FauxPas

Making lasagne here for the two of us and a small group of neighbours. I steam-roasted tomatoes and made the ragu yesterday so will do the assembly and bake them this evening. We'll start with a Caesar salad and shrimp. I made a couple of lemon-lime cheesecakes last night in the Instant Pot and will serve that with a raspberry coulis (with some Grand Marnier). Not the most inventive menu but we haven't made lasagne for awhile and it seemed a popular choice.

We are almost always in Canada for Canadian Thanksgiving and in the US for American Thanksgiving, both usually featuring turkey. So when we get to Christmas, we often don't want more turkey.

Last minute dithering and just the two of us for Xmas dinner meant I ended up picking up a boneless prime rib from Trader Joe's. Somehow it didn't really connect that it was $11.99 per pound! Holy cow, raised on rare grasses and dusted with saffron! it better be good. In the oven now. We eat late, compared to others. CSO is steam-baking some small mixed potatoes (red, white, purple) and steaming some broccoli and cauliflower on the side. And we have a can of Spotted Dick for dessert! I think it came from the local Fry's/Kroger. Surprised to see it in their import/British section. The best thing today so far was the jerky our neighbour made and gifted to us - it is amazing and I usually despise the stuff.

It's hard to see the actual design, but I did admire, and wonder, about the shower walls. Can you explain more about that design/process?

@weinoo, what kind of fridge is that?

I like the way you wrapped the subway tile around on the left side of the window. And the pegboard on the other side is a terrific use of space. Handy storage! Overall, that kitchen looks to have an amazing amount of varied storage. I bet you are going to be happy working in there! I also really like the flooring in your shower. A larger walk-in shower is so much more convenient than a tub/shower combo, in my book.

@weinoo, it looks spectacular! You did a wonderful job on design. I really like how light and bright it looks, important to me in a kitchen. I'm not sure about your actual square footage, but that kitchen looks very spacious! Love the white cabinets AND ALL THOSE DRAWERS! I have never had enough drawers. How long is that kitchen? Wonderful to have two big pantry storage cabinets in there. I know it's been a hassle and slower than you hoped, but it really does look good. And the not-quite-square-and-level surprises happened to us at times even in newer homes. Can I get you to redesign my kitchen? And can we get final pics when the last bits are complete? Any chance of a final pic of the bathroom? Happy Holiday cooking in your new kitchen!

I didn't see it in use! It reminds me of those RV cutting boards that just fit over the top of the sink. We had a big double sink in the kitchen and another by the pantry, so we really didn't need this one. But as far as I know, that sink in the butler's pantry does work and is just covered to increase the counter space.

I think it's well worth a visit. Texas Canyon is a pretty area, the museum is interesting and some of their events are fun. I need to go back to see the museum exhibits and the gallery. And I would go back for another cooking class! Debbie was in Italy recently and will do an Italian meal for her next class, so they aren't all southwestern or Mexican.

And a few pics of the museum store. They don't want people to take detailed photos of the actual items in the store or the museum exhibit area, so this is just the entrance way area of the store. It's a pretty building.

Once the dessert tamales were in their steamer (about 1 hour), we went to work on a Green Corn Tamale Pie with Fresh Pineapple Salsa. The salsa was very good, with some diced fresh pineapple and chopped cilantro, red onion, jalapenos. A few tablespoons of lime juice, S & P if desired and mixed together. These jalapenos were quite hot, but no one minded. This salsa tasted so much better than it looks in these photos!!! Sorry about the crappy quality, the colours are really off. The tamale pie consists of a masa mix with sweet corn kernels, milk, lots of shredded cheddar cheese and roasted, diced green chiles (preferably medium to hot). This is spread in a baking dish and is then topped with even more shredded cheese, this time a Monterey Jack. And finally we test a tamale to see if it's done. Yes, the banana leaf is peeling off easily, it's time to eat! I guess I was too hungry to get pics of the final tamale pie and dessert tamales! Sorry. And again, my cell phone didn't take the best pictures.

Next, the fun part - filling, wrapping and tying the tamales. Spread some masa in the centre of the banana leaf, add a spoonful of meat mixture, fold up in a packet and tie. They are so cute! These go into a big steamer on the stovetop for 1 to 1.25 hrs. Next up is a blue corn tamale with lamb and green chile. These are wrapped in corn husks, which have been soaking in hot water. I couldn't take pictures of all the following steps, because I was too busy chopping, wrapping or stirring. Lamb cubes were sauteed with green chile powder, salt and cumin. Some broth was added and all was simmered. More roasted green chiles were cut into strips. The blue corn masa was spread on the corn husk, followed by some lamb cubes and a couple of strips of chile, and more wrapping, but with a simple fold and no tie. Into another steamer for 45 mins to 1 hour. We make a third tamale, also in corn husk. This is the dessert tamale and the masa mix includes sugar, coconut milk and coconut cream, baking powder, cinnamon and melted butter. Again, we spread some mix on the corn husks and add the rum-soaked raisins, then wrap and tie at each end.

First up is the Tamales de Cambray, which we decide to do in banana leaves. Because of the limited class time (about four hours), our instructor (Chef Debbie) and her assistants have done some prep for us. But we peel the roasted chilies and tomatoes and slice and dice them. The chilies are pureed with some garlic. A mix of tomatoes, onions, garlic, raisins, capers, chopped green olives, plantains and spices (guajillo chile powder, thyme, marjoram) is heated on the stovetop. Three kinds of meat have been pre-cooked for us (flank steak, pork, chicken). We prep the banana leaves by trimming the vein, wiping them down, cutting into 12 inch squares and briefly running them over the gas burners' flame. Smaller pieces are peeled into narrow strips for ties. The saucepan contents and chilies are added to the meat mix. At the same time, the masa mix is in the blender. Masa, water, lard, some broth from the cooked meat and some additional stock, plus salt. And a bottle of rum is passed around. Ha, just kidding! Though we were all working pretty hard and felt deserving. The rum was added to some raisins, which were left to soak for our dessert tamales.

I recently discovered the Amerind Museum. Despite spending a considerable amount of time in the Tucson area over the last ten years, I had never been to this interesting museum in Dragoon, AZ, about an hour's drive SE. But about a month ago, I caught sight of a description of some of their cooking classes and after a brief phone call, I bought a membership and signed up for one of the classes. The class description: Amerind’s Annual Holiday Tamale Class December 16 and 17, 2017 This year we will prepare delicate Oaxacan Tamales de Cambray and a sweet coconut milk and raisin tamale, both steamed in banana leaves. Also New Mexico Pueblo blue corn lamb tamales and our favorite classic green corn tamale pie served with fresh pineapple salsa will be served.Class Menu:Tamales de Cambray: A delicate tamale from the Juchitan region, in the southern part of Oaxaca. A combination of shredded pork and flank steak and chicken is mixed with, plantain, raisins, olives, green chile, and spices, all steamed in a banana leaf or corn husk. Blue corn lamb tamales: Small chunks of lamb, chile, and spices fill blue corn meal masa steamed in corn husk. Our favorite Green corn tamale pie: Fresh sweet corn, green chile and cheese baked to perfection and served with fresh pineapple salsa. Tamales de Dulce: Fresh masa mixed with coconut milk, sugar, and cinnamon with a golden raisin filling steamed in a banana leaf. I've since discovered that the Amerind is a museum, an archaeological research center and an art gallery. But they also offer cooking classes! A friend and I set out on an unusually rainy morning and arrived at Dragoon and Texas Canyon mid-morning. It was a bit wet and cold and I took few pictures outside, but you can see some photos at the museum's web site and read more about how the ranch evolved, its buildings and architecture, etc. And here is one side of the kitchen (freezer and sinks/dishwasher on the other side) and butler's pantry and then the dining room, all part of the original ranch residence. I wish I had included the walk-in pantry. Next: We make some tamales!

It's because they are so prolific that I approached this book with a bit of caution; hard to believe that they can be 'experts' on so many things so quickly. It's true that they haven't approached things the same way you have. I would not have bought the book at full price, but for $2.99, I think I can get something useful out of it. I see the price is back up to $14.99 for the Kindle version now, and I doubt many of us would pay that.

I think Jo's sense of humour may not have come through very well.

That's weird, also. I live half the year in Canada and checked the price on Amazon.ca earlier and i know it was less than that. Maybe $89 or something? (Still way too much!!!) :-) Crazy, eh? It's jumped up again by another $10! I"m seeing that now, also. I did want one of the minis, so I'm glad I jumped when I did, but I bet it will be down again over Christmas.

Ha, yes the lids are back! I asked to be notified by Amazon when they were back in stock and just got an email a few minutes ago, so ordered one pronto! Thanks for checking on the price, I was wondering what others would see. It's odd that the lower price was only there for such a short while.

The Instant Pot Mini (3 qt) is on sale again on Amazon for $49.99. I bought one this time! Instant Pot Mini No glass lid available right now, though - all sold out. Sigh. Weird! I just looked on Amazon again and now it's showing $59.99. I checked my order and they charged me $49.99. It was only 10 or 15 mins ago that I ordered. What do other people see for a price?

@Thanks for the Crepes, so sorry to hear about your fall. I hope you will be free of the chair soon! And you really should have some in-home support until then. I'm also wondering how you will do shopping. @David Ross, I am also very sorry to hear about your further injury and illness. I hope you are recovering well. How is your arm?

I didn't either! Or if i did, it didn't really sink in. I just happened to be browsing on iGourmet and was looking at their Norwegian gift baskets and saw their description of it as a whey cheese. Remembering the discussion of what to do with whey, I looked a bit further and found several references to making the cheese.

Back to whey. You can make other cheeses from it. I've never done this (and it looks time-consuming), but here are some references to making a Scandinavian style cheese (gjetost from goat's milk, prim-ost or mysost when made from cow's milk). We often had Ski Queen gjetost in the house when I was a kid, but not everyone liked it as it has a caramel-type flavour, sweetish rather than the usual salty cheese tang. Maybe you've had that cheese? The first link mentions making this style of cheese from leftover yogurt-making. There's also a mention (and a link) in the second article about making Mexican dulce de leche from whey. http://blog.cheesemaking.com/prim-ost-anyone/ https://joybileefarm.com/make-gjetost-whey/

Damn, that all looks SO good!

I'm intrigued by the Thermomix, but not sure I need one. But it's great that you give a heads up and a discount for eGullet, that's very generous! How would anyone here who is interested follow up? And are there model numbers, is it fairly new?

A couple of books geared toward Japanese cooking on the Amazon US site and I'm a Prime member: Japanese Hot Pots: Comforting One Pot Meals for $1.99 US Ramen at Home: The Easy Japanese Cookbook for Classic Ramen and Bold New Flavors for $1.99 US I can't evaluate them really except to say that they both seem to get a lot of good reviews.