kayb

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.

I count five!

Not familiar with the dinnerware, but I love it! I could be dangerous there. And it was made for MY railroad (my maiden name was Atchison, so I figure I'm at least some kin to the railroad baron of old).

Now, that's intriguing. Just berries, cabbage and brine?

A kindred spirit! I do the same thing. I have stuff in the pantry that I look at and think, "WHY did I buy this?" @Shelby, are we hunting deer and pheasant both this trip? Duck season is in full swing here, but for the fact that it's been so dry and so warm, there are no ducks to speak of.

If you noticed my Thanksgiving relish tray on that post, it contained pickled asparagus and marinated mushrooms, both @HungryChris recipes I have finally saved (at least until I have a computer crash and it eats my data). I was MOST thankful for you that day, Chris!

I do this a lot, mostly as a way to preserve leftovers, or when I'm prepping something that I know will make more than we want, I'll prep up to the final cooking step and then freeze one batch and cook the other. Among them: Choucroute garnie. I make a big pot, then portion out and freeze. Reheats like a charm. Chicken pot pie (or any other kind of pot pie). Cook filling, then assemble and top with crust. Freeze unbaked. Carbonnades a la flamande. Again, a big pot, and freeze over the starch of your choice (I like grits, but noodles work well, too). Gumbo or shrimp creole over rice. Red beans over rice. Enchiladas, with refried beans. Basically, I find I can freeze and then reheat/cook most anything that is not heavy with cream or eggs. Small portions of either seem to work OK, but I've seen a definite degradation in quality in things like, say, a quiche.

I have eaten doggoned nearly every kind of game there is. I have eaten possum. It's nasty. Almost as nasty as coon. I will stick to venison and elk.

Disappointment of the day: DiBruno Bros. offered a cyber Monday 20 percent off sale with free shipping. I was going to hop on that, as their minimum shipping, due to refrigeration, etc., needs is $27. Come to find out, it's free shipping ONLY IF you spend $149.99. I was aggravated enough I said hell with it.

If you want seriously good chicken fried steak, take some round steak, sous vide it until it's good and tender (I think I go 8 to 12 hours at 140). Then dip in seasoned flour, egg wash, and then cracker crumbs and fry in a hot skillet in about 1/4 inch of oil. It will rock your world. You could go a lower temp if you want, but I don't want much pink in my CFS.

I may be late to the party, and people may have been doing this forever, but I have found the BEST use for leftover sweet potatoes. I had my standard mashed sweet potatoes with pecan praline topping. I stirred up about a cup and a half of those with a beaten egg, a half-cup of brown sugar, a cup and a half of flour, 3/4 tsp each of baking soda and baking powder, a half-teaspoon of cinnamon, a quarter teaspoon each of nutmeg and ground cloves. Spooned it out into greased muffin tins, and then put MORE praline pecan topping (a half-cup each of flour and brown sugar, a half-cup of pecans, a half-stick of melted butter, stirred up until crumbly) on top. These things are GOOD. Could be easily enough recreated with the flesh of a baked sweet potato or two, but they surely are a FINE use for leftover ones.