Shel_B

This popped up when I was watching some YouTube videos. Some of these things look like they may be useful for some folks at some time. I like the carrot slicer and the hand pie maker ... anything appeal to you, even if just for curiosity's sake? https://www.youtube.com/shorts/3lRrkJfnfM8?feature=share

TJ's has some decent cheeses and some good deals. I sometimes purchase Reggiano there both for convenience and the smaller size pieces which are easier to grate in some situations. Mostly I buy Stravecchio at Costco (it's always available) as it's only $12.99 per lb. Gotta buy a big chunk, though, about 1.5 lbs. Some years back, our local Whole Foods had a wheel of 54-month-old Reggiano and was selling chunks at a very good price ... Mr. Plastic did his job well that day. Reggiano Trivia: The oldest wheel ever opened was 23 years old. It was opened at a charity event in Barcelona in November of 2023.

That's nice. I've been looking for some variety in my sandos, and this is inspiring, esp. with the beans as I've just recently started exploring and experimenting with them. Did you use actual Parmesan cheese or a Reggiano. The crystallization suggests to me Reggiano, but maybe an older Parmesan?

I don't eat bacon much ... maybe once a year, if that, ergo, I don't know much about bacon. I do, however, sometimes cook with it, and when I need some bacon for cooking I buy just what I need from one of the nearby butchers or meat markets. At the most, it's usually it's just two or three strips. That said, I was at Costco recently and noticed that they had two brands of center cut bacon on offer. The bacon seemed leaner ... more meaty ... than the bacon I typically see. Is center cut bacon always meatier or leaner?

Bob's polenta, made creamy-style with melted and chunked banana, fresh blueberries, and Ethiopian French press coffee.

I love it: The hunter with his trusty Siamese Retriever.

On Saturday, I went out to dinner with a friend. We ate at a nearby Peruvian restaurant in part because Rebecca had never tried Peruvian food and I wanted to share the experience with her. I was looking for some new taste experiences for myself as well. The new experience was dessert: Lúcuma ice cream. Lúcuma is the fruit of a tree that grows in the Andean valleys of Bolivia, Ecuador, Chile and Peru. Even though I spent some time in Peru, and had a Peruvian lady friend, I never tasted lúcuma. I learned that the pulp of the fruit itself has a subtly sweet flavor and is somewhat dry with a mealy texture. In powder form, it is said that lúcuma tastes like butterscotch and sweet potato with undertones of maple syrup or caramel. The ice cream we shared had just that flavor profile and was quite delicious. I strongly suspect it was made with the powder. Overall, a nice treat that has instilled a desire to explore and experiment with lúcuma some more. Lúcuma reminds me somewhat of Candy Cap Mushrooms which have a strong maple flavor and aroma. Their extract is often used in desserts like ice cream, cakes, and cookies.

I came across this recently while looking for meat choices to make a pot roast or beef stew: Let me start by saying I've only braised or stewed beef twice in my life. I've used pork quite a bit though, and have made chicken numerous times. I've certainly never made a braise or a stew with meat that has been mechanically tenderized ... if that's a correct term for this. So ... What is "Blade tenderized"? Is it when the meat is punctured with needle-like spikes, or is it something else? How does this Costco tenderization effect the cooking results? I suppose the meat is more tender, although it's hard for me to imagine chuck or short ribs needing to be made more tender when being braised. What happens to the texture of the meat when treated in this manner? Is the end result better or worse in any way? Might the meat fall apart more easily, get stringier, etc. How might cooking time, temp, or technique need to be addressed?

I'm compelled to ask: how do you file or keep your recipes? Is there a thread here on storing recipes?

That looks great!

Peet's has a "Small Batch" subscription program in which I'm taking part. Each month I get a pound of coffee, each different and, thus far, enjoyable and interesting. For me, however, the pound doesn't last but about three weeks. I've been supplementing my subscription by buying interesting-looking coffee at TJ's. It's a price thing as well as a way of exploring and possibly discovering a jewel of a blend. This was my recent purchase at $8.99 for 13 ounces. It's one of the nicer TJ's coffees I've tried. More complex and aromatic than the others, with subtle hints of, I think, blueberry and citrus. If you're looking for a budget coffee that punches above its weight class, this blend is worth considering. Or, if you just want a good cuppa Joe, regardless of price, this is worth a look, tool. In any case, I like it ... 👍

I've not observed that. Time passes, I asked a friend and she wrote back: I know we can make phone calls inside Costco because I've had to call Ron to see which aisle he's at. Also, he's used the internet to see what Amazon is charging for a similar product.

There is another farm in the general area and I plan to contact them after the weekend when my upcoming schedule is better established. If I go, it's for me, not for a "commitment to the cause," whatever that cause may be.

The peppers have arrived, and at a great time. The meat for the dish I want to try them in is defrosting as I type. Eagerly waiting to give 'em a try. They smell great ... nice and smokey, but not quite as intense as my recent chipotle purchase. These appear to be a good alternative to chipotles, appearing to be closer to the morita than the meco. From what I've read, they're not quite as hot as chipotles, so that could be a good thing for some people and for some recipes. So, @blue_dolphin, thanks again for tip. These will be a great addition to my cooking.

The Wasabi growers never got back to me. I called - twice - and sent them a message through their online contact form. I would love to go down there. A friend was going to accompany me, and she is somewhat disappointed that I've not heard back.

Hassan's Eggs: Based on a recipe from Sami Tamimi's father, Hassan, these are boiled and halved eggs drizzled with Cugini's EVOO and lemon juice, sprinkled with Diamond Crystal salt, Quang Tri black pepper, a locally-made (Oaktown Spice Shop) Za'atar blend, and a mixture of Urfa and Aleppo pepper flakes. Nice with a dark, rich Ethiopian coffee and leftover pita bread to sop up the juices.

This morning I enjoyed a bowl of cornmeal porridge with Kampot black pepper and a bit of pecorino romano, Panamanian Don Bosco coffee, and fresh, home made spinach and apple juice, nice and cold.

I decided to try some other cornmeal and polentas, not just for the recipe posted in this thread but for other cooking adventures as well. Apart from the Italian polenta mentioned upthread, I ordered some fine and coarse yellow cornmeal from Anson Mills as well as some of their polenta. It'll be nice, and hopefully educational, to compare three brands and six variants of the product. Just how different can ground corn be? I'll find out ...

Fair enough ... I've been making this recipe for several years, and have used Bob's medium grind and Bob's polenta for this and my other corn meal needs. However, the recipe specifically calls for a finer grind (Quaker!) and I'd like to try it with a finer grind. Sure, I can use Quaker, but I prefer not to. It would be my last choice. https://youtu.be/kO9P89V9_qY I've ordered a fine and coarser grade of Italian polenta to experiment with. My results with the coarser corn meal and polenta have been good, but maybe the finer grind will give a better result. Quite likely something different. Hadn't thought about whizzing the polenta or medium grind in the processor or blender. Good suggestion. Will do!

Great link ... that's the old Alton that I loved!

Not a chance. As noted in my original post, there are other options available to me. Thanks for the link ... might come in handy some day.

Frankly, that was my suspicion, but I was hoping that there was just a new name for the old product. Damn.

I remember using Bob's Fine Grind corn meal. I can no longer find locally or online. Bob does show a corn flour. Might this be substituted for fine corn meal, or is it essentially just fine corn meal? There are other acceptable options that I can use, but my preference is to stay with Bob's in this case if possible.

@JeanneCake ... My current BSOP replaced a Breville Mini oven, but before giving the small unit to a neighbor, I had both. The small unit fit atop the larger one, and for a short time I had both. Vertical space was a non-issue, although having both on the counter top space available to me was not happening. Is your situation that you could do something similar?