What are you eating Right Now

[thegleek]

Possibly the best designed dark chocolate candy bar in the world:

Smoke & Stout Caramel Bar
Rogue's Chocolate Stout beer + Alderwood smoked salt + burnt sugar caramel + 70% dark chocolate



Check it out at: http://www.vosgeschocolate.com/product/ ... -chocolate

[ALiLPinkMonster]

Bit-O-Honey. Classic.

[ordskiweicz]

Ghiradelli 62% chocolate bits

[Welch]

Roast Beef Sandwich with avocado, mayo, mustard, whole wheat Orowheat bread and some green leaf lettuce... Oh and Boars Head pepper jack cheese

[ludi]

My grandmother passed away this weekend, and although it was entirely expected, I needed comfort food for dinner. Stouffer's heat-and-serve Mac & Cheese, pan-sauteed smoky links, and a Great Divide rye lager. Not even slightly healthy, but the taste buds loved every second of it.

[Jambe]

I just had some leftover soup I made a few nights back. Plus crushed red peppers (mine), a bit of cayenne (mine) in with the onions, half a leftover yellow onion, and 3 leftover pieces of local bacon. Pretty tasty... I have yet to do an entirely local version, but I should be able to manage it (I may have to mix up my own "Italian" sausage, though).

I recently split a cow with a neighbor who took most of the organ meat and I'm trying to decide what to do with the chain (learned me how to cut up a tenderloin). I'm thinking... pound it out and sear it on a griddle for fajitas/enchiladas/tacos, or maybe cheesesteaks. I'm gonna make tongue tacos sometime so I may just go with cheesesteaks, since they're clearly the more heart-healthy option. The stew route seems wasteful.

[thegleek]

I just had some leftover soup I made a few nights back. Plus crushed red peppers (mine), a bit of cayenne (mine) in with the onions, half a leftover yellow onion, and 3 leftover pieces of local bacon. Pretty tasty... I have yet to do an entirely local version, but I should be able to manage it (I may have to mix up my own "Italian" sausage, though).

I recently split a cow with a neighbor who took most of the organ meat and I'm trying to decide what to do with the chain (learned me how to cut up a tenderloin). I'm thinking... pound it out and sear it on a griddle for fajitas/enchiladas/tacos, or maybe cheesesteaks. I'm gonna make tongue tacos sometime so I may just go with cheesesteaks, since they're clearly the more heart-healthy option. The stew route seems wasteful.

That's awesome man! what motivated you? health? paleo diet? documentary? what state do you live in? i'm curious about the availability and costs.

[paulWTAMU]

aged sharp cheddar and a small glass of Tennessee Honey Whiskey. IT's a great contrast. Got back from a business trip tonight and ate fruits and veggies for supper, so I'm munching some cheese now...why the hell is it so hard to get good, filling, meals with lots of fruits and veggies (barring salads which I don't like)

[Jambe]

That's awesome man! what motivated you? health? paleo diet? documentary? what state do you live in? i'm curious about the availability and costs.

Cowtalk! I have a few paleo friends but I'm not one myself (yet...) because I like bread and pasta too damned much. I got this particular lot because I know a preacher who knew the farmer and he didn't want to fill his freezers with the whole cow so we split it (and I gave/sold some of my share to friends). I like buying locally anyway as something of an ethical concern (I'm also gardening).

I'm on the Indiana side of the Ohio river. If you want a large portion of meat you can find a co-op or ask at a farmer's market. Butcher might set you up, too. Also, interwebs! Cost will vary a helluva lot given the cuts you want and based on the breed, rearing, and packaging (and branding, if the outfit is big). Anywhere from like $3/lb for a mostly-burger package of grain-finished lot beef to ridiculous crazytown prices ($12/lb+) for bunches of steaks cut from exotic pasture-finished cows. Also, it can be cheaper if you put a deposit on or buy a calf. Offal and bones shouldn't cost you much if you want them, and you could do as I do and have them grind some stuff in with the ground beef like the heart and tail (you can even cook some tendon in a crock pot to add to a burger mix).

The 209 lb half of a pasture-raised grass fed and finished Angus/Simmental ended up at $5.50/lb (vacuum packed). That's a nice price for the cuts I got (whole tenderloin, lots of steaks, nice mix of burger, bones) and the work, and it tastes great and is well-marbled. It would cost me damn-near twice that at the grocery/butcher. Actually, the groceries rarely sell grass-finished beef (only grass-fed) and the butchers usually do silly markup on it because they can.

[thegleek]

Offal and bones shouldn't cost you much if you want them, and you could do as I do and have them grind some stuff in with the ground beef like the heart and tail (you can even cook some tendon in a crock pot to add to a burger mix).

Sounds gross. What's the appeal with the heart, tail, tendon? I've always been just a premium steak, top-sirloin ground round kind-a-guy. I'm not much into fat, even if it does provide most/all of the flavor.

Actually, the groceries rarely sell grass-finished beef (only grass-fed) and the butchers usually do silly markup on it because they can.

Didn't know what that meant, so I looked it up:

http://www.grass-fed-beef-101.com/defin ... _beef.html

[just brew it!]

Offal and bones shouldn't cost you much if you want them, and you could do as I do and have them grind some stuff in with the ground beef like the heart and tail (you can even cook some tendon in a crock pot to add to a burger mix).

Sounds gross. What's the appeal with the heart, tail, tendon? I've always been just a premium steak, top-sirloin ground round kind-a-guy. I'm not much into fat, even if it does provide most/all of the flavor.

Generally speaking I'm not into the organ meats much myself; but in spite of that, I do have to say: liverwurst FTW!

[Jambe]

Sounds gross. What's the appeal with the heart, tail, tendon? I've always been just a premium steak, top-sirloin ground round kind-a-guy. I'm not much into fat, even if it does provide most/all of the flavor.

An ethical concern, for one (kinda wasteful). Mostly though, I was served bits regularly working on a farm, so it's not a big deal for me. The heart and tail are just muscley/fatty hunks of meat. You honestly can't tell that the heart is mixed in, and the oxtail is just a little gamier than the rest of the animal. If you don't like gamier tasting meat then leave the oxtail out, or try stewing it with lots of seasoning. Tendon is just delicious and gelatinous but still quite beefy, but if you're not into the texture of fat you won't like it, so you can leave it out.

Grass-finished beef is more expensive. But again, for me, it's something of an ethical concern. I saw feed lots first-hand and didn't like them. You can find grain-finished non-lot meat but it tastes different. It is fattier and more marbled than your average grass-finished meat. Grass-finished is (I think) subtly earthier/beefier than grain-fed which has more of the unctuous straight fat flavor than it does the gamy beef flavor... so that puts off many people who were raised on grain-finished beef.

[Captain Ned]

Don't skimp on the paté.

[Jambe]

Just made steak au poivre with a blasphemous Michter's straight rye pan sauce, mashed potato cakes with a sour cream & chive dip and asparagus pan-fried with garlic in butter. The last bits of my Cowgirl Creamery Mt Tam were consumed, as well. Water and the rye to drink.

I didn't eff up, either! It impressed and was delicious; mission accomplished.

[Welch]

Homemade Penne pasta with 4 cheese sauce, Gorgonzola, Fontina, Parmesan, Mascarpone.... freaking amazing .

[FireGryphon]

Green grapes and red strawberries.

[thegleek]

Green grapes and red strawberries.

Do strawberries come in any other color?

[JustAnEngineer]

Fresh headless 31-35 count gulf shrimp, steamed with a little Old Bay seasoning.