Carnage du Jour - 15 May 2012

Why does tilapia get so little respect? I find it to be among the most versatile of fish options. It works well fried, broiled, baked, poached ... and the flavour profiles it can handle are nearly limitless as well.


Let me give you but the latest example.
My normal crust for frying is a simple mix of cornmeal and whatever spices seem right at the time, often just a nice amount of Old Bay. This time I had noticed that the jar of pistachios was nearly empty, so I grabbed what was left and chopped them with a knife, probably ending up with a scant tablespoon or so.
I mixed that with the cornmeal and Old Bay, pressed the wet fish into it, and gave it a nice fry in some hot canola oil. It was delicious. There was absolutely no need for any sauce - the fish had plenty of flavour itself, and the crust held in the juices, so it was moist and flaky.

What went with? A beautiful salad of mixed greens (some of the nice spicy varieties along with the romaine-type lettuces) and another dish that turned out extremely well.

It turns out that, much as Hooterville had the perfect soil for growing rutabagas, College Grove has perfect soil for growing sweet potatoes (they may be yams - I'm not totally clear on the distinction, frankly), and so my sister grew far more than her family could consume.

We lucked into a bag of those sweet potatoes on our last trip back from Florida, so it seemed time to use them up.
A quick wash, peel, and cubing, then into the oven they went with a bit of salt, pepper, and curry powder to roast with some chopped onions. It smelled great, and tasted every bit as good.

Definitely one to repeat!

Missing Sydney

Today should have been a day of celebration.
Sydney Williams should have been blowing out more candles on a cake, but he was taken from us, and from the work he was still Joyfully pursuing for his Lord.

We miss you, Sydney, as do the people of the Avenue Church in Newton Abbot, and countless others in Africa and elsewhere who have been touched by your generosity and love.

I'll meet you on the mountain, my friend.

RIP Chuck Colson

If you ever wanted to see a life that proved the possibility of repentance and renewal, his was definitely one.

From White House "plumber" to prison minister and tree angel, Colson was a witness to the transformative power of the Gospel.

He will be greatly missed.

Carnage du Jour - 03 April 2012

Pork Chops. There aren't many words that go together better than those two.

Ah, but how to cook them, and what to serve up alongside?
First, a pot of rice cooked in a nice vegetable stock (sadly, it turned out a bit too salty).
Next, some nice steamed fresh broccoli.
Finally, cook the chops by searing them with a bit of beau monde and chipotle powder on each side, then topping them after turning with some artichoke hearts, olives, and just a bit of pomodoro vodka sauce.

It was quite delicious!

Gaming Laptop?

Anyone know how good this one would be?

RIP Earl Scruggs

I never saw him play live, but without Earl, bluegrass music wouldn't be what it is. An amazing player, technically as well as musically, his fusion of many threads of banjo playing into what became known as Scruggs-style banjo led the way for many others to innovate from a higher plateau than they otherwise would have occupied.

What a band he's joining up there!

Carnage du Jour - 25 February 2012

Ground lamb patties? Yep - they look like a nice big burger patty, but the taste is something quite different and delicious.

I had come across a package of pre-cubed acorn squash in the market, and I decided that I didn't mind letting someone else do the knife-work, at least this once, so I bought it, along with a couple of lamb patties - about a pound each of lamb and squash in all.

So, how to put them together? First off I gave those squash cubes a bit of a sear in some canola oil, just to colour them up nicely, and then removed them from the skillet.
Next, in went the lamb to brown up most of the way, at which point the squash rejoined the party in the pan. A cup or so of lamb stock was added to the mix, along with some curry powder, some chipotle powder, and a bit of summer savory.
While all those flavours worked together to everyone's benefit, I reheated the tub of yellow rice with green peas from a few nights before.

I must say, as easy as it was, it was awfully delicious. Much recommended.