FauxPas

I keep forgetting to take pictures but we haven't been doing much that is very unique lately either. Though we really did enjoy @JohnT's marinade/glaze for ribs. (Forgot the 'after' picture) And again made IP pork ribs with CSO steam-roasted potatoes and the last tomatoes from my deck garden. Had some corn on the cob also, not pictured.

yeah, I think it's hideous. I couldn't believe it when I read the reviews, many of them going on about how lovely the design was. Then I noticed that many of them ended with this phrase: I have to emphasize that if I won this thing, I'd donate it pronto. And secretly, because I wouldn't want anyone to know it originated with me.

I tend to agree with FP on this one.

Walmart is selling a Pioneer Woman Instant Pot. It looks like this: I have to admit that it's definitely not my style. What do others think?

I use a smaller casserole dish to make lasagne for just the two of us. It's enough for two meals and we enjoy it the second night just as much as the first. Sauce was made from San Marzano tomatoes grown in the BC Okanagan. Have you seen these or have you tried to grow them yourself,@Okanagancook? I thought they were very good - meaty and yet luscious, if that makes sense. I used the CSO to steam-roast them, which gave them a bit of a roasted flavour and allowed the skins to slip off nicely. We had a tapas-style starter with mixed spicy olives, feta cheese, artichoke hearts and some cherry tomatoes from my container garden. And the left-over lasagne, waiting to be reheated.

Had to go off and find examples of this and yes, you are right, it does indeed look delicious. I wonder how the topping is done on her Greek Potato Pizza. @Ann_T, how do you prepare the potatoes? Looks like feta cheese and sometimes kalamata olives and/or sun-dried tomatoes as well? https://forums.egullet.org/topic/155166-dinner-2017-part-6/?page=81&tab=comments#comment-2129128

Ha, listened to this and agree that fresh pineapple takes it up a notch, along with the right kind of ham. And at least one of them agreed with me that chicken on pizza is not that thrilling.

@liuzhou, left-handedness is definitely not viewed very kindly in some cultures/countries. I do hear that left-handed Chinese table tennis players are seen in a very positive light though. They are thought to have an advantage. https://www.seeker.com/why-are-there-so-few-lefties-in-china-1767526288.html

Am I the only one who thinks potato on a pizza is odd? Boston Pizza (despite it's name, it's Canadian-based) has a new one called Potato Bianca with: They also have a Pierogy PIzza, which is embellished with: I think Cactus Cut Potatoes are really just fried potatoes or French Fries, cut wide. It seems odd to me to put fried potatoes on a pizza. And I also don't like chicken on pizza, it just seems wrong. But then I LOVE Hawaiian pizza with ham and pineapple, so some of you will think I have no sense of taste, anyway.

Oh, your casserole looks so pretty! Was it as tasty as it looks? Did you use a recipe or just make it up as you went along?

I really wasn't seriously suggesting you do this on the water, it's just that a few of us tease Shelby for her (always) peeled tomatoes.

Or you can do like @Shelbydoes - quickly blanch the tomatoes just to remove the skin, then eat the tomatoes while still fresh.

I didn't know this about low/high acid food, interesting! This appeals to me. Proportions? And when you say English mustard, do you mean the dry mustard like Keen's? @Smithy, I sometimes think of you as similar to a cat, you have certainly had close to 9 different lives!

Last night was a warm potato salad with baby potatoes, green beans, tomatoes, sweet or white onion and feta cheese and a bit of olive oil and balsamic vinegar over top. A few cherry tomatoes from my container plants, the rest of the veggies from a local farm. I mix the warm potatoes and green beans in with the other ingredients, it's a nice simple summer salad. Could be dressed up a bit more. We had some local blueberries with vanilla ice cream for dessert. Composed salad and then lightly mixed with dressing.

During the summer I sometimes make a warm potato salad by steaming baby or nugget potatoes, adding green beans for the last 5 or 6 minutes and then immediately mixing those with tomatoes, feta cheese, white or sweet onion and quickly tossing with a bit of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Usually most or all of the veggies will be from the local farms. It's not hugely original and it could probably be dressed up more, but it's something we really enjoy now and then. If I have fresh basil, I might throw that on top. Last night was not hot, but it was warm and neither of us cared if we had meat or not. So we each had a plate of the above mix. Sometimes I chop it up more or use cherry tomatoes. It's a simple thing, but I have to say when the produce is right, it's one of my fave summer salads. Composed. Lightly mixed, with dressing.

I occasionally steam eggs this way but I get the water hot before I put the eggs in the steamer basket and then start the 12 minute timing. Kenji did a detailed Food Lab on this. He claims steaming on the stovetop is better than using a pressure cooker and makes them easier to peel, I'm not sure about that. But when I use the Instant Pot for steaming eggs, I do heat the water a bit now (on Sauté) before putting the eggs in. I also use Low Pressure so I think that counters his claim that PCs can cook the eggs too hot. Anyway, here's the whole long article if you need to kill some time, though you can get the gist fairly quickly. https://www.seriouseats.com/2014/05/the-secrets-to-peeling-hard-boiled-eggs.html I have done eggs in the CSO but forget the details. I should give that another go. But I usually want hard-boiled eggs and I love how the other methods make the eggs so easily peeled, even fresh-from-the-farm eggs.

Yes, another Island Girl here. Went to local farm today and bought some blueberries, I thought they were grown in Comox Valley as there are lots here but no, they were also from Qualicum. That's still local though! Have to decide between blueberry pie or blueberry pie bars.

More kitchen tools for southpaws: https://gizmodo.com/five-essential-tools-for-the-left-handed-chef-1443996982

wow, thanks for sharing that @Lisa Shock . I know that I was discouraged from being a southpaw even though I was a child of the 60's/70s. But not like that!

If only every steam clean after that resulted in the same sparkling/shiny interior.

Tomorrow (August 13th) is International Left Handers Day, so I thought I would revive this thread in honour of Southpaws who are indeed comfortable in the kitchen, but may want an occasional left-handed setup or tools. Lefty's has left-handed kitchen tools. This Houzz article has some interesting points and suggestions. Funny, in the few kitchens where I have been able to situate the dishwasher, it is indeed always to the left of the sink, but I never really thought about it much. I liked this comment: And finally, @gfron1, I hope you have discovered some talented Southpaws in the kitchen!

A couple of mentions of Filipino Adobo gave me cravings, so tonight was Pork Adobo with local veggies - steamed young carrots and green beans, a few tiny tomatoes off my container plants. And rice, of course!

Not sure if this is helpful at all. I usually use the basic Banana Bread recipe at Simply Recipes for my banana bread. I think cooking time is influenced by how many bananas I use. I usually just use two bananas and I add a cup of walnuts or pecans. I reduce the temp from 350 to 325 (I do usually follow that rule of reducing by 25F when I use the CSO or my bigger convection oven) and I find that I need to cook the bread for at least 45 mins most times. I'm pretty sure if I use three bananas or two really large ones, it needs an extra five minutes cooking time or so.

Mmmm! All your meals look lovely. And so does this pie! Do you pick your own blueberries or do you have a fave source for purchasing them? They say there is a big blueberry glut in BC this year and I am finding the berries aren't as good as other years. Is it just me? I have bought some in the grocery stores (because the price has just been so good) from both the Lower Mainland and from the Island. The taste has been a bit insipid, I like my blueberries to have a bit of tartness. We do have some local growers here (mid-Island), I'll be buying some of theirs tomorrow and hope to be happier with those. But I wonder about your experience.

thanks, @blue_dolphin! I just ordered one. I'm a southpaw and I'm tired of having to use my Classic Thermapen in my right hand, so have been thinking of getting the newer version for a while.