Welcome home, fellow Gator.

The Gator Nation's oldest and most active insider community
Join today!

Outside the dugout: What's cooking?

Discussion in 'Diamond Gators' started by GatorLurker, Jul 28, 2016.

  1. 74nole

    74nole GC Hall of Fame

    6,502
    3,274
    3,018
    Apr 9, 2007
    Marianna, Fl
    Tonight I’ve got Steel Head Trout to grill—seasoned with coarse black pepper and Everglades seasoning and I’ll have a pot of melted butter, squeezed lemon, olive oil and garlic to baste it with.

    Sides will be baked potatoes (jump-started in the microwave and finished on the grill) and fresh romaine salad topped with vine ripe tomatoes.

    The ice cold longnecks will do their part to make the meal a winner.;)
     
    • Winner Winner x 1
  2. BA69MA72

    BA69MA72 GC Legend

    657
    196
    1,853
    Apr 8, 2007
    I’ve found steelhead to be bland. Suggestions to bring out the flavor—not just add seasoning?
     
  3. 74nole

    74nole GC Hall of Fame

    6,502
    3,274
    3,018
    Apr 9, 2007
    Marianna, Fl
    Besides the seasonings and baste I listed at times I’ve used either applewood or cherrywood chips for light smoke. I’ll have to say that I call it a clean taste as opposed to the strong fishy taste of salmon, but that’s just me.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  4. 74nole

    74nole GC Hall of Fame

    6,502
    3,274
    3,018
    Apr 9, 2007
    Marianna, Fl
    Inside supper tonight—high humidity outside all day the last two days—

    Fried cubed pork steaks, fresh steamed green cabbage, creamed corn, and scalloped potatoes—

    The ice cold longnecks are doing their part to fight the humidity—;)
     
    • Like Like x 1
  5. Bazza

    Bazza Moderator

    36,008
    13,674
    3,803
    Jan 2, 2009
    New Smyrna Beach
    Consumed the last of my 8 for $2 avos yesterday.....all good and will pick up some more next week.

    Picked up another veggie pizza yesterday as well as a medium Greek salad, which I had for dinner last night. This time from Stavros, but Manny's does do the veggie pizza better, for the record. ;)
     
    • Like Like x 1
  6. 74nole

    74nole GC Hall of Fame

    6,502
    3,274
    3,018
    Apr 9, 2007
    Marianna, Fl
    Ms. Jan will be taking her turn for this evening’s meal—

    She will take cubed beef steak, lightly sear it and then lay it in the Lodge kettle with vidalia onions, fresh green bell pepper, sliced mushrooms, rotel tomatoes, salt, black pepper, and of course her secret amount of flour and water to make her outstanding gravy for this dish to simmer in throughout the late afternoon—

    My part will be the homemade mashed potatoes to go with that wonderful gravy and fresh cream 40’s & petite butter beans (with fresh pod okra laid on top the last 10-15 minutes)—of course jalapeño cornbread on the side—

    I would remiss in my duties if I didn’t monitor her efforts with ice cold longneck MichUltras from the back porch Yeti—

    Be careful outside today folks—108* heat index mid-afternoon—
     
    Last edited: Aug 8, 2019
    • Like Like x 1
    • Winner Winner x 1
  7. GatorLurker

    GatorLurker GC Hall of Fame

    8,552
    3,601
    2,843
    Apr 8, 2007
    Back from vacation in the NC mountains. I could live there all summer. Nice temperatures and great hiking. And if I brought my bicycle it would motivate me to get back to my racing weight. Coming home to a 105 F heat index was a shock.

    Time to harvest basil so I made a huge batch of pesto with most going to the freezer and some going to the fridge. Making bow tie pasta with pesto for dinner. Time to start chilling a suitable white wine.
     
    • Like Like x 2
  8. 74nole

    74nole GC Hall of Fame

    6,502
    3,274
    3,018
    Apr 9, 2007
    Marianna, Fl
    I’m going to do my best to explain this the most accurate way possible—

    Ms. Jan’s supper was soooo good last night it made tonight’s call on supper pretty easy—we are having a “Do-Over” supper this evening..:):):)

    Heat index was 110* here today folks, tread lightly.....

    After some early morning work I thought better of it and called it—so that did give me plenty of time to restock and re-ice the back porch Yeti—those ice cold longnecks are always good!
     
    • Like Like x 3
  9. 74nole

    74nole GC Hall of Fame

    6,502
    3,274
    3,018
    Apr 9, 2007
    Marianna, Fl

    Lurk,

    Glad y’all had a great trip and returned home safely.
     
    • Agree Agree x 1
  10. Bazza

    Bazza Moderator

    36,008
    13,674
    3,803
    Jan 2, 2009
    New Smyrna Beach
    Have work to do outside this morning but got caught by this fantastic episode of A.B. N. R. that came on Ovation while I was finishing breakfast. It's such a good show and this episode in particular is epic!

    So now it's 10am and hotter out but thankfully we are not in 74's heat index range here so looking forward to my shift.

     
    • Like Like x 1
  11. Bazza

    Bazza Moderator

    36,008
    13,674
    3,803
    Jan 2, 2009
    New Smyrna Beach
    OK........forget what I said about it not being as bad here.....that heat is oppressive!

    Finally got my KHS bike tuned up a bit - I use it on the beach and around town. Best investment I ever made was getting a nice bike stand to work on my bikes.

    After 7pm all vehicles are not allowed on the beach here so that's a great time to ride. Especially after we had some rain and it's cooler.

    I ride down to the inlet and watch some of the surfing. That's the best break here, except it gets too crowded for me. But when it's almost flat on the beach the inlet is the only place to catch some fun waves. It almost always has something.
     
  12. GatorLurker

    GatorLurker GC Hall of Fame

    8,552
    3,601
    2,843
    Apr 8, 2007
    Tonight is grilled thick pork chops with a kale salad. Tomorrow I will be smoking a pork shoulder for pulled pork sandwiches. Making Carolina slaw as a topping for that.

    Also making caraway pickles because I haven't made them in a long time. Thinly sliced English cuke sitting overnight in a mixture of apple cider and rice wine vinegar, sugar, kosher salt, cinnamon stick, caraway seeds, and red pepper flakes. You have to heat the pickling juice up and then let it cool down before adding the cuke slices so that you don't cook them.
     
    • Like Like x 2
  13. 74nole

    74nole GC Hall of Fame

    6,502
    3,274
    3,018
    Apr 9, 2007
    Marianna, Fl
    Got all the yard cut today but, ugh—will wait until tomorrow to do the weed-eating, just too much heat for me at this point....

    Tonight I’ve got chicken halves to grill with Everglades Gourmet Mopping Sauce for the last two turns—(I’ve got a treat coming when I finish this bottle of EGMS—;))

    Sides with be fresh zipper peas with fresh pod okra, and Dixie Lily Yellow Rice Dinner topped with Rotel tomatoes—

    The ice cold longnecks came in to play after I put the mower up and began my “cool down” period (that’s one ice cold bottle of water and then my back porch Yeti becomes my best friend)—:cool:
     
    Last edited: Aug 10, 2019
    • Like Like x 1
  14. 74nole

    74nole GC Hall of Fame

    6,502
    3,274
    3,018
    Apr 9, 2007
    Marianna, Fl
    Lurk,

    Wish I could “like” this post 3-4-5 times ;)—(supper AND the pickles)!

    Do you have a butcher down there that will still cut you a pork collar?
    They’ve quit cutting them here because they receive so much already pre-cut they don’t have access—I miss cooking that cut of pork. The only place I’ve found you can get it now is out of Canada—come on, it’s pork for crying out loud.....
     
  15. GatorLurker

    GatorLurker GC Hall of Fame

    8,552
    3,601
    2,843
    Apr 8, 2007
    I suspect it would have to be a special order. I don't think that the local butchers do whole animals anymore.
     
    • Fistbump/Thanks! Fistbump/Thanks! x 1
  16. Bazza

    Bazza Moderator

    36,008
    13,674
    3,803
    Jan 2, 2009
    New Smyrna Beach
    I just got in about 1/2 hour ago from working in the yard. Actually doing a little cleanup and re-org of my potting bench area which had become long in the tooth with stuff accumulating.

    Didn't finish but will be back at it in the AM.

    I did come in around 4pm for dinner and had the last of my ho-made chicken/veggie/noodle soup, which was very good as well as nourishing.

    Now I'm making a salad and will have a chuck-eye steak with it.

    Sweet tea (over many ice cubes) was my beverage of choice while working outside today and will be tomorrow. Drinking OJ right now in my (faux) Yeti cup. I get the kind was lots of pulp!

    Cheers!
     
    • Winner Winner x 1
  17. 74nole

    74nole GC Hall of Fame

    6,502
    3,274
    3,018
    Apr 9, 2007
    Marianna, Fl
    Got to love it when good intentions are planned, things don’t go your way, and then they do—

    W/D had bone-in rib-eyes advertised @ $6.99 lb—went in, found my butcher and told him that I would like three 2” thick bone-ins for tonight’s supper—he headed to the back and then came back to tell me that all of their bone-in rib-eyes had already been cut standard and were in the case—

    Then he said “Mr. Bill, I can cut you three 2” thick boneless rib-eyes and give you the weekend sale price if you’d like”...Yes, I answered by all means, please do—;)

    Sides will be baked potatoes and fresh romaine salad topped with vine ripe tomatoes—

    Even my back porch Yeti is excited about this evening’s meal...:D
     
    • Like Like x 1
    • Funny Funny x 1
  18. GatorLurker

    GatorLurker GC Hall of Fame

    8,552
    3,601
    2,843
    Apr 8, 2007
    When I first moved to Gainesville in 1982 I found out that the area was known for a high incidence of kidney stones, but nobody knew why. Later it was linked to the heavy consumption of sweet tea. Black tea contains a lot of oxalic acid. It usually isn't a problem with hot tea because it is really hard to drink a lot of it, but iced tea goes down smooth. And being dehydrated makes it even worse.

    Just a heads up not too drink a lot of it all the time.
     
    • Agree Agree x 1
    • Informative Informative x 1
  19. GatorLurker

    GatorLurker GC Hall of Fame

    8,552
    3,601
    2,843
    Apr 8, 2007
    Good deal.

    While I prefer lots of meat bone-in, like braised short ribs and ox tail for example, rib-eye steaks are just as good if not better without the bone. And you you ended up not paying for the weight of the bone with this deal!
     
    • Fistbump/Thanks! Fistbump/Thanks! x 1
  20. Bazza

    Bazza Moderator

    36,008
    13,674
    3,803
    Jan 2, 2009
    New Smyrna Beach
    Thanks for the head's up, Lurk.

    FWIW, I don't drink it on a regular basis. My usual go to beverage while working outside is Diet Mt. Dew --- so that's good news, eh? ;)

    I'm actually being serious but should add that I also change things up with other fluids such as water, gatorade, powerade, and as I said, tea (sweet and also green).

    Then inside it's milk, OJ (or other fruit juices), diet coke, tea (sweet or green), or just water.

    I had a very close friend of mine here who passed away about 2 years ago from pancreatic cancer and he drank the heck out of sweet tea. Always started his morning off with a large one from McDonalds, in fact. He was 3 years my junior. In the same trade as me and we worked together on many projects and I still miss him every day. Then I have an older (by 11 months) brother who has had kidney stone issues. I don't know his sweet tea drinking habits but will check. Knock on wood I've always been in good health, although now at age 65 am experiencing the usual sore joints from time to time - although nothing persistent, thank goodness.

    I really like that Green Tea with ginseng and honey from Arizona for iced tea and for hot tea Constant Comment and Early Gray. I don't drink coffee hardly at all - sometimes in the winter depending on my agenda that day.
    ____________

    Last night I made 5 small salads - and had one of the 4 left today when I came in from working and I can't remember when that chilled lettuce tasted better than it did! I felt great about making progress on my little project as well. And need I say....thank the Lord for air conditioning...lol!!!

    That and naps, of course. :)