kayb

Oh, those are PRETTY! I love a carrot cake, and have made them by the Silver Palate recipe, which is a good one. But I don't make them often because they make a HUGE dang cake.

I think I want to come live with you. I'll wash dishes.

I contend one can only make GOOD French toast with challah. Specifically, with challah, eggs, and heavy cream. Don't be bringing no cinnamon and stuff up in here. I won the monthly recipe on Food 52 once with that very recipe. "Bell-less, Whistle-less, Damn Good French Toast." Made the cookbook and everything.

I bought How To Cook Everything very early in my getting-interested-in-something-beyond-casseroles-with-canned-soup stage of life. I will always be grateful to that book for his pizza dough recipe and his tutorial on how to make fried rice. It would have been worth the price of admission for that alone. On the other hand, I made a hellacious mess of a steak trying to cook it by his stovetop iron skillet method, and wound up having to reseason the skillet after I scrubbed the burnt meat fond out of it.

Hey, now. I love candy corn. Did you know you can make fudge with it?

It was cold yesterday, with what my eldest refers to as "crunchy rain" falling, and I had no desire nor compelling need to get out, so I dove into the freezer and pantry for the makings of soup. Came out with chicken, a can of black beans, and a couple of sweet potatoes. Sauteed an onion in the IP. Poached the chicken in with it, and while it was cooking, peeled and diced the sweet potatoes and opened, drained and rinsed the black beans. Took the chicken out, dumped the sweet potatoes in the stock, and cooked them. Shredded the chicken breasts, then added them and the black beans in and seasoned liberally with salt, pepper and smoked paprika. It wasn't bad, but a little bland. Next time I would sub chili powder and add a bit of cumin.

I have Amanda Hesser's big book of NYT recipes, and I like it. But I would hardly put in on a top 25 list. And I know it's contrary to popular opinion, but I LIKE Bittman.

I thoroughly enjoyed "Eat My Globe," by Simon Majundar (I believe that's the author's name; it's been several years). Cookwise, by Shirley Corriher, is a good one for some science and history behind the recipes and techniques.

There are Peeps-people and non-Peeps-people. I am a non-Peeps-people.

I love English muffins with butter and honey.

If he had pearls, he'd be clutching them.

Damn. It's their paywall. OK, let me figure out how to download and post it. Fri Jan 11 2019 Finalist for Food Hall of Fame Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/STATON BREIDENTHAL Loretta Tacker, owner of the Shake Shack in Marion, poses for a photo Thursday after a news conference at the Department of Arkansas Heritage where she was named a finalist for the Arkansas Food Hall of Fame in the Proprietor of the Year category. The Arkansas Food Hall of Fame committee revealed the finalists in four categories and the Food of the Year for this year’s Arkansas Food Hall of Fame. Article, 2B

Thought I might pass this on. This is the proprietor of the restaurant where @Smithy, her husband and I had lunch when they came through Arkansas last fall. She's up for election to the "proprietor" section of the Arkansas Food Hall of Fame. clickety

When my eldest, now 37, was in kindergarten, you could still take home-baked treats to school for birthdays. I made and iced cupcakes, set them on a tray on the counter, went to the grocery to pick up juice boxes. Came home to find the Wiemaraner had licked the icing off ALL the cupcakes (and eaten two). Didn't have time to make more cupcakes. Re-iced those, and took them on. Nobody died. In fact, I seriously doubt any child has ever died from eating after the family pet. Damn Weimaraner. Though she was not as bad as her successor who ate, at varying times, a two-pound can of coffee, a bottle of 98 iron supplement tablets, an entire box of fundraiser chocolate bars, a box of shotgun shells, and the back of the bathroom door.

I grew up on fried pies made from apples and peaches dried on a white sheet on the roof of the wellhouse for several days, not to mention hams and bacon hung in the smokehouse over the winter. All that said, I couldn't cure meat in a smokehouse now because it's not cold enough in the winter.

At Aldi yesterday, I noticed they had an Ambiano sous vide circulator for $40. It looks a lot like an Anova, but the head is rectangular with rounded corners. Looks to be a bit smaller than the Anova, but not quite as small as the Joule. I've been impressed with the Anova small electrics I've purchased at Aldi. My stick blender is hefty and has plenty of power, and my little $19.99 dehydrator is plugging away. I'm tempted to go back and get this circulator just to run it through its paces and see.

OK. That makes sense. Ain't gonna work in the Delta in Arkansas, either! Well, I guess it would in the winter.

Appreciate everyone's input. I'm soaking up all the info. A full pound of silica dessicant to dehumdify a dorm fridge? Is there a rule of thumb on how much dessicant per cubic foot of space and/or pound of product? I'd have no idea where to even begin with amounts.

No kidding. I'd sign about anything for one of those. Have looked up and bookmarked recipe.

Oh, dear God. Mine are all three horrible. I think I may be a food hoarder.

Thanks!

Bumping this thread up because I have a question. I am contemplating buying a dorm-room-sized refrigerator for use as a drying chamber for meats. I know, or think I know, I can't get one to hold at optimum temp for drying; it will be cooler, I will have to augment the humidity, perhaps with the addition of a cup of water in the bottom. Will the cooler temp adversely affect the drying process? Will it take more time, or less, to cure? (Doesn't matter, but would be good to know.) Are there any big reasons this method would NOT work?

@Kim Shook Hank Shaw's blog, Hunter Angler Gardener Cook, has a post today about venison marinades. While this post doesn't discuss actually cooking the venison, a search within his blog for "venison roast" turns up several dozen. Might be worth a look.

@robirdstx -- Dear God, that looks marvelous! May have to make a run to the only decent Mexican place in town today...

I'm Irish. I love anything one can do to or with a potato. But I think my favorite is "new potatoes," dug that day, unpeeled, scrubbed with a brush, boiled in salted water, drenched with plenty of butter. Best reason to grow your own.