Smithy

That's a funny story, and a brilliant ad. Thanks for posting the tweet.

That link requires us to know your email address and password! Here, let's see if this works: All-Clad Summer Factory Seconds sale

I really need to branch out on my salad offerings! Thanks for that suggestion. And yes, our seasons and weather do seem to be topsy-turvy. 🙂

I want to follow up on this post from the Camping, Princess Style blog. Late last spring, in Texas, I picked up some inexpensive but good-looking packages of "steak ends" cut from ribeye steaks. They looked to me like they were made -- MADE, I tell you -- for high-heat grilling then slicing for tacos, fajitas, salads or the like. I finally got around to trying one pair tonight for a nice midsummer steak salad. The grill did its job... ...maybe a little more done than I'd have liked, but not dried out. The steaks had plenty of juice and fat. My darling insisted on keeping his on the side and eating it separately from his salad. We were both happy. Despite our best intentions, there are no leftovers.

This is a delightful story of flexibility and generosity, not to mention quick thinking to produce something delicious!

I agree, both from direct experience and from watching topics here and in real life, that 1 week is wildly improbable. You really are looking at weeks. Many weeks. (An old engineering joke notes that you should take any project schedule and multiply it by pi...and that seems to run pretty true.) Whether you vacate the premises or stay in the house depends on several things I can think of: how much other room you have, your options for setting up another place to eat, your tolerance for chaos, your need to check in or at least be available to answer questions. (We caught a few mistakes just before they happened, so the counter actually ended up where it was supposed to instead of where the contractor thought the drawings said when he misread the plan.) Strategies for staying home can, and often do, include setting up an "outdoor" or temporary kitchen, whether on the patio or in the garage or another bedroom, with a microwave, a small refrigerator or freezer, and a hotplate or electric kettle. You can make a lot of meals in advance and freeze them. Another idea is to have everything premeasured and packaged, then throw it into a slow cooker. Remember also that you'll need to wash dishes (where?) or else plan to eat out of disposable containers. There are a number of topics here documenting the planning and remodeling process. We'd love it if you do the same when the time comes!

I've been pleased with the CUKOR 2-Slice Long Slot Toaster with Window, Bagel Toaster with Warm Rack and 7 Bread Shade Settings, Glass Toaster with Automatic Lifting, Slide-out Glass Panel and Removable Crumb Tray (eG-friendly Amazon.com link) that I bought in 2020. It works, it toasts well, you can see what's going on with it because of the transparent sides. The only caveat I have is that if you don't like seeing pale stripes along your toast where the support wires are holding it upright you'll be unhappy with this one; the stripes are thin but quite visible. Note that this is one long slot. It isn't long enough for 2 pieces of bread sliced from the middle of a boule, but it's plenty long for 2 pieces of standard loaf-sized bread. I like it because it will take long slices of bread, which is what I typically eat. This particular toaster is no longer available on Amazon, but Amazon offers some similar designs. Maybe the Cukor can be ordered elsewhere, or Amazon's substitutes may be just as good.

Huh. I've never heard of creamed corn in a tube either! My mother always cooked it from canned. I cook a creamed corn casserole based on my mother's recipe as a special holiday treat for my darling. It's All His, and safe from me except to take a token amount with the dinner. If I ever run across a tube of the stuff I'll give it a try.

Those are PERFECT winter dishes! I'd have bought the set too. And Had Words when I brought it home.

Those are wonderful drawings! I am surprised at the idea of painting a mural on a barn back in 1958, but the refrigerators to Inuit is quite witty for a "Refrigerated" section. Great find! By the way: what is "Grated and cubed cheese" in the Refrigerated section? Is it intended as a specific course, or simply an advance preparation of an ingredient?

Just a very small correction, with respectful apologies to @rotuts: it's "Délice de Bourgogne" with an e at the end, not a y. Lovely stuff! I've never had the TJ's version but I love it from our local stores! I only add the spelling correction in case somebody has a very literal search engine. I'm sure the capitals and fancy diacritical are, well, not critical. 🙂

@liuzhou, the lychees look beautiful. I know you've written about it before -- somewhere -- but please remind us here: how do you eat them? Is the outer skin edible? And are they sweet, sour, both?

It all looks delicious, but this one especially catches my eye, given your description. If you can remember (after all that sake!) what was the interior like? Runny, like a bisque, or more solid? If you were to try making this, how would you go about it?

Gaah. We ate Spam sometimes when I was growing up. Like liuzhou, I hated it. Like liuzhou, I haven't touched it since. That said, there have been a few other things my mother loved that I have come to appreciate in my later years. If someone were to feed me Spam I'd be willing to try it. I don't expect ever to initiate the experience, though.

It looks like a fun place. How nice to have so many good choices of places to eat! This "small plate" option made me do a doubletake: I'm sure I know what they mean, but the wording gives me a silly mental image. 😀

Let us know how it comes out! We learn by mistakes as well as successes! [I just remembered that I've had flan with a prickly pear caramel too. Hmm, possibilities!]

Here's what I've picked up from the YouTube video posted a few posts earlier, here: The short answer to your question is that the flan mold should sit in the water, with the water about halfway up the mold, and the water should be simmering. My notes from the recipe in the YouTube video follow. Please note that I've never done this, so I should not be taken as a voice of experience. To make the caramel: 1-1/3 c sugar 2/3 c water Start by making a caramel sauce. Dissolve the sugar in the water. Bring it all to a boil. Let it boil for about 10 minutes, or until it starts turning the color you want. She says to not stir it. Other instructions will tell you to swirl the pan gently and brush down the sides of the pan with (say) a pastry brush, to keep crystals from forming on the side of the pan. VERY CAREFULLY pour the sauce into the bottom and onto the sides of the flan mold. Be careful because this sticky stuff carries a wallop of heat (my phrase, not hers) and will burn you badly on contact. Make sure the caramel coats the sides of the flan mold. To make and cook the flan: Add water to a large pot or pan, and bring it to a simmer. You'll want enough water to come about halfway up the side of the flan mold once it's in the water. For the filling, mix: 1 c eggs 1 c milk 3/4 c sugar 1/3 c port She uses a mixer for this. I don't know how important that is, except to make sure the mix is truly well mixed and smooth. Pour this mixture into the caramel-coated pan. Put the lid on the pan, and seal it. Lower the pan into the simmering water. Simmer about 15 minutes, until the flan is cooked. (It's done when an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Clearly, the mold lid has to removed for this test.) When the flan is cooked, remove the mold from the water and allow it to cool. When it's cooled, VERY CAREFULLY put a plate over the (unlidded, see previous note) mold. Flip it over so that the flan comes loose from the mold and onto the plate. Spoon the remaining caramel sauce over the flan. Serve. [All this makes me want to (a) get one of those molds; (b) make the flan; (c) start messing with the recipe. Port sounds lovely, but what about chocolate? lemon? framboise?]

How does the Pullman pan affect the texture? I imagine the bubbles being smaller because of the confinement of the loaf. Is that considered during the scaling-up process?

In case someone else wishes to be enabled, here's the small aluminum version: Nicul Portuguese Flan Mold (eG-friendly Amazon.com link) which, I might add, is not dishwasher-proof. Here's one provided by Bene Casa that includes the double boiler and flan pan, claims to be dishwasher safe, but does not seem to have a locking handle: Bene Casa Double Boiler Flan Set (eG-friendly Amazon.com link). BTW, @DonnaMarieNJ, there's a sort-of recipe for the flan in the description under the first link. It looks as though it's taken from the YouTube video linked above.

Yep. Dang, I may have to buy that mold!!

Whatcha gonna do with those poblanos, @Shelby? I do hope you'll report back on the mango oranges when you get them. I've never heard of them before now.

Thanks for the description. What happens to the stomach and intestines? Also, how salty is the salted water into which you put the meat? Am I correct in thinking that's for a food-cleansing purpose? (I never thought to do that with deer meat.)

Going back to your first post: Does a doe ever reject a bunny on purpose? If so, will another doe accept it? In the case you cited above, did you simply have to put the baby back with the doe, or did you have to hand-raise it after that?

...and strawberry chunks, I hope? 🙃

Thank you for your interesting and thoughtful post. I look forward to more of this topic. That said, I just want to tell you that this particular line made me smile. A lot.