Smithy

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! 😄

They certainly seem to be happy. The dog is happy wherever he goes, as long as he's with us and able to run. He is utterly entranced by the remnant snow piles and the water in the woods. The cats figure out in short order where their favorite household places are (same as before we left) and plop down. I think everyone is happy to have more room. I know I am. I have actual room to sit on the floor and stretch! Of course, the animals don't have to deal with the issues of rebooting a household after a winter gone. THEY don't have issues with stairs, whereas we're feeling the 3-floor household in our leg muscles and, alas, knees. We also came home to some plumbing surprises, but bit by bit they're getting resolved. I think my darling will be more or less happy once the hot tub is warmed up, now that it's been repaired. That's a first-world problem, for sure! Back to food: tonight it will be our favorite "Bedouin-style" tuna noodle hot dish. In a few days when I catch my breath I look forward to trying out recipes in the 6-quart Instant Pot and seeing how they work when done in full size. See y'all in that topic!

Those eggplants / aubergines look beautiful! But what was done with them? Did I miss that in your pictures above? I'm always looking for other good things to do with eggplant fruit. Like you, I love the flavor.

Time to wrap up this installment. We made it safely through Des Moines and the Minneapolis/St. Paul complexes, and everywhere in between. (Metroplexes worry me the most, but there's plenty craziness and bad driving even in the open areas.) Weather forecasts to the contrary, we stayed ahead of the rain. We spent the night in a Walmart parking lot north of Minneapolis, an hour or two south of home. We arrived midafternoon, and briefly considered pressing on to home, but wisely decided against it. There's a principle in aviation that applies to many, many other situations (probably most): if you keep going until you're tired, you'll make dicey decisions if something goes wrong. The pithier version is: "quit while you're ahead". We did. Then we collapsed. Walmart had a couple things we needed, but food wasn't one of them and none of their deli offerings looked interesting. We used the oven and a single baking sheet for fish and Tater Tots, knowing full well that the Tots would be better shallow fried. We took the easy way out. Truth to tell, we were too tired to care. Good thing we hadn't pressed on. This morning, the rain had caught up to us. So had the cold. These were the views the rest of the way home. (Yes, those are whitecaps. 39F. Northeast winds off Lake Superior, 30 knots gusting to 40.) We left the Princessmobile with a friend who has plenty of pavement and electricity, unloaded a few essentials including our four-footed family, and came home. No, the snow and ice aren't completely gone yet. This is the view out our north-facing window. We probably could have gotten the Princessmobile all the way home, but the road is soft and we'll give it some time to dry out. The weather forecasters are promising a few dry days ahead. They aren't promising warmer temperatures, but one can't have everything. We'd have stayed farther south if it weren't for pressing business here. We didn't pack any food from the Princessmobile, so I made the 5-mile trip to the nearest grocery store and deli. Their fried chicken is the best in town. Can't say I was impressed with the broccoli salad or potato salad I added to the mix, but they were filling. My darling was happy with microwaved corn. We'll go back to unload some foods from the Princessmobile tomorrow. Thanks for coming along, folks.

It doesn't look that way in the cover photo. It did for me, but I never got it to brown and crisp up in the first place. Perhaps @JAZ will weigh in on its texture.

I want to encourage anyone who likes chicken and smoky flavors to try the Basque-Inspired Chicken (Chicken Piperade). This photo collage is from when I wrote about it here. What made me try this recipe first was the book's cover: how delicious that looks! Well, as you can see...mine didn't come out with the same look. It still tasted very, very good. There are a few reasons it didn't come out looking right, I think, mostly related to my not scaling the recipe down properly for a 3-quart IP. You'll note that the skin is not beautifully browned as it had been on the book cover, and there's more sauce. I also wondered why it was necessary to brown the skin, then pressure cook the chicken, then add more ingredients and pressure cook it all again. Janet told me in an emailed answer was that it was done that way to satisfy the food stylists but that it's easier to pick boneless skinless chicken thighs, load everything into the pot at once, and cook it all together! That's written up as the "Even easier" version at the end of the recipe. Next time I have the opportunity, I'm going to try it that way. I recommend this recipe. Do the "even easier" version.

We certainly do!

How difficult will it be to replace that flooring? Ours is still good, but the carpet gives me pause sometimes. Increased fire danger is right. We've seen the trends for the last few years, and it isn't looking good. I haven't commented much this trip on low water levels, but we were all the way into central Iowa before the rivers started looking proper for spring. If you should decide that "east" includes northern Minnesota, let me know!

Bogle runs a bit more expensive in Minnesota, but I do like their wines...especially their Merlot. i'll have to try their Zinfandel.

No. We bread them in a mix of his own devising, then bake them in the oven. 425F for 25 minutes.

@blue_dolphin and @ElsieD, ain't that the truth! One of the Minnesota gags is that we have 2 seasons: "winter" and "4th of July". Another version goes "9 months of winter and 3 months of tough sledding". Still, I miss mountains and rather envy @Nancy in Pátzcuaro's sessions in the Rockies. Against all practicality, and due simply to desire, we went into town yesterday and visited the Fareway grocery store we'd discovered on our way south last fall. He was jonesing for pork steaks. I wanted to stock up on that great Buffalo Cheddar cheese I bought last fall. So here it is, one last grocery store tour for the trip. I didn't take as many pictures as last fall. This first collage is a combination of a fun candy toy I didn't buy and a "huh??" moment in the pet supplies area. Most of our attention (and money) was on the meat counter. As last fall, the selection was amazing and the staff were wonderful. If we lived in Osceola, this would be our grocery store. The guys are knowledgeable, friendly and funny: a great sales combination. On top of the counter they had a sign with the riddle of the week: "The more you take, the more you leave behind". I had to ask. Can you guess the answer? Meat counter selections: they're really into wrapping things with bacon! We bought the pork steaks he'd wanted, then I chose some Iowa pork chops: according to the meat counter gentleman, one of his fondest childhood memories because his grandmother always cooked them when the family visited. We went away, but while my darling was contemplating snacks I went back for their version of an armadillo egg. It's a pepper stuffed with cream cheese, wrapped in ground pork, and the entirety wrapped in bacon. It's in the freezer now. We'll have an armadillo egg taste test sometime this summer. We also bought these monster cookies at his behest. He tried to promise me to secrecy, but I wasn't having any of that! If you're going to sin, sin with a whole heart. Seen on the way back to the Princessmobile: Last night, the last night we'll have the Princessmobile plugged into shore power before we get home, it was dinner and a movie. The pork steaks were accompanied by broccoli (me), cole slaw and toast (him) and beverages of our choice. Lovely to watch a movie again. It's an old favorite, especially suited for our location.

Signs seen along the way as we've headed north can be entertaining. Here's Iowa's public safety notice along Interstate 35: The next frame indicated 85 traffic deaths this year. Whether that's the statewide total period, or the number attributable to cell phone misuse we don't know. Back in Topeka, I think, we spotted a great sign that I wasn't able to photograph in time: (Incidentally, we figured out that going around Kansas City and through Topeka is the way to go.)

You know exactly my mixed feelings! When we get home we're always amazed and pleased at how much more room we have. We're relieved to be done with the long-haul driving that we're doing now. On the other hand, the weather isn't as nice at home (yet) as it has been farther south, and we'll have slop and rain and possibly snow still to deal with. We've stayed south an extra week or so before, but this year we have reasons to be home in the first few days of May. It's warm enough now that we won't have to worry about winterizing the trailer, but our road may be too sloppy to get the trailer home. We've arranged with a friend who has room, pavement and electricity to leave the trailer with him until we get a chance to scout things out. This will mean a certain amount of inconvenient schlepping: load the pickup with stuff, take it home, come back for more. We'll be able to leave the refrigerator and freezer loaded for the moment, since there will be electrical power. The preferred and usual method is to park the trailer in the driveway and unload directly into the house. Like you, I always clean it thoroughly before we put it away. It needs a bit of help when we start loading in the fall, but not much. I'd love to be able to do camping in the mountains during the summer. We've gone to Minnesota National Forest campgrounds for a week or two, where the paddling and cycling are beautiful, but not out of state and into the heights. There's always too much fun around our own home, and to be honest I'm reluctant to miss anything since we're gone for 6 months during the winter.

No, they're cut into small slices. Dave the Cook posted a photo here that looks more like what I'd like to replicate. He was even good enough to include a link to a RecipeGullet version, so now I'll have 2 to try! I bought another of those potato casseroles from Miiller's and it's in the freezer, so I'll be able to refer back to it at some point.

2017 Duvel: Tales from the Fragrant Harbour

We're getting enough open space in the refrigerator that I found a forgotten batch of hummus! It made a nice supplement to a perfect avocado half for this morning's breakfast. Yesterday was a reminder of what Tolkien said in The Hobbit: adventures are not all ponies and May-sunshine. It was supposed to be an easy day's travel: only a couple hundred miles to go, and against our usual procedures we actually had a reservation. It's a really good thing that both those things were true. (We have the idea that we're getting the Princessmobile home just in time.) I had mentioned a drooping belly liner the evening, and that I thought it was getting worse. (The belly liner, for those of you who don't know, is a plasticized corrugated sheet that protects the underside of the trailer's plumbing, wiring and tanks from road damage.) He denies my having mentioned it at all until 2 nights ago; I think I mentioned it 2 weeks ago, but there you are: he lay awake fretting over it all night, and was tired before he even started driving. We spent the calm hours of the morning investigating, finding water pooled and causing the droopage (where is THAT coming from??) and then trying to get the water out. I'm the only one limber enough to get under the trailer and get back up. I drilled a few drain holes and only got a little water, then pushed up on the sags and got more out the sides. Only got splashed once. By the time we'd done what we could, the (in)famous Kansas wind had come up again. We had The Devil's own time holding doors open long enough to load things into the back room. However, that wind was good news for our drive, and helped push us all the way to southern Iowa, where the flag was still essentially starched. We ate at their renovated and renamed Westlake Bar and Grill. It's nearly unrecognizable from our last visit. Last spring it was a huge disappointment and we almost ate in the Princessmobile rather than give them another chance. In pre-pandemic years the place was really jumping, and I'm sure they're struggling to find ways to rebuild the business. The beer taps are impressive. The interior is quite nice, and spacious. It seems odd, however, without the massive buffet setup that they used to have. Check out the back wall of TV screens. Every one is tuned to a different channel, and they're all muted. I asked the greeter whether people specified a remote speaker for the channel of choice. She smiled and said it was "more of an art installation". In other words, no. I ordered fish and chips; my darling ordered one of their special burgers. We were both happy with our choices. We may go back and eat there again tonight. We have to go back at least briefly, because for some reason the tip portion of my credit card payment didn't ring through. Our server will be back tonight, and we want to make sure she gets that well-earned tip.

The chuck roast I mentioned a few posts ago came out quite well. Yes, I probably had something else in mind for it and yes, I get tired of having to do the same treatments all the time -- but there's something to be said for a Sure Thing. The next day we cycled, walked, enjoyed the scenery... and enjoyed one last meal in the fully-opened Princessmobile. This was the last of the Cooper's ribs, and some of their beans, and cole slaw to our individual preferences. (He'd eaten his earlier.) The meat was rich and fatty and almost as delicious as on the first night - and I think we're finally burned out on it. I remember the Cooper's Pit guys commenting to me that they had no standard of comparison for their 'cue vs. other joints' 'cue, because the last thing they wanted to eat on their days off was barbecue. I get it. This last day was the only calm day we had in Kansas. Gorgeous, even a bit warm! I suppose it's a bit like northern Minnesota: if you love a place, you'll put up with a lot of crap for the sake of those beautiful days. Come to think of it, that applies to people too.

Port and starboard?

@Dave the Cook, that post took me down memory lane. Thanks for the link to the 2005 blog and the recipe! Great fun to review. So...I can't help "laughing" in my response, but I wish I could also have given a "thanks". Here it is, in verbal rather than emoji form. Less mashing next time, check. Different masher next time (neither of you mentioned that equipment), check. "10 Half-steps to Hell", well, I'll try to stick to the path.

One place to consider starting, for those of you trying to decide, is with the Cumin-Scented Carrots. It's ridiculously easy and very, very good. I'm not a big fan of carrots but these I'd eat any day. Here they are, finished but still in the pot: I wrote more about the recipe here. My only cautionary notes are to use good ingredients (as always) and to cook them shortly before you want to eat. I held them in a warm oven for several hours, and the poor things were shriveled by dinner time. They were still tasty, but I wouldn't want to show you what they looked like then.

I'm still impressed at how quickly it's coming together! It's also looking beautiful - no surprise there, I'd expect nothing less of you - but the speed is amazing. When we redid our kitchen 10 years ago or so, the contractor estimated it would take about 3 weeks. In fact it took more nearly 3 months. A lot of that had to do with his juggling projects and being unpredictable with his schedule, rather than any snags in the work. I finally withheld the last $600 payment until he came back with the remaining electrical outlet cover. He'd ordered the wrong configuration, and then when he finally got it he kept "forgetting" to come back with it. Withholding that last payment did the trick.

Thank you! Without having tried it (yet) this looks very much like what I had and would like to achieve. The potatoes, as I remember them, were firmer than but not quite as fluffy as baked potatoes. They certainly weren't crisp like fries, but they weren't as cohesive as slices of potato dauphinoise. I know that isn't much of a description, but it's all I can remember from that last casserole.

We have a beef chuck roast cooking that I Absolutely Had To Buy back in Yuma at Fry's. I'm sure I had a specific purpose for it, but predictably enough it's now roasting on a bed of potatoes, with carrots, and covered with Lipton's Onion Soup mix per my darling's standard formula. Whatever I had planned back then will have to wait for beef at a later time. One of the charms of this place is an oxbow lake that is heavily populated with turtles. As one walks or cycles along the lakeside path, there's "SPLASH!" after "SPLASH!" as the turtles who've been sunning themselves decide to hide in the water. This particular log had over a dozen turtles on it when I first arrived. One monster reptilian had a tail as long as my forearm and as thick as my wrist. It never resurfaced as I sat there, although some of its compatriates (family members?) did. I could see it lurking just below the water's surface, but then someone else came along the path and scared those wary turtles back into hiding. No kidding, there were over a dozen turtles aiming for this single log, ranging from a few inches to a couple of feet in length. But this post isn't really about turtle soup, which I've been told can be delicious but would be beyond my knowledge and strictly forbidden (I think) in this park. Maybe there's a turtle season in Kansas, I don't know. What I want to talk about now, and get ideas for, is duplicating a baked potato casserole from Miiller's in Llano -- or maybe even making a better version. I liked it so much that I bought another freezer container of it before we left Llano. From reading the label, I get the idea that the basic elements are baked potatoes, cheddar cheese, bacon, sour cream and mayonnaise along with seasonings. Of course there are stabilizers and gum additives. I may have missed a few elements in the label, since they list every single subingredient (the contents of the mayonnaise, for instance). I think it's pretty good stuff. I think I should be able to make it. A recipe from @JAZ's Super-Easy Instant Pot Cookbook (eG-friendly Amazon.com link) for Cheesy Smashed Red Potatoes may point me in the right direction, but the recipe was problematic for reasons I speculated about in this post. So: if you were to make a baked potato casserole with bacon, mayonnaise, sour cream and cheddar cheese, how would you go about it?

I have several of Janet's cookbooks and am charmed by every one of her dedications!

It depends on the circumstances. I would cook them anyway, unless the materials for braising were super high-priced or special and difficult to come by. Freezer burn is distasteful if you can taste it, but it isn't dangerous. I taste it much more readily than my husband, so he's been happy (or at least happier) with meals I'd prepared and found too freezer-burned. And yes, I think braising is the way to go. Make an excellent sauce!