You ever just get a sudden craving so strong that you can literally picture and taste the food?

I'm cooking bacon right now, and could really go for a toasted BLT, with a healthy dollop of mayo.

But... you're not going for a toasted BLT with a healthy dollop of mayo? Why the bummed out emoji?!

I have indeed had such cravings. Last time one surfaced I probably ordered a pizza...

No lettuce, tomato or mayo.

Pizza is always a winner. :)

Oh no. :(

Shops closed though? What's keeping you from going all the way and making this culinary vision a reality?!

True that. :) Though unfortunately often seems to taste better in craving than for real when those ones hit. Maybe you need a certain state of hunger to truly appreciate such somewhat heavier food...

It was in the AM and I had to go to work. The craving passed once I ate that delicious bacon.

That's unfortunate. :/ Wrong time in a working day to make dreams come to fruition, alas...

I made up for it. Tested out the new BBQ for the first time.

Fuck yeah buds, git r dun

Woo, looks like the grass is green and everything there too! Perfect season to start the outside seasoning!

breakfast

dinner

Looking beautiful! :D That plate's just perfect for the meal too...

And that breakfast. Massive.

STEAK!!!

Trimmed and cut a tenderloin, seasoned for a couple days in the fridge, then frozen. Thawed this morning, and deliciously blue.

Nice. Minimalism at its finest...

Made some chicken & gnocchi soup.

A little too warm for it now, though. I thought it was going to be a bit colder this week. By tonight it should be fine.

Looks good though! Paradoxically warmer foods actually do make us cooler too so there's really no wrong time for this.

OH TEH NOES! MOAR STEAK.

Gotta eat it all before it goes bad...in the freezer.

Amazing what a little green can do too! Looks delicious.

Might start piecing together a knife set I've been coveting for a while. Problem is that they don't ship to Soviet Canukistan, and to actually buy them here, without using Amazon, would drastically increase the cost.

I WANT IT!!!!! :'(

May I suggest Japanese knives?

I'm the kind of person who will sacrifice convenience for control in 100% of scenarios. Japanese high carbon steel is where it's at for cooking. Have you checked out Knifewear? They're a little overpriced but offer a good entry point for knives you can't buy online unless you speak Japanese.

I like that metal texture... what I'd really like is a quality kitchen knife with a handle in actual wood, so hard to find, though, but a linen/carbon combo doesn't seem all bad either, interesting mesh.

I do have some Shun knives which I love, mainly just looking to make a big upgrade to something more appealing to myself, and being a Forged in Fire fan, the form is just as important as the function to me now.

I'll have to check them out a little more thoroughly before I commit to anything.

Gonna stay away from HC steel, I'm terrible with maintaining things on a regular basis. I have dishes to do, and I'm procrastinating like an SOB.

I just wipe my blades down with a cloth every time I cut something. A little canola will prevent rusting for long term storage. If I have a month or two of hard use I'll sharpen them but otherwise they're actually pretty straightforward to maintain. My Yoshikane Tsujiri (I think?) Gyotu (chefs knife) is stainless steel as well, but every bit as sharp as the high carbon Masakage. Shun is pretty good when compared to something like an entry-level Henckel or Wustoff, but you can get some knives that will blow you away. Knives so sharp you won't even feel as they sever your finger clean from your body, crunching through bone and tendon like a hot knife through butter.

That's what I'm looking for, with looks to match.

The more I'm checking out Knifewear, the more I'm leaning towards it. The garage sale section is nice too. Always happier when I get a good deal.

Y'all ever done short-ribs?

Did them on the weekend with this recipe, plus I did a short marination in pineapple juice after the braising, then threw them on the bbq for a second searing. Did the whole thing on the BBQ because my house was insanely hot inside. Even got a baking pan, poured a little liquid in it, tinfoiled the ribs, and turned on only one burner on the lowest setting for braising.

I think I prefer to do the browning on the BBQ, even though you don't get the bits on the pan for gravy.

Currently have a chuck roast marinating in a similar liquid, and am going to try browning on the BBQ again.

I usually do short ribs in a beef stock with a little red wine, plus extra carrots, celery and onion. I also like to really burn my onion (like black, crispy) because I think that char adds a depth that goes really nice with the flavour of the beef. After I take the shorties from the braissage I like to blend all the veggies and stuff together adding enough of the braising liquid to make it smooth and thick enough to coat a spoon. A little demi glace doesn't hurt either. I ladle that over the ribs when serving. Goes well with parsnips, carrots, peas, mascarpone cheese, pastas, parsley, Yukon Gold potatoes. Maybe not all together but some combo of that.

Didn't drink last night, so I got up with a bit of energy.

Made some kale & white bean "soup" with mini lamb meatballs and some homemade garlic bread.

And now...the dishes.

Pancakes 😋

Creme anglaise and strawberry preserves.

Woo that is beautiful.

dude that look SO good