Our girl Mandy goes into depth about the sauces that should be in your pantry to make her or any Chinese meal.
Soy Sauce. Like Marion Grasby Mandy uses a lot of different soy sauces. Mandy recommends brands she uses. Links are provided in her video.
Oyster Sauce. There are vegan versions and Mandy has a video on making a vegan oyster sauce.
Wines. Mandy has a rice wine she uses and recommends.
Vinegar. Black vinegar is a common ingredient.
There’s not going to be a ‘Weekly Grocer Walk Through’ this week. I am still dealing with symptoms of COVID-19 which is why we got tested today. In this video David Dubyne talks about coming issues to our food supply. The idea of one or two corporations controlling everything doesn’t make me feel good. What y’all?
https://www.thecountrycook.net/grilled-cheese-dippers/
I grew up eating grilled cheese sandwiches. Over the years I have tried a variety of cheese combinations. I have found I like aged white cheddar. Oh yeah!
This post uses regular cheddar. Crust! I give it to our little Pom Sarge. It’s more of a personal choice.
Sides. Again I grew up with Tomato soup. I don’t like this soup. But you have what you like. There’s a dipping side recipe here.
https://www.thecountrycook.net/smoked-pepperoni-pizza/
If you think you need a kitchen oven for pizza… Think again. Not at all. You can cook pizza on your grill or in a smoker. Yeah! Bet Nostradamus didn’t see this coming.
A lot of recipes call for a pizza stone. This is a fancy stone. You can also bake pizza on a grill grate. Just put it on the side without direct heat.
What to top it with? Classic tomato sauce or alfredo. If you like pesto go for it. Veggies and/or meat. Cheese! I am a fan of cheddar and mozzarella. I know cheddar isn’t a classic Italian choice, but we love it.
Sides! This is the fun part. You can spin a wheel and find something fun like chicken satay or veggies. I don’t understand why people stack bread on top of bread.
Desserts anyone! Pass them my way. Fruit is a great choice for the summer. Cake or cobbler in the winter.
Here’s a sime recipe for marinated mushrooms. They will perfect for your last cookout before the kiddies go back to school. You can change the herbs according to your taste and dinner theme. Don’t alter the vinegar aspect.
What to serve the along side with? Grilled proteins, roasted meals, slow cooker meals, or holiday meals. There’s no dairy so they’re perfect for summer. They can set out without much concern. Of course, you want to be mindful of leaving food out past half hour to hour or it risk the ‘danger zone’. That’s when the risk food borne illnesses are high.
Pinterest has an abundance of theme herb mixes. Rather it’s Mediterranean or Asian, you’ll find it their. Enjoy what’s left of the summer.
I am not sure which it is. I just I have felt awful every since Tuesday. similar symptoms so Antonia will be taking me to get tested this week.
https://insanelygoodrecipes.com/cracker-barrel-recipes/
I enjoy Cracker Barrel. It’s like stepping back in time when food was delicious and simple. No complicated little bird tongue here. Here are some of my favorite items to have there.
Breakfast: Pancakes with scrambled eggs. Oh my God the pancakes. Fluffy, sweet and delicious. Smoothered with butter and syrup. 🥰
Lunch or dinner: Chicken and dumplings. Yes! So good. The dumplings are soaked in the broth they cooking in and the broth is rich and delicious. The chicken is cooked to perfection. Salt and pepper are the only seasonings. It’s so delicious and simple. Reminds me of the Southern cooks I was exposed to as a child growing up in the South.
Sides: One of my favorite sides is the cinnamon apples. Sliced apples cooked to perfection. A cinnamon sugar base thickened with cornstarch not flour. The cooking syrup is perfectly seasoned. I am two seconds from drooling. Coleslaw is devine. Coleslaw is one of those things that you either really love it or you don’t. Mashed potatoes are heavenly. Sweet potatoes are delicious.
Last category is desserts. The desserts at Cracker Barrel are what your Southern granny would make. Banana pudding off the hook. A simple but delicious chocolate cake. Strawberry Shortcake that’s incredible.
All these recipes are here.
https://www.platingsandpairings.com/din-tai-fung-cucumber-salad-recipe/
The few days will be short post. I think I’ve gotten COVID-19 again. I just know that I feel terrible.
This cucumber salad is genius for cookouts. There’s no dairy. You can make this salad in advance. I have made a similar salad and it’s delicious.
I hope you enjoy this salad.
https://www.afamilyfeast.com/chop-suey-cake/
If you grew up in America, chances are you’ve had a version of American Chop Suey. Ground beef, onion, bell pepper, tomatoes. If it sounds familiar it’s because there are different names for this dish.
This cake caught my eye because I grew up eating a version of American Chop Suey. True to form, this cake a bit of everything to make it delicious without breaking your budget. What makes this cake affordable is you keep things in it on your shelves for run of the mill recipe.
Now here is a bit of background to this cake. It’s a 1930s recipe which means anyone can afford to make it. This cske from a time when most Americans were teetering on a razor’s edge. Like we are now…
https://bethcakes.com/strawberry-beer-floats/
As you know Summer is coming to an end and so is the heat and humidity. The down side means weekend BBQs are numbered. So celebrate with a vengeance. Below will be the items from this post link that stood out to me.
Appetizers can be made on the grill. Yeah! These I mentioning weren’t on this menu. Smoked stuffed jalapenos. While I am not a huge fan, there are many people who are. Check out Bobby Flay’s site. He’s a guru on the grill. Potato wedges could be done on a grill and served as an appetizer.
I grew up in Paragould Arkansas. I have consumed my fair share of Memphis style ribs. When I saw them on the menu, memories came back. So let’s go with those. What to serve with them? As you know I’ve been sharing non-dairy sides. If you’re going to serve a dairy based side make sure you take precautions. A great alternative is Baked Beans. Oh yeah! Sweet, spicy and bacon or pulled pork included. My late mom made a vinegar based coleslaw that was awesome. Now that I am older and she has passed, I hope one day I can recreate it. Or find it. Fries are always welcomed.
Dessets. Yep. You can do these on the grill as well. Again, checkout Bobby Flay on FoodNetwork website. However, the one we are going to look at is something I never thought about. Strawberry Beer Float. It’s such an obvious choice. Strawberries are the fruit of summer. Ice cream is a must. Why not combine strawberry, ice cream and a beer soda like ginger beer. This won’t affect the color like root beer.
Drinks. This will depend on your family and situation. I personally don’t drink. Have in the past and it was disastrous. Other wise Pinterest has an abundance of punches that are perfect for a mixed crowd.
Welcome to Scratch Kitchen!