FauxPas

I'm not @liamsaunt, but I really like making a slightly spicy tomato soup. I sauté diced celery (1 stalk), onion (one small or half of one), carrot (optional but a small one) in a bit of olive oil. Once softened, I add a 28 oz can of good quality whole tomatoes and the same amount of chicken stock or more, depending on how tomato-ey I want it. Sprinkle in some hot red pepper flakes to taste and any other spices/herbs/garlic you may wish (I like to add a sprinkle of Costco's Kirkland brand Organic No-Salt Seasoning blend. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes and then use an immersion blender to smooth it out.

yes, I was happy to see the bread machine book also! Thanks again, @Toliver!

Thank you for the info! yes, I do think the Aerogarden is hydroponic. I don't know how I missed that basic difference. I think i'll start keeping an eye on the Click & Grow. But I do have a cat and he's a bit destructive at times, so have to think about placement. I like the idea of starting transplants! Looking forward to hearing more about your gardens!

How does the Click & Grow compare to the Aerogarden? I'm a bit confused by all the choices at the Aerogarden site, but I didn't have a lot of time to browse there. @JoNorvelleWalker and @CanadianHomeChef, did you buy your units through the Click & Grow web site? I see they are carried on Amazon also. Do you both have the 9-pod units? Wondering what price you paid, are they sometimes on sale for a much better price? I think the 9-pod is just under $200 at both sites I looked at. There is an old thread on the Aerogarden on eG, but it's pretty dated.

Sally's Cookie Addiction is also on sale for $2.99 for the Kindle version, also by Sally McKenney

Oh, here. https://www.seriouseats.com/2018/12/special-sauce-holiday-cooking-part-1.html But my experience is huge variation in cooking times, even during prime season.

Yes, I wonder also. We talked about doing artichokes in the IP a bit over on the IP thread, but the truth is that the more artichokes I cook in the IP, the less sure I am about any real guidelines I can count on. Maybe it's just the variation in the artichokes but some smaller ones have still been uncooked after cooking for the same time as a larger one that was overcooked. I have almost given up and last time reverted to steaming in a regular stove-top pot so I could check/sample now and then. 😞

Sipping on some sparkling rosé, husband is about to cook the filet mignon, a crab leg and some asparagus.

Is the Braun the one that Ina used? Whatever she used is no longer available, but apparently this is a really close match: https://www.cassandraskitchen.com/products/all-citrus-juicer My little B&D has similar measurements. About six inches in diameter and nine inches at its tallest point. It's lightweight so easy to get in and out of a cupboard. It will do anything from small limes right up to large grapefruit and it cost me maybe $15 or so. I have a real fondness for it, homely and noisy as it may be. 🙂 @Toliver, the juice really is lovely. We're having Screwdrivers for our NYE cocktails, I think! 🥃🍹🎉🎇

We've seen you make some lovely soups though! Stay warm, I think you said you have a space heater?

I seem to recall there used to be a hot chestnut cart during the winter in Victoria BC that worked the downtown pedestrian areas. But I haven't lived there for ten years, not sure if such a thing is still around. And it wasn't there every year. Same with Vancouver, I know there were vendors now and then, but don't know if they are still around or not. I agree, it's a lovely option when you are out walking on a chilly (or cool, in BC) day.

My husband would LOVE those, I will have to keep an eye out for them!

Brr, is that your high temp for the day? It's quite cold here for the next few days (cold for southern AZ, that is) with some freezes overnight but at least it warms up to 11 to 14C during the day. And we should be out of this cold spell toward the end of the week. But, in the meantime, my husband was thinking along the same lines as yourself and asked for Shepherd's Cottage Pie.

it's a lovely time of year for citrus here in southern AZ. We have a few of our own trees but they are small (we had to replace some previous ones) and not producing too much right now, so we take advantage of it when neighbours are sharing their bounty. Most recently we were gifted with several big bags of fruit, mostly a tangerine hybrid and also some kind of navel orange. We'll eat some of the navels as they are, but the tangerines make such a lovely juice and we can freeze some of that. This is my very inexpensive Black & Decker citrus juicer, which has been going strong for ten years. it's a bit noisy but it does the trick and I've used it on a lot of fruit!

On a whim I bought TJ's turkey en croute this year. I think they have a similar version each holiday season? We had been quite busy with social events for a few days before the 25th and wanted something simple for Christmas dinner. This was actually quite good, the puff pastry crust browned nicely and the turkey was tasty. The leftovers were not great, turkey seemed a bit too dry and crust too soft the next day, so I'd recommend it for a single meal.

Yes, please! I tried making it once or twice, but that must have been years ago, and the recipes I used weren't as tasty as the soup versions I had other places. When it's good, it's one of my favourite meals.

And this one, on the Bake Mode:

I think this video is different from the others:

Or this one?

@ElsieD, can you see this video on Vimeo?

Probably does have some geographic restrictions, but why bother? Most products are going to be available in other countries at some point. Unless there is some reason why they cannot sell that product in Canada?

I like the idea of up to three separate cooking zones, each cooking at different temps. But it's a bit pricey, starting at $995 and only a 1-year limited warranty. Looks like you can use two trays at the same time, but interior space still looks limited. I couldn't find interior dimensions, but maybe just missed that info. I think it has a camera so you can watch your food cooking on smartphone, as can't open door while food is cooking. I wonder how awkward it is to enter your own info for cooking, everything I could find is their pre-programmed meal choices and they area going to be selling meals along with the oven, it seems. But if you want to cook your own stuff, do you have to measure it and position it just so? Does everything on a cooking tray have to be at the same height? It's infrared light/heat, which I struggle to explain/understand. Is that just me? 🙂

Can't you scroll through the web site, @ElsieD? https://www.brava.com/