blue_dolphin

I've requested this one at my local library. It's currently "In Transit" so it hasn't hit their shelves yet. When I get it, I would certainly join in.

Welcome, @Smokeydoke! There are many cookbook-obsessed members here. Please join in!

BLT on toasted sourdough The tomato looks sort of anemic in the photo but it's a big yellow pineapple heirloom tomato from the famers market. Very juicy and flavorful.

Nice round-up and nice local library! Thanks for sharing.

I will be curious to hear what people think of the Umami stuff. The idea of a brown paste-like condiment isn't terribly appealing, but I'm still curious. I keep ginger in the freezer - easy to grab and microplane what I need so I don't think I'll spring for that one

Many pressure cooker recipes warn about stirring gently and cautiously after releasing pressure due to the possibility of superheated pockets. I've never had anything worse than the occasional polenta burp and I'm surprised by a huge explosion after a slow, natural release as that time should let the temperature equalize. As far as heating up stock and fat very rapidly with the lid sealed, I don't think there are any safety risks. Depending on the volume, you might get a period of boiling before the pressure builds. The boiling could affect clarity but it doesn't sound like that's a concern for you.

After I suggested above that dried figs would work in that fried chicken liver/balsamic-marinated fig recipe, I went back to check the book and I see that this is NOT one of the recipes that Vivian says are good with dried figs. But I was curious, so I dug some ancient dried figs out of my cupboard, steamed them to soften, cut them up, tossed them in with the leftover marinated figs and put them in the fridge overnight. I tried them this AM, not with the livers, but with some polenta and roasted squash. My conclusion is that the dried figs should work in that recipe. It will be different, as with any dried fruit, it will be a more concentrated burst of flavor but I think still good. Another note on that recipe. I was curious if leftover livers could be reheated so I put 2 in the fridge to cool down and then reheated them in the CSO on steam bake, 375F for 5 or 6 min and they were really good - they were sizzling and the coating was perfect, crispier than when they were first fried. Of course, I didn't test long term storage but it's nice to know they can be fried a little ahead and reheated so nicely.

I finally got around to trying this pot-in-pot method and made a baby batch in a 1 qt pyrex bowl. 1/2 cup coarse corn grits + 2 cups of water + 1/4 t salt + ~ 1t butter. 15 min manual, high pressure, slow release. Perfect - no need to soak or scrape the pot! Thank you, @Anna N!

Instant Pot polenta, roasted delicata squash, balsamic-marinated fresh and dried figs with a little crumbled bacon and blue cheese. I'm pretty sure I didn't need both the bacon and blue cheese but I couldn't decide.

Penzey's has their mini gift boxes on sale for $10 each through tomorrow, Nov. 13. Regular prices for those are $14.79 - $15.95. Not bad for an inexpensive gift item. Also, free shipping kicks in at $20 instead of the usual $30.

Coming to you from well outside my comfort zone, I give you Fried Chicken Livers with Balsamic-Marinated Figs: This was served on greens drizzled with some of the fig marinade and topped with pickled red onion. The seasonings in the buttermilk used to soak and bread the livers were interesting: toasted and ground fennel, cumin and coriander seeds, ground cinnamon, salt & black pepper. It sort took me by surprise at first bite. The figs were marinated with a bit of brown sugar, fresh grated ginger, rosemary, thyme, orange zest, honey, lemon juice and balsamic vinegar. My figs were drop-dead perfectly ripe from yesterday's farmers market and honestly, I think they were wasted here. They're lovely and all that but this treatment would probably work just fine with dried figs, steamed to soften and given a bit more time in the marinade. The combination of flavors and textures here is really wonderful with the rich livers, crisp coating, sweet figs, tart, crunchy pickled onion and fresh, slightly bitter greens (she suggests arugula, I used a mix from TJ's that includes spinach, pak choi and mustard greens. Along with, I opened my last bottle of the nice dry rosé from Rusack vineyards - have to wait until next year for more of that! The recipe calls for 1 lb of livers for 4 servings. Seems like a lot once they're all breaded and fried. I probably polished off close 4 oz worth but my preference would be to serve a smaller portion as a starter.

Yes, that is the only type I have seen. Something new every day!

@shain, what are the little circular things? Is that the pasta? Looks like Cheerios, but I'm pretty sure it's not

That country ham section is interesting. Not something we see around here. Always fun to see regional differences. On the most recent episode of A Chef's Life, "Heavenly Hocks," Vivian takes us to her local Piggly Wiggly where there is an entire aisle of cryovac packets of smoked, salted or dried pig parts - aka "seasoning meat." We get a few such bits and pieces but nothing like the selection they have. Thanks for sharing your finds!

Walking through my local farmers market today, I recall seeing Asian pears, apples, persimmons, pomegranates fresh ginger and several types of guava. I bought some figs and there were some blueberries and raspberries, but expensive. I would think you could source local herbs for things like rosemary, sage or lemon verbena jellies. Not local, but certainly seasonal through the holidays and pretty are cranberries.

You are right, they are small - half the size of the 8 ounce jars that I use for my jam-eating friends - though I don't know anyone who's used a full 4 oz of jam on one piece of toast! If I'm not sure they will like it or I want to give a variety of flavors, especially with more unusual flavor combinations, I find these handy. I have some friends who don't eat much jam but appreciate having some of my little jars on hand to put out when they have house guests.

The little 4 oz quilted jars are a little more expensive ($9.87/dozen currently on Amazon) but you'd be able to make twice as many jars. I like using these little guys for gifts as I can put several flavors into a gift bag.

Should you decide to do this on your return flight, the food at SEA is not as overpriced as many airports - the airport outposts of local restaurants charge the same prices as in town. You can grab something to go from Beecher's, Ivar's or Dish D'Dlish or if you have time to kill, Anthony's has a sit-down restaurant where you can enjoy a local brew, fish & chips or something from their menu (the salmon burger used to be my guilty pleasure) with a view of the runways. Not food-related, but fun is the Fireworks location in the airport if you need last minute gifts to haul home.

I use the Unicorn Magnum as well. I agree with what @Toliver said upthread about needing to re-tighten the screw to maintain the finest grind but I've gotten used to that.

I bought the Cambazola for those Gabrielle Hamilton celery cocktail toasts we both made. Not one of my usual cheeses but it gets all buttery-melty on a piece of warm, toasted bread in the nicest way! That Elbow Lick Tomato Sandwich from Deep Run Roots called for a quick pickled red onion and I've been making tiny little amounts (a few thin slices of onion and just enough brine to cover) but I really should take the time for a bigger batch of the Zuni Café onions that you recommended. A bit fiddly, but worth it.

Toasted ciabatta, Cambazola cheese, cubes of roasted delicata squash, pickled red onion and a drizzle of maple syrup.

I'm not much of a dinner eater but I needed something to go with all my wine and whining. A salad with roasted delicata squash, fresh apple, dried tart cherries, pickled red onion, sweet-spicy pecans, blue cheese and sliced sous vide chicken breast. Dressing was a maple Dijon vinaigrette. And there was wine.

Here in California as well. Nevada, too, but not AZ. Sounds like Maine is a toss up.

I'm delighted the new iteration of the Princessmobile is on the road and I look forward to whatever you can share of your adventures. Save travels!

In the chapter on oysters, there's a recipe for Fried Popcorn Oysters and Kitchen-Sink Mayo. The oysters get a panko and cornmeal coating and are served with a mayo with more ingredients than you can shake a stick at. I don't see any oysters in my near future but decided the panko breaded calamari I picked up at Trader Joe's yesterday would be a fine alternate. First, I prepared the garlic confit. Only a tablespoon of this confit was needed for the mayo but I have plans for the rest. Next, I assembled the rest of the ingredients. The little measuring cup contains lemon juice and the blue-topped container has anchovies. The kitchen sink is just out of the frame to the left Edited to add that while I was assembling the above, I was joined in my small kitchen by 3 playful kittens and 2 adult cats, all circling my feet, no doubt attracted by the alluring aroma of anchovy! Also, the recipe instructs to blend everything except the vegetable oil in the blender and then transfer to a food processor to slowly add the oil. I understand the rationale as the initial small volume would not blend to smoothness in a larger food processor but the processor is excellent at adding oil slowly. My small processor bowl is usually my choice for a one-egg mayo but I've made good mayo in my Blendtec Twister jar so that's what I used. The result is thick and silky smooth. The recipe says it makes 1.5 cups, my yield was a little over 2 cups. And the finished product: That mayo is tasty stuff. I would like to try it with oysters but I'm not complaining about the calamari. Edited to add that I'd also like to try it on French fries. Or maybe anything fried.. Or maybe anything....there are more calamari in the fridge, but really? No!