Search results

Rice made an appearance in the monthly challenges back in September, 2014. Challenge List I figured this grain known around around the world was worth revisiting. So have at it. Paella, risotto, arroz con pollo, sushi, Rice Krispies treats. Middle East, India, many different countries and...

It seems that when I used the last of my BTB Au Jus base the other day, it really was the last of it. Looks like they no longer offer that flavor, which was basically their beef base with some red wine flavor. Not a major, show stopping development, but I for one will miss it. mjb.

Exactly the same but completely different. Actually it is kind of hard to tell from this phto how much white salt is in this white mortar, but trust me, it's there. mjb.

My current stove situation: Thinking of adding some sort of vent hood over it. Any suggestions, recommendations, been there, done that, don't do it comments? mjb. ps: I've heard that spices stay fresh longer if stored in cool, dark places.

Wow! I've not seen brisket for anything close to this price for years! Of course I bought one. Now, what am I going to do with it? Perhaps cut in half, one pice becomes pastrami, the other classic smoked BBQ? mjb.

Saw this technique somewhere on the net, anyone tried it? Freezing fresh, chopped basil leaves in olive oil. Theory is you pull one or two cubes out when needed, get that fresh basil flavor in whatever you're making. Guess I'll see how it goes. And how do you pronounce 'basil'? Bay-sil...

mjb.

I really like my 22" Weber Kettle charcoal grill. Lately I've been wondering whether or not it would be worth it to get a rotisserie adapter for it? It's basically a ring the size of the kettle that fits on top of it, and the lid fits on top of that. It has a big skewer, a couple of...

So I have been toying with the idea of getting a new gas range. Our current one has some issues, though in truth it serves my modest needs. I'm browsing around on the net and see this...

A rough draft of a fairly complete list of the monthly challenges. Still need to fill in a lot of the host's names. And it might be nice to have a link to a photo of the winning dish in each challenge. And maybe break each year into its own table. Hopefully some of you will find it useful...

Liberté, égalité, fraternité mjb.

I am weary of orange barrels.

I enjoy watching cooking competition shows. Currently watching season 8 of Masterchef. It gets pretty hectic as the clock winds down and the contestants have just seconds to go to finish up their presentations. Here, you won't have that problem. No need to worry about seconds, or minutes, or...

So the July 2020 Challenge theme is Italy. That encompasses a pretty broad culinary spectrum. And as @nicko pointed out, it is a short term challenge. A significant sector of cuisine in Italy is salumi. Various types of salami, pepperoni, bresola, prosciutto and such. These are dried...

Randall knife

So I just ordered the book "Sharp" by Josh Donald of Bernal Cutlery in San Francisco. I probably should have asked BEFORE laying my money down, but is it a good book worth having? mjb.

So this recipe uses goat cheese. This cooking show had someone do a dish with goat cheese on a salad. Is there really only 1 kind of goat cheese? When you go to the cheese counter at, say, Whole Paycheck Foods, do they have just two offerings - goat cheese or cow cheese? Seriously??? mjb.

So we had some serious wind gusts here in Salt Lake the other day. Not good for my backyard. I'm really glad it didn't damage the garage, or any good cars. What a mess. One thing that may or may not be damaged is my old offset barrel smoker. I won't really be able assess its condition...

So in the May challenge I made some blackened catfish. You may recall I told the tale of how when the butter soaked fish hit the insanely hot cast iron griddle it burst into flames. Flames were not a problem, easily blown out. But the entire house was filled with smoke for hours afterwards...

So here's a question that just came out of the blue. I'm sure many of you know the technique of putting a bone in, room temp standing rib roast into a 500F oven, letting it cook for 5 minutes per pound. So a 5 pound roast would go 25 minutes, then you turn off the oven and don't mess with it...