Smithy

I do miss good, truly good, fresh strawberries. We may get them during a 2-week window in northeastern Minnesota, but it isn't a sure thing.

Joke all you like...but how I wish we had an Egyptian restaurant or snack stand here in northern Minnesota! (I'd forgotten all about chicken escalope! Must try to make that soon.)

How very timely! I'm going to need those instructions too. I have now pinned a link to that post near the top of this forum, so we can all find it easily.

@Shelby posted in the Cuisinart Steam Oven topic about this method, after she discovered that her oven's water line was clogged. Many, many times since then, people have asked for those instructions. To find that post, click here.

I have 3; that's what came in the kit so most of us probably have at least that many.

I have that book, and have yet to actually cook from it. If you do, please post about it. Maybe it will get me going!

I don't think I blanched them. I'll be sure to do so this time around. Thanks for the quantity information.

My first thought was to wonder how you came by artichoke hearts out there, this early! I think you listed them from your pantry items? At any rate...if you cooked this dinner, I'd love to see how it came out. The elements sound delicious.

I'll have to try that pesto. I was quite disappointed by the ramp oil and ramp butter I made last year. I finally dumped the oil (too bitter, too overwhelming on the ramp flavor) but I may still have some of that butter hanging around in the refrigerator. I love the flavor of ramps, and the season is so short! My ramp patch is flourishing as I write this, and I'd like to do something with it other than simply including chunks of ramps in pasta with prosciutto and asparagus.

I got through this time. It was an interesting process: she sent me a link to a video program so we could try live troubleshooting. The upshot is that they'll send me another one as soon as I drop this one off at FedEx with their label.

Thanks. I already found it. Got routed to what sounded like a modem imitating sandpaper, but I'll try again later.

My Ninja CREAMi traveled around with us in the Princessmobile for 6 months and wasn't used even once. I've learned something about what not to bring along on a winter trip, even to warmer climes. Today I brought it back into the house, plugged it into an electrical outlet, and was greeted by a mid-frequency (multiple of 60 HZ?) hum accompanied by the power light flashing on and then off. Once. No amount of button-pushing would turn the power back on. I unplugged the unit and plugged it back in. Same result. I installed the pint of persimmon custard that's traveled all of the desert southwest with us, made sure everything was properly aligned and ready to go, and plugged the unit in again. Same result. It sounds a bit like a motor trying to turn, maybe? But nothing is moving. I tilted the unit, checked for broken parts, tried wiggling things and even tried minor shaking and slapping. No change. Any ideas? Is it possible that jostling in the trailer moved something out of alignment? Am I missing a step? (I can find the recipe booklet but not the Quick Start Guide.) Does something need to be oiled? What would you recommend for troubleshooting?

Please do! and take us along again!

My parents had a cabinet like that for the same reason in their peninsula. It's been some years now, but as I recall it held things that would be needed only in the dining room, which that cabinet faced. Maybe holiday linens? At any rate, it was an excellent solution to the blind-corner / wasted space dilemma.

Gorgeous! Good choices all around. I / we / especially applaud the 12" overhang to accommodate a couple of stools. I didn't think we had the room (and still think I was right) but I do wish we had more of an overhang on our kitchen island so that visitors could sit on the stools and face the cook. Your place will be light, airy and spacious. How lovely for you!

Thank you for reminding me of these simple uses for the air fryer and for some more good ways to cook potatoes. We've been traveling for 6 months and the air fryer has sat unused at home for all that time. Meanwhile, we came home with a surfeit of potatoes, and they're sprouting almost faster than we can use them. I think tonight it will be air fryer time!

I tried the same recipe tonight, and am amused at the difference in our results! Shelby's Brussels sprouts still look so green and fresh, although tender. Mine, which also cooked for 2 minutes, were a bit more...soft...well, mushy. They weren't as pale as my bottom photo suggests, but neither were they as green as Shelby's. Still, the flavor of those Brussels sprouts is great. I'm not always crazy about the combination of honey and mustard; it seems too often they fight for dominance. Here, they harmonized beautifully and enhanced the sprouts. The sprouts had to share plates with the last of some barbecued beef brisket from Texas, and we thought they might get lost in the shuffle. Nope. They held their own. Definitely a keeper recipe.

I must say, the produce boxes from Misfits look so good that I'm tempted to sign up. I think I'd rather support our local farmers' markets and independent grocers, however, when we're in town to take advantage of them.

In the first picture, top center right:

It's been years since I visited Florida, or the Gulf. This virtual visit is making me remember what I've been missing, both in terms of scenery and food. Thank you! And oh, that Bloody Mary is truly inspired!

I forgot that @Shelby had just finished doing this dish! In any case, I offered my husband a choice among several recipes I want to try in the near future, and the Chicken Piperade was his preference. I planned for the "Even easier" option, but this time I had a full-sized Instant Pot. We were out and about earlier today, so I picked up a package of boneless and skiness chicken thighs. Here's the setup and the initial cooking stage: We were a bit alarmed at first at the apparent amount of sauce compared to solids (see upper left of collage below). After stirring it all together, I realized that it was all pretty well balanced for sauce vs. solids (see upper right of collage below). The served dinner bowls are in the bottom half of the collage below. The flavors are wonderful, and this recipe is a keeper. We have three changes we'll make next time: cut the chicken into bite-sized chunks, so that some of every ingredient gets into the same spoonful; add a bit more pasta: 8 ounces, instead of 6? pressure cook it for less time (yes, even though the chicken got pressure-cooked only once). I confess that I set the timer for 6 minutes of pressure-cooking instead of the prescribed 5 minutes, because I simply couldn't believe that 5 minutes would be enough when the original recipe calls for 10. I was wrong: 5 minutes would have been enough. If we cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces beforehand, I think that 4 minutes -- or maybe only 3 -- will be appropriate. I'm sure everyone's preferences are different, but part of the fun of topics like this is comparing notes. We have the luxury of talking to the recipe's originator!

Thermoworks makes great timers: easy to use, loud if you need them to be. Their Timestick is small and lanyard-capable but will also fit in a pocket. The Extra Big and Loud Timer weinoo notes above may not be as conveniently sized but is adjustable. This page shows their current offerings.

The problem I have with that is that I want to delay leaving until the last possible moment...you know, after the leaves fall off the trees here, after I've finished personal business, after Election Day...and by then the Autumn has already progressed far to the South. My parents did it one year, but weren't bloggers. Maybe you should take the challenge and do it?! 😁 Here's what we had tonight. I've never tried using the corkscrews or elbows for this dish, but it's what we had. They worked out well. He says the elbows were the only thing they ever used in the Egyptian desert, so I guess we're getting closer to (his) tradition. I had a protracted telephone call with a long-lost friend who called while the pasta was cooking. I thought the pasta would end up overcooked. If it did, we couldn't tell it tonight. At any rate, we won't care whether the leftover pasta was overcooked!

Central California (the Central Valley, that is) has just such a climate. The citrus ranchers use mitigation practices (wind machines, irrigation) but there are always a few dicey days or weeks during the winter when the crops are at risk. What does the seaweed solution do for the garlic cloves?

Actually, he could never get his Bedouin guides to eat the stuff although they'd eat any two of the components together. Here's one discussion about it. But I like your assumptions! 😄