Smithy

I've sent a PDF of the article. If anyone else wants it, PM me.

Have hair dryer, will travel!

We intended to, but didn't pick up the corned beef brisket during our last grocery store visit because we expected to be back this week. Didn't make it back. We're having ribs tonight, and maybe tomorrow we'll find some bargains!

I think it's hard to beat the combination of tomtoes (sun-dried or not) and cheddar, and your omelette looks delicious. What was especially special about these particular tomatoes?

Thanks, Dave. I notice you don't have tamarind in the recipe. Did you try it and discard the idea? (It may be too long ago to remember.) eta I'm not sure about the sauternes either. I was thinking along the lines of white balsamic vinegar, since we already have that around and it's another of DH's preferred condiments.

In past years, by this time I've been ready to expire from the heat for at least a month. This year has been cooler, but as I noted above the seasonal switch has been flipped from "winter" to "late spring". I've been watching and listening to the refrigerator labor, especially in the afternoon when the sun is hitting that side of the trailer. It was time to defrost today, and take stock of what we have. There's still a lot. Will that stop us going to the grocery store, or the specialty meat stores in Llano? Probably not. But there really are a lot of tube steaks in there!

I wrote Lea & Perrins to ask about the product, and they were good enough to inform me that they'd "taken the liberty" of forwarding my email to the appropriate department. This morning, Kraft-Heinz Consumer Affairs was good enough to write. I don't like the answer, but it's nice that they didn't simply ignore me. Now, on to finding an appropriate substitute!

Before the advent of eGullet, before I had even heard of Paula @Wolfert, I discovered Kitty Morse and her Cooking at the Kasbah (eG-friendly Amazon.com link), my first venture into Moroccan cookery. I don't know why, but I lost track of Kitty. I've now learned that she has a newsletter and a blog, and -- very enticingly -- a new book out that is part cookbook, part history from her grandparents' items stashed in a box in the closet. Bitter Sweet: a Wartime Journal and Heirloom Recipes from Occupied France (eG-friendly Amazon.com link) looks like it's going to be well worth diving into. Her blog entry announcing the book and giving its background is here.

I wash (if necessary) and reuse plastic wrap and plastic freezer bags until they develop holes. I have two strategies: for things like meat or bones, I put them into one of the lighter gauge plastic bags from a produce or bread purchase, then seal that inside the freezer bag. For things that aren't terribly greasy, or if the freezer bag gets dirty anyway, I wash it in hot water with dish detergent, then air dry and reuse. I haven't seen a fat scum build up in them, even though I know plastic is lipophilic. You may wonder whether I saved anything by using produce/bread bags inside the freezer bags. Well, this generally keeps the freezer bags from being messed up, and later I'll use the lightweight bags for collecting and disposing of garbage: possibly food scraps, more likely non-food waste that requires plastic for odor control. Someday I may be able to stop using those bags for that purpose, but I'm not there yet. Here's an example from my freezer, in case I'm not describing it clearly. When I'm done with that chicken, the interior bag will be used for garbage and the exterior bag will be fully reusable.

I'd never heard of it until my husband came along. It's his go-to condiment for adjusting many of my sauces; he prefers things sweeter and I prefer them more tart. I may have to try those copycat recipes to which FauxPas linked above!

Since I met my husband our pantry has always included two Lea & Perrins products: standard Worcestershire Sauce and White Wine Worcestershire Sauce. The latter is made with sauternes and some unnamed herbs, and is decidedly sweeter than the original. My husband loves it as an addition to sauces, and occasionally as a basting sauce on pork. A few years back it was relabeled as "Marinade for Chicken" but the ingredient list was the same. We just finished our bottle, and haven't been able to find more. None of the Yuma grocery stores (Albertson's, Fry's, Walmart) carries it. I can't even find it on Amazon! Albertson's and Walmart claim to carry it although the local stores don't, so I'm wondering if this is simply a regional thing. Can anyone shed light on what's going on? Screen grab from Walmart.com, which claims to carry it but doesn't actually offer a way to buy it, even by mail. https://www.walmart.com/ip/Lea-Perrins-Marinade-for-Chicken-10-fl-oz-Bottle/10308274

"We have so many sausages in the fridge and freezer, and a bunch of them are from Llano! We'll be going back there soon! We need to start using these up!" So said my darling, with the additional threat comment that he planned to cook Miiler's tube steaks every night he cooked until they're gone. That's a lot of hash. I decided to use one in a pasta dish instead, which is exactly what he'd hoped I would do. It was a good opportunity to use bits and pieces from the refrigerator and counter: cherry tomatoes on the verge of shriveling; ditto a red onion; sun-dried tomatoes in oil; mozzarella left over from making the salad for the potluck. I intended it to put it all with fettucine or linguini, then realized we hadn't brought any along. We have a pasta maker! No need to buy noodles when I can make them! So I broke into the special prize package of pasta I'd bought at the World Market. Incidentally, this olive oil I purchased at the World Market was a wonderful find. I wish I had better access to that store. The oil is smooth and mellow, and there's a spring-loaded pouring spot under the cap. After I got the onion sliced and started, I got ready to start on the sun-dried tomatoes. I'd forgotten they were already julienned. The steps for the dinner were pretty easy: soften the thinly-sliced onions in olive oil, then add the meat coins until they were browned, then add the cherry tomatoes and diced garlic, heat until tomatoes were beginning to pop. Add the sundried tomatoes and cooked pasta. Toss all with tomato paste (I finished a tube of it), pasta water, chunked cheese. I may have added a bit of cream or butter to thicken the sauce a bit. He said this morning it's another keeper!

Shelby, I used jarred marinated artichoke hearts. I don't think these are as good as the Trader Joe's Grilled Marinated Artichoke Hearts (which I've squirreled away since my last visit) but they weren't half bad in this salad. I haven't found anything yet to match the TJ's jarred product, but I agree that distance and travel time can be a nuisance.

@RWood, once again I find myself wishing we had a WOW!!! emoji. That's beautiful!

The salad was close kin to another salad you should try when the tomatoes are in. I've hung onto this recipe for years! Don't feel like cooking? Try this easy and savory Antipasti Salad (from the Duluth News Tribune)

Pre-storm sunrise a day or two ago. I realize this is a lot of posting activity in one go, but I'm behind in stories I want to tell you and it's pleasant to sit, drink coffee and listen to the mockingbird. I hope something generates questions or comments. (Thanks for yours, Heidi!) Besides, this way I avoid doing Real Work. What I've Learned About Potluck Parties in Retirement Communities A friend turned 80 a couple of weeks ago, and I attended a potluck birthday party to help him celebrate. It was cool but not cold: plenty nice to be outside, and a bunch of us brought our musical instruments and had a jam session. We also brought food. Lots of it, and a good variety, plenty to suit any tastes or dietary needs. I brought a more-or-less Caprese salad. It travels well and keeps well, and seemed a good choice for a potluck with that group: not likely to be duplicated, but not too strange. (I've had "exotic" dishes go begging before now!) The salad included good tomatoes, salami, the last of my potted basil, mozzarella, marinated artichoke hearts, and sourdough bread that I oven-dried and diced to make a bottom layer and collect the juices. The dressing was a simple red wine vinaigrette with garlic and more basil. I transported it in a plastic tub, then served it in one of our good wooden bowls that we carry along in the Princessmobile. We bought this one in Egypt. It was fun watching the lathing process. Wooden bowl. Varnished. No need to refrigerate that salad. I set it on the picnic table, next to but not in the large bed of ice that had been set out for salads. An hour or so later, I noticed that the bowl had been put into the ice bed. I moved it out and dried it off. Later on, same thing. And again when I collected the (very little) remains to go home. I'm happy to report that the bowl didn't suffer any damage despite its ill-considered and prolonged baths. What did I learn? Don't bring a fancy bowl to a Yuma retiree's casual outdoor party!

I've seen vending machines like that, and fortunately managed to escape the burn. Your post reminds me of machines that I used to see somewhere I frequented that had playing card images on their designs. 4 cards were visible around the side; the 5th card was on the bottom. You could play poker with your mates while you drank the coffee! (Now I've forgotten how we'd keep our opponents from seeing the bottom card.) Ha! I think I'll be able to do it again, given the basis I began with. But then, I've said that before, haven't I? 😆

This doesn't look like much, but it's the source of one of the more spectacularly backhanded compliments my darling has given me. We liked Melissa Clark's recipe for Creamy Pan-Roasted Scallops with Fresh Tomatoes so much that I decided to riff on it with chunks of chicken instead of the shimp I used last time. (I wrote about that time here.) The seasonings were a bit different; I used berbere spice mix on the chicken, and white wine (which couldn't be flamed) rather than the VSOP brandy I'd used with the shrimp. I put it all atop some wild rice pilaf. It's possible that he was jonesing for ribs anyway and that's why he looked at the whole process askance. I dunno. But I kept tasting and adjusting, and was quite pleased with the result. It would have looked better with a garnish, I admit. I quote: "With all due respect...I expected to have just one bowlful and then go to bed... but this was...WOW!" as he went for another helping. He also got around to admitting that he was almost embarrassed to express such happy surprise, and said so again next morning. Backhanded compliment, indeed! 🙃

We had to go into Yuma one day for pickup servicing. The waiting area had a coffee / drink dispenser the likes of which I've never seen before. You choose the hot drink you want from the menu, tell which size, then watch as it mixes and dispenses the drink. I've only shown one page of the menu, but there was a second page as well. Then the status screen keeps you apprised of progress until the mixing and pouring is done. What an improvement over the pot of stale coffee getting staler and more intense as the day goes on!

The place we go to dump our holding tanks was originally a small store and community to serve a nearby gold mine. It's quirky and fun, and the grounds are loaded with artifacts found in the desert from the mining operations or, later, General Patton's training exercises. Their store is limited now to treats like ice cream bars. It's been a bit cool for ice cream, but I want to share this bit of culinary history / humor with you: (It's part of a still.)

I'm getting better at applying that philosophy, but I still occasionally succumb to the "shiny new object" syndrome. Even when it's a used copy!

Oh, what sad news. I loved her contributions to eGullet and missed her when she left. RIP, Maggie.

It looks delicious, despite the disaster.

Drought didn't 86 it in San Diego area, for sure. Funny, I thought the Sahara mustard was a more recent arrival, and that there was a mustard natie to this area. The Sahara mustard grows joyfully in the washes where we're camped. Hairy, bristly stuff. I haven't tried doing anything with it except pulling it up -- but I had thought there was another, native variety also growing here.

Haha! So much for my memory! Good thing I never tried the mallow buds! 😆