Lynda, they had Prom outside on the football field, and because it's a brand new field and stadium, no high heels allowed on the astro turf. You can't see the shoes, but she's wearing her Birkinstocks, her cousin Kaylynn is wearing Crocs, LOL. A lot more comfortable than heels, that's for sure! The theme? Under the Lights, which is appropriate. No fancy dinner or anything, and the pictures should be interesting, but it's still Prom. Graduation is next week, and it'll be outside too. She stopped by tonight to show me her hair and makeup, and her cousin Kaylynn came along, she's a senior too.

Double bonus, Kaylynn's Dad let them take the "go-fast" car, his fully restored 442. I think it's kind of an ugly car, but the girls thought it was better than a limo (which you definitely can't rent here), and argued over who "gets" to drive. Just the rumble when they pull in should turn some heads. (grin)

So your husband's a Michigan boy, is he? That would definitely explain the blueberries, they grow all over the place here with lots of "you-pick" farms.

Frozen curry cubes, I wouldn't have thought of that. That sure WOULD be convenient. I'll bet it would work with some other seasonings too.

So, what's for dinner? Burgers and some roasted butternut squash mixed with fennel. The squash has been in storage since last October, and I have eleven of them left, I'm astonished they've kept so long, I've never kept a squash for 8 months before. They are still good, and just seemed to get sweeter.

I've got venison thawing in the fridge right now, I'm going to try barbacoa tomorrow with venison in place of the beef, we'll see how that goes.

Annie

They look happy! I am so glad they are getting to have their prom. I suspect it is something they won't ever forget. One day, they will tell their grandchildren about going to prom and graduating during a pandemic.

DH and I both grew up in Los Angeles, but we spent our summers very differently. His parents were both from Michigan, so he always spent his summers there with his grandparents and extended family. He has great memories of picking blueberries and fresh corn. My parents were British immigrants, so we often went 'home' in the summer.

We finally got some sun yesterday, which motivated me to do a little gardening/harvesting.

Our first tomato harvest of the season. This one came from the seedlings we planted in the greenhouse.

For dinner, I made a braised pork in the dutch oven. I coated the pork with my dried herb mix, and then braised it in some of our wine, along with shallots and garlic. After it was done cooking, I added plum jam, ginger, crushed red pepper and allspice to the wine/garlic/shallots to make a tasty sauce.

As a side, we had some of our leaves with our tomato, radish, store bought cucumber and topped with feta and a creamy blackberry herb balsamic dressing.

Dessert was individual blueberry and nectarine crisps (Annie's recipe modified to add nectarines) with vanilla ice cream.

Oh, my, Lynda, that all looks wonderful. I'll be picking asparagus in a day or two and my leaves are coming along nicely in the hoop houses, but aren't quite ready yet.

I think the girls had a good time and it'll definitely be a story for the future, how they had Prom outside on the football field "Under The Lights", with no heels allowed on the astro turf, LOL.

It's definitely a small world, isn't it? A boy with family in Michigan and a girl with family in Britain meet in California. What a crazy triangle of places!

Here I had venison barbacoa on leaves, Elery had tortillas with his. Misfits keeps me stocked with all kinds of vegetables, so I try to use them up. I have a red cabbage and a couple of beets I need to use up next. Oh, and some zucchini too. I also bought a bag of the "horse gram" lentils at Mediterranean Island, I've got to find a recipe for those.

Annie

Today's nectarine harvest -

Last night's dinner was an epic fail - only barely edible. I attempted to air fry fish and chips, using a pinterest recipe. I ended up with a soggy, disgusting mess. So tonight, we returned to basics with cast iron NY steak and veggies, with fresh nectarines for dessert.

Annie, speaking of small world, I notice you have a Bragg product in your last misfits box. The Bragg ranch is in the hills behind our house, and Mrs. Bragg is very well known in our area. She recently sold her business to an investor group, but is apparently staying in her role.

Love all your harvest Lynda. Nectarines are a favourite

Annie so nice to see your grand daughter looking so lovely and grown up. May I also say Congratulations to you and Elery for your Anniversary I enjoyed your other thread and all the produce at Mediterranean Island . I remember with happiness your post when you went on that first date together. Someone mentioned ‘he’s a keeper’. I was still a lurker back then but regardless I liked reading your posts very much .

Well what’s for dinner.

This was savoury mince with mash and other veg, comfort food bliss

That was a fun share - the anniversary shopping. Probably the only store I miss these days is the international market.

I've missed a lot above, even Elery's asparagus pic showing size...

Day 6 cooking for Mom and Pop. It has been a daily ten course tasting menu. Brunch through dinner. Fortunately I prepped a few grain and bean salads ahead back home. Washed and dried greens...shocking this rental does not have a basic cutting board. Adequate kitchen but lacks most basics as found in most. Used a cardboard box first prep...then pinched a board from Mom.

They have had huge appetites and like everything even kimchi and kombucha. We have brought them over to our beach rental and taken meals I've prepped to their home.

I always pack a basic 'kitchen-in-a-crate' but missed the mark on this one. I've started a list if we do this again soon. Thankfully I packed my small cast iron and a 4 quart enameled dutch oven. A few knives. Nice house overall. One level so Dad can shuffle around fine. Nice sunroom and two outdoor decks front and back. Mother is an energizer bunny - zipping around, cleaning up, loves watching me prep...so I plan to make mini muffins with her tomorrow.

Day one I put out small plates/bowls of various nibbles like a dim sum table. Testing their palates.

Wednesday today and a planned free day for us. DH went crabbing. Hot and 85º. I've been stressed seeing Pop shuffle like a turtle. I have house glue and needed rest.

Soft shell crabs and oysters for us tonight.

Seafood chowder for Mom and Pop tomorrow. Various salads.

We have had crab cakes, salmon croquettes, cod cakes, oyster stew...all mini but Mom ate much more than expected. They even liked the mini packets of seaweed nori snacks. (Misfits)...so I will leave them with a dozen.

Do they ever love the watermelon, cuke/red onion pickle, feta salad. Hijiki salad. Quick pickles....

It still stuns me that fruit and tomatoes are ready in May. Lynda, I really enjoy reading your posts, I learn a lot.

Annie, that is my kind of prom!! Held outside wearing runners under a lovely dress!

Sleeve, you're really busy preparing meals!! How wonderful to do that for your parents, they'll love every morsel.

Neely, I made a beef mince to put in my pasties a number of weeks ago.

Seems that we skipped spring and headed right into summer. I hate summer, and I really don't like it in the middle of May. Currently in the mid 20'sC. Our long weekend is this weekend and the temperatures are going to be 29-30C with feeling like 34 with the humidity. (93F). I'm not ready for that sh*t at all!

I breaded some chicken tenders and baked them and had them over a salad today for dinner. It was pretty scrumptious. There are yellow peppers, celery and onions in there among the leaves. And of course eggs. I love eggs in salads. I'll have to think of more meals like this for the next week.

Sleeve, it sounds like you are having an amazing vacation. Getting to see your folks and cook, is perfect for you.

Jasdip, that is my kind of salad. I like egg on my salad too

We've suddenly got summer weather again. I like warm weather so it is ok with me. This is last night's dinner, which was SV, then pan seared chicken breast with spicy plum sauce and a blueberry, feta, and toasted almond salad.

Today, I made some more herb blend. I am loving using the dehydrate feature in the 'little oven'. This was thyme, basil, marjoram, oregano and rosemary.

Garrett wanted me to post his picture. So this is his lunch - prosciutto, EVOO and crackers. I think I am turning him into a foodie.

The final product -- wine braised lamb roast and dolmas. Also, our first outdoor meal of the season.

You folks are killing me. Looks so good.

I made a cat ball pizza.

edit: no, nota cat all. A catch all. Auto correct is so imaginative.

I love lots of basil. Underneath— artichokes, black olives, Italian tomato, Vidalia onion,

spices, cheeses.

see that ugly nail polish? It is actually an acetone based nail polish like “liquid bandage.” Inexpensive, stings initially, but better for a cook than a traditional bandaid. Does your come off, stops hangnails from hurting, stops blood from dripping onto your sushi. More sanitary.

Petalique, That pizza looks yummy. I love basil on a pizza. I haven't seen sesame seeds in pizza crust before. I will have to give that a try.

Tonight, was another greek meal to go along with our leftover dolmas from yesterday. We had BBQ Lamb skewers, hummus, pita, dolmas and a bottle of our homemade (from kit) Cab Sauvignon. We had planned to eat outside, but it is very windy, so we will try again on the weekend.

Lamb and dolmas season! Do you have a favorite filling?

Eggs are excellent in a salad and we love olive, artichoke, and prosciutto on a pizza. Finally have some basil looking good enough to harvest some when we get back home if the heat has not killed it.

Amazing weather here. 75º-80º with a coastal breeze.

I'm not getting plating/dinner table shots as I had wanted. Hectic with non-stop chatter and questions...and the "what's that?...huh?". Cooking is a good distraction and appreciated. Every meal puts one or two meals in their freezer. Win-win.

Soft shell crabs and oyster prep. Oysters all the ways we can think of. (left over lunch salad)

Long weekend cooking. I had the chance to make dinner out on the balcony. Grilled vegetables

and treated myself to a steak. The steak was delicious, a bit undercooked for me, but tender as anything. I only ate half, so it's just as well it's rare, as it should be perfect when I reheat.

Perfect summer meal Jasdip.

Sleeve, Glad you are enjoying the trip and family. I'd soak up every minute of it and not worry about getting photos! My favorite filing for a dolma is with lemon (zest and juice), fresh dill and spring onions. I used sushi rice last time, which was a nice change from my usual basmati.

We are thinking about getting a vertical smoker. We've been enjoying progressing in our cooking skills and techniques (bread, SV, sausage making, convection/air fry) and that seems like a good next challenge for us. Any tips in buying or using one? From what I have seen so far, they are either gas or electric, digital or analog, and with or without a viewing window. We would like to smoke meats, sausage and fish. We already have a grill and a Santa Maria Style BBQ, so just looking for something to use for smoking.

Today's harvest - various radishes.

So lovely to see your photo from your holiday cooking Sleevendog. Great that you are spending time with your parents.

Jasdip your photos look spot on and of course delicious as well.

Lynda love your table setting and plating of the lamb skewers. Yummy too.

Petalique had a laugh about the auto correct cat ball pizza. For a second I thought it might have been something I hadn’t heard about. Yuk, but any way the pizza looked and sounds delicious.

We have been having our tried and true meals. I do have plans to cook a couple of more adventurous meals but you know, one day.

The meal below was a peculiar sort of bland but OK meal, fish, puréed cauliflower, pumpkin, broccoli and Brussel sprouts

Below one of DH favourites Roast pork, with the lot. I made a fresh salsa to have with it instead of apple sauce

Below Good old sausage, nuked potato and salad.

I also made some cinnamon scrolls.

Nice to see that grill back in action. Adore grilled veggies. And excellent as a second meal. After so much seafood we had lamb sausage pappardelle last night.

Our last all day 'grazing' meal with Mom and Pop. I prepped at the beach house for easy plate and serve some apps. Big platter of quick pickles, another watermelon salad. Roasted/spiced chickpeas. They said they had just had lunch but we had not eaten anything yet. So I cast iron seared us some salmon croquettes I had prepped. Dad complained that he only got one. 🙄 but they loved it. (I put some in their freezer). I made a massive wild rice/grain/bean salad over massaged lacinato kale. (mayo/lemon/vinegar). Loved it. Dad wanted more but I hid a container in there fridge. Then made an excellent seafood chowder. Shrimp, lump crab, and oysters. Dad had three bowls.

Leek, celery, corn, diced potato...white wine, clam juice, paprika, cayenne, but did not have that classic tBsp of tomato paste. Still excellent.

Dad ate dog treats again. 😂. I cleaned out the beach house fridge and pantry of greens/veg/snacks and had them piled up near their phone counter so they could see what I brought and Mom could put them away where she wants. Misfits sent some dog treats by mistake. Perfect timing since we use treats when traveling if they get fussy or bark if a stranger stops by. The bag was open. Dad has got to try everything. "What is this?"..."Dog treats", "Huh?, dog treats!?"...."Crickets Dad"..."Like the bug?". "Yes Dad, you just ate bugs".

LOL Sleeve! Your dad is sure adventurous!

I buy dehydrated liver treats for the cat and will put some in my pocket when I visit a friend and their dog. I keep forgetting to take some with me on my walks, I love talking to every dog I meet.

He can't read fine print. He thought is was a cookie for humans, 😂...just like every visit, he gets into the dog treats. I could see him trying to chew on a pizzle thinking it is beef jerky. "What is it?, a bull what?"

Last night after a long drive I made baked feta. I made it as an appetizer last week for the folks. One of my Dads favorite. It is a classic Mediterranean dish. Served with toasted baguette rounds. Cherry toms, olives, over chopped kimchi, (my addition) but completely forgot the lemon wedges and quartered artichoke hearts and parsley. Best with lots of fresh basil garnish. Or dill. Darn, I forgot I have fennel.

Feta Bake with grilled Lamb Sausage.

Annie, the cherry tomatoes were from Misfits above. 9 days after delivery. I took a chance but also had a pack delivered from AmazonWholeFoods. I left so much with the parents, but brought some salads and greens back with us. I swear by the wash then 'cut the stem ends a 1/4 inch and soak' method. A couple hours. Just the ends in cold water.

Surprised they liked micro greens. A half dozen trays of the fast growing pea shoots, sunflower sprouts and radish. The radish was 'out of sight, out of mind' behind the sunny sunporch rattan chair. Dead flat when I remembered. They bounced back in about six hours with a good drink of water. Always surprises me.

Good grief, 😂, an expensive beach rental without salt and pepper. So glad I brought my s&p blends last minute. I'm guessing a recent visitor may have ruined the cutting board by putting it in the dishwasher? Not even a cheap dollar store one to be found. I did think to use an upside down dresser having a dozen in the house but did the cardboard that first day, with parchment on top, then borrowed a good cutting board from Mom. (I packed parchment)

Mom gave me my her mothers crab/lobster pot, whoot whoot! Big and double tiered enameled. Mint condition. The rental had a crap RachelRay three piece scratched cheap teflon set. As expected. No complaints at all.

I've got my eyes on another rental that is 50$ cheaper and seems more cook friendly for the next visit...maybe October. Everything is booked through September.

Misfits got back to me this morning about setting up an account for them. Dad could not navigate the site, (bad eyeballs) and Mom has no computer skills. Never learned.

I can do it from home here. Pay for it and maybe once a month. So thrilled watching my mother watching my prep, a mini watermelon "that's too cute to cut!", and various vegetables she did not know existed...they don't really get the raw diet. And we are not that much raw but they loved it.

The new Misfit system confused me for a bit. If you don't order the minimum, they don't send. Simple as that. (I think) I can send my parents a treat box once a month. No clue they like avocado....too expensive. I do know their palates now, likes and dis-likes.

Real eye opener what they like! Dad loves soft shell crabs, (huh?) and I know Mother likes crab anything. They both love all things oyster. Who knew the like avocados but he is to frugal to buy them. I left them a quart of AC vinegar with the 'mother'.

I'll send them things Pop is too cheap to buy. He has been doing the grocery shopping for the past 5-6 years.

We are setting up a daily caretaker to help with shopping and daily chores....he should not be driving!!! Yikes.

I made soft shell crab and oyster sliders last night. A fennel/yellow beet/red onion/cabbage slaw. Roasted cauliflower and 'chips'.

Soft shells might just be my favorite meal ever. Right up there with the lobster roll.

Lots of great cooking going on! Sleeve's seafood chowder and soft shell crab and Neely's cinnamon swirls all caught my eye.

We tried out a new toy yesterday. For $11 on Amazon, I got this small smoker box. We filled it with wet pieces of oak and placed it over the flame on our propane grill. We put some SV'd beef on the other side of the grill and put the lid down. Our whole back yard smelled amazing. The beef was more well done than we liked, but the smoked flavor was good.

This was my salsa harvest this morning. We have tons of jalapeno, onion and key lime, just enough tomatoes, and virtually no cilantro, so the cilantro had to be store bought.

^my cilantro is coming up gangbusters and I have just a few ripe cherry tomatoes, (I started, like every year, some micro and dwarf tomato varieties in early February)...on my kitchen deck. Garden heirlooms I will not see ripe until early July.

-cilantro will bolt soo fast if this heat keeps up🙄. I should just start more in succession. Keep it in a shady spot. Oy, so much to do in the hot early Spring.

I think I'm liking the new Misfits method with prices. I needed to choose during my out of town vacation trying to help Dad navigate with me. I just wanted to hit the target amount....he got lost so I'll do it from here and call it a gift.

My only comparison is AmazonPrimeWholeFoods. It really is 30-40% cheaper now seeing pricing. My last box had a few extra giant red leaf heads as if it was packing material.

My parents salads for 50 years have been a bit of romaine/iceberg, a sliced small red radish, a few slices of waxed peeled seeded cucumber, and a quartered tasteless fridged Roma tomatoes in the plastic sleeve. No flavor so it needs a big glunk of bottled dressing....Diner style. They have always had a healthy diet of fresh but mostly boiled/steamed. Frozen greens are easy.

No way will they make miso-toasted-sesame-dressing-slaw, but the quick pickles they will do no problem. No different than their usual salads but fun ingredients they are not used to...

I'll send every three weeks or once a month...

I'm frustrated and having a pity party. Out on my walk yesterday and I turned to speak to and pet a dog. My ankle turned off the edge of the sidewalk. Hurts, I'm icing it, elevating etc. Not what I wanted on our long weekend. Yesterday morning I put clothes out on the line and in the afternoon I had to bring them in. Hanging onto the railing for dear life, walking sideways one step at a time 3 flight.

A friend is taking me to the walk-in clinic tomorrow for xrays. I'm sure, and really hoping it's just sprained but she doesn't like it when I mentioned my toes are swollen.

Even though I don't feel like cooking at all, standing at the stove browning etc I had taken out some chicken a couple of days ago.

This is a real keeper.....lemonjuice, cream, parmesan, baby spinach.

Petalique, that pizza looks amazing, even if it is "cat ball" pizza, LOL.

Lynda, pretty radishes. I only learned to cook them about 10 years ago, now I eat more than I have the entire rest of my life! And that's an odd thing about cilantro, it's always ready before I have ripe tomatoes and then it's gone by the time the tomatoes are ripe. I buy it for salsa. (sigh)

Neely, the roast pork looks delicious and the cinnamon scrolls are perfect. I need to make some for my Mother, she's here for a few more days.

Sleevendog, I'm still deciding whether I like the change in Misfits. I get my first "new" box tomorrow...

Soft shelled crabs are one of those things I've never tried and I keep looking for an opportunity, but they are very unusual around here, of course. I had to laugh at your Dad eating the dog treats, I remember once my little sister ate a Milk Bone in the grocery store thinking it was a cookie, and cried like crazy when my Mother took it away, LOL.

Jasdip, I hope your ankle heals quickly. Even if it's "just" a sprain, I was told once by an orthopedic doctor that a serious sprain can hurt as much as a broken bone, and take nearly as long to heal. Be careful with it.

Your steak looks good, with all those vegetables, and so does the chicken.

Here we're back on the Weight Watchers regimen. I haven't eaten anything worth talking about or taking pictures of and nothing is ready in the garden other than spring onions, lettuce and asparagus. (shrug)

The Princess' graduation ceremonies were this weekend, and I made a German Chocolate cake and some homemade strawberry ice cream with dark chocolate chunks. It looked good, but I didn't eat any. Somehow it managed to get all eaten anyway:

Mother is here for several days, and she doesn't want to eat anything, so we'll see what happens...

Annie

wow, the princess grew up fast ...

Congrats to the Graduate! That's a happy gorgeous smile!

That sounds so painful. Nothing worse than foot injuries because of mobility. I fractured my left ring finger last week. So painful for about 24 hours. Wrapped with splint, then not much pain unless bumped or touched. No longer purple and swelling gone for the most part....hope you heal quickly.

Your cast iron chicken looks good.

I think I like the new system Annie. Second box just delivered. I made my veg selections Friday. With just a couple pantry items. Order is locked in. Then had the weekend to add on if anything new shows up. I like seeing the prices. The same cherry tomato brand is 1.49 Misfits and 3.99 Amazon. Good olives for the pantry. I added the olli chorizo. 5.99 Misfits, 11.99 iGourmet.

I made a frittata last night like I do when I need to clean out the crisper expecting the next veg box. Always good.

Really nice box. I made my order with Dad watching last Friday. I thought he could follow with such big pictures but no deal. I'll do it for them from home here.

Totally missed we have a holiday weekend. I would have ordered a few more cherry toms. Very fresh. Though everything I need for my menu. Just a few fully vaccinated friends over on Sunday. The two golden beets weigh in at 3pounds.

I have yet to make a frittata and when you showcase yours, Sleeve I keep getting reminded.

I made sloppy Joe's and cut way down on the meat and added lentils. Along with the usual onion celery and garlic it was very good.

Congrats to Annie on the graduation. She does look really happy!

Jasdip, I hope your ankle is feeling better.

We did some harvesting today. I am always amazed how much food we produce in a suburban backyard.

Today's harvest was tomatoes, Jalapeño, chard, lemons, valencia oranges, key limes, olallie berries, blackberries, blueberries, apples, nectarines, grape leaves, basil, rosemary, thyme, oregano, and marjoram.

Fantastic harvest Lynda.

Loved reading all your cooking adventures with your parents Sleeve.

Annie, like everyone else, can’t believe the Princess is so grown up. Congrats to her.

Jasdip, I’ve always wondered why it’s called sloppy Joe’s and not sloppy Joe. Whatever it’s called it looks yummy.

Old fashioned Chow Mein... we love our veggies

Yum, a plate of greenery. The garden haul is impressive! So much fresh fruit varieties at one time. Who knew. We usually get some overlap of just two or maybe 3.

Sounds good with some lentils. That would be good in a spaghetti squash I have not yet gotten to. It is 'Joe' referring to one, singular. A childhood family favorite in the US. "we are having Sloppy Joe's"... "I'll have a Sloppy Joe".

This was fun. Made Oyster Imperial. (that does not really exist) but basically a cross between a Pan Roast and a Dressing. Made in my Grandmothers Crab Imperial ceramics...1940's crab ceramics. I think they were made in Virginia or maybe Annapolis, MD.

So good!...with a side salad

Love those dishes. How great to keep them in the family.

This was our smoked beef brisket, with a pan sauce and grilled mini peppers. We served it with a blueberry, feta, toasted almond salad with a blueberry balsamic vinaigrette.

This was a pan seared salmon over lemon garlic basmati rice with a hollandaise sauce and air fried peppers and onions.

I also made some chunky nectarine jam that I canned. I left the skins on, giving it a beautiful color.

Last night, I made mixed berry crumble with ollalie, blackberry, raspberries and a few blueberries. I forgot to take a picture, but it was the best we have had so far. The mixture of berries made for a really complex flavor.

We had such a fun day. We visited Hearst Ranch winery, tried some great wines and enjoyed their farm to table food truck.

Hearst Castle is still closed, if you look carefully, you can see it in the background in the picture below. Sadly, this is as close as you can get these days.

Stopped at farmer's market for some great produce and fresh breads. Our asparagus is done for the season, but these we bought were huge.

Dinner tonight was SVd then pan seared salmon with nectarine basil pepper salsa over basmati rice and spinach.

Dessert was nectarine crumble.

It was good, but not as good as last night's mixed berry version.

We are having our Christmas dinner tonight. It was postponed by Covid and we’ve only just been allowed to have the kids to visit indoors and to stay overnight. Goose, stuffings, pigs in blankets, gravy, bread sauce, cranberry sauce, Christmas pudding and brandy butter .... in the garden! Different veggies though because the traditional parsnips, sprouts, and butternut are out of season. So it’s spinach, asparagus and carrots. And roast potatoes, of course. As well as the Christmas pudding we’re also having a summer pudding in deference to the season. My own asparagus is barely out of the ground yet but farmers use poly tunnels to get it out early.

^Nice idea to have a holiday feast to celebrate the lifting of some restrictions.

Your salsa is gorgeous Lynda. Good looking asparagus!. Garden fresh. They must have harvested that morning.

We had to cancel our gathering with friends today. I started prepping Friday night...but it has not stopped raining and the temps dropped 30º down to the 40's. Brrr. After nearly two weeks of 65-80º. Rain does not let up until Tuesday.

Had an old favorite not prepared in over a year(?)....in favorite cast iron bowls/plates I've not used in eons. I only have the two and so odd to decide what to use them for. They get so darn hot used in the oven for a bake....I so wish some restaurants would use something similar. Less than hot food is often a problem.

Mediterranean Cod

Lynda, I love your day of traveling and what wonderful meals!!!

Cod......what a delightful dinner Sleeve.

I haven't done much cooking this week at all. Staying off my foot as much as possible, just standing at the stove is a pain. So mostly soups etc from the freezer.

It's so much better today, almost a week. I'm able to navigate up and down the stairs with little pain.

I tried a new slow-cooker recipe.......a keeper!!!!

Pork chops cooked in a glaze of ketchup, soy sauce, brown sugar and sambal olek. Delicious! The chops were moist and tender. Here's the recipe for those that might want it.

slow-cooker pork chops

Jasdip, I'm interested in your recipe, but have someone who can't do really hot or spicy food. Any suggestions for keeping the flavor and omitting or reducing the chili sauce?

Hi Lizbeth! I used a heaping tbsp of the hot chili sauce and it was just right. I don't do hot and spicy but I do like flavour. I'd put it in, try 1/2 tbsp even, or just cut down on the brown sugar. You could mix it in a bowl prior to putting it in the slow cooker and just taste it till you find it's right for your friend.

Hundreds of recipes for chili sauce you might have in your pantry. Basically tomatoes, paste or tinned or fresh, vinegar, onion and garlic, fresh or powdered...and a few spices of choice. Coriander, cumin, sweet or smoked paprika, or both....just leave out the hot pepper. Fresh you will need a blender or cuisinart. (even a rich of cayenne should not be noticeably spicy)

Good brisket last night. 2 hour smoke, then into the oven covered, low and slow, on a bed of sliced onion and white wine. White wine made a nice 'gravy' and gorgeous onions. Fresh horseradish cream. cucumber and red onion quick pickles, fennel golden beet, kimchi slaw, 'baked' beans...not sweet...but spiced and baked with the brisket gravy.

I had a half a dozen more salads and sides planned for the canceled gathering. No biggie. Just making them over the 3 days for just us. A bit rusty party planning so this has been a good dry run...with many notes.

Jasdip, Your pork chops look great.

Sleevendog, I am sorry to hear that you weren't able to have your gathering. Your brisket looks great. We finally decided on a smoker and it arrives tomorrow. Hopefully, with the right tools I can improve on my last attempt.

Floral, your Christmas in May sounds so lovely. I am glad you got to visit with your family.

Saturday's activity was another winery, this one with a great live band and a food truck serving street tacos, set amongst the vines and oaks.

I am making my way through our harvested produce. Last night's dinner was SV then pan seared chicken breast with bruschetta, garden salad with a nectarine balsamic vinaigrette, and apple tart.

I’m so far behind but wanting to stay in touch. Signing in continues to be problematic. Lost the first post.

Our dinner was stir fry chicken and veg... no rice. We are trying to do low carb for a while.

Neely, your chicken stir fry is the perfect low carb dish. I am sorry that you are still having trouble signing in.

Our smoker arrive yesterday and we are excited to try it. Today we are going to smoke some pork ribs for dinner. In anticipation, I was up early this morning, before work, to make a rub and turn our nectarines into a spicy BBQ sauce.

We came home to even more nectarines and apples, so I made another large batch of nectarine jam, as well as the BBQ sauce.

Our berries are just now harvestable. These are Ollalie and blackberries which all ended up in a pie for tonight.

So sorry Neely is having sign in issues. Maybe try a new tab link using this?, HERE

Her sunset is 5.15pm..? Crazy we are into spring/summer months...8pm sunset here....

Look at that gorgeous crust. I keep forgetting to check my raspberries. I think you will love the smoker. I gave similar as a stocking stuffer for DH over the holidays, (we don't gift but often some surprizes)...it was last minute but came with everthing so we smoked that day in the snow on the back deck off the kitchen...cheese, salmon...45 minutes, the salmon from frozen!

Kitchen sink bake with super crispy salmon last night. I left all my veg with my parents last day visit. So had a few things like leek and fennel they would not know what to do with. A package of bacon tips remnants, excellent, (just used a 1/4 of the package)...seared the salmon in the bacon fat. So crispy yet rare on the other side. Not pretty but delicious and good lunches today.

Usually an egg dish the day before veg delivery. But want to make marinated eggs tonight.

Leek, red pepper, edamame, corn off the cob, cherry toms, feta, lemon ...

I like the new Misfits system. Tried the meat/fish trials. Rock solid frozen NYstrips, chicken thighs i will smoke tomorrow for a chicken salad...two atlantic cod fillets. Bacon. Small portions so no re-packing. (we prefer our local farm share but we suspended being out of town) and have to order a larger amount per delivery. First strip steak in months! looking forward but so solid deep frozen it may be a couple days.

Good timing placing a minimal order, then added some greens and pantry items. Sent a box to mother she just opened. Adorable she is over the moon getting greens and baby watermelon and things she had when we visited...purple radish, persian cukes, golden beets, Braggs AC vinegar...they have never had lacinato kale. Misfits let me use my 20$ off code to send them a box and i'll get 20$ off my next box. I'll send them a box maybe once a month.

I did not need much to meet my minimum. With the meat trial. Two leeks off camera are enormous. Sent the same grain blend to dad. He will love it. He makes a mixed grain every few days. Sadly she boilded to death the 2 pounds of garden sugar snaps i left in their fridge... served all week visiting in a mixed quick pickle they loved. Oh well, 😂

My baby seedless cukes and the small lemon cukes are a few months away...we have been so obsessed with the raw foods all winter...Dad said he was most digested normal in years the week we vistied providing all day meals....9.15 am, boom, lol. Snacking on raw veg quick pickles he plans to continue...boom.

Miso Roasted Spaghetti Squash Soup Marinated Eggs. Another eggs peeling issue but salvaged.

As good a place as any to post this…

That smoker is amazing. How did I not have one before?!?!? Easily the best ribs we have ever had and it was very easy.

We also loved the spicy nectarine BBQ sauce, so that recipe is a keeper. I made it from fresh nectarines, and a frozen puck of our orange juice. The recipe called for making it from jam, so I will be able to use up my nectarine jam when we are outside of nectarine season.

We served it with store bought corn on the cob and the pie I made yesterday.

Sleeve, Can you tell me more about the salmon you have been smoking? We obviously eat a lot of fish, so it would make sense for us to figure out how to utilize the smoker to change things up a bit. I know exactly what you mean on the fresh produce. I have felt so much better now that fresh produce is a part of our daily diet.

We are smoking salmon tomorrow. On a cedar plank.

Try a weekend of 'piggy-backing'. Saturday or a Sunday. A day off from work.

I think you might have at least four trays? like ours....?

Push the experimenting. In one go. A good way to learn quick.

Freeze a small cake pan or small bread pan full of water....block ice.

Top shelf, a two inch slice of good white cheddar, and a ball of decent 'frozen' mozzarella (trust me, lol) Top rack of cheese over the ice.

Ice needed a rack, so third rack down had salmon, 4 small fillets straight from frozen. (Alaskan sushi grade). Smoker temp was 180º.

Nothing drips onto the other...nervous?, place on parchment.

Bottom we easily fit a small chicken.

Full on good smoke...took off the cheese after 30 minutes. The salmon after 45. Chicken an hour 15, two trays of wood chips. Then finished in the oven.

Salmon was perfect but i crisp the skin in a cast iron. It was rare-medium.

Two shrimp wrapped around a scallop...a good kiss of smoke but not overpowering. No dip, oil, dressing, marinade needed. Probably 30 minutes?

We have grill/smoked for 30 years on a wood fired side fire box. Knee deep in snow this past holiday, we smoked on the deck just three feet out the kitchen door...yeehaw. (with the new smoker)

DH used to over-season/over-marinate/over-smoke/way too spicy...too salty and too smoked....i took over 15-20 yrs ago and it is all much better. (it was a boy thing...more is better) 😂...he gets it now so no issues or family drama.

Our smoker came with a brillant 1970's cookbook. Tried and true stuff...

Oh, we hit a hundred!...