Eat Outside

the steak [again]

Penn Cove Mussels

These are local mussels. They are $2.99 lb and so it's best just to buy the giant bag. There were probably a pound of broken ones inside, but that's how it goes.
I like to give them a good wash, pull out the beards and then slowly steam them open. I experimented with these and put them in a giant roasting pan with a spicy tomato sauce and then just put them in the oven until they opened. It took a lot longer to cook them this way then it does with a strong, direct heat [like a grill, or a pan on the stove] - but I thought that they were delicious and worth the wait.

peach cobbler

I had all of these big, juicy peaches that were perfectly ripe.

I wanted to make a peach cobbler.

So I peeled them. And sliced them.

And I made the cobbler topping.

Actually I made a double recipe of the topping.

Because it's my favorite part.

That was a mistake.

It didn't bake all the way through.

And it was just raw biscuit dough on top.

ick.

So I baked it some more.

and some more

and some more

And then it still wasn't good enough.

damn!

Sandwiches!

I made some rather tastey sandwiches for our beach picnic yesterday. I like sandwiches as much as I like salads: just a little, and with very specific requirements. I do not like mayo or mustard or relish or most condiments. I do not like onions or sliced tomatoes. This is why I don't eat sandwiches. But when I can make them myself excactly the way I know that I will enjoy eating them, it's fun for me.

These are all on ciabatta bread, which I toasted using the fancy "bagel" setting on my toaster so it only toasts the inside. I like to smear a little cream cheese on while the bread is still warm. I bought some delicious meat from DD Meats [our local butcher]: pastrami, turkey pastrami, buffalo turkey, black pepper turkey, and garlic herb turkey. I also used Muenster cheese, champagne cheese, and mozzarella cheese in different combinations. To one sandwich I added some fresh Rainier cherry slices. I really like fruit with meat & cheese and this was a little jucier than apple slices and different from a cranberry jam.