What's For Dinner?

I do cheater homemade guac - fresh avocados, a squirt of lime juice, mix in your favorite salsa. I think I remember the Costco guac you're taking about. We used it once for an Xmas party we hosted.

The stuff they sell in bodegas around here is spicy, but tends to be tart. So, I'm trying to develop my own blend that has a good balance of sweet & heat without blowing the top of my head off. Hence, my working my way up the Scoville scale. Something that would go good with fish, poultry, pork, etc...T

 

Just pull up and lay on the horn.....NONSTOP. Or walk up to the house and flip the main breaker (like any place has them outside anymore ). Or walk up and start incessantly ringing the doorbell.

People who have no consideration of how much of my time they waste get no mercy from me.

 

Tomatillo salsa can be good. My farmer dude grew them last year. I took some one week and made salsa. Don't remember what peppers I added. Yours both look good at least.

 

Thanks, Jdubbya. The salsa verde, as expected, tasted better when it had a few days for the flavors to marry, develop.

BTW, you're the F-chat pepper guru. IIRC you had a recent post about using ghost chilies, do you use any special precautions when handling? Gloves? The one time I made a habanero salsa, I used nitrile gloves during prep. Any hot peppers you recommend before I jump into the deep end of the pool? I've only gone a hot as habanero...T

 

I think the company that had the salsa and guac at Costco went under.

Brother, sister in law and nephew are on the mainland grocery shopping. Meeting them in Richmond for Chinese food. Advantage of having a Chinese speaking sister in law, the really good Chinese restaurants cater to mainland Chinese clientele and most of the staff don't speak English. There is a controversy in Richmond over Chinese businesses signage, they don't have English on them. Some restaurants politely kick you out because the staff can't communicate with you and the menus don't have English. But if you have a Chinese person that can speak Chinese, its a great dining experience.

 

Well I don't know about guru level knowledge. That was actually the first time I worked with ghost peppers. I don't usually use any gloves but I am sure to wash my hands thoroughly after handling any spicy peppers.

For years I've been making stuffed jalapenos, sometimes in large batches for pot-lucks, work get togethers or whatever. Generally buy pickled jalapenos in a #10 can. It's funny because I can tell after cleaning a whole can how hot the peppers are by whether my hands are numb or not. They usually aren't that hot but once in awhile you end up with a hot bunch and whoo-hoo you have to be careful.

For these I cut a slit down one side and halfway across the top so it ends up like a T. Clean out the seeds and then stuff with whatever you like. My favorite is probably smoked salmon and cream cheese. A lot of folks love crab or shrimp. You can even do egg salad. Mix the salmon or crab or shrimp with cream cheese maybe some mayo and some shredded cheese. Add some basic seasoning and then way overstuff the peppers. Arrange on a plate and chill before serving. If it's for work or I'm taking them somewhere I usually do them the night before and put them on paper plates with another plate over the top to cover.

I made the pepper sauce last year and during the summer when I get fresh peppers I like just tossing them in stuff I'm cooking. Unless it's a really hot pepper I usually cut off a small slice and taste test it. The hotter the pepper the smaller the slice. Peppers can vary wildly depending on where they were grown, how ripe they are, and who knows what other conditions.

Whew that was pretty long winded but in general I try to use peppers with good flavor and not crazy heat. Then again I think maybe I'm losing my sensitivity to heat the older I get or something. Tabasco doesn't seem very hot to me any more. Keep experimenting and you will find the right combination that hits right where you like!!

 

That's about the way I like mine too. I tend to like a bit more lime though for that little bite. Those sauce ideas sound really good. There is a little Salvadoran place in my town and they have an avocado crema that you can get like a salsa. Very good and I think they probably go through more of that than any other "sauce".

 

Did you boil or roast the tomatillos? That makes a difference too. I think I roasted mine after peeling the sticky little bastards. I've seen it made both ways though. I think just like peppers the roasting adds another layer of flavor.

 

I dice my tomatillos, then sautee, usually with onions (last batch I used onion powder side I had no onions in the house) and then add garlic powder. I should treat them like peppers and roast. Good idea...T

 

I agree. But the company in Costco used the same technology I used on my food product. With this processing you didn't need all the additives for long shelf life.

Guacamole and Salsa - HPP Food Processing | Avure

Besides guac and salsa, I really dislike jarred store bought pasta sauces. I also buy the frozen tuna steaks at Costco for tuna sandwiches. Can tuna and salmon suck.

I'll try making the guac tomorrow. Have a sort of Tex mix dip deal our orchard managers wife made. All this guac and salsa talk has me craving chips.

 

I have actually found decent store bought guacamole but fresh homemade cannot be beat. Wish I could find the picture I took of the hot petite girl I was seeing back in the '90s making fresh guacamole in her Daisy Dukes.

I digress.

 

A few stores make some things in the store. My area in central Washington State, well its almost 30% Hispanic. One grocery store chain got smart and created a huge Hispanic foods section. They make a few things in store like tortilla's, etc. The made in store stuff is pretty good.

 

Lol
And I can't wait!
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Cute. Haaha.

I have a very nice sized filet of salmon I'll be cooking later on. Any one have any pointers on how to get a crispy top? The past few times I've tried I wasn't able to do it quite right.

 

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Yum.

 

Yes
Cast iron
Make the plating top the last cooking bottom

 

Kraft mac and cheese is basically a national dish of Canada. I do make it sometimes. I usually add more real cheese.

I don't know the restaurants name. Sign and menu in Chinese only. I like classic North American Chinese food. The restaurant didn't have sweet and sour pork. So my sister in law ordered something similar. It sounds weird, but it was very good. It was a sweet and sour like dish made with a grape sauce.

 

Guacamole is so fast and easy to make fresh.
I cannot comprehend buying it.

 

You might want to give it a shot but if you are "set in your ways" disregard. While you have a valid point there other factors that come into play that should not be ignored. Some area's are seasonal for mature/ripe fruits and veggies making the cost not worth the effort.

Guacamole barely has a lifespan of 4-6hrs before browning and ruining the entire batch, is usually over made (quantity wise) and becomes a waste of money.

I am not rambling because I have decades of experience.

 

I've bought the Costco guac in the past when we've had large parties and I didn't want to make five pounds of it. Not as good as fresh IMO, but it was certainly more than palatable. What they did to inhibit the Maillard reaction (browning) I do not know...T

 

I don't know what they added to the Costco stuff. But it was the best store bought around. It was just very good though. Homemade, in most things is always better over store bought. That pressure processing on juices, since no heat, the juices and milks, etc. tasted raw. The problem with processing liquids, the process was too long and you couldn't do mass volume.

Ended up having sushi regular menu. The restaurants are good here. But its not above average. For two people our bill was just over $70. Starting to think its not worth it!

 

The browning reaction cannot and should not be blamed on packaged store purchased guacamole, that opinion is simply ridiculous. Avocados brown and that is a fact of life.

 

I put it face down in a skillet for a few minutes and then in the oven for a few. It came out pretty good, thank you. I've always tried to broil it to get it crispy.




For a nice avocado spread, avocados, red pepper flakes, cumin, lemon, cilantro and sea salt. Topped off with a little EVO. Simple enough.

It's really not worth buying but I can't say I haven't.


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