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Another pizza experiment tonight. Tried Stonefire thin artisan pizza crusts with San Marzano recipe sauce and a mix of mozzarella and mild cheddar cheeses. The pepperoni was in a 450° oven for 7 minutes; the loaded one was more like 10 minutes on a stone. Both were very good, despite the fact that I piled on too much cheese!
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Beautiful day here in South Central PA! Need to start incorporating some more lean protein into my diet, so with the weather it was a no brainer to fire up the grill. Tuna steak seasoned w/salt and pepper, tossed romaine lettuce salad with a few ripe tomatoes and some ho-made ranch dressing (all out of blue cheese crumbles).

Overdid the tuna a bit, but it was very tasty!

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We had a lovely grass-fed ribeye steak, dry-brined and seared in a cast-iron pan, then seasoned with garlic and smoked paprika. Also mushroom risotto; sauteed fennel; and sauteed/braised broccoli with fresh garlic and lemon. My picture was meant to show that I managed to get it to med-rare, but the pic does not show it well! Oh well, Varis can take false solace! :)

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We had a lovely grass-fed ribeye steak, dry-brined and seared in a cast-iron pan, then seasoned with garlic and smoked paprika. Also mushroom risotto; sauteed fennel; and sauteed/braised broccoli with fresh garlic and lemon. My picture was meant to show that I managed to get it to med-rare, but the pic does not show it well! Oh well, Varis can take false solace! :)

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Wish I could use my cast iron skillet more often in the kitchen but the smoke when searing the steak is insane (we don't have an exaust fan to the outside).
It is quick and convenient and VERY useful when temps are cold outside, or raining.
 
Wish I could use my cast iron skillet more often in the kitchen but the smoke when searing the steak is insane (we don't have an exaust fan to the outside).
It is quick and convenient and VERY useful when temps are cold outside, or raining.

Yeah, I hear you. I redid my kitchen 7 or 8 years ago, and put in a large-capacity hood vented to the outdoors. And this still is not always enough. (One problem I have is that the burners on the front of my range are more powerful than the rear, so I pretty much have to sear on the front.)
 
I thought I was the only one with the exhaust hood problems. I put in a large high capacity one but it still can't keep up, especially if I want to use one of the front large burners. Converting the grill on the deck to Natural gas has turned out to be a great alternative and I use it year round for serious searing and it's only about 8 steps from the deck sliding doors to the grill.
 
Bucatini all'Amatriciana topped with pecorino cheese. I probably made an old woman in Amitrice cry when I added garlic and mushrooms to the traditional red pepper, guanciale, San Marzano tomatoes, and onions. Paired surprisingly well with a leftover dish of cabbage sauteed with ho-made bacon and sherry vinegar.


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A few cooks from the past week. Last Sunday (press day), I celebrated our first Super Tuscan with spaghetti and meatballs. Washed it down w/ a nice wine that Dad brought. Did a 'lazy man's chicken soup' one night. So lazy, I never took finished pics. Just browned some BSB, removed that, added store bought stock, and veg; then finished off with the chicken chunked up and some pasta. Finally, steak night on Thursday. Sous vide NY Strip (I ate half and saved the other have for a lunch salad), tots and oven roasted broccoli. That broccoli is my new favorite veg - actually the wife and kids love it too.

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Bucatini all'Amatriciana topped with pecorino cheese. I probably made an old woman in Amitrice cry when I added garlic and mushrooms to the traditional red pepper, guanciale, San Marzano tomatoes, and onions. Paired surprisingly well with a leftover dish of cabbage sauteed with ho-made bacon and sherry vinegar.


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Ah, Bucatini! Your post brought back memories from my "yute." I had one Aunt who always served bucatini and we kids hated it! Not because tasted poorly or anything but because it was harder to eat. With the hole in the center of the noodle, one could not draw them into the mouth as we did with spaghetti or linguini. You have motivated me to buy a box and give it another try, now that I "lift and twirl" properly!
 
Ah, Bucatini! Your post brought back memories from my "yute." I had one Aunt who always served bucatini and we kids hated it! Not because tasted poorly or anything but because it was harder to eat. With the hole in the center of the noodle, one could not draw them into the mouth as we did with spaghetti or linguini. You have motivated me to buy a box and give it another try, now that I "lift and twirl" properly!

I always say that it was a good thing that Lady and the Tramp didn't order bucatini!

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Pretty nice day, not a cloud in the sky, temps in the high 50s. Fired up the Weber bullet smoker and threw on a rack of ribs, salt/pepper only (so my daughter will eat). Had to pull them off as the fat I didn't get removed from the water pan, that was covered by some foil, decided to ignite and sent the smoker up to 500*+. Got it settled down into the high 200s, plan on a 3-2-1 cook so I can taxi kids here and there. Not sure what I'll serve with, did some sauteed Kale for lunch, so that might be the main side. I'm sure a beer or two might be in the offing.

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Gonna have to deduct points for an improperly trimmed spare rib! LOL :wy

Pretty nice day, not a cloud in the sky, temps in the high 50s. Fired up the Weber bullet smoker and threw on a rack of ribs, salt/pepper only (so my daughter will eat). Had to pull them off as the fat I didn't get removed from the water pan, that was covered by some foil, decided to ignite and sent the smoker up to 500*+. Got it settled down into the high 200s, plan on a 3-2-1 cook so I can taxi kids here and there. Not sure what I'll serve with, did some sauteed Kale for lunch, so that might be the main side. I'm sure a beer or two might be in the offing.

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It was DW's birthday, so I tried to do something a little bit epic. I tried to include all of her favorite things. Forgive all the pix. Even then, I did not capture the whole meal.

We started off with an avocado salad (pumpkin seed oil, soy sauce, and scallions). The next appeteazer was deep-fried artichoke hearts, with parmigiano-reggiano and truffle oil.

The main event featured roasted delicata squash* (coriander, butter); roasted romanesco broccoli (lemon, butter, garlic, capers); tatsoi (sauteed with leeks and garlic, and braised with sherry); and the star of the show, Dungeness crab flown in from WA. Boiled, then served with your choice of two dipping sauces: traditional butter with sauteed garlic, lemon and parsley; or a tasty, spicy sauce of butter, Calabrian peppers, scallions, and cilantro. Both were delicious (although I almost overcooked the garlic on the former).

We enjoyed a Mumm's Napa Valley Brut Rose sparkling wine to start, which was excellent; it cost twice what I usually am willing to fork out for champagne, but I may have to rethink my usual proclivities! The rest was washed down with my WE Eclipse Sonoma Chardonnay, which held its own, even if not in the same league as the Mumm's.

*This is that double-delicata squash that I posted the other day. My DW has an identical twin, and they were very close to being conjoined (aka Siamese) twins. So the conjoined delicata was especially fitting for their birthday.


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