What you having for dinner tonight?

[Hurlshort]

The more I read about Gromir's dinner lifestyle, the more I want to hang out at his house for a meal.

 

The weird thing about chain supermarkets here is even when they're stocked, the raw chicken's really aren't any bigger than the resultant pre-cooked ones. At least, not that I've seen. Seriously, they're small. Anyway, since I'm pretty sure running your own backyard chicken coop/butcher is likely illegal here - might get away with a laying hen or two, but that's it - I don't have many close by local options in that regard.

 

My neighbors have chickens, and they are free to butcher them whenever

[kgambit]

 

The more I read about Gromir's dinner lifestyle, the more I want to hang out at his house for a meal.

 

The weird thing about chain supermarkets here is even when they're stocked, the raw chicken's really aren't any bigger than the resultant pre-cooked ones. At least, not that I've seen. Seriously, they're small. Anyway, since I'm pretty sure running your own backyard chicken coop/butcher is likely illegal here - might get away with a laying hen or two, but that's it - I don't have many close by local options in that regard.

 

My neighbors have chickens, and they are free to butcher them whenever

 

 

Our neighbors wanted to get chickens but the covenants in the HOA had restrictions against them. A request for a waiver failed a HOA vote.   So it can go either way. 

[Walsingham]

I have to go out and buy vittles for the weekend now, after ending work late. Hope it's not too late for the butchers.

 

(It blatantly is)

[Gromnir]

You can't sell a freaking chicken? Where do you live, North Korea?

 

Even on the outskirts of London you can buy a chicken from a farmer.

 

this is the USA. people rarely do shopping for groceries anywhere save for local supermarket or costco. is not that people can't get fresh eggs or a chicken killed less than 24 hours ago, but rather that very few people has ever searched for such things. people know that restaurants get fresh ingredients that ain't available at safeway. people know that california's largest industry, by far, is agriculture. people know that there is farms... everywhere. there is a kinda disconnect. Americans know that this nation produces ridiculous amounts o' food, but for some reason most o' us don't even consider how to get food from someplace other than a supermarket.

 

"organic" label is stoopid... and largely meaningless. nevertheless, there is a good site to help folks get started with purchase o' food other than at supermarket.

 

http://www.localharvest.org/

 

keep in mind that most local growers dont have websites, so only a tiny fraction o' potential sellers show up at aforementioned search thingy... but it gives you a place to begin looking.

 

HA! Good Fun!

 

ps once you go direct to a farm and buy Real bacon that has been dry cured, you will never be complete satisfied with supermarket bacon ever again... so be warned.

Edited September 28, 2013 by Gromnir

[Walsingham]

I am obliged to agree with Gromnir. Good bacon is a curse never to be lifted.

 

~

 

Couldn't get to the butchers in time, so had to go to the supermarket. Bought beef mince and a leg of lamb for tomorrow.

 

Four bottles of assorted ales, and a grenache mix I haven't had before. Should be an interesting weekend, but I'm feeling knackered after a challenging week.

[Gromnir]

am annoyed. we gotta re-season a cast iron skillet. is not a particularly time consuming task, but we is inexplicably w/o any steel wool. gotta run to hardware store to clean a pan? is just... weird. 

 

HA! Good Fun!

[Hurlshort]

Farmer's markets are very popular around the bay area though, so I don't think people are completely disconnected.  The biggest issue is the convenience factor, I know a great place to buy eggs about 10 minutes away, but that will just get me eggs.  I don't really want to go to each individual farm to get my grocery list filled.

[Walsingham]

Farmer's markets are very popular around the bay area though, so I don't think people are completely disconnected.  The biggest issue is the convenience factor, I know a great place to buy eggs about 10 minutes away, but that will just get me eggs.  I don't really want to go to each individual farm to get my grocery list filled.

 

This is going to sound like I'm wagging my finger at you, but I'm not.

 

Yes, it seems that way, but once you get into the habit of going to individuals, the embuggerance factor is more than offset by having someone pleased to see you and genuinely appreciating your custom. Rather than just being a 'beep' in a monolith's churning sea of financial data.

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

Brisket and stout, possibly potatos.

[Walsingham]

I just had an 'Old Slug Porter' from the RCH brewery.

 

Stouts can easily go too rich, or too burnt, or too acid. This was an absolute champion at cool room temperature. Real beef pie and rumination fodder.

[LadyCrimson]

Our neighbors wanted to get chickens but the covenants in the HOA had restrictions against them. A request for a waiver failed a HOA vote.   So it can go either way.

Different cities have different laws, too. Hulrshot lives in a more farm-y area with a lot more local farmer's markets here and there. I'm rather smack dab in the middle of total industrial suburbia.

 

It's not that one couldn't have a chicken for a pet or something. Or that you couldn't get away with a chicken pen for a while if no neighbors noticed/complained. Or some areas, maybe you just need to apply for a breeder/cattery permit, like you do if you want to (legally) have more than a handful of cats. Varies wildly.

 

And yeah, convenience. I'm not driving 30-60 minutes (one direction) on a busy freeway towards Hurlie's area or across the Bay into the Valley just to buy a live or just butchered chicken.

[Hurlshort]

Also we do get a lot of local stuff in our grocery stores, depending on where you shop.  It's usually fresher and sometimes even cheaper.

[Walsingham]

Beef curry with plenty of what I think of as 'warm' spices (cinnamon, nutmeg etc), green beans and kale.

 

The grenache I had is good, but I don't think I'm in the mood. So I'm switching back to stout, and watching Hornblower.

[Guard Dog]

Smoked turkey tenderloin brushed with home made BBQ sauce & steamed summer squash & baked potatoes. And pecan pie for later. Obviously GF is coming over, I wouldn't have made all that just for me.

[Gromnir]

even in heart of industrial suburbia or downtown urban, you will frequent have farmer's markets that pop-up once a week for 4+ hours. many folks seem to think that all you can get at such places is over-sized cucumbers and ugly macrame tea cozies. *shrug* is worth investigating. alternative option for meat is a kosher butcher, as long as they do on-site slaughter. laws 'bout slaughter o' animals in urban and suburban areas is typical far more lax than you might think. the reason is kosher requirements. municipalities can't say "yes" to jewish butchers, and "no" to everybody else. even so, kosher is still the most likely to do on-site slaughter. the problem, o' course, is cost. 

 

oddly enough, in big cities it is frequent easier to get fresh ingredients than suburbia. every major metro area is gonna have a market(s) for supplying all the restaurants in town. maybe you gotta get up a few hours earlier than is sane, but you can get whatever you need/want. 

 

speaking o' difficulty getting good meat someplace other than supermarket, is finally the time o' year we can make a decent bigos. we makes our hunter's stew with 1/2 lb each bacon, kielbasa, venison and wild piggie. can hunt wild pig year round, but deer season starts in fall. in batches, brown meats in a big old dutch oven. dont cook meat, just sear.  typical, we does bacon last. remove meats and all but a tablespoon oil then add 2lbs o' rinsed sauerkraut (tougher to get good sauerkraut than venison, so we make our own,) and a chopped onion... sweat the onions. put meats back in pot and cover everything with just enough beef stock to barely immerse. add dried mushrooms of type and quantity as you desire, 1.5t caraway seeds, bay leaf, 1T peppercorns... optional is juniper berries and marjoram. *shrug* bring to a boil and reduce to simmer... cover and cook for 1 hour. add 1C full-bodied red wine or pilsner... works well either way. add 10-20 chopped prunes... we likes the sweet that the prunes add, but probable go with 10. add a teaspoon or 2 o' tomato paste (or don't. is optional) cover and cook another couple hours. 

 

add as little water as is necessary periodic to keep from drying out. can be maddening the first couple times you prepare, 'cause take off lid to check releases moisture and flavor... which means you do gotta add more water. you will get feel for when to check after 2nd time you make.

 

ok. is done... or not. ever notice that pot roast and some other foods seem better the next day? this is one o' those foods/dishes. the gelatin from the connective tissues in the game meats in the bigos is now liquefied, but if you really wanna infuse back into the "stew,"  you let stew cool overnight/refrigerate and then put back on stove next day and simmer for another couple hours. 

 

we started our bigos earlier today, but won't be ready til tomorrow. *sigh* didn't have no juniper berries neither. we usually skip the berries anyway.

 

you don't need venison and wild pig.  1/2 pound each "stew meat" and pork butt/shoulder is gonna be working just fine for most folks. experiment with the meat combos, but make sure you use stuff that takes a long time to cook. 

 

HA! Good Fun!

 

ps C = cup, T = tablespoon and t=teaspoon. apologies if that were not obvious/clear... oh, and just skip the sausage and add other meats if you use crappy hickory farms kielbasa. am not being snobbish with this as the stuff you get in supermarket called kielbasa will taste like hotdog  after cooking for so long. gross. 

Edited September 29, 2013 by Gromnir

[Gromnir]

sidenote: speaking o' sauerkraut, our bestest chocolate cake recipes call for ~3/4C sauerkraut. is always fun to tell folks After they compliment our delicious cake that it is made with sauerkraut. heck, we almost never bake, 'cause baking is just chemistry and it don't appeal to our sensibilities. nevertheless, we likes the idea o' sauerkraut cake, and it tastes good too.  don't let the kraut scares you. 

 

HA! Good Fun!

[Guard Dog]

GF is making fried chicken tonight! And no, I didn't know the chicken prior to today!

[Ravenskya]

Had leftover pizza, a boring dinner for sure

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

GF is making fried chicken tonight! And no, I didn't know the chicken prior to today!

GD, I find your excessive happiness unsettling.

 

Currently haven't eaten anything today, might grab a sammich later on.

[Walsingham]

Hardboiled duck eggs and black pepper, brown toast and butter.

[Labadal]

Ate a sandwich with nutella and banana. Not very healthy.

[kgambit]

chicken, garlic mashed potatoes, and green peas

[ShadySands]

mushroom pizza and rum and dr pepper

 

together but not like together together

[Amentep]

Ate a sandwich with nutella and banana. Not very healthy.

Read this initially as "Ate a sandwich nude..."

[Walsingham]

Really peckish now. Holding my ground because am on short rations. Not dieting exactly, but just eating slightly less/slightly better.

 

Going to have sausages for breakfast tomorrow. Something to look forward to.