA, and the rest if history... "Welcome to America" :thumbsup2:
Yeah, we lost our national treasure with his passing, my parents are in shock and my dad raised a long and warm toast to his legacy. He was one of a kind and will be dearly missed. I myself, have not gotten over the loss of David Bowie, Prince and Lemmy, as well as the recent loss of Neil Peart. Especially with Peart, as he was the sole reason I took up drumming in my teens. I can’t bring myself to listen to Rush for a while now...it’s just too soon for me.
Some just have an incredible impact on the world for sure! In no particular order, but just watched "Motorhead: Ace of Spades" on tubi last week... Can't help but popping this into my head
One of the key components to its preparation is to rub down the hens with lemon juice and sour cream before adding the rest of the spices and let it marinate for a few hours. The press should be at least a kilogram in weight, so we usually place a few tea kettles filed with water on top. As Julia Child used to call this dish the brick chicken.
I actually always thought it was Цыпленок табака, the USSRian dish, until one day (we had a lot of friends from Georgia), on of my mother's girlfriends (and imagine the accent from Tbilisi) "Нет дорогой, это блюдо из Грузии! И это не табака, а таПака" ("No dear, this dish is from Georgia! And it is not tabaka, it is taPaka"). And apparently, there are as many recipes of this dish as their recipes of sauce Tkemali or Adgika. Well, she "told me"

I've tried this dish with Hmeli Sunelli, tried with dried basil and coriander, but never with lemon and sourcream, I will have to try it for sure! We use lemon and soucream rub/base for quails, and it is delicious, I'm sure it's going to be great on тапака /tабака, thanks!!!

Regards,
D
 
5:00 am on nearly every day. If I try to stay in bed, my mind starts swirling with the things I need to do that day or later, so the potential for returning to sleep is pretty much gone.

Since I started working remotely I've given up caffeine. I used to start the day with a "crappacino", which was a combination of espresso, skim milk, sugar and vanilla I made in bulk weekly and kept in a large pitcher in the fridge. Then I had a "booster" of Diet Coke in mid morning. No more. And I will say that it had no real effect on my wake cycle, either.
 
I actually always thought it was Цыпленок табака, the USSRian dish, until one day (we had a lot of friends from Georgia), on of my mother's girlfriends (and imagine the accent from Tbilisi) "Нет дорогой, это блюдо из Грузии! И это не табака, а таПака" ("No dear, this dish is from Georgia! And it is not tabaka, it is taPaka"). And apparently, there are as many recipes of this dish as their recipes of sauce Tkemali or Adgika. Well, she "told me"

I've tried this dish with Hmeli Sunelli, tried with dried basil and coriander, but never with lemon and sourcream, I will have to try it for sure! We use lemon and soucream rub/base for quails, and it is delicious, I'm sure it's going to be great on тапака /tабака, thanks!!!

Yep, Georgians are responsible for this delight and although Khmeli Suneli is part of their original recipe, I got used to eating the hens without that spice mix. But rubbing down the hens with lemon juice is a part of the original Georgian recipe. The sour cream addition to the rubdown is something my mom incorporated to tenderize the meat (very common in other meat dishes), to accompany the lemon flavor and to add the base for the remaining spices to adhere to. Georgians just know how to make their meat dishes stand out. Some of the best shish kabobs I ate were always made by Georgians and when I still lived in Odessa, the best shish kabob parlor‘s (шашлычная) were all owned and ran by Georgians.
 
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Back on the subject of food I smoked some pork shoulder for 26 hours over the weekend. Came out perfect.




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There is a large farmer's market and restaurant supply place on the east side of Tampa called "SanWa Market". They open at 4:00 am daily except Sundays and are open to the public as well. They sell good meat cheaper than anyplace in town, but it's large cuts, like a whole pork shoulder or whole pork tenderloin, for example. We buy beef tenderloins (filet) from them regularly, and depending on the weight they're usually around $30-$35/each. The also have fresh vegetables of all kinds that arrive daily form local farmers, too.

I scored an almost new BIG smoker off the rich people's neighborhood Facebook Marketplace a couple years ago. I buy meat at SanWa and smoke big time. The last pork shoulder I did took over 24 hours. The picture of the ribeyes earlier reminded me when Mrs. Dan bought a WHOLE ribeye from them, not realizing it was not something to smoke. I think we got 14 nice steaks out of that and it was about $40.

If we weren't traveling the day after Thanksgiving we would smoke our turkey - I spatchcock it and smoke away. That makes it smoke quicker and more evenly, and makes it easier to serve, too. We also like to smoke chickens, and with this massive smoker I can do as many as six or eight if I wanted.

One of our favorites is to buy fresh sausage from a local butcher and smoke it. It only takes a couple of hours and it's so, so yummy.

Mmmm. Sound like I need to make a SanWa run the week...

Dan
 
Back on the subject of food I smoked some pork shoulder for 26 hours over the weekend. Came out perfect.




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I bet the bark on the slice looks phenomenal after 26 hours!!! Pics of the slice of this heavenly shoulder by chance?

There is a large farmer's market and restaurant supply place on the east side of Tampa called "SanWa Market". They open at 4:00 am daily except Sundays and are open to the public as well. They sell good meat cheaper than anyplace in town, but it's large cuts, like a whole pork shoulder or whole pork tenderloin, for example. We buy beef tenderloins (filet) from them regularly, and depending on the weight they're usually around $30-$35/each. The also have fresh vegetables of all kinds that arrive daily form local farmers, too.
...
We need places like this here! I don't mind buying large cuts, never let it go to waste. I have pro-grade meat grinder and sausage stuffer press, shoulders are great for any and all the goodies to cook. Unfortunately nothing like that locally. I have to do Wegmans for the pork shoulders, and Costco for beef, lamb, chicken and seafood.

And on the pork subject: Spinach and Goat Cheese stuffed port tenderloin with mustard and garlic rub:

i-gCCPJj5-L.jpg

Sooo tender and juicy after the rest

i-s9JGrjF-L.jpg

Regards,
D
 
There is a large farmer's market and restaurant supply place on the east side of Tampa called "SanWa Market". They open at 4:00 am daily except Sundays and are open to the public as well. They sell good meat cheaper than anyplace in town, but it's large cuts, like a whole pork shoulder or whole pork tenderloin, for example.

That‘s the type of market we are lacking here, but then again, L.A. is not really known for a vast array of BBQ joints that buy the meat in bulk locally. But at least we have Bludso’s, so I can get good BBQ with family roots from Texas.
 
@Duh_Vinci @kiev @szvook

OK question time for you guys. These pork and lamb dumplings (Khinkali?) were from a place called "Kuvshin" in Kiev, Ukraine.
They are soup dumplings. The dough was soft, and when you first bite into the dumpling, you get some broth ...... and then you get pork / lamb --- which ever one you ordered.
1605483855331.png
I was like WTF ..... This is like Chinese Food (Shanghainese Soup Dumpling) 小籠包 !!!!!!! 😳
Is this Ukranian or Georgian Food? I was blown away. :thumbsup2: I did not know there is similarity / overlap between the cuisines! These were great!
 
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@Duh_Vinci @kiev @szvook

OK question time for you guys. These pork and lamb dumplings (Khinkali?) were from a place called "Kuvshin" in Kiev, Ukraine.
They are soup dumplings. The dough was soft, and when you first bite into the dumpling, you get some broth ...... and then you get pork / lamb --- which ever one you ordered.
View attachment 118404
I was like WTF ..... This is like Chinese Food (Shanghainese Soup Dumpling) 小籠包 !!!!!!! 😳
Is this Ukranian or Georgian Food? I was blown away. :thumbsup2: I did not there is similarity / overlap between the cuisines! These were great!
As far as I know, хинкали is originated in Georgia as well. In the days of the former Soviet Union, the food from various regions migrated back and forth, and a good restaurant would usually offer the хинкали on their menu. That magic juice you get with the first bite IS the sign of the well made хинкали!

EDIT : @Jlaa I never even thought about the similarities with Shanghainese Soup Dumpling, until you mention this just now! You are spot on!!!
 
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This is like Chinese Food (Shanghainese Soup Dumpling) 小籠包 !!!!!!! 😳
Is this Ukranian or Georgian Food? I was blown away. :thumbsup2: I did not there is similarity / overlap between the cuisines! These were great!

As Dmitry already mentioned, it‘s a Georgian dish and with Georgia being close to Ukraine, a lot of Georgian dishes are common there. As a mater of fact, a lot of Georgian farmers sold their produce at the markets in Ukraine and their produce was always top notch. But hey, all of these types of filled dumplings (known as Iiaozi) came from China many moons ago and overtime reached out westward one way or another. I won’t be surprised if the Mongols brought these types of dumplings to Russia, Ukraine and Georgia when they invaded and ruled Russia and parts of Ukraine and Georgia (like Kiev and Tbilisi), as there were two invasions with one coming up from the south through Georgia first and then north through Ukraine. The second invasion was directly westbound from Mongolia to Russia.
 
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