blue_dolphin

Yay! Got an email notification that the pineapple vinegar is back in stock and an order has been placed. Crimson popping corn, Massa Organics brown rice and a couple of those adorable little cazuelas got me into free shipping territory. Oh, and maybe some Royal Coronas. You can never have too many Royal Coronas!

No mention of the water source?

No apology needed - we all learn from the ways other members adapt to different circumstances!

Of, course, that’s why I suggested a condiment as it could be added to taste but perhaps that is too risky. I understand you can’t have any alliums in the house either, but I suggested onions for others who don’t have those particular life threatening allergies. My bad!

Nice post! That might have started out as a rant but ended up being full of good ideas! I totally agree that dishes that start out vegan tend to be more appealing than vegan-ized versions of a cheese or meat-centric dish. At the same time, from a flavor perspective, I'm interested in learning about vegan substitutes for certain umami-boosting ingredients as they could help me out when tweaking flavors in any dish.

That sounds really good. It kind of reminds me of Mollie Katzen's Gypsy Soup where she recommends pairing any orange vegetable with green and a bean. Bucking the trend here, I am pro-sweet potato, which is what Mollie uses. I would definitely add onion and celery to the stock. Up to you whether you want them in the soup, too. I agree with @Tropicalsenior on the addition of tomatoes and @Smithy on the sage and/or bay and the addition of a little heat. I usually throw in a few de arbol chiles but you could also serve with a spicy condiment instead.

What is the volume of water that needs to reach the desired temps very quickly? Do you have advance notice of the need for this water or is it something sprung on you without notice and you need to have it ready in a couple of minutes? I agree with @TdeV that an immersion circulator is quite precise but assuming you're placing a container of water into the circulating bath, it's likely to take a while to get up to temp AND allow the container to equilibrate to the temp of the bath. You're never going to get a full boil in a container that you place into the circulating bath and if you need boiling water, then lukewarm water, then boiling water again in quick succession, it's not going to work. Unless your volumes are large I tend to think that @rotuts's microwave suggestion may be the best. Takes a few tests to nail down the timing but once that's done, it's pretty easy and inexpensive microwaves are readily available. I warm up my cats' food to the lower temp you are targeting and I know how many seconds it takes to get one serving or two up to that temp from either refrigerator temp or room temp. I also know how many seconds it takes to get either a cup or a half cup of water to that temp because that's what I use for proofing yeast. You could invest in a precision induction hob like a Control Freak but that seems like overkill.

How was it? Hetty Lui McKinnon has a recipe for a vegetarian butternut squash “lasagna” in her book Tenderheart. It uses thin slices of butternut squash instead of noodles and includes options to veganize it. Not sure how it would mesh with traditional Thanksgiving flavors but I thought it sounded pretty good.

Poached egg on a slice of that Rosette de Lyon sausage loaf

I'm on board with that although my favorite leftover stuffing breakfast dishes are stuffing waffles (just smashed down in the waffle iron) and stuffing muffins - add any chopped leftovers you desire. The muffins absolutely benefit from an egg binder and the waffles wouldn't mind it either!

My understanding is that some cornbread stuffing can be crumbly and eggs can serve as a binder.

Thanks for asking! I think this is the first time I’ve seen anyone mention having both.

I grew up with a very similar spread. No rolls but with the addition of mashed carrots, mashed sweet potatoes, mashed turnips, mashed rutabaga and god knows what mash I may have forgotten plus a "relish tray" of olives, pickles and celery. Yesterday's feast here in SoCal included a stuffed, 27 lb turkey, giblet gravy, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, corn casserole, roasted Brussels sprouts & apples, green bean casserole, blackberry & caraway slaw and rolls. Dessert was pumpkin pie, pecan pie, cranberry curd tart, all with whipped cream and/or ice cream and some extremely decadent cookies. I resisted taking any leftovers home but would have loved some turkey tucked into one of those rolls for breakfast!

I've been known to make a small batch of confit by dumping one of those little bags into a small ramekin or pyrex custard cup, adding olive oil to cover, some thyme, rosemary or not, cover with foil and pop into a 350°F oven for 45 min.

I can't manage to use up a big jar before they deteriorate but I've been able to get them in smaller quantities for when I'm too lazy to peel. For example, Trader Joe's sells a 4 oz package that contains 4 little pouches that each contain a handful of peeled garlic cloves. Other stores also sell 4 - 8 oz pouches of peeled garlic. On a per ounce basis, they're more expensive than the big jars but it's not a deal for me if I need to toss half of it!

Given your price range, I’d say it’s worth considering but depends on what you want. The steam bake setting on my Cuisinart CSO is hands down the best way to reheat almost any sort of leftovers. I think it’s a worthwhile feature to have, but you may not. My CSO and most steam toaster ovens in your price range are on the small side. The Breville ovens will accommodate a standard quarter sheet pan. The Cuisi CSO is a hair too small and has less headspace but it has that steam!

Practice makes perfect! I'm sure you'd pick it up if, say, you were to eat a week's worth of appropriate meals (from a bowl that you can hold, not a plate on the table) in a relaxed environment, perhaps dining with others who are familiar with them so you can watch their technique and maybe ask for tips.

They're a seasonal holiday item, though they can sometimes hang around a bit longer. I like them because they're so tiny, they can't possibly have too many calories 🙃 I tried this "Holiday Cheer" version of the Unexpected Cheddar spread. According to the label, it contains cranberries, Riesling and cinnamon. It's OK but I'm not in love with it yet. Might be better on celery or apple slices than on crackers. I think it will be excellent on a turkey sandwich so I'll have to make sure to nab some leftovers. Yesterday, I bought one bottle of their barrel proof bourbon @ 29.99 Also got a few bottles of the TJ's Brut Rosé North Coast Sparkling Wine that shows up every year at this time. Still $9.99 a bottle. I'll go back for a case or two to last me through 2025!

I peel the cloves from 2 heads of garlic (~20 cloves) and put in a small oven-safe dish with 1/2 cup olive oil and a sprig or two of thyme, cover with foil and bake 45 min @ 350°F. Store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. So good!

I like that one, too. It's been around for years but seems pretty consistent.

Maybe, but not for that!

Great deal! Though I can see its limitations compared with a battery unit in the RV. I have an older, but very similar-looking KitchenAid stick blender and get a ton of use from the whisk and the little processor bowl. The other day, I used it to chop nuts and blend them with the flour for a cookie recipe, then used the whisk to cream the butter and sugar and finally mix everything together. The actual stick blender can be a little unwieldy for me to use on the stovetop as it's kind of heave and the cord barely reaches the nearest outlet but I use it elsewhere and use the attachments all the time.

Thanks for the reminder on Georgia pecans. A few years ago, a friend gave me a few pounds that her MIL sent from Georgia and they were just stellar. Very plump, about twice the size of the skinny-ish ones I end up getting in local stores, and flavorful, too. Just tracked them down and ordered some more!

I also got mine decades ago. I had a Saab with a huge hatchback space (I miss that old thing) and I got them to corral the bags so the groceries didn't end up all over the place. Didn't take me long to skip the bags and bring the totes into the store!

My personal opinion, having tasted none of the options 🙃, would be to go with a dark rum, so that's the Lamb’s Navy Dark Rum. The Havana Club Añejo Especial Golden would be my 2nd pick. I find coconut and spiced rums can be oddly flavored and white rums lack the warm flavor you want.