What are you eating?

[Bogey]

Well, now, the only Peet's I wot of is in Lexington centre. And it takes this man more than a minute to get out there.

[Karl Henning]

Oh! I take it back: there's a large Peet's in Harvard Square. None near my well-trodden paths, though.

[DavidRoss]

One wonders how they can maintain the quality as they continue expanding. Their roast is important, of course, but how can the keep getting such good quality beans when they're supplying the whole world and not just the Bay Area? Heck, they're even selling Major D in Costco now!

[Sergeant Rock]

For lunch today, Mrs. Rock's homemade pumpkin soup with fresh ginger and smoked trout.




Sarge

[Gold Knight]

An eggplant parmesan hero on garlic bread from my local tratorria.

[DavidRoss]

Tonight we enjoyed one of my favorite meals: a Caesar salad topped with grilled salmon, accompanied by some chilled Crystal Geyser sparkling water, then fresh strawberries with a dollop of creamy yogurt for dessert, followed by a cup of decaffeinated Peet's Major Dickason's blend.

Oh, I just feel so deprived on this diet!

[SonicMan46]

Well, back from popular demand, I re-did my 'beer can' chicken (pic below left from my last post) - used a different rub w/ a little less heat (request from my better half, i.e. Harpo) but still went UNDER the skin (a MUST do!) - WELL, the damn chicken fell over after a while and beer spilled into the grill (no big problem - have a great drip pan)!

BUT - I NEED a solution since this may become a monthly (or more frequent) request from Harpo (she seems not to talk while eating this chicken!) - so I went to Amazon and entered 'beer can chicken rack' and to my amazement, an assortment of choices came up!  LOVE Amazon!  Placed a $15 order for the rack below (right) - we likely will have guests over & require 2 chickens - beer can fits into the upright cylinder(s) and drippings hit to heat shields - great reviews and excellent price - anxious to see how this works!  Dave

 

[DavidRoss]

"See, Mabel? I told you our civilization was doomed!"

[SonicMan46]

"See, Mabel? I told you our civilization was doomed!"

Oh, David - one bite and you would feel that you've been SAVED!     Dave

[Mirror Image]

Well, back from popular demand, I re-did my 'beer can' chicken (pic below left from my last post) - used a different rub w/ a little less heat (request from my better half, i.e. Harpo) but still went UNDER the skin (a MUST do!) - WELL, the damn chicken fell over after a while and beer spilled into the grill (no big problem - have a great drip pan)!

BUT - I NEED a solution since this may become a monthly (or more frequent) request from Harpo (she seems not to talk while eating this chicken!) - so I went to Amazon and entered 'beer can chicken rack' and to my amazement, an assortment of choices came up!  LOVE Amazon!  Placed a $15 order for the rack below (right) - we likely will have guests over & require 2 chickens - beer can fits into the upright cylinder(s) and drippings hit to heat shields - great reviews and excellent price - anxious to see how this works!  Dave

 

My Mom loves cooking "beer can chicken." Yes, you need those special stands in order to do it properly and yes you need a good drip pan which creates an outstanding gravy when combined with the liquid inside the can. A lot of people use beer, but my Mom uses apple juice and we have found this is the best for this dish. For the rub, my Mom uses paprika and I forget what other spices she used. I'll have to ask her and report back here tomorrow.

Edit: My Mom uses the individual holders and not the ones where you can do two. She told me it was easier to do them seperately with their own drip pans. The problem when doing them in a two-stand holder like the one in your picture is it makes it more difficult to get the chicken off because it does have a tendency to really stick on there.

[Mirror Image]

Okay, so I talked to my Mom tonight and she said she doesn't use a dry rub. She uses a special sauce to baste the chicken with. The sauce includes the following ingredients: garlic powder, paprika, butter, salt and pepper. That's it really. The key is to not let the chicken dry out and she bastes the chicken with this sauce every 20 minutes or so. I'm pretty sure she uses a lower heat on the grill and it cooks for three hours.

[SonicMan46]

Okay, so I talked to my Mom tonight and she said she doesn't use a dry rub. She uses a special sauce to baste the chicken with. The sauce includes the following ingredients: garlic powder, paprika, butter, salt and pepper. That's it really. The key is to not let the chicken dry out and she bastes the chicken with this sauce every 20 minutes or so. I'm pretty sure she uses a lower heat on the grill and it cooks for three hours.

MI - thanks for the additional information above; the ingredients for the Memphis dry rub that I've used is below (posted earlier) from Steven Raichlen's book; used a milder rub the second time - the real trick w/ this method is to dissect the skin away from the meat and get the rub under the skin and directly onto the meat.  My gas grill (indirect cooking; pre-heat on high, then turn down to medium) takes just an hour for an average size chicken - the other option that I've added is a smoker w/ hickory chips.  In both of my efforts, the chicken came out moist, the skin crisp & flavorful, and w/ a great spicy/smoky flavor.  Dave


Memphis Dry Rub

Ingredients:

    1/3 cup paprika
    2 tbsp chili powder
    1 tbsp dried oregano
    1 tbsp garlic powder
    2 tsp celery salt
    2 tsp celery seed
    4 tsp black pepper
    2 tsp mustard seeds
    * changed from book

Directions:  Ribs, steaks, & chicken

[Mirror Image]

MI - thanks for the additional information above; the ingredients for the Memphis dry rub that I've used is below (posted earlier) from Steven Raichlen's book; used a milder rub the second time - the real trick w/ this method is to dissect the skin away from the meat and get the rub under the skin and directly onto the meat.  My gas grill (indirect cooking; pre-heat on high, then turn down to medium) takes just an hour for an average size chicken - the other option that I've added is a smoker w/ hickory chips.  In both of my efforts, the chicken came out moist, the skin crisp & flavorful, and w/ a great spicy/smoky flavor.  Dave


Memphis Dry Rub

Ingredients:

    1/3 cup paprika
    2 tbsp chili powder
    1 tbsp dried oregano
    1 tbsp garlic powder
    2 tsp celery salt
    2 tsp celery seed
    4 tsp black pepper
    2 tsp mustard seeds
    * changed from book

Directions:  Ribs, steaks, & chicken

I'll have to try this Memphis dry rub. Thanks for the recipe, Dave!

[DavidRoss]

I'm in love:

[Gold Knight]

A stack, washed down by coffee and orange juice in a diner while waiting for my car to be serviced at my Nissan dealer in Valley Stream.

[SonicMan46]

Oysters & Clams on the Half Shell + 2# Steamed Lobster - heavenly!   

Susan & I just arrived in Montauk, Long Island (home of her brother & aging mother) - we came to see her mom & also her brother playing Henry Drummond in Inherit the Wind (being performed in Southampton Village; yes, this is the famous area of the Hamptons!) - we've been coming here since 1973.

After a LONG 12 hr day from North Carolina (2 planes + rental car) we arrived at Gurney's Inn, our home for the next 4 nights - exhausted we decided to eat there (a fine choice) - we are shellfish LOVERS and this is the place to challenge your LOVE!

So, our dinner for the evening: 1) Starters - a dozen oysters & a half dozen clams on the half shell - all fresh & delicious; and 2) Steamed lobsters (2 pounders for the night's offering) - came to the table completely red (a very good sign having good some in my home town w/ black spots - yuck!) and tasty - was a pleasant end to a long traveling day - will likely repeat that experience -    Dave

P.S. Forgot to mention some drinks for the night - @ dinner, a Long Island Chardonnay from Wolffer Estate Winery near East Hampton on the South Fork; most of the Long Island wineries are on the North Fork but an excellent choice w/ the lobster - the wine had a nice tropical fruit aroma - after dinner bar selection was a microbrew from Belfast, Maine called Lobster Ale - dark amber w/ excellent flavor & a touch of sweetness; would have been nice w/ the lobster! 

[Gold Knight]

Two kasha knishes.

[Mirror Image]

Tonight, is homemade taco night! Yum....

[Mirror Image]

Tonight we're having homemade hamburgers, baked beans (my Dad's own recipe), and french fries. Delicious!

[Mirror Image]

Right now, I'm eating a little midnight snack: melba toast with homemade pimento cheese on top. Yum!