Smithy

Welcome to eGullet, paulrook-society! We've had a few folks explore the idea of a food truck here over the years, but I don't recall any steady discussion about it. It would be nice to see. One of my favorite local food trucks is Scenic 61 in northeastern Minnesota. They began as an outreach and survival strategy from my favorite restaurant, The New Scenic Cafe, as the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions began to lift. The New Scenic Cafe has a similiar philosophy to yours: locally grown to the degree possible; organic; creative and high-quality foods. Now that the restaurant is fully opened the food truck seems to be relegated to special events because it's difficult to find enough staff for the restaurant and the food truck. Do you have similar staffing issues?

That coconut sundae is astonishing!

In an earlier life, my then-boyfriend and I weren't crazy about turkey. We substituted other fowl: goose and duck are what I remember, but Cornish Game Hens figured in our cookery fairly often. More recently, my husband and I also weren't crazy about turkey. We usually did prime rib, but sometimes we did beef short ribs or pork roast instead. As for the sides: why not pull from other traditions, as you suggest? I've usually changed things up since I'm not crazy about a lot of the traditional American Thanksgiving sides (pumpkin pie, sweet potatoes). Several years ago I attended a cooking class with some great ideas and recipes for making things in advance. You may get some good ideas in my writeup about it. Let me know if any of the recipes strike your fancy; I'm pretty sure I have them somewhere. The carrot roasted "salads" were a big hit for us, as was the panna cotta. There's a little about my work at them here.

I think of a "rub" as a spice mixture intended to be rubbed on something (usually meat) before cooking. Some spice mixtures are labeled as rubs (e.g. So-and-so's Cajun Rub) but there's no reason they couldn't be added to the dish instead of rubbed onto something. It sounds like a simple shortcut that some recipes may adopt; it also sounds like a marketing ploy.

So, after a busy (but mostly fun) day I've arrived home with about an hour before I have to leave for a fun evening. Oodles of chores to do. Not much time or inclination to cook. I'm getting a bit tired of tabbouli on its own, or even with hummus (not shown here), but a quick dinner salad with tabbouli as a topping, then tossed with croutons and salad dressing, just hits the spot. The salad dressing and croutons went on after I snapped the picture. The only disadvantage to this very quick and very filling dinner is that it isn't very warming. And it's getting cold here! I'd have a fire going if I planned to stay home.

Over here, @JoNorvelleWalker noted that she tests and reviews products for Amazon. I remember that @andiesenji also does that, or at least did. Once upon a time, I was a member of the Cooking Club of America (now defunct) which occasionally threw its members products to test and review. I got some rather dubious spice mixes out of the deal, but also a swell set of Lampson Sharp knives that are still my go-to slicers. Since this Kitchen Consumer forum is essentially made up of non-commercial reviews and questions, I can't be the only person interested in getting such a gig. I think it's worth its own topic. How does one get picked / sign up for such gigs? Although I'm at a stage in my life where I should be getting rid of things, the idea of getting to play with new toys and then reviewing them is pretty appealing.

It might depend on how fresh the bun is. This was a week or two old, frozen and neglected after a celebration.

I did a few weeks ago. I don't remember what was inside but the result was pretty good for a brioche style burger bun. It did toughen the surface, though. I think I prefer a more porous bread surface so it will grill properly.

That's amazing! I assumed they were Legos. 🙂 Nice job on the cake.

I really wish we had a "rolling eyes" or else "hold your nose" emoji!

My neighbor down the road, an organic farmer, has finished up her season and had a bunch of these wonderful tomatoes available. I've forgotten the variety. They're savory, with a bit of tomato tartness and sweetness. I haven't been up for canning, so decided to cut them into chunks (without peeling -- sorry, @Shelby), toss with olive oil and a bit of salt, and roast down into a sauce or topping. I sliced one baking pan's worth also, with something like lasagna or eggplant parmegiana in mind. So far, so good.... Then, as so often happens these days, I got sidetracked. Oops. The uncharred bits are good, and now currently residing in a container in the refrigerator. The very crispy bits, along with the oil-soaked parchment paper, went into the evening fire. I'm glad I didn't do this with the entire batch! I'll try again when I have more time to give it my undivided attention. I'm not sure when that will be. Maybe cooking the remainder down into a sauce atop the stove will be a better option after all.

@Shel_B, as and if you experiment with mustard-making, this post on making mustard may be of some use to you. The eGCI (eGullet Culinary Institute) is, alas, consigned to the "fridge" but this particular course on making your own condiments is still good.

Quick and dirty dinner, mostly because I'd done all the vegetable roasting a couple of days ago. Roasted vegetables (red bell peppers, cauliflower, broccoli, onions) are smothering a smoked duck breast WAY past its prime, fished out of the freezer this morning. Once everything was sufficiently seared / heated, I added a package of already-cooked jasmine rice along with some water, let it all steam, then let the steam off. Garnished with roasted peanuts; stirred and ate. I really wasn't sure how that duck breast would do. I had bought it in anticipation of some use or other last summer, eventually given up the idea and stuffed it into the freezer. By then I'd already lost some other purchases from that favorite shop to age and mold. The duck seems to have survived the long wait and freezing. Dinner, "plated" and then sauced with a balsamic vinaigrette: There's at least another serving there.

Grilled cheese, tomato and bacon sandwich, thanks to my panini press. The bacon had been cooked on said press some weeks before, then stored in the freezer. Lettuce and sauerkraut were added after the sandwich had been pressed and heated to the point of melty cheese and browned ridges. By that time, some of the cheese had oozed out (as you can see) but most was still inside the sandwich. Here's what passes for a money shot, given my life these days: A year ago I'd never have guessed this would be a filling -- almost overly filling -- meal. I've learned that a small dinner, slowly cooked and eaten, is more than plenty. And I'm down 25 pounds because (mostly) of that change.

Could it have been this one by @HungryChris? Or at least based on it? Or this one by @RWood?

Over in the Trader Joe's topic, @rotuts celebrated the arrival of this year's California walnuts. That reminded me of family lore. I grew up on a California citrus ranch, but there were plenty of walnuts in the same area. We took them for granted. We knew deciduous from evergreen. We knew crops. We knew seasons. One year, my cousin from southern Florida visited while on leave from the Navy. He must have been in his early 20's at the time, but it was his first time away from his subtropical home in the winter. We were driving along a country road. It was lined with dormant walnut groves. He groused: "Why doesn't someone cut down all those old dead trees?" Lordy, I hope I was kind at the time...but I was in my mid-teens. We've stayed on good terms anyway.

Please report back after you've done them: what you did, how well they turned out!

There's a very nice review of the book in today's L.A. Times food newsletter: https://www.latimes.com/food/newsletter/2024-10-13/the-bean-book-steve-sando-rancho-gordo-cooking-editorial?fbclid=IwY2xjawF4_lpleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHfr16-c4BCMiw6iIo1PQP1KuU6tKTTnTqmS5qIIMVDxEV85gY3ySOjphqQ_aem_0R-2y_eG-FfxKDE5PVw8PA

I had a houseful of family/company last weekend. When they left they willingly took the things they'd eat but I wouldn't, but that still left a LOT of food here. Last night the crudites had to go; I'm tired of chewing on a bowlful of raw cauliflower, broccoli, carrots (etc) and they weren't going to last much longer. Sheet pan dinner to the rescue! I cut it all into bite-sized pieces, added a few chunks of pancetta and a half sausage I found in the freezer. Tossed all with olive oil, yogurt, turmeric, cumin and a bit of salt, and stuck it in the oven until it was the right golden brown. It needed more sauce at the table. I was out of yogurt and couldn't be bothered to make tahini sauce at the time. After I shot the photo I added sour cream. It tasted good, but I'll spare you the photo. Trust me, some things taste better than they look - and sour cream mixed into that bowl of goodness is one of 'em.

Could you have ordered hazelnut ice cream instead of vanilla, or else asked them to leave out the Kahlua? (I realize that last might not be possible, since they may make the affogato ahead. Or maybe alterations are frowned upon there.) At any rate, it all looks delicious and wonderful. I'm intrigued by the watermelon with the tuna tartare. It seems as though watermelon is working its way into more savory applications -- watermelon and feta salad is another example -- than it used to. How did you like the combination?

That. Is. Gorgeous. Would you give a bit more detail please about the method? Time, temperature for both stages of the cooking?

I did a double-take when I saw your photo above, and had to go reread the text. Do tell more, please! (Or have you already posted about them in the Gardening topic somewhere?) What are they like? They're darned cute-looking in the picture. 🙂

The difference between roasting and baking is a perennial question! About a year ago it was discussed here and our own @blue_dolphin was good enough to provide a link to a discussion about it in a Master Class, "Learn the Difference Between Roasting and Baking in the Oven". As to parallels, if any, to sous vide vs. turbo sous vide...well, I'm staying out of that one. 🙂

Helping out here: Heirloom Beans, by Steve Sando and Vanessa Barrington (eG-friendly Amazon.com link), $1.99. Thanks for this notification. It reminded me that I actually bought this book, in Kindle version, in 2018! Must dust off the electrons and give it a try.

This is a good time/place to remind y'all of our Chili Cook-Off. Cook-Offs are always open for reading, discussion and new posts!