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Simple Pleasures

post #1 of 22
7/15/08 at 4:34pm
Thread Starter 
I got to thinking. Maybe too much of it lately but that can be a good thing....I think.

Anyhow as complex as we make food and all things about food at times I thought it'd be nice to just start a list of some of the more simple pleasures.

For me there are many that I can remember and try to recreate from my family experiences.

Fresh baked slice of bread still warm from the oven loaded with real sweet butter.

Simple BBQ

Pepper, tomato and basil salad with chunks of day old bread for dunking

A glass of ice cold milk with a side of cookies.

Pizza in it's simplest form. Crust, sauce, sausage and cheese and a good beer to boot.

Boiled ham, sausage or beef sand on the bread I mentioned above with some fried peppers.

A plate of Giardiniera, italian cheeses, sausages and bread with an unfussy and non pretentious glass wine maybe a good ole Deigo red.

Coconut Creme Pie

So thinking in simple terms what would ya'll add to the list.
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post #2 of 22
7/15/08 at 4:49pm
Pork or duck rillettes on baguette- in Paris. :)
Scrambled eggs made with cream and lots of butter.
A really crisp, tart-sweet apple.
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post #3 of 22
7/15/08 at 4:58pm
Breakfast: OJ, huevos con chorizo (and none of your fancy gabacho stuff either, I'm talking glands. Orale!) with a chopped serrano thrown in the revuelta just for some interest, hash browns, cheesy-onion biscuits, chilled sliced mango, espresso, and lots more espresso.

Lunch: Scallion pancakes, pan fried pork dumplings, sour soup, sauteed on choy (kind of greens), tea.

Nap.

Dinner: Martini colder than a well digger's @$$ with lots of jalapeno stuffed olives, mushrooms, garlic toast, "GD steak so big ain't no room for the effin' spud on the mofo plate," mashed spuds, creamed spinach, creamed horseradish, plain ol' cheesecake, lots more espresso.

Bed.

BDL
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post #4 of 22
7/15/08 at 5:13pm
Not part of my family's heritage, but tonight's dinner is (I think) a pretty good example of simple foods that are simply wonderful:

Fried chicken (brine included lime juice and hot sauce; just flour, salt, and pepper for coating; fried in corn oil)

Collards (cooked with a little bacon fat, water, garlic, and S&P)

Potato salad (well, a little gussied-up with celery, chopped sour pickle, sliced green olives, chopped scallions, in a dressing of mayo, yogurt, Creole mustard, and olive juice)

And not on the menu tonight, but a simple perennial: a really good hamburger, with some cheddar and maybe bacon. Mmmmmmm. :lips:
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post #5 of 22
7/15/08 at 6:13pm
As bizzy as it seems we get around our place, sometimes it's just a simple casserole that always tastes good.

One in particular (fresh in the memory) is what SWAMBO calls "Bird's Nest". It's like a shepherd's pie, but we know it as the former...

Ground beef browned, drained, and seasoned with a little season salt, fresh ground pepper, onion powder (just a bit), some garlic powder (again, just a bit) and mix in some Rotelle tomatoes (not too much, or you'll burn you mouth off) and a few tablespoons of diced green chiles...

Boil and mash up some potatoes (with a little milk and butter turned in to keep it a nice texture).

Spread the beef in a Pyrex pie pan, topped with a 1/4" layer of kernel corn (or your favorite vegetable) over the beef, and cover with mashed potatoes.

Top with shredded cheddar cheese, and toss into the oven for about 30 minutes at 350F.

Allow to cool some, and serve like pie. I like to add a little salsa, jut to keep it interesting...

Makes a great left-over lunch, too!!!

Not at all "gore-metty", but good...
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post #6 of 22
7/15/08 at 6:42pm
Last night I made stuffed cabbage rolls with mashed potatoes.
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post #7 of 22
7/15/08 at 8:15pm
Ok. Some simple foods that I like. But first. People always ask me what I cook at home and are surprised at what I tell them. I guess people think that since one cooks in a 4 diamond place one eats fine dining at home.......well, we all know this isn't the case.

Off the top of my head.

~ S.O.S. Yes. I like **** on shingle. Cream chipped beef on toast Is just one of those things gram made for me...and has stuck with me ever since.

~ Potato corn chowder.......so yum

~ Spag and sausage. I make my own sauce at home....then again even my wife makes sauce.

~ Chicken soup with so many egg noodles cooked in the broth that there isn't much broth left

~ Fried egg sammich. Untoasted bread, butter, egg, cheese

~ Stuffed shells

~ Chiavettas grilled chicken.

~ Boiled dinner. Cabbage, potatoes, carrots, celery and kielbasa

~ Good ol pot roast.
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post #8 of 22
7/15/08 at 8:19pm
Scrambled eggs with crumbled bacon and cheddar on top, turkey and stuffing, a summer sausage sandwich and potato chips for lunch out on the lake when fishing....
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post #9 of 22
7/15/08 at 8:42pm

hmmmmm let me think

a really good latte with cinnamon
good old fashioned home roasted beefor chicken with gravy and roasted potatoes and peas
canned tomato soup with toast
a glass of really cold fresh water from the tap
my peanut brownies
peanut butter or mayonaise thickly spread on a wedge of cheddar cheese
cold left overs: such as toasted sandwiches, pizza, cold hamburgers, sausages, potatoes of any kind (cold)especially boiled or roasted as breakfast items particularly,
big glass of milk,
cold baked beans from a tin but only these kind Wattie's
fresh feijoas in winter
strawberries and watermelon in summer
green jello with runny cream
lemonade popsicle on a hot day
big thick piece of steak, salt and pepper , green salad and mashed potato
apple sauce
fresh summer tomatoes with salt and pepper , or in fresh white bread as a sandwich
fresh crusty bread straight out of the oven
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post #10 of 22
7/15/08 at 8:45pm
spaghetti with a little Parmesan. best food ever.
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post #11 of 22
7/15/08 at 9:27pm
PB&J triple decker on good old non-nutritious plain white bread. Broiled on a cold winter’s day. Tall glass of milk to go with.

Egg salad as a “dip” with Ruffles.

Burger patty (cooked medium – cheddar or pepper jack cheese and/or salsa optional) no bun, eaten with a fork.

Rhubarb pie.

Sharp cheddar cheese and summer sausage or salami on crackers.

Pistachio nuts.

Cherry pie.

Shaved pastrami, spicy mustard, cheese of choice on sourdough.

Grilled red or yellow bell peppers.

Steak. Good steak. Grilled medium to medium rare.

Corn on the cob, with butter, and a dash of salt. Okay, plenty of salt.

Apple pie.

BELT. Bacon, egg fried over hard, lettuce and tomato on buttered and lightly toasted (one side only) sourdough bread.

A can of cashews just sitting there to munch on.

Sliced cucumbers in vinegar.

Shaved turkey breast, provolone cheese, lettuce, tomato, and mayo on multigrain bread.

This is making me hungry…

More to follow...
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post #12 of 22
7/15/08 at 10:23pm
BLT with tomatoes out of the garden, white bread (so soft it kinda sticks to the roof of your mouth), thick bacon, and iceberg lettuce. Served with a tall COLD glass of milk.
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post #13 of 22
7/15/08 at 10:31pm
A fresh cup of good coffee

plain old fashioned homemade biscuits

grilled cheese sandwich

crisp bacon

a pint of hearty stout on a cold winter's night

a cold dill pickle

vanilla ice cream

raspberries


Last week when my stomach was acting up and trying to kill me from the inside out, I made a soup that was quite simple, tasty, and I kept most of it down. I brought about a cup and a half of some homemade chicken stock to a simmer, added 2 small mushrooms, thinly sliced, about an inch of a leek thinly sliced, a bit of lemongrass and a wee splash of soy sauce, simmered for another 5, maybe 10 minutes. Good, soothing stuff.

mjb.
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post #14 of 22
7/16/08 at 8:16am
It's summer

Spit roasted chicken and a cold beer....
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post #15 of 22
7/16/08 at 10:08am
Corned beef and cabbage.

Breakfast tacos (Robert Rodriguez style from his mini cooking class on the Sin City DVD)

Pancake Bacon Sandwich (hot pancake wrapped around a few slices of thick hot bacon)

Fried Mozzarella (sticks wedges whatever)

Nachos with guacamole or just refried beans

Any good thick steak served rare-medium rare

I second Beer and Pizza

Beer and buffalo wings

Slow roasted barbecue of dang near any kind

A grilled cheese (even better with bacon)

Fettucini alfredo with hot garlic bread

Spaghetti and meatballs with hot garlic bread

Hot garlic bread ;-)
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post #16 of 22
7/16/08 at 10:23am
An ice cold container of Fiji water on a hot day or anyday for that matter.

A nice cold bottle of Virgils Microbrewed Root Beer.

A nice cold shrimp cocktail with Hoffman House Shrimp sauce.

A simple Maid-Rite.

A small chunk of Mozz from the center of a 5lb brick from Sam's Club.

A nice Shawirma pita sandwich with Tahini sauce.

4 whole bottles of a great Cabernet Savaugnon.

A piece of my mother's grandmother's grandmother's rhubarb pie recipe.

doc
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post #17 of 22
7/16/08 at 11:09am
thinking simple.....

fresh strawberries with heavy cream and a dash of sugar
strawberry rhubarb cobbler
homemade fries
a bowl of cooked yellow wax beans topped with butter and pepper
anything picked from the garden and eaten within seconds
toast using coals during camping
egg salad sandwich with salt & vinegar chips
homemade: latte, café au lait, cappucino, café moka using my mocha pot and frothing my milk.
BLT on toasted white bread, fresh gound pepper and mayo on the side.
pistachios
sour green apples
maple syrup taffy

(probably much more....)
Luc H.
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post #18 of 22
7/16/08 at 11:40am
cold sweet watermelon with seeds.....just seems sweeter and it's just fun spitting seeds.

raw sweet corn fresh off the stalk.
if it's alittle starchy then blanched, spread with lime mayo, rolled in parmesan sprinkled with hot sauce

Sliced tomatoes with buttermilk dressing or salt

BLT with loads of bacon, crisp lettuce, tomatoes, white squishy bread and mayo.

White Calhoun County Kamp Orchard peaches.....DOES NOT GET ANY BETTER.

Pie....any kind of pie....fruit, cream, custard, nut/syrup, ice cream....fruit pie warm with vanilla ice cream is pretty darn hard to beat

Cookies....taught 2 eleven year old boys yesterday how to make chocolate chip cookies.

Kennebec potato fries

Just fresh vegetables/fruit at the farmers market stemmed and eaten out of hand. last week it was french beans, carrots, snow peas, blueberries, peaches, apricots and raspberries....week before cherries. Just buy um and eatum.....no cooking, no salt, nothing but sharing with other shoppers/farmers.
If you wanna get alittle fancier, crackers/bread and chevre....

Wed. afternoon farmer's market is in a brewery parking lot....cold APA or heff...fresh chevre, fruits and veg.....yep, it's life affirming.
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post #19 of 22
7/16/08 at 11:09pm
Cold beer and a bowl of olives.

Smoked salmon and scrambled eggs on a toasted bagel.

Grilled steak in a baguette spread with dijon, and topped with rocket/arugula and olive oil. Then trying to eat it without getting it all over my shirt.

Cheese, crackers, grapes, chutney and a good bottle of red.
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post #20 of 22
7/17/08 at 12:09am
Perfectly ripe, just picked, peaches, so juicy that you can practically drink them, and the juice runs down your chin;

A bowl of cherries just picked and at their peak of perfection;

A large glass of fresh squeezed Valencia orange juice served at 60 - 65-degrees F;

A slightly warm, freshly baked, French baguette enjoyed with d'Isigny butter from Normandy;

A fresh picked grapefruit from a friend's ranch in Arizona;

Sharing Judy Rodgers' Zuni Café roast chicken with my cat, Buddy

shel
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post #21 of 22
7/17/08 at 1:58pm

simple pleasures.....

ice cold watermelon on a hot summer day....

and on a cold, rainy day... a hot bowl of chili, thick with beans and meat, w/ melting shredded cheddar cheese on top......

and a chunk of good dark chocolate.....
mmmmmmm
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post #22 of 22
7/17/08 at 3:05pm
"French food at its best shows the genius of the chef. Italian food at its best shows the genius of God"

Given the predominance of the french style in most chef's training, it is little wonder that we yearn for a little simplicity occasionally.

My little list:-
Countless simple, classic Italian dishes - especially those based around tomato, beans or bread.
Fresh baked bread with a little blue cheese in the dough
Bacon and Egg sandwich - soft white bread, thickly cut unsmoked back bacon, fresh egg, a hint of butter melting from the heat of the bacon and a smudge of HP sauce.
Gooseberry Fool on a hot summer day
Really good (not overly sweetened, chunky, laden with fruit) Seville Orange marmalade on toast
Grilled Pork Loin Chop with juniper butter
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