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Outside the dugout: What's cooking?

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

  1. Bazza

    Bazza Moderator

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    On the subject of hedge trimming.....in case it's of interest........there is a product called Atrimmec which is a P.G.R. (plant growth regulator) that I use from time to time to slow growth down on items which require regular pruning.

    When used properly it does not hurt the plant nor disfigure it's appearance.

    There are other P.G.R.'s on the market and they are used in a variety of applications.

    I've had good success with this one. I use a 4 gallon Solo brand backpack sprayer to apply with a flat fan nozzle.

    My philosophy is some yard work is more in the category of labor than gardening and if there's a work around I will explore it.

    You'd have to read the label to see if it's a product that will work for your needs.

    For turf applications I have also used a P.G.R. called Podium with good results.
     
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  2. GatorLurker

    GatorLurker GC Hall of Fame

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    Tonight we are giving business to Gyro Plus. We feel the need to support local business when we can.

    That and I finally got my bathtub faucet stems loose to see why it was leaking. The hot side stem is bad and it is a ceramic disk stem for an off brand set that looks great with an old cast iron claw foot tub. It took me a long time to find the correct replacement stem. The seller of the faucet set was of no use.

    Last night it was me, my wife, my MIL, and my youngest son eating a full slab of pork ribs. Only one left. I only ate two. My wife said that she ate two. I know my MIL and she ate at most two. I guess my son went to town on them. IIRC it was a 13 rib rack.
     
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  3. 74nole

    74nole GC Hall of Fame

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    Lurk—

    This story of your son killin’ the ribs kinda reminded me of when Alan was back home for his year between Ole Miss and UF @ Chipola.

    He never called from the field when we were planning on grilling hamburgers and hotdogs, hamburger steaks, or chicken. But you gotta know it—any day I would have steaks or ribs laid out to put on the grill or smoker the house phone would ring and it would be Alan from the locker room——“Hey Dad, what’s up? Would you and Mom mind if a few of the guys came over for supper and shoot some pool?” My response, “Naw Bud, that’ll be fine—but I will need an accurate head count”....

    “Ok, I’ll call ya back in a few”. RING..........”Yeah, Bud”—“Dad, is 13 too many?” “No sir, that’s fine, we’ll plan on eating about 7:30pm” “THANKS DAD!”

    And I wouldn’t change a thing, proud they wanted to come to our home.
     
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  4. GatorLurker

    GatorLurker GC Hall of Fame

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    I have been thinking that getting a second KJ would be a good idea once this covid scourge is over. Especially for steaks where one could be really hot for a sear and the other much cooler for finishing. I can get by now for only four of us, but it won't work for bigger crowds.

    I miss having LOTS of people over, but it just isn't happening soon.

    I have cooked for around 100 folks on a rented smoker/grill many times. It was always fun, but I never got anything to eat. It was all eaten by the time I was done.

    And the keg was also empty.

    Still good times.
     
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  5. 74nole

    74nole GC Hall of Fame

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    Ahh, the house is once again full of the aroma of a simmering pot of spaghetti sauce. It will be accompanied by a fresh Caesar salad and a five cheese/garlic Italian bread.

    A fresh round of iced longnecks are in the Yeti and chilled wine is in the wine fridge.

    Ok Rays, let's level the playing field.

    Life is good in Gator Nation.
     
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  6. GatorLurker

    GatorLurker GC Hall of Fame

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    Cooked some farro for salad tonight. My wife will assemble it.

    Making Zatarain's Dirty Rice for my carnivore son.

    Hoping for a more competitive game tonight.
     
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  7. GatorLurker

    GatorLurker GC Hall of Fame

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    Making pork chops saltimbocca tonight. It is think pork chops stuffed with fontina cheese and prosciutto. Also sauteed spinach as a side. My wife wants to make some rice as another side so I am waiting for that.
     
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  8. BA69MA72

    BA69MA72 GC Legend

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    Thin or thick?
     
  9. GatorLurker

    GatorLurker GC Hall of Fame

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    1 inch thick.
     
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  10. GatorStu1

    GatorStu1 Freshman

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    Lurk;

    How do your "fontina chops" compare with Bonefish's???? They are my favorite meal there.
     
  11. GatorLurker

    GatorLurker GC Hall of Fame

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    Never had them. Do they add sage as is traditional?
     
    Last edited: Oct 23, 2020
  12. GatorLurker

    GatorLurker GC Hall of Fame

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    Busy in the kitchen today.

    First I made "bird blocks" to feed the birds: lard, crunchy peanut butter, coarse corn meal, oatmeal, flour, and sugar. Catbirds and orioles are back and welcome additions to the yard. For some reason orioles like my blocks and prefer it to the orange halves I put out for them. Weird.

    Now making jambalaya with ground chuck, smoked turkey thigh, and Texas style kielbasa as the protein element. I needed to cook the ground chuck before it went bad. This keeps and is not for dinner tonight. It will be mostly "grazing" food for my son that still lives at home.

    For dinner I am making clam linguini.

    Tomorrow I am smoking a whole chicken. Not the fastest way to cook one, but maybe the best tasting way.
     
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  13. 74nole

    74nole GC Hall of Fame

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    We’re grilling hamburgers and hotdogs tonight with BBQ baked beans and chips for sides.

    Pretty day today but thunderstorms look like they’re rolling in now.

    Ice cold longnecks and chilled wine on the back porch for the afternoon/evening and Game 3.

    Life is good in Gator Nation!
     
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  14. Bazza

    Bazza Moderator

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    I made a killer omelet this morning.

    Then......I was at a client's property doing some hedge pruning and a van pulls up and the guy that used to take care of the property next door gets out. I happened to be sitting in my truck taking a breather. Anyway - Todd comes up and asks if the owners are home. I reply "No - they're still in Connecticut." Todd has a dozen eggs in his hands and hands them to me and says "You take 'em then." Freshly laid that morning from his employer's farm in Satsuma. All different shades of brown and tan. Cool.

    Then I say "Get in." and he does and I proceed to show him my new truck stereo that I installed last weekend. It's a double din Pioneer that plays DVDs! He goes "Whow.....that is so cool! I have to get one for MY truck!" I share with him the details of installation as well as the bypass needed so the DVD will play. The have an internal block so people won't watch while driving. Hard to believe someone would do that! ;)

    So I finish up and then head to Port Orange to pick up some replacement lenses for some landscape lighting fixtures and on the way back place a take out order for Big Joes. Mama Joe is on the phone and she doesn't understand my name "Bazza" despite my efforts to enunciate it repeatedly. So before I go in - I write "BAZZA" on a sheet of paper and hand it to her when I go in. She looks at briefly and then at me and laughs. Got a roast beef sub, onion rings, and Mama Joes world's famous potato salad.

    Still have most of it left in the fridge for tomorrow.

    Back to the game.....
     
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  15. Bazza

    Bazza Moderator

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    Back to the new stereo....here's a short vid I took of it in action. Not great quality due to reflection but gives you the idea, anyway.

    The movie playing is one of my all time favs....a documentary called "Bustin' Down The Door". It's about the early days of pro surfing in the mid 1970's, when a group of Australians and South African surfers came to Hawaii to show the world their skills and style and in the process compete with the Hawaiians who already had an established presence in the sport.

    The film is narrated by Edward Norton. The Australian you see doing most of the talking is Wayne "Rabbit" Bartholomew.

    Today I had a Queen DVD playing with their greatest hit music videos. Two discs! I always considered Queen to right up there with the best of the rock groups like The Who, Beatles, Led Zep, etc. When Todd was sitting in my truck today I had "Another One Bites the Dust" playing. Pretty epic.

     
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  16. GatorLurker

    GatorLurker GC Hall of Fame

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    Making tacos tonight. My wife is poll working until they close and she loves tacos. I think she will also want a margarita.

    Either tomorrow or Tuesday I am making a fennel and citrus arugula salad with shrimp and avocado. My wife printed out a recipe and I am making a few changes. Often on Mondays we do a support a local restaurant with take out, so maybe not tomorrow.

    WILD finish last night. I didn't look it up, but were the Dodgers charged with two errors? They should have been.
     
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  17. 74nole

    74nole GC Hall of Fame

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    Lurk—

    Last I heard them say last night they charged a single error to the CF—Taylor. I agree I thought the catcher Smith mishandled a good and on-time relay throw from their first baseman.

    W/D has rebounded (at least for now) and had real deal bone-in country cut ribs in their case yesterday. They had 5 trays out so I picked up 4 of them.

    So—tonight I’ll be grilling bone-in country cut ribs indirect over cherry wood smoke.

    Inside we’ve got steamed fresh green cabbage, pink eye peas and okra, and fried cornbread.

    After last night’s Game 4 the back porch Yeti is restocked with ice cold longnecks and chilled wine is inside in Ms. Jan’s wine fridge.

    Life is good in Gator Nation!
     
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  18. GatorLurker

    GatorLurker GC Hall of Fame

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    That reminds me. I have run out of wood for smoking. I mostly use apple, but cherry is also good.

    Close to my house a pecan limb came down and our waste people won't pick it up for yard waste. It has been sitting in their yard for weeks. If I had a bandsaw I will be all over it for woodworking (perfect sizes for drawer fronts and most of the logs are solid), but maybe it would be good for smoking.

    Any comments on smoking with pecan?
     
  19. GatorLurker

    GatorLurker GC Hall of Fame

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    Exactly. Handle the ball and it was a tie game.

    Maybe the rationale for only one error was that perfect play would have been a tied game and that it only took one error to lose the game and the second error is superfluous.
     
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  20. 74nole

    74nole GC Hall of Fame

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    All I use anymore is fruit wood—as you said apple and cherry. Pecan is top shelf for smoking. I use it whenever I can get my hands on some. It was very plentiful around south Ga where I grew up as pecan orchards were quite a popular crop.
    There’s just not that much of it around here—but again, yes it’s great for smoking meat.