Whats for Dinner?

Some Fred Flinstone type pork chops


The "tomahawk chop"--a cut that has the St. Louis rib, the center loin, and a strip of fatback..yum!

This is a pretty rare find at the grocery store. I had to snag some as soon as I saw them--though they did trim quite a bit of the fatback off :(
 
Well then you're a lucky guy. Most grocery stores sell center cut loin and ribs separately, because that's the easiest way to process the pig.
Now that you mention it, I'm pretty sure the ones this store sells are beef, not pork.
Cows being what they are, this does mean they are hand-and-a-half or two-handed tomahawk chops, though.

--Patrick
 
I'd been going to this local Japanese restaurant for years, and never ordered the ramen. Partly because I usually got takeout, and also because as an Ugly American I thought of ramen as well, ramen. Then I did some googling and got a hankering for some real restaurant-style ramen. So I went to Yama in downtown Morgantown and ordered up a bowl of shoyu ramen...
 
My wife recently announced that she's "tired of meat".

Granted, I do cook a lot of steak/chop/slab of meat kind of meals, but she needs to keep her protein levels above a certain amount while keeping her starches below a certain amount, and it's difficult to do that with casseroles.

So, tonight: Stir fry asian veggies and Thai noodles with pan-fried tofu steaks.

She and my son both liked it and finished their plates.
 
My wife recently announced that she's "tired of meat".

Granted, I do cook a lot of steak/chop/slab of meat kind of meals, but she needs to keep her protein levels above a certain amount while keeping her starches below a certain amount, and it's difficult to do that with casseroles.

So, tonight: Stir fry asian veggies and Thai noodles with pan-fried tofu steaks.

She and my son both liked it and finished their plates.
What spices/seasonings did you use on the tofu?
 
Salted and pressed it, to firm it up. Dredged in flour and fried. Then, I brushed it with the same sauce I made for the stir fry: Soy, powdered ginger, a little sugar, a little fish sauce.
Sounds good. I've gone so far as to run tofu through my food dehydrator for a few hours to really firm it up, after pressing most of the water out.
 
Sounds good. I've gone so far as to run tofu through my food dehydrator for a few hours to really firm it up, after pressing most of the water out.
My steaks were pretty good, texture-wise, except for the very middle. That was still watery and crumbly.

This was my pressing setup: Cutting board with paper towels at one end to catch the water. Elevated using a spoon rest so the water would run downhill. Pressed with a baking dish filled with homebrew liquid malt extract (which is pretty dense and heavy) that I am turning into beer next weekend.



I basically cut my block of tofu in half lengthwise, and again along the Z-axis to make steaks of that size. I'll probably cut them into thirds on the thickness side next time, to ensure the very middle gets cooked/pressed properly.
 
This was my pressing setup: Cutting board with paper towels at one end to catch the water. Elevated using a spoon rest so the water would run downhill. Pressed with a baking dish filled with homebrew liquid malt extract (which is pretty dense and heavy) that I am turning into beer next weekend.
I've used those kits. Make sure that you get a pot that you can pour out of easily and completely so that it doesn't spill back and you lose some of the mix. Otherwise, I only have good things to say about the Mr. Beer kits. It's not craft brew, but it's a hell of a lot better than the swill I can usually buy.
 
I've used those kits. Make sure that you get a pot that you can pour out of easily and completely so that it doesn't spill back and you lose some of the mix. Otherwise, I only have good things to say about the Mr. Beer kits. It's not craft brew, but it's a hell of a lot better than the swill I can usually buy.
I've used Mr. Beer before..maybe 20 years ago. But I'm not a big beer drinker, so I think I only did it twice. Turned out fine, though.

I am hoping to show my wife how easy it is, so she gets into it, since she likes beer more than me. She already seems excited about making her own beer. Then I can reuse the Mr. Beer brewing keg as a 2-gallon carboy and get her to start trying her hand at hopping malt extracts (mr beer is kind of an "All in one" hopped malt extract kit), and maybe from there get her into boil-in-a-bag or all grain brewing. But who knows. She may love the Mr. Beer stuff and stick with just that, which is fine too.

I got plenty of brewing equipment..I make about 40-60 gallons of mead a year. Just trying to find something less intimidating to get her feet wet.
 
Salmon, mushroom and spinach pastry with a dill sauce. Yesterday was easier, barbecue chicken thighs with baked beans.

I'm getting pretty decent at this cooking thing.
 
I just ordered a bottle of Melinda's Naga Jolokia Hot Sauce. I've heard good things, so when I get it next week, I'll be quite eager to try it out.
 
Meat loaf and potatoes.

...I'm sorry, I meant bacon-wrapped meat loaf with cider vinegar/brown sugar/ketchup glaze and sliced baked potatoes* with butter, chives, cheese, and the leftover bacon.

--Patrick
*here's a link if you don't know what this is.
 
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