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My tomato season is over for the year. Rainy season puts an end to tomato production unless it's under cover. I'll have to wait until December to start my seeds for next year's crop to be planted in February. So a nice clamshell of Campari tomatoes would really hit the spot right about now.

In drinks I use stainless steel 'ice' cubes. never wet, never dilute your drink.

I use ice cube -by-cube for brown spirits. So a few small nuggets is too much surface area and therefore dilution. But, by careful experimentation, one can find a small nugget ratio that is workable, I guess. EUHOMY...I guess means true or good HOMY. I do have a bit of trouble thinking my way through TUATNUT.

To follow up on my last post, the cheap nugget machine was unsatisfactory. It went back. It was replaced by an EUHOMY. Good as the EUHOMY is I found another brand, TUATNUT that I like better, possibly because the water is easier to drain. I make ice most evenings. This morning I ordered a different EUHOMY (eG-friendly Amazon.com link) This one makes crescent ice rather nugget ice. It will be fun to see how they compare. How do people feel about crescent ice vs. nugget ice?

Followup: actually, these hearts and gizzards (no liver in this batch) have an odd aftertaste that's gotten more unpleasant as I've eaten. I don't know whether it's something in the marinade or something essential to the organs themselves. I can see a case for the fine chopping and soaking suggested in some of the other recipes. A good rinse, even, to get rid of a grittiness in the gizzards. Thoughts, anyone?

Some good ideas here! I opted for a more-or-less yakatori style this time, loosely based on this NYTimes recipe. I say "loosely" because my marinade was simpler; I didn't have all the ingredients they listed. Soy sauce, mirin, brown sugar, lemon, ginger, garlic. I had nothing resembling sake or even sherry. Note: do not try substituting brandy! That batch of marinade went down the drain. Marinating while I did other things: Skewered (with the sacrificial blood -- those gizzards are tough, and my skewers skewered me once too) Finished, after just a little grilling: I won't show you plated, because it's boring: meat and peppers. It needs rice, and I couldn't be bothered. A salad would have been good, but I had that earlier. Oddly enough, I like the gizzards better than the hearts. When my mother fried chicken bits, hearts were my favorite. Have my tastes changed, or is this not a good treatment for the hearts? I'll have to experiment with it. Speaking of experimentation, I appreciate all the other ideas and am glad I have another container of these things to play with for some of the other recipes. I'll make sure my friend knows to keep saving these for me. Thanks, folks! Keep the ideas coming!

so many tomato varieties have been developed to perform "best" in the "picked green, shipped thousands of miles, turn real red when gassed" which is the absolute last criteria any home gardener would apply . . . had about 1000 sq ft garden. lower back ''issues'' have made that 'just not gonna' happen anymore' . . . but, we're fortunate to have a plethora of Amish/Mennonite farmers/farm stands in the area. they do have early (everything) - but because they raise those crops in hoop houses, not ethylene chambers.... sigh . . . one family had relatives in the Carolina's - they always had the uber best early stuff because they ran a truck directly from 'there' to 'here' twice weekly. sigh . . . the patriarch died, they sold the farm into condos . . . no such ultra-fresh Carolina produce in PA anymore . . . freshness is a thing. example: sweet corn. we have one (was two, but cancer has curtailed . . .) stand that pick their sweet corn (white/bi-color) daily - the stems of the ears are still wet/moist on the table.... other stands offer dried up picked ears that have been picked&refrigerated "to preserve freshness" .... I put up aka freeze about 6-8 dozen ears/year. veddy simple - lop off tassel end, carve off kernels to tray, freeze. break up frozen 'layer' and move to freezer bag. beats the living daylight out of any 'frozen kernel corn' in the supermarket/

I agree with your assessment. A lot depends on how stable this needs to be to support the anticipated amount of chopping. A while back, I spent a good amount of time shopping for similar options for my mom’s kitchen. In her case, there was another bit of countertop that would function as the main prep area so the need was primarily storage and extra counter space. I found quite a few options but they didn’t need to be super stable for lots of chopping.

I've been satisfied with every Mastronardi variety I've tried, though my favorite is still Campari. I can't grow Mountain Magic anymore because the plants are too big for my balcony. However this summer I am trying a relatively new tomato called Veranda Red. The little plants grow only a foot or so high, but they produce continuously. Recently I noticed the Veranda Red fruits resembled Sunset Flavor Bombs. Last night I did a side by side comparison. Both varieties are small, with, if anything, the Veranda Red being slightly larger. Unlike Campari, the Flavor Bombs are sweet, perhaps too sweet. Both Veranda Red and Flavor Bombs have good tomato flavor. The Veranda Red have less obtrusive skin. Then again, they don't have to be shipped halfway across the continent. Also the color of the Veranda Red was more red. Flavor Bombs in contrast are more of an orangish pink.

@Maison Rustique is being pretty quiet about these photos, and we don't know her budget. I fear, however, that "relatively inexpensive" may preclude these beautiful works. Then it comes down to getting a "relatively inexpensive" rolling cart that will fit the space and the budget, then put a cutting board atop it. Have I got that right, @Maison Rustique? In that case you might even be able to find a suitable candidate at Home Depot or a similar local store.

I'll support the 'gravy / sauce' use idea. fine chop/dice the giblets, very fast/hot pan sear add to any pan sauce/gravy for poultry. or like . . . 'biscuits&gravy' - usually has sausage in the gravy . . . . replace with giblet nuggets.... in the past I've had cats that thoroughly enjoy scarfing down the heart/liver/gizzard bits . . . but that's times past. any place you are creating/using a thickish white sauce, the giblets chunkettes will do themselves proud.

Garlic-black bean pan-fried monkfish: Coating was chopped cilantro stems, ginger, a head of garlic, fermented black beans, dark soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, cayenne, black pepper, and a little sugar. Fry monkfish fillets and remove. Stir-fry the coating, remove half, add the fish, and then slather with the remaining coating, turning once. A long-time favorite. Finish with cilantro. Jasmine rice to go with. Mrs. C has developed a serious muhammara addiction, and made another batch. Friend made a beet dip, which was very good. Sliced cucumbers and toasted naan to go with. Friend also brought dessert: it was like flan in a puff pastry crust, baked in the air fryer. No pics

I edited my original post to include an "almost" image of my rolling butcher block island.

There are some nice-looking islands in there. I still have the drop-leaf butcher block rolling cart I used as an island, way back before we remodeled our kitchen and put in a full island. However, the manufacturer of my cart seems to be out of business now.

My pork tenderloin went a few minutes too long on the grill. Still tasted good, had been marinating in chipotle overnight. Side was leftover white bean, tomato salad in pesto with homemade croutons. Cherry-chipotle dipping sauce. The tail end was very thin and it was over-cooked. We sliced off the thicker end for lunch; will simmer the other pieces in bbq sauce for sandwiches later in week.

If you wanted to be "authentically" Xinjiang, I would suggest using your honey, but as I said, there is zero reason not to use maple syrup.

Those Boos islands are nice. One might be able to customize them as well: https://butcherblockco.com/product/cowota?product_id=120&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=17347491098&gbraid=0AAAAADyvdXfTW1QIpvTZTAqRYm4idBKZ6&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIv8Wtt8vljgMVZDcIBR1MTgrVEAQYASABEgINcPD_BwE

Oh, I understand that. I just have no idea where I'd find maltitol syrup, and right now I'm on a "use stuff on hand" kick that may not last long. As you note, honey is also a possibility. This NYTimes recipe for energy bars looks like it might be a good starting point, based strictly on appearance. The recipe should be unlocked.

Mr. Max ((see avatar) even at 12 and with his dental challenges) loves a minced chicken heart, but I doubt that would make much of a dent in your giblet supply.

They make a great sauce for pasta… https://www.pastagrammar.com/post/fettuccine-with-chicken-giblets-authentic-italian-pasta-recipe

I should say that maple syrup is unknown in Xinjiang or anywhere else in China. It is uber-North American. That's not to say you shouldn't use it should you find a recipe. It is nearly al produced in Canada and the USA and used there, although limited amounts are exported to Europe. I've never had it, ever.

Rotisserie Chicken Tikka Masala When I saw this video ( https://youtu.be/blIoTNj-dN0?t=468 ), I was blown away. I've been looking for ideas for tasty and innovative meals that could be made quickly and easily. I've also been reading recipes and watching videos to get ideas for a full-blown Chicken Tikka Masala, so this was like manna from heaven, a two birds with one stone kind of thing. Well, one bird: A Costco rotisserie chicken. All the ingredients were on hand, and the meal came together this morning while doing other things. The red pepper flakes in the recipe were replaced with a blend of Aleppo, Kashmiri, and Smokey Piment d'Ville. I added ground cardamom and cashew nuts, the nuts adding a degree of creaminess to the sauce. The paprika was replaced with a smoked version. Instead of regular crushed tomatoes, Bianco DiNapoli fire roasted tomatoes were used, and the sugar was turbinado. Then the sauce was given an E ride in the Vitamix. The smooth and somewhat smokey sauce went back into the pot for final tasting and adjustments and some crushed fenugreek leaves were added. Without marinating the chicken some depth of flavor is lost, but if you want a quick, inexpensive meal to put on your weeknight table, this is worth considering. The rice over which the chicken was placed was an aged, extra long grain Basmati from Kohinoor. Lovely rice. The way it was prepared, the sauce was a little thicker than desired, but a little chicken stock or dairy would fix that in a jiffy. There's enough sauce and chicken left over for two or three more meals.

No. That's about a different type of cake. Not the ones I showed. Ba Bao (8 Treasures) is a very common term in Chinese, especially in food names - not only cakes and not only those 8 ingredients. Ba bao soup, ba bao congee, ba bao tea, ba bao beef, ba bao rice, ba bao vegetables, ba bao pickles .... The list is endless.

Years ago, when I used to do "fancy cooking" I did a take on a dish we had at Atelier Robuchon - it was a cabbage roll (using savoy cabbage) stuffed with sous vide squab breast and foie gras. While I mostly focus on SE Asian stuff now, sometimes I think back to those days rather fondly...

I dutifully made cabbage rolls a couple of times a year in the fall and winter. They truly are a labour of love. The last time I made them, my husband said "they're good - I've just never been a fan of cabbage rolls." We have been together for 38 years! Thanks for letting me know - jeez!