Salt Blocks And Thick Air

I had to laugh when I saw this one on the internet.  People always look at me strangely when I photograph my food.  Who does that???  I could go into the blog explanation, but honesty, if you're not an RV'er (or related to one), blogs are a strange word and kind of hard to explain.

Not so hard to explain is this huge salt block.  When I was a kid, we used to put out salt blocks for the cattle and horses.  You have to make sure they have a balanced diet, as well as your kids.  

We would hide in the quonset hut, chipping off pieces that we mixed with molasses-soaked rolled barley.  Now you know my secret!!  We didn't die, so I guess there were no bad consequences.  

At any rate, this is a pink himalayan salt block.  Pink salt is the newest craze in the food industry.  It's been around for a long time, but few people actually eat it, preferring regular table salt.  I got hooked on it some time ago, so when I spotted this beauty at the cooking school, I was all over it.

Here's how it works.  Slice up pieces of fruit and vegetables and lay them on the block.  In a minute or two (no longer), pick up that piece and eat it.  You will be amazed at the flavor.  I don't salt things like tomatoes or watermelon, but place it on this block and it changes everything.

You can heat them up (very slowly) on the stove or in the oven and cook anything on them ... meat in particular.  They are terribly prone to breakage when heated, so I'll just use mine cold.

Want to hear the coolest thing?  You just wipe it down with a rag and let it sit.  Nothing grows or can live on this salt.  There's no contamination problem.  If you barbecue a lot, buy a really cheap rectangular pan at the Dollar Store and fill it up with crushed Himalayan salt you can buy at Winco.  Place it on the barbecue grate, lay your chicken directly on top and barbecue away.  I'm told it's the best chicken EVER.  I'll give it a try and let you know how it works.

In the meantime, try not to breathe.  AT ALL!!!  It seems the residue from the Northern fires has settled nicely into our little corner of the world and isn't going anywhere soon.  Alerts and warnings have been going off for the last few days, telling everyone to stay inside.  They are even on the verge of closing schools.

I tried to photograph it, but it really doesn't show up well.  It's thick and looks like fog.  In fact, it's so bad, it has obscured the sun almost every day, making it look even more like ground fog.  It's hard to go outside and not breathe.  You can instantly smell and feel why it's good to stay in the house.

Speaking of food pictures ..... remember that yummy corned beet that actually came out tender after 9 hours of cooking?  Here's the leftovers.  My all time favorite breakfast, corned beef hash.  My mom used to make it when I was a kid.  WONDERFUL stuff!!!  

Everyone smothered theirs with ketchup ... I ate mine plain.  Now that I know how to cook one, I'm definitely having this again!!

I'm trying my best to stay inside, but today I have to go shopping for Thanksgiving dinner at my friends house.  I've been asked to bring pies ... and that apple pie I just made is at the top of my list.  Oh ...... and of course it's BINGO night!!