Smithy

I agree that looks interesting, but it's the Red Butte Hatch Chile cheese that catches my eye! Make room for me! That is a delightful haul from Kerry. I love the looks of the chocolates!

I'm afraid it is. Rough translation / description, please?

I'm so glad there's hope that more photos and discussion will follow! The workshop was over much too quickly for this voyeur reader and I want more vicarious fun!

What he said. I'm curious too!

The Workshop has started! Please see the full report here.

I'm confused about the scale in the photos above. The airbrush masks look much larger than the finished confections. Is that simply the photographic angle, i.e. the camera was much closer to the mask than to the finished pieces?

I WANT THAT SALAD AND FLATBREAD. You've barely started, and already I'm drooling! I love falafel. What did you think of the cauliflower?

That's what happened with mine although I was using it regularly (at least once weekly). I'd shake it out and allow it to dry between uses, or so i thought, but it never fully dried. I stored it in a sealed bag, and then it went rancid. I finally washed it, in a fit of desperation, and as noted above it lost its sizing -- that is, its ability to hold its shape. In truth, it wasn't good at that shaping bit from the outset although it was supposedlly a high-quality couche. I had to prop up the ridges in the cloth to hold the loaves as they proofed, and I never got the hang of how big the ridges had to be in order to keep the baguettes from puffing into each other as they rose. If I were to try again to get serious about baking baguettes (it's been a while) I think I'd try without the couche first. Edited to add: I do not mean to discredit or diminish @keychris' statement. Our different experiences may reflect different climates, experience, or quality of the material.

I probably shouldn't put my oar in, since I'm not coming and not a confectioner / chocolatier, but I'm glad to see the "uglies" will be brought too. I'd think those would be especially good for teaching and analysizing. For instance, Kerry's having discovered that the moon effect depends on the color. How cool is it to learn that, and how useful to know! I am looking forward to a report afterward, and I wish you all a wonderful time!

Shameless plug for eGullet: here's the link for any Americans who wish to buy it and throw a few cents eGullet's way at the same time. This Will Make It Taste Good, by Vivian Howard (Kindle edition) (eG-friendly Amazon.com link). AFAIK there's no equivalent on the Canadian site, so Canadians will need to find it on Amazon.ca.

We don't grow them, but I buy one or two each summer. I definitely want to try the recipe!

Sounds good. I'll have to look for bitter lemon!

Well, it's the company that matters most! What is bitter lemon?

Are "button dumplings" what I know as spätzel? If not, what's the difference?

Oh thanks, btbyrd! Now I have Reidel crystal decanter advertisements following me around the internet! @rotuts, if you're trying to identify the specific brand of decanter, @btbyrd probably has the right of it. If you're simply looking for something similar -- not identical -- but about 1/10th the price, you may be able to find something like this at an outlet store. I got mine at TJ Maxx.

"Beef debris"?

At last, I can participate -- at least a little bit. Here are two of my beloved spoon rests: I have two more. Somewhere. We've been gone for 6 months, and the housesitter did some, shall we say, creative storage. 😆

What a fun trip report! Thanks for giving us the quick tour, and happy (belated) anniversary! My thoughts and questions, in no particular order: Does the restaurant name "Zynodoa" mean something, or is it someone's name? At the German / Bavarian restaurant, what was that 'wonderful' German salad dressed with? And at the same meal, what made the Bavarian cabbage "Bavarian"? I laughed at your great fortune at having a "private tour" because it was just the two of you, and you had a theater background. Very cool. My mother, sister and I had a similarly lucky experience at Hearst Castle one time. It wasn't because we had any special background, but it was just the three of us. "So what do you want to know about?" asked our guide, "the architecture and art, or the gossip and scandals?" And yes, that stained glass is glorious. Thanks for the photos. Back to food: it would NEVER have occurred to me to coat cornbread with a sugar coating and flame it. That is what you mean by the brulee, right? If not, I hope to see the correct version in some of your future posts. You did promise to steal and show off the idea. 🙂 Catfish: the first time or two I had it, I swore off the stuff. "Muddy bottom-feeder" came right through in the flavor. Since then I've had what you describe: sweet, delicate flavors. It's good to know that someone else has become a convert, and that the fish doesn't have to taste muddy. Finally: thanks for showing some of @Jim D.'s wares. Lovely-looking stuff!

It's good stuff. I can't drink it; a single glass gives me a splitting headache for the entire next day. But I can remember how good it tasted!

It's been more than a few hours, but I'm at a point where I can look at my notes. I based my pickled jalapenos loosely on methods posted by Shelby and FauxPas. And I cheated! I began with the juice from a depleted quart jar of dill pickles. I think that was about 2 cups' worth of pickle juice. I added about a cup of mixed vinegar: apple cider vinegar and rice vinegar. I added a cup of water. Salt (a tablespoon? didn't record it) and pickling spices (a tablespoon, and I still regret it because of the cloves). Brought it all to a boil, poured it into the erstwhile pickle jar that had been packed with the seeded-and-deveined jalapenos. Here's my post about the process. This is based on refrigerator pickles, not on canned pickles. I've been pleased with the flavor and texture EXCEPT FOR THE CLOVES IN THE PICKLING MIX. (I know, other people like cloves. YMMV) The pickled jalapenos are holding their own, at least a month on, in the refrigerator. For more inspiration, and my sources, please see these posts: Shelby's jalapeno mustard FauxPas' pickling method My question about what to do with the chiles, which opened more avenues Shelby's discussion about, and links to, Cowboy Candy

Will do. It'll be a few hours before I can get to those notes.

If we weren't so close to home* and all the associated unpacking and shifting of goods, I'd probably have saved them. As it is, I *know* we'll be looking at food from the fridge and freezer and wondering What The Sam Hill We'll Be Doing With It. There will be words. 😄 Thanks for the link and ideas, though. I'm still looking at plenty of leftovers taking space in the refrigerator! *(God willing and the water don't rise)

Last night it was Osceola, Iowa -- and the Lakeside Casino. Some years we stay in their RV park -- which also requires online advance reservations, even if they are mostly empty -- grr. This year, we were only staying for one night, so we stayed in the upper parking lot where the truckers pull their rigs in for a break. It's as @Nancy in Pátzcuaro describes: you never know how packed in you'll be, and it's likely to be noisy. However, these drivers are all pros. They know how to maneuver their rigs in tight spots. It's alarming to look out the window and see a trailer two feet away, but they know what they're doing. My darling worked as an over-the-road trucker for about 8 years in an earlier lifetime, and his skills still stand us in good stead. I'm grateful for that. We walked down to the restaurant for dinner, and sat at the bar. The menu is the same whether you sit in the bar or the restaurant, but this way we didn't have to wait to be seated. We could admire the array of draft beer pull handles. We could admire and marvel at the back wall of TV screens. None had sound, but depending on where you looked you could see news, hockey, a talent show, a police show, other things I've forgotten, and a sci-fi channel full of Star Wars clips. I'd forgotten until today that yesterday was Star Wars day (May the 4th be With You!) I'm sure that's why they were featuring Star Wars and Carrie Fisher. (She got a Hollywood Walk of Fame star yesterday.) The bartender was a riot. She was bartender, waitress, and (she said) occasionally a bouncer. She couldn't have weighed much more than 100 pounds, but she had the attitude to make up for it. Great fun! The menu is unchanged from last year. They only have a buffet on Friday and Saturday nights, and since we were there on a Thursday these were our choices: We began with glasses of champagne (my darling is such a romantic!) then shifted to sampling beers (him) and wines (me). When we ordered, I think we ordered the same items as last year. This is what we got: Both were good. I don't know that I'd call my chicken sandwich 'awesome' although it was better than last year, but it was good. He loved his burger. We each ate about half our fries, then called it a night. On the way back up to the Princessmobile, we admired the rising moon. That night was filled with the rumble of trucks coming and going, and idling next to us, but it didn't keep either of us awake. The next day, we were off at 08:30 -- our earliest departure of the trip, I think. It's easy to get going when there's minimal teardown.

Oh, my. You make me doubly determined not to try that park again! As for the Walmart: those signs MAY have been temporary. My darling thinks the signs were printed on cardboard and weren't intended to be permanent. He also notes that when we've stayed there in the past the area where we stayed was loaded with pallets of garden supplies. This year, there was nothing. It's possible that the supplies simply hadn't been staged yet, and they needed to keep the area clear. I *might* try, next year, to check with that Walmart before we head home, to see what the deal is. However, if Mineral Wells is any indication I probably won't bother. I tried 3 times to get through to the Mineral Wells Walmart Manager to give a direct compliment about our checkout clerk there, and tell him how grateful we are to be able to stay there. Twice I reached an operator who said "just a moment" followed by 6 minutes of hold music before I hung up. I finally settled for the online satisfaction survey and a handwritten letter that I hope he reads and appreciates.

I've always wanted to try that. Yours looks delicious!