I poured out a small amount of my “Bill’s Drink” into one of my glass beer mugs. I’ve had these over 30 years They belonged to Russ & Deborah, and they had donated them to the “Hem of His Garment” when I was working there, and I bought all six of them. I was living, working and going to school (Coastal Carolina Community College) in Jacksonville, North Carolina at the time. When I moved to Fayetteville, North Carolina in 1995, I brought these beer mugs with me. They were a nice size for drinks with ice.
So, just about an hour ago, I had used these beer mugs without breaking any of them in over 30 years. *I just checked and I still have five left.
I wanted to wash one of my drink carafes which had a small amount of “Bill’s Drink” in it. I poured the remaining drink into one of my beer mugs and put it in the microwave for 2 minutes. I like my drink hot or cold, and almost every day for more than six months.
So, I was doing something. I might have been pre-treating a few of my T-Shirts with the stains that haven’t come out after a good washing. I think some of the stains are from spilled Hot Chili Crisp, which is a reddish oily stain. I pre-treated with Dawn dishwashing liquid, and a little water, but I didn’t see much of those stains being loosened, or disappearing. But, all of a sudden I hear a loud crash. It sounded like something had fallen off a nearby shelf. I even walked out of the kitchen and into my living room looking for what might have fallen, but didn’t see anything.
I came back into the kitchen and heard my microwave talking to me, so I went to open the microwave door. It was then that I saw something that surprised me. The glass beer mug had exploded in the microwave and except for one large ring of glass, the rim of the glass mug, there were a bunch of large shards of glass and the small amount of Bill’s Drink.
The drink was room temperature. No ice. And, I’ve heated water for hot tea in these glass mugs for years. In fact, I will even use the glass mug to heat the water and then transfer the hot water into a fancier coffee/tea mug. Not sure why this happened, but it is an exceptionally rare occurrence, “never” rare. *I’ve re-thought this and I think it may have been that I had so little liquid in this mug that it allowed the existing liquid to get much hotter, thereby breaking the glass mug. I have heated many, many, many of these mugs, with either water, or Bill’s Drink in them from 3 minutes to a couple of minutes and none have ever broken until now. I even heated water in one of the remaining mugs for 3 minutes this morning to make my Raspberry Royale tea and it worked just fine. **I will just have to pay attention and fill these mugs higher.
*I seem to recall breaking two other glasses when I had put either ice, or extremely cold liquid in them and then the heat from the microwave cracked them, but this wasn’t the case. Maybe the small amount of liquid concentrated the heat on the glass.
This may be the perfect spot to show my current coffee/tea cups/mugs. I’ve been thinking about getting rid of all but about three of them, but don’t quite know which three to keep. I did have a favorite, large, blue glass mug that cracked, and I didn’t replace it because of how expensive a replacement would be.
It was at Dobra Teas in Asheville, North Carolina that I first experienced pu’er tea. I don’t think I actually tried the tea at Dobra, but bought some and tried it later when I was back in Fayetteville. In fact, I can almost visualize the setting in which I first drank some pu’er. I was sitting on my couch and had brewed some hot tea. It is a rude awakening when you first taste pu’er, especially if you have been used to drinking black tea (Luzianne, Lipton, Nestea or Tetley) most of your life. One thought is that the flavor is similar to that of drinking water that has been flavored with a dirty gym sock. It tastes nothing like black tea. But, I do like it sweet and with a little cream which may not be how most of the World enjoys their pu’er.
*That sort of reminds me of the Sassafrass tea I liked to drink as a child. Mom & I might find a Sassafrass bush or plant on the old family farm. You would cut off a woody root and take it back, brush off the dirt, and steep the root in hot water. You would end up with a rich pinkish colored drink that tasted good with cream & sugar.
But fairly quickly, I came to recognize the unique flavor of pu’er, and I could like it as I had black or orange pekoe teas.
And, I do love tea. I have drank Bigelow’s “Constant Comment” and “Earl Grey” tea since about 1985 when a friend & his wife introduced these to me, when I went over to their house after Church. This was Rick & Linda Bell. Rick had been a Marine Corps Air pilot and after retiring, a few years later, became a Baptist pastor.
I’ve written elsewhere about “falling in love with” “Raspberry Royale” tea, also by Bigelow. I came across this while on a brief vacation, and I had stayed at a Quality Inn in Lynchburg, Virginia and the next morning took a tea bag packet of “Raspberry Royale” and made my first cup in my motel room before checking out. Loved it hot. Loved it cold. Bought a box of it when back home, and even bought a 6 box case of it from Amazon and gave them out as Christmas presents one year. *Recently I’ve found that Wegman’s in Raleigh carries the Bigelow “Raspberry Royale” tea.
This was the Quality Inn in Lynchbugh, Virginia that I have stayed at, at least twice. I brought a Raspberry Royale tea bag with me on one visit to celebrate where I had first tried this tea. I didn’t drink the first in the breakfast area, but took the tea bag back to my room and brewed it there.
I’ve tried various flavored teas through the years. I think I first bought Rooibos (red bush) tea from Whole Foods in Raleigh. At the time, they sold this tea from a large copper colored container. You scooped out the tea you wanted and put it in a plastic zip bag. Sometime later, they stopped selling Rooibos, but I found what I currently drink, as a box of Rooibos tea bags at Harris Teeter in Fayetteville.
Sometime in the last couple of years, I tried Taylor’s Scottish Breakfast tea. I hated it when I tried the first cup at home. I would call it a “heavy” flavored tea. But, I gave it a second, and even a third try, and surprisingly by the third try, I actually liked the flavor and then started drinking it fairly regularly.
Early this morning, and when I say “early” I mean about 3 am, I thought about having some hot tea, and this time I wanted to try something that I hadn’t had in a long while. I saw a packet of “Assam” tea, which I had bought at a organic food store in Greensboro, North Carolina last year.
I first tried “Assam Brahmaputra” at Dobra Teas in Asheville several years ago. They brought a cup and small tea pot to my table. They didn’t bring any sugar or sweetener, or cream or creamer, so I tried the hot tea. It was good. I managed to drink the whole pot without either creamer or sweetener. At home, I googled about this tea and found that Assam was a region in northern India which butted up against the “tea region” of China, and Bramaputra was the River going through that region. Not sure, but you probably have to be a local in that region to know when you are in India or China. If you’re on the border, they might point to two mountains that both have tea growing on them, and one mountain is in China and one is in India. “Assam” was the type of tea.
I think I recall that pu’er tea is a fermented tea and that it actually changes with age, but doesn’t get stale or go bad. And because of this, this type of tea has been used as money. The disk of pu’er tea that you see at the top of this posting, might be collectable to use when money runs short. The tea is tightly compacted into the disk shape, but there is also a version of pu’er that is loose and is sort of rolled into little curly cue balls.
*The ritual of drinking this tea is to first pour hot water over the tea, and then drain that first pour off. Then you pour more hot water on the tea and this you let steep, and then drink. The ritual may partly be because the tea is so compacted, that the first water loosens the tea so that it can steep fully. But, at that I’m just guessing.
Even though I started talking about tea, I also like a few brands of coffee. Actually, I currently like the “Breakfast Blend” (ground) by Starbucks which is sold at Walmart.
But, during the Covid Epidemic, I could no longer buy my favorite coffee from Harris Teeter. It was a flavored coffee (whole bean), but I don’t recall what flavor. *I just came across an image of the Harris Teeter coffee that I liked, “Hazelnut Creme.” They stopped serving coffees from the pull down handled containers. It took me a while to find another coffee that I liked.
So during Covid, I ran out of my favorite, and I looked in my cubboard and found a bag of Cracker Barrel Coffee (ground). I tried some and it was pretty good coffee. The next day I tried some more of the Cracker Barrel Coffee and it was good again. It took me until the third day and when the Cracker Barrel Coffee was good again that I realized that, “I hate the coffee at the Cracker Barrel Restaurants.” I hated the restaurant coffee so badly that I came to always order their hot tea. But this was good coffee. I think it was a Christmas present from a friend. I finished this coffee just before Covid restrictions let up.
At the end of Covid restrictions, I went out for a hair cut, and to buy another bag of Cracker Barrel Coffee. The bag color had changed, and unfortunately, so had the flavor. The new coffee wasn’t anything to write home about. So, I had to go on a search for a new favorite coffee.
It was about $9 a bag, and I tried about four different brands before finding what I liked.
Try this.
I’ve never had a really expensive coffee maker, usually just the low end makers with a glass pot but I would “foot the bill” for a reusable gold plated metal filter. But, the last cheap coffee maker I bought was a Black & Decker, and it didn’t last but a few months before it stopped heating. I ended up buying a larger glass pot after the smaller one also went “kaput.” And, I decided I didn’t need to buy another coffee maker. I would heat my water in a regular pot on the stove and then pour it through the filter by hand. Worked fine and I have done this process for a couple of years.
I just remembered, “I hate the unsweet tea at Smithfields Chicken -n- BBQ Restaurants. It reminds me of the taste that a drink might have, with cigarette ashes mixed with water. But, their sweet tea tastes great. It has lots of sugar. I have repeatedly told workers at different Smithfields that their unsweet tea “sucks.” This is something that has to be intentional by the owner(s). You can’t suck this badly without hearing about it, and then doing nothing about correcting the problem.
So, last night I ordered some more “Indian Long Pepper” from Amazon. The odd thing about this order is how long it is going to take for it to be delivered. Today is Thursday, February 13th, but the pepper isn’t supposed to be delivered before April 7th. Damn, that’s almost two months. *I don’t think I have enough of the Long Pepper to last two months, but I do have regular mixed (white, black & red) pepper which will suffice.
If “London Broil” is a term connoting cooking in the oven, fast and over high heat, then I just had an interesting experience using heavy duty tin foil to cover a thick cut pork chop I was cooking in the oven. I took a square of tin foil and placed it loosely on top of a pork chop that I was going to cook in my oven, on Broil – HI. I do this regularly and the meat cooks fast, and there is a little charring on some of the corners. But, this time something unexpected by me occurred. When I went to turn the pork chop over, the tin foil had protected the top surface of the chop, but the underside of the meat was “beautifully browned.” I had not noticed this when previously cooking pork chops in my new pan, so I equated the extra color to the tin foil, which I am going to try again.
I’ll call it a “Layer Salad Cup” until I find the proper name for this, but this is what it looks like. I especially liked this image because of how the plastic fork was incorporated into the meal.
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I could see a Mexican themed cup with the following or combinations of the following items:
Cilantro
Green Chilis
Jalapeno
Avocado
Corn
Tomato
Onion
Sweet Bell Pepper
Romaine Lettuce
Sour Cream
Black Bean Hummus
Guacamole
Cornbread (crumbled)
Or how about an entirely different route:
Hummus
Black Bean Hummus
Smoked Oysters
Onion
Tomato
Carrots
Olives
Sweet Bell Pepper
I came across this recipe while looking for things to serve with salmon.
I told you Burge was next door.Finally, no breakfast special, but still about a $1 cheaper than most.Replacements, Ltd. Looking out from ManCave.Replacements, Ltd. Enjoying some reading.My classic Library view for reading a few books.Reading the February Issue of Our State MagazineLate afternoon sun shining on the magazine rack.
So, David’s has discontinued their breakfast special, but it still cost about a dollar less than many other breakfast restaurants.
I stopped by a health foods store, and then drove to Farmer. Yep, not much there. I then rode past the NC Aviation Museum and came back to Food Lion to buy some Apple Cider Vinegar and Splenda sweetener packets. The Ginger/Lemon/Honey drinking vinegar I bought just wasn’t vinegary enough, nor sweet enough. Then I headed up to Replacements, Ltd. to see if I could find the young woman who had given me a great deal of her time, my first (and only up to this point) visit. She left before I bought the Lennon Golden Julliard patterned seafood fork, so any commission she should have received was lost. In our brief visit, I got the impression that the young woman was divorced and that she had at least one child. But, she wasn’t there yesterday, even if she still works there.
I then drove directly back to Asheboro to No.1 Chinese Buffet and had lunch there. My first plate I focused on the chicken on a stick, the green beans and the wonton & egg drop soups mixed, with chopped green onion and fried wontons. And, I think I also had a small slice of banana, very little rice and some fried chicken livers. The livers had chopped jalapenos. One dish, maybe chicken had fried jalapenos, and the livers had fresh chopped jalapenos.
As I was paying at the counter, there was an older Chinese gentleman (perhaps the owner) and I got to thanking him for the good good, which I mentioned specifically: chicken on a stick, the green beans and the wonton soup. He thanked me, and we actually shook hands.
I then drove over to the Library. I had a strong desire to just drive home, but thought it would be a waste not to at least stop in to see what new things they had.
I took the slightly longer way back to Fayetteville, staying on Hwy. 421 from Sanford over to Lillington and then back down home. I did this because of the lateness of the day and that I knew there would be a bunch of traffic on Hwy. 87 around Spring Lake.
About four miles from Siler City, on Hwy. 64, they are furiously building the Wolfspeed manufacturing facility. They were paving some roads nearby but still working on the gigantic facility. The size of this complex is massive and impressive.
I stopped at the Food Lion in Lillington to buy 2% Milk and then headed home.
I made almost a quart of the Ginger/Lemon/Honey Vinegar, but instead of honey I used a combination of Splenda, Agave Nectar and Sweet n Low, and I used ground powdered ginger and reconstituted Lime juice. Still, it came out tasting surprisingly similar to the “store bought.” Oh, just thought, I used both Apple Cider Vinegar and Red Wine Vinegar. I like the flavor of Red Wine Vinegar and use it a lot in my cooking & eating. And for portions, I used two part of the Apple Cider Vinegar, about .25 Cup of Red Wine Vinegar and 1 Cup of water.
KITCHENDAO Citrus Lemon Peeler Zester Tool with Specially Designed Channel Knife to Save Effort, Ultra Sharp Lemon Rind Twist Peeler Tool Bar Bartender Lime Lemon Stripper for Cocktails Kitchen (Amazon.com link) It costs about $10.
I bought this kitchen tool in order to cut orange rind in strips to add to my homemade Dolce “K” Sweet Olive Mix. This was my attempt to recreate the Whole Foods version. And, it worked! I actually think that my version has more flavor, although I don’t know the actual ratios of the various ingredients so I can’t absolutely recreate the same mix each time… yet. Note the Orange rind shown in the mix here.
The peeler portion of this tool does a great job of cutting long narrow strips of rind, but there is still a good amount of pith on each strip. *I just tried the zester part of this tool and it does a better job of cutting just the rind and very little pith. So, I have rethought the mix process and decided to use zest and not the wide rinds cut into half inch lengths. And, the zester worked quickly for the whole orange.
This morning I had decided to fix fried apples & bacon for breakfast, and to make some Bigelow “Constant Comment” tea. Constant Comment has citrus highlights and in the past I have added dried orange slices to it for more orange flavor. I added some of the orange zest to the hot tea. But, I also added some of the orange zest to the frying apples. I think the zest made the tea and the apples more distinctive.
As a precautionary tale, you will need to freeze (or at least put in the fridge) the rind because left out, they will start to mold.
The zested orange rind looks good in the Dolce “K” Sweet Olive Mix. I also think the liquid in this becomes less pungent over time. I made a new batch of liquid and put the olives in it.
A few months ago I was in the CVS on Law Road looking to pick up a prescription. I glanced over to my right and down and saw a box of single serving bags of the Well Market Popcorn (White Cheddar flavor). They were giving away free sample as they were changing their popcorn vendor. I took one of the bags and when I got back to my car I opened it and tried the popcorn. It was very good popcorn. It was so good that I determined to seek out this popcorn in CVS in the future.
I don’t recall how long after I had first tried the popcorn that I was standing in front of the CVS shelves on which they had the Well Market Popcorn for sale. I think they had a discount on the large “family” sized bags so I bought one. This too was delicious popcorn.
I had my annual eye exam and found that the clinic actually had two locations separated by a small parking area. I had always gone to the location further away from Cape Fear Valley Hospital. Not this time. It was an overcast morning, but it wasn’t raining when I went in. However, by the time that my exam was over it had started to rain fairly regularly. I think I asked a technician if there was a “loaner” umbrella I could use. I knew I had an umbrella in my car which was parked near the other location’s entrance. I figured I could walk to my car, exchange umbrellas and then leave the loaner with the front desk at the separate location. But the technician said she would walk with me. She got an umbrella for herself and handed me one too. We walked across the small parking lot to my car and I handed the loaner umbrella to her thanking her.
Her name was Stephanie, but I didn’t recall that from the first meeting. I decided to leave a present of Well Market Popcorn for her and stopped a few days later at the CVS next to Cape Fear Valley Hospital and bought a bag. I think I also had a small bag of Peppermint Bark that I also gave her.
I had my annual, in hospital visit, for my pacemaker a few days ago. They check my pacemaker four times a year, and do three of those checkups remotely. The checkup this time probably didn’t last more than 10 minutes.
The male nurse/technician told me that when they replace my pacemaker battery that they replace the whole unit because it is wrapped in titanium. Oh, Joy!
This photo is of the top parking level at Cape Fear Valley Hospital.
I’ve written about Sticks and Stones Pizza in Greensboro, North Carolina in several locations, but I wanted to add a set of images of one of the pizzas that might have been the best I ever had. I now consider my time passed, for having an excellent pizza at this restaurant/bar. I think the people that knew how to fix a really good wood fired pizza have left and the skill hasn’t been passed on. My last two visits have produced a poorly flavored pizza, but I have had quite a few really good pizzas since my first visit. Hopefully I’ve written elsewhere, where I first heard about this restaurant, on some morning news program that said something to the effect that this was one of three pizza joints in the whole United States that produced a really good wood fired pizza. When I heard that I made up my mind that I was going to visit this restaurant and see if their pizza was really that good… and it was!
The above pizza was called “To Be the One” which was a margherita style pizza and featured a bubbly crust, crushed San Marzano tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella and basil, a drizzle of olive oil, and a sprinkle of salt. The one extra ingredient I ordered was Jalapeno peppers. Done well, the end result of a really good pizza should be the empty pie tin, as shown above.
For quite a few years, we (Fayetteville State University) outsourced our instance of Blackboard (our Online Learning System for about 16 years) through the UNC-Greensboro IT department. During my last six years at FSU, before my retirement, we switched our OLS to Canvas, and were pleased with that. Blackboard was a more powerful system, but Canvas provided almost all the necessary functionality and was easier to learn (a lower learning curve). *All this to say that when we switched from Blackboard to Canvas, I went up to Greensboro and “treated” those involved at UNC-G to pizza at Sticks -n- Stones. It was a good send off.
All you do is take one packet of the powdered Ranch Dressing (Hidden Valley is the standard & costs about four times more than, the Food Lion brand which costs about 50 cents a packet) and pour it in a jar of Dill Pickles. I use the GV Dill Pickle Spears from Walmart. I pour out just enough pickle juice to make room for the dry Ranch Dressing powder. You want to try and make the juice cover all the pickles. Put the lid back on, shake it up, and put it in the fridge for a day to let the flavors soak in.
A cousin of mine mentioned that he thought the skins of the pickles became tougher after they were brined in this Ranch Dressing & pickle juice mixture, and I think he is right, but the jar of pickles usually is gone before the skins become too tough.
Oh, and I definitely reuse the Ranch Dill pickle juice from new jar of Dill Pickles to new jar.
*I bought some whole dill seeds in order to try and sprout them. They didn’t, but I put some of them in a jar of Ranch Dill Pickles and I think they have “kicked it up a notch.” I guess they’ve added more dill flavor.
Currently $2.34About $2 at Walmart.About 50 cents.Whole Dill Seeds
Wakame Seaweed Salad
I wanted to fix the Wakame (seaweed) Salad like the one I bought at Publix a few years ago, and that was also offered at a few restaurants as a side dish. Over the last few years I’ve bought various brands of seaweed (perhaps some were not Wakami) to try and reproduce this dish, but none were anywhere near it. Last year I found a jar of “Seaweed Salad” that looked a lot like what I had eaten, so I bought a jar at Golden Hex in Cary. Golden Hex is a European Foods specialty store, which carries many canned goods from various European countries, but also has a meat & cheese section, and even various candies.
The salad from Golden Hex was not “perfect” from the jar, but the ingredients I added to it did make it “PERFECT”. The additions included toasted sesame oil & seeds, soy sauce, vinegar, and some sweetener. *I think there was also some hot pepper flakes. *Not sure where I found the ingredients list, but probably online because I can’t imagine coming up with the ingredients from memory.
I guess if I would just read the ingredients listed here, I would know.
At Walmart for about $6.
[NOTE 04/12/25]: I made some more of this last night. I poured out the liquid from the seaweed which was a little salty and vinegary. I added:
toasted sesame oil,
red wine vinegar,
soy sauce,
red pepper flakes,
white sesame seeds, and
some sweetener.
* I had talked with one of the owners of Golden Hex and he knew this item but it wasn’t in stock at the time. He said he would order it. I don’t usually put much trust in someone saying this, but maybe a month & a half later I was in Golden Hex again and asked some of the staff if they knew if they had any of the seaweed. They didn’t know, but eventually we found it stocked on the shelf. Apparently, he had re-ordered it. I bought two jars of it, so now I have 2 because I used one last night. **I’m going to try the Walmart brand and see if it works.
Aisle A36 ***I was surprised to find, with the help of Alex, a Walmart employee, that they actually had the Seaweed Salad. It was in the refrigerated section but there was no Aisle A36, and I got it home and it worked just fine. I even added a little ground ginger and it was just as good as the Golden Hex version that is unrefrigerated. [end NOTE]
[ADDENDUM 04/16/25]: The Walmart Seaweed Salad is delicious, and it is super easy to add the other ingredients that make it “perfect”: toasted sesame oil, soy sauce, red pepper flakes, red wine vinegar, white sesame seeds and some sweetener. And I added some GV Wonton Strips and sprouted Mung Beans. This is a really satisfying combination… and alas, I’m going to have to not eat it too often. It is high in sodium and sugar. I could imagine the combination being so wonderfully “diabetic friendly” but it is NOT. I checked with the Gemini AI. Oh, well. The sodium is a natural part of it coming from the ocean. [end]
[ADDENDUM 05/31/25]: I hadn’t had this in a while and this time I added some of my Mung bean and broccoli sprouts and it was just as good, perhaps even a little more crunchy. *My quinoa sprouts don’t seem to be. They are supposed to sprout more quickly than most other seeds, but these don’t seem to be at all. They may not be the actual seed, but some processed seed. [end]
[AND MO ADDENDUM 06/28/25]: I just had another Wakame Seaweed Salad, but I added several things. I first added some of the wonton strips. I’ve done this previously and they should be a “must” because they add crunch at little or no cost, nutritionally. But, this time I thought about adding some almonds. Yeah? I’ve never thought of that before and when I added some, they were pretty pleasant in the mix. I already had the Mung bean sprouts, which are also a “must.” They definitely add crunch, and deep down inside I think they’ve got to be adding a bunch nutritionally. And, as I ate the almonds, the thought of even adding some dried cranberries creeped in… and I think they might work also. I think the thought of cranberries & almonds came from some other salad. I’m not sure if I would ever go walnuts, but it might be worth a try and walnuts and cranberries definitely applaud each other.
**I’m tacking this on, from the next day. I made my Souped Up Wakame Salad today, and added all the bells and whistles, and it was FANTASTIC! So, Walmart Seaweed Salad, toasted sesame oil, soy sauce, red wine vinegar, red pepper flakes, white sesame seeds, Agave Nectar, Equal, a little garlic powder, almonds, dried cranberries & wonton strips.
Example Scenario (Serving Size 1):
Walmart Seaweed Salad (1/3 cup): 75.0 calories
1 tsp Toasted Sesame Oil: 40 calories
1/2 tbsp Low Sodium Soy Sauce: 10 calories
1 tsp Red Wine Vinegar: 0 calories
1/4 tsp Red Pepper Flakes: 0 calories
1/2 tsp White Sesame Seeds: 20 calories
1 tsp Agave Nectar: 20 calories
1 packet Equal: 0 calories
1/4 tsp Garlic Powder: 0 calories
Almonds (1/16 cup whole): 42 calories
Dried Cranberries (1/16 cup): 23 calories
Wonton Strips (1/2 tbsp): 8.75 calories
Total Calories = 238.75 calories
That all combined makes one delicious snack.
[end]
[ADDENDUM 08/03/25]: Damn! Sorry I didn’t scroll down further and remind myself of the almonds and dried cranberries. They do make this dish so good. But, I did add some mung bean & broccoli sprouts to this with the wonton strips and it was good too. If I haven’t said it previously, and even if I have, the wonton strips are a gift. They add crunch and there isn’t enough negative to not add them. [end]
[NOTE 09/28/25]: Yes, again. The seaweed I had in the refrigerator hasn’t gone bad. I pretty much recall all the ingredients, which is a surprise to me. It’s as if I naturally know what should go in this. I even did the Agave Nectar and Splenda without looking at the menu. The one thing I forgot, but added were the white sesame seeds. It is a pleasing little interlude. of flavor. [end]
Dolce K Sweet Olive & Fruit Mix
I have yet to order the Spanish Marcona Almonds (blanched). Above, I show a zester that I bought to zest the orange rind. It works well. I don’t have the amounts of each ingredient to use, but the first time I made this was “spot on.” Once you have your marinade, you just put the olives in and wait for a day or so, and they take on the marinade flavor. I think I should just use currants and not raisins, because the yellow raisins I used rehydrated to almost their original size, and at first I thought they were olives.
I bought some of the Mix from Whole Foods after I had made my own, to compare the two. I actually liked my version better. It seemed thicker, and more pungent. I also think that I can reuse the marinade several times, but just add a new jar of pitted olives. *It does take a day or so for the new olives to take on the flavor of the brine/vinegar but they do.
*Funny, once I knew how to make this, I stopped eating it. I haven’t had it in a long while. Not that I don’t still like the flavors.
I had a simple Cucumber & Sweet Onion Salad tonight. I’m not sure I think of it as a “salad,” but I’ve grown up with it since I was a child. My Aunt Sis made it, and it is so simple: sweet onion, cucumber (with or without the skins), vinegar & sugar (or in my case now, sweetener). Maybe a little salt would cause the flavors to “pop.”
*I’m not sure of what kind of onion my aunt used, because we didn’t grow up with Vidalia onions, and “sweet” onions only came along after the Vidalia became popular. My guess is that the “sweet onions” don’t take the name Vidalia because they aren’t grown in the “Vidalia” region of Georgia much like certain wines or chesses can’t take on a specific name because they don’t come from a specific region of France, or Italy, or elsewhere. *Now that I think of it, we didn’t grow up with English Cucumbers either, but I don’t recall regular cucumbers as being as bitter as they now are.
But then I came upon an Asian Cucumber Salad online that piqued my interest. So much so that, I got up and made a test sample to see if it would have a distinct flavor… and boy, IT DID!
First, you’ve got to know that I’ve fallen in love with the flavor of “Spicy Chili Crisp.” I found this while looking for something to add to my Stir-Fries, as a “change-up” flavor. It is about the cheapest chili oil that you can find, and it only costs about $5 at Walmart. And I like it just from the jar. It has an earthy flavor.
My version:
INGREDIENTS
English Cucumber
Spicy Chili Crisp
Toasted Sesame Oil
Red Wine Vinegar
Garlic Powder
Splenda Sweetener
Salt
Sesame Seeds
Romaine Lettuce (if you have it)
I’m thinking that this sauce would spiff up more than just cucumbers. Maybe Cannellini beans, or even green beans, or the two combined. Maybe this direction is based upon me thinking about a 3 Bean Salad, where beans are combined with vinegar & sweetener. Kidney beans & Garbanzos?
I have some pork chops that I think would go well with this Asian Cucumber Salad. Another thought, is using this sauce either on raw or roasted cauliflower. I’ve had something like this on roasted cauliflower, but I didn’t have the sweet vinegar. I think that is exactly what it would need. Oh wait, the roasted cauliflower had turmeric & garlic. I usually prefer sweet to savory flavors.
Spicy Asian Cabbage
I had steamed cabbage tonight and added Spicy Chili Crisp, sweetener, toasted sesame oil, and white sesame seeds. I may have liked these flavors together better than the Spicy Asian Cucumbers. I ate this with a pork chop that had agave nectar and some lime juice. I did not add soy sauce or vinegar, although that should be at least one taste test later on.
Yes, I do like the Asian seasonings with the steamed cabbage. I have made this about three times and I like it each time. I’ve also tried “smashing” the cucumbers to provide more surface area for the sauce to stick to. After I smash them, I sprinkle on some salt and set it in the fridge. After a while I pour off the liquid that has leached from the cucumbers and then add the Asian seasonings.
Broiled pork chop, charred onion, pickled beets and Asian Steamed Cabbage.
Note the one fried peanut (the red bean) that comes from the Spicy Chili Crisp.
I can think of few gifts from a friend that are better than “the wrong gift.” Why would I be happy to get the wrong gift from a friend? Well, isn’t it obvious?
It shows that they were thinking of you and wanting to please you and get you something special. How much more of a gift could you want?
I have given many gifts in my life and most of those gifts were probably the “wrong” item. They probably weren’t appreciated because what I placed value upon wasn’t necessarily what “they” thought was of value. “My bad!” I guess I’ve waited about 40 years to say that phrase willingly, “my bad.” I made a mistake, but it doesn’t mean I love you any less. Or cherish our friendship any less. You’re special to me, and I am very thankful for all our years of knowing each other and you welcoming me into your home and life. I hope there will be many more, although neither of us are “spring chickens.”
So, I’m going to be looking up recipes that use Wasabi Powder… a lot of frigging, stinking Wasabi Powder;-)
,aspect=ignore)
Bill Gibson, II 