ElsieD

I read this yesterday morning. I have the book, had some apples, and the cake was made by noon. There are just the two of us and this morning we shared the last sliver. It is fantastic, and thank you for posting this. Edited to add: I suggest lining the bottom of the pan with a circle of parchment as mine had a tendency to stick.

Safe trip back.

And according to Breville, there are no plans to introduce a steam oven.

Seeing as how it is your birthday today, I would have gone for the rum! Happy birthday, albeit late in the day.

I was in a little Latin American market yesterday and bought a spice mix called Relajo Molido. The contents consists of sesame seeds, oregano, bay leaves, garlic, Pumpkin seeds, plum, chili's, Annato, ground cloves, cumin and black pepper. It is a product of El Salvador. I was told that it is used to make a chicken stew in which you cook chicken, potatoes, carrots and this spice. When I got home I did some googling and found recipes for the above which sounded like the dish the gentleman at the store was telling me about. However, there are a myriad of recipes and since I am not familiar with this cuisine I have no idea what is authentic what isn't. Various recipes call for items such as pineapple, capers, cilantro, and olives among other things. The items that seem to be standard are, of course, the chicken, potatoes,carrots, garlic, tomatoes, chicken broth and this spice, although as far as the spices go, they list the individual ones that more or less make up the mixture that I have. Can anyone point me to a recipe that I should follow? Thanks in advance.

I was at a wedding on the weekend that took place at my SIL's place, which is situated on a large property with buildings dating back to somewhere around the mid 1800's. On this property there are some very old apple trees along with an old pear tree. They do not use the apples but leave them for the deer and their dogs to eat. They have no idea what type of apple it is. I brought some home with the intention of making and freezing applesauce plus a couple of other things. My question is, what kind of apples are these? The trees were there when they bought the property some years back and their appearance (the tree, not the relatives) could best be described as scraggly and not very tall, but they do have a lot of apples on them. Most years the apples are small but this year they are a good size. The flesh as you can see is almost white, with a pink line around the core. The skin is tough and not all that easy to bite through. The apple itself is delicious, a sort of sweet/tart taste that is hard to describe. To me, it looks mostly like a Cortland yet different enough that it could be something else. Anyone have any ideas?

Darienne, let us know if you buy them and what you think of them. One thing for sure - clean up is a breeze when you use them.

Aaack! I just got around to ordering my copy yesterday. They "say" delivery is expected mid November.

I have used bags specifically for slow cookers and they work well. They are not particularly expensive and might be worth trying out.

While looking for something else I came across a notice that this has been cancelled as of September 18, 2015. They are issuing refunds.

I tried cleaning pumpkin seeds and could not get rid of all the slime. Is there an easy way to do this?

Thanks. I plan on making it. I think it would also be good toasted.

Arey or Darienne do you think I can use butter instead of shortening in that applesauce cake? I never buy shortening.

Okanagancook, that is a great job you did on the spreadsheet. If only I had a CSO. ......

This may or may not be helpful, but when I went looking for a new cooktop, Thermador had just come out with a zone free cook top. It cost roughly twice as much as a regular Thermador induction stove top. Very, very pricey.

Is that a carton of McLaren's cold pack cheese? If it is, I commend you on your good taste. I use it in Mac and Cheese.

I'm slightly green with envy. Seeing the placement of yours, caused me to immediately measure clearance around where mine would go if I were to replace my BSO. It currently sits on it's own little counter and has 8 1/2 inches clear space behind it. The wall behind it is ceramic. From the top of the BSO to the bottom of the cupboard is 4.5 inches. Is that enough space?Edited to add: the wall plug is right behind it and the counter is granite, if that makes a difference.

In the Hip Pressure Cooking newsletter I received to today mention was made of a new Breville product(to North America) of the "Fast Slow Pro" pressure cooker. It looks similar to the Instant Pot. Among other things, it adjusts for altitude and has 8 pressure levels. Has anyone heard of this? It is already sold in the U.K. and Australia under the Sage Appliances name and is called, perhaps not surprisingly, the "Fast Slow Pro-Sage". I'd be curious to hear from U.K. folks and Australians if they are familiar with it. The article states that the expected price is $249.99, presumably in US $.

I just HAD to make this "very dark and evil looking" dish so I googled the recipe, picked up the mushrooms and peppers and made it last night. We had it with pork chops. There are just two of us and we ate the lot. Absolutely delicious. Thank you, ElainaA!

Nothing at all like the fabulous looking meals here, but this was pretty good. Thai Coconut Curry soup.

I know exactly what would happen as I am following that thread with great interest.

I did some further price checking and see that a kitchen store in this city lists it at $250. It is a place where I have bought a lot of stuff, mainly because I go through the same nice person who always gives me a 10 to 20% discount. Don't know why I didn't think to look there before. If I listen REALLY carefully, the fan in the BSO sounds a little loud, so I had best go there and see what kind of a deal I can get, just in case, you understand. Best to be prepared.

That's a good deal. I just checked BBB and their list price is $400. Even with the Rotuts 20% coupon that's still $320. I am starting to really want one of these things (along with the Instant Pot) but I need my BSO to die first. Although I too wish it took a 1/4 sheet pan as I use those all the time. Maybe by the time the BSO dies, they will have made one that can accommodate this.

Thanks for the explanation. Doesn't do much for me having a Dutch background, but suffice to say we have our own, um, oddities.

Toast dope?