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@Maison Rustique, I'll take pix and DM you; most likely after Christmas, though. Meanwhile, here is my table with my new tablecloth on it. It's less formal in a manner that is certainly my style, however I expected the color to be browner/greener, and less . . . creamsicle. Its paleness makes the chairs seem much less neutral, and more like part of a whole pastel palette, which is kinda weird. I don't hate it, but I don't love it as much I expected to.

This is the surprisingly good pasta with beets, brown butter and poppy seeds from Six Seasons of Pasta: Previous beet pastas I’ve tried have been notable primarily for their shocking pink color but this one brings a lot of flavor to the party, too. As the recipe suggests, browning the butter without burning is key and tricky to monitor with the beets and poppy seeds in the pan. I kept the heat low and did other things in the kitchen, waiting for that nutty, toasty aroma. It took a while but I didn’t have to hover. I picked out this bunch of beets at the farmers market because of the beautiful greens and chose this recipe to include them. I thought the greens added a lot and would add another green if I didn’t have them. I used goat cheese for the garnish because I love its tangy flavor with beets and didn’t have the specified whipped ricotta on hand. It was an excellent choice.

One would think after 15 years of part and full-time living in Mexico that I'd have learned not to panic and instead invoke the mantra, "usually everything in Mexico works out....eventually" I started shopping for oxtails (cola de res) early this week to be sure to have them since 2 chain MXN carnicerias departed our village a few years ago and the smaller shops can be hit or miss on pretty much any item. None found Tuesday thru Friday at either of 2 village shops. Staff saying "mañana" but with a question mark after it. Found a bounty of them today. Will pop in freezer until I instant pot them on Xmas Day. fyi, to price compare, they cost equivalent of USD $4.50 per pound; when I purchased in Tucson last winter I paid $12.99 a pound.

It seems like it's been a bad year all around for panettone. We've been checking the bakery in our local supermarket for weeks and no panettone. Finally today we ask a cashier why they didn't have any and they have had it. It's been displayed with the Christmas ornaments. But they were out. So we went to the high priced store and they had some imported panettone. It's almost twice the price of our little grocery store panettone and not as good but at least we'll have some. The one on the left is tiramisu and the one on the right is caramel and chocolate. Maybe not as good but Beggars can't be choosers.

Duralex USA is having a 50% off sale on their glass storage containers until Jan 1. Some items are out of stock and shipping is on the high side unless you hit the free shipping target of $120 but I thought I’d mention it here in case anyone is interested. I’m a big fan of the little 4 3/8”, 10 oz square glass bowls. I use them for everything from mis en place to bringing dips to parties. The lids snap on very securely and they’re attractive enough to put on the table. One of the items in that Duralex sale is a “Baby” set with 4 of my 10 oz square bowls, 4 smaller 5 oz square bowls and 2 larger 13 oz rectangular containers for $25. For comparison, Amazon has a set of 6 of the 10 oz size for $73 They also have some larger 2 qt square bowls @ $40 for a set of 4 but unfortunately nothing in the 2 cup - 1 qt range. Here’s the $25 “Baby” set:

Baked two pizzas early this morning. Moe's breakfast and I'm working today so will take the same for lunch. One topped with Italian Sausage, Pepperoni, mushrooms and green olives. The second one was the same minus the pepperoni. I had a dough that had been in the fridge for 6 days and decided rather than bake bread I would bake pizza.

Another sign that Christmas will soon be here!

I tried a different brand of tortillas for the new batch. Definitely more like want I want my tortillas to taste like! Not a hint of sweetness. Pliable (as were the first set). And yes, I think I have the technique down although I didn't try trimming to reduce excess tortilla -- and I should have. This thing that looks like a sock puppet was dinner last night. I seem to have forgotten a picture of the interior, probably because I wasn't crazy about the filling I'd concocted. Scrambled eggs with feta cheese and shredded cheddar with roasted red pepper that was the most nondescript cheese I've ever bought. I won't get it again. I added sour cream and salsa at the table, but I think this filling could have had it rolled in at the outset without falling apart. I'm making progress on the tortilla flavor, anyway.

Finally had some of the pork I made.

Went shopping at Trader Joe's yesterday and was thrilled to see cheese blintzes in the freezer aisle! After being a staple at TJs for years, the blintzes disappeared a few months ago. Going to try some of the blintzes for breakfast and if they are still tasty, I will stock up.

Pyttipanna - Swedish fried potatoes with “small things” - here the fried potatoes are made with kassler, leeks, mushrooms, red onions and thyme. Topped with fried egg

There is no such thing as a worst crab cake 😉

Yesterday, today, and tomorrow (Ms. Alex is out of town), to accompany g-f penne with a simple ragu. (Yes, all three days for that, too. I made a lot.) Also nibbled on a little Parm-Reg before the pasta. ETA: The 2020 vintage was Wine Spectator's #9 wine of the year. This 2021 is one of Binny's (Chicago mega-retailer) Top 50 Under $50.

Gertie's crab cakes, tartar sauce, and green bean salad. Mine was the first (and worst) - I swear the other crab cakes looked better. Served with croissants for those who wanted a crab cake sandwich.

If you are serious, message me. My new house needs many window coverings!! We'll talk $$$.

Another “things in a bowl” night. It was the same marinated chicken but this time with bok choy and spinach over sticky rice with broth. Not sure why the chicken looks so undercooked, tricky light perhaps.

Yep, those are on my list 😊

Another gorgeous label fom España. Tastes great, too.

Picking up Real Food, Fake Food from the library next week. Currently making do with Invitation to a Banquet, by Fuchsia Dunlop.

They also have all sorts of shapes and sizes. I like a deep dish pizza but don’t necessarily want it for days so I freeze smaller dough balls and bought a little 4” x 12” pan I can use for a couple of servings. Like these.

Thank you! It sounds like we both enjoy salads as the centerpiece of the meal. I grew up with a salad served separately, before the main dish but these days, I’m much more inclined to make the salad the main and add something like a flatbread or cheese toastie to round it out.

Serious Pig, followed closely by Outlaw Cook.

I’m so sorry Goûter is having to deal with this issue! i understand Purolator not wanting to deal with the shipments but they shouldn’t have accepted the packages if that was the case. Ah well, I guess this landscape changes by the minute!

Here’s the pasta (I used creste de gallo) with green beans, tuna and mushrooms from Six Seasons of Pasta by Joshua McFadden: I thought this was a skillet version of tuna noodle casserole, especially with the breadcrumb topping but the header notes say it’s inspired by the traditional green bean casserole. If so, why not use those French fried onion rings instead of breadcrumbs? No matter, this is a delicious bowl of comfort food. And he does have a tuna noodle casserole with asparagus, so there’s more of this Midwest vibe to come.

They are professional pizza pans. They make them for all types, and I have the pans for a Sicilian style and Detroit. Being a dark metal, the bottom browns so much better. I baked a Spanokopita in it since I’ve had the worse time getting the bottom to brown and not be soggy. So brown and crunchy! Lloyd’s