Smithy

...and, @Shelby take note: the Sunset Pink is $50 less than the other colors! Edited to add: listed for $50 less than the others, listed as "coming soon" AND listed as "Sold Out". Huh?

I must admit that the price tag has been one impediment but so has the lack of color choice. Oh, dear!

This article tells a great story about a Fulani woman, Fatmata Binta, whose culinary ambitions led to a pop-up restaurant she named "Dine on a Mat" and then to recognition and awards in Europe. Now she is using her fame to share more about Fulani culture via food, and she wants to use her award money to help communities in other ways as well. "Dine on a Mat" comes from her people's eating traditions. The photos are wonderful, too. In Ghana, a celebrity chef spotlights Fulani culture The article is on the website of the Institute of Current World Affairs.

*swoon* I am continually amazed by (a) the hours you keep (I operate at the other end of the day) and (b) your organization and timing (which points to your starting your day so much earlier than mine, and running by start-time rather than finish-time) and (c) the beauty of your breads. I wish I were there to experience them. What size are the "Claude-sized" breads, please?

Hello and welcome, @CookBot! We have had private chefs here in the past; I've lost track as to whether we still do (except for you) but there are plenty of skilled professionals as well as interested amateurs like myself. We'll all enjoy learning more about your cookery styles. If you have any questions about how to use the forums, or where (or whether) to post something, feel free to ask a host by PM (Personal Messenger). We usually get back quickly, although as volunteers sometimes we're away at our Day Jobs.... There is also a technical support forum for members. Do you rely much on cookbooks, or have your own repertoire and methods?

1. Have you asked the bakers about the seasoning? 2. Any chance it's zaatar?

In fairness, I'd like to note that I did not do the documenting. I simply pinned a link to that wonderfully helpful post. @Shelby deserves the credit for the post itself and the work that went into making it.

? I associate Middle Eastern food with flatbreads. Please tell more about these delicious "damn rolls"! I don't see them in your photo. Edited to add: I should have checked the Breakfast topic before asking! I see the damn rolls now.

This may be the discussion you remember about Hatch chiles....

That looks like it could be delicious. Did you make it? Got guidelines or a recipe?

I finally decided one of our tomatoes was ripe enough to harvest this morning. That's the second or third tomato from our six pots. But...the pots are loaded! A very few tomatoes are starting to show color. I just KNOW that they'll all start coming ripe when I'm away on a 2-week road trip, the last half of August.

Wait...the LAST of the corn?? Minnesota's hasn't even come in yet!

Thanks for that name. I knew I'd read another, and I couldn't remember what it was!

Well...if we're going to talk desserts, there are the Eagle Brand Magic Cookie Bars. You can come up with a lot of variations on these, as well as variations on the name (7-layer bars, for example). The recipe I use has slightly different proportions, because it includes both butterscotch chips and chocolate chips, but they were always a big hit when I took them to potlucks. I'm pleased to send "my" recipe (given to me by a friend) to anyone who asks, but can't see my way clear to posting it since it isn't mine and is close to a copyrighted recipe. I too think the use of the spent wine bag as an ice bag is an outstanding idea!

It is beautiful!

I've been doing quite a bit of that 'scientific research' myself. A spoonful at a time, where's the harm? 😁

While we're waiting for @kayb to answer, I'll share what she wrote a few years ago about that tomato cornbread cobbler. I'll admit that my first attempt at it didn't go well, but it carries lots of promise. I think it was operator (me) error. The description Her photo

One of my current faves, if I were to go to a potluck, would be one of my current faves at home: bean salad. Canned dark red kidney beans; garbanzos; navy, great northern, cannelini or some other white beans; wax beans and green beans (yes, canned) in equal proportions. Dress liberally with a vinaigrette. Now, I should disclose that my bean salad is nonstandard because of the vinaigrette. I do not like the classic 3-bean or 5-bean or whatever salads because the dressing always has sugar in it! Most folks might feel disillusioned because they'd be expecting a sweet dressing. I've been known to bring duds to potlucks before. 🙂

Thanks! I find the title "Haute Dogs" quite amusing. 😁

I took another crack at the Cheesy Smashed Red Potatoes (page 42) using all the correct ingredients, and being careful not to oversmash. It still doesn't look anything like Dave's photo from the recipe's original version up here, but it also wasn't gluey. The flavors are great. This dish is going into our regular rotation. Delicious!

I could forgive a LOT for a slice of that cherry pie!

I used the rest of the blanched scapes this evening. If anyone wants more discussion they can read it in the Dinner topic. The scapes worked well. I have a lot to get through, but this pasta dish is a great use for them!

I've been wittering on about garlic scapes here and earlier in the Farmer's Market topic, but it's appropriate to report dinner here instead of there. Ingredients: some carefully-hoarded "New York Style Calabrese Sausages" from this winter; blanched and chopped garlic scapes; a couple cans' worth of diced tomatoes; a handful of chopped onions from an earlier dinner prep; nearly a tube worth of sun-dried tomato paste; finely grated parmesan; barely-cooked Cavatappi pasta that I discovered thanks to @gfweb when I was trying to cut back on the variety of pasta in our household. I'm not sure the reserved pasta water counts, but I did add some back in while everything was cooking down. This is one of those never-the-same-twice dishes in our household, but we were especially delighted with this iteration. The sausage chunks were okay, but seemed to have given much of their flavor to the rest of the dish. The pasta corkscrews were utterly delightful: flavorful, delicate, just a bit of chew, delicious. (I did boil them in heavily-salted water, thanks to a comment from @heidih some time ago. That probably helped.) Did the garlic scapes actually add anything? Maybe. Was it different than if I'd added chunks of garlic? I dunno. But we're happy with the outcome...and that's a Good Thing, because there are plenty of leftovers.

This was excellent on my burger last night. Since my beloved but benighted husband doesn't believe in tomatoes or lettuce on his burgers, it was ALL MINE! I see more tomatoes starting to ripen, so soon we'll be able to have a Caprese salad from time to time. Our basil is doing nicely too.

Preliminary report on my garlic scapes. For better or worse, I blanched (about half) or steamed (the other half) what I still had because they really are potent. I used some of the blanched scapes for this dressing. It's delightful! I'll be posting photos with it drizzled over things, I'm sure. Then there's this suggestion... I'll be interested to see what folks say about pickling. I still have some pickled ramps from last year and am hesitant to add to the jars of pickled substances in our cupboards. However, I can see that I have a LOT of garlic scape paste! I'm not sure I did it any favors with the steaming. I just realized that I have neither walnuts nor pine nuts, and I'm not crazy about it with pecans or almonds. (Yes, I've tried it.) So it'll have to go into the freezer for now. If I don't like the way my pesto comes out (once I've found walnuts) I can always make more of that dressing! I'll try that, thanks - except the food processor or immersion blender will have to be my option. There's no mortar and pestle in this household big enough for them. I understand that the end result is different, but it's what my time and equipment will allow. I like the assorted flavors you suggest. So far, clockwise from upper left, I have: scapes, cut and steamed for a few minutes, then shocked with cold water; @FauxPas's dressing, made from blanched (and shocked) scapes; steamed scapes spun up with olive oil, a touch of salt and a touch of lemon; the remaining blanched-and-shocked scapes. Some of those will be in tonight's dinner. While steaming and blanching both tenderized them slightly and brightened their colors, I think the quick blanch and shock produced a slightly better flavor. Whew, it's still pungent though!