blue_dolphin

So, what did you think?

That sounds like a strong endorsement! Is it for this one? Or this one with gorgonzola? Or another one ?

My pancakes cannot compare to Ann_T's but this little sausage piggy was very tasty when wrapped up in his buttermilk pancake blanket and dipped into maple syrup:

Thank you for defining the acronym. You mentioned it the other day and google pointed me to the Purple Martin Conservation Association. I didn't think that was likely to be your destination but then again, you were packing chocolate mice and red speckled frogs so maybe purple martins weren't that far off...

I've never made bergamocello, but here are some thoughts based on my other 'cello-making efforts. You can try any of the flavor options on small samples to see how they work. You could give it some more time to let the flavors mellow. I assume you've sweetened it and diluted it to adjust the alcohol level. I find that just sitting for a few weeks has taken the edge off some harsh tasting mixtures. Make sure you are tasting at serving (freezer) temp. Maybe the off-flavor you taste will be diminished when it's colder. Consider adding another botanical. Fresh rosemary or juniper berries could boost up the gin-type flavors you were going for and balance out the flavor you dislike. I had good success with a grapefruit-rosemary 'cello. Just don't over infuse the herbs. I made a lemon-sage version that's so woody, it's like swallowing a tree trunk. Make a tincture of black or oolong tea and blend it with your bergamocello to make an Earl Grey liqueur.

I cook the alubia blanca beans fairly often and find that they are usually done fairly quickly, on the spectrum of all beans but I have not tried them in the instant pot. My usual method is no soak, bring them to a boil on the stovetop with a couple of bay leaves, a few cloves of garlic and 2 or 3 dried red chili peppers. I let them boil briskly for 5 min or so then add the salt, put the covered pot into the oven at 250 or 275, just enough to barely boil. I'd say the alubia blanca beans are usually ready after 60-90 min in the oven or less. With the instant pot, I liked the beans best when I cooked them part-way under high pressure, let the pressure reduce naturally for 10 min before releasing the valve and finished cooking them at a simmer using the saute function. For the Yellow Indian Woman beans, I think it was around 25 min under pressure and 25 min simmering in the pot.

Mmmmmm...those pancakes are calling my name, @Ann_T! I've got buttermilk in the fridge so Sunday AM pancakes will be on the menu tomorrow. Mmmmmmm. Maybe I should just make them now for second breakfast !

Still plenty of limes on my tree. They are turning yellow but still nice and juicy. Free. Bring your own bag.

Today, the NPR radio program On Point devoted time to a discussion related to this topic: Tips to get cooking. The show link has quite a few feedback comments and links to a few related articles, including the NYT article that started this thread. One of the guests was co-founder of Pantry, a service in Brookline, Mass that sounds similar to Anna N's idea: Pantry is a bricks and mortar location where one can pick up a recipe and all the fixings. Apparently, it's also possible to have one of the take-out delivery services like Grubhub deliver to your home. In the interview, she said the stores also sell pots, pans, knives, etc. that would be needed to prepare the recipes. They also offer knife skills classes for both adults and kids. It's all local, no long distance shipping. @rotuts, since you are in the Boston area, I challenge you to make your way to Brookline one of these days, pay these folks a visit and report back to us. Please? You don't need to actually buy anything. Just have a look-see for us. Pretty please? I also look forward to your reports, @Anna N!

I saw this Pineapple Vinegar Vinaigrette with Stoneground Mexican Chocolate the other day on the Rancho Gordo website. Chocolate??? in a vinaigrette??? I was very curious what it would taste like so I mixed some up and made a salad for lunch. The flavor is interesting. In a good way . I can't really taste either pineapple or chocolate (maybe a little chocolate on the aftertaste) and even though I could see fine particles in the jar I used to mix the dressing, there is no sense of grittiness from the chocolate. Mixed greens, roasted asparagus, cara cara orange, red onion, red bell pepper and toasted slivered almonds.

I am working on my taxes at the moment so any spending will have to wait to see how things come out. One way or the other, I will want a drink !

I was inspired by the smoked salmon cream cheese English muffin @Anna N had for breakfast yesterday. Having neither salmon nor English muffins, I mixed up a smoked trout spread with cream cheese, crème fraîche, capers, shallot, red bell pepper, parsley, lemon juice and smoked trout. Sliced and toasted a rosemary roll and roasted some asparagus. I would never try to roast such skinny asparagus in the oven but 10 min of steam-bake in the Cuisi oven did them up just fine.

This is good to know. For some reason, I assumed it needed to be frozen and didn't want to dedicate the freezer space in my always overcrowded little refrigerator. Maybe I should get one after all.....

Nice summary of the various points of view in that NYT response article. I have a lot of friends who use these services and are delighted with them. A few years ago, one friend sent me a freebie for 3 Blue Apron meals so I tried it. If you take a look at the recipe card from one of the meals I got, Braised Pork Chops & Roasted Leeks with Cherry Gastrique over Kasha, you can see that the directions and photos are pretty clear and could be used to guide or teach a less experienced cook. My experience was favorable. I specifically chose meals that were different from what I would usually cook. It was a treat to come home from work and have the chance to cook something new, knowing that everything was on hand. I added more vegetables to each meal but many would be happy without that addition. I was pleased with the quality of the ingredients and the flavor of the finished dishes. I found the amount of packaging distressing, though as @KennethT noted, that comes along with take-out, delivery and other packaged meals too. In the original article, I was glad to see that the companies are working on that. I may have said this on another thread, but I think it would be fun to pair this sort of service with a new cookbook that featured an unfamiliar cuisine so you'd get the ingredients and recipes for a number of meals from a specific cookbook. Some of the celebrity chefs who have cookbooks out are already partnering with these services so it seems like a logical step.

Pandora's Box: Readers respond...

I love that idea! The first Chinese dish I learned to cook was squid and green bell peppers with fermented black beans and garlic. I never thought of tweaking it into a noodle or pasta dish but I bet it would be great. Thanks!

I hope you get the assistance from an international member that you are seeking. In the meantime, I cut a slice through a locally grown California lemon that I juiced a little while ago. The pith was probably somewhat compressed by the citrus reamer so it may originally have been a bit thicker but I think you can see that the thickness of the pith falls within the range that you cited. With some variation, I'd say this one averages ~ 8 mm or 3/8 inch. I do see lemons with thicker pith. As @andiesenji said, it's usually the larger, bumpier ones.

Smörgåsbord of leftovers for breakfast, aka "refrigerator clean up." The last wedge of spinach quiche, chicken on toasted sourdough made with the last of a roasted chicken thigh and some leftover potato and asparagus salad on arugula:

I can't complain about the weather here, it's almost always exceedingly pleasant and enables the growing of all sorts of edible plants but amen to balancing things out a little!

Wow. I'm curious what you thought when you saw that cover. It looks so real, like a book left upside down on a table, the reader called away unexpectedly. And it has YOUR name on it! Wow! How does that feel? Is it any more real to see this than all the work crafting these recipes and notes and the endless files you've been sharing back and forth with editors, proof-readers, photographers and who knows how many others? Well, I'm impressed, even if your eyes have glazed over by this point !

@AlaMoi, can I ask what candied peel recipes have you tried and what citrus you have used in your efforts to replicate the confection you were served and how have they failed to measure up to the original? I only ask as it may help narrow down the options.

It's 95 here at the moment. My plants are shriveling.... But we have a small chance of rain on Friday and an excellent chance Saturday - bring it on!

Thank you! I'd been intimidated by the big racks of ribs that I usually see for sale so I was delighted to spot that small package yesterday. It's in the 80s here today (cooling down later in the week) so it was fun to make a summery sort of meal in honor of the weather.

I made myself a feast for lunch today. Instant Pot sticky marmalade glazed baby back ribs with a potato and asparagus salad dressed with that same Saveur crème fraîche and preserved lemon dressing that I used on the green salad yesterday:

At long last, I have completed my Instant Pot curriculum, originally posted here back in Nov. My IP starter list: Rice The mac & cheese that Anna N made from this site Beans - I saved the handy Rancho Gordo bean list. I have not been a fan of PC beans in the past, but I liked the Deborah Madison suggestion that RG passed along to cook unsoaked beans 20' in the PC and then 20' with the lid off. Grains - I made some wheat berries recently that took a long time to cook and would like to replicate that recipe in the IP Edited to add: the whole pumpkin à la hummingbirdkiss Kenji's Pressure Cooker Ragù Bolognese - this one will require some shopping so not sure how long it will take me to get to it And of course, RIBS! Of course, I've used it for lots of things in the meantime but I finally got around to the ribs! Nothing really new here, but it's sort of my IP graduation so I'm documenting it for you here. Yesterday, I noticed these nice little small packages of baby back ribs and I figured they were quite approachable for a solo eater. I used the method from the basic NPR pressure cooker ribs and the ingredients from this Sticky Marmalade Glazed Ribs recipe from Food & Wine because I have lots of marmalade. Lots. . The rub was just ground fennel seed, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Here they are at the end of the IP cook: And after glazing and some time in the Cuisi oven: Finally, on the plate for my graduation lunch, served with IP cooked potato salad with asparagus and red bell pepper on a bed of arugula: