kayb

Well. I am closer to caught up than I was in the last post. Today, I replaced the tomato plants that didn't make it because of the delay in planting them, and added another pepper plant (ancho). I planted the herbs, and noticed that the rosemary has vanished, apparently having fallen victim to the rampant sage (I think that's what it was closest to). I tilled and planted the seed garden -- squash, cucumbers, lima beans, carrots, cabbage, radishes, pole beans. Decided I'd waited too late to plant the sugar snaps, the broccoli, the cauliflower, the Brussels sprouts, the leeks, and the cauliflower, so I'll hang on to those seeds and plant them next year. Tomatoes, planted and caged. Better Boy, Arkansas Traveler, Brandywine, Cherokee purple, yellow and red cherry, and Roma. Peppers in the background, though I'm not sure you can see them; pimiento, ancho, cubanelle, Thai hot. \ The herbs that overwintered/reseeded: Bronze fennel, sage, thyme, oregano, copious amounts of mint I should have never planted in the bed itself. I added to the pots, dill and onion and garlic chives and interspersed them in. There was rosemary, earlier this year, and it's vanished. I think the thyme and the sage ate it. Must get some rosemary. And the new ones planted today: Purple basil, regular basil, marjoram, and back in the back where you can barely see them, badly wilted cilantro and parsley. Still to come: Must plant the melons (no room in the seed garden, as I opted for an extra row of pole beans instead). Must put together, fill and plant the raised beds (one with asparagus, one with potatoes and onions). I think I can squeeze a few hills of melons in along the edge of the raised beds, at each end of the long garden. Will hope to get to that Saturday or Sunday. Right now, I'm so sore and tired I can barely move.

I'm behind. Tomatoes and peppers are in, herbs are going in today, but I have not yet planted potatoes, onions, or any of the seed garden. Hope to get that done today. Life has conspired against me this week. Starting an asparagus bed this year; I've lived in this house for five years, so I don't guess I'm moving any time soon. There will be green beans, lima beans, peas, carrots, cabbage, cucumbers, yellow squash, zucchini, eggplant, okra, broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts. And Sugar Baby watermelons and some kind of small cantaloupe. I'm thinking since I've waited so late, I may wait and plant the broccoli, cauliflower and sprouts on up in July and let them be fall bearers.

Steak and Shake has opened an outpost in my town; been open four days, and when I went at 1:15 yesterday, I had to wait 10 minutes for a seat. Single bacon cheese steakburger with fries, $4. And that's not an introductory price. Good, thick country bacon. Patty is thin, but nicely crusted from griddling. Fries are thinner than McDonald's, not my favorite, but you have the choice of several other sides (beans, slaw, applesauce, I forget what else). Added an Orange Freeze milkshake into the deal. Severe overeating. Should've left off the milkshake. Sandwich was great.

Well, that's worthwhile to know. Checking that one off the "H'mmmm..." list.

I don't know why meals from one end of one animal's spinal column makes me long for the other end of a different animal's spinal column. I'm jonesing for neckbones and dressing. Need to visit a market on the other end of town. No neckbones at Kroger, sadly.

@rotuts...to your earlier query...25 cm paella.

So glad to see someone else likes the crunchy corn taco shells.

Have no information, but would love to learn. Following.

FWIW, the best naan I ever had was at Quincy Market at Faneuil Hall in Boston, grilled over a fire in a 55-gallon barrel, draped over a couple of metal rods. That stuff was marvelous.

"Bulletproof" coffee. I ain't seein' it, myself.

@HungryChris -- and jonquils. I love jonquils. They are my absolute favorite flower in the world.

I do, in fact, have an Anova. In fact, if anyone remembers the old SideKic circulators that someone publicized on eG a few years back, that was my first adventure into SV. It died, and I could not function without having one, so a dear friend, whom I'd enabled to buy his own, got me one for Christmas. I don't use it too often, but I would not be without it. It is worth the price of admission if I didn't do anything more than country fried steak.

Of all the small electrics in my kitchen, I use the CSO more than anything except my coffee maker.

I got a 25. One day, I'm going to sit down and figure up how much eG has cost me over the years -- an Anova, a CSO, an Instant Pot, countless cookbooks, assorted semi-exotic ingredients, several pieces of cookware.... Of course, it's also afforded me hours of entertainment and lots of really good food info. So I guess it evens out.

Y'all....QUIT! I do not need another pan...I do not need another pan...I do not need another pan... But damn, I want a paella pan. I might as well go on and order the damn thing. I know I'm going to.

I always keep a can of cream of chicken and cream of mushroom soups in my pantry. There are a couple of dishes that just call for them, and when I've made a homemade sauce to sub, just aren't as good. Cream of chicken soup goes in chicken pot pie. Cream of mushroom goes in green bean casserole (yes, with the French's crispy fried onions). Both go in funeral potatoes and in Chicken Eden Isle (recipe calls for two cans of cream of mushroom, but I've always used one of each).

Biscuits, unless it's cheese biscuits or biscuits for a crowd, are generally from the frozen foods section. Although I do get the urge occasionally for the canned variety, with all the little multitudinous layers. It is, however, NEVER Campbell's tomato soup. If I don't have any home-canned, and don't want to make any, a cup of V8 juice mixed with a couple of scoops of Greek yogurt and heated works nicely. I, too, face the issue that the grandkids want Kraft mac and cheese. Their parents, however, want my homemade. I have been known to serve both at the same meal. The single-serve nuke-it cups of Kraft are always in my pantry.

Made this this morning. I used chopped dates, as I don't care for raisins. It's wonderful! I would have NEVER thought of putting turmeric in rice pudding, but it adds a marvelous note to it. This will be breakfast for a few days!

I dehydrate cherry and Roma tomatoes. I also do peaches. Haven't tried any berries. I've done jerky, which would have been good but for the fact I sliced it too thickly. I did okra, which made a nice crunchy snack, and cucumbers, which were singularly tasteless. I just put them on the shelves, turn the thing on, and leave them until stuff looks as dry as I think it ought to.

Well, that would have worked, but I had a crevice that was not...quite...full, so the hash browns (I keep a bag of frozen on hand all the time) were an optimum solution. Particularly as I had no bread thawed. Topped things off with a tangerine. Clementine. Mandarin orange. Whatever it was. I am now set to go outside and garden.

Two-course lunch. Fresh, local asparagus with over easy eggs. I had egg yolk left. That was unacceptable. So I fried up some hash browns to soak it up.

Thank you!

....why I love eGullet, Reason No. 4,723....

Welcome! What's your favorite bar food? And what do you enjoy cooking/eating the most?

If I bother to use the spice packet at all, I combine it with a tablespoon or so of pickling spice.