Hope you have a great birthday weekend, @emglow101!
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My Catch-Up postings for WFD:
Thursday ā Pizza. Another Weewalka thin crust.
Friday ā Boneless, skinless Chicken Breasts fired on Mo Weber. Leftover COTC joining in.
Saturday ā Leftover Chicken Breasts repurposed as a stirfry.
No ideas percolating for dinner tonight, Sundayā¦
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Your dinner looks stunning, @MsBean. That tube of harissa is good stuff and the real deal.
I have been using a couple North American brands lately: Entube (which tastes more like a New Mexican chile paste to me) and New York Shuk. Both arenāt quite the flavor profile I expected, though are enjoyable In their own and very different ways.
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I give you what I call beach pasta. Thatās the kind of summery pasta you make when you donāt really feel like cooking after coming home from a long walk on the beach.
Actually I make pasta like this with a simple salsa crudo as soon as summer tomatoes are available.
This uncooked sauce contained a big peachy-looking heirloom tomato (would have used two if I had it), the bud of a garlic scape, a bit of chopped fresh jalapeƱo, olive oil, and grated fresh mozzarella. We tore fresh basil leaves and grated Parmesan onto our plates at the table.
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Iāve been using Whole Foodsā dry Harissa blend (in w the other dry spices) in a couple of dishes of late, and Iāve been very happy with it. I ābloomā it in the oil (as taught to do by my pal Chef Floyd Cardoz #RIP) and the flavor is fantastic.
@MsBean: It wonāt surprise you that I was applaudingā¦ 
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Thanks for the tip on this blend, @CurlzNJ!
P.S. I should have also mentioned that Iām not a fan of TJās harissa or Mina brand harissa. I tried both at different points and neither had enough complexity for me to enjoy them.
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Just realized I should share the recipe that got me on the Harissa kick:
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Thank you. And thank you for the harissa suggestions. For the past several years my SIL has been to France at least once a year and was able to bring some back just as I was about to run out. Alas not this year and I was beginning to fret about my dwindling supply.
I highly recommend the Harissa Chicken Thighs @CurlzNJ mentioned. They are delish.
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Next time I make the Lemonnana I think Iām going to used as an aged tequila instead of the white.
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Nice photos and nice subjects. I love harissa meatballs AND merguez sausage! Iām thinking of doing the Harris thighs (gag- breast-gag for the husband no doubt) tonight.
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Thank you. Sorry that your husband is a breast guy. Iām lucky that Mr Bean is ok with thighs. Thanks for mentioning merguez as I think I may have some links somewhere on the bottom of my freezer as well. Yum.
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Your meal looks fabulous @tomatotomato, and canāt tell you how much I love that plate! Very striking.
ETA - maybe itās a shallow bowl?
Last nightās WFD, was truly not picture worthy. After a day of deck painting for H, as well as a project and raspberry jam day for me, neither of us was in the mood for much of a meal effort. You would have seen a white flour tortilla quesadilla on a white plate. The inside wasnāt that exciting looking either, but it was tasty, and filling. Black beans, avocado, fresh jalapeƱo, green onions, cheddar and pepper jack cheeses. Then a movie - Ferrari vs. Ford. H liked it, I didnāt pay attention, because I didnāt feel like it. Will rewatch when in mood, usually like those kind of movies.
Tonight a better dinner is in order.
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ETA. Oops! Already added.
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āSorry that your husband is a breast guyā
Somewhere in there itās good. Overall, we use the whole chicken.
Jack Sprat
The most common modern version of the rhyme is:[1]
Jack Sprat could eat no fat.
His wife could eat no lean.
But, together both,
They licked the platter clean.
I DO like breast when perfectly done, but that is not always the case.
There was a little girl
There was a little girl,
Who had a little curl,
Right in the middle of her forehead.
When she was good,
She was very good indeed,
But when she was bad she was horrid."
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Hi @Lambchop! That bowl is a big, deep salad bowlāthe kind you typically use to prepare and serve green salads. Itās an oldie from Pier 1.
Thanks @tomatotomato - too bad Pier 1 is leaving us for good, they had a nice selection of thingsā¦
ETA: ordered some new summer glassware and plastic serving pieces from them online, and on sale, a few weeks ago; when the order finally arrived, 4 of the 6 stemmed wine glasses were broken. Turned out you had to return damaged merchandise in person at one of their stores. Decided that my $16-20 credit wasnāt worth my health, time or gas, and didnāt want to task H with it. (Heād say we didnāt need the cr*p in the first place) ā¦so I reordered 4 glasses to replace. Nowhere to plead in special instructions to pack them well, either. Amazingly, they arrived early and intact. Iām happy, and at least my unclaimed refund didnāt go to Jeff Bezosā¦
Maybe I can use them one of these summer nights soon, when the deck is done and we have Covid careful people over.
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@shrinkrap, must say you are well āversedā in your nursery rhymes, and childrenās books! Iām impressed! Glad too, the whole bird gets eaten!
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Re the Longfellow poem: I have curly hair, and various people would recite that to me when I was a kid. It was probably appropriate!
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I attended a food and wine trade fair approx 10 years ago in San Francisco, Calif. and we went to an Italian Two Michelin Starred Restaurant ( ** Michelin Starred Acquerello ). The restaurant was quite exceptional.
We also had been to Manhattan a couple of times for food and wine trade fairs and some tourism.
We enjoyed Nyc as it has quite a dynamism.
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