FauxPas

David Lebovitz just had a blog post about Rum Raisin Ice Cream. Also includes a recipe. https://davidlebovitz.substack.com/p/rum-raisin-ice-cream

We got a couple of Mashed Potato squash in our CSA box not too long ago. First time I've run across that variety. https://olivejude.com/mashed-potato-squash/ https://cookfasteatwell.com/how-to-cook-mashed-potato-squash/

Maybe I have it wrong, but aren't there health concerns with reusing many plastics beyond a certain point? Don't they start to break down before we visibly see the deterioration? I was concerned that the repeated freezing-then-heating cycles would speed up this process. These containers are supposed to be BPA free, but there are other chemicals also and not sure I would like to rely on them for an extended period of time. Short term, I wasn't too worried. I hate unnecessary waste also, so try to use my glass storage containers more often than other things. Here's an example of concerns over plastics and food storage. Lots more out there and I'm sure most folks here are familiar with the basics. Am I worrying too much? https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/feb/18/are-plastic-containers-safe-to-use-food-experts

This one really sounds quite good.

And how are they? Do you like them? How do you use them?

Figured out where I bought them - at Canadian Tire store here in BC. I imagine the same or similar are available in other areas. If you do a search on Amazon for "Meal Prep Containers" you'll see some for 2 or 3-compartment ones. These are the ones I had, I think.

I found some plastic containers that had three different sections in them that were reusable. I can't remember where I got them. They were perfect for the chicken/rice/beans and for any protein/starch/veggie combo that would freeze well. Here's a photo I just found (I see I called it Mexican Chicken). Although they were said to be reusable, I didn't really test that much. They stayed in good shape after freezing and microwave heating, so I think they could probably be used a few times. But I don't know, would people here feel safe re-using plastic many times? Maybe I'm paranoid. At the same time, I felt bad putting them into recycling after only one use! But this was a limited-time situation for us, not sure what I would use if I wanted to do the same thing again. I'd also love to know what other people use!

And that's my problem with fruit wines in general. They mostly seem to require considerable sugar and taste too sweet. Though I had a friend who used to make cherry wine from his trees and it was amazingly good and not too sweet. Not sure how he accomplised that. Locally, we have commercial production of strawberry (sparkling), blueberry and blackberry wines. Not bad if you pair them correctly but probably wouldn't want to drink much. What about plum or lychee wines? Are they common there? Or is that more Japanese?

I made up some frozen meals for us when our kitchen was gutted along with other ongoing renos. You've already mentioned some but I also did a made-up spicy chicken dish (boneless, skinless thighs with onions, garlic, sweet and hot peppers and some heirloom Chimayo chile) along with Spanish rice and some beans. Both my husband and I really enjoyed that one. I thought about chicken cacciatore but didn't get around to it. Did some butter chicken and basmati rice with peas. Cottage pie. Meatloaf. That mustard-glazed pork tenderloin sounds good. I was also thinking of a honey-garlic glaze/sauce for pork tenderloin.

That's a great site! Thx! 🙂

I have Prime also, Anna. Not sure about pricing on Amazon. It seems to vary from hour to hour at times. Bizarre. I'm still quite happy to get the book though. I find lately I really like hard copies of cookbooks even though most other books I prefer to read digitally! Edited to add: My link was to Amazon Canada but it seems to redirect to Amazon US. Not sure I understand that, either. Something to do with the way eGullet redirects it? Edited again to add: I added a Canadian link. Of course the eG link goes to Amazon US, that only makes sense. What was I thinking? 🙂

The hardcover version of this book is currently marked down to $15.97 on Amazon Canada and $15.79 on Amazon US (eG-friendly Amazon.com link). The Kindle version is more expensive ($19.99 in Canada)! For folks like me who sometimes prefer a hardcopy book, this is a deal. I just ordered one. Edited to add: Of course the eG Amazon link always goes to US, what was I thinking? Have corrrected it so there is also an Amazon Canada link. 🙂

yes, they say it is aged 5 years.

I like them a lot in salads and use the juice to make a vinaigrette also. I also love the arils with plain yogurt or vanilla ice cream. I think juicing is great for keeping, but it can be a pain. I tried using a blender but the juice never came out quite as clear as I wanted. So I reverted to pressing the arils with a spoon in a sieve over a bowl. Not the best method if you have several to do! @lemniscate's juicer is probably the best type for juicing large numbers.

All I can tell you is that I have had commercial brands that got lost at the back of the fridge and developed mold. They had been opened, though. But if your jars aren't properly sealed then they are, in a way, already open, right? 🙂 I haven't canned my own salsa for several years, but didn't have any problems with unsealed jars or else I would have refrigerated them.

Here are the other two offerings at the government stores. I should check one of the speciality private stores also when I am over that way. This one (Tapaijiu) is not inexpensive! ($167 Cdn) The store description says "Amber coloured, this traditional shaoxing rice wine (huadiao) has been stored in a ceramic jar and aged for 20 years. It has an aromatic and pleasantly nutty taste." It looks like it is still "Pagoda Brand". I find it difficult to see the characters at the bottom of the box, not sure if @liuzhoucan? And this one, 5 year old. SHAOXING NUERHONG BREWING

Here's the one I bought recently at the provincial liquor store. Can you tell me anything about it? This one is supposed to be 8 years aged, they also have 5 and 20.

I got your meaning right away! Surprised that we didn't see the usual T-Day turkey deals. I like to get fresh also, paid more this year than prior years.

Happy (Canadian) Thanksgiving to all current, former, honorary, temporary, part-time and/or wanna-be Canucks! 🙂 Having a Negroni (ha, thinking of you, @Kerry Beal) before serving leftover turkey and sides, since we roasted the bird and did the first iteration last night. Broke the carcass down and it's in the Instant Pot for stock, some meat in the freezer for future soup and we'll eat turkey for lunch and dinner for a couple more days. Though not perfect, there are many things to be thankful for this year. Cheers.

I used to love making variations on Moosewood Restaurant's roasted veggies. I haven't made any of these for years but this thread reminded me of them and I need to try them again. One of their cookbooks has three versions of roasted veggies, tossed with a dressing before roasting - Italian, Cantonese or Caribbean. The recipe and instructions are here. It was a good starting point for me!

I wish I liked figs more! We have a couple of places realy near our house where they sell figs and small fig trees, just small home-based stuff with a stand by the driveway/garage. They had figs available for a long time and I suspect the price would have been pretty reasonable. But I only checked it out once when a friend was visiting and she was all excited about fresh figs and bought a bunch to take with her. I really need to develop a taste for them, I think. 🙂

Do you ever use the fresh pasta ones? Like this one: I wish I could remember the actual dimensions but each sheet is about 6 or 7 inches X 9 inches. I think two of them will fit a 9 x 13 inch pan. I use them to bake smaller lasagnes in the Cuisinart Steam Oven, so only need one per layer (or one and a bit, in my larger pan). I can't remember if I could find these when we lived in Arizona, but there are a few brands available up here in BC. They require no pre-cooking and taste closer to homemade than some of the dried products. And they result in nice, neat layers when cut. Though yours looks amazing!!!

Another NY Time review. (should be unlocked link)

Can't say it any better than what KS said! 🙂

Did you go through all 18 of the slide show images? I almost missed that when I first read the article! 🙂