blue_dolphin

Thanks for mentioning pineapple. I never would have thought to try that. I like the lemon version a lot and plan to mix up another batch after I zest up a bunch of lemons for homemade limoncello tomorrow. Orange was less successful for me, as I mentioned over in the sweets thread. Could have been the oranges I used. They were fresh from my tree but perhaps lacking in some way. The yield was low, the flavor wasn't particularly strong and it tended to separate with an oily top layer after a little time in the fridge. I'm also interested in hearing the experiences of others.

Back in the day, when I worked at McD's - this was quite a while back as we had to use actual arithmetic to add up all the prices, look up the tax on a table (usually memorized) add that in and then count out the change to each customer, figuring in the exchange rate if the customer was paying in Canadian dollars - phew, that was long segue! Anyway, at that time there was no lettuce or tomato on the fish sandwiches. Clearly, that was long, long ago and very far away from where I live now but I've never been served any since at any of the airport locations I've visited. Of course individual franchisees always had a certain amount of flexibility to modify. Back in those dark ages, we always used 1/2 a slice of cheese on each fish sandwich but because of the way the cheese slices broke, it was usually more like 1/3 on some and 2/3 on others. The tartar sauce was dispensed in the same sort of "caulking gun" (remember we're talking way back) as the Big Mac sauce but it was chunkier so the amounts dispensed tended to be more random. The randomness of tartar sauce delivery seems to continue to this day. Edited to add that I restrict my McD's to airports and even then only with significant delays but this is making me want one of their fish sandwiches. And it's not even Lent!

Interesting. I have never been served lettuce or tomato on a McDonald's fish sandwich. The quart of tartar sauce, yes indeed - and usually all applied to one half of the sandwich !

Great idea! I know both @ElsieD and @MetsFan5 mentioned have these and they sounded good but this is a way that I'd actually eat them!

Lunch out with a friend yesterday. I had a panino with grilled salmon, pesto, grilled zucchini ribbons and caramelized onion on focaccia. It was really good. Sorry the blurry phone photo doesn't do it justice. Limoncello gelato for dessert. They make their own. The restaurant is primarily an Italian pastry shop and their pastries are both beautiful and delicious. It is owned by 2 brothers from Tuscany, one of whom recently went to the final round on the "Next Food Network Star" or whatever that silly show is called. I didn't know that until after lunch, which is probably a good thing. In any case, I felt very noble for limiting myself to the gelato but I should at least have taken some photos of the pastry case to share with you. Next time.

@shain, what a perfect meal for a hot summer day - I feel cooler just looking at it!

I see your point. Apparently my judgement was influenced by the knowledge that scallops, shrimp and mushrooms are lurking beneath those bread crumbs. Or maybe all that buttery bread got in the way of my critical thinking. It happens...

How about Coquilles et Amis St.-Jacques? Or of course: Looks delicious by any name!

Last week, I used steam-bake to blind bake the crust for a quiche and used the same function to bake the filled quiche. The crust came out very crispy but not as flaky as usual. I can't say that was for sure due to the steam bake function as I'd inadvertently left the pastry sitting out on the sunny side of the counter. It got quite warm and that alone could have caused the problem. I plan a repeat soon. It's nice to be able to make a quiche without heating up the big oven. I've also been meaning to try steam-bake or the bread function on some of those little frozen croissants from TJs that you proof overnight and then bake. I've only used the regular convection bake for them thus far. I'm thinking Kerry was poking fun at this sentence from your post above: Which gave me a laugh, too !

I've never seen split-top hot dog rolls in any TJ's out here. I believe TJ's sources baked goods locally and those are probably a New England thing. Here in SoCal, I have seen Kings Hawaiian brand hot dog rolls with a split top in grocery stores but haven't looked lately. Back to TJ's, I picked up a box of the Black & White Diamond Cocktail Cookies. They are nice little shortbread cookies with a sprinkle of black and white sesame seeds that makes them look festive. I much approve of the ingredient list (note butter comes before sugar): Unbleached Wheat Flour, Butter, Sugar, Almond Flour, Sesame Seeds, Egg, Sea Salt. Made in Canada. I just had 2 of them with coffee for breakfast but here they are in their natural environment with a cocktail:

Welcome to eGullet, @csingley! There is indeed a Coffee and Tea forum here and a thread on home roasting. I've learned a lot from reading those threads over the years but I agree that there are more active forums elsewhere for the hard-core coffee types. Do explore the forums and feel free to jump in to share your experiences (sounds like you have a LOT!) and ask questions. If you've been reading a bit, you already know there are many very experienced and seriously knowledgable eGulleters who are incredibly generous and sharing and there are bumblers like me who like to cook and eat for the fun of it. I think the variety keeps things interesting.

I love farro but have not cooked it in the IP yet. The Hip Pressure Cooking book says to use 2 cups of liquid per cup of farro and cook 9 minutes at high pressure with "normal" release. In her lingo, normal means releasing the pressure by turning the release valve until there is no pressure.

Fresh whole milk ricotta - I make it all the time now. As @Tere mentioned, requires the yogurt function. Stock Risotto-like rice dishes Dried beans Pulled-pork, ribs

The first name that comes to mind is a "Huckleberry Finn" A quick search turned up a few Huck Finn cocktails (all different) but none with the full Huckleberry moniker. This one sounds closest to the flavor profile of your drink. I think I'd pick lime over lemon if you want to tart it up, but that's just me. Either version sounds very refreshing

More stuff on toast. Today's version taken from Smitten Kitchen's Summer Squash Pizza. I planned to make the Sara Moulton zucchini with lemon and thyme later on today so I did the grating and salting and pulled out a handful for this and mixed in some grated gruyere. Instead of a pizza crust, I put the zucchini/gruyere mixture on toasted ciabatta that I rubbed with garlic and drizzled with olive oil. Sprinkled with a bit of parm and into the Cuisi oven for 10 min. I must consider trying the pizza as it looked really good and I bet the leftovers would be excellent for breakfast....maybe even with an egg on it !

Toasted ciabatta, fig and chili jam, sharp cheddar

I agree on the profit question. But I know quite a few people who fit that criteria and have been using these services for 3-4 years and have no plans to stop. They continue to find it worth the cost to have the planning and shopping component done for them so that a few nights a week, they can just come home and start cooking. I live in a suburban area and while there are markets where these folks shop for their non-box meals, I can't imagine getting in and out of them in 10 minutes during that super busy 5:30-7 PM time, especially with a couple of hangry kids in tow. Of course, they could do a better job of planning and do those grocery runs at 5 AM on Saturday before they pack everyone into the car at 6 AM to drive to soccer/hockey/academic decathlon/whatever practice but instead they choose to outsource planning and shopping for a few meals. Perhaps not the priorities you would choose, but it doesn't seem that unreasonable to me. I suppose they may shift gears and choose other options at some point, but I've been surprised how long many of them have stuck with it.

LAST WEEK!!! Awwww, so soon - ! I look forward to this last week and thank both of you for taking us along once again!

I love beans for breakfast - so satisfying! Especially with some bitter greens and a nice poached egg (aka chicken-bean) on top!

A small wedge of a cream cheese quiche (sort of a savory cheesecake) with spinach, mushrooms and onions, watermelon and tomato.

@Shelby, another thumbs up for that beautiful looking marinated eggplant. I remember the first time I had caponata. It was homemade by a friend and served as part of a shared antipasto platter. I just wanted to eat the whole bowl myself! I was terribly disappointed by the jarred stuff at the store but never thought to make my own. Guess I should try, huh?

Thank you! Temp was 400 deg F steam-bake in Cuisi steam oven.

No worries. I'd be most delighted to be served one of those lovely plates crafted by @gfweb. Looks like a delicious summer dinner.

No, not me. I suggested roasted brussels sprouts and potatoes.

Yes, direct from the freezer.