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Smithy

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Everything posted by Smithy

  1. @chromedome, thanks for that. I'll admit that, although I could get the broad outlines of what you wrote, I went for more specific information (rather than derail this topic) to an online search for some of your terms. Which led to an AI answer....which, I suppose, illustrates some of your points! 😆
  2. Time to bump this up again, and let everyone vent afresh (and perhaps with new terms). My news feed threw me this good-looking idea for a salmon version of club salad from Half-Baked Harvest. My teeth are still on edge from what feels like a sugar high. The idea looks like a good one, and I own one of HBH's cookbooks...but why must the writers use "yummy" so often? Why must they chirp on with things like this: and/or "it's so easy!" and "I have this on repeat every week!" The Kitchn is just as bad. I've pretty much stopped reading them because Every. Single. Title. (well, maybe every other title) has a formula: dishname and parenthetical augmentation: "___dishname___ (It's so good I'll be doing it again and again!)" "___dishname___ (It's so easy we'll make it every week!)" or some such variant. I swear their headlines are written by algorithm. Is "overused trope" a redundant phrase?
  3. Smithy

    Dinner 2025

    @RWood, thanks for that. The instructions are clear and I like the way you've laid out that recipe. I don't think I've ever put dill in my spanikopita before; I can imagine that making a difference. Question: why 1# 4oz of spinach? Is that the usual size of a package?
  4. Smithy

    Dinner 2025

    I love spanikopita. Since this is your favorite version, is this a recipe you can share?
  5. Smithy

    Dinner 2025

    Let's hope not!
  6. Smithy

    Lunch 2025

    You did indeed say that. Thanks for the polite reiteration. And thanks also to @rotuts and @liuzhou for their insights. I've learned something today!
  7. Smithy

    Lunch 2025

    That looks a lot like what I had. Can you shed any light on what type of seaweed? Or maybe someone else can, from the photo.
  8. Smithy

    Lunch 2025

    @liuzhou, the other thing that struck me as odd, once I looked up "kikurage", was that they listed mushroom and kikurage at different points in the ingredient list. What else struck you as odd with the ingredients?
  9. Smithy

    Lunch 2025

    No, it didn't specify the type of seaweed. I was expecting something with branches or joints. I wonder if baby kelp is eaten this way?
  10. Smithy

    Lunch 2025

    Yesterday, while I was out grocery shopping, this caught my eye: Huh. The ingredients included seaweed, mushroom, sugar, agar-agar, sesame seed, sesame oil, kikurage, vinegar, salt and pepper. What the heck. I took a flyer on it. I seem to have forgotten to take a picture of the contents without the cover atop it. Sorry about that. The dressing was nice: tangy, slightly sweet but also tart. I was surprised at the overall texture, though: the greens were long and skinny, like noodles, and slippery enough that I suspect they're supposed to be slurped like noodles. It was tasty enough, but I don't think I've found a new food love.
  11. Yes, those spice blends I showed above came from Spice Trekkers. I'm just now getting around to doing something with them.
  12. I finally got around to trying one of these blends, after stowing them in the cabinet and leaving home for 5 months. I'm here to report that the Peri-Peri Blend is tasty but HOT even in small doses. See here for more information about how I used it.
  13. Smithy

    Cooking Dried Beans

    This seems as good a topic as any to post about my latest bean cookery. I grabbed a package of Rancho Gordo beans -- Domingo Rojo, I think -- and loaded them into the Instant Pot after the usual rinsing and checking for debris. I was too darned lazy to go through the rigmarole of chopping and sauteeing onions or celery, but I did finally open a can of spice mix that I bought way back here from Spice Trekkers. I gave those spices a bit of a pounding, then loaded them into a cheesecloth bag so they'd be easy to fish out later. I also added a few bay leaves from the freezer. Then, away I went to do other chores while the beans cooked. I used the pressure cooking function, gave 'em about 45 minutes. Came back, checked, decided they needed more time, added more water, pressure cooked again. The finished product is more of a soup or stew than simply beans that can be added to another dish, but that's all right in this case. I haven't felt much like eating lately anyway, and in a desperate moment a cup of this stuff is an adequate lunch. Here it is: top view, and side view so you can see just how stiff it is out of the refrigerator. But. Those spices are hot! I only put a tablespoon's worth into the pot with a pound of beans. I still need sour cream to tone it down so I can taste the other flavors. So buyer beware on this particular spice blend!
  14. Are yaks raised for specific purposes (meat vs. dairy vs. working) or are the meat yaks typically used as working animals until they're old and tough, then slaughtered when they're of no further working use? How does the meat compare to, say, beef or sheep? And are there dedicated dairy yak breeds, the way there are dairy cows vs. meat cows?
  15. This copy is Copyright 1965 by Farm Journal, Inc. Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 65-16174 Although there is a list of credits for the full-color photographs I don't see any credits for authors or testers beyond their "test kitchen" and "home testers". I will include a charming quote from the forward: I've included a copy of the title page, partly so the full title and subtitle can be seen, and partly for sentimental reasons. I guess I'm only the second owner of this book. I should also note that I misnamed the asparagus pie in my original post about this book. It's "Farmhouse Asparagus Pie" with no mention of cheese in the title, although the recipe does include cheese.
  16. Now you're cookin'!
  17. @JoNorvelleWalker, I can't help either way. I will note that anything, chopped finely enough, can be gummed into submission. I'll also note that I'd love to see more activity and use on this new appliance.
  18. Yes, absolutely to the use while you move it! Let us know about the frozen waffles. It's decades since I had one, and my head is stuck on "toaster".
  19. I unpacked the rest of my recent cookbook haul today. It included several gems that I may or may not use, depending on my cooking style going forward...although in truth, that really applied to my past cooking style variations as well. 🙂 My darling and I experimented with making sausage for a while, and even had a vertical smoker. Eventually we reached the point where it was easier to buy someone else's. However, Bruce Aidell has good-looking recipes and we've liked some of his commercially produced sausages. Two more books in the "Best of the Best" series. I like this series very much. My cousin was an outstanding baker, and this book has a ribbon at what may have been one of her favorite recipes: an asparagus and cheese pie. Of course there are sweet pies in here, but there are plenty of savory pies as well. Note the spelling on the cover of this baking book. The book is copyrighted 1963, although this copy is from the 18th printing, 1976. I don't remember the word being spelled "cooky" when I was growing up. Finally, here's another hyper-regional cookbook, from the city near where my cousins lived from the 1960's on:
  20. I totally get what you're saying about one person paying and then having everyone else Venmo (or whatever) pay that person their share. But lemme ask you this: is cash so much a thing of the past that it simply isn't considered there? Or would it be as annoying to the bar staff to pay each round with cash as it is to use electronic payment for each round? (I'm going to guess 'yes' because change has to be made...but I'm still asking.)
  21. Truly, I'm simply using it for a small griddle or shallow skillet. I've grilled sandwiches on it, although I prefer my panini press for that purpose. I've cooked bacon on it, to pretty good success using the ridged plate. I've done a quick (again, shallow) stir-fry of chopped ingredients. I haven't tried smashing burgers on it but I'm sure it would work. I'm sure that making potato pancakes would also work, though I'm only thinking of that now after I've finished my last batch of mashed potatoes. Regular pancakes would also work. Stirring up ingredients for, oh, a Philly cheesesteak would work. It has a smaller footprint than most of my skillets, and it presumably uses less electricity than my electric range, and I can put it conveniently atop my kitchen island, under bright lights, as long as I don't need a range hood. (Or I can move it outside, onto my deck, to fry bacon, and hope the crows don't come raid me.) An additional bonus is that the little plate insert is easier to wash than any of my skillets. There's nothing earth-shattering or life-changing about it in my context. It's a small, easily portable, convenient griddle/skillet. That's why I said I'm glad I didn't pay full price. If I did much hotel or dorm living it would be massively useful. In my case, it's a $40 toy. (But I'd still spring for the 3-pan combo package if they offered it. The deep-bowl pan and the 6-holer look especially useful to me.)
  22. I've really gotten out of touch on this topic. As with @AlaMoi, the last few times I've gone to a bar it's been in connection with waiting on a seat at the restaurant. The bar tab has been transferred to the restaurant side. As to simply going to a bar and running a tab...well, my experiences go back so far that bartenders trusted patrons to pay and didn't bother holding credit cards. No doubt the smaller town experience is different than big-city experience, too.
  23. I mentioned here that my sister had been saving cookbooks for me from the collection of a dear departed cousin, who was an outstanding cook and avid book collector. There were far too many books to ship, so she delivered them when we could get together in April. Here's about half the stash she delivered, in no particular order: Seafood, which made a lot of sense for my California cousins and may not make much sense for me...but that's okay, I have 'em now. A celebrity chef: A sampling of ethnic cuisines: Baking, and nostalgic desserts: I've very much liked another book by Jane Butel: Finally, a couple of "local cookery" cookbooks. The first is a Junior League book, which comes as high recommendation for me: The other is a 2012 production by the Fresno Bee, the local newspaper where my cousins lived. This little magazine may have the most promise for immediate use, given the season. These recipes come from local businesses. These should give me a good boot to the backside to get cooking again!
  24. I would too, although I'll note that yesterday when I started this topic I was looking at 3 pint-sized containers of cooked beans! 😄 They didn't suit either, at the time. I'm glad they work for Katie and her husband.
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