Smithy

There are ways to control the touchness / crunch of the crust vs. the tenderness of the crumb (the interior of the bread). I hope the bread experts will weigh in on this. How nice to see that you like the taste and texture of the interior! That's encouraging!

First, a question: how did you make avocado oil? I know it can be done, but have no idea how to go about it. As far as using and/or preserving avocados for later use: a few years ago my best friend put pulp in freezer bags, mixed in a bit of lemon juice to prevent discoloration, squeezed all the air out, and froze the pulp for later use in guacamole. It worked well for her. As I recall it didn't work as well for me, but that might have had to do with how long I held the avocados until I tried it. I wrote about it here (scroll down to the bottom) but don't seem to have followed up with the results.

Sorry you're feeling alone! I'm enjoying your posts but confess that lately I've been going with boxed wines. I just got a new shipment of bottles, though, so I'll try to join in. I remember liking Pinotage just long enough to buy a couple of bottles, then regretting it. It has a rather distinctive flavor, but now I don't remember details. Can you say more about that? Are you noticing it?

I'm sorry to announce that our long-standing, fascinating @JohnT has passed away, according to this message from his partner that was forwarded by one of our members: I don't know any more than that. John was an accomplished cook, baker and sailor, and he spent time sailing from his home in Cape Town, South Africa to parts very far away. I'm always enjoyed his posts. He could be counted on to explain Cape Malay cookery, and he contributed beautifully to a topic on Boat Cookery. Fair winds and following seas, John.

Thank you so much for this reminder and inspiration! I need to larb again.

I'd love to claim I shall never again lose track of culinary treasures until they're past use, but I'd probably be fooling myself...at least until I work my way through the years-long backlog of culinary treasures. (How's that for optimism?) I pulled out these Castelvetrano olives, probably bought at a World Market, almost certainly bought specifically because of a Vivian Howard recipe. Note the "best by" date. Note also the mushy quality. I didn't know that olives could actually go rancid, but these are. They're going out to the critters. Next I opened a jar of Lindsay Naturals Spanish Olives, stuffed with red pepper. "Best by" date of 2020. These are also mushy, but they still taste okay. I'll be able to work my way through them with no trouble. I wonder how many other bad pantry surprises await me?

I missed this until now -- in other words, you're already home -- but what a treat to read! The food all looks so good, and so unlike anything I'm likely to find or cook (because of inspiration and availability of materials). I'm a bit envious. The scenery is about as radically different from mine as it can be, and it's beautiful. Thank you very much for bringing us along! And I'm glad you made it home before the storm!

i think that's closer to what my parents bought when they downsized from the ranch house to an apartment. It worked well for them, and 10 years later my sister and I were astonished at what had accumulated there! I think they got theirs at Home Depot, or possibly Bed, Bath and Beyond back in the day when BBB was still around.

That's a good consideration. However, you also need to consider the clearance between the rack and the existing shelves if you park this on the open wall. For instance: in your photo you show a mixer sitting at the right-hand end of one shelf. Will you have trouble maneuvering to get it out past the spice rack if you put the rack on the wall? I note also that the Amazon AI for this particular rack says that it's frequently returned. The statistics indicate that the reviews are mostly positive, but I looked at one 2-star review that said it was fiddly to put up and not very sturdy. You can always see for yourself, of course, since it has a 30-day return policy.

It is a delight. I haven't tried the oven yet, but I think it will be just as formidable.

Yes, exactly. In this case the edges are slightly crunchy, as though it were toasted, but the flavor is unchanged. I can see why you'd feel the same way about cornbread. I still haven't tried making French toast with the panettone, and I doubt I'll bother. It doesn't need any help in the flavor or richness department. (Well, I do like a bit of butter melting into it, as my photo shows. But I liked it that way from the beginning.)

I've finished one of the three panettoni that I bought for the holidays. I'm now down to a small slice of Gouter's chocolate panettone and a slightly larger slice of their traditional version, both of which arrived just before Christmas. I'm surprised at how well these have held up. I've given some away and pecked away at the rest; I'm really not a sweets-for-breakfast person as a rule, nor do I generally do dessert after dinner. So here they are, still with me. As I said, I'm surprised at how well this has held up. I had a bit of the chocolate this morning for breakfast, lightly microwaved. Yes, I could tell it was on the stale side from a textural standpoint, but it was just as delicious as when I first opened the package.

@Dejah, I think I've seen you mention Sysco before. Do you still have access to them, from restaurant days? Or is this outlet you mentioned open to any nearby would-be customers?

That yolk looks translucent. Is it, or is that a trick of the light in the photo?

Hello and welcome, @MissTaurus! Your wine adventure sounds like quite an undertaking. Do tell more! Did you fill a big vat with grapes and stomp them? Grab a big bread bowl and try to make a press? "Enquiring minds want to know," as one of our publications used to say. 😀 These days, what do you like to cook and eat? Is it still high summer for you, or moving off into autumn splendor?