FOOD, man cannot live by whisky alone.

I challenge anyone to find a tastier dish in any North America style Chinese restaurant. My wife has perfected sesame ginger chicken. And in hindsight, the Heineken 0.0 would have likely been a better pairing.

The food onslaught continues.

Last night I BBQed chicken wings three ways - with the secret family seasoning, with BBQ sauce and with hot sauce.

This morning, faced with unused pancake batter, I made raspberry blueberry pancakes with banana and craft maple syrup.

Tonight, my wife grilled marinated pork and beef and I had some over rice (with Vietnamese fish sauce). My kids wanted pizza, and Having discovered the dough hook on my kitchenaide (who needs a bread maker?!), and with a new found plentiful supply of yeast, a pizza was born! And it was good...

Nicely accompanied by a good brew... Heineken 0.0.

@Nozinan There use to be a term in my University days "The Freshman Forty". A first year student spending their time eating and studying for the first two semesters. I wonder if you may be dealing with the "Covid Forty"? We're all spending out time isolating and cooking.

Sorry no photo for this but - my wife makes the most amazing sticky date pudding with caramel sauce and poached pear. This was requested for our dinner party with friends last night but my wife wanted to change it up and make it a whisky caramel sauce. "Can I use some of your whisky?" was met with a long pause from me which conveyed I was less than enthusiastic about that idea. "How much do you need?". I offered up some Ardbeg 10. OMG, what a fantastic result and so worth it. The peat going well with the dark caramel - what a winner!

@Hewie My wife has made sticky toffee cake many times and when it is for members of the connosr family I have been known to add bourbon to the caramel sauce..

@Hewie I'll have to pass that tip along to my friend's wife who makes killer sticky toffee pudding.

@Nozinan Or maybe a sneaky way to rid yourself of Lambertus?

@OdysseusUnbound Isn't there something in the Criminal Code about poisoning people...?

Yesterday and today Jews around the world celebrated Shavuot, a holiday related to the Torah being given to us.

For reasons entirely unclear to me, we eat dairy foods on this holiday.

Blintzes are a traditional food (a special kind of crepe often filled with a cottage cheese Mixture but more often found slathered with Nutella or maple syrup by my kids) and I am the only one who learned how to make them from my grandmother.

It takes hours to stand and fry them. My grandmother could run three pans at a time. On a good day I can do 2 without messing up.

I was done in 2 hours this time. I was racing he clock to make and distribute to family because I’m on call at 1130 and so I was up at 8 and started at 830.

Just got home from deliveries, with a half hour to spare. And no part of my day lost because this is when I would have got up on my only day off in 12.

Home made, organic, free-range, venison pies - well the meat at least. A favourite way to use up left over venison casserole.

@Hewie New Zealand venison .... memories of an exceptionally delicious protein.

@Hewie oh, man, that looks good. What did you pair it with?

@BlueNote I'd like to say a whisky but at dinner time it was just a beer

@Hewie Some things just go better with beer.

@Hewie - They look mouth-watering, mate! But being a northern lad, id have to say they look more of a pasty than a pie!?

@RianC ha ha yeah fair call. Being lazy I just did a fold over but calling them a meat turnover (like an apple turnover) didn't really seem right Probably more like a pastie but pastry + meat filling = pie No brown sauce needed though

@Hewie - Whatever they're called I'd love to try one, mate! Coming from Bolton, which is a traditional pasty town that borders Wigan, a traditional pie town, the pie/pasty distinction and rivalry runneth deep!

Last two nights I've had some Sancerre with, first off, roast chicken with butter and herbs under the skin and then tonight with pan fried cod fillets. Not had white wine in ages but this is one of my favourites and was beautifully balanced and minerally. Wasn't a cheap one but a treat to go with the extra effort put into the food.

Pulled the stops out on the chicken (forgot to take a finished pic. but it looked good, even if I do say so myself) and learned a new way to pan fry cod- I always found it stuck but saw a guy dust them in flower then dip them in beaten egg (wiping off most of it before frying). Held their shape beautifully and after constant basting in butter and, finally, lemon they came out mmwah! That burnt butter/lemon thing works so well with fish and the crushed new potatoes and watercress. Wine was a Match made in heaven!

@RianC I got to ask "what is the label for the Sancerre"? Pouilly-Fumé is also a good choice.

@fiddich1980

@RianC Must try that with fish next time. Sounds fabulous.

@BlueNote - it's from a Rick Stein recipe for monkfish. just lightly crush new potatoes, add 3 or so tbsp of olive oil, season and then mix in rough chopped watercress. Pop lid back on pan and leave for a few mins. If having with monkfish, I place it on top of the pots and drizzle balsamic and olive oil around 'cos I'm a wee bit froo froo at times

@RianC Nothing wrong with being froo, froo when it comes to food.

Nothing too exciting but making one of my favourite soups for lunch - chorizo, Savoy cabbage and pearl barley with garden thyme. Very comforting and hearty fayre and good for you too! Oooh, I've gone all Mumsy

Been wanting to try this for a while. A downpour forced us to cancel an out door socially distant brunch with friends. But I still had to pick up the Montreal smoked meat I had ordered.

I’ve been wanting to try to bake a rye bread that could be sliced thin enough to use for sandwiches, and I had found a recipe for a dark rye. So I quickly started on that and 3 hours later we had rye. I made a small roll which I took out of the oven a bit earlier and my wife and I tried it.

We waited as long as we could for the loaf to cool and the result, using a special bread knife I received as a gift to cut sandwich-thickness slices, was a smoked meat sandwich enjoyed by my son and me.

Next, light rye?

@Nozinan That's pure sandwich porn. I can taste that smoked meat.

Made one of my favourite Chinese dishes - braised pork belly in spices. It's very simple but one of those dishes that soaks up all the flavours. Anything with Anise, cinnamon and orange peel gets my vote! A little on the run side so portions are small but, man, does that pork sing! It was making this that made me reach for the Bulleit 10 - a great accompaniment.

I'll serve with Jasmine rice and sauteed bean sprouts. My mouths watering already ...

@RianC Look bonkers!

@cricklewood - Come again?!

Last post was meant to say 'a little on the rich side' not 'run side' pesky auto-correct! The sauce was also reduced to a syrupy glaze before serving. Mmm, I feel a bit fat now though

@RianC My wife is Chinese and she adores pork belly. I find it a bit fatty myself but there is no denying that the flavor with the right spices is divine.