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Outside the dugout: What's cooking?

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

  1. 74nole

    74nole GC Hall of Fame

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    It has been thunderstorms all day here today. That made supper an easier call. Tonight I’ve got a fresh pot of chili simmering on the stove.

    We like it served over white rice and topped with Sargento sharp shredded cheddar.

    Sipping on a tumbler of Elijah Craig while Ms. Jan enjoys her chilled wine.

    Life is good in Gator Nation!
     
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  2. GatorLurker

    GatorLurker GC Hall of Fame

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    KJ is coming up to temp. St Louis ribs rubbed. The slab was so big I had to cut it in half so that it would fit.
     
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  3. 74nole

    74nole GC Hall of Fame

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    That’ll be real good!
     
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  4. 74nole

    74nole GC Hall of Fame

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    We will be doing round #2 on the pot of chili (which was mighty good last night) with just a slight change—

    Since we’ve had heavy thunderstorms here again today it’s going to be chili-cheese dogs, ice cold longnecks, and chilled wine. We’ll act like we’re at the ballpark while we watch the game on TV.

    Life is good in Gator Nation!
     
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  5. GatorLurker

    GatorLurker GC Hall of Fame

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    4 hours on the KJ and not quite done. 4 hours is the nominal time, but sometimes it is fast and sometimes it is slow. Smoking meat is never done by time. Ribs are funny because it is nearly impossible to use a Thermopen or other temperature probe to check doneness due to so much bone and getting false readings. I always judge it by how much the meat has shrunk off the end of the bone and mine are not there as of yet. I like them to have a slight amount of tooth and not be fall off the bone.

    Close, though.

    Maybe pull at first pitch and then rest for an inning.
     
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  6. 74nole

    74nole GC Hall of Fame

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    @GatorLurker—

    We salute you! Well done!
     
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  7. GatorLurker

    GatorLurker GC Hall of Fame

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    Asparagus risotto tonight.

    Not sure about tomorrow, but braised corned beef and braised (not the same piece of cookware) cabbage.
     
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  8. gatorfan5220

    gatorfan5220 VIP Member

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    Ramen noodles and s'mores.
     
  9. 74nole

    74nole GC Hall of Fame

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    Pretty much speechless right here...
     
  10. GatorLurker

    GatorLurker GC Hall of Fame

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    You're killing me, Smalls.
     
  11. 74nole

    74nole GC Hall of Fame

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    God bless the Gulf of Mexico—tonight I’ll be grilling fresh grouper and shrimp. Baked potatoes will be on the top rack. Salt, coarse black pepper and Old Bay’s seasoning with melted real butter, lemon juice, and crushed garlic to mop on while grilling.

    A fresh Caesar salad will be the other side.

    Ice cold longnecks and chilled wine are available on the back porch.

    Life is good in Gator Nation!
     
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  12. GatorLurker

    GatorLurker GC Hall of Fame

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    Grouper is so good.

    Way back in the early and mid 1960's we would always vacation on Fort Myers Beach renting a cottage on stilts. Places like The Beachcomber, Pink Shell, and Aqua Terrace come to mind. My dad would always do one day on a party boat and would catch more grouper than we could handle. He always had a kid at the dock clean his catch and take about two pounds of fillet and leave the rest as a tip. IIRC the name of the boat he took out was the Blue Heron and then latter the Blue Heron II. I never knew what happened to the original.

    On other days I caught mangrove snapper, flounder, and sheepshead for dinner from the bridges, the shore, or piers into Estero Bay.
     
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  13. obone

    obone All American

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    Lurk, is that the same Bluer Heron II that now runs out of the Jupiter Inlet. I used to take the original Blue Heron out Singer Island back in the early 80's. Back then it was like 25.00 for a 4 hr trip. I also used to fish for sheepshead off the Blue Heron Bridge. Live fiddlers are like candy to sheepshead.
     
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  14. GatorLurker

    GatorLurker GC Hall of Fame

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    Probably not. It has got to be a very popular boat name.

    And when I fished for sheepheads I would get live fiddler crabs for the picking just south of the new bridge over San Carlos Pass way back then. I bet that is all condos now and the fishing just sucks.

    When I fished Fort Myer's Beach originally there was a draw bridge at the north end of the island and until very late no bridge at the south end of Estero Island. At the end they built the bridge going south over San Carlos Pass and the fishing from the bridge was great. If lucky you could reel in a wahoo and snook were plentiful. And fishing the bay was good fishing for mangrove snapper and redfish if you wanted that.
     
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  15. GatorLurker

    GatorLurker GC Hall of Fame

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    Corned beef on a low and slow braise is making the house smell great. The way I cook it is to rinse the goop off of the corned beef and discard the seasoning packet, sear it both sides, put into a roaster with a rack and half a cup of water, smother the top with sliced onions and garlic, seal tight with aluminum foil and cook for six hours at 275 F. The rack helps with removing the meat and keeps the corned beef from ever sitting in water.

    It should be done around 5 PM EDT and sliced for a pre-game meal about 5:20 EDT.

    I will do a caramelization of cabbage and onions with caraway seeds and a bit of sugar.

    Sierra Nevada Pale Ale's are chilling.
     
    Last edited: Apr 13, 2021
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  16. 74nole

    74nole GC Hall of Fame

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    Got busy enough between the game thread and cooking that I failed to get our supper meal posted.

    Accompanied with a great win tonight I bar-b-crewed chicken halves with baked potatoes on the top rack. Yep, Pat’s Homade on the last two turns.

    A fresh Romaine salad topped with vine ripe tomatoes was our other side.

    The ice cold longnecks and chilled wine were “game ready”.

    Life is good in Gator Nation!
     
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  17. GatorLurker

    GatorLurker GC Hall of Fame

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    Lots of meat recently so tonight will be a chopped salad.
     
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  18. 74nole

    74nole GC Hall of Fame

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    Lurk—

    We will do that from time to time ourselves. Do y’all ever have breakfast for supper? When we’re hungry for it, well, it couldn’t be better.
     
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  19. GatorLurker

    GatorLurker GC Hall of Fame

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    Not a big breakfast eater here. All I ever have is a single shot of espresso.

    And I don't like eggs, so much of the breakfast menu for me is gone.

    Now pancakes or waffles is a different thing, but more of a late night thing back in school days. Many years ago.
     
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  20. Bazza

    Bazza Moderator

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    I lived in the Fort Myers area for about 4 years. First renting a townhouse off Summerlin Drive then my first home in Lehigh Acres. This was in the early-mid-90's.

    I loved everything about the area except the lack of waves for surfing. And for that reason when an opportunity came up for a lateral transfer to the Port Orange store, I took it. My regional manager was peeved because I was a very good store manager and always brought in some of the highest profit margins in the region. There wasn't a thing he could do to block my transfer...lol.

    Anyway - while I was there I bought my '79 Mako 19' center console off one of my customers. He had it tied to his dock in Fort Myers Beach but I kept it on a trailer on my driveway. (still do in fact!).

    I had buddies who lived in Alva and I would hang out with them sometimes. They were into Jet Skis and had Yamaha's. Also water skiing. So I learned about the boat ramp there that led into the Caloosahatchee River. That was fresh water! So I would put in there with my Mako and then head west through the lock and into salt water and out into the Gulf to go fishing. You had to go way way out for Grouper because it was so shallow there. I didn't do that much because it was just too far for me. But the other fishing was great!
    [​IMG]

    And the lanai at my home in Lehigh Acres. I loved that home!
    [​IMG]

    I had a cat that had been with me through 4 moves before coming to this home. He was an orphan I adopted. Was in Holly Hill picking up irrigation supplies and one of the guys there had a little kitten he found in the road soaking wet because it was raining that morning. The rest is history. So I had a small cat door in the lanai so he could go in and out as he pleased. He always came inside the home and slept on my bed at night.

    I kept his food and water on the lanai. Then coons started invading so I would lock the cat door at night...lol....

    Getting back to Alva and my boat...when I returned to the boat ramp going through the lock and back into fresh water flushed the salt from my Evinrude. :)