Smithy

I haven't sprung for one of their breadboards, but I have at least one of their spoons - to be used when I would formerly have used a wooden spoon. It's excellent stuff. I'll be visiting that outlet at my next opportunity.

Yep, we've spent 4 nights on the road and tonight we're staying put. So far we've gone from post-Hallowe'en fall... (I should have realized epicurean would have a factory outlet! How have I missed it all this time?) ...to summery temperatures and juniper in fruit... ...with a lovely, fortuitous stop to meet @kayb at her favorite diner! More later, as I get my pictures and stories organized.

We met up with a British couple a few years ago who rented a minivan and toured the American Southwest for 3 months. The van had a mattress spread over the floor in the middle. The back doors opened to reveal a small sink and stovetop. They saw a lot that we can't with our unit, due to the size of our trailer, but by the end of the rental period they couldn't WAIT to get back to a hotel for a few days before flying home!

Yes indeed! We had a great time getting to meet and visit with you. Since you didn't take photos of the food I'll include mine here.

The New York Times Cookbook has a rice + wild rice dressing recipe that I thought very nice, the time I tried it. It included pecans, probably some chicken broth and parsley. I've forgotten what else, but I'd start with those elements. It's been a long time since I made it, since my dinner guests all clearly preferred bread stuffing and didn't know what to make of rice where they expected bread.

Jeffrey Steingarten's Gratin Dauphinoise, from his book It Must Have Been Something I Ate, is my go-to recipe. There is a hint of garlic, but no onion. I think the essays in this particular book are hilarious, enlightening and entertaining. If you don't have the book and can't get it at the library, here's a blog entry with the recipe from someone with the same opinion as mine.

Welcome! Our members include a good mix of nonprofessional cooks and professional business owners; if you have questions about establishing your food business, chances are you'll get answers here. If you have any questions about how to use the forums here, or where to post, feel free to ask a host. "Empenadas" covers a lot of ground...as do the cuisines you've listed. I hope you'll show us some of your creations.

Welcome! (and welcome to retirement, by the way. You'll soon wonder how you ever found time to work.) If you have any questions about how to use the forums, or where or whether to post, feel free to ask a host. Here's a staff directory, in case you're interested. When you and your wife start spending more time in the kitchen, what sorts of cookery do you anticipate doing? Do you have old favorites you hope to tweak, perhaps? Are there new techniques or cuisines you look forward to exploring?

I'm curious about this implement. It's clearly a strainer of some kind, but it seems like it would be too slow to drain for culinary uses like retrieving stuffed pasta from boiling water. Perhaps it's for stirring stews or soups. Do you know its purpose?

@JoNorvelleWalker - I was going to laugh at your first two paragraphs of response, but then I read the third. At that point I'd have been giving a 'wow'or a 'confused' or - well, I'm still not sure, but it wouldn't have been a laugh. Thanks, at any rate, for the early warning on the reliability of The Egg Shop's bread notes.

I had the hardbound copy of the Fix-it and Forget-It slow cooker book, and I'm not sure I ever cooked from it before I gave it away! I don't recall anything particularly wrong with the recipes, but they didn't appeal as much as the concept did. I think perhaps it was because they usually involved more steps (browning the meat first, for instance) than I wanted to deal with for a crockpot. That was some time ago. I might appreciate it more now, and for $1.99 it isn't much of a risk for the curious. Still, I'll be able to resist it. Brindisa, on the other hand, looks interesting. If someone takes the plunge, please report back.

Yes! In fact, I'll make extra smoked salmon mousse so that my egg-allergic cousin will also have something to enjoy.

Sheesh. The title did nothing for me. I could have continued to ignore you and ElsieD but NOOoo...I just had to take a peek inside.... It's downloading now.

Congratulations! The comment about being kids on the way through Coffman cracked me up. I'm looking forward to knowing more about Ozark cuisine...at a glance it sounds familiar, as though it may be part of my grandmother's culinary heritage.

@Nicolai, you know how to pick your places to eat! Tell me about the herbs inside the circle of salmon "thingies" in the top photo. Is that basil? Is it fried basil? If not basil, what herb and how was it prepared?

This is impressive. It looks like it won't grate, as such - say, to grate cheese. Is that the only thing I would be missing if I were to use this to replace a cheap food processor?

Those who are facing special challenges in the kitchen may find helpful hints in this eGCI course on cooking with disabilities:Cooking With Disabilities, Part I. There are two other parts, on cooking FOR someone with disabilities, and on dealing with nausea or other medication side effects. Click here for the full Index of eCGI courses.

Hello and welcome, happyaccident. A number of our members face physical challenges of one sort or another, and have made adaptations. In addition, some of us cook while caring for physically and/or mentally challenged family members. I'm sure you'll find a lot of people who can help you find creative solutions to the challenges in your life. If you have questions specifically about how to use the forums or where to post a question, feel free to ask a host. I am one.

@rotuts, I would also recommend Pressure Cooking Today.

Hatch green chiles (of 2 different heat levels), chorizo, potatoes, roasted red peppers, frozen corn, shredded cheese, homemade salsa and a couple of flour tortillas found their way into the Instant Pot today. It went along the lines of a strata, with everything layered. When I decided that enough layers had gone into the pot, I added a touch of liquid in case it was all too solid for pressure cooking, locked the lid, set it for 35 minutes on high pressure, and walked away. Some 2.5 hours after the cooking function was done, we ate. That "Keep warm" function has its uses. There was minimal cleanup needed, and the "adjustment" condiments (hot sauce, Worcestershire, etc.) at the table were ignored. "You wrote all this down, right?" asked my darling. "Yes, of course I did," I replied. We both snickered. Chalk up another to the Journal of Irreproducible Results.

...and never mind grammar.

Hmm. I have 2 packages of very large, very meaty, very fatty short ribs that I purchased for a special occasion and would normally braise. I wonder whether I should try one package sous vide instead?

What is one to make of a slogan that says "It's Meats Season"? Especially at a meat-centered fast food joint?

In fact, the salad idea is a good one. Maybe that's what I'll do with the remainder.

The jelly wasn't as much work as the chutney! I quartered, seeded and chopped those teensy crabapples for the chutney. The jelly recipe says simply to cut off the blossom end and remove the stem at the other end, but to leave the seeds and core. The whole mess gets simmered for some time, then strained to get that lovely pink juice. The instructions emphasize NOT to squeeze the jelly bag because the juice and resulting jelly will be cloudy as a result. I've been scoping out the crabapple trees up and down our road. There are only two worth harvesting; the other couple dozen have either poor flavor or poor texture. Perhaps the texture wouldn't matter for jelly-making purposes. Maybe I'll find that out in a year or two when the trees bear fruit again. I absolutely, positively need to do HungryChris' marinated mushrooms, and I keep forgetting! Thanks for that reminder again. I should have time in a few weeks. If it's as delightful as I'm expecting, I'll make up some batches as Christmas presents.