FauxPas

Peppers do freeze well! I've even frozen bell peppers whole a few times when I was really rushed. But I prefer to cut them in strips and dices and then freeze. The strips can be easily used in fajitas, which we make fairly often with leftover steak or chicken. The diced ones go into veggie lasagne, chili, soups or casseroles.

I make something like that also. I love it!

The menu says "Pommes Dauphine". Mashed potatoes and choux pastry, then fried. https://www.seriouseats.com/pommes-dauphine-recipe-5217321

I should have stated up front that I have tasted that sauce and found it too sweet for my liking. But I also don't want that amount of sugars in my food, especially if it's a hidden flavour. If I want a ton of sugar, I might as well taste it.

That's true. But many of us are looking to reduce unnecessary sugars. 🙂

I wondered about that, also! Cooking molasses is a blend of blackstrap and fancy molasses. It’s darker than fancy molasses and less sweet with a more “full flavoured” taste. Cooking molasses is a common substitute for fancy molasses in many recipes and has a much more robust flavour than fancy molasses. https://www.gallowaysfoods.com/sweeteners/crosbys-cooking-molasses

There are a few different versions but the Original version's contents are listed below. So I think it must be a fairly sweet sauce also. Sugar is #1 and molasses not far behind.

Do you ever make your own BBQ sauce, @Smithy? We often do have a jar of something commercial in the fridge but, if I plan properly, I prefer to make my own sauce. I don't have a set recipe. I like to start with a basic one like this one called Kansas City BBQ Sauce and then modify it, if necessary. If you don't want it quite as sweet, you can use tomato sauce/paste in place of the ketchup, reduce the sugar, increase the spice, etc. Of course, BBQ specialists will know all about the variations between Kansas City, Memphis, Carolina styles and so forth. Serious Eats has an overview with some recipe links here. I'm probably not telling you anything you don't already know though!!!! 🙂 And sometimes, it just makes sense to use a commercial product.

I did wonder about the composition of the pickling spice mix. But I like the re-use of the pickling brine!!!! 🙂

Congrats to @gfron1!!!!

How is the food today, @JoNorvelleWalker? And how are you doing?

@MaryIsobel, oh wow, I feel for your husband. That sounds brutal. How long until all his dental work is completed? Will he be getting implants? Poor guy, when will he be able to chew again? I see your plans for smoothies, broths, etc. Makes sense. Hugs to you both and hope he heals really quickly.

Argggh. I hate having to cook with fractions, even when they are easy to read, ha. Give me grams and milliliters, please. Pretty sure you are on the same wavelength. 🙂 I prefer paper books for cooking also. Even though I read lots of stuff on my Kindle reader or my phone or laptop, when I am in the kitchen cooking, I want a print-out or a book these days. I have over 200 cookbooks on Kindle or Epub and I almost never use them.

Vivian Howard starts with Noma but then talks about Chef and the Farmer's closing and re-opening, in this NY Times article. Some of these folks should check out @gfron1's model. Fine dining doesn't necessarily require all that expensive equipment, for example.

That's the important thing! 🙂

I was curious also, so looked it up. Ingredients are: Tomato Soup (Water, Tomato Paste, Modified Cornstarch, Distilled White Vinegar, Salt, Rice Flour, Sodium Benzoate added as a preservative, Citric Acid, Onion Powder), Sugar, Soybean Oil, Vinegar, Salt, Spices, Xanthan Gum, Potassium Sorbate to maintain freshness, Nisin (Natural Preservative). Natural Flavoring. NOTE: Dorothy Lynch Home Style contains NO monosodium glutamate (MSG).

Is it also edible? Or just a lovely volunteer that popped up amongst the culinary plants? 🙂 Your wife is always so adorable!

I would definitely refrigerate it, though I am sure some people might not. U of Maine Co-op Extension says: https://extension.umaine.edu/food-health/food-preservation/lets-preserve-herbal-vinegar/ U Georgia Extension suggests refrigeration is not essential, but it is recommended to extend quality. https://nchfp.uga.edu/publications/uga/uga_flavored_vinegars.pdf

What size pan do you use for this cobbler? Is that about 8" x 8" or smaller? Thx! 🙂

Maybe a tamale pie? To me, that means something along the lines of beans, tomato and mixed peppers covered with a cornbread topping and baked. I like to add quite a bit of chopped jalapenos. Ground beef can also be added. Edited to add: I don't know that a recipe is needed for a dish like this, but here's Kenji's version: https://www.seriouseats.com/american-tamale-pie-quick-and-easy-food-lab-recipe

I do think some of her recipes look decent. I have two of her books, Dessert for Two and Comfort & Joy: Cooking for Two but I never seem to get around to actually cooking from either. Not sure why, really. We don't eat a lot of desserts maybe? 😄

Christina Lane has a website called Dessert for Two and 4 cookbooks that are all dedicated to small-batch baking and cooking. I've made a couple of things from her recipes (brownies or blondies, I think) though I keep meaning to try others, like some of the cookie or 6" cake recipes. She also has savory recipes, despite the name of her website. She also has some recipes to use up leftover egg yolks or whites. I think her books may be a bit overpriced but there are lots of recipes on the website.

If @JoNorvelleWalkerchimes in, she may mention another Canadian company, SpiceTrekkers. They may have a better selection, lower shipping rates and a lower minimum for free shipping. Also, they have specials now and then and reduced shipping. Edited to add: The link is to their peppercorn selection, which seems pretty decent to me. But their prices are a bit high overall.

When we were in Arizona, our basic table pepper was Trader Joe's Rainbow Peppercorns with the built-in grinder. The price was very reasonable and I thought it was a decent product. I wish we could get this up here. Trader Joe's Rainbow Peppercorns , a Mixture of Brazilian Pink, Indian Green, Malaysian White and Indian Black Tellicherry Peppercorns Photo from Amazon listing.

Mmmmm, the meat pies and ham & pea soup are both delicious things also. Do you have any special seasonings or additions for your ham & pea soup? I occasionally use a bit of Kirkland Organic No-Salt Seasoning Blend for some soups. It's not essential but it's a nice blend and adds a nice little punch without much effort. I used it this time. It might have been discontinued by Costco, though. Too bad, it was also nice used in other ways. I see it's available at Amazon for several times the price that Costco charged for it. 😞