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This was the coldest January for the prairies; real temp last night was -42C, windchill temp -51C or something crazy like that. Many are dealing with frozen water pipes, and we were in that group! Plumb said to put in space heaters where the pipes are. Luckily, we only have one bathroom frozen. The other pipes are fine as our handyman put heat tape on them. It's been 3 days, so tomorrow, I will urge the plumber to come and help us track down the frozen pipes! Meanwhile, I've been baking to add extra warmth to the house. Also needed something warm for my belly! Thai Coconut Curry Chicken: +Steamed Beef with preserved Sechuan turnip. This was the first traditional Chinese dish I cooked for my Scottish hubby 60 years ago when we were first married. It's still his favourite! 60 years ago would have been made with ground beef. Still had a piece of the sirloin used for last night's supper. Did up a quick supper: Black Bean Garlic Beef & Bell Peppers: Been enjoying pomelo for dessert: $2.88 each. Persimmons are also available and reasonably priced right now. However, they are different to what we have been getting. The crisp Fuyu (tomato-shaped) and the astringent, jelly-like Hachiya (acorn-shaped)are not what they used to be when I chose them by shape. I've been picking up Hachiya ones, but they are firm like the Fuyu ones! Sweet, but almost crunchy. Might be a hybrid? Still lovely, but I miss the soft silky texture of the original Hachiya persimmons.

Much better than microwaving it. That's how I do it too. Although the last time I had the burner up too high and burned the crust. 🤨

I should have clarified that my Cleveland Kraut has no preservatives--just green cabbage, kosher salt, and caraway seed. I see that both Silverfloss and Kissling have sodium benzoate and sodium bisulfite as preservatives. I wonder if that makes a difference?

I like rabbit, served any style but have to be careful with my tone when ordering it in restaurants. Mr. Or Ms. Bunny is 兔子 (tù zi) with a falling tone on tù, while the zi is neutral in tone. Get the tone wrong and they're going to refer you to a trichologist or shave your head or set you up with a Yul Brynner type lookalike. 秃子 (tū zi) with a high flat tone means a bald person.

Things in a bowl, the almost bun cha version. Spicy pork patties on rice with white beech mushrooms, salad stuff, fresh chilli, mint and coriander all drowned in nuoc cham.

I have a Kissling's that I've been dipping into for at least a year.

I can't speak for that brand, but i have had kept bags of silverfloss in a container in my fridge for well over a year and they never went bad. I keep them till the kraut losses its krunch.

This package of sauerkraut has been refrigerated since I bought it. "Best used by" date is 09/09/25. It smells ok. What do you think? Can I still eat it? It will be cooked with other ingredients.

Skillet chicken with lemony orzo, chopped frozen kale simmered in the mix as well.

Chicken thigh schnitzel, warm potato salad and snap peas tossed with house dressing, all from Good Things by Samin Nosrat.

Ginger chicken: Saute sliced chicken thigh meat with garlic, then mix in sliced onion, slivered ginger, oyster sauce, fish sauce, white pepper, sugar, sliced Shiitake mushrooms, and a mix of sliced peppers (red bell, roasted Poblano, and Cubanelle). Finished with cilantro. Mrs. C made a sweet potato salad with pecans, dried cranberries, dried black currants, feta cheese, and a champagne vinegar dressing.

My Mom and Dad were married in 1956 and went to the Seattle World's fair in 1962. I would have been two at the time and I guess it was a little getaway for them while my Mom's parent's babysat me. Anyway - my Mom convinced my Dad to try "pizzaa pie." Dad said that it was nothing like pie and he didn't try it again til 10 years later. He was a pizza fan for the rest of his life.

Thanks for these tips. We are expecting 39°C today, but will put the air on before it gets too hot inside. I might get an esky out to put it in. That’s easy enough to do. Thanks again.

Damn straight it is … that’s the reason why I love cooking rabbit. Rabbit is essentially only liver - a huuge liver … makes you wonder if those critters drink heavily between carrot snacks.

Being in the NYC area, I had grown up with pizza, but the idea of the cheese was intolerable so I would pick off the cheese!

I was also a very picky child. I remember my cousin telling me in 5th grade about pizza - something I had not even heard before, and would not consider eating because the tomatoes on it were warm … unthinkable ! There is always hope. And we keep inviting them, and prepare „our“ food which eventually will wear them down 😎

Made a Detroit style with KA’s pizza dough for any pan. Nice dough when you need something faster.

@Neely those eggs are gorgeous. And your mango @C. sapidus! Pork sausage, french toast with butter and honey (no syrup for me!) and unpictured black berries

Marcella's Lemon Roast Chicken: Though I was not careful when turning the bird (hence the ripped skin), the chicken stuffed with two lemons stays amazingly moist, including the breast meat. This was a Bobo bird, dry brined for only a few hours, as it was both purchased and cooked yesterday. Wing tips and drumstick ends went into a pot of stock I was making with chicken parts/bones saved in the freezer. The Bobo bird is nice as it comes with head, neck, feet, gizzard, heart and liver. The liver is the cook's treat. FWIW, I've been doing something similar with the liver for years decades. Simply sauté the liver with most of the seasoning stuff JP uses in the video!

Those sound delicious but have never seen them at Aldi's US.

The last of the Sukhi's Butter Chicken I got at Costco a while back--had to use it or freeze it and freezer is full. Added some asparagus and a few grape tomatoes. I have leftovers for lunch today.

This probably would have been me. I was the pickiest kid on the planet when I was growing up. There's hope for them, yet!

Very nice - Schweinenacken at its best. If you want to venture into German cooking, this cut serves as the base for plenty of delicious concoctions. Since you have quite some I’d like to recommend Sächsiches Bierfleisch (or Saxonian beer meat). This short video is in German, but pretty straightforward.

It’s always a bit of an hit & miss situation: some are quite happy with our dinners, and sometimes I get feedback from the parents that they enjoyed a lot (including the occasional “how did you get them to eat that ?”). Yesterday was such a case - he had sashimi, edamame, gyoza for the first time and he liked it so much he had to tell his mom immediately when he got picked up. On the other hand, we have for example a semi-regular house guest who considers any topping on a plain pizza pie an insurmountable challenge, who couldn’t eat his hotdog bun because it was made from brioche dough and once requested spaghetti with tomato sauce, which silly me topped habitually with freshly grated Parmigiano, only to eat it then myself (while he got an unadulterated portion). The things we endure for our kids 😎

Maybe sacrilege, but Aldi frozen chicken, leek, and camembert pies aren't too bad. Good on you for trying to make your own.