chromedome

I took the opportunity yesterday, while temps were above freezing, to harvest a decently large bowl of kale and what will probably be the last of the broccoli florets. We'll see how things go.

The snow melted from my garden today, under the warmth, rain and wind. Can confirm that I still have broccoli and two kinds of kale doing their thing, and I will take advantage of the thaw to re-cover them a little more securely (a couple of the coverings blew off or collapsed under the snow load).

This doesn't seem to have hit the CFIA's site yet, but Made Good is recalling many batches of its granola bars for potential metal contamination (ie, brush bristles). They've had 7 reports from the many millions of bars sold, but (as they say of many other things) it only takes one to ruin your whole day. https://madegoodfoods.zendesk.com/hc/en-ca/articles/31692468452251-MadeGood-Granola-Bar-Voluntary-Recall

It's not that I can't see uses for it in dressings and suchlike, and a writer I follow on Bluesky jokingly described it as being just "savory eggnog." But as a beverage, I can't see it being in any way pleasant. Though doubtless some "cutting edge" mixologist will mix it with bacon-infused vodka and tomato juice to make a "BLT Mary" or some such abomination. Hell, if I knew anyone who drank White Russians I'd almost be tempted to do a bacon vodka and drinkable mayo version just as a prank.

Drinkable. Mayonnaise. https://www.foodandwine.com/nomu-mayo-drinkable-mayonnaise-8757564

My mom's been finding her mouth getting drier too, which is a common outcome for people with Parkinson's (in part because of the disorder itself, and in part because of the medications used to treat it). She always has a glass or bottle of water nearby, whether she's eating or not. It amazes her that I usually don't have a beverage of any sort with meals ("I wouldn't be able to choke anything down at all!"). I wonder to what extent dry mouth contributes to dysphagia in some people, especially in cases of advanced dementia? As some of you know, one of my cousins is losing her husband (only in his early 60s) to an aggressive form of early-onset Alzheimer's. On my last visit she told me that he's reached the dysphagia stage, and is rapidly wasting away now.

Since it's that time of the year when we all revisit the holiday classics...

I missed this one in my inbox the other day, but Taylor Farm's brand of "sweet chopped kale" salads is being recalled for salmonella. Affected area is everyone from Ontario east. https://recalls-rappels.canada.ca/en/alert-recall/taylor-farms-brand-sweet-kale-chopped-kit-recalled-due-salmonella

An update to the cucumber recall: https://recalls-rappels.canada.ca/en/alert-recall/sunfed-brand-field-cucumbers-and-slicer-cucumbers-recalled-due-salmonella?utm_source=gc-notify&utm_medium=email&utm_content=en&utm_campaign=hc-sc-rsa-22-23

Putting this here because I can't think of a better place. Seen on Bluesky, without source attribution: I mean... It's basically just a variation on an ice cream sandwich, but it lacks a certain something from the marketing perspective.

(I've often joked that the temptation to do this kind of thing would make me the worst person in the world to own a fortune-cookie business...)

The US recall on whole fresh cucumbers for salmonella has extended to Canada as well. https://recalls-rappels.canada.ca/en/alert-recall/sunfed-produce-llc-recalls-whole-fresh-american-cucumbers-due-salmonella?utm_source=gc-notify&utm_medium=email&utm_content=en&utm_campaign=hc-sc-rsa-22-23 ETA: Now that I've rubbed the sleep from my eyes, I see that no-one had posted the American version of the recall. Here's the FDA link: https://www.fda.gov/food/outbreaks-foodborne-illness/outbreak-investigation-salmonella-cucumbers-november-2024

We'd had a run without an enoki mushroom recall, but that has now ended. https://recalls-rappels.canada.ca/en/alert-recall/o-ya-hoho-brand-enoki-mushroom-recalled-due-listeria-monocytogenes?utm_source=gc-notify&utm_medium=email&utm_content=en&utm_campaign=hc-sc-rsa-22-23

There's an update to the carrot recall here in Canada: https://recalls-rappels.canada.ca/en/alert-recall/various-brands-organic-carrots-recalled-due-e-coli-o121?utm_source=gc-notify&utm_medium=email&utm_content=en&utm_campaign=hc-sc-rsa-22-23

If you draw a Venn diagram of software engineering and sourdough breadmaking, this is the place where they intersect. https://arstechnica.com/culture/2024/11/flour-water-salt-github-the-bread-code-is-a-sourdough-baking-framework/

Not a phrase I'd expected to type this morning (or ever), but... VR flavors, anyone? https://arstechnica.com/science/2024/11/licking-this-lollipop-will-let-you-taste-virtual-flavors/

Ah, now I get it. I thought it was the cumulative carb count you'd objected to, not the "special requests" aspect. Disregard previous communication...

Mac & cheese and sweet potato are also starches, no?

I've had it that way in the past, and honestly I didn't especially care for it. Also, where I make a 5-day batch each time, I'd be concerned about spoilage. I do add milk at the time of consumption, but it's primarily to loosen the texture.

I don't put milk in mine when it's cooking anyway, but yeah... no scorching, no boiling over, and more to the point if I forget about doing my several days' batch until bedtime (also a common occurrence) I can just set it up and it keeps my porridge at a foodsafe temp until morning. Very convenient.

If I were to venture an uninformed/cynical opinion, I'd guess that the next-gen of each product will either outright require the app or offer crippled functionality without it, and that a subscription will be required to maintain full functionality.

I have to confess to a rather belated epiphany. As I was scouring scorched-on oatmeal from the bottom of a pot last month (ADHD is a handicap when cooking sticky stuff*), it occurred to me that the Zojirushi rice cooker I'd owned for 2 or 3 years has a porridge setting. Duh. So yeah, that's how I'm making my steel-cut oats now. ETA: *I'd set an alarm on my phone, but then left the phone in another room on its charger. Because that's just how I roll.

I saw that. Two of those companies are headquartered here in New Brunswick, and one (Cavendish) is owned by our local oligarchs.