Walking Dead....CLAIMED!!!

I am already married, and first baby will be born soonish, actually. That's why I haven't bought myself a Sig MPX K, or an 80% 2011 frame and a bunch of tools.

I'm actually debating buying a couple of frames and making a matched set, so that the tools get more than one use and I can make a matched set for me and the soon-to-be, to give when they're old and responsible enough. The tooling doesn't make making one cheaper. It makes making several cheaper, but then I get into ITAR issues really, really fast, what with not actually being a US citizen, and all.

That sounds simple enuff and quite tasty --- I'll definitely give it a try.

I was making up an open faced turkey sammich last night... reheating the mashed potatoes - week old now - added a bit of milk to rehydrate, mixed with fork..... then saw the blender sitting there.... had to give it a try ---- perfectly creamy mashies!!! I was surprised how well it handled the thick spuds - no problem whipping them, just too small a volume to work well, but still doable.

I think I'm going to really like this blender the more I use it.... Gonna make up a fresh (small) batch of spuds and some more gravy to finish off the turkey --- gonna skip the potato masher this time and I expect the gravy will be gloriously smooth....

Low carb zucchini enchiladas.

I was shopping a couple of days ago... trying to fill 3 slots in the 'buy 5' specials - walking around the store trying to find something worthwhile....
Stumbled upon some Krusteaz cornbread mixes for $1 --- thought cool, haven't had 'good' cornbread for a while so I picked up 3 of the honey cornbread mixes.... not having high expectations since the last cornbread I made was from a Marie Callenders bag and it was pretty poor....
DAMN - this is a SPECTACULAR cornbread mix! Made per instructions and it turned out fantastic - sweet with lots of honey flavor, moist and held together thru the the whole piece.... Its really more like a 'cornbread cake' --- no extra butter or honey needed. Polished off some leftover bbq chicken and ginger coleslaw with it --- DAMN FINE MEAL indeed -- rivaled any bbq joint meal easily. Been eating the rest as a 'dessert' since I haven't made anything to pair with it yet.... still incredibly satisfying.

I was disappointed they didn't list instructions for cooking in a CI skillet.... kinda wanted the 'real cornbread' experience with a nice heavy crust, but didn't want to screw up the first batch. When baking in CI skillet, do you pre heat the skillet and cook per stated time? Or do you just extend the time to account for the CI to heat up?


Edit to add --- I just popped into QFC for some stuff and was surprised to see the Krusteaz still on the 'buy 5' promo for this week.... if you are hankering for some good cornbread I would highly recommend picking some up --- you won't be disappointed.

I think I'd pre-heat it if I wanted some crust. That said, I'd advise trialling the method that should it go wrong gives you the best failure if it doesn't go as expected.

Also, did you know that you can cook the water out of honey, then caramelize it, in a very similar manner to butter, and that both of these will mix together, along with a splash of water to replace what you cooked out, and a pinch of cumin and powdered chillis of your choice to make a really good sweet but complex butter?

Nice.... these types of things are still a bit above my cooking ambitions and abilities.... I still need to develop my spice understandings --- so far I'm up to 'rubs'.

I was thinking that the cornbread is a bit on the sweet side the way it is.... it could really use a bit of heat in it, but I know zero about the different chilis as to which would add the proper amount of flavor and heat without punishing my system afterwards --- I've always been gun shy about chilis after several very bad episodes.....

I did start googling chilis to see what may work for me..... jalapenos are too strong for my taste.... I was thinking maybe some hatch? Are 'green chilis' in the cans hatchs?
Debating whether to get a whole one or just get a small can.... I don't think I use all of either in any timely manner......

Canned green chillies are really really mild.
Just FYI.

Hatch kick it up, just a hair.

There are mild, and hot Hatch chilis. Like rix said those canned one are typically very mild, like green pepper mild. I get the small can of whole chilis, and chop one for my omlet on the weekends. Usually three to a can.

Yeah - thats what I've found when I start playing with chilis --- one will be 'nice' but another will be 'hot'.... you don't find that out until its too late and the damage is already done -- I've given up playing with jalapenos even tho I like the flavor - can't get the 'dose' right and OD.

Where do pablanos fit in? A little less heat than the hatches?

The trick to getting milder jalaps is to slice them laying down lengthway, and tossing the core with the seeds. Also get the one with out the veins.

Poblanos are typically used for chili rellenos, also mild.

Danish butter cookies topped with Gorgonzola.
Sounds weird, but is very good.
Lot better than crackers.

This is what I do also removing all stems and seeds from chile peppers to keep the heat down a bit. I also don't like the texture of seeds in my finished dishes whether it be salsa, guacamole, or chili. We dice fresh, green jalapeno and serrano chiles for salsa and guacamole.

For most dishes with cooked peppers we roast them first on the stove. This can be done with mild or hot chile peppers. Place hatch, anaheim, or poblano peppers on stovetop and cook till charred on the outside, rotating till cooked all around. Place charred peppers in a paper bag (thanks Chuck for this pointer) and let steam/cool down. Afterwards, lay the chile peppers flat on a cutting board and scrape off the char with a sharp knife. Cut the pepper open and remove stem and seeds. The remaining pepper can be diced and used in omelettes, corn bread, or whatever have you.

Most of the spicy cornbread recipes online are with jalapenos. How about substituting more mild poblano peppers instead or a mix of green/red bell peppers for color and a bit of poblano/anaheim peppers for a mild kick:
https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/guy-fieri/poblano-stuffed-cornbread-2364139

Just be really careful after working with chile peppers to wash hands a couple times to get the capsacin oil off completely and avoid rubbing your eyes afterwards.

Here's relative heat scale:
- Green / Bell peppers (no spice)
- Anaheim peppers (very mild)
- Poblano peppers (fairly mild)
- Jalapeno peppers (moderately spicy)
- Serrano peppers (bit more heat than jalapenos, use sparingly)
- Habanero peppers (very spicy, great if you are a glutton for punishment )

Another common pepper is chipotles. These are smoked jalapeno peppers. You can find Chipotles en Adobo in the Mexican grocery store. These are really great for blending into a smoky chile paste in food processor though usually something that I use sparingly as a base for chili con carne.

JMB mentioned spice rubs. One idea is to make homemade chili powder to get lots of chili flavor without overbearing heat using mild, dried chiles to start. You can find the dried chiles at any Mexican grocery store and some supermarkets with a good international section. Take a mix of a couple different mild, dried chile peppers: New Mexico, Guajillo, Ancho

Place couple each dried chile peppers in 400 degree oven for 3-5 minutes, just enough that they puff up a bit. Remove from oven. Cut off stem end of chile and cut lengthwise. Remove all stems and seeds. Place chile peppers in spice grinder along with paprika, cumin, onion powder, and garlic powder. This makes a nice mild chili powder with lots of flavor and moderate spice.

Thanks for all the info and tips guys explains so much that I didn't know what was going on --- you have a dish with jalapenos in it and its great... and then you try to make it yourself and its a ass burner.... I love their flavor, but can/have to do without the excessive heat --- I fell in love with the jalapeno cheetos -- perfect for my taste/heat level. And I do love bell peppers, just looking for bit more flavor kick.

I'll try roasting a jalapeno on the next round and use sparingly --- tippytoeing over the line to start. Looks like small jalapenos are a workable size to start playing with.
Will definitely keep an eye out for anehiems too --- didn't see any in the store yesterday when I was poking around, but I'm sure they are at another... or just out of season.