BeeZee

I cut off the two ends, cut them in half lengthwise, and use a teaspoon to scoop the flesh out of the skin. Otherwise, if you want to keep them whole (to make round slices), a small paring knife works really well after cutting off the 2 ends.

Kicked off soup season with a simple butternut squash soup, used 1/2 can of coconut milk I had in the freezer, along with chicken stock. Minced red onion, ginger, and spices. The squash was incredibly sweet, I halved/roasted it first.

I ordered a pair of the knit gloves with silicone strips similar to what @blue_dolphin and @palorecommended, thanks!

For those knitted gloves with the silicone dots or whatever, have you ever had a time that you got one wet while carrying something hot - do they soak through quickly (transmitting heat) or do you have time (10 seconds) to set the pan down? I've got an over-range microwave and it is nerve racking (as a fairly short person) to take a pan out and get it down to the counter.

I have some Cuisinart brand oven mitts that I like, they come up to mid-arm, quilted fabric with silicone type material lining the "mitten" area. However, I'm getting burned sometimes because the silicone must have a hairline crack, hole, or is just deteriorating on one of the mitts. I like having the "non-slip" function with the fabric for comfort (I have a pair of all silicone gloves and they are too sweaty). I don't have large hands, so I don't want something too bulky. As far as length, a few inches past my wrist/mid-arm is good. What gloves have you had good experiences with? I definitely want mitts/gloves vs pot holders.

I can’t provide a recipe, but I have had lemon thyme shortbread, which is good for gifting.

I bet you could make a gelato sandwich, much like how they do with brioche in Italy!

My Sicilian BIL had bought one several years ago for our holiday get-together, warmed in the oven before serving. I am sure it was an authentic imported brand (I remember a box, so not from a bakery) and it was good. I don’t think it had dried fruit (there are different flavors). The ones we see in the local drugstore/grocery are mostly preservative-laden dreck. Like a lot of other traditional foods, it’s beneficial to sample “real deal” versions to evaluate.

Goldfish Limited Edition pumpkin spice grahams - I just tried them yesterday. They are not overly sweet, which makes them more addictive. The goldfish are a little larger in size than the standard crackers.

Pop-tarts appeared regularly in our house when I was a kid. The two flavors I remember being in regular rotation were frosted strawberry (colored sprinkles!) and frosted apple (a little cinnamon flavor). I think they were a weekend breakfast treat, definitely not an everyday food.

Simple recipe using pan seared chicken breasts that are then simmered in a mixture of sauteed onion, garlic, soy sauce and honey, so a pleasant sweet and savory flavor. Made broccoli rabe as our veg and it turned out to be a great combo of sweet/salty/bitter on the plate.

I think that "gumminess" is the rubbery material breaking down, not actually residue (and harsh solvents might make it worse). I had something I threw out recently due to a similar issue.

Cod baked with panko breadcrumbs, I brushed dijon on top of the fillets then pressed the panko mixed w/melted butter on top. Steamed whole green beans with a drizzle of balsamic, and a multi-grain/cous cous mix from TJ’s.

Much anticipation...Japan is a bucket list destination for me, sometimes I look at Air BNB and dream...

Having only had Chick-Fil-A, their chicken has a thin coating, and is fried, but not terribly crunchy because that coating doesn't have much texture. From what I see advertised the others have more of a thick coating as you'd expect of fried chicken, providing more of a "crunch".

A nearby Chick-fil-A relocated closer to my office (walking distance) and opened this week so I decided to head over for lunch. They have a special/limited time honey/pepper pimento cheese chicken sandwich which I decided to try. I'm not a fast food consumer for the most part, maybe 1-2 times a year I get their cold chicken wrap sandwich. The specialty sandwich was a bit more expensive than the standard sandwich, $7.25, and freshly prepared - the chicken filet was clearly just out of the fryer, it almost burned my tongue. It was perfectly acceptable for what it was, if a bit blander overall than what I anticipated.

A healthy version of “baked ziti” (vegetarian), cleaned out the freezer of some homemade tomato sauce and TVP crumbles. Roasted eggplant cubes, sauteed zucchini before combining. No ricotta, just mozzarella, and we enjoyed the lighter take. Only used 4oz penne for the 11x17 pan (6 servings).

I usually find one fingernail suspiciously flatter after doing that. Collagen anyone?

Had a couple of meals worth of leftovers from Rosh Hashana dinner on Saturday, which was welcome after playing golf. Chicken breasts that had been cooked with a mixture of orange marmelade/dijon; honey/balsamic roasted carrots (very good at room temp); noodle kugel with dried apricots.

Cherry tomatoes from former co-worker's garden. He's so sweet, he knows I really miss his fresh veggie gifts.

A second “last hurrah” to summer foods, made a huge batch of ratatouille. The mise nearly made me give up, cutting everything into 1/2” dice took forever (yeah, I’m slow). Had some of it for dinner with baked haddock and rice, the remainder containered up for another dinner and a couple of lunch portions. Looking forward to the leftovers, since it only gets better with reheating.

Once a summer we do a turkey burger feast, just squeezed in for the last (unofficial) weekend of summer. NJ tomatoes, coleslaw, refrigerator pickles, grilled sweet onion, avocado, cracked wheat buns (nothing special, they just had a weird wrinkly texture). I grated some zucchini and squeezed it pretty dry to add to the ground turkey, it kept them very moist. Some panko in the mix helped hold them together.

Arugula pesto can be used to dress lots of things, it uses a good amount of greens! Green shakshuka (so I hear, I avoid eggs...) Spinach enchiladas Spinach lasagna

Right, so you'll have a giant shrink-wrapped pallet dropped most likely at the end of your driveway, in the street. You need to unwrap everything to check for freight damage immediately. Better hope for a rain-free delivery day.😉

Local supermarket had snow crab legs on sale, so we had a feast. Five minutes in boiling water to heat them, and they were perfect. Served with salad and sweet potato fries (frozen, cooked in oven). Melted butter for dipping.