Smithy

This is tempting. I love the size of my Joule but it's maddening to have to control it by phone. The Nano is about the same size, but has manual controls as well as a phone interface. I wonder how much difference the smaller wattage makes? Nano is 700W, Joule is 1100. I haven't tried my Joule vs. Anova Bluetooth (900W) to see how much practical difference the 200W makes for my purposes.

That's a funny writeup! Thanks for the link.

What lovely market photos! Waa the driver surprised that you wanted to go there because it's for the real residents instead of tourists? In Egypt, we much preferred the "people's souks" to the "tourists' souks". Another question: do you know why it's called the "deserters' market"?

Do you mean the flattish squarish bread on their wire racks? That was their foccacia. I like making (and eating) foccaccia, and sometime perhaps in the future I hope I'll get a chance to try theirs. Thanks for the compliment. It helps to have a big trailer with multiple rooms.

I grew up in California and never heard of cheddar with apple pie until I moved to Minnesota. Still haven't cottoned to it, even though I like fresh apples and cheddar together.

I've been wanting to visit Barrio Bread, a local bakery that features Sonoran white wheat and red fife wheats, since I read about it last spring. (Trust @FauxPas to be an excellent guide to food and food sources in the Tucson area!) Last spring I made it to a co-op where I bought some excellent bread but couldn't find the wheat. I wrote about it here. Yesterday, we went looking for Barrio Bread itself. It was a fraught and overwrought journey. Tucson traffic isn't bad, as city traffic goes, but our pickup is larger than most and not ideal for maneuvering through crowded streets. We updated our GPS just before we left, and have been rewarded with more than one wrong turn. The GPS led us to what looked like a parking lot entrance for a strip mall. There was no street sign. There was a small street that looked more like a pedestrian mall just ahead. "Where the heck is it?!" demanded my darling, the driver. "I don't know!" I countered, let's look!" "Well, I can't keep holding up traffic!" he said. (He wasn't holding up anyone; we were in a turn lane.) He continued apace down the street, demanding that I tell him what to do. I was trying to get Mr. Google to help us out on my phone. The upshot was that we went around several blocks before finally coming in toward the bakery from the back way. There was no place to park. We still didn't see the bakery, but we could see addresses. I got out while he looked for a place to park. Feathers Were Ruffled. I looked again at the addresses. He'd let me out in front of the bakery! The store front is small. The staff greeted me cheerily, asked how I was doing, and I laughed about the difficulty we'd had finding them. At 12:30 p.m. the stock was already low. Oh, dear! Bread was rolling out of the ovens at a regular pace, but the cashier explained that everything was spoken for - even the loaves you see here. Oh, double dear! Could I at least get flour? Could I take some pictures? It was fine to take pictures. The owner explained that the holiday baking season was upon them and they're crazy-busy just trying to keep up with orders. Shelves I didn't photograph were full of bags labeled by the restaurant or store name, ready for pickup. He evidently took pity on me and said one of the fresh loaves of Pan Rustico could be spared. Oh, lovely! My two bags of wheat mix came. As I was paying, the owner said, "Here, take this out to your hubby as a sweetener!" The bag contained several "ears" from a pain epi. Check out the seed coat on this! This bread has a chewy texture and the seeds are wonderful. My darling was touched. The pan rustico has a very open crumb and delightful flavor. All told, here's the haul from Barrio Bread. I'd like to have had some of their bread for our Thanksgiving dinner, but it won't last that long. Guess I'll have to get baking...and see what differences I can tell by using these flour blends.

Host's note: Porthos has graciously posted the pie recipe we requested above; it's here in RecipeGullet for easy searching later.

Yesterday, we went out for what we'd expected to be an hour but became an entire morning of automotive repair. Having shot the morning, we decided to reward ourselves with a trip to the Babylon Market. It was on my list of errands...but I hadn't intended to go quite so early in our stay. We are so far ahead of our normal schedule that we still have little to no room in the refrigerator and haven't used up much of our supplies from home. Still, this was the time to go. Every time we visit this market, we see that it's better organized and the stock has expanded. Their deli now has a couple of tables for indoor eating. During our two visits since that addition, the tables have been full with happy chatting customers. I didn't bother with pictures of the interior this time, but I made a point of telling the proprietors how pleased I am for them that their business is flourishing. We bought the few items I could remember we needed, ordered sandwiches, and ate outside: beef gyros for him, chicken shawarma for me. Both delicious, as always; both slightly different than previous iterations, as always. Rats! I forgot to buy more barberries! I think I have enough to make it until spring.

How different the Sonoran desert is from the Chihuahan desert! We're in Tucson, nearly 2000' lower than Columbus and quite a bit warmer. The vegetation still includes creosote, but the cactus population has burgeoned in variety and density. There are also flowers blooming here. It seems strange, considering the winter grey we left behind. Before we left home I excavated and unpacked the freezer to the extent possible, and loaded it into this trailer's freezer. A couple of days ago I removed and thawed two packages. Their contents, treated and rubbed with a brine/rub from ChefSteps, are now vacuum-packed and taking a sous vide bath. I had thought they were both chicken. On further examination one turned out to be duck backs. Ancient duck backs. They may be freezer-burned, but since they could be packaged separately I decided to give them a try. Whatever is edible out of this will get the skin crisped up. It will all go into a dinner salad. We've been consuming conspicuously the last few days. As evidence of conspicuous consumption, I give you Exhibit A: leftovers for breakfast. There's a story behind those leftovers! Stay tuned....

Following up on what gfron1 just wrote about different desserts that are not substitutions: have you ever had basbousa? It's an Arabic dessert that is naturally eggless. Ingredients, in general, are semolina or almond flour, coconut, milk or a substitute, yogurt and/or sour cream, and a sweet syrup made from sugar or honey. I've only had it when someone else made it, so can't give you a definitive recipe, but this basbousa recipe from Genius Kitchen sounds much like what I had in Egypt. If you search for it elsewhere on the internet, do try both basboosa and basbousa as spellings.

@Porthos, that apple-walnut-raisin-cranberry pie sounds interesting. Is there any chance you're share the recipe? It might be a nice twist for our family gathering.

@Darienne, I feel for you on the ham. I dislike most hams (hated them as a child) because of the extra sweetening on an already sweet meat, although what we call "picnic hams" were an exception. Since my sister also disliked ham, it went missing from the family holiday dinners as the family scattered because my parents couldn't deal with the leftovers. Then my husband, who loves ham, joined the family. In order to help him feel welcome, Mom tried a spiral-cut ham. It was a huge hit with all of us. It masn't sweet! It made great sandwiches, it reheated well for dinners, we snitched pieces as snacks. (Nowadays I'd put chunks into scalloped potatoes or mac 'n' cheese, but I didn't think along those lines back then.) WELL, what a success! So Mom made sure to buy a spiral ham every Christmas season. It wasn't until years after she'd passed that my husand confessed he'd always thought the ham disappointingly dry. He kept the secret well, knowing that the ham was for him.

Yes. I must admit that the reports from @blue_dolphin have quelled any recent urge I've had to splurge on one of these pans. The condition of @kayb' is much less daunting. I enjoy admiring the finished results, though! Kudos to those of you willing to put in the work.

@andiesenji, I'm pretty sure I downloaded that recipe back then...and never got around to trying it. Typical of me. I've downloaded it again, and I'm delighted that RecipeSource is still around. I have a question about the wine, however. What is special about Passover wine that I should look for it for this recipe? If I were to use a non-Kosher wine, what should I look for? Thanks for a great story about making the cake and the way it was received.

My experience is that they're very woody if eaten raw, but I'm not sure I've ever had a fresh (not store-bought) ripe quince. The ones I've tried from the grocery store haven't measured up to, say, membrillo - but neither do apricots.

I haven't tried broth with turkey at all, and I've never purchased spare parts for the broth-making, but here's what I have experienced with chicken: by the time the broth is done - whether in a standard stock pot or the instant pot - the broth has pretty much all the flavor and the meat has very little. My dog appreciates the remainders, mind you, but those bits of meat that I tried didn't merit inclusion in any dish I could think of. I suppose if the meat were cooked for less time it would retain flavor, but then the stock would have less. Furthermore, I think the thickness of the "jelly" relies on melting the collagen from within the meat. This has also been my experience with beef. Caveat: I am a rank amateur at this. Let's hope the pros can tell us how to get good broth without destroying the meat!

The canned enchilada sauce crossed my mind, but I couldn't find any of the green persuasion and didn't think the red would go well with it - but it was drier than I'd have liked. Your Dutch oven version sounds a lot like my best friend's tamale pie...something I never liked as a child but thought was terrific when she cooked it last spring. I think it might have been the original inspiration for this IP concoction. Thanks for the suggestions on additions and garnishes.

It's a work in progress, but in general we think it's worth continuing to develop. The basic ingredients are tortillas (I've tried both wheat and corn) chopped onions boneless-skinless chicken (we've been using breast), cut into chunks about 3/4 - 1" (bite) size green chiles of your preferred heat level, roasted, skinned, seeded to your level of patience, and chopped to about 1/4" (what you'd get out of a can) grated cheddar cheese (or other cheese of your liking) a small amount of cooking oil, spices such as cumin and oregano, possibly paprika, salt if you wish (we haven't) liquid such as the chile juice, if yours provide enough, or else chicken broth, and possibly cooked pinto beans. I didn't use them this time in the layered dish. I don't think I have in other attempts, but my notes are unclear. There is no need to cook the chicken first. The first time I tried this, I started with chicken breast I'd sous-vided until lightly cooked but still pink, and I only pressure-cooked for 11 minutes at high pressure. The chicken was overdone. Twice since then I've used raw chicken and cooked for longer time, with better results. Here is what I did this time. I'll get to lessons learned at the end, so you don't need to repeat my mistakes! Cut the chicken into large but bite-sized chunks, and season with cumin, oregano, possibly paprika or smoked paprika, salt if you wish. Set that aside while you chop the rest. Chop the onions into fairly small chunks - say, 1/4" - 1/2" dice. This is not a precision cooking exercise, so no need to fuss over the precise size. Mix that into the chicken. I didn't take a picture of that stage. Chop the roasted, peeled, and seeded chiles. Use the type of chile that gives you the heat level you prefer. This photo is of just before I started chopping. As you see, I'm not a perfectionist about the seeds! Place a small amount of oil in the pot - enough to film the bottom of the pot so nothing sticks. Place a layer of tortillas over the bottom. So far this involves tearing them so they'll fit. (Corn tortillas tend to be too small to cover the bottom, and wheat tortillas that we buy are too big.) Place a good-sized layer of the chicken/onion mixture on the tortilla, and put chiles on top of that. Put another layer of tortillas, then chicken/onion and chiles. Do the same thing again, until you're out of filling. Top with another tortilla layer. Pour in the liquid around the edges. Top the whole thing with a goodly layer of shredded cheese. Pressure cook on high for 1/2 hour, then natural release. (This took less than 10 minutes, because the pot was quite full. In a full-sized pot, or with the pot less full, I'd let it sit for 10 minutes than do a quick release.) Cut down through the pot so it comes out in layers. Serve with salsa, sour cream, and more grated cheese if you wish. If you want to get fancy you could shred lettuce or chop some greens (cilantro, parsley) to scatter over the top, but I haven't done that. The first times I did something like this I was aiming for an enchilada casserole ("hot dish!" my darling says ) and used wheat tortillas. I was working with bags of prepared chiles I'd gotten from Hatch. I dumped ALL the juice in. It was too damp. By the way - be very careful to read the package label, or you'll blow your head off when you mistake hot chiles for medium! This time I was trying for the lasagne-like layers. In order to keep them firm I used a solid layer of tortillas - corn, this time - overlapping each other. I didn't have much juice from the chiles, so I supplemented it with about a cup of chicken broth. The whole thing was too dry. Adding cheese or salsa to the layers, using more liquid, or (mostly likely) doing fewer layers so there's more filling per tortilla layer will be my next attempt. I'm sure there are ways to improve this aside from the issue of dryness. Would a light precook of the tortillas develop the masa flavor more? Sauteeing the onions first would certainly provide a different flavor. However, I was all about ease here - and except for the dryness, we were pretty happy with it. Salsa and sour cream at the table helped with the dryness. Comments, suggestions and questions are welcome.

Nice to see something green there. Is that cheeseweed mallow?

I have never, ever liked ketchup (or catsup) except on very rare occasions as an ingredient in a sauce, or to top a meatloaf. That is, I have never, ever liked it until a friend mailed me a jar of her homemade catsup as a Christmas gift. Because I have never, ever liked the condiment I accepted the jar graciously but didn't open it for at least a year. Maybe it took two years. Then I opened it - and I liked it! It had a texture, unlike any of those nasty bottled condiments. It wasn't sickly sweet. The tomato could be tasted, along with some lovely spices.It harmonized, accented and augmented dishes instead of overwhelming them. Alas, by the time I got around to asking her for the recipe, her mind was going. I have no idea how she made it.

By the way: for those of you who love pinto beans, how do you prepare them? Ratio of water to bean, time and method of cooking, seasonings added....? I fell in love with pinto beans because of Cooper's, in Llano.

The Hatch chiles were roasted so they were soft, but they needed to be peeled and seeded. They were almost the right heat level for us, although we might have enjoyed the "Hot" batch. Based on last year's "hot" chiles from Hatch, I'd been leery of that label. I pulled out the Instant Pot Mini and made a batch of pinto beans. When the beans were done, I gave the pot a quick rinse, then put a film of oil on the bottom. I began layering corn tortillas with a mixture of chopped chicken breast, the chopped chiles and diced onion, then more layers as one would a lasagna dish. The chicken had been seasoned with cumin, oregano and a couple of other spices I've forgotten. I put about a cup of chicken broth into it: typically, my attempts at this have come out wet because of too much liquid, but I had more layers of tortillas than usual this time and not as much chile juice. The whole lot was topped with cheddar cheese, and left to pressure cook for half an hour while I did something else. The "set it and forget it" aspect of the IP is a lovely feature. Dinner. The IP concoction was dry because it had too much tortilla for the other ingredients. This was rectified at the dinner table with sour cream and salsa from home. Sour cream and cheddar on the beans was pretty darned good, too. I really liked the chunkiness of having cubed the chicken to 1/2" - 1" instead of a finer dice. The beans tasted good but not as soft and creamy as I'd have liked. The next day, I simmered them with extra water for at least another hour. It's amazing how much water those beans can take!

In such ways do our vocabularies grow. Thanks!

"fettled" ? I know what it is to be in fine fettle (and a fine word it is), but this verb form seems different. Please translate for us Yanks.

Nice of them to provide you with reading material.