Last night my sister made ATK’s fresh corn & grits and I made smoked paprika shrimp. She used the shells of the shrimp to infuse the milk/corn water that the grits cooked in. Grits were great, with whole sweet kernels of corn in them, as well as topped with quickly sauteed kernels and scallions. my shrimp were tasty though a tad underseasoned i thought. But we ate them all (there was just one each to start - those things were huge! I made 8 total.) There was also an ugly salad with a delicious green goddess dressing i made.
Sucky cold day kept the BF & I at home most of today except for a 6 mile walk I took in the a.m. Tried to pre-walk off our usual Sunday fries brunch. But then for dinner, I made onion rings and smash burgers on TJs brioche buns. BF assisted with the actual frying while i cooked the burgers. But i mandolined the onions, soaked them in a crema & lemon juice concoction (simulating buttermilk), and dredged them in seasoned flour. Also made a salad with diced zucchini, sliced endive and TJ’s fresh peas, tossed in the same green goddess dressing.
Potato salad with chopped hard-boiled egg, green onion, Wickles Pickles pickle relish, and chopped radishes (because I didn’t have any celery). Dressing was a combo of mayo, sour cream, olive oil, Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, and s/p.
A pasta salad made with mini wagon wheels, sugar snap peas, corn, red bell pepper, feta, and green onions. Dressing was a combo of olive oil, sherry vinegar, balsamic vinegar, and a touch of honey. Basil chiffonade added at serving.
Classic deviled eggs: egg yolk, mayo, pickle relish, and s/p, with paprika sprinkled on top.
A French Tart for libation. I picked up strawberries on Saturday, but never made shortcake. So maybe just some strawbs, blueberries, and vanilla ice cream for dessert.
Grilled tri tip sandwich, greens, pepper jack cheese, caramelized onions, horseradish sauce on a French sandwich roll. Fries with more horseradish sauce and sliced tomato, oo/balsamic, purple basil, sale grigio, pepper. Widmer Bros. Hefe.
Mrs. P made crispy deep fried soft shell crabs with a refreshing corn and avocado salad, as well as homemade guacamole and chips. It all went great with an excellent shiraz.
i made pulled pork stove-top today - made a rub and a bbq sauce, slow braised a small pork shoulder piece for 2.5 hours then shredded. served on brioche buns, with sides of leftover salads & onion rings, and not pictured, an ear of corn for me. i’ve missed one day in the last 10 having fresh corn on the cob!
Didn’t feel like grilling and we had a couple of lobster tails in the freezer, so I made Lobster Rolls. More of a “Connecticut style”, meaning no mayo, but cooked in butter with scallion, salt, cracked pepper, cayenne pepper, and paprika. Served on a split-top Brioche bun with homemade fries in cast iron. The meal was delicious and the meat was sweet, though I missed having the contents of the whole lobster.
Wild mushroom burger - simple ground chuck beef patty with soy sauce, salt and pepper, Topped with a sautéed wild mushroom mixture (chanterelle, shiitake, oyster with shallots, garlic, thyme and madeira wine)
Loved those Gilroy Garlic festivals and the Stockton Asparagus festivals! Somewhere around here I’ve one or two of the festival cookbooks. That rib eye looks divine. How did it work out?
I’ve got a Gilroy Garlic Festival Cookbook, too. I used to make the dragon’s dip at my Christmas party. Sour cream, cheddar, bacon, garlic, Worcestershire, green onion iirc. Pretty close to a Crack Dip I’ve been making lately.
Looks like a 2022 Gilroy Garlic Festival will happen this year, in 8 days, after a 3 year hiatus.
