Smithy

We found some wonderful new breads along the way. I read in a Tucson publication about Sonoran white wheat, a southwestern heirloom grain that is supposed to be especially great for bread-baking. I wanted to try some. I went to the Food Conspiracy Co-op, which supposedly had it, and learned that they only carried the wheat berries. I bought some. I haven't done anything with them yet because I've been off bread-baking lately. Ideas will be welcome. The Co-op was fun, but so similar in style and vibe to our co-ops at home that I didn't try taking any photos. The bread that I picked up there was a sourdough loaf made by Barrio Bread in Tucson. They had been featured in the same article because they bake with the Sonoran white wheat. I picked up a loaf. It was beautiful! You can see more patterns on their web site. Once back at the trailer, I sampled some. Then I ate more. The flavors were complex and delicious, taking sourdough to a higher level than I generally experience - and I am a sourdough lover. The texture was also excellent. I wished I had bought more bread! It was 25 miles or so to the co-op. I knew I wouldn't get there again this trip. We delighted in the sandwiches we made using this bread (of which there seem to be no pictures). I highly recommend Barrio Bread if you're around in Tucson. We also discovered Dave's Killer Bread somewhere along the way. At first I thought it odd that an Arizona grocery would carry an Oregon-made bread, but according to their web site they have a pretty broad distribution. Dave's Killer Bread makes a variety of loaf styles and sizes - 21 seeds, whole wheat, white and so on, in large-format slices and smaller loaves as well. It's our new favorite sandwich-loaf bread. My sandwich photos so far have been lackluster, but here's the money shot of the crumb: Oh yeah - and then there's this mystery bread. I picked it up at a deli in Texas, having a hankering for rosemary sourdough and not having the time right then to make it. A take-and-bake loaf looked just right! After we were back on the road I reread the package. "Shelf-stable"?? I must admit I've been afraid to open it yet. The ingredient list looks good. It is carefully vacuum-packed, and you'll note that the package includes a desiccant. Still...a shelf-stable bread? I promise to report on it when I open and bake it.

That's a big decision and a big step to take, Porthos, but it sounds like the right one. I can tell you from personal experience that it's difficult to let go of a job - paid or not - that you love. I can also tell you that once you settle into a new routine and realize how much more time and energy you have to do other things you love (or must do out of love and obligation), you'll be glad of your decision. You'll also have a lot of good memories stemming from work well done when your body allowed you to enjoy it. The Faire Kitchen will get along without you, somehow. Let's hope that someone in addition to your daughter pays a lot of attention this year to what you've been doing, and is willing to ask a lot of questions.

The experiments continue, and will probably continue more often than once a year. This time I made Food Shark's Pimiento Cheese, more or less. There were liberties taken. Actually, as I review the recipe there were many liberties taken. Their recipe calls for Havarti as the second cheese; I had American. (Note to new readers of this topic: it really does work well to freeze the cheese before grating it.) I used dried herbs instead of fresh, because that's what I had. I assumed, apparently mistakenly, that the recipe should have called for pimientos in addition to the roasted red peppers, so I added both. I had no horseradish. I don't remember what I did about that. The upshot is that I probably made something suitable for the Journal of Irreproducible Results, which is too bad because we both liked it. I'll be trying again. Gracious, there are so many versions to test!

I feel so much better, knowing the catastrophe could have been worse! Actually, I remember hearing about more than one time my mother forgot to latch the refrigerator doors, and everything was on the floor when they opened up in the evening. It happened at least twice. My beloved mother, bless her, could be very absent-minded. The dip is Pimiento cheese. It's one of the things I experimented with when we were hooked up to electricity again, because I could use the food processor and other gizmos with great abandon. I based the recipe on Food Shark's Pimiento Cheese, but as I review the recipe I see I took more liberties with it than I remembered. I used American cheese instead of the Havarti they specified, because that American cheese needed to be used up. I added dried herbs instead of fresh. Their recipe doesn't call for Pimientos at all! According to the Pimento Cheese topic, some folks claim that's a normal substitution whereas others think it's heresy. I had forgotten that discussion. I used roasted red peppers (another jar emptied!) AND a jar of pimientos because I thought there must have been a mistake in the recipe. What I especially liked about this recipe was the addition of pepperoncini and ther juices. "What do you think?" I asked my darling about the spread. He kept dipping into it and eating more, and indicated that the answer should be obvious. We don't often indulge in Fritos either, but these scoops were perfect with it. It was also perfect with celery sticks, and Ritz crackers, and gluten-free nut crackers. We eventually resorted to a spatula to make sure we got every last bit of residue.

What with one thing and another people bother. With a third thing and a fourth it isn't worth it. --Piet Hein, from among his Grooks. That hole you see may make more sense in this larger context. We arrived at a recent stop to find that the door between the garage/dining room and the main living area was jammed. The knob wouldn't turn. Fortunately for us the trailer has a front and back door, and by working from opposite sides we were able to get the knob to turn. We had no trouble during the time we stayed in one place. The next time we moved the trailer to a new stop, it happened again. This time no amount of prying and turning and muscling would get the knob to turn. We removed it. It's toast. We'll worry about a replacement when we get home. Then there was another move, during which the freezer door came unlatched. I opened the kitchen to find half the freezer contents on the floor, thawing. Several plastic containers had fractured and were leaking: nothing as innocuous as water, of course; the principle ooze was a mix of chicken broth and persimmon puree. The genius who put carpet in front of the refrigerator must not have had much imagination. Don't ever, if you can help it, put carpet in front of a refrigerator! Distractions notwithstanding, there have been some successes, fun finds and flops worth recounting. There may also be a swell event or two ahead. I'd rather wind down this season's travelogue deliberately than let it die of neglect. With your indulgence I'll work at it a bit longer, as other non-culinary but pressing duties allow. Grab a favorite snack, and help me enjoy the last of this spring's trip!

Nothing wrong with that photo! It looks delicious. I do hope the youths were appreciative.

Thanks for that information, @Shelby. I need to start keeping a spreadsheet, or a log, of information like this for ready reference. In the past month I've done some smashing dinners in the IP - generally starting with beans - but unless I write it down somewhere I forget what I did and it joins the annals of the Irreproducible Results. Here, as much for future reference as for general edification, is what I wrote to a friend about one IP enchilada casserole attempt: Incidentally, this was dinner for two - with leftovers - in the 3-quart mini. Next time I do it, I'll take a picture and post.

Welcome, Vedbyas. Please tell us more about the public feeding kitchen(s). How many people do you serve, and at how many different facilities? What are your constraints? What sort of guidance might you need from the experienced chefs and experts? We have members who now work, or have worked in the past, at what are called "soup kitchens" in the USA, helping feed people who might otherwise not be able to eat. Is that the nature of your public feeding kitchen?

Welcome! Are you a cooker-and-eater, or do others do the cookery for you? What do you like to eat? What's in season in Derby right now?

Ah, that's what I was missing!

Welcome, OC Chef! Thanks for bumping this topic up. Please do let us know the results of your further experimentation. Photos are also welcome, if you're so inclined. Did you have the beets and potatoes in the same bag? Were the potatoes also whole, like the beets?

Welcome, indeed! When you travel, as you are now, do you stay in places with kitchens and cook for yourselves, or do you eat out, or are you traveling in an RV of some sort with a portable kitchen? However you do it, we love seeing the food and reading about the flavors. I'd love to learn about your red beans and rice. I love the stuff too, but my last attempt (okay, it was red beans and orzo, with no meat) was decidedly flat. I was in a hurry, and didn't pay enough attention to the seasonings. Salsa fixed it but I need a better grip on the basic seasonings that should go into the dish. If you come up with questions about how to use the forums or where to find (or post) something, feel free to ask a host (I am one). The Help files can be useful, as well.

Good eye on spotting the indentation, @KennethT . I was seeing that as a little protrusion (nub) and wondering if it was like a carriage bolt. @pastrygirl, I think most hardware stores will carry metric hex keys - by the way, they're also called Allen wrenches. You can also try a local bicycle shop, if that's closer to your location.

I haven't tried silicone oil for any of my kitchen wood products, so can't give direct experience. (I've switched from food-grade mineral oil alone to the John Boos Oil and Cream, which also contain beeswax, due to the dryness of the climate.) My question for you: does that non-toxic silicone oil have a taste that you'll come to regret?

A comparison of their "wild-harvested" Canadian wild rice with their "Minnesota grown" wild rice suggests to me that their Minnesota wild rice is cultivated. That might account for some of the lower price you see. It appears that they also haven't parched it yet; note the dark hull that they preserve. If you've been buying the hand-parched wild rice before now that may also account for some of the lower price. It appears my preferred source of wild (not cultivated) wild rice, the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, doesn't sell by mail, but some of the other Minnesota and Wisconsin sources do. Check out this site: Sources for Hand-Harvested Wild Rice, from the Native Wild Rice Coalition. eta: Actually, the Leech Lake Band provides email contact information, so maybe they will sell by mail. It's worth a try.

"maple syrup aioli"?? Wow.

Ah! One of the benefits of topics like this is that it jogs the memory. My other favorite homemade pasta sauce, which I can make almost without thinking right around the pasta, is Alfredo. Now I know that the proper way to make Pasta Alfredo has been discussed in these forums - with the requisite strongly expressed opinions that "this is the ONLY way to do it". I'm not interested in that discussion. The way I learned it was from the wonderful Lynne Rosetto Kasper, who stated in an episode of her show, The Splendid Table, that "the sexy Roman way is..." and went on to describe making the sauce around the pasta. For 1 pound of cooked, drained pasta you melt a stick (1/4 lb) of butter in the pan and add the pasta. Stir in a cup of cream. Then start throwing in handfuls of shredded parmesan, tossing and stirring the pasta, until it achieves the properly thickened consistency. Season and serve. Here's her writeup of the method, although it doesn't list quantities as she did over the air. I have used that method as the basis for many a pasta dish, by the simple addition of (here are a few examples) sauteed onions, peppers, garlic, asparagus, smoked salmon, shrimp, or chicken. I have saved the pasta water and used it to lengthen the sauce and (sometimes) cut back on the cream slightly. I generally use half-and-half. If someone's interested I'll do a photo series of such a dish. It has been my go-to method since I heard her describe it on her show. And I don't care if she was wrong about its being the "sexy, Roman way" to make Pasta Alfredo; this method is sexy enough for me.

Once again, Amazon has saved me from buying the same book twice.

Nice topic, and a beautiful-looking sauce, weinoo! My pasta sauces have fallen into a don't-have-time-to-think rut that involves Italian sausage, chopped tomatoes (the cherry tomatoes are getting good now), grated cheese and chopped herbs along with whatever else needs using up (peppers, for instance). It's good, but predictable. I'll be watching this topic with interest for ideas.

Bumping this so you can get an answer. I think the last time I looked at a head of cauliflower it ran around $3 (USD) per head. I didn't weigh it, but 620g sounds like approximately the same size. We had quite a discussion a year or two ago about why cauliflower prices at the time had exploded. They seem to have deflated since then.

It was good. I came home with only 2 small pieces left, and I didn't see anyone making faces after they tasted it. Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures. I had to assemble it there, and there wasn't time to whip out the cell phone. That also looks good! I've saved that recipe. Thanks for the link, and for the new phrase. "Foundered myself" sounds like something my grandmother would have said as well.

With a shout-out to @Shelby for the original post and IP timing here, I made a small Muffuletta Cheesecake from Taste of Home's recipe for a gathering today. I used the 3-quart IP, so made a half-sized cheesecake. I should probably be more careful about taking an untried recipe to a gathering of people I don't know, but hey - what's life without the occasional no-net tightwire walk? I'll report back with a picture and response. FWIW I got distracted during the cooking and, although it was 20 minutes on high, the natural release was on the order of 35 minutes - entirely natural - instead of 10 minutes natural followed by a quick release, as Shelby had done. I hope it doesn't matter.

Welcome, sir! What sort of food do you cook for yourself and Sara? Is she a picky eater, or does she like a lot of foods?

We stick to more or less the same "dull" breakfasts and lunches every day, since I'm disinclined to cook (and clean up) for those meals and we have our easy preferences. For instance, breakfast or brunch is often fruit with toast and avocado (or cheese) for me; fruit salad and Cheerios for him. That said, they have some great-looking dishes for those meals and I've kept on the full plan for the sake of seeing them. The Margherita pita pizza looks like something I'd use for dinner. Thanks for that!

Well now, that rings a bell! Please check out this post by member @Dejah about Deep-fried stuffed avocado, something she first had in Bryan, Texas. The linked post gives a picture; two posts later she gives the recipe.