Outside the dugout: What's cooking?

Our friends had a bumper crop of basil so I made a lot of pesto today. Going to roast a chicken with pesto and redskin potatoes tonight.

 

Making a spicy pasta sauce with fennel and shrimp tonight.

 

Damn.

Life is very good for you.

 

Last night was spicy clams in a Thai style broth over Texmati rice.

Tonight I am making green (tomatillo) chicken posole.

 

Leftovers!

 

Making a pomodoro sauce to serve over bucatini. Still have a lot of basil from our friends' garden so I can put a couple of large sprigs in it when I remove the sauce from the heat to let them steep and then fish them out when we are ready to reheat and put the nearly cooked bucatini in the sauce. When fully cooked I add grated parmigiano reggiano and butter.

Caprese salad on the side.

Getting the sauce made up to the point where I add the pasta so that I can watch the Lady Gator volleyball game at 6 and have dinner after.

 

Tonight we are having Cubanos from Mi Apa for dinner.

 

Charred cabbage with sweet Italian sausage and giardiniera,

 

I am guessing the chicken isn't fried in lard.

That is the best and very old school.

Other things can be pretty good.

 

Cooking some chicken thighs with Nashville hot chicken spice but not a lot of it.

 

My wife bought a proper wok (steel) because our wok was nonstick and you cannot get them as hot as you might like. Wrong tool for the job. With a high output BlueStar burner and taking the top grate off so the wok gets really close to the flame you can get a wok REALLY hot. Yesterday we seasoned it and had kung pao chicken for dinner. My wife was the chef whilst I watched the Gator football team snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Good thing I don't live and die with Gator football like most Gator fans but I do want them to win. Now Gator baseball, volleyball and basketball are different to me. I don't "live and die" with them. Life is better when you can let things go. But I feel like I got a really bad bruise when they lose.

Tonight is veggie tacos with hazelnuts and pepitas in place of meat. Black beans for additional protein. Also with fresh corn. First time trying this recipe but it sounds good.