kayb

Kielbasa is a popular sausage here in the US, @Kasia. I buy it frequently at the supermarket. I do not know if it really resembles the REAL kielbasa one finds in Poland. Many of the hog farmers in the Midwest were originally from Central Europe. It may be they brought the traditions of sausage making with them.

As if it weren't bad enough with all you eGullet enablers out there, the damn produce at the store is now encouraging me toward the purchase of all manner of kitchen widgetry I did not know I needed. I came across really nice Kirby cucumbers, about six inches long and an inch or so in diameter, dead cheap at Aldi the other day. Bought two packages. Which then necessitated me going home and buying these fermenting lids. And, while I was about it, some half-gallon jars (because quarts were the largest I had on hand), and some weights. So now I have two quarts of someday half-sours in the brine, perched on my countertop. Should have used fresh dill, but I didn't have any, so I made do with dried. Will report on the pickles once they're through fermenting.

@HungryChris, those Aldi Appleton Farms hams are GOOD. And quite inexpensive. I got one the other day. Dinner tonight, finally, was the sauerkraut, kielbasa, home fries and, for good measure, crowder peas with tomato relish that I'd been wanting since Friday and finally got around to cooking. No photos because it was a singularly unattractive dinner, if very good.

Aggravates heck out of me. I just bought the whatevereth anniversary edition of Moosewood. I don't know that this one will be that much different...but for two bucks, I'm surely going to find out.

I get the liter bottles of Carlini at Kroger. They're my go-to for frying. I go to the olive oil store in Memphis and get some better ones for finishing, and for bread-baking.

I'm far from an expert in making duck confit, but I would be surprised if you could confit wild and tame duck together, at least during the initial cook. By its nature, wild duck is going to be a firmer meat; it'll take longer to come to the melting tenderness you want. Go that long with tame duck, and it would dissolve. I'd pull my tame duck when I thought it was ready, and leave the wild for a few more hours.

There is no better sausage, egg and cheese biscuit than the one procured at a Southern gas station/convenience store before 7 a.m. during deer or duck season. It's just the way it is.

What a gloriously gorgeous culture! Thank you, again.

To add to the hot sauce collection, get some Pickapeppa. Not tremendously hot, but a marvelously complex blend of flavors. Probably my favorite hot sauce when I'm looking for anything other than just heat, and it does WONDERFUL things for a Bloody Mary. Some Louisiana brand liquid crab and shrimp boil. Use twice what the label recommends for your given amount of seafood; the label directions were written for the mass market, which has no taste. Add a couple of halved lemons to the water. Boil your (shrimp, crabs, whatever) up with small redskin potatoes, corn on the cob, some chunks of Andouille sausage, and it's a fine, fine dinner. With homemade cocktail sauce: ketchup, chili sauce, horseradish, hot sauce, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, all to your taste. Blend some of that and a bit of curry powder with mayonnaise for "Comeback Sauce," Mississippi's answer to remoulade. Oh, and pralines! Do not miss pralines!

They won't travel well, but be sure to eat some meat pies while you're in Cajun country.

I am beyond astounded in the workmanship of those silver headdresses. And more than a little bit amazed at how strong those women's necks must be! The history and culture of China, come to life through your photos and words, continues to amaze me. Thank you for taking us all along.

Ah, fresh deer tenderloin! Perhaps one of the most sublime cuts of meat extant. Knew someone who used to marinate it in buttermilk. Did marvelous things to the taste.

Fascinating. And it all looks delicious!

Good job! And you're cooking for all of us, when?

Went ahead and joined the party. I can always use another piece of Lodge. It's an annual stop for me when I make my every-summer trek to the N. GA mountains.

FWIW, I finally got my Lodge carbon steel pans seasoned and am using them regularly. I'm very happy with them. Enough so I don't see the need for a Darto.

I think you just made my lunch decision for me. Now to find somewhere up here that serves fish and chips.

To my earlier list, I'll add what I'm cooking tonight, because it's chilly out and for whatever reason, I woke up this morning thinking about it: Sauerkraut, kielbasa and home fries. (Is it time to start dinner, yet???)

Damn. Now I'm hungry. Really hungry. I lust for that pork belly.

Had to get "Sausage Making" and the potato book.

No photos, but as my stomach seems to have gotten over being queasy for a couple of days, I found myself starving, and although I had a refrigerator full of food, I didn't want any of it. I wanted meat loaf. So I betook myself to the local diner, where I had peas, mashed potatoes and meat loaf. Cleaned my plate. Still full.

I sympathize on the Methodist ancestors; I tried to tell my Methodist parents they could send my greens to the starving children, but that was a non-starter. I would see if I could rig some way to elevate the eggplant, obviously in a pan, higher above the coals. Might also have something to do with the amount of ash buildup in your fireplace. Do you have a tripod like one uses over a campfire to suspend a Dutch oven? If so, you could use that without the top.

Sorry. Cuisinart Convection Steam Oven. It's a marvelous thing. You can somewhat mimic the action by putting ice cubes in a hot pan in a hot oven at the same time you put bread in, to create a blast of steam. Makes for a fresher-tasting toasted or reheated bread. Must confess I have never made challah (though it makes the best French toast in the world). But I don't see why you couldn't par-bake it. Try half to 2/3 of your customary time, let cool COMPLETELY, and wrap. No need to refrigerate or freeze unless you're waiting a long time to finish the baking, I'd say.

Chopped berries, I presume?

My rolls, which are usually what I par-bake because of the time demands of Sunday or other family dinner, call for 20-25 minutes at 350. To par-bake, I go for about 10-12 minutes, at which point they're fully oven-sprung and have a dry crust and a little bit of browning starting, but are still doughy in the center, and I let them cool. Then I cover with foil and, as I'm usually doing them the night before, just leave them on the counter overnight. There's a local restaurant that does a similar thing with their rolls that sells the par-baked version out of their freezer case, so I'm guessing I could freeze after they were cooled and covered. I bake the next day for about 15 minutes, again at 350. Of course, since I've acquired the CSO, it's easier to just go ahead and bake them and then reheat for five minutes at 350. They taste just like fresh.