snowangel

Smoked this beauty up at The Cabin last weekend in our 1986 Weber Kettle. Since there are only two of us, leftover suggestions sought. Favorite reheating method?

Correct. Easy peasy. I usually freeze 'em two at a time. Just dont thaw before baking. Or you'll have a mess.

I often follow the in instructions in my trusty old Farm Journal Pie cookbook. Line a pie tin with foil. Prepare pie filling (do not bake!) And put in foil lined pie tin. Fold edges over, fully covering filling. Freeze. Once frozen, you can remove pie tin. When you want to bake a pie, line pie tin with crust. Take filling out of freezer, peel off foil, and slip into pastry lined tin. Top as desired. Bake, just adding a few minutes. Works well with peaches, berries, etc.

What kind of camper do you have? Fifth wheel? Trailer? We are starting to think about one. We think stealth camper van, but geez, a buddy for the occasional mid-night pee sure is a nice luxury.

We stopped a couple of weeks ago to see the tall ships (if the sails aren't up, they aren't very impressive), and stopped at Northern Waters. To buy fish, not a sandwich. It was 11 am, and the line was awful. And, since only a couple if incoming customers can see the sandwich menu (which is long with many multi ingredient choices), the line wasn't moving. We watched one couple take 6 minutes to decide! Holding up the line. I sure with they'd post the menu outside and offer a line for those buying smoked fish/sausages. (We ended up at Love Creamery. Note worthy ice cream flavors.)

Bump! We have still been meat marketing, and since I'm not working and spending lots of time at the cabin, F&D remains my most common stop. Everything there is good, and I think I'll stop on my way home for one of their little boneless half hams. (But no more detours to the 32 Degree Freeze for the tallest $2.00 soft serve twist cone anywhere; they close for the season on Monday. Outstanding soft serve, btw. Not as good as Connie's Creamy Cones in St. Paul, or the Deep Freeze in New London, which heysy best in state award.) I've never stopped at the place in Eveleth, do should stop on Tuesday. Zups in Cook burned down and hasn't been rebuilt yet, and Babbitt is too much of a detour I discovered the hard salami and the smoked hot Italian sausage strips in Gilbert, so that's another regular, especially since it's barely off the beaten path. These are both outstanding treats. A couple of years ago, we went to Zumbrota for a funeral and stopped at the Wanamingo Meat Locker and had what I believe to be the best meat sticks in the state. Warning that this is a meat locker. They have an upright glassed fridge thing (ala convenience store for beverages), and some packages of meat sticks shared space with pop, a couple if hams, and maybe a couple of other things. Then, this past spring, we drove out to Delano to see the new flood wall and stopped at their meat market, Rieder's, and their meat sticks were on a par with Wanamingo's. Sadly, the Peppermint Twist wasn't yet open for the season, so no soft serve. Finally, @Smithy, have you had any smoked fish from Russ Kendall's lately? The two recent takes (within the last year) weren't nearly as good as we remember.

Made me do it, too. One for home one for cabin.

I hope to be around more often. We've had a major life change, and cooking and food will hold more of a stage! Meantime, I've been enjoying sweet corn almost daily, and trying to head north more often. Mid summer was exceptionally chaotic. Diana (who is home for a bit following her 977 days in Madagascar) and I have been eating a lot of corn off the coop, mixed with diced peppers (hot, whatever looks good at the farmers market), was of cilantro, lime and cojita cheese.

Imagine this. I haven't eGullet'ed in ages, and came looking for the smokin' brisket topic, and voila, a sweet corn topic. Be still my beating heart (and note my ravatar). This sure looks good, my friend.

One day when I'm working, I should count how many of these chickens walk out. They can only stay on the warming table for a certain period of time, after which they take them into the deli and harvest the breast meat for things like salads, chicken Alfredo, etc. And then package 8 leg thigh quarters into foil trays which they sell for $4.99 (price at my Costco, I font know if the price is the same at the other U.S. Costco's). I've demo'd their chicken salad several times, and the consistence is different with harvested rotisserie breast meat than it is with the other pre cooked breast meat they use.

Yes, the cabin is still part of our lives, and although we won't be up again until next spring, I will start reporting again. Of note this past season, was a fairly comfortable swim on October 2, if you can believe it! You'll also see a report from me next year from Madagascar! I am able to take summers off from my newish job.

Nancy, I had no idea you were on-the-roading life! This is our dream, and when Heidi finally gets into a groul home, it might happen. We've always said that if the cabin disappears from our life, it would be an RV or travel trailer. Do you do any portion of the year in Duluth? Make it to the Twin Cities at all? Color me jealous.

Thanks everyone, for the notes. I've just reserved this book at my library and will also look for it at Costco. I'm curious if I'll enjoy it as much as I've loved my Maida Heatter cookie books. I've loved everything that's come out of her books, and she is a recipe writer extraordinaire.

Costco is also utterly fabulous about returns, even opened containers of food. Their Kirkland Signature brand items are guaranteed 100%. And, if you stop at the Costco at US highway 10 and Main Street in Coon Rapids, MN on a Monday, Tuesday or Thursday, you might get a sample from me.

I'm looking for a new knife; sort of all purpose in the 6" blade length range, prefer a narrower, thinner blade. I'm a home cook, and have a mish mash of knives -- Wustof, a Shun, some e really old Chicago Cutlery paring knives (wedding present in 1980 old), a Marttiini filet knife (that I adore) and a an scythe shaped knife that a neighbor gave me (he worked at a slaughterhouse). I haven't set a price limit, but given the kid in college, I'm thinking I'm hard pressed to go much over $150, but I don't need to spend that much. I take good care of my stuff and I'll have it forever, otherwise I'd just pick up a two pack of the cheapos at Costco.