barbecue'd.

i wanted barbecue. i mean, i didn't want to eat pulled pork (it's NC) or brisket (like in texas); i just wanted the taste of barbecue sauce. yes, i recognize that is not the same thing.

brace yourself: i made a barbecue-like sandwich out of tvp. i took a cup and a third of hot vegetable broth and added paprika, garlic, cumin, and chopped onion to it. i added in all of the tvp i had (probably about a cup) and almost a cup of barbecue sauce. it quickly becomes a sloppy joe sort of substance.

was it the best thing i ever made? no. not really. but we ate it on toasted buns with grilled onions and even more sauce and it was delicious. and some corn. oh, yes.

not delicious? the sweet potatoes pictured above. they went into the garbage uneaten. i had frozen them because i had received what seemed like a zillion in my fall CSA and i could not eat them all. we pulled them out and defrosted them and roasted them. i thought i'd smash them but they were unsmashable. i can't get into it, but it was a total fail.

carolina barbeque.

let's begin with the fact that i apparently don't know how to spell barbeque. the computer really wants me to spell it "barbecue," and i accept that, but i think it should have a "q."

yelena was visiting so shira and i took her to the pit. i knew i would eat this barbeque at some point while i lived here and, well, yelena just brings out the meat-eater in me.

north carolina bbq differs from texas in that it is usually pulled pork, but definitely pork, and no ribs or brisket or anything like that. and the sauces are less sugary and smoky, more vinegary, but certainly delicious. it's another beast altogether. it's like they should not even share the name "barbeque."
the pit starts by bringing us a basket of biscuits and hushpuppies and i swear those goods are not vegetarian anyhow; it was all too delicious in that way that there must be lard or bacon fat or something in the batter. like a good pie.

and so i ate a chopped pork sandwich with sweet potato fries (sweet potatoes being a major crop in north carolina) and cole slaw. and a beer. and since yelena got a platter of pork, not a sandwich, there were mashed potatoes and mac n'cheese to eat as well.
it was really was a vacation meal. to say i was full is an understatement.

**and, these incredible photographs that scream 1970s are courtesy of shira and the hipstamatic, where everything looks dated in the best way.

charcoal, not propane.

in texas, bbq means bbq. there is a particular smokey flavor and sauce on the meat, which is beef. in other parts of the country, bbq can simply mean the "outdoor event with a grill." i have never truly barbequed anything. i do not have a propane grill; i don't really know how to make the charcoal one operate (but have friends that do); i am a vegetarian.

luckily, when i sent out an email last week to suggest a memorial day bbq, everyone knew what i meant. this is not texas.

kim's birthday was the week before, and she, too, had an outdoor event, with a grill. and we had lots of leftover buns, chips, and vegetarian meat products. i decided that i would have a bbq and we would use up the food in the fridge. of course, i was going to make more food to make that happen. but, oh, i was wrong. even though there were more people than i thought there would be, i have a ton of picnic food in the fridge. i am living on potato salad.
so, potato salad a la tina. (i know it's not photogenic, that potato salad.)
this makes quite a bit. i am unsure on servings.
1. boil cut potatoes (4-5 pounds) until they are cooked but not mushy. strain the water from them and let them cool.
2. in a large bowl, mix potatoes with cut celery (3 stalks, maybe), 3 chopped hard-boiled eggs, 1 tablespoon each of sugar, oil, and vinegar. also: celery seed. maybe 1.5 tablespoons. i did not measure. this is a family recipe, damn it.
3. add a little salt. (my family is not so into salt. so it's up to you.)
4. add mayonnaise and mix. (we really like mayonnaise. so, probably about 1/3 cup. maybe more.)

and, pasta salad a la tina.
this recipe makes an enormous amount.
1. cook one bag of pasta. (i used a corn-based pasta this time, gluten-free. and it was still good.)
2. chop 4 peeled kirby cucumbers and 2 big tomatoes. (i used beefsteak. i also added a little bit of chopped onion and green bell pepper, but they are just extra.)
3. italian dressing. tina and i like to make the italian good seasons packet that you put in the cruet. i used 3/4 of it. shake over the veggies and pasta.
4. mix in celery seed. 2-3 tablespoons.

i realize that these recipes are inaccurate but mostly, i went by taste. this is the taste of my childhood, damn it. there is no precision.

so, we still have a ton of stuff left. i have had potato salad with my breakfast for 2 days in a row. what?!? it's just like home fries; no thinks that is weird.