Another good Pastrami Reuben (Rachel) at home… I had bought a loaf of Arnold’s Jewish Rye bread earlier in the week (has seeds) and was thinking of fixing this again (been a while). Last night I fixed a batch of Catalina dressing that turned out really good. I had lunch at Maguro’s this afternoon.
I made a small batch of Thousand Island dressing tonight, and then fixed the Pastrami sandwich. Instead of putting the dressing on before I cut the sandwich in half, I cut it in half and then put Thousand Island on one half and the Catalina on the other. The Thousand Island dressing is better for this sandwich, although I really do like the Catalina dressing I made. *I made a Russian dressing, which made me rethink what the sweet, ruby red dressing was called, that I liked. I finally decided that Catalina was the correct dressing name. The Russian dressing had Worcestershire and dry mustard, and wasn’t bad tasting.
The key to this not being messy to fix is to butter the outside of the bread and toast it first, in the oven. Then flip it over and put on the Swiss cheese and melt that. Then you can put the sauerkraut on the cheese and then the preferred dressing. Lastly putting on the Pastrami. Keep the wet dressing from the bread so that it doesn’t make it soggy.
[NOTE 03/02/25]: Several weeks ago I had thought that I hadn’t had a Pastrami Reuben in a long time, but I hadn’t chosen to put it on the menu yet. But a few days later, I was walking down one of the many grocery isles (may have been in LIDL) I visit each week, and saw a package of Hillshire Farms Pastrami on sale. I think it was under $4, which is a good deal so I bought it.
I ordered some Seeded Rye bread from Publix, but needed to reschedule the pickup because of an incoming winter storm. I thought everything had been rescheduled, but that Saturday when I showed at Publix, “no bread for me.” I hadn’t opened the pastrami, so I hoped that it wouldn’t go bad, and it didn’t.
I got a half-loaf of sliced Seeded Rye Bread at Publix earlier this week, and have made a Pastrami Reuben sandwich for lunch the past two days. I have enough Pastrami & bread for two more sandwiches. I don’t eat Rye bread very often. In fact, about the only time I eat Seeded Rye bread is when I choose to make Pastrami Reubens at home. And, I enjoy all the flavors that come together for these. I have used the Wegman’s White American cheese instead of Baby Swiss. I make the Thousand Island dressing which is a simple 5 or 6 ingredient recipe that tastes better than store bought. I’ve also come to make a “side” of sauerkraut mixed with the Thousand Island dressing, and since those flavors work on the sandwich, they definitely work as a side dish. And that side would work with a pork chop too.
Not the bottom of the can, but the sauerkraut is under the can lid, that far down.
I don’t need a lot of sauerkraut, so I’ve bought a 15 oz. can of sauerkraut at Wegman’s but the last time, the sauerkraut wasn’t that good (darker color of the cabbage) and the can was less than half full of the shredded cabbage. I threw that sauerkraut away and bought a large glass jar of Silver Floss sauerkraut at Walmart. That was good.
I only use one slice of the rye bread, which I cut in half, so I’m really eating a half sandwich, but at my st/age, that’s all I need.
Back in 2017 when I made my first Pastrami Reuben at home, I made such a mess trying to fry up the bread & cheese on the stove top. The resulting sandwich was blackened and very greasy. But since then I have the process down to an art. Easy to prepare. Easy to heat in the oven, and easy and delicious to eat. Not a messy sandwich, even with the outside of the bread being buttered toast.
I like a large, cold, Ranch Dill Pickle spear with this sandwich. I have an unopened bag of Wavy potato chips that I bought at IGA several months ago. I’ve been good, and not eaten any so far. [end NOTE]
Not sure where I bought the “Carolina Bright Leaf Brand – Old Fashioned Hickory Smoked Sliced Bacon” but may have been at Publix. [Not Publix, I checked.] I’m thinking that most of the other bacon seemed to be higher priced and that is why I went with this cheaper brand. When I opened the package this morning, I noted how much fat appeared in the slices and how little lean, and I thought that this bacon would “cook away to nothing,” but I was pleasantly surprised when the bacon cooked perfectly. I would buy this again, if I can recall where I purchased it.
Frying up some bacon…
I sliced up an Envy apple for frying. I use an apple corer, but am never sure how to make sure the corer goes straight down through the apple’s core. I’ve also started to cut the apple in half, after coring, and then slice the halves. *I bought several Envy apples at Publix. Publix appears to have higher prices on their veggies/fruits, but I noted that the Envy apples were on sale for about $1.49 / lb. They appeared firm, and larger.
I use my pumpkin pie spices: cinnamon, mace, nutmeg and cloves, and sprinkle some Splenda sweetner on the cooked apple slices.
[ADDENDUM 01/05/25]: For a while, I liked the Pepper Bacon (about $14 for two pounds of bacon) that I got from Lee’s Fresh Market near Benson, North Carolina, but I’ve gone back to the Bright Leaf brand. IGA is not the only store that carries Bright Leaf. Pate’s has Bright Leaf, but it is more expensive than IGA.
I have tried one cheaper brand of bacon than Bright Leaf. I got it at Lee’s, but it ended up being too fatty and was inconsistent in the sizes of each bacon strip. Not worth the cheaper price.
My ritual for quite a while was to sift each spice from it’s jar, but then it came to me to get a separate empty spice jar and mix all the spices I used each time into the one jar. That way I just sift the Splenda sweetener on the fried apples and then use the one mixed spices over that. (Mix: cinnamon, cloves, coriander, mace, nutmeg, and pumpkin spice {a blend that already has all the other spices, except for the coriander in it}). The coriander is not one of the “warm spices,” but it adds just a hint of citrus.
[end]
This is one of those memory meals that mom would cook every so often for breakfast. She really didn’t like to cook and preferred to be outside doing yard work… or perhaps sewing a dress for work. Butterick Patterns
1972 Dress Patterns
Memory Meals handed down from my mom: fried chicken, ham & rice soup, fried apples, corned beef/potatoes/onions
But, my mom’s sister, we called her “Sis” could really cook. Mom and I lived with Sis, in Hubert, starting about 7th grade (moved up from the old home place, where Burger King is now located in Swansboro). When I came home from school, the bus ride took about an hour total (have to go from Middle or High School to Elementary School and then back past my school to almost Jacksonville (in Hubert), Sis would always have two meats and about three vegetables on the stove. And Sis knew how to cycle these through, so that she might combine a meat and several of the left-over veggies at the end of the week into a soup. Sis was a business woman, running a large trailer park that catered to a large Marine population.
I’ve said it before, but both Sis and her daughter, Mary Ann were good cooks. I don’t recall the differences in the way they cooked, and I would say that both were “country cooks,” but only once do I remember something that tasted awful, and that was a clear (?) sauce that Mary Ann made, just once, and it wasn’t good. Everything else was delicious! I love a ‘mess’ of black-eyed peas and seasoning meat, maybe later extended by adding potatoes. Or, butter beans and ham hock with some pastry.
I recall some green beans with potatoes and seasoning meat (not Sis or Mary Ann) that I had at a seniors community meeting down in Bear Creek once (my Region “P” days). I think it may have been Essie Davis (not the Australian actress, but one of mom’s carpool people when Gilbert Trott used to drive his old black Chevy to work) that fixed the green beans, and they were so good that I went back for a second helping instead of getting dessert. But, the Seaboard Station Restaurant in Hamlet, NC makes some delicious steamed cabbage that is sweet, but not too sweet. I don’t think they use any seasoning meat in the cabbage, but they must add just a pinch of sugar. Their black-eyed peas aren’t seasoned and not as good as they could be. I fix better at home.
NOTE: After school and a long bus ride, I would get to Sis’s in Hubert around 4 pm, which was when the “Dark Shadows” TV show came on.
Jonathan Frid as Barnabas Collins in Dark Shadows
ADDENDUM [10/17/21]: The Envy apple was good for frying. I’ve also tried the Ambrosia and Gala apples. Ambrosia seems to cook more quickly. I think it was the Gala apple that had a tartness that I didn’t like in the fried apple finished product.
NOTE [09/26/22]: I now use the Gala apple for frying. I’ve realized another trick that speeds up the process. Instead of frying the bacon in the same pan as the apples… bacon first & then apples, I only fry the apples in the pan. I cook the bacon in the microwave and it takes about four minutes total cooking time. The bacon comes out perfectly cooked. Not too crunchy nor limp. I can also heat some water in the microwave for hot tea during the cooking time for the apples.
If I haven’t noted it elsewhere, I now cut the apple in half first, and then use the apple corer to removed the hard parts from each half. Normally this entails slicing in from both ends and the hard part comes out in the corer. [end note]
I think I tried to fix fried rice at home a few years ago, and it wasn’t successful. Little did I know that Sesame Oil was probably the main ingredient that I didn’t have that first time. The first time, I added soy sauce, but that didn’t give my attempt the flavor I was familiar with at Chinese restaurants.
But, this time, I managed to get all the basic ingredients necessary and came up with a very pleasing outcome.
I already had an electric wok. I haven’t used it recently, but have been pleased with the stir-fry meals I have prepared previously.
I started with some Avocado Oil, and some Sesame Oil. To this I added some (frozen) thawed veggies, including corn, garden peas, carrots and green beans. I picked out almost all of the green beans, but might leave them in next time.
I chopped up some green onions including the green and white parts.
After the veggies were fairly well cooked, I moved them aside and added a couple of eggs to be scrambled. I began to incorporate the eggs with the veggies, adding some more Sesame Oil and Soy Sauce. I then added the white rice. [ *I now cook my rice a new way that produces perfectly cooked rice with individual grains. I currently measure a cup of white rice, and add it to a large amount of boiling water, and set the microwave timer for 9 minutes. At the end of 9 minutes, I drain the water off and put the rice in a storage container. The rice is perfectly done, and the individual grains do not stick together. ] I had cooked the rice yesterday, and put it in the refrigerator, and a short time before cooking it, I moved the rice to the freezer. As I mixed the rice, veggies and scrambled eggs, I added some more Soy Sauce, and Sesame Oil, and also added a little Oyster Sauce.
I had put a bag of shrimp in the microwave to thaw. That takes about 15 minutes. This is something I also do for my Kielbasa, Shrimp & Zucchini dish. At the end of the thawing time, the shrimp are already pink and cooked, so I added them to the fried rice.
Here is what it looked like before I added the shrimp, and this turned out to be delicious. Definitely something that I will try to repeat on a regular basis.
China King Restaurant (Lowes Strip Mall)
I may need to check to see if I can get a couple of egg rolls from my currently favorite Chinese Restaurant. This restaurant closed their small seating area and had a sign on the door several months ago that you needed to call to place your order, and come to pick it up where they will bring your order to the door. Needless to say, I haven’t been back there in a long while, but I did like the flavor of their egg rolls, and I can make Hot Mustard Sauce at home. I take some of the hot mustard with me when I go to Maguros, which also has a good egg roll that they include with their lunch special (Thai Basil Chicken).
The hot mustard frightens me some because if I get a good “snoot full,” I lose my breath for a second, and the hotness splits my brain halves. I have to sit there recovering from the effects. Not sure if I think I am about to go into a coughing spell, or just pass out… but I do love the heat. This is something that doesn’t hang around like eating Jalapenos, Chipotles or other types of hot peppers that you might include in a Mexican meal.
ADDENDUM [09/26/21]: I had a late-nite snack of fried rice and heated it up in the microwave with some country ham bits. Added a little more soy sauce. The country ham worked very well.
NOTE: I have cooked my rice, most of my life by measuring out a certain amount of water over the amount of rice to be cooked. The idea was to let the water cook off and when the water was gone, the rice should be cooked too. This didn’t always work, and sometimes I had to add more water to finish the cooking process, and sometimes the rice came out clumpy (stuck together). **See above for the new way to cook rice that works perfectly. You have way more water than rice and you cook for a set time of 9 minutes. But, when you drain off the water, the rice is perfectly cooked and the grains are individual. For fried rice, put the cooked rice in a storage container, for the refrigerator, or the freezer. Online says to use cold rice for preparing fried rice.
Looks like the ingredients for a Greek Salad, but also includes the dressing ingredients, and then they are listed separately. I realized that Romaine Lettuce was missing from the list so I’ve added it below.
Olive oil
Lemon juice
Red Wine vinegar
Mustard
Oregano
Basil
Majorham
Ground Pepper
Salt
Agave Nectar
Sweetner
Spring Greens
Vidalia Onion
Yellow Bell Pepper
Romaine Lettuce
Kalamata Olives
Cherry Tomatoes
Feta Cheese
Greek Salad Dressing
6 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 1/2 tsp minced garlic (1 large clove)
1 1/2 Tbsp finely minced fresh parsley
1 tsp dried oregano
3/4 tsp honey
Salt, to taste
Sherefe is no more…
A few years ago the road in front of Sherefe, is that Green Street, was torn up and being repaired. This hindered the number of customers and the owner closed this location and I think I heard he was focused at his other restaurant across town. They had a lunch special on the lamb and I tried it. I’m not sure I had ever had lamb, or cooked in this way, and when I tasted it, I was wowed. It tasted great! The Publix lamb shoulder, right below, looked good. I just cooked it in a pan on the stove top and it turned out great. I had cooked one about a week ago, and browned it on the stove top and then put it in the oven for a short time. Didn’t think I needed that the next time.
Harris Teeter $9.99 per lb. Publix $7.69 per lb.
The Publix lamb was packaged more like it was local, and it was about $1.30 per pound less.
[01/04/25]: I have no clue why I entitled the above posting “My Funny Valentine.” The posting date isn’t February 14th, and there seems to be nothing about those song lyrics in the post. The soup shown was from Sherefe. I think it was sweet potato soup and it was seasoned wonderfully. But, after quite a while they offered it again, and this time it wasn’t flavored as it had been that one time. Oh, well…
VinChef Wok Electric Wok
I’ve bought a new wok recently. Actually, I bought a new electric wok, and a new stove-top VinChef wok (not electric, but oven safe). I’ve used the oven-safe wok a couple of times to broil a couple of pork chops, and maybe a steak. It worked well. *I love the patina that’s formed on the Vinchef pan. [end]
[08/11/25]: I’ve mentioned previously how I eat in cycles. I might eat the same breakfast at the Rainbow for 200 days, and then for an unexplained reason (at least to me) I want something different. The Rainbow breakfast was probably pretty close to this each morning: “Two eggs over medium, with bacon (later patty sausage) and potatoes (later grits) and whole wheat toast (sometimes buttered, sometimes not). And, coffee with creamer and sweetener (the sweetener was after years of sugar, and then being diagnosed as a Type 2 diabetic).
*Unfortunately, over the years the Rainbow “dumbed down” their ingredients and the eggs weren’t “as good,” and the bacon “sucked” and the coffee might or might not be good. And the coffee they use is the same, day after day, and also the same as that used over at JK’s Restaurant. I don’t know if it is the person that makes the coffee that morning or not, but it can be good and it can suck. Even a metallic taste on some mornings. I think the dumbing was mainly due to being able to maintain their low prices, but even those prices crept up over the years and I seem to recall one morning coming to the realization that a cup of coffee cost about $2.65 plus tax. And then I made some sort of joke about “That and $2.65 will buy you a cup of coffee at the Rainbow.” The phrase some reference to a funny line in a movie or TV show. Probably a 1930s or 40s Black & White movie, Film Noir… but the character would have said, “That and a dime will buy you a cup of coffee.”
Well, I rarely eat at the Rainbow for breakfast any more. When I worked, and the Rainbow was just about half way between where I lived for many years, and my work at Fayetteville State University, it was a perfect “stop off” for breakfast instead of me cooking at home. Quick in, quick out.
COVID was a major game changer, and I started eating almost entirely at home, but since COVID, I have begun to eat out more. But Taco Bell, which was a once or twice a week meal has become a rarely over a year visit. *I’ve stopped Taco Bell (they had a crew at their Ramsey Street location that were excellent at their efficiency – take the order, prepare it correctly and quickly, take your money, give you the bag of food and you’re gone) because of the calories [920 total] in my favorite meal (a Beef Burrito Supreme [390], a Bean Burrito [360] and a Crunchy Taco [170]). Shortly before I stopped, I would only choose two of the items, instead of three, but then even that became a stretch when I became more committed to eating better. I couldn’t afford the calorie count in a day and still eat all the nutrition that I needed. **And that is why I’ve sworn off Smithfield’s Chicken -n- BBQ.” I just checked online, “1960” calories for a “Combo Dark” Meal. Heck, my whole daily calorie goal is only 1880 calories. I rarely hit the 1880 goal, but I’m closer than I would be if I had one meal at SCNB. And their “unsweet tea” sucks! Sweet tea delicious but I’m a Type 2 and don’t need the sugar.
Oh, and during my 24 years of work life in Fayetteville, I would go to Golden Corral for maybe one or two lunches a week, and across town to the GC across from the Mall for a Saturday or Sunday morning breakfast buffet. No telling how many calories I got from eating there. But I didn’t stop going their because of the calorie count. No, they both built and then closed the location nearest me on Ramsey Street, and finally it is now a 7-11 Convenience Store. They tore down the old Mall location and rebuilt it, but the layout was different (a negative) and the acoustics were horrible (sound bouncing off the bare walls) and the seating a little too close together. Originally they had an undulating pattern to their various food type locations. There was a little alcove for the salad bar, an alcove for the veggies and I think one for the drinks & dessert section. The new layout was one long, straight bar, and this meant that when you went to get an item, you were being confronted either from the left or right by other customers.
COVID killed Golden Corral for me and another favorite buffet, the Hibachi Grill.” When the Hibachi Grill came to town it killed a favorite small Chinese restaurant, “China II.” China II had a “Jalapeno Pork” dish on their buffet that was soooo good. But, you suffered at about 2 am after having that lunch. But the night pain always seemed to be worth the deliciousness at lunch time.
I loved a bunch of items on the Hibachi Grill, but COVID meant I stopped going there as I also stopped going to the Cracker Barrell for Sunday breakfast. For several years, I ate almost every Sunday, at the Cracker Barrell Restaurant over off of I95. Even with the “metallic or chemical” flavor of some of their breakfast items, I enjoyed that breakfast each morning. But, I did hate their coffee and got into the habit of ordering their hot tea which I enjoyed. *Ironically, and I’ve written about it elsewhere, during COVID I ran out of my favorite bagged coffee beans at home and had to scrounge, and found a bag of ground Cracker Barrell coffee in the back of one of my shelves. I’m thinking it was a present from maybe Deborah Savage, because I wouldn’t have bought coffee from CB and if I had I would have wanted the whole bean so I could grind it at home periodically.
But I made a cup of coffee from the Cracker Barrell bag. It was delicious. I didn’t think about my hatred of the CB coffee in their restaurant. The next morning I made some more and it was good again. And I didn’t think about my hatred of their coffee when ordered in the restaurant. Finally on the third day I made and drank another good cup of coffee and I then realized, “I hate Cracker Barrell coffee!” But this was good coffee. It was also during COVID and I wasn’t going out to eat anywhere. So I drank myself through the bag and just about the time that COVID restrictions were beginning to be dropped, and I had my second follow-up vaccination, I went out for a haircut and a first visit after a long time to CB.
I had breakfast at CB and then looked for a bag of their coffee. They only sell their coffee as regular or as decaffeinated ground coffee. No whole bean. The bag color had also changed from a shiny bronze theme to a light shiny blue. But, and I didn’t find this out until I got home and made my first cup from the new bag… the coffee from the new bag, sucked. They had changed the recipe and it wasn’t the coffee I had enjoyed repeatedly from that old bronzy bag. Damn.
And now to end this pain because it is almost 7 am and time for me to check my blood glucose level and weigh before fixing breakfast. I haven’t had a stir-fry meal in quite a while. I enjoy fixing stir-fry. It is quick to prepare the various ingredients, quick to cook in the electric wok, and clean-up is a breeze. But as with other food cycles this is one for the present time. I also haven’t broiled a round bone lamb chop in a long while although I do have at least one package in my freezer. They cook really well on HI in the oven Broiler (20 minutes on one side and then about 5-7 minutes on the other side. The Vinchef wok goes in the oven, and I just have to be careful when checking it and taking it out because the handle becomes quite hot.
Seems like I am forgetting one other item I haven’t fixed in a while, but it will come to me later. I hope.
I came up with this soup, “on the fly” because I had purchased some rapini (broccoli rabe) at Sprouts. I think it was under $3 for a good sized bunch of buds, leaves & stems which I recognized as a good deal! The main grocer (I take him to be so.) at Sprouts, keeps a well stocked vegetable & fruit section. Often there are very good prices, but you would think that Sprouts might be “high end” and they are on some things.
Broccoli Rabe (Rapini) at Sprouts in Fayetteville, NC.
The first time I made this, I used a odd sized can of Campbell’s Chicken Noodle Soup and the finished product had such a distinctive flavor (due to the rapini, which I had steamed first separately) that I wanted to make it again. The second time, I realized that I would have to supply the canned soup ingredients. I used chicken stock, chunked chicken breast, margarine, and pasta shells. I cooked this all in one pot, and did not pre-steam (cook) the rapini. Not sure on how to get the pasta shells to be done, without overcooking the rapini. The rapini did not bleach out though.
Chicken Breast (chunks – canned)
Rapini (Broccoli Rabe)
Onion
Pasta Shells (Medium)
Mushroom Pieces
Hot Pepper Flakes
Marjoram
Garlic Powder
Chicken Stock
Olive oil
Margarine (butter)
Salt & Pepper
One pot process:
I chopped the onion and put it in the pot first, with some margarine and olive oil and began to brown the onion slightly. I then added the dry pasta shells which became shiney with the oil & melted margarine coating. I poured in some chicken stock to cover the dry pasta, and later added some water. I let the pasta cook for a while to get it near being done, but then added the rapini, mushrooms and chunk chicken. The red pepper flakes, marjoram, salt & pepper are added throughout. I only added three garlic cloves slightly crushed, and some garlic powder.
NOTE [ 09/16/23 ]: I had some mild peppers (bought at State Farmer’s Market – Raleigh) left and a few chicken strips. I also had just bought (yesterday at Pate’s) some good looking okra. This soup has chicken, lentils, carrots, peppers, okra, onions and a few small tomatoes cut up. Although I read online that you shouldn’t (or its not done) include okra and Gumbo File powder to your soups. Supposed to choose one or the other. I think Gumbo File powder is supposed to be used as a thickener. *This is made from Sassafras. I remember a long time ago that my mom and I were walking on the old farm, way in the back along a sandy road. I think there was a Sassafras plant growing in the middle of this path. We managed to cut out a little of the Sassafras root and took it back home and made hot tea out of it. With sugar, and some creamer, the Sassafras tea was good.
***As I recall, I didn’t like the flavor of the Chicken Rappini soup. It looked good, but I wouldn’t make it again. But, the latest soup above had good flavor, with just minor heat. The okra added to it’s earthy flavor.
I cooked some black-eyed peas with pork skin (not pork rinds) for flavoring. For years, a “mess” of black-eyed peas, with some chopped Vidalia (sweet) onion was what I considered my favorite meal.
I fixed some large white butter beans with some pork flavoring sometime in the last year and the final product became my temporary “favorite” meal. Add some pastry and this is really comforting.
But, earlier this week, I cooked some chicken gizzards and added rice. I cooked the gizzards for about 1.5 hours and by that time the meat was tender, but chewy. At this time, I added some rice to the pot and let it cook another 30 minutes. *I was planning to drive up to Southern Pines for lunch at Maguro’s. My favorite lunch special there is the “Thai Basil Chicken” with fried rice and egg roll. It costs about $7 with water. A great deal!
Well, I went to try the gizzards and rice soup, and at the first bite, I said to myself, “That is really good!” I tried another bite, and this was really, really good. It was so good that I immediately decided to not drive up to Southern Pines, but stay at home, and eat this delicious meal for lunch. And, I really, really enjoyed it!
One note, is that even when you have cooked the gizzards “long enough” there may still be a few that will have “tough” sections. You just bite them off, or pull them off and throw that small area away. A well done gizzard should be chewy (sort of like animal tongue) but not tough… and they do take a while to cook.
Fixed a multi-bean salad. Used wax, pinto & green beans, sweet onion, orange bell pepper with red wine vinegar and sweetner. I’ve done this in the past and added sweet pickles and sweet pickled peppers to this.
Made a good potato salad. I like it sweet. Yukon gold potatoes (skin on), sweet onion, Duke’s mayo, sweetener and a little pickle relish. *Could have been better with boiled egg and maybe celery.
One thing that I have got a hankering for in the last few months is doctored sliced beets. I buy a cheap can of sliced beets. I pour out the liquid from the can. I then use a small Tupper-ware container and put some red wine vinegar, some Balsamic vinegar, and some Worcestershire sauce with some sweetener in it. Then put in the sliced beets and slice the beets in half if they are too big. Put the lid on, and turn to coat the beets with the sweet vinegar. If you have time put this in the freezer so that the beets get cold.
[NOTE 09/18/22]: The last time I ate at Maguro’s, the Thai Basil Chicken lunch special, with water cost $9. The price stayed at $7 during the Pandemic, and sometime after, they raised it to $8 and it hasn’t taken too long for it to jump to $9. But, even at $9, this is a cheap meal because “most times” they give you a generous portion of fried rice and a lot of chicken & veggies. I have found I can eat half, take the rest home, and add some cooked hot peppers & onions to the leftovers, making it even more delicious. Recall that I normally take a vial (old diabetic test strip bottle) of toasted sesame oil to add to my fried rice (for a better flavor). I haven’t made or taken the Chinese Hot Mustard lately, but I do like that with their egg rolls. [end NOTE]
[NOTE 03/19/25]: It has been a long time since I went to Maguro’s for lunch. It was something I enjoyed for a very long time, and then “just got out of the habit.” No, actually I just recalled that a large part of this meal included fried rice, and that is something that I have been paring down greatly. I don’t need a lot of rice, which will turn into starch, and then sugar quickly.
I see above that I had a “hankering for” some doctored beets. Funny that I just fixed some of those beets today, but I forgot to add the Worcestershire sauce.
I see a note about good Yukon Gold potatoes. Not sure if that is what a few days ago at Pate’s Farm Market, but they were a light colored small potato that I have been thinking about making some German Potato Salad.
And I mentioned chicken gizzards listed as something I had also enjoyed. I do like the earthy flavor of chicken gizzards, but I also like the flavor of chicken livers. I have fixed chicken livers in a wok, and with some stir fry green beans. So good together. [end NOTE]
This is possibly the best Blue Cheese that I’ve ever tasted. Is is smooth, and salty, but not too salty I had some rustic bread and might have finished the whole block of cheese if I didn’t have the Capricho de Cabra and the Dolce K Olive mix to alternate through. Better than Maytag, and I’m not sure if you classify Stilton as a Blue, but Stilton might be too salty.
Capricho de Cabra (Goat Cheese)
This is a tart, crumbly white goat cheese. It goes well with crackers (Sesmark rice thins), or bread and some raspberry jam.
Dolce K Sweet Olive Mix
I don’t know what to eat this with, but it is very good by itself. It is sweet, and distinctive. I think it has almonds (which are crunchy), cranberries, and probably some citrus rind. It has some flavors (with vinegar) that are distinctive, but I’m not sure how to reproduce it at home. *I am going to see if adding regular olives to the remaining liquid “does the job.” **And it didn’t
From Whole Foods web site:
Ingredients:
Pitted Green Olives, Water, Sugar, White Wine Vinegar, Sunflower Oil, Maracona Almonds (blanched), Cranberries, Black Raisins, Honey, Orange Rind, Lemon Rind, Mustard Seeds, Turmeric, Hot Pepper Flakes (Chilli), Thyme, Ground Black Pepper, Citric Acid.
The Maracona Almonds are from Spain and are relatively expensive. They are just “blanched.”
I was successful in recreating this Mediterranean Olive & Fruit Mix at home. I wasn’t sure of how much of each ingredient to use, but guessed correctly the first time. Although successful, I then realized that I had no clue as to how much of each item I had put in the mix, so I really couldn’t repeat the process for sure.
I think you might be able to use most green types of olives (not sure about Kalamata olives) and give them at least a day in the marinade and they will take on the flavor of the marinade. I used currants instead of black raisins, and also added golden raisins. The golden raisins rehydrated to almost their original grape sizes, and at first when I saw them I said to myself, “those aren’t olives.” They were still good. I was sort of surprised that Turmeric was one of the ingredients. I like turmeric in other dishes.
So, I bought a small sample of the original Dolce “K” Mix at Whole Foods, in order to make a comparison, and what? I think I like my version better. The store bought version is a little watery. *Mary Ann and Lawrence tried my version and liked the flavor, but I’m not sure they will ever want more. I however have bought another can of green pitted olives and plan to add them to the marinade shortly.
Yesterday, I went up to Southern Pines to have lunch with Deborah and Russ Savage. They had just gotten over the flu the previous week.
I ordered the General Tso’s Chicken with Spring Roll and fried rice. Russ had the Thai Basil Chicken lunch special. I don’t recall what Deborah had. These lunch specials are only $7 plus tax, with water. The three meals came to a little over $22.
My meal was good, but looking at Russ’ food, I thought, “Now that looks really delicious.” Russ bit into something that was spicy, and we finally demised that it was probably a slice of jalapeno pepper.
We finished and walked outside and talked in the parking lot. We were discussing on what we were going to do the rest of the afternoon, but my stomach was upset and I bowed out to return home.
Next day, I decided to come back up to Southern Pines and to Maguro’s to try the Thai Basil Chicken lunch special. On the way up, it started to rain and very quickly the rain came down so hard that it was difficult to see. I would have pulled off the road if there was a spot, but the heavy rain was brief and I made it to the restaurant without further problem.
I sat in the first booth, just inside the entrance. The male host recognized me from the previous day.
I ordered hot tea. It was a green tea, and was in a cast iron tea pot. The tea was in several bags and the tea appeared to be a relatively bright shade of green but looked minced and not the usual tea fronds. I didn’t like the flavor, but drank several cups. Reminded me of grass.
I ordered the Thai Basil Chicken lunch special with fried rice and a spring roll. I asked the waitress if they had “hot mustard” and she thought quickly and said no. I said, “That’s okay.”
The meal arrived shortly, I had been looking at things on my phone.
It was a good looking entre. The chicken appeared to have been flattened and lightly breaded in small portions. Some of the other ingredients were egg plant, jalapeno slices, spring onion, red, yellow and green bell peppers, mushrooms and onion. The Spring Roll was more like an Egg Roll and was cut in half on the bias, with a sweet garlic sauce in a small bowl.
The restaurant is relatively large with a large Hibachi section, a small bar area with TV and a smaller divided boothed area.
This was a good experience and good food for a great price!
A different visit and presentation of the same Thai Basil Chicken lunch special.
So, I’m watching a cooking show today and it’s really about pizza, but they are using tuna on a specialty pizza… and viola. I see that there is a type of tuna called Maguro (ha!)
Maguro (mah-goo-roh) or hon-maguro, is the Japanese term for bluefin tuna, perhaps the best known and most commonly eaten fish in all of sushi dining. (Definition from Yahoo Search.)
ADDENDUM [07/07/22]: I had lunch at Maguro’s again today. But, I only ate about half of the meal and got a “To Go” Box for the remainder. There was quite a bit of chicken left over, and a good amount of rice, but only one half of a small egg plant, a little of the Thai Basil, Bell Peppers, and onion. And, half of the spring roll. *I think of Maguro’s spring rolls as more of an egg roll. It has very good flavor.
I got home around 6 pm. I had planned on fixing some corn on the cob & fried okra to go with a little bit of left-over steak, but when I put the bag with the To Go Box of lunch down, I decided to fix some peppers & onions to add to it. This was the perfect addition. I sliced up a little Red Jalapeno, and some yellow, orange and green peppers that I had bought at the State Farmers Market on Tuesday. And, I sliced up some Vidalia Onion and fried it all, using some Grapeseed Oil & some Toasted Sesame Oil and a little dried Basil (not Thai). Once done, I added all of this to the left overs, and mixed it all up.
This was excellent! Maybe better than the original meal. All the peppers seemed to have a little heat, although I had been told several were “sweet”.
I drove up to Southern Pines Saturday morning to eat breakfast at Famous Toastery. I’ve eaten there several times, the first time with Deborah, because she had coupons.
After a few visits, it finally occurred to me to order hot tea instead of their “extremely strong” coffee. And, I bring my own tea bag and switch with whatever I ask them to bring to me.
I order a couple of eggs, over medium, with Country Ham, potatoes and an English Muffin. The waitress asked if I wanted cornbread, to which I said, “Of course;-)”
NOTE [07/11/22}: “I order ‘a couple’ of eggs,…” One quirky thing with my young waitresses was that when I said I would like “a couple of eggs” they would invariably ask me, “and how many will that be.” It was as if they equated the meaning of “a couple” with asking for “a few”. If I had said “a few” then their response would have been proper because “a few” could mean two or more, but probably not a thousand. After several incidents of this response, I made a mental note to ask for “two eggs”. *The first time this happened was when I was on a trip to Florida. I stopped in a Hardees to use their bathroom and afterward, ordered “a couple” of burgers (to pay for my bathroom use). A young, country “hick” man looked at me and asked, “and how many will that be” two or three. I looked at him oddly and I think he thought through the meaning of couple and said, “two” sir.
As part of my explanation regarding what “a couple” means, I might ask, “are you dating someone, if so are you a couple”. And, if you are a couple, how many are in this relationship, “two or three, or more”.
The cornbread is slightly sweet and they also bring apple butter to put on it.
The size of the country ham is so large that they bring the order on two dinner plates, one slightly smaller than the other. I like catchup and hot sauce on my potatoes. I used the last of the Texas Pete, as the bottle was almost empty.
Everything was delicious, and I had some blackberry preserves, and some butter with my English muffin. I had Raspberry Royal tea.
The meal is not cheap. It is $11.82 without the tip and I usually feel good at the end of the meal so at least a $2 if not $3 tip.
The odd thing is that your original waitress does not stay with you throughout the meal. She takes your order and brings back your drink, but then another waitress (maybe even the cook) brings out your food. Then, as many waitresses walk by your table, one may or may not ask if you need a refill. *What I’ve noted is that with all the waitresses walking by, few ever ask, and if all asked, that would be irritating also.
ADDENDUM [02/02/2022]: As I was turning to go to Maguro’s this afternoon, I looked back to my right at the location where the Famous Toastery used to be. It is now YellowBird. *There have been some Scandanavian TV shows, that I have watched, who have been produced by the YellowBird company. They have an animated cartoon yellow bird that picks up a gun and shoots it.
I like to make homemade salsa using my little chopper. *An aside… I found my stick blender attachment, hiding behind the counter door divider above my stove. I had looked for it several months ago and wondered where I would have put it. As I was moving something recently, it fell over from behind the divider. It was just visually hidden.
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This was a very old posting and I have had a newer, larger, more powerful version of the Braun MultiQuick chopper/whisk/stick blender for several years. Not so much for making salsa, but for making hummus from Garbanzo beans, the smaller chopper wasn’t big enough to make hummus from a whole can of Chick Peas. And, when the smaller chopper was filled with beans, the chopper motor “bogged” down. This is the newer Braun unit:
I like the Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes from Hunts, but you can’t buy these, in any brand, that do not begin to put in a bunch of sugar.
Here are some of the things that I will put in my homemade salsa:
Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes
Vidalia Onion
Bell Pepper (Red, Yellow or Green)
Salsa Ranchera (Herdez)
Turmeric
Freshly ground pepper
Roasted Garlic (or garlic powder)
Cumin seed
Dry Basil (fresh if I have it)
Fresh cilantro
Lime juice
Splenda
Agave Nectar
I would prefer it to be chunky, but with this blender, it is almost smooth.
I bought a can of Herdez Salsa Ranchera Medium, but it is still pretty hot. *Shown is the hot version.
Bill Gibson, II 