Earl Eats at El Jaripeo with Grandboy #1 - A Review

I don't get to spend as much time with my Grandboys as I would like. We used to eat many more meals together both at home and on the road. We have even taken road trips to simply eat various foods at various places. But they have grown into adults and have jobs and lives that conflict with one another and theirs with mine. It is a fact of life, but not one I have to like.

But today, I get to help my eldest grandboy get started moving into a new place and out of his mother's abode. He is moving quite a distance...not too far from his work, and not far from where my wife and I moved to 42 years ago as newlyweds.

After unloading all of the things from our cars into his new place, I offer to take him to a nearby restaurant and buy him lunch. I wanted to go somewhere that wasn't a chain. In a new neighborhood it seems like a good idea to become familiar with surrounding businesses. The one that caught my eye said it was a Mexican Grill. That suits me fine, having lived in central Mexico for 2 years in the mid-seventies.

Even though I lived in Mexico, I was unfamiliar with the term "El Jaripeo". It turns out that It was all about bull riding...but not like our rodeos, they rode the bull until it stopped bucking!

The interior was very pleasing and we were helped right away. The menu was familiar, with many favorites we have come to know as "Mexican" food.(Click here for full menu for El Jaripeo Mexican Grill) It was well after lunch hour and very few customers so we felt like we got plenty of attention.They brought us chips & salsa right after we were seated, which was nice. The salsa was tasty (if a bit mild), and the chips seemed fresh. My favorite chips are those found at Chili's, because of their lightness and crispiness. These were not very thin, but were tasty.

We were there for lunch so didn't want anything too elaborate. My grandboy has been learning to love Mexican cuisine because of a food truck near his workplace. We were both rather hungry, and everything looked good to me. He settled quickly on the breakfast burrito, and that sounded good to me too. He went for one with carne asada, and I gravitated to the the chorizo. A should mention here that there are MANY restaurants serving ginormous breakfast burritos. This did not disappoint. The chorizo was cooked perfectly, without being over cooked, and this one seemed EXTRA LONG and FAT. It was almost longer than the oval plate it was served on. An aside here: While living in Mexico, I never once ate chips or a burrito! In central Mexico, in the mid-seventies, this was not part of their cuisine. Tortillas were soft and fresh, and made from corn, not wheat flour.
...Okay, back to the review. These burritos were massive in two ways 1) SIZE and 2) FLAVOR. They had everything one would expect in a breakfast rolled into a nicely toasted flour tortilla. It included healthy servings of: POTATOES, EGG, CHEESE, AND YOUR CHOICE OF BACON, HAM, CARNE ASADA OR CHORIZO.

Needless to say, we were both happy with our food and hungry enough to eat every drop. I will be going back, hopefully to try some of the more authentic fare. But I may have to sneak back just for the Breakfast Burrito!

By the numbers:
    Price: 💲 (inexpensive)
    Food: ⭐⭐⭐⭐½ of 5 (excellent)
Service: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ of 5 (very good)
   Value: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ of 5 (the best)

Earl Cooks BOOSTED Canned Chili

Here's the question: "Can cans of canned chili taste uncanny"? I think it can!
We don't eat a lot of chili. My wife, a.k.a."Turkey", likes hers mild, very mild. almost too mild to be called chili, and prefers it with NO beans or white beans. This is a tall order because the mild chili usually has beans, and the no-bean chili usually has too much heat. My task is to somehow meld these.

I have never made chili from scratch. I have used canned, seasoning pouches, a combination of both. Tonight, I am sticking with cans, mostly.
Step #1: I start with a new brand I found shopping, Wolf Brand. It says it is an "authentic" Texas recipe. I assume this means spicy. It has no beans, so this is a good start. I have a can of Western Family Thick & Chunky Chili too, which I add to the Wolf Brand.
Step #2:To give it a bit of beans, I add a can of Great Northern Beans from Smith's (Kroger). Always use the liquid with the beans when adding them to a dish. It has some great body and doesn't taste tinny.
Step #3: Finally, to give it more chunks and seasoning, I add our favorite jarred salsa, Great Value Chunky Mild from Walmart. It gives it a good tomato presence without too much tomato (another thing my wife prefers not to have - cooked tomatoes).
Additional Steps: I added some shredded mild cheddar cheese, while it heats, along with some sour cream. This brings the heat level down. I also top it with some of the same cheese after all is heated and blended. For my bowl, I add a couple of slices of very mild, pickled, jalepeño.

Results & Conclusions
This was a very good combination. Hot enough to be called chili, but mild enough to eat. The shredded cheese and sour cream make a big difference, and the two types of chili make it taste fresher. I may try to make my own chili one day, but I can only hope it tastes like this!

Earl Cooks Pork Wrapped Pork Chops with Guac & Mashed Potatoes

Sometimes my cooking ideas come from experience. Sometimes from my cooking or eating history and sometimes from ingredients on hand. This dish came from all of those and was FABULOUS.

It starts awhile back when Grandboy #2 called for help with cooking (Pork On Pork Makes Gpa Proud) 
He wanted to make bacon wrapped pork chops and I gave some advice and guidance, and he did good. Today I had some great, thick sliced, bacon and some great, thin sliced, pork chops I had just bought, and a meal was coming together in my head.

Earlier in the day, I decided to make a guacamole in the same fashion I first saw it made in the first town I lived in, Cuaulta, in the state of Morelos, Mexico. My roommate showed me a glass jar that had the colors of the Mexican Flag. Large chunks of avocado made up the green layer, large chunks of onion made up the white layer, and large chunks of tomato made up the red layer. There was a bit of cilantro and jalapeño, (gringo amounts), but very chunky. Not blended, not mashed. That is where I first tasted guacamole, and I fell in love. Here are the steps:
—Step 1: Take 2 avocados that are perfectly ripe and halve them and remove the stone. With your knife, score the avocado flesh lengthwise in half inch wide strips. Now score the flesh in half inch strips at a 90 degree angle to the first. Remove the diced avocado to a glass bowl or jar that has an airtight lid using a serving or tablespoon. You can also remove the flesh first and dice, if you prefer. Salt the avocado.
—Step 2: Dice 1 good sized onion. I always use yellow, but in Mexico they like white. Top the avocado COMPLETELY with the diced onion. The same acid that makes one cry is what will keep your avocado from turning brown!
—Step 3: Halve or quarter a good portion of grape tomatoes. I used multi colored, but you can use any color. In Mexico we just used standard tomatoes. Again, enough to cover the WHOLE SURFACE of your container. You can also add diced peppers of your choice and cilantro. I only added a small amount, but spice it up if you like.
—Step 4: Seal & refrigerate. It is important that you use a container that is just large enough to hold it all with almost no room for air. After about 3 or 4 hours, flip your container upside down to redistribute the gases and acids from the onions and tomatoes. My container had a large, flat bottom and top to make this easier.

This is the chunkiest and most simple guacamole I have ever made and it is the first one I tasted 45+ years ago in the heart of Mexico. My plan is to top my pork wrapped pork with this. It is almost an avocado chop salad.

Now for the main event. THE MEAT
—Step 1: I grab my 12" cast iron skillet and brown 6 pieces of the thick cut bacon.
—Step 2: I leave the bacon grease in the pan and lightly brown the thin-cut pork chops with garlic pepper and sea salt. This step is NOT intended to cook these through, just to give them a bit of color. Even if pork is the other white meat, brown it! While browning the chops, preheat oven to 350℉.
—Step 3: Wrap the browned pork chops with the browned bacon. I used 2 strips per chop and anchored them with toothpicks. I used bone-in chops (our favorite). If you use boneless loin chops it may be easier to wrap the bacon. Now return chops to the skillet. Place skillet into your preheated oven. Set timer for 10 minutes
—Step 4: After 10 minutes have passed do one of two things a) turn the chops over or b) turn on the broiler element in your stove and cook for another 10 minutes. (I chose the latter). This ensures crisp bacon and pork chops that are cooked through. If you use a thicker chop, cook longer. Always adjust for your own oven.

Mo' Bacon IN the Side
For our side dish, more bacon is in order so I go with Idahoan Applewood Smoked Bacon Mashed potatoes!

Results
My wife almost licked her plate clean. That is a glowing endorsement from her, and nothing for her to eat  for lunch the next day. I topped my pork chop with the guacamole, and loved every bite. I ate what was left of the guacamole the next day with chips. All in all one of my best creations to date!

Earl Cooks Pan Seared Teriyaki Sesame Salmon with Avocado & Rice

It has not been that long since we started eating salmon on a regular basis. I don't why, but it was not even in our wheelhouse. Partly because everyone said it was difficult to cook properly, and partly because of our own unfamiliarity with it. We had always had white fish of one kind or another, or shellfish. But in an effort to get more healthy, I decide to give it a try. We have tried it fresh and frozen; seasoned and not. 

Tonight I wanted to try Sea Cuisine's Teriyaki Sesame Salmon Fillets. It is a frozen product. Two wild caught Alaskan fillets pre-seasoned with ginger soy sauce & garlic. The great thing about this product is we can have it in the freezer and pan sear it whenever you need some omega 3 fatty acids! This is a delicious product with an ever-so-slight peppery flavor. It cooks up rather quickly, without defrosting, in a medium-high skillet. I paired it with white rice and a whole avocado. I put butter and soy sauce on my rice and my wife added lemon to hers. The bite with the rice is a great mouthful and the best way to eat this. What can be said of the avocado? EAT IT! 

Results:
This was one of the best frozen fish meals we have had, and we will keep this on our shopping list and you should too!

Earl Eat's "Turkey's" Snickerdoodles

If it is true, as the TV ad says "nothin' says lovin' like somethin' from the oven", then I am truly loved!

Each weekend my lovely wife "a.k.a. "Turkey" bakes up somethin' from the oven. Most often, it is her homemade bread, which I have posted about before. This weekend though, it wasn't just bread dough. (see what I did there?) Her sweet tooth took over and almost like magic, Snickerdoodles  appeared.

How can a ball of gooey flour and sugar turn into something so beautiful and tasty? I don't know because "Turkey" doesn't allow me to bake. I guess some things must remain a mystery to keep the romance alive, and I like that.

What's she baking next? Who knows, but I'm EATING it!

Earl Cooks A Berry Delicious Tortilla Breakfast

Sometimes, calling it "cooks" is a stretch. But today I started with an uncooked tortilla and made a sweet breakfast. I don't normally go for sweet breakfasts, but this was berry good. I was inspired by a site that said you could use a tortilla like a crêpe, with just a few modifications. My wife loves crêpes, but before I tried it on her, I had to test it out. I had just purchased some delicious blackberries and I have some blackberry jam. I thought I would try a quick version, and see if it works. I used an UNCOOKED tortilla for this experiment, although the other cook used a cooked one. Beside cooking and getting a nice brown color on the tortilla, there is no cooking involved. I plan to tweak this and let you know, but for now this is how it went:

 

I used a local uncooked flour tortilla from a company called La Flor. I toasted until golden brown and yet pliable. Then I spread a base of blackberry jam, also from a local source, down the center of the tortilla. I added a handful of blackberries on top of that, rolled the tortilla in crêpe fashion and added some whipped cream. It was marvelous. Now for the big test. the "Turkey" test. Stay tuned!

Earl Eats Wendy's Four for $4 - A Review

I don't often go to Wendy's. During the day I am not often out eating fast food lunches, and for dinner, we don't eat much fast food, and my wife (a.k.a. "Turkey") doesn't much care for Wendy's. But today I was on a shopping marathon and passed a Wendy's and thought I would try their Four for $4 offering. 

I have always felt that Wendy's tries to be on the higher end of fast food, and they do have some elaborate menu offerings, but today I was going for the value. And how often do I get to post Four 3 ways! I chose their Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger for my 444. It comes with a small fry, small drink and 4 piece chicken nugget. 

This is more like what mine looked like. Flatter
and a paper cup rather than a Coke® glass.

I find Wendy's nuggets to be better than some, but I am not a nugget fan. They have good fries, although I am not a frequent fry eater and they didn't offer fry sauce, which is a requirement for the best fries. 

Their Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger is the best of the value burgers and includes a tomato slice and lettuce that is NOT shredded, the only way lettuce should be included on a burger. For review purposes, I try not to make requests so my burger will be like the burger you have there.

Conclusion

For $4, this 4 for $4 is good! A bacon cheeseburger with beef that has never been frozen, a drink, fries and chicken nuggets. This is exactly as advertised (except for the pictures). I look at it this way, 2 dollars for the burger, and one dollar each for the nuggets and fries. I think the drink is more an enticement, because you can get a LARGE drink anywhere for a buck and this is a small drink. The star of the meal is the burger which is satisfying, and better than most value burgers. The nuggets and fries round it out and make it feel like a meal. The lettuce and the tomato are much better than other fast food places and add a fresh element.  It is a good value and a good option for a fast food meal.

Earl Cooks Tacos - Well, It's Tuesday!

In the mid '70s, I lived in central Mexico. In my two years there, I never once had anyone say the word "burrito" except in reference to small donkeys or mules. No food called by that name. I lived in and around Mexico City in Central Mexico. The area I lived in was about 15 million people and roughly 99,000 sq. miles. It ranged from sea level (Acapulco) to over 7,000 feet, almost a 1½ miles high (Mexico City). And while I never heard of what we call a burrito, I did eat a lot of great and authentic Mexican food...street foods and everyday foods. And I saw markets like I have never seen here. Imagine the best farmers market, but it is EVERY DAY, all year long. I saw and ate foods I had never seen, often purchased direct from the source, the grower, the butcher. All of this brings me to the dish I made today. Tacos.

In Central Mexico, tacos were almost exclusively street food. I don't remember ever having one at a regular meal. Tortillas were everywhere. Tortillarias (a tortilla stand) were on nearly every block, often right next to a bakery (panaderia). Nobody made their own, they simply walked to the stand and grabbed what they needed for the meal or the day, and walked back. The same with bread. one of the best memories I have of my time living there was the smell of fresh baking bread and tortillas being churned out by the hundreds. Oh, and no flour tortillas or hard shelled tacos. If you wanted flour tortillas, you made them yourself, which one of my roommates would occasionally do for us.

Mexican tacos, at least in central Mexico, are not like what the gringos here are used to. Ground beef was not common. The street tacos I ate were tacos "al carbon" or over coals, although it was usually on a spit, like the ones found in Greek and Mid-eastern restaurants. Today, restaurants and foodies call them "al pastor" meaning of the shepherd. Okay, history and geography classes are over. Now down to MY tacos.
Needless to say, I am not making tacos like those in Mexico. Mine won't look much like those in restaurants today either. I know I have some flour taco shells that are more like bowls. I looked in my pantry for any taco seasoning I might have on hand, but I had none. I then went to the Internet for a homemade taco seasoning and found one that was mild enough for my wife and I made it MORE mild. It was chili powder, ground pepper, dried cilantro, sea salt, oregano, onion powder, ground cumin, garlic powder. I didn't have any dried cilantro so I added what I had. I also had some 80/20 Angus ground beef which I defrosted. Unlike Wendy's, I freeze mine. My favorite food from my time in Mexico is...wait for it...REFRIED BEANS! I had never eaten them before I lived there and I would eat them with every meal if I could. Of course there, they make them from scratch, but I am not about to try that. The canned ones work just fine for me. I have refried black beans on hand, hoping my wife would learn to like them like I do, but she doesn't so this whole pan will be for me. I have low fat but I add bacon grease to make them even tastier. In Mexico, it would be manteca, Spanish for lard. Interestingly, the Spanish word for butter is Mantequilla or "little lard". I didn't eat much butter there, but I bet I ate a bunch of lard...and loved it. My mom always kept a container of bacon grease in the fridge growing up, as do we. Sometimes you just need a little lard! ...Anyway, I season and brown the beef. It is important to not over cook the beef until crunchy, it is almost inedible like that. Now for the toppings. A taco should be like a salad smorgasbord. You get to choose what you want.
For our tacos I had sour cream, tomatoes, jalapeños, shredded Monterrey Jack and sliced scallions. I also had a mild, chunky, red salsa that is not pictured. How authentic is this?...Not very. The sour cream would be crema, the cheese would probably be a crumbled fresh cheese, the scallions might be onions and the peppers would not come from a bottle. One thing. I never EVER had lettuce on a taco or any other way. Back then, water was the quickest way to get sick and lettuce grows in water. Besides, I don't care for shredded lettuce, and the Taco Bell's of this world use it as a filler. Always HOLD THE LETTUCE!

Now, to my surprise, I go to the cupboard to retrieve my flour taco boats (which are a great invention), and I discover I have a taco kit, not boats! Oh, it has boats, but it also has seasoning and taco sauce. I didn't need to create my own. Oh well, now I have seasoning for next time...if I remember!

Here they are. My two tacos for taco Tuesday. I use the beans as a base and spread them thin. They create a moisture barrier so the boat doesn't get soggy. Then the meat. I love sour cream with refried beans. so lots of that. onions, cheese, and salsa. They were delicious, even if they didn't resemble a Mexican taco, they had many of the ingredients I learned to love there. "Turkey" (a.k.a. my wife) loved hers too! She even encouraged me to make them more often.

 

Earl & "Turkey" & Applebee's Anniversary Eats

Some time ago the restaurant chain that served our favorite burger, Applebee's, started closing restaurants near us. For a time, it was our favorite date night destination. Then,  as often happens, the nearest wasn't near at all. We tried several other places, to no avail. None could do it for us. Some did it for me, but none for both of us. We particularly liked an appetizer offering, but that left their menu before they started closing their doors. I think that was the key. Not just a good burger, but a good meal. They also had a hand cut potato chip that was great, which they also dropped.

Traditionally we eat out for our anniversary, so this year I was determined to make the drive and get us the meal we remembered. Three Applebee's in our vicinity had closed, including the original Utah location. But I found one that was not too far, and planned our anniversary dinner for there. I know this does not seem like a fancy anniversary dinner place, but we were both excited to reacquaint ourselves with the experiences we enjoyed so much.


We felt at ease when we walked in, and even better when we got down to the menu. The appetizer we liked was still not there, but my wife landed on one that sounded real good, their Grilled Chicken Wonton Tacos. We split this because it comes with four small tacos. This is DELICIOUS! It has a Thai-inspired slaw with crispy wonton wrappers and grilled chicken. This is our new favorite.

My wife had the Hand-Battered Fish & Chips which must have been good because she took the leftovers to have for lunch at work, but I didn't get to taste it. It comes with what they call their "signature" coleslaw and their fries, plus an ample supply of fresh lemon wedges. My wife let me know that everything, including most of the fries, reheated well for her lunch. Me? I try to never reheat fried foods. I'm glad she enjoyed it twice. It is a bit on the pricey side but well worth it, according to her.

And now for the reason I wanted to go back...my favorite burger. They call it their Triple Bacon Burger but that doesn't do it justice. It is a beef patty that they sear bacon into as it cooks, top with cheddar cheese (not American), then top that with a BBQ Bacon Ranch dressing and top that with two more slices of perfectly crisp bacon and the whole thing is between a toasted Brioche Bun. It is served with their classic fries. Maybe absence made my taste buds grow fonder, but I have missed this bite. As luck would have it, on Sunday and Monday burgers are  $4 dollars less than Tuesday through Saturday, I think to entice the football crowd, but football season is well over, but I didn't mention that in (case they didn'y know)!

To top the night off we each had their Hot Fudge Dessert Shooter, with me having Hot fudge, and "Turkey" having a mix of Hot Fudge and Hot Caramel. It is vanilla ice cream with hot fudge topped with whipped cream and a maraschino cherry. It was the perfect size to complete the meal. Since we had mentioned it was our anniversary (hint: always mention if it is a special occasion when you eat out), we got our dessert FREE !

Overall
We have missed this place and they did not disappoint. Our server was young and maybe new, but very courteous and helpful. When my wife asked for some lemon for her water, she brought out a ramekin filled with freshly cut lemon slices. Although it was a bit of a drive, I think we will be going back often. It seems we have renewed an old acquaintance!

By The Numbers
Food ⭐⭐⭐⭐½
Service ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Price:
—Burger💲💲
—Fish & Chips 💲💲💲

Earl Cooks Irish Stew (sort of) for "Turkey" on St. Paddy's Day

My wife, (a.k.a "Turkey"), has a BUNCH of Irish ancestors. Her mom is an Irish researcher and they are proud of their heritage, so St. Patrick's Day is a big deal. Usually I do corned beef and cabbage, but "Turkey" said she didn't care for the fattiness of most of the corned beef briskets, so I started researching other Irish dishes I could make. My research led me to Pork Irish Stew! I had all of the ingredients (I thought), so I went to work.

—I started with 2 large country style pork ribs from the freezer that I had frozen and vacuum packed previously. I defrosted them and removed them from the vacuum sealed bag and cut them up into 1 inch chunks, which I then place in my cast iron dutch oven to brown, seasoned with just salt & pepper and some olive or vegetable oil in the bottom. 

—Once browned, remove from dutch oven and place in a bowl while other items are prepared. Here is where I had to deviate from the recipe, because it called for carrots, and I thought I had some, but I found out I had none. But I did have another root veggie to use...Golden Beets. 

—Cut the beet greens, soak, and then scrub to remove the soil. Trim and peel to remove the thick skin and slice, dice or julienne into chunks about the size of  your cubed pork. Gold beets are a great choice because they have all the flavor of beets without the red which can discolor everything. Start by sauteing onions in butter with salt and pepper 7-10 minutes until softened. Add minced garlic and saute until fragrant. Add 1 tablespoon of all purpose flour and stir for about a minute. Add 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar. The next one is a real deviation. The recipe called for Guinness. I don't drink and don't even have anything close to that, so I called an audible. I poured a cup of cream soda, yes that cream soda, in. To that I added canned chicken stock. Now add the beets and browned pork to the dutch oven and cook at a low boil until almost tender. Season with salt & pepper to taste.

TOP: Add browned pork and beets to stock & onions
Bottom: Add Brussels Sprouts to beets and pork

—And now the cabbage! Yes, I know I said Corned beef and cabbage wasn't very authentic, but Irish stew DOES have cabbage. But I am not using the traditional. Rather I am using baby cabbage. "What?", you say, you have "never heard of baby cabbage". Well it comes from Belgium and is more commonly called Brussels Sprouts. I try to have Trader Joe's frozen Brussels Sprouts on hand always, and I do have them today. The package says they are from Belgium, so not quite Irish in origin, but they definitely are cabbage. I used the whole bag but they were quite small. If you have larger sprouts the recipe calls for 12 cut in half. Pour them into the dutch oven. It doesn't take long for them to cook.

—And now I must backtrack some. The recipe called for mashed potatoes as a base for the stew. I chose to make mine with my soon-to-be-famous mashed cauliflower. I start with riced cauliflower from the frozen section which I cook WELL. It must be softened to be mash-able. Drain the liquid and add 2 tablespoons butter and half a cup of milk. Add a half cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese (Irish of course). Use a hand masher to mash and blend completely and place in the bottom of the bowl. Top with the completed stew and season with salt and pepper and a nice daub of butter. Happy St. Paddy's Day 🍀


The link below is for the recipe I I used from chef John with video:
Chef John's Irish Pork Stew with Baby Cabbage

"Turkey" Cooks Popovers

I looked in the kitchen and what did I see, POPOVERS! "Turkey" (a.k.a. my wife) had decided to bake one of her childhood favorites, a memory she cherishes and which I am happy to partake of and share in. I don't bake, so when I hear baking noises in our kitchen , I know I am in for a treat. I can't give you steps or even a recipe, because I am banned from the kitchen while "Turkey" is baking. I can tell you that she uses Betty Crocker's Simple Popover Recipe. I hope you like it as much as I did.

 I tried mine 2 ways, one with just butter, and one with red raspberry preserves. It was a great either way! 

My wife has a lot of Irish in her family and this was her St. Patrick's Day gift to me. I am making her a not-so-original Irish stew later, so St. Paddy's Day is a food celebration in our house!🍀

Earl Cooks Pi Day Pie ℼ

I love the symbolism of Pi Day. A reference to circles, their circumference, and their diameters, it now has become the infinite string of prime numbers and a great way to celebrate Pies, our best circular food! Pizza Pies, Cheesecakes (pies really), Pot Pies, and any food pie you like. This year, I chose to make a chicken pot pie. But as you may know, I don't bake. I thought of making a cast iron skillet strudel, which I have made before, and it is circular, but I had a flash of inspiration (not always a good sign), and thought I would make a Chicken Pot Pie. How, you may ask, can I do that without a lot of mixing and measuring? Tortillas, that's how. I would turn a refrigerated, uncooked, tortilla into a pie crust! It almost worked too! What I did follows.

—I started with just 4 basic ingredients. La Flor uncooked tortillas (2); Trader Joe's Country Potatoes with Haricots Vert (French for green beans), and Wild Mushrooms (all three in single frozen bag); Kirkland Signature Chicken Breast (Costco), and Carrots I had cooked sous vide: and some homemade chicken stock (not shown)


—For equipment I needed just a large frying pan and two disposable pie tins (saved from frozen pies).
—Next I placed a tortila into the bottom of a pie plate and formed the edges up the side as best I could (there was a bit of overlap). I placed the second pie plate inside the tortilla to form a mold of sorts. Then I placed the tortilla into the oven to blind bake the bottom crust so it would be cooked and crisp. I found the tortillas bubbled a bit so I placed a weight inside to prevent further bubbling.
—While the bottom crust was cooking, I put my homemade stock in the frying pan and heated it. Now I opened my frozen potato/bean/mushroom veggies and added them to the stock. Once cooked and reduced, I added my drained chicken to the mix and heated it through (don't use the canning liquid! It will dilute the stock). If your stock is thin or from a can, you may want to add a cornstarch slurry or some flour to thicken it. Then I added my carrots since they were fully cooked, they only needed to heat through.
—Don't forget to remove your pie crust & tins from the oven after just a few minutes. It should be crispy and golden brown. If not, remove the top tin and let it cook a short time more.
—Now the finish! Spoon the filling into the bottom crust and top with another tortilla, cut slits in top to allow steam to evaporate and turn on the broiler to about 375℉. Bake the entire pie for as long as it takes to crisp up the top, just a few minutes.

Results & Conclusions
Here is the completed Pi Day Chicken Pot Pie. The top and the bottom crust did not come together as I would have liked. The filling was good but may have needed more chicken. I have not given up on using tortillas for something more than tacos, burritos & quesadillas, but as a pie crust in this dish they didn't work. But hey, they are round, and it was for Pi day!

Earl Cooks TJ's Seafood Paella

Even with 64+ years under my belt, there are still some famous dishes I have yet to try. The reasons vary, but I am trying to remedy that. Tonight will be a step in that direction. I will admit here that I am cheating a bit. Neither my wife nor I have had paella, and I saw some in the frozen food section at Trader Joe's and thought we should give it a try. If you have never been to Trader Joe's, I think you are in for a treat. They offer dishes you would normally not find in the frozen food section, and most of them are quire reasonable. This paella has ingredients my wife has never tried like mussels and squid. I have not had mussels but have tried fried calamari, so that counts, right? Now, for bit of a cephalopod detour, when I was quite young, and shopping with my mom at the store we frequented often, I was in for a big surprise...shock really.

This was around the same time Disney re-released 20.000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne. Anyway, I walked around the aisle I had walked around many times before and there in all it's glory was a GIANT OCTOPUS, tentacles spread across a 4 foot section of the meat case on top of crushed ice! I was in total shock! I must have been about 8 or so and had never seen a real sea monster, especially in the grocery store. I think my mom knew it was there and wanted to shock me. She did! Okay, back to the paella.

The instructions were simple and it cooks in less than 10 minutes. Just preheat a non-stick skillet on HIGH. When it is fully heated, cut the package open and dump it into the hot skillet and cover. The rice, seasonings, and seafood (shrimp, squid rings, and mussels) are in the bag. The slowest to cook is the shrimp. After 3 or 4 minutes remove the cover, spread everything around and allow to cook just 2 minutes more.

As you can see it has a vibrant color which, in most paella, is from saffron, but my guess is that this is mostly from turmeric. Both are named ingredients on the package.

Results & Conclusions

I liked it, but the degree of HEAT was unexpected, and probably too much for my wife. It said it was 2 servings, but not big servings. They say it is ⅓ seafood, which seems about right. While this was everything it was advertised to be, we won't be buying it again. If I go down the paella trail again, it will be homemade...or at a restaurant, if I can find one that serves it!

Earl Cooks Cheese & Pickles Please - a Sandwich Just Like Mom Made - Sort of

The other day I was taking a short nap when I dreamt about a sandwich my mom used to make and I woke up craving it. It is a Cheese & Pickle Sandwich, with just a few simple ingredients you  usually have on hand. If it sounds weird, it does to my wife too.

—Besides the bread (I used my wife's homemade), all you need is a mild cheese (I chose Colby Jack but my mom always used mild cheddar), bread and butter pickles, and mayonnaise (I used a combination of mayo & horseradish on mine).
—Slice or shave your cheese very thin. You will be shingling it on the bread.
—Coat both sides of the bread with the dressing you choose. I think my mom would occasionally add mustard too, but I didn't need it with the horseradish.
—Layer the pickles on one side of the bread. Stackers are GREAT for a sandwich. Bread and Butter pickles taste best with the mild cheese. I love dill pickles but try it with bread and butter first. You may be surprised. Layer the cheese

slices on top of the pickles, top with the bread and cut on the bias.

This is a great sandwich when you don't want a PB&J. The only thing that might be a good addition would be lettuce, but it's not necessary! 

Earl Cooks Plastic Poached Eggs - the EGGSPERIMENT

I have struggled with poached eggs.

1. Because I love fried (steamed) eggs
2. They take more effort and time
3. They don't always work

But everywhere online and on TV the chefs want and use POACHED EGGS.
A few years ago, my wife (a.k.a."Turkey"), and I were on a Caribbean cruise and the meals were terrific. One of the passengers had a poached egg, I tried it, and I loved it. So much so that I had one for every breakfast after that, but I never thought much about about it until 2 things happened:

1. My dear mother, who poached an egg in milk for herself almost every day burned her pan and I bought her a new one, which she wouldn't use for fear of burning "that pretty new one". She passed away almost a year ago, and the last meal she requested of my sister included a poached egg. and...
2. I found several videos on YouTube showing easy or foolproof ways to poach an egg.

This is the one I found most intriguing because it made the egg hold it's shape perfectly. It worked! And here are the steps:

• Start with an empty ramekin. This will give you the shape
• Line it with heat resistant plastic wrap. Almost any that will work in a microwave will work here.
• Spray the wrap with non-stick spray. Add salt & pepper.
• Now crack a large or extra large egg into the plastic lined ramekin.
• Draw the plastic together, eliminating as much air as possible and twist plastic and secure with either a knot, a twist-tie, or as I did, with a small metal clamp. (these steps pictured above)

• Bring a pot of water to a boil and and turn down to a simmer. I live in a mountainous region, and our home is about 4,400 feet, so water boils at a lower temperature, about 180℉, not 212℉, as at sea level. You want it simmering, not a hard or rolling boil.
• Once the water it is at temperature, gently set the plastic wrapped egg into the hot water. Allow it to simmer for 4-6 minutes. 

Shown  Above: The perfectly shaped and
perfectly runny egg on a toast round

• Move it occasionally with a slotted spoon, and when done, remove and eat! 

This method works great and would be especially good if you were preparing many poached eggs rather than just one. You could poach and refrigerate the wrapped egg for later use and just drop back in some warm water to reheat but not long enough to cook.

Conclusion
 I will still fry/steam my eggs for most uses because they work almost everywhere poached eggs do, but if you were doing several Eggs Benedict for a brunch, this would work very well.

Earl Cooks Pork Rib Chunks & Gravy Over Potatoes with Asparagus

More often than not, I don't plan meals in advance. I think that having ingredients on hand inspire my day-to-day cooking. I had two applewood rubbed and roasted ribs (see my) post Jurassic Pork - Ribs 
and an idea was forming for the meal. I also had some sous vide asparagus which would make a great side dish. Since it was a weeknight and time was precious, I grabbed an envelope of pork gravy I had hiding in the back of the cupboard, and one of my favorite quick sides—Idahoan Potatoes.
 —Using the previously roasted ribs, I trimmed all of the fat and diced the ribs into ¾" inch pieces. 
—I made the gravy in a deep frying pan and added the pork to the gravy and heated it through.
—Next, I made the potatoes per package instructions, and added a tablespoon of REAL butter. My asparagus is cooked so I just need to heat it in the microwave and dinner is served!

Results & Conclusions
This was really good! I was fortunate to have prepared the asparagus sous vide earlier, and roasted the pork beforehand. You could say this was leftovers elevated. I don't know if I will make this again because I don't have any packaged pork gravy left!😃

Earl Cooks Not-So-Sloppy Joes

I couldn't tell you the last time I ate a sloppy Joe, and neither my wife (a.k.a."Turkey"), nor I could remember the last time, if ever, we had them at home in the last 40+ years. I don't recall my mother ever making them for us as kids either. I DO remember having them as a cheap replacement for burgers for school lunch and not caring for them then.Tonight I wanted to give them a try...with a twist.

 I had some good lean ground beef (85/15) and a can of Manwich® Thick & Chunky in the pantry. I decided to do it open-faced on Turkey's (a.k.a. my wife's) homemade bread. Since it was open-faced, I wanted to top it with some delicious Tillamook® brand Colby Jack cheese which I grated for easy melting. For a side dish, I had some multi colored carrots that I cooked sous vide which I added to the pan to reheat. (NOTE: When you sous vide multi color carrots, the darker carrots discolor the others, so if you intend to sous vide, separate by color!)
This meal turned out better than I could have hoped for, and my wife liked hers too (kind of ate it in her own way). This will be a good go-to week night meal.