Smithy

If I remember correctly, piquillo peppers are reddish, smallish, a bit sweet, a bit hot, a bit tart, possibly pickled. Yes? If no, then more description, please. I can imagine the right peppers being a good accompaniment for tri-tip. Boy, I miss tri-tip sandwiches! Later this summer we'll be trying to get them right by slow-cooking on the grill, if I have my way. I'm with your sweetie on not liking sweet barbecue sauce, but the idea of getting a sugar headache from it takes it a whole new level. What a shame! Your mac 'n' cheese 'n' chicken looks good. I've only ever tried adding ham to mac 'n' cheese. I may have to expand my horizons a bit. Are there many people at the resort right now, or do you have the place pretty much to yourself?

Nice to have you here, Henri! We enjoy seeing people from all parts of the world, and it will be lovely to see some of what you cook. If you have any questions about where to post or how to use the forums, feel free to ask a host (I am one). There are some avid makers of frozen delights around here, and you'll probably enjoy contributing.

I'm with you on that! My darling, not so much....he never met a beer he didn't like. I'm enjoying reading about your taste in spirits. I'm also enjoying the virtual visit to the area, despite the dire news about the water situation. (Did the snow you encountered on your drive up the pass stick? It doesn't look like it.) It's beautiful up there. A friend and I backpacked and camped near there, a lifetime ago. More photos will be welcome. The enchilada casserole from the first dinner really struck my fancy. I'd eat that. I may have to make it. Did you cook and shred the chicken yourself, or buy it that way? Chicken breast, dark meat, or both? How well does it freeze for later meals?

Nice to see you on the road, camping in your own style! Blog on!

@cdh or @dcarch or anyone else who knows but hasn't used the term yet, please clarify. "BMS" = what, Battery Management System?

I got it apart. I have a battery part number. Maybe there's hope after all!

Over in the Bamix topic, @dcarch wrote: He is exactly right. In fact, I have a cordless immersion blender with attachments and have loved being able to use it without needing a power outlet. Trouble is, the battery failed. It's a very specialized battery because of its fit. So far, I can't find anyone to rebuild it, and I can't find a replacement. Kitchenaid discontinued this model last October and has no spare batteries. They say the battery isn't repairable, but perhaps I can find one from a retailer who still carries the blender. Batteries and Bulbs, a retail chain that sells replacement batteries and can rebuild many battery packs, told me they won't touch lithium-ion batteries. So far my efforts to find a replacement battery online have been fruitless. So now I have a beautiful, expensive, useless immersion blender with attachments unless I can (a) figure out how to attach a 12v battery of the right wattage via wires - boy, won't that look dandy? or (b) find a replacement somewhere. I think it's very poor product support on Kitchenaid's part. I won't be buying from them again. I hope DeWalt and the other suppliers of construction site tools dcarch mentioned have better foresight, since those tools are ubiquitous. Ideas, anyone? Where can I find a replacement, or someone to rebuild this battery?

You're probably right. When I was growing up in the San Joaquin Valley a neighbor or two had loquats as backyard trees but they were considered odd, and not cultivated commercially. I'd be surprised if any of those trees still survive. The only place I've seen loquats for sale is at a Middle Eastern market in Tucson.

That sounds dangerously delicious. Care to inspire us more with a few photos?

Today's frittata was a way to use up some month-old bread (definitely time) along with eggs, milk, cooked broccoli and shredded cheddar. A bit bland, but a touch of salt and salsa fixed that. The surprising thing was that I used an oven preset for the first time: "Casserole". I have never before now bothered with presets, but I was curious to see what it did. What it did was, it set the oven to 375F and held it there, very occasionally firing up the convection fan to stir the air until I pulled the casserole dish. Easy. Nicely done. Whaddaya know.

That's an old, old topic! Here it is: Pizza Crust Blah. Thanks for reviving its memory.

I've never worked with a Danish dough whisk but any sort of whisk looks to me like it would be very difficult to move through bread dough. Help me visualize this, please. At what stage does someone use this, and why is it so great?

I've never worked with a Danish dough whisk but any sort of whisk looks to me like it would be very difficult to move through bread dough. Help me visualize this, please. At what stage does someone use this, and why is it so great?

@kayb, I agree they look like weird horseradish roots - if that's what they are - but I have seen them split. I remember digging one up from its happy place too near the house foundation. It wasn't nearly as thick, but it had split into two segments as it went deeper. To prepare horseradish, lemniscate has the most of it...except I'd start with a fine grater (food processor) rather than blender. My blender, at least, wouldn't handle the fibers. A little bit of hand-grating is a simple test to see whether it's really horseradish. Believe me, the released juices will clear up any mysteries (and sinuses) if it is! The more vinegar you add, the more potent it will be. The horseradish I've bought at grocery stores, incidentally, would happily resprout and take root. If it's horseradish, you may have the gift that keeps on giving. Just be sure to plant it in some sort of confinement.

I'm awake now, I think, and still can't work out what that "root" is. Scallion root? Is it just the root, or is the rest of the scallion lurking in that sandwich under what I think is a burger? I like the looks of that bread.

West Texas is like that. I'm impressed with the diverse selection of seasonings you've come up with. I used to be very disciplined about herbs and spices when I was kayak camping or sailing and space was confined. Now I'm less selective and more inclined to throw things in willy-nilly. Then I have trouble finding what I want because I've crowded the cabinets! It's all looking good. Keep up the inspiration, please!

*Cue Logan's Run: "Last Day, Last Day..."* God willing and the water don't rise, tomorrow will be the last day for this trip. I hesitate to proclaim this in advance, due to my Irish and Appalachian extraction. Still, that's the plan. i hope it works. It was another long drive today. We learned upon leaving that the nearby Subway wouldn't open until 10 am! Much too late. They lost our business. We're sure this is a later start time than we've ever seen before. Is it because of a business downturn since the pandemic began? We don't know. The adjacent business, which shares the building, had ready-made sandwiches. We looked askance at them. We always look askance at such offerings, but expedience is overtaking quality on this last gasp of the trip. We asked an attendant for her recommendations. She recommended against the BBQ Ribs sandwich we were both considering, and suggested the Sausage, Egg and Cheese sandwich as her personal favorite because of its fresh quality. I changed my mind; my darling didn't. My choice was quite good: basically as good a breakfast biscuit as we could have gotten at a big-name chain. Just as she said when she recommended it. His BBQ sandwich had good, tender, flavorful meat, but the bun was incredibly tough. Much of that bread went out the window. He marveled that bread could be soft and inedibly tough at the same time. I had no insights for him. He didn't get enough breakfast from that disappointing sandwich, so there was a lot of noshing on Harvest Cheddar Sun Chips that we had bought along with our "not-Subway" sandwiches. Later in the day, it was Burger King at an Iowa Welcome Center. Yes, I know we had plenty of food on our own. No, neither of us cared. My Whopper was excellent. I didn't take a picture, but he was as pleased with his BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger. Tonight we're in a Walmart parking lot. I strolled their deli and learned that it closes at 7 pm. The counters behind glass that should have held cafeteria trays of stuff were all inactive and covered. Welcome to the world of the pandemic. The counters in front and below had packages of already-cooked food staying warm. The fried chicken looked unappetizing. The rotisserie chicken looked decent, but the 7 pm closing time was a problem.We decided to work on leftovers in the Princessmobile. This is the view from our windows. This is our setup as viewed from the outside. Our idea of "working on leftovers" was more than plenty. Each of us ate a few spoonfuls from the potato salads we've been hoarding. He's already called it a night. I'll do so soon. In the morning I'll make one last set of ham and cheese sandwiches, so we won't need to call on Subway. We hope to be long gone before they open in the morning. Thanks for coming along with us, folks. You've made the trip more fun. And yes...that wine glass could be cleaner. So could the two of us!

A cheap eye? I can guess maybe, but I'd like your elaboration on this comment so I don't go amiss. The food looks delightful. Quite a bit better than what I'm cranking out after months on the road. I'm surprised you don't have co-workers banging at the tailgate to join in.

We got through Kansas City yesterday without any traffic mishaps. We could see southbound traffic horribly snarled from some accident, and were glad to be going the other way. Kansas City is another nerve-wracking traffic adventure for me, due to the convergence of multiple freeways that box the downtown area, but we've done it enough times that we know the way reasonably well. Still, the GPS warned us of a significant delay. It didn't materialize, but my darling started singing anyway: "I got to Kansas City on a Friday, by Saturday I hadn't gotten through..." (with apologies to Rogers and Hammerstein). Ham sandwiches for road food, along with the vegetable snacks, coffee and water. The Lakeside Casino, formerly known as Terrible's, is a pretty good stopping spot for this leg of the trip. Like many other places, they've gone to a reservations-only system in their RV park. Fortunately there's a free parking area, first-come first-served, where truckers and a few intrepid RV'ers who don't need electrical service can park. If we were to spend a couple of days it might be worth paying the RV park fee and putting up with the aggravation of looking for a reservation WHEN THERE ARE OODLES OF OPEN SPACES but for an overnight it doesn't make sense. There seems to be a nationwide trend pushing everyone toward a reservation-only system, but we don't like it and prefer not to participate as long as we can avoid it. The Casino business seems to be picking up again, though they're still a long way from being at full capacity. We could have cooked something in the trailer, or reheated some leftovers (we still have some) but we wanted to support the restaurant and casino operation, and we have historically liked the stuff. Besides, I could snoop while I waited for our food. They tried to insist on social distancing. The signs insisted that everyone wear masks that cover nose AND mouth except when actively eating or drinking. At least one bartender didn't have her nose covered. At least one patron had no mask at all. I considered going into the casino proper to see how much action there was, but I'd have had to go past a greeter and a sign that said STOP. LOWER YOUR MASK. I think it was just for an ID check, but decided not to wait around to see. There was a line. The restaurant buffet was closed, but one could order from the usual menu. Unfortunately, to-go orders could not be placed or picked up between 6 and 9 p.m. because that's the restaurant's busiest time. That meant ordering around 5:30. His BBQ cheeseburger, my Awesome Chicken burger, and our fries suffered from languishing until he was actually ready to eat. He even admitted it. That's about as close to an apology as he gets for holding up the show on food.

@rotuts, I opened the Cabernet Sauvignon last night. It was also quite nice: smooth, fruity without being too fruit-forward. I was surprised that it had no apparent alcohol burn as so many wines do with such a high alcohol content. I'm not sure it really had much Cabernet distinction, though. If I'd been tasting it blind, would I have recognized the grape? It didn't have much in the way of noticeable tannins, either. In other words, it didn't seem to need any breathing to be good. I'll look for this wine when we get home. I'd curious to try the two varietals side by side, and others if they are available, to see how distinctive they are. They're both better than the Black Box Merlot that I had most recently.

Those look and sound delicious. How long would you steam them, given that it's all raw when you start?

I opened the zinfandel tonight. Nice for the price. Smooth. Not as brambly or spicy as my favorites, but very drinkable.

Pulled pork, left over from a long-ago picnic. It had been frozen and vacuum-packed, then kept frozen until now.

I found a frozen container of cooked rice. It looked like a good bed for the stuffed chiles. After careful consideration of the suggestions uptopic, and of what we had on hand, I went with this: 1. Lay stuffed chiles on a bed of cooked rice 2. Drizzle with barbecue sauce from Cooper's (my favorite, and he wasn't cooking...so there!) 3. Drizzle with bread crumbs mixed with melted butter 3. Bake covered until chiles starting to soften and brown 4. Bake uncovered until bread crumbs properly browned Serve at table with preferred barbecue sauces and, in his case, toast. Pretty good. Worth repeating? Not unless the ingredients happen to be lying about in need of use. Not worth seeking out the ingredients to make it happen, but definitely a good use of things we needed to use. The leftovers will not be a problem. Incidentally, neither of us thought cheese was necessary. 🙂