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Despite being "stuck" here I put a lot of time to good use. It is the first of the month, and traditionally the time to pay bills. I did. I took care of other business. I walked, and walked, and got my boots wet in the snow because I DIDN'T COME PREPARED FOR SNOW -- I was supposed to have left that all behind by now! Woe is me, poor me -- but again, things could be much, much worse. Midday meal -- was it a late lunch of the first half of dinner? -- came from the Hardee's attached to this truck stop. The basic Starburger: meat patty, cheese, onion, tomato, lettuce, mayonnaise, extra pickles and no ketchup, at my request. Hardly gourmet fare, but better than it looks here. I scrounged around and found a packet of cocoa mix in late afternoon, when I was getting cold, and loaded a freeze-dried ice cream ball from a friend into it. Pretty good. I forgot to take a picture, but the sugar helped my hunger and fatigue. I'll post a photo of one in action later, I promise. Final day's dinner -- if I show you every salad I eat in the next few weeks it will look a lot llke this, so I won't bore you with repetitions. I really, really like the House Salad Dressing from Samin Nosrat's Good Things (eG-friendly Amazon.com link) (Kindle version on sale right now!). I'm glad I made a large batch!

Southern India via Singapore headless fish head curry with masala potatoes

pork marsala

Good grissini are part of going to a good Italian restaurant. I don't know when or why they started offering those puffy doughy things but it's a trend that I certainly don't care for. The best that I have ever had was in an Italian restaurant in Reno run by a Greek family. It was also where I learned to love good pizza. The recipe that I linked to says that it will make seven dozen and I didn't need quite that many so I made pizza with 2/3 of the dough. It's not as good as the restaurant in Reno but it worked out just fine.

Made chicken and leek risotto. Tasty

Liuyang black bean chicken with long beans. A long-time favorite - we particularly enjoy the head of chunked garlic sacrificed for the meal. Not recommended before date night. Improvised cilantro rice with mint, Mexican oregano, and half a chile Poblano

Maybe a little more well done than I would have liked, but I got to the oven just in time (I also think I turned up the heat 25 degrees, rather than lowering it 25 degrees, when I removed the lid from the Dutch oven). Speaking of those grissini, there used to be a restaurant here in Manhattan, in the Union Square Hospitality Group, called Maialino (it's theoretically reopening, in a different location, in 2027). They had great grissini (and that recipe you link to mentions another favorite Italian restaurant with great grissini, Pizzeria Delfina, in San Francisco), and they used to offer them when you first sat down at a table, or at the bar with your drinks. We were somewhat friendly with the chef, so I asked if the pastry chef would be kind enough to share her grissini recipe with me. She obliged, but the only issue was that the recipe yielded 500 breadsticks!

try 'tapered plugs' on Amazon. the silicone types are good for high temps. you can't buy just one . . . but the smaller sizes in a small pack are not too expensive - and consider, you'll likely lose one, or two . . .

I haven't yet tried these chickens, which are available through Fresh Direct. I'm going to check it out with my next order. Do you have access to Joyce Farms' chickens?

I would also check out the hardware stores. Take a lid with you and check out the wooden dowels. You might find one that fits perfectly and you can cut some little plugs from that. Or possibly you could find some brass screws that would fit in the holes. You could also cover them with duct tape.

Maybe a Q-tip? I hate them, too. Not always, but when I want a tight seal on the pan, it is a nuisance. I can't seem to find any that aren't like this anymore.

Why not cotton? or a rolled-up paper towel ?

When we were there we stayed in the Miraflores District and we loved it. So much to see. One shocking thing though, while I was in one of the markets an older lady came up to me and tried to sell me a gorgeous little baby.

lol…I stand corrected. But IF they WERE there, well… 🙂 I’m still going!

I wish they would make the hole whistle when whatever you are cooking boils, just like a tea pot. I don't know how many nonstick pan I have destroyed after the water burned away. dcarch

Thanks!Went well for a first time but wished it was crispier outside. I will say I watched another chef debone video and it was way more difficult than it had to be. The video I linked to is so much easier/leas intimidating. It’s fun if you have a very sharp boning knife and reading glasses at my age. 😉

Finally, success in something. These are true crispy grissini. A little more well done than what I intended but somehow or other I got tied up on EG and wasn't paying attention but that's an easy fix. These I will be making again.

Kudos to Australian sheep and Costco, where the lamb racks remain excellent and affordable. Grilled lamb rack; cauliflower mash topped with sauteed shiitakes; peas with bacon; cherry chipotle dipping sauce. The weather here (Tucson) has been warm but windy. High winds play havoc on my outdoor gas grill so it took a full 5 minutes longer than normal to grill.

This is an article I found on epoxy and food safety.

You could try Sugru (eG-friendly Amazon.com link) if you have some around.

Thought about that, but aren't most epoxies kind of toxic?? I use them for other household repairs, but in a lid over high temperature steam that condenses and falls into the pan, I am suspect of the food safety.

I would use an epoxy. Here in costa rica , we can buy something called poxi pol that is almost like An epoxy putty. Should be permanent.

@Smithy I doubt a ruler would get an accurate measure. Maybe a micrometer?? I don't have a micrometer.

Do you have a ruler, so you can measure the hole diameter? If so, and if you have access to the shops I mentioned or associated supply shops nearby, you might be able to get what you need without buying a huge pack.

Amazon has a lot of little rubberish plugs. They seem to only come in packs of 100 or so, all in various sizes. I don't need that many! And no idea what size I might need. I hate the vent holes as often I don't want something vented; I want a strong seal for a hot steam.