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I peeled them this afternoon and froze them. I didn't eat one though they smell great. No signs of fermentation, thank goodness. Thanks, everyone, for your help.

Ok - so I can't drop some off for you!

As some of you know, I’ve been travelling around New Zealand and exploring different regions for their food and dining. Hawke’s Bay has been such a highlight, and while I’ve had some amazing vineyard meals and fine dining, one of the most memorable experiences was much more casual, Community Burgers in Napier. It’s a small, community-focused restaurant that’s all about good, wholesome burgers. Nothing too fancy, just honest good food. The vibe is family-friendly, the service is warm, and the food really delivers. I tried both a classic cheeseburger and one of their seasonal specials (kimchi beef), and both were excellent. Lot of the locals came in for takeaways on a wednesday night, we choose to dine in their small but lovely restaurant. For anyone visiting Hawke’s Bay and looking for a solid lunch in Napier, I’d definitely recommend checking them out: Community Burgers – Lunch & Takeaways in Napier Community Burgers on Google I love how they tie into the local community as well, a portion of sales goes towards supporting local charities, which makes the whole experience feel even more special. Curious if anyone else has been, or if you’ve found other hidden gems in Napier for casual lunch or dinner?

I've noticed that with the little bananas, which are not always identified fully at the market (I've bought from 2 different places and they were clearly different varietals), some are still somewhat starchy when ripe/sweet. The ones you have are probably the same as the ones I last ate, the description matches. Just watch out that you don't let them go so far that they ferment!

@Jim D. Thank you so much. 😊

I'm in East Texas

During the fall and Winter , I sometimes augment Progresso Soups. My favorite is Italian Wedding , and when it goes on sale , I stock up : ' less salt ' version of course . I added granulated garlic and onion , a couple of fz pucks of Dorot basil , a little bit of dried rosemary and thyme . I let that blend on low heat for a bit , then off the heat two beaten eggs , some chopped spinach , and 3 Campari's , chopped , that were looking for a home . I was going to add some grated cheese , thought better of it , and made an AirFrier Naan-ish cheese toastie. from Fz , light coating of EVOO // Fontina , then AF'd until it looks like the above . very very nice the whole things was , and all be having it from time to time again. surprisingly good , for such an effort .

Also, I've never done anything with the marrow - I just squeeze the bone as a test to see if I've extracted as much as I can. I don't add marrow to the stock as it makes it cloudy. But also, there isn't enough in there to try to actively remove to eat and would probably require a dentist's pick to do so.

@rotuts I don't use the Ipot, but a regular Kuhn-Rikon pressure stockpot. After an hour at full pressure, the bones are soft but still brittle. You can squeeze the bone between thumb and forefinger and the bone will splinter and break.

No, I don't seek it out. But since i chop chicken thru bones when I make certain braised dishes and stocks, I'm pretty sure I've ingested it to no ill effects.

In the recent past , Ive used CkDrumsticks ( on sale @ Stop & Shop ) in the IDS and iPot for stock . the stock was 2 x or 3 x depending on your accounting methods . no matter , it was delicious and useful over a few weeks . my stock has no seasonings nor salt. thus concentrating it w several iPot sessions ended w just CkStock. Im not much of a fan of some recent terms , BoneBroth is one. but S&S have CkDrums on sale again , so , Ill be making more CkStock over the weekend. it got me thinking of chicken bone marrow , as a flavor to make sure ends up in the iPot. not being a big fan of unadulterated A.I. I goggled to see what G had to offer on Ck BM : first I noted the picture has to have come from one Mighty Big Chicken , and I found a video https://www.google.com/search?q=chiucken+bone+marrow&oq=chiucken+bone+marrow&aqs=chrome..69i57j0i13i512l9.4780j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vhid=rZtYCoVU5b2UeM&vld=cid:58c54533,vid:PEjLNUW60ac,st:0&vssid=l getting more to the point : has any one here specifically tasted plain cooked Ck Marrow ? I do recall , possibly @KennethT , suggesting using the iPot for over an hour initially , as it get the CkBones very soft. I think Ill chop the leg bones with a cleaver , before the leg bone [ tibia + fibula ] go into the iPot as see If I can extract any marrow there , w a very small spoon and see how it tastes . Im not a fan of chicken fat , as such , and at least report back that i tasted actual Ck Marrow . anyone here seek this stuff out in their cooking and stocking ?

A repeat of yesterday’s recipe except that, after reading comments from @Kerala about fried bread, I followed the recipe instructions to fry the bread in olive oil in a cast iron skillet instead of just tossing it in the toaster. I also included the Kalamata olives I forgot to add yesterday. The chorizo those sardines are packed in makes them taste remarkably porky!

@Sweet-Tempered I get "pouring fondant" (as opposed to the version that is used to enrobe cakes) from www.lepicerie.com. If you don't know of this resource, I highly recommend it for many ingredients used in pastry and chocolate in manageable sizes for a small business and at reasonable prices (I'm assuming you are in the U.S.; otherwise this idea won't work). I have the Pawkit Aw meter (https://aqualab.com/en/pawkit). When I bought it quite some time ago, it was what was recommended by people here on eGullet, and it was about the only device available at a price less than astronomical. Since then others have bought and recommend less-expensive versions. I don't remember the brand names, but you can find the discussion in this thread:

It's called soft white fondant. Where are you located?

Inspired by the comments about Picalilli, I made some this morning! But the recipe said wait for a month before consuming! I licked the spoon and it was good.

What's the reddish-orange drizzle over the rice with the tuna?

Happy Birthday @Steve Irby. Your dinner at home looked delicious. Monday's dinner was seared tuna with soy sipping sauce, rice, and a salad of lettuce and peppers, which were the only vegetables n the fridge. Last night, miso broiled salmon in a coconut sauce with spinach and summer squash, and more rice

I can be happy with sweet or savory as mood dictates, or availability allows. French toast, certainly. Leftover pizza, why not. Wontons in broth or out, if only. But there's a major caveat: someone has to put iit in front of me. I can barely push down my own toast in the morning.

Happy Birthday, @Steve Irby. I'm 77. My last few birthdays have been similar. I think about going out, but often end up staying home. There's a local bakery that has a chocolate cake I really like. My husband often buys a couple of slices and that's my party. The last time I actually celebrated was for my 70th. We had a party at the family beach house. Of note was great October weather, a lovely apple pie my SIL baked that had a "77" formed in crust. People stayed overnight and breakfast was leftover oysters and key lime pie. My nephew had never had oysters and he was over the moon, which was hilarious. But the real moment of awe came when a red fox was spotted across the street during breakfast. We're talking about a funky little beach town and a funky beach house with a view of the ocean. In all my nearly fifty years of marrying into this beach house this fox was a one-time only event. Deer always. Wild turkeys wandering about the streets, especially the day after Thanksgiving, just to prove they are still alive. But a fox? I'm guessing never again. This year my birthday will be singularly weird. I will be on the tail end of chemo. All bets are off whether or not a slice of chocolate cake will look good.

I don't ever let them get that black before I use them. They are still quite firm when they are good and sweet. These are some that I bought Saturday and they are nice and sweet for eating but I would probably give them two more days before I use them in banana bread. They will still be quite firm but I put them in his zip-top bag and squash them and they are completely ready to use. I showed two bananas with the peel. Sorry I couldn't show you the other banana because I ate it.

Re: Global knives : ive had a few , and used to hand sharpen using wet stones back then , getting fine edges on all my on all my knives Global's were difficult for me to sharpen this way . a knife forum suggested the steel was ' sticky ' so I invested in an EdgePro system . edgePro is simply a jig system , that holds the edge angle via the jug not the operators hand. Globals were now razor sharp . I think they are fantastic knives when kept razor sharp . but that's a bit of work .

@Jim D. Thank you for your reply. I imagine just one bad incident with mold would be more than enough. Do you have a recommendation for an AW meter? I remember looking into them and got overwhelmed with what is out there and not having a working knowledge of what I'm looking for. You are correct about the rising cost of ingredients, particularly couverture. One of my first thoughts was, "I've picked a fine time to start all of this." Then, I am reminded that I am surrounded by an encouraging community. They are always asking what I'm cooking next. Thank you for the recommendation of Chef Jungstedt's courses. I have been curious about them. I will follow through with that. No apologies are necessary. I forget a lot and very much appreciate reminders.

One quick thought ... if I'm spending any real money on a pairing knife, I want one that doesn't have a bolster, and that has its heel separated from the handle. Like those Geshins Btbyrd shows. Otherwise sharpening is too hard. You want to be able to reach the whole length of the blade with your stones.

They're also among the most difficult knives to sharpen or to thin. And not because the steel is so hard, which is what their marketers will tell you; it's a bug, not a feature. The steel has a gummy consistency on sharpening stones; it makes a huge burr that's especially hard to get rid of. Dave Martell at Japanese Knife Sharpening had a notice on his site that all Globals would be sharpened on a belt sander, not stones, because he didn't have the patience otherwise.

Yesterday was my birthday (#71) and we had reservations for dinner at a nice restaurant. As the day progressed, and the energy levels dropped, we decided to hang at the house and have a light supper. I ended up preparing a simple salad with hoikkado scallops piccata. Dessert was a flourless chocolate tart from Publix that was very good. We also had a scoop (or two) of B&J Pistachio Pistachio ice cream since we were celebrating.