Sounds good Andy. I love scampi especially when you get good shrimp. I have a pork loin in the oven right now. I am going to whip up and orange glaze for the top with some oranges from my yard. I also have some crab ravioli I made last week and froze that I will cook up tonight and maybe some good ol corn on the cob. I friggin love corn.

Last night we had pork scallopini in with a tomato red wine and herb gravy seved over orzo with parmesan cheese. To steal a line from the best TV chef of all time - Thats what I call good eats.

quote:

Originally posted by pmpimbura:
Sounds good Andy. I love scampi especially when you get good shrimp. I have a pork loin in the oven right now. I am going to whip up and orange glaze for the top with some oranges from my yard. I also have some crab ravioli I made last week and froze that I will cook up tonight and maybe some good ol corn on the cob. I friggin love corn.

Last night we had pork scallopini in with a tomato red wine and herb gravy seved over orzo with parmesan cheese. To steal a line from the best TV chef of all time - Thats what I call good eats.

You should of had some of that corn I cooked over Mesquite and Oak coals for 45 minutes. Then I proceeded to brush on my Homemade Ancho chile Garlic butter with Green onions out of my dads garden mixed in. If you a corn freak I can fix you up, Im the king of roasted corn (if thats what you like). I also make a KILLER pan fried corn with Butter and Olive oil, Garlic, Shallots, Yellow Onions, Carrots, Green, yellow, red bell pepper, and Corn cut off the cob. There are also some secret ingrediants I cannot tell you about though but you get the picture.

I would love to cook for you, Andy and Idesign one night and vise versa. It would be the ultimate to cook for each other, watching, drinking, and smoking some good Ol' stoges!!! He11 ya!!!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: the_stogemiester,

Tomorrow, the first Sunday off in a while, I'll be grilling 2 racks of baby back ribs and fresh corn on the cob !!! My girlfriend is making a super "Pasta Salad" with shrimp,greek olives, cheese etc. I use a dry rub on the ribs until the last 15 minutes of cooking and then I drench them in sauce Now if we can just stay out of the way of Hurricanes this year, life will be GRAND !!

I will be making my special grilled salmon with a chipotle barbeque glaze I made up. Side dish will be some zucchini, boiler onions, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes and garlic cooked down in olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Fresh green beans blanched and sautee'd in olive oil and toasted almond slivers. I have a bottle of Stags leap and a La aroma de cuba robusto to try out afterwards.



Dave

Sounds almost perfect. You had me until the aroma de cuba. I can't stand those things.

I have been enjoying them lately. I have been smoking cigars for about 2 months now, so I have alot more to try. I expect you guys to steer me in the right direction on what to try next. I wish I had learned to enjoy a good smoke before I had turned 41 years old.


Dave

quote:

Originally posted by SgtDave:
I have been enjoying them lately. I have been smoking cigars for about 2 months now, so I have alot more to try. I expect you guys to steer me in the right direction on what to try next. I wish I had learned to enjoy a good smoke before I had turned 41 years old.


Dave

Hey, Dave --

You learned it 10 years before me -- I smoked periodically but never enjoyed it to the extent I do now. Hope that makes you feel better. Welcome to the club.

This weekend will be mellow after the SmokeFest we had last Sunday.

Friday night was Spaghetti Marinara with Italian tuna, black olives and caramelized red onion.

Tonight is light fare: a salad with roasted pears, roasted pecans and Maytag Blue cheese with an aged balsamic dressing.

Tomorrow is TBA - still dreaming!

quote:

Originally posted by SgtDave:
..... I expect you guys to steer me in the right direction on what to try next............
Dave

Welcome to the board!....I agree with PMP...you can do much better than the Aroma de Cubas'...you can get much better smokes out there for the same, or less money. Try any of the Torano line: 1959 Golds, Silvers, 1916, Casa Torano, Tributes, etc, you can't go wrong with any of his vitolas. Each has it's own unique character, but any of them are outstanding, reasonably priced smokes. (I'm starting to sound like a Torano commercial)

There are so many other good smokes out there right now, and everybody has their own particular tastes, that it's hard to make recommendations....you just have to try a buch of different brands. and see what appeals to you...and you will most likely find that your tastes will change over time.....but the Toranos are a good start, and most people seem to find one of their lines highly appealing.
If you are just starting out...look for a Casa Torano (mild, but very flavorful) or a 1916 (a medium blend with a Cameroon wrapper)...hell, try them all....you can't go wrong.....read some of the reviews after you smoked a couple to compare what other's thoughts have been,and while subjective, it should give you a baseline of how one smoke compares to another.

You can't always go by reviews however, some people enjoy certain smokes that others wouldn't go near....so the only thing to do is get out there and try a few different lines and see what you like. Some of my other recommendations for someone starting out to get a good feel for quality/reasonable smokes would be: any Padron, and any of the Fuente Sungrowns (a Fuente 858 Maduro is also a must-try). Try different wrappers in the same vitola, if you can, to see what you like - each Torano uses a different wrapper, so you can do some good comparisons of what you prefer (the wrapper is responsible for a great deal of the flavor and aroma of a cigar)...but like I said, your tastes will probably change, and you may find that you like certain cigars for different occasions (I know I do). It's a never-ending quest.....but enjoyable.
Have Fun..

This message has been edited. Last edited by: rbihari,

Well, I don't know about you guys, but I have had one heck of a draining week!!! We're getting whacked with the outer bands of Arlene as she builds in the Gulf and it is time for me to think about cigars and cooking!!!

I'm thinking VERY Caribbean and Latin this weekend:

Friday night: Cuban Roast chicken with Mojo, roasted potatoes and onions

Saturday AM: chilaquiles with salsa verde

Still percolating the other dishes, but I think it'll be some garlic roast pork and maybe some grilled snapper... you know I'll post!

Sounds great Andy. I'm thinking of doing some latin dishes this weekend too. Picked up some plantains and a pork roast. You can see where I'm going with this.

The chilaquiles got postponed until tomorrow morning, but I picked up the tomatillos, jalapenos and the cilantro so I gots the goods.

Lunch was a simple homemade chicken salad - with the chicken from last night - but with capers, olives, lemon zest added with the mayo (not Miracle Whip - sure to disappoint some of you!)

I have been slow roasting a pork butt for the last few hours after marinating it with some more Cuban mojo. I'll be making some black beans and white rice to accompany.

Hey PMP, how'd those plantains come out? Did you do "maduros" or did you make "tostones" out of them?

Me, I'm just doing some homepressed Black Angus burgers, and grilling some onions and potatoes..nothing fancy

Mike

Hey PMP,
Just devoured 2 plates of Chilaquiles Verdes full of chicken, salsa verde, Monterrey Jack, onions, tortillas and covered in Cotija cheese and Mexican "crema" and a fried egg...

As the Stoge would scream "Where my Vatos at?"

If my kids don't eat a bunch, I may have to devour the whole rest of the pan.

Damn Andy That brings back memories. My mom used to make chilaquiles when I was a kid.

Last entry for the weekend:
Took the roast pork and warmed it back up, sauteed some onions and garlic in olive oil and lime juice, toasted up some French bread and made me a bad mofo of a "lechon" sandwich. This Grolsch blonde is going real well with it. That's it for me this weekend. Back to work and running around tomorrow... and dreaming about what to cook next time!

Last night was a grilled shrimp and white bean salad with some radicchio and fennel and a nice red-wine vinaigrette. It's so hot here that the meals this weekend have got to be very light and crisp. No heavy food for a couple of months until it cools down some!

Hey Andy & Everyone,
Happy Father's Day !!

My girlfriend is making "Picadillo" for me tonight for Father's Day, what is everyone else having ???

Sunday dinner was "Arroz con Pollo - Caribbean Style". This one is worth a little explanation...
The rice is cooked separately with some toasted coconut and slivered almonds and some adobo. The chicken is roasted on top of the carrots (which have been drizzled with a little honey). Poured over the chicken before it roasts is a mojo made with naranja agria, some olive oil, shallots and garlic. Once the chicken is done, the rice is added in and some fresh cilantro is mixed in... How good? THAT good!

I was feeling confident enough to even make a little dessert today - some homemade apple strudel (using a Sara Moulton recipe) made with phillo dough, Granny Smith apples and golden raisins that had been soaking in dark rum. It came out of the oven just BEGGING for some vanilla ice cream. Thank you Breyers for making a Lactose Free Vanilla!

right now i have some Grade A Albera beef steaks maranating in 15 year old solera blended Balsamic vinigar. -makes the most aromatic steak ever!
probably cook up some potatoes and corn, all on the BBQ of course.