Smithy

Update: In a fit of classic eG enablement, I made the leap of faith that my life will calm down enough again. Last night I ordered this set of plastic cheese meshes (eG-friendly Amazon.com link).

I haven't really found those weights to be weighty enough to do their job. If/when my life calms down enough to work on preserving foods again, I want to look into the screen ("cheese mesh") that @FauxPas dicussed here.

I've used them. I like them. I have sets for wide-mouth and regular-mouth Mason jars. I think they work well. One word of caution: they do allow "burping" out the pipe top, and some liquid as well as gas may escape. To be safe, put your fermentation jars in some sort of containment. Here's what I did last February. Edited to add: I too like the ability to ferment in small batches. Quart-sized jars work well for me. Note however that there are also half-gallon and gallon Mason jars with the same top size, and the Pickle Pipes will work on them as well.

...so Charlie thought it was good, but not AS good as its predecessor? Makes life easier for you!

Is it salvageable?

I don't think I knew this. I have a houseful of people coming next weekend. I may try this trick for some meal -- maybe prep it this week. I'm not sure whether there are any turmeric-haters in this crowd, so I'd just try a small batch.

There's a good article about Steve Sando, aka @rancho_gordo, and his new bean cookbook, in the Press Democrat. Here's the link.

I haven't been to Capitol Reef, except to fly over it. I'll have to remedy that. The National Park says, on their website: What got my attention about the orchards was this National Public Radio article about the orchards: Heirloom fruit varieties could help in protecting against climate change Speaking as someone who grew up with apricot and strawberry varieties that have all but died off in California, I am always pleased to learn about efforts to preserve or revive older fruit varieties.

@rotuts, we'd be a good pair for cleaning it all up. I have always (yes, even as a child) found peanut butter and jelly to be revolting, although a couple of the offerings above did look innovative enough to appeal to me. Pistachios, on the other hand? I'll take 'em!

... whereas now I wonder whether they can be fixed at all, short of gutting or demolishing the building, then rebuilding. I doubt Boar's Head will do that. That's quite an article. Thanks, @FrogPrincesse.

Sometime in the late 1980's I asked a butcher in Duluth, Minnesota for a tri-tip. He looked at me quizzically: "Are you from California?" That's how localized the cut was at the time. Now, tri-tip is readily available in Minnesota...but I can believe that it still hasn't reached your part of the continent.

@rotuts, thanks to you I tried mayonnaise on both the inside and outside of my grilled sandwich last night. The contents, aside from mayo and mustard (inside) were a good cheddar; some sliced and roasted summer squash seasoned with dill and salt and olive oil before roasting; thin slices of salami; and lettuce and sauerkraut after cooking. My photo isn't as nice as yours (couldn't get the phone to focus), but the sandwich was pretty tasty. I think perhaps having mayonnaise on the outer surface made it brown a bit more. The coating might have been a bit more firm, but I think it was also a bit more greasy than if I'd used butter only. More studies will be needed. 🙂

That's it! Many thanks, the word gap has been driving me crazy. 😀

I think it all sounds delicious! My take might be to chop the peppers and garlic more finely than the pancetta so there was a textural difference in the finished pasta, but that may not be what you're after. Let us know the final result!

Yesterday I had occasion to be back at the Bent Paddle Brewery for a couple of hours. You can see photos of the exterior in the post above. This time, the food truck parked outside was from Oasis Del Norte. Oasis Del Norte began with the food truck, and I was unimpressed the first time I tried it a year ago. I don't remember what I had: one of their taco offerings, perhaps. I haven't bothered with them since then, but they were there and I was hungry. There's a lot to choose from. I decided on a Super Torta. What kind of meat did I want in it, they asked? I dithered, and finally decided. Here were my choices: Carnitas it was. Maybe it's time to revive this topic and try some of the many recipes we have in RecipeGullet. I really didn't know what to expect from a Super Torta. This is what I got: The bread is very soft -- one of those super soft Mexican rolls I see in the grocery stores. (Ooh, what IS that name?) The filling packed it and overflowed: shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes and onions, avocado, pickled jalapeno with a nice but not-too-strong kick, and of course the shredded pork itself. The pork was juicy, and the sandwich very, very messy. I'll be back. I'm glad I tried them again. Maybe I'll hie off to their restaurant at some point.