Shel_B

There was a slight delay in getting these picked as there was some wet weather that prevented the harvest. I'm looking forward to some great oranges this year. I once had a neighbor who had an orange tree, and I tred some unripe oranges. They were more like lemons in their taste and astringency, and they worked as a nice alternative to lemons in some instances. If you ever get a chance to taste an unripe orange, give it a try and see what you think.

Thanks for that. I checked my recipe files and, indeed, all the ink recipes call for squid. Don't know why I was thinking octopus other than, perhaps, because I recently watched a documentary about an octopus (My Octopus Teacher, Netflix).

Is there any advantage over getting time and temp dialed in and using a better technique?

@ElsieD Is there any difference between cuttlefish ink and octopus ink for cooking purpses?

Nice soup, nice bowl.

Organic Satsuma Mandarin Oranges From Masa Organics. Capay Valley, California I get a box or two from this grower every year, often along with some raw, organic almonds and their excellent brown rice. Received my annual CARE package earlier today and the Satsumas are being enjoyed ... slowly ... for lunch.

Might lower temp and longer baking time correct this issue? I've been baking at 375-f, maybe drop to 350-f and add some time?

Many times I have looked Death in the eye, and Death blinked. I have, however, always feared my mother's cooking <shudder> Her notorious "Smoke Alarm Meatballs" brought terror to the residents our quiet neighborhood.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/how-to-make-death-dinner-black-banquet? It’s the year 89. A group of Roman senators has arrived at a banquet hosted by Emperor Domitian. Instead of a warm, convivial scene of free-flowing wine and comfortable couches, they find a totally black room, from the walls to the dishes. At each of their seats stands a personalized tombstone. Boys, naked and painted black, enter “like phantoms” and dance about the room. And the food? Not only is it black as well, but the menu consists of foods typically offered to the dead. According to the third-century historian Dio Cassius, who provides the sole account of the dinner in his Roman History, the effect was pure terror. As they tucked into their meal, their host talked “only upon topics relating to death and slaughter.” Each senator, Dio writes, “feared and trembled and was kept in constant expectation of having his throat cut the next moment.”

I don't bake much, and my skills and knowledge are pretty basic. When I have baked my cornbread in an 8x8 pan, the center rises higher than the edges. What causes that? Can it be prevented?

Everything I've read (not very much) about this subject suggests that an emulsifier is used to hold things together. From one source: I am not sure this is indeed the complete list of ingredients, especially because there is nothing inside to bind the pasta and prevent it from falling apart. Is it possible that Italian law allows producers to leave out ingredients if used in very small amounts? Many binders are added in sub-percent ratios. Besides, it doesn't say what was done to the corn. It could be in the form of modified starch, and you can never know what exactly they did to the starch to get it to glue together.

This is my Everyday Cornbread, based on a back-of-the-box recipe from Bob's Redmill and modified for my preferences. This is the cornbread I can make in my sleep using the countertop oven. It is made with Bob's organic medium grind cornmeal soaked in buttermilk. The batter was made with lightly browned butter and a hint of black pepper was added. Also added was a small can of not-too-hot, well-drained, Trader Joe's Hatch chilies. It's been a while since I made this, and I'm pleased with the way it turned out. I'm enjoying it right now with a cup of Ethiopian coffee.

No. I was surprised by how well it held up. However, the outer stainless shell was grossly discolored and the bottom of the pot became quite rough. The pan no longer moved smoothly over the hob. The bottom of the interior was partially covered with what looked like carbon, but it seemed like it was embedded or mixed with the stainless. It couldn't be removed with the techniques I knew. The area not damaged by this carbon-like element was grossly discolored and looked like a light bronze color, quite similar to the exterior bronzing on the side of the pot. It broke my heart to see such a nice pan meet such a sad demise.

I finally got around to trying the pizza for lunch today, and in general, I liked it. I have to get the baking time adjusted as it came out a bit over baked, but the topping and the spiciness were pretty good. I blended some fresh grated Reggiano and Pecorino, mixed in some fresh ground Kashmiri and Calabrian peppers along with some finely flaked Turkish Aleppo, and generously sprinkled it over the pie after removing it from the Breville. Overall, a nice enhancement to a pretty decent topping. I'll definitely buy another one and continue playing with the baking time/temp.

I like your poitive attitude. 😃

I long ago switched from "table salt" to Diamond Crystal as my standard salt. I sometimes use other salts, such as Redmond (https://redmond.life/collections/real-salt) or Malden. But they are not for general cooking. I could always taste something odd about table salt, and when I tried DC many years ago I never looked back. There's no need for iodized salt for most people as there's so much of it in the prepared, frozen, and canned foods that most folks eat that adding it to your cooking and meals is not needed.

Goodbye to an old friend: I wouldn't necessarily call this "fun stuff," but the pot I purchased over the weekend is one I love to use. One of my favorite pots is the All-Clad D5 1.5 quart saucepan. I've had it for years and use it almost every day, sometimes more than once a day. It practically lives on my stovetop. A few days ago I ruined it. Left it on a high burner with some water in it, got distracted, and when I discovered the pot, it was toast. Sadness and depression ensued followed by a visit to Amazon to get a replacement. Amazon said it was unavailable and didn't know when it would return to stock. No big deal, off to All-Clad, where it was also unavailable. Uh Oh, this was getting serious. Further checking led me to Williams-Sonoma where I found it at a very good price. W-S has saved me $$ on All-Clad before. Pot should be here in a couple of days. Resting forlorn in the trash is the old D5. So, is this a fun stuff posting, or just a shopping post, or a sad kitchen tale post?

I want to change the cornmeal/flour ratio, primarily to see if it increases the corn taste and perhaps provide a more rustic texture. I thought I'd use ½ cup of flour and 1½ cups of cornmeal. Will doing this dictate a change in the amount of buttermilk (liquid) used? I am not looking for any other recipes or additions or changes. I have numerous corn muffin and cornbread recipes in my files, but the one on the back of Bob's Red Mill Cornmeal, and referenced above, is the one I'm interested in modifying here. All I want to know is if by changing the percentages of cornmeal and flour if it's advisable to change the amount of liquid.

Bingo! Made a simple Three Sisters Stew for lunch today. I was introduced to succotash in grade school, when I was about 10 yo. Mary, the woman who ran the small lunchroom, would sometimes make a succotash, and I got hooked on it at an early age. I don't make it, or the stews, often enough, as they are fairly simple to make and quite nutritious. In all the time I've frequented cooking sites and forums, your reference to the Three Sisters is one of the very few I've come across unless specifically looking for it.

Here's somewhat of a behind the scenes look at how food is prepared for commercials and print ads,

@Smithy Thanks for that. I have a friend who, if she's not already familiar with the strip, would love it. The link is on its way ...

Watercolor by Vera Lis

Peaches is located in Brooklyn, NY and opened around 2010-2011, IIRC. They are known for the Nashville-style Hothouse chicken.

I see that the menu for Spenger's Fish Grotto in Berkeley, CA is available. Spenger's was, for many, many years, a Berkeley institution, and had a wide-ranging reputation as one of the better Bay Area fish places. It was certainly quite popular, and I enjoyed many meals there. @Smithy The hothouse chicken probably refers to a southern chicken dish. It's basically a brined fried chicken with a bunch of heat, often from cayenne.

This afternoon my building is having a Holiday Potluck. The management is providing a ham and the residents are bringing what they will. Many will buy some items at the local Safeway or Trader Joe’s, but some of us will prepare our own dishes, and I’m among that group. I made roasted Garnet Yams with Lavender-infused Brown Butter and a bit of fresh-ground nutmeg. I got those yams pretty well caramelized, and that worked well with the brown butter. The yams were topped with rough chopped, pan-toasted pecans, and shaken/mixed/topped with just a little sugar and single-origin Korintje Cinnamon. The mixture that didn’t stick to the nuts was sprinkled over the top of the dish. Sadly, the sprinkling wasn’t very even, and there were a couple of spots where my heavy hand was obvious, so aesthetically the dish could have been a little nicer looking. Of course, that means for those who want a somewhat sweeter taste, the option is there. The yams will be served in a vintage CorningWare dish. I love the old CorningWare.