Sometimes I cook mango and lime-infused grilled salmon fillet with roasted red peppers (it can be orange and yellow per my preferences--green just isn't as sweet) and sauteed red onions (both salted but not the salmon) because 1) it tastes good and 2) consumers of this dish produce bowel movements that are satisfactory to me.

Again, I cook this fairly often already, sometimes adding lemons for additional flavoring and garnishing, plus mushrooms and capers. I simply didn't have them on me yesterday.

The above picture is from after I made this last night shortly after work. It was originally sent as part part of a private convo I was having, but I figured I'd post it here if anyone wanted to make this themselves.

I know these cracker, cheese, and meat spreads are a dime a dozen, but they are so god damn delicious. I'll eat the whole thing to myself in one sitting.

Ditto, I find they make great in-between meal snacks. Went to Costco yesterday and bought a whole bunch of different cheese. Mostly aged chedder, some brie, goat cheese. Cured meats I can get in my home town, schinkenspeck and westphalian ham are a couple of the more exotic meats I'll get.

Nice. Are these books what pretty much everyone within said profession usually start with? Or more so a particular selection of many many conflicting strains of cooking wisdom? Will definitely keep an eye out.

Health benefits maybe? It's a killer at keeping away colds too.

To combat spice with spice hmm. Interesting. Turned to Google for possible explanations and discovered chili mustard is a thing too...

Never thought the cooking crew would start going there too. XD

Looks a bit charred but sounds tasty! Will definitely try this some time. New flavors.

Gotta start posting some more pictures... here's some salmon with dill and chili, sunflower sallad and home grown almond potatoes. Brushed fish skin tastes great when fried up a bit too.

Mustard is an emulsifier, so it has properties to bind oil and water together. So it'll take the capsaicin and bind it to whatever you eat or drink after. Resulting in a burn that doesn't come back like it usually does (for me at least).

I just know that everyone is what they eat and if we eat well, we shit well.

One of the frying pans I use to make this usually results in less charring. But I was already craving this and that pan was in the dishwasher. Plus, what matters is the intensely orgasmic flavoring. I often add mushrooms, capers and lemons like I said. What I posted is what I'd consider to be the bare minimum. You shouldn't be disappointed.

You're better than Google man! :D Nice. Great info.

Was reading up on the difference between chili and horseradish/wasabi a while ago, being that the former contains 'more fat soluble compounds that easily penetrate the cells of the tongue and activate more pain receptors than wasabi does. So that creates a longer lasting, painful burning sensation.

I believe they also came to the conclusion that water is more efficient than milk with one, and viceversa with the other, whether it was the fat-soluble kind or no, with the way the proteins bonded, something like that... need to start memorizing this shizzle properly.

That is true! Most people just maybe don't consider bowel movements as much with their cooking.

That sounds amazing. :) Curious what kind of pan you use for this stuff? Huge fan of cast iron myself, it just seems to bring out tastes more than any other material. Plus health benefits, iron and what-not.

But those really don't handle dishwashers.

Too much food Network lol. Mustard is also my secret ingredient in a vinaigrette, keeps everything together while I toss the salad. :3

Nice. I just occasionally throw it in soups at this point. May experiment.

Good to know.

Between cast iron, aluminum and stainless steel, it doesn't really matter to me. I forgot to say that baking the fillet works well too. I'd say every component that makes up the dish is a highlight. I will be making some tonight.

Nice. Always been a bit careful about cooking with aluminum with sour foods, but supposedly anodized cookware should be alright. That's how it should be. :) Awesome.

Fermented herring here tonight. Don't think I'll take any pictures...

Aaa all those carbohydrates! XD Looks awesome.

Sour patch kids a common things at buffets over there?

Aight. XD We don't have them at all here, buffet or no, so you never know...

Is candy a common thing at buffets over there though? May be cultural differences.

Ah right, kids buffets, maybe those do have such things. Was thinking maybe y'all just eat a lot more candy over there, stereotypes don't make it seem totally implausible. ;)

Sounds nice. Christmas times closing in so hoping for one or two buffets here too soon...

Trying some potato pancakes with fried eggs and red onion, lemon peel, parsley...

Lithuanian inspirations.

Christmas themed trailmix for a Christmas party later today

This looks addicting...

Christmas dinner at work this year. Italian cuisine. Need to try something like this some time...

That's tuna btw.

I may have elevated lasagna and garlic toast to the next level by accident the other day.

The garlic toast, instead of a plain, white, French loaf, was a loaf of sourdough. Normally I wouldn't have anything to dip it in, but I felt like olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and the combination of flavors was incredible.

The lasagna, I added bits of leftover steak and brie to the layers and the brie made it super creamy without making the half-cooked noodles soggy. Paired with a bottle of Italian red and I almost started talking with my hands.

The garlic toast was the star though, why I've never tried using sourdough is beyond me.

Thanks for that tip! I love sourdough but I don't think I've ever had garlic with anything but white bread before, for some reason... and definitely never that particular combination. The lasagna too.

Might not be as revolutionary, but while we're on the topic of taste-related discoveries: papaya apparently tastes way better with a little lime on it. Discovered you can eat the seeds too. Spicy. Plotting to throw some in a few different dishes and see what happens.

I'm really wanting to make some sourdough garlic cheese bread now. The possibilities are endless now.

I might have to try it with lime. I've eaten papaya by itself and it tastes like a sweaty armpit, but I've also drank wine with the wrong food and thought it was disgusting, only to drink it with the right food and be in wine heaven.

Sourdough everything! And cheese everything. And all combinations thereof.

Haha man maybe it's not for you at all then. XD I like papaya as it is, but this was surprisingly good. You'd think it'd just be a little more sour. Mmm I'm still pretty new to the wine world too, been cooking with white wine a bit but that's pretty much it (seems to work with pretty much everything though, as long as you add it early and don't overdo it).

Any recommendations with regard to optimal meal/drink combo?

Red vermouth for an appetizer and port for dessert.

I find matching wine to food a little difficult, so I play it safe and match an unoaked white for things like salads, charcuterie, or pasta with cream sauce. Light to medium oaked whites for seafood. Younger, lighter reds for meatier main courses like steak or pasta with bolognese. Heavier oaked reds for more seasoned meat dishes that can handle the more woody flavor of the wine. Sparkling wine goes well with creamy dishes too, as it cuts through and refreshes your palate, also great an an appetizer.

It's tough though, even if you know what you're looking for. Your real best bet is to find a wine review site that you like, and keep your phone handy at the liquor store.

Gotcha.

Getting advanced now hmm, basically the heavier the meal the heavier the wine. Plus sparkling for creamy.

Yeah that's the common goto. :) I don't think I'll ever get all too heavy into the world of wine but it's good know-how, thanks. You never know when you may need to get all civilized.

I enjoy many breads, but sourdough is probably my least favorite. Its huge here where I live too. If you just ordered bread with a meal your actually asking for sourdough as the default/regular/normal bread.

I much rather rye bread.

I like rye too, but sourdough is just a whole other level man! Have you eaten it a lot? Tried different types? Real sourdough, not just the cheaper kinds with just a little extract to give it that taste?

I feel like some things, in particular things that are generally healthier for you, take some time to acquire a taste for. Sour things, fermented things, strange vegetables and fruits... coffee. Maybe the brain eventually starts to respond differently to certain tastes depending on the health affect it relates with those ingredients, so if you keep eating them your psyche starts rewarding you for it. Just gotta get over that initial doorstep of dislike!

Or it's a thing of nostalgia/culture/habit... we've always had sourdough at home from time to time. Wasn't very fond of it growing up though. I liked sweeter stuff. All kinds of sugary or soft bread. Now it's the other way around. The rougher and richer the better. All kinds of bread with nuts and berries too though. Love the contrasts.

Inspiration... salmon with roasted vegetables, rice and lemon sauce.