this is what my mom wanted for Mother's Day

handpies

We did an SCA workshop yesterday and took four kinds of handpies to share. The savory ones were filled with beef pot roast or chicken molé (which used the leftover sauce from the burritos). One type of fruit pie contained sweet potatoes with toasted pecans and coconut; the other had a mixed berry filling. We used Alton Brown's recipe for the pastry (weighed the flour and shortening, used skim milk), and got a good 15-16 per batch. All were well received, but since it was all rather rushed we forgot to take pictures. I'm sure there will be more later.

why we can't go into wholefoods to "just see what they have"

"oh look, they have sample sizes of cheese..."
and so we ended up having an improntu cheese tasting

The results:

**** We both ranked the Drunken Goat at the top; it was mild,

rather soft, and not overly salty.

**** Banik's other favourite was the Pyrennes, which I also liked.

**** My other favourite was the Hoch Ybrig, which smells

questionable but tastes good.

*** The Aussie Jack is a good, versatile Jack that we might use

in other things.

*** The Cotswold has chives in it, and might be good in something.

* The Habanero Cheddar was mostly just hot and didn't taste

particularly awesome.

* The Sottocenere has a nasty rind, and although Banik is fine

the cheese itself with it I think it just tastes like mold.

-

The sourdough is good. Maybe we'll have to try making a starter again...

Fried Calamari

This plate of calamari is the the only thing we have to show for over an hour of cleaning and prepping and cooking half a box of whole squid. They were delectible with a little red sauce, and eating them took far less time than prepping them.

The little tentacles were both crunchy and pleasantly chewy. They are my favourite part.

pork burritos with mole sauce

These things were not only awesome fresh but also cold the next morning for breakfast. We just put them on a plate, topped them with baby spinach, tomatoes, and crumbled queso blanco.


The mole sauce was made from:
- 1/2 jar Dona Maria green mole sauce
- a costco-size package of mushrooms, chopped and sauted
- salt added to above cooking mushrooms
- 2c. water
- 1T. chicken bouillon

The burritos themselves were made of:
- wheat tortillas
- refried beans
- seasoned pork, roughly shredded
- queso blanco

cuban-american panini

Like the Reubans that we posted a while back, we also made something that's sort of like a Cuban but not really. For lack of better terminology, I called it a Cuban American. They were pretty good sandwiches, and though we don't have a recipe I can tell you that to make one you can stack (read down as you stack up):

- wheat bread bottom

- boar's head american cheese

- chunks of pork

- a couple slices of speck (which is similar to prosciutto)

- homemade thousand island dressing for which there isn't really a recipe yet

- well-drained sourkraut

- dill pickle slices on Banik's sandwich

- more homemade thousand island

- wheat bread top

and obligatory cat pictures

Shade likes places that are warm and has taken to lying under the radiator in the bathroom. Someone (not me) put an old pair of lounge pants down there so he would also be insulated from the cold, cold tile.

And a rare macro of Chewbacca, who is like some sort of ninja at avoiding the camera sometimes. He can be completely asleep, but if you get out the camera he becomes a blur...