kayb

I don't know why, but when I make one of these I almost always make the other as well. Coconut macaroons. Stovetop chocolate peanut butter cookies. First time I've made them with King Arthur Double Dutch cocoa. Might cut that back a bit next time. They're REAL chocolatey...

I've had great luck cooking ribs and then finishing them in the smoker to get a crust and some smoke flavor. I also love the fact I can SV a whole bunch of slabs of ribs, throw them in the freezer in the SV bag, and then pull them out and finish off as I want, when I want.

Always in favor of half a cow of butter.

Some folks are into beer and tomato juice. Personally, I've never understood that. Shandy's OK, though.

I'm having fruit. Liquid fruit. Grapes, to be precise. It's been a helluva day. My Valentine, Lucy the pug, is asleep on my feet. I may break out some cheese and charcuterie later on. Life ain't bad.

Meet you there! I'm down with all those!

I was going to suggest Lodge, but @gfweb beat me to it. Should you ever find yourself in SE Tennessee, I highly recommend a stop by the Lodge factory store in South Pittsburg.

Thanks for that. Useful.

I've been pigging out on blueberries, myself. With yogurt and granola in the mornings, in blueberry muffins, in pancakes, and just to eat like candy out of the package. Love 'em. I need to get some strawberries and dip them in chocolate for Valentine's Day.

Is Lagavulin one of the really smoky Scotches? I can't remember what Scotch I had that was so smoky I couldn't drink it. Maybe Laphroaig? I'm a Highlands malt gal, myself. I've never met a single-malt that started with "Glen" that I didn't like. Also very fond of Oban and Balvenie. @rotuts, I agree with you; bourbon seems too sweet. I keep it on hand for friends and to cook with (a little bourbon does wonderful things for French onion soup....). I need to pick up some rye; I've got an urge for Manhattans.

Beautiful cookies! Wish I were your Valentine....😀😍😍

@Shelby, what cinnamon roll recipe do you use? Last ones I made were dry.

Mickey D's pies are all baked now. My standard breakfast en route to an early morning meeting I have once a month, an hour and 15 minutes away, is an apple pie, hash browns and a big orange juice (I have my coffee with me in the big ol' road mug). Wouldn't do to have my stomach growling at the meeting with my biggest client.

I want those. Please and thank you.

BTW...for the best posole in the world, I highly recommend @Chris Amirault's recipe, here. It was the first posole I ever made, and remains the only posole recipe I've ever used. It's pretty dang marvelous.

Huh. Who'd'a thunk it? If you know, how does it compare with stock made in the Instant Pot? I would think that the avoidance of evaporation should yield about the same results, shouldn't it?

I wish I could remember the restaurant where we ate in Kyoto. It was a traditional Japanese restaurant, dinner in a private room at a low table, seating on cushions (they had chairs with tiny short legs and backs for us gaijin, and served us some different courses than our Japanese hosts -- we did not get the fried fish head, for one example). The server was in kimono and brought each course in on a tray, which she knelt and placed on a shelf to one side; then she brought each dish to each diner, kneeling for each. The woman had to have legs to rival any MLB catcher. My knees were screaming in sympathy. I don't remember what all we ate (it was 15 years ago), but I DO remember it was all wonderful, up to and including things that I had no idea what they were. Next to that, I think my favorite meals were in the food halls at the train stations. I also had the best Indian food I've ever eaten, in Tokyo. Go figure.

@liuzhou, how long do you boil your quail eggs to make your Scotch eggs? I love the look of those two halves at the top right....

Amen, and amen. Same goes for menudo, or any sort of dish utilizing tripe.

My preferred lunch just about any day. Cheeses, clockwise from 5 oclock, are Welsh cheddar, some kind of blue (I didn't keep the label), Robusto, and Wensleydale with blueberries. Cornichons, sweet pickles, preserved walnuts, Castelvetrano olives. And a Bloody Mary, not shown.

I have a pound of Marcellas in the IP as we speak, the centerpiece of a big pot of bean and Italian sausage soup. It's cold outside, and that sounded good.

I had forgotten about Kiyomizu-dera. Loved going there, and yes, the view is great. The three streams of water have different meanings, yes? Health, wealth and integrity, as I recall? We went to a Buddhist cemetery near there, as well. Very quiet and profound place.

Ah. I miss Yamazaki, as well. I'm loving this tour. Please do not skip over a single experience!

I apparently missed this post, but ran across this book while perusing kindle cookbook deals on amazon. Bought it and am reading it, my first venture into M.F.K. Fisher. My God, the woman is a brilliant writer! I think I'm in love.

I bake small potatoes in the microwave until they're soft (about 10 minutes in mine); scoop them out, leaving about 1/2 inch of flesh. (These are about an inch and a half crossways in diameter.) I brush the halves with bacon fat or butter and sprinkle with salt, then broil for two or three minutes. Add grated cheese (and that's all in this case) and run them back under the broiler for another two or three minutes. I also may use bacon, chopped ham, sauteed mushrooms, chili, chopped scallions, or whatever I have handy to add to the topping. They're best with some sour cream on the side to dip them as you munch.