RonC

We do a fair amount of slow cooking with our Dutch oven (short ribs, lamb shanks, etc.) and I wonder if there is any real value in also getting (and using) a tagine. One thing we like about the slow cooking, in addition to the taste, is that meats tend to be so tender. This is important to our son who has severe autism since he's not terribly fond of chewing. All comments are appreciated. Sidecar Ron

I'm in the midst of our favorite short rib recipe. (I claim no credit since it's right out of Gourmet and the Food Network.) 6# of beef short ribs Salt & Pepper 1 TBS olive oil 3 med. onions 4 galic cloves 1 1/2 cups red wine (I like cabernet) 1 can whole tomatotes (I like Muer Glen) 1 1/2 cups beef broth 2 TBS Worchestershire sauce 6 strips of orange zest 2 tsp fresh rosemary 10 ozs of pearl onions 1 bag of baby carrots Fresh parsley for garnish Sidecar Ron (the the cold weather sure does put a damper on motorcycle riding for Luke and me - maybe we'll have to take up ice fishin')

Hmmmm short ribs are on the menu for tomorrow night (they should have been a couple of days ago but the butcher screwed up). Anyway -- with kumquats??? -- gotta think about that. Sidecar Ron

I'm beginning to feel like a PR rep for Lodge, but, again, I think cast iron is really great for Dutch ovens -- especially for braising. Mrs. Sidecar has some beef short ribs on order for tomorrow that will be going into the pot for some slooooow cookin'. Ooops, drooled on my keyboard again. BTW, I know some can taste an "off flavor" when; e.g., tomatoes, are cooked in cast iron. Maybe my ol' taste buds are shot, but I sure don't detect anything in our well-seasoned pots. Sidecar Ron

Ahhhh, another cast iron fan -- but, then, we're not talking specifically about vegies; however, I put one of the ol' irons to good use last night browning some scallops. Wow, a FULL sheet pan - neat! Sidecar Ron

Gee, no votes for my old Lodge cast iron - especially for meats? Sidecar Ron

I like your window. Of course for us it would looking into the living room. But, speaking of glass, is there anyone here who has any experience with glass tiles? I'm really interested in them from appearance and ease of cleaning standpoints. Thanks, Sidecar Ron PS - Great looking kitchen!

Nice to hear that at least one person doesn't think this ol' guy out in the corn fields of DeKalb is too crazy. Sidecar Ron

Thanks for the ideas folks! I, too, am fond of using my ol' cast iron skillet for browning and cooking so I'm all-too-familiar with the grease splatter. Whatever I wind up doing as a backsplash (glazed tile, metal tile, glass tile, metal laminate, stainless steel sheet, etc.) my leaning is to mount it on 1/4" material and then put that in a metal picture frame that I'll screw to the wall. My crazed thinking is that (1) if I don't like, or get tired of, the look, it'll be easy to change and (2) taking it down to clean well will be pretty simple.

Actually, ease of grease cleaning is probably our FIRST priority (I do a fair amount of browning) -- followed by "the look". Sidecar Ron

We're in the process of working on a new backsplash for the stove. The current two top options are glass or metal tiles. What's been your experience with either of these? Metal laminate is proably also a consideration. It's not a large area, so cost isn't too much of a factor. Thanks much! Sidecar Ron

Mrs. Sidecar is an English Major - gotta be alphabetically. Ol' Sidecar Ron

Cool - thanks for sharing! Sidecar Ron

Lots of great ideas! Keep 'em coming. Sidecar Ron

I'm anxious to get these put together. My memory is that they're not deep enough for the bottles to stand -- but maybe my ol' memorier is failing again. Sidecar Ron

Boy, couldn't agree more -- but sadly we don't have a near-by source for buying smal quantities. We write the purchase date on the bottles and then pitch them when we think they're getting too old. Sidecar Ron

Here's my latest thinkin'. We bought a couple of IKEA Nygard buffets that are going in the kitchen to house miscellaneous seldom-used stuff and cat food. They have drawers in the top and I'm thinking that we may lie the spice bottles down in these drawers. My Monday plan is to assemble the buffets and see if it works. By the way, how does IKEA make a product like this for just $129??? Sidecar Ron PS: Someone asked about the picture. That's Luke on the bike (I'm invisible in the sidecar). Because of his severe autism, Luke can't really ride it, but he sure enjoys sitting there!

Anna, I looked at your picture before I read your comment. My mind was going down the same path -- wondering what the fridge would look like with 60 spice jars attached. Sidecar Ron

Let's see ... how tall a tower could I build with 60 spices/herbs???? Sidecar Ron

Sigh ... We have somewhere between 60 and 70 spices and seem to constantly face the issue of how to store them so they're useful; i.e., easy to find and get to. Our kitchen is fairly modest and we don't have a pantry. We've tried the carrousel (too small) and a couple of those 3-step gizmos (too tough to get at those at the back). What do you do? How effective is your storage? Much thanks, Sidecar Ron

Thanks for the lead. I appreciate it. Sidecar Ron

Melissa, maybe like some nice print behind plexiglas? Sidecar Ron Absolutely no help from me. We've all but ruled out the possibility of tile in our range backsplash, in favor of something that we hope will be easier to clean, without pesky grout lines. MelissaH Really, I am working on getting those pictures of the new plan posted! ←

I certainly don't want to highjack this thread, but if there's a member knowledgeable about tile range back-splashes would you contact me? Thank much and Melissa best of luck with your remodel. We're in the midst of doing much more minor work here. Sidecar Ron

Just a little food for thought (again pun intended). Seriously, aren't we truly lucky that everyone is NOT alike. Just think how packed those great restaurants would be if nearly everyone appreciated what we do. Quite frankly I'm glad that people have different tastes (gotta stop those puns). Sidecar Ron (who's happy that he can be a "little different" as a sidecar driver who enjoys food and who has a full tummy tonight from a lunch of some fine braised shot ribs and a fine merlot at a lovely restaurant. They were nearly as good as the ones we do here at home. Wife had a great glazed duck.)

All the notes regarding cubicles sure has made me (once again) feel terribly lucky to have had my kitchen as my "cubicle". Having been self-employed and working out of my home nearly all the time for many years, I've been very lucky! As many would agree, our great left overs are far better for lunch than most workers get when they have to "go out". Thanks for this thread. Sidecar Ron