FauxPas

Had this whole plan to show the evolution of our leftovers. We had Mexican Pot Roast with beans and tortillas a few nights ago, I shared that photo. Then we had some of that chuck roast with mashed potatoes and lovely steamed veggies another night. I was sure I took photos of that meal, but it turned out I didn't have the memory card in the SLR camera. You would think I might have noticed while I was supposedly snapping away, but NO, not me! 🙂 Anyway, the third iteration is Tamale Pie, using the bean mixture, adding a bit of corn and fresh sweet/hot peppers and topping with cornbread. That was tonight's dinner and enough left over for lunch or even tomorrow's dinner. I know all the corn in this post will horrify @liuzhou, for which I will not apologize. 🙂 And I put some sugar in my cornbread, but not a lot. I know some folks think that is pretty disgusting. 😈 Tamale pie has to have olives, says my husband, who loves the real tamales that contain an olive 'surprise'.

Do people here use glass cookware in their CSO? I have some glass baking dishes, Anchor-Hocking or similar, which are rated OK for conventional ovens but they usually warn against using them under broilers and I think I have seen some warnings against using them in toaster ovens. Does that warning exist only because of the small size of some toaster ovens and would it be considered safer to use them at moderate temps in the CSO (or larger Brevilles, for that matter)? I have used them a time or two, but I certainly don't want any exploding glass.

Do you cook filets often? Is that your usual method? I think they are tricky to cook. Were you happy with results?

Your filet looks exquisite. How did you cook it? Which veggies did you use? Any special prep? I liked my last apple cider glaze a lot.

Just ordered the cart, I want my shelf space back and I am pretty sure I can make the floor space in the pantry work if I rearrange things!

I keep a 6 qt and a 3 qt Instant Pot in this house in the pantry, but I deeply resent losing that shelf space at times AND it's a pain to carry them out to the kitchen counter when I want to use them. I like the idea of the cart because both the IPs and some of their accessories could be stored somewhere else. But I don't really have convenient floor space for the cart in the kitchen. However, if I could clean out the floor space in the pantry where I store some excess cleaning products/supplies I think I could fit the cart in there. And it would be super convenient to just roll the cart out and plug it into an outlet just outside the pantry when I want to use it. And I would have my shelf space back. Must take another look at that pantry space again tomorrow!

Tucson has a Jamaican restaurant I've been to that always has goat on the menu. I love their Jerk Chicken so that's what I go for, but the goat is there and seems fairly popular. So is Ackee and Codfish, which is traditional Jamaican but I'm afraid of the potential toxins in the unripe fruit. I don't know if I can trust them to only use properly ripened fruit and I sure don't want a case of Jamaican Vomiting Sickness. Call me a wuss, if you wish. 🙂 The meat and beans cook together in that recipe and I think it would have been just fine if it had been pressure-cooked instead of slow-cooked. As it was, the recipe said slow-cook on low for 8-10 hours and I didn't want to wait ten hours so kept it on slow-cooker mode but turned it up to high. I'm glad I did because the beans were barely soft enough after eight hours. If I was just cooking beans, I would probably pressure cook them!

Hard to post right after @Nicolai! 🙂 We started last night with a Tequila Negroni. Used the Instant Pot's slow-cooker mode to make this Mexican Beef with Lime Crema and Pinto Beans from Serious Eats. I used Rancho Gordo's Rio Zape beans. We liked the seasoning blend. Nice with some avocado and tomato.

This is for @Kerry Beal. I don't usually take photos in restaurants, but we went to a new Tucson restaurant, Tito & Pep, and I decided to try the pork chop. Completely agree with Kerry that a good pork chop is sometimes hard to find. This one was mesquite-grilled. The smartphone photo doesn't show the pink very clearly, but it was pretty much perfectly done, with a lovely quince puree, hazelnuts on top. We also had their roasted carrot starter, which reminded me of Ottolenghi dishes. Roasted carrots, lebne, sunflower and pomegranate seeds with a lot of herbs. Too much dill for my liking, but tasty otherwise. Didn't take photos of the calamari or my husband's shrimp dish.

Unfortunately, the Desert Rain Café in Sells has closed. However, it has reopened in Ajo, AZ, although with limited opening hours. Further from Tucson, but still a nice town to visit, one that has made some real efforts to establish an arts community. An interesting Arts Residency program at the Sonoran Desert Inn & Conference Center, for example. http://www.sonorancc.com/sonoran-arts-residency/

Yeah, I paid about the same as you! 🙂

Is it safe to eat Romaine again? 😮

Ugh. Sorry, I didn't think to check the Canadian site. 😞

The Instant Pot Duo Mini (3 quart) is on sale at Amazon US for $44.96 today.

Instant Pot Duo Mini (3 qt) is on sale at Amazon for $44.96.

NY Times has a fun article on slightly obsessed cookie-makers, Cookiers. Also a couple of photos of decorated cookies and a recipe for chocolate sugar cookie dough and Royal Icing. The links at the end of the article connect to other articles on making and decorating cookies. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/04/dining/sugar-cookiers.html?action=click&module=Editors Picks&pgtype=Homepage

I find it hard to motivate myself to make cookies also, even though my husband loves it when I do - and I usually enjoy the results also! 🙂 Still, it's VERY rare that I make cookies these days. I really liked the idea of these simple Xmas light cookies at Christina Lane's Dessert for Two blog, but not sure if I will get it together and actually make them. Even if I don't make them, I enjoyed the read. She's pretty funny when she's describing how this recipe should work for very young assistants who will be helping with the decorating: If you want to make these with your kids, first grab a glass of wine. Okay, I’m kidding. But not really. I suggest baking the cookies ahead of time and letting them cool completely before you tell your kid(s) that cookies are in the house. If I’ve learned anything about having a kid in the last 2.5 years, it’s that you don’t tell a kid something exciting is happening until it is actually happening that very second. Or, you spend 3 (or 30 hours) telling them why they have to wait.

We went to Thanksgiving Dinner at a friend's house and I was asked to bring a veggie dish, preferably sweet potatoes for a gathering of a dozen people. I am not a fan of some of the super-sweet dishes, so decided on mixed roast veggies. I pre-cooked some sweet potato slices and golden beets to get them started, then diced them along with carrots and a couple of crisp apples, tossed all with olive oil and roasted at 425F. Used some reduced apple cider to glaze them a couple of times. Simple, but really good and quite attractive. I was going to add some pomegranate arials at the end, but ran out of time for pom seeding. 😞 Veggies had a bit of sweetness but not overwhelming. I will make this again for Christmas, if we do a traditional meal.

We grilled steaks night before, so last night I used the leftover meat to make fajitas. Sometimes I put a bit of cheese on top, sour cream and salsa on side.

I get that, KIm! Sometimes I put the sauce on the side in a bowl and the pasta separate with a bit of oil, because I like the taste of the plain pasta as well as the two mixed together. And sometimes I cook the sauce into the pasta a bit. My husband likes it that way with some sauces. I also like to make extra pasta and sauce, mix the two together and bake them with some mixed cheese on top for dinner the next day. I really try NOT to let my husband know about Moe's breakfasts, for fear he will expect the same!!! 😮 🙂

Oh Ann, that's the kind of drama no one wants! I hope Moe is recovering OK. I'm hoping it didn't burst and/or produce clots, but I don't entirely understand that type of aneurysm. I'm sure your lovely food will help him and I bet he's very happy to be home! That soup and bread looks so lovely, it represents a warm and welcoming hearth.

I didn't do this for a long time and then one morning, while I was still half-asleep, turned on the disposal and woke up fast! That is the worst noise! And I had to throw that spoon out, it was deformed. 🙂

We really need an emoji that combines laughing with looking sad. 🤔

Your dinner photo gave me a craving so I made similar for dinner tonight, though my crappy smartphone pic doesn't do it justice. Not as nice looking as your ham, but it was still tasty! And I don't know why the potatoes look so strangely orange in the picture. Or why the mustard looks so menacing.

Plum sauce! https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2010/07/chinese-plum-sauce-recipe.html