Alex

Those are oysters that give you back talk when you try to open them. Oh, wait -- those are saucy oysters. Never mind. Carry on.

Thinking about serving the rice with Claudia Roden's Chicken + Apricots

Two copies in our state-wide library system, one available; just requested. Great pictures, btw!

Sorry, but avian flu is not the reason. And collusion is nothing new among the major egg producers.

Ha! I was thinking about that just last week. Let me pull the rest of my thoughts together and I'll start a topic.

A Zoom presentation sponsored by Culinary Historians of Chicago: January 25 at 7 p.m. Central Time (US)

clicky

A "good riddance"-ish article from a different angle.

Italian Pistachio Cookies. I make these semi-regularly (the round version). The only differences are that I use more vanilla extract, add some ground anise seed, and don't roll them in chopped nuts. The only problem is that now I have to figure out what to do with the leftover yolks.

Salmon (or similar) and morels are a harmonious combo—especially if accompanied by a good Oregon Pinot Noir.

Also same here. I use the 10-year for cooking—most often an IP ragu or sausage w/peppers + onions—and for the occasional post-cooking dressing; the 16-year is for stand-alone drizzling. I also have a 30-year, which is saved for special occasions.

Highly recommended. The day after I received the catalog I called and ordered a 10-year and a 15 16-year.

Yes, this! And by an interesting coincidence, I ran into it just a few hours ago when making peanut butter. The pulses at the beginning are the worst, then the subsequent 5 seconds or so. It's fine after that.

Ditto our drip coffee maker (Technivorm) in the morning. Ms. Alex, who strongly prefers visual processing, loves to look at the water bubbling up.

No, and hope to continue that way

Mushrooms the First: I was 21 and still shied (well, ran) away from mushrooms. My girlfriend and I were having a couple of friends over to her house for a steak dinner, and she was making sauteed mushrooms as one of the accompaniments. I was too embarrassed (not to mention smitten with her) to admit to that semi-phobia or, even worse, to leave them on the plate. Deliciousness ensued. The girlfriend and I eventually broke up, but mushrooms and I have been in a fulfilling relationship ever since. Mushrooms the Second: A couple of years later, a grad school classmate from northern Michigan took a few of us morel hunting. We ate them later that day, sauteed in butter with a little salt. Bumped my culinary aspirations up a notch or two, it did.

I liked the story about chorizo, but I suspect that this is an even better one.

Salting up to an hour in advance doesn't toughen the eggs at all, but I wonder about eight or twelve hours. Does anyone know if that's been tested?

Absolutely. Unless I'm feeling extraordinarily lazy or am in a rush, I always de-skin no matter how they'll be eaten. Of late, I've been using chickpeas for a vegan take on shakshuka and a Tunisian-style carrot + chickpea salad.

I'm almost, but not quite, too embarrassed to admit that we have four food processors: large and medium KitchenAid units, a Cuisinart Mini-Prep, and a Sunbeam Oskar I've had since forever. I hardly use the Cuisinart but we haven't had a garage sale in a while, so it just sits in a cabinet awaiting its next home. The big KA gets the most use. Peanut butter! I stock up on Planter's unsalted when it goes on sale at our local supermarket—like this week, when they're $2.49 each if you buy five (can combine with other items, like Philly Cream Cheese). Bread crumbs Some cookie dough Cheesecake batter Pie crust (I haven't for a long time, but that's how I'd do it) Hummus (although I, too, usually eat Basha from Costco) Falafel (a future project) Grate potatoes for latkes or rösti Coleslaw for a crowd A quick coarse grind for meat Grind the whitefish for Joan Nathan's gefilte fish pâté Grate larger amounts of hard cheese Some salad dressings, mainly a Caesar-ish with roasted garlic

There's this recipe, in the Washington Post

Spread peanut butter on a lightly wet cook? Ooh, kinky. I like it.

Perfect! Do I spy beer cans? And of course I immediately thought of this:

Definitely no rice or potatoes, even though the LC recipe mentions them. Just some good bread (or cornbread or chips) on the side. Oh, and beer.

I want one!