kayb

Do you have those forms you drape the tortillas over and bake to form the bowls?

You could use the fridge for curing meats. And for stashing fermented foods. Both are favorites of mine, and both cause space issues.

I will own up to always keeping a can of cream of mushroom and a can of cream of chicken soup in my pantry. I use the first in the iconic green bean casserole. I use the second in my chicken pot pie. I can make, and have made, homemade versions of both to use in those recipes; in my book, there is little to no taste differential in the finished product, so I opt for less labor. (Raised my kids on that chicken pot pie, I did; half a small rotissiere chicken, bag of mixed veggies, can of cream of chicken soup, cup and a half of grated cheddar, two Pillsbury pie crusts, put it together, bake, boom, done. Finest thing going when you come in from work and have to get to the ballpark.) But I rarely, rarely eat a canned soup as, well, soup.

I bet that duck would be marvelous in a bahn mi....

Thank God for my "egg lady," who not only furnishes me with fresh free-range eggs, but delivers them for $3 a dozen. I love her.

I have to be amused at the mention of Everclear. I was making eggnog a couple of Christmases ago and walked up to the counter at liquor store, after ascertaining the Everclear was behind it. Asked the college student cashier for a pint bottle. He looked at me curiously. "You mean this 190-proof stuff?" Yep, that's what I mean. It's amusing to see a look of respect for a 60-something bloom on a 20-something's face.

I like the thins, specifically the lemon ones. Like @cakewalk, I don't often buy a package, because I'm going to sit down and eat the entire thing, because, you know, they're thin and crisp and light. Speaking of cinnamon-y things....my daughter came in last night with a bag of soft peppermint stick candy, except for instead of peppermint, it was cinnamon. "Red hots" on steroids! I could only manage half a stick. Would be marvelous in hot cider.

I may be a heretic for this, but I love to add some sausage (chorizo, andouille, etc.) and some cheese. Preferably Manchego or Idiazabal. Yum. Oh, and green onions. No bell peppers, though.

Have a friend who contends I'm nuts for paying $6 a pound for Rancho Gordo beans when I can get them all day at the grocery for $1.59. Don't care. It's worth it. They're not even on the same planet.

My favorite version of a Dutch baby has ricotta cheese in the middle, topped with apple butter. I sort of wrap two sides to the center, and eat it like a big, fat crepe. My Dutch baby also has, I think, three eggs and a quarter-cup of flour. It's probably big enough for two...but I usually eat it all. I'm also fond of one with grated cheese and bacon sprinkled on top before sliding into the oven.

Living in the Mississippi River Delta, where temperatures and humidity vie for top spot in the summer, heating up the kitchen is definitely an issue. If I'm going to bake bread, it gets baked early in the morning after an overnight refrigerator rise, before the house heats up TOO much. I use my Instant Pot a lot; the stovetop contributes to the misery. And I find my CSO invaluable; I can get oven results without oven heat jacking up the overall kitchen/house temperature. It was 93 today, humidity in the upper 80s. In mid-May. Gonna be a scorcher, they say.

Sudden craving for deviled eggs....

Finding myself in town 20 minutes before a scheduled early morning meeting at a client's office, I opted to dash through the local McDonald's drivethrough and sit in their parking lot and eat a quick breakfast in the car. Didn't want a breakfast sandwich, wasn't in the notion for my usual apple pie and hash browns, so I ordered "maple nut oatmeal with fruit." The fruit was diced apple and many, many raisins (and a few dried cranberries). Sweet enough, but not too sweet. It was almost decent. But dang, those people learn how to cook oatmeal with some salt! About half a packet of salt would have taken care of what ailed it; there was, of course, no salt packets to be found anywhere in my car. I realize some people are on low-sodium diets and have restricted salt intake. Throw a packet in the bag for the rest of us, wouldja, McD's, please?

You can't beat their customer service. I thought I'd lost my bracket for mine. They don't sell it separately. But they told me if I'd send my circulator back, they'd send me a new one. I found the bracket, fortunately.

Yes. That's lovely. And drool-worthy, for the sorbet alone.

My inclination would be to SV for longer; whether that is the right thing to do, I have no clue. But I eat grass-finished, pasture-raised beef, which, because it's been wandering about the hillside, tends toward being more toothsome than grain-finished, and I SV longer than most folks recommend -- up to four hours, with no mealy/mushy texture. Try a three-hour cook and see what that does.

Oh, don't disapppear! Keep us posted from the rabbit hole!

I wish I could deal with medium-rare pork. I can't. I was too conditioned to "you'll get trichinosis!" as a child. I know that's not really an issue. Still can't get past it.

Thanks, @Toliver. Not sure how I missed that first time around. Bought three of 'em. It's only money, right?

Thanks for taking us along! I love NOLA, and it's almost as much fun to follow someone else's culinary adventures there as it is to have my own!

Anova still has its 30 percent off Mothers Day sale going, if anyone is still in the market. Bluetooth $129. Clickety.

I had something similar to this when Cyalexa and I went to the Catbird Seat in Nashville. It was, essentially, a pork "butter." Ours had either nasturtiums or geraniums, I forget which, in it, added a lovely acidic note that played against the creamy, buttery fat. Be still, my heart! If only you had had the egg carpaccio as well...

Many thanks! Looks simple enough. They would work well with the pineapple pears from the tree up home, should it decide to bear this year.

Oddly, I like both canned asparagus and the fresh kind, albeit they bear little resemblance to each other. There's a taste to the canned I like, particularly when heated with a bunch of butter. I'd forgotten about having it fried. That's good. I've had it both in a tempura batter and in panko crumbs. Another favorite is to wrap in ribbons of proscuitto and roast.

Oh, and the sponge-head paint "brushes" (I think you use them for edging around doors and woodwork). They're marvelous for cleaning out that top channel where the lid fits and seals on your IP.