FauxPas

I hope you will share some of the details of this labour of love, @chromedome. It sounds like it will be quite a challenge. And I'm sorry to hear about your father. I hope your mom is coping OK.

Well, it was Ground beef and Green peas, right?

Anna, I put it in a big bowl with a bit of water and microwave it for a couple of minutes. Then drain and put in freezer bags. And yeah, it's perfect for things like lasagne or soups.

It wasn't that i couldn't distinguish the taste, it was my memory or my typing. I typed 'tomato' even while thinking 'peppers'.

Agreed, and this was the weakest part of the pizza for us. My husband called it cardboardy and too thin and flat and I think I would agree. And yet I really like a thin crust at times. But I would encourage people to at least give it a try. It's not expensive and if the toppings appeal, it may not be a bad thing to have in your freezer in a pinch. The toppings weren't bad.

Mine is so BORING! But I grabbed some ground beef along with several unlabeled items in freezer bags. I put the blueberries back, ha. But also had some frozen mixed peppers I had chopped up, some frozen cooked Rancho Gordo pinto beans and some tomatoes that I had steam-baked, peeled and then froze. Also had some frozen spinach (leftover from a huge bag or two of fresh baby spinach from Costco). I thought about lasagne, but decided on a slow cooked chili since I had stuff to do this afternoon and put the spinach back in the freezer. So beef and beans work for the basic challenge, right? I only have a top freezer here but it gets filled fast because there's a big ice maker in there. I love my ice and put it in water, milk, extra in chocolate milk and use lots for iced teas. I also put lots of ice in wine - both red and white and some of you may stop reading right now and vow never to share vino with me. Here's the Instant Pot photo. I'm sure it will look more appetizing in a bowl with some cheese and fresh tomato or something. I'm pretty sure it's going to taste good, though.

We recently tried the Pizza Greco Roman and neither of us thought it was worth a repeat. It was just barely OK overall, though the toppings (kalamata olives, feta, tomato) weren't terrible. Edited to add: I think the final topping was peppers, not tomatoes! The TJ's Battered Halibut makes very decent fish tacos if you are rushed for time but want something with a bit of colour. Here is last night's dinner, using the TJ's halibut. Some homemade Pico de Gallo, Mexican crema, and shredded cabbage (from a coleslaw mix, ha). Heat up the tortillas and serve with some hot sauce. Not bad!

I hope you'll let us know how you like it!

I have never used a Max Burton, but I have a single-element Aroma induction model. It's only 1500 watts and really can't compare to the full stovetop elements at all. The Aroma (which I still use occasionally) is underpowered and doesn't heat the outer edges of pans nearly as well as the stovetop ones.

I should add that I bought that Kenmore induction range in Canada. At the same time, they were selling an Electrolux that looked very similar in some ways and the Kenmore looked like a stripped-down version. Still, it had everything I wanted. And I have to say that the broiler on mine works just fine, in contrast to the CR video. One of the rear burners does lack power, but I tend to use it for simmering and it works perfectly in that context. Mine also has a warming area. I've been really pleased with it.

I would pick induction over regular electric glass-top in a heartbeat. The clean up is so much easier, the speed of heating, the lack of extra heat in warm weather. I can't think of any reason to stay with the regular one. There might be a chance of getting a faulty circuit board or something but that should usually show up within the warranty period. The Kenmore model you link to is very similar to the one I have in our other house, though mine is a couple of years old. I bought it just before they introduced the newer model and so they reduced the price to $900 or so. It was a great deal. I bought the 5 year extended warranty (which I would very rarely do) because the extra $200 or so would be less than the cost of most repairs and if I don't use the warranty, I can apply the cost of it against a future purchase at Sears. @weedy, I believe the Kenmore model was (is) actually manufactured by Electrolux.

@JoNorvelleWalker, It's really annoying, isn't it? Amazon's prices can fluctuate quite a bit and you really have to check different colours on products because sometimes one colour will be considerably less than others. That is certainly the case with these spoons. When I checked all the colours, the prices varied from $16 to $33 with a couple in between. Amazon price trackers like Camel Camel Camel (camelcamelcamel.com) can be useful to see how a product's price has fluctuated over time. Some observers suggest that Amazon prices increase just before they can be 'reduced' for Black Friday and Christmas 'sales.' I haven't followed enough products to notice that. Here is your spoon's price data (the orange one). http://camelcamelcamel.com/GIR-Premium-Silicone-Ultimate-Inches/product/B00OLDSDXS

How much did this duck weigh, if you remember?

Thanks, @chefmd! I took advantage of this to save 10%. A little Xmas gift to myself, ha. Thanks for sharing!

I'm now craving jalapeño mustard. Was there a link to a recipe in the preserving thread or was that your own version, @Shelby?

It really was tasty! @Cyberider also posted a version called Hawaiian Mango Bread with macadamia nuts, coconut and raisins, but his post disappeared for some reason. (Maybe another glitch with the new software here?) Perhaps he will try posting it again. I used about 3 small ataulfo (honey) mangoes. I say "about" that many, because part of one became my snack while I was preparing the bread, ha. I used a basic banana bread recipe for the starting point, like this one from Simply Recipes. I would follow @Cyberider's suggestion to leave some chunks and not purée it all.

@Cyberider mentioned mango bread, and I made a version based on the standard banana bread recipe. I used mango purée instead of banana, a bit of Grand Marnier liqueur instead of vanilla and added a bit of orange zest and a lot of walnuts. I was out of pecans, else they would have been my first choice. I used some whole wheat flour as well as white. It turned out pretty good though next time I would not have puréed all the mango, but rather left some in small chunks. I'll definitely make it again and try some other variations.

@Okanagancook, I think I know what you mean. Sometimes there are too many choices! I love the idea of picking one cookbook and using it for a week. If you have a hard time deciding which cookbook to use, maybe get someone else in the household to pick one that appeals to them. That way, they are invested in the choice and more likely to help out with shopping and prepping, etc. One week is enough that you should be able to make good use of any specialty items you have to purchase, but not so long that you get tired of them, ha.

@Okanagancook, I'd like to try Jacques Pépin's method of pre-poaching the ham (and his glaze sounds tasty, also!): https://ww2.kqed.org/jpepinheart/2015/08/27/smoked-ham-glazed-with-maple-syrup/

Fresh tomato vinaigrette - grated or puréed tomato, red or white wine vinegar, garlic, some herbs, oil. Can be sweetened. Salt to taste, etc. Citrus vinaigrette - fresh orange or red grapefruit juice, white wine vinegar, honey, garlic, herb of choice, oil. Can be spiced with a bit of heat. Fresh berry or fruit vinaigrette - crushed and strained berries or puréed fruit (mango, eg), white wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar, oil, herb(s) of choice, sugar or honey, maybe lemon or lime juice, etc. Occasionally, I make blue cheese dressing with LOTS of blue cheese, sour cream or yogurt or buttermilk, mayo.

Your cellar is going to be very well equipped! Do you have a sink down there? If so, you'll be in pretty good shape while the reno is underway.

I haven't tried the Kirkland ones, but Penzey's has both Mexican and Madagascar vanilla beans for $8.99. https://www.penzeys.com/online-catalog/vanilla-bean-mexican/c-24/p-1486/pd-s

The size difference is very noticeable. I find the Anova somewhat big and clumsy and keep thinking about the Joule. But the Anova was recently $99 and the Joule is twice that and I just can't justify buying the latter right now at that price. But the Joule does look very elegant. Does it circulate the water just as well?

Mmmm! This really sounds tasty, and looks lovely, too. Good job, Shelby!

I'd really like to make a mango bread - do you have a recipe you could share, by any chance? Or anyone else?