kayb

Well, maybe next year!

So, are your travels taking you through Arkansas? If you're coming through my 'hood, I'll definitely travel to meet you.

Convey tub of paste and bowl of flour to the living room so you can sit and watch TV while you pinch? Mix it with peanut butter, unsweetened coconut flakes, finely chopped nuts, and a bit of honey, roll in balls, roll the balls in more flaked coconut, and keep them in the fridge. Wonderful little energy bite snacks.

That recipe caught my eye as I was breezing through the book. Did you drop it, as suggested, from a couple of feet above the pan?

Can't beat it.

I am with Lisa. If you use boiled potatoes (boiled in skins, then cooled, peeled, diced) and make up and shape your hash brown patties in advance, you can fry them quickly, just long enough to brown the exterior nicely and not have to worry about thoroughly cooking the interior. Medium high heat, just a little oil.

It pretty much is. Warning: it can also be addictive, and cost you money. But you'll have a well-equipped kitchen, a well-stocked pantry, and a great cookbook shelf! Welcome!

Been a long time since I've made them, but leftover rice is always an opportunity for calas. Been a long time. May have to actually gear up to deep fry, here soon.

All the traditional Easter stuff, plus mac and cheese, because I have carb-loading kids who require mac and cheese. Finished it off with lemon icebox pie, topped with strawberries. And the best thing about Easter, because everyone needs a gratuitous cute kid pic, is dressing one's grandson in seersucker and a tiny little tie. Because, you know, "every girl's crazy 'bout a sharp dressed man..."

Yum. That is a lovely thing. How'd you get the pineapple slices to stand up?

I strain mine as well. I mix two cups of instant dry milk, two quarts of water, and a third to a half-cup of yogurt from the last batch, or a single-serve portion of Fage if I run out and start over. I get a bit more than a quart, but not quite a quart plus a full cup, out of that after I strain it for 3 or 4 hours. I find the full-fat dry milk makes a creamier yogurt than does the non-fat, but there's little, if any, difference in taste. I'm just excited I don't have to heat the milk any more.

If there's a difference in instant and non-instant, I don't know what it is. I bought non-fat dry milk from Amazon, a five pound bag, the first time, and now I'm using a two-pound tin of Nestle's that I got at WalMart. I had previously used the grocery store packages which come with several 1-quart envelopes of dry milk, and they're labeled instant as well.

Elsie, I am SO happy to hear this! It cuts the time, stops the film of milk protein that always sticks to the bottom of the pot, and is just easier! I remain entranced with how much simpler it is to make yogurt with dry milk, another one for which I'm indebted to you. Thank you!

I love this time of year. Another two-hour round trip to Memphis to score some asparagus for Easter, and whatever other goodies I happened across. Strawberries, red and white radishes, green onions. Also, two great-looking Cherokee Purple tomato plants, from a Memphis non-profit that works with teen girls via gardening, preserving, selling produce, etc. And a half-dozen bagels. And a bundle of gorgeous spring flowers to center the Easter table. Oh, and brunch. Grilled cheese on sourdough, with bacon and avocado. Perfection. The epitome of the grilled cheese.

Brunch, I guess, as it is now noon and I'm still stuffed, was a grilled cheese sandwich on sourdough, with bacon and avocado, from the food truck at the farmers' market. These people know how to do grilled cheese; they use a combo of a good cheddar and fontina, and good sourdough, and I'm not certain how, but the bread comes out a beautifully golden crunchy-crispy. For eight bucks with the add-ins (an egg would've cost me another buck, but I declined), it's a fine brunch. And I'm still stuffed. Had a bottled mango juice with it.

@liamsaunt, those lobster rolls are things of beauty. The poke bowl looks great, too, but I had one of those not too long ago. I haven't had a lobster roll since I was in Boston last fall. About due for a return trip!

I'd go with the fruit-poaching idea, I think. Then cook the liquid down to make a sauce. Serve over a pound cake or even ice cream.

Welcome, Vijay! We will certainly help if we can!

@blue_dolphin -- you are costing me money. I ordered Simple last night. If I like it as well as I do Deep Run Roots, I will likely take to ordering all the cookbooks into which you delve.

@shain, a beautiful Seder! Those beets look delectable. And I don't even like beets.

@David Ross -- Many thanks. I have tarbais beans from Rancho Gordo, and I have duck leg quarters in the freezer. My lone attempt at making cassoulet (by Paula Wolfert's recipe) met disaster when, after having chilled my confit (which I made with duck fat!) for a week or so, and gone through the first day's worth of steps for the cassoulet itself, I went to get the duck only to discover mold on the bottom. I started to scrape it off and use it anyway, but I was afraid we'd all die. I was mortally frustrated, and have not attempted confit since. Perhaps it is time again.

Beautiful things. Checking, but I don't think I can get from Arkansas to BC by dinnertime...

@David Ross, would you slhare the recipe you use for cassoulet?

Miso-glazed cod from the NYT's Cooking collection. Easy, and I thought it good; daughter was underwhelmed. A shredded cabbage, carrot, celery and cilantro "Asian Salad" from a bag from the grocery, complete with a packet of sesame ginger dressing and another bag of crispy rice noodles and sliced almonds. Dressing was a little bland, and would have benefitted from some rice vinegar. We had it with fruit salad of grapes, blueberries, and pecans, in a sweetened cream cheese dressing. Quick, healthy and good dinner.

Update: I guess I must not have washed the liner well enough; the soak and a good wash took care of the smell. The ring, though -- that may be past hope. It didn't get that smelly when cooking chili, which was previously the most smell-inducing thing I'd made in the IP. It's presently soaking in a sinkful of hot water and baking soda, and if that doesn't work, I'm chunking it. Fortunately, I had a couple of spares on hand. Yogurt in process. Which brings me to another question. On the Instant Pot forum on Facebook, which I don't trust as much as I do this one, several people have noted that if you use reconstituted dry milk for yogurt, you can skip the bring-to-180F step, because the milk proteins are already denatured. Anyone care to weigh in on that?