kayb

Sold! I love a Hawaiian rib-eye (used to live near a good restaurant that served them). I have everything but pineapple juice, and the grocery is only a few blocks away. About to get the steak out of the freezer right now.

I'm going to pick and choose from among sartoric and Lisa Shock's suggestions, because the sweet potato salad intrigues me and I'd been thinking about poke anyway, but I don't want to thaw out that huge honkin' shoulder roast until I have more people on hand to feed. So it will be a steak on the barbie, accompanied by poke and a slightly altered version of sweet potato salad to take out the things I don't like and add things I do. It's likely to be Monday before I can do this, as I am up to both ears with a grandson today, and tomorrow is son-in-law's birthday dinner and he's requested pork tenderloin.

I want all of that. But where's the little mouse?

I'm most impressed at your container garden. Mine just don't do that well. I think they are in too mjuch direct sun (from noon onward).

Going to get my list out there early, as I'm going out of town this evening and won't be back until tomorrow night. I have on hand: Protein: A freezer full of assorted beef (steaks, roasts, ground beef) At least two whole frozen chickens A frozen Boston butt, about 6 pounds Pork chops (loin, boneless) A single tuna steak Veggies: Tomatoes, corn, peas, sweet potatoes, Yukon golds, onion, garlic Pantry: Pasta, rice, dry beans, wide variety of condiments and spices A whole wheat baguette in the freezer. A half-loaf of Anadama bread in the fridge. A reasonable collection of eggs, dairy and cheese, including some Rogue River blue I'd love to use. I'll see responses Friday when I get home and let you know!

Grapes out front, certainly, but I'm good with a bit of raspberry or cherry. No oak taste in the BB. Nice "big" taste, typical of a Zin. Lord, I love 'em.

Today, I am knee-deep in Old South Lime Pickles. These are a tangy sweet pickle that make an excellent accompaniment to cold lunches or dinners, and are great chopped up in potato or egg salad, should you be a fan of sweet pickles in those preparations. They're also a two-day process. Day 1, you cut up your cucumbers (either chunks or, because mine were sizeable, I did short spears, and soak them overnight in a solution of water and pickling lime. I'm grateful for my laundry room sink, where such soaks can take place. Day 2, which would be today, you drain them, rinse them through three changes of cold water, and then soak them in ice water while you make a brine of water, vinegar, sugar, salt and pickling spice. The drained cucumbers soak in that for 5 to 6 hours to overnight, and then boil in it for 35 minutes before being put in jars and processed. I've somewhat screwed myself over because I had so many cucumbers my only option was to make the brine in my water bath canner, in which the cucumbers are currently soaking. Seems to me like an inordinate amount of brine, but I went by the recipe. While they're soaking, I'll work up the 50 ears of FREE corn I got when I bought tomatoes the other day, and put that in the freezer. Next week will be tomatoes. I am making sauce with my back-yard Romas, but am having to buy tomatoes for canning plain, as my other plants just aren't producing that much. Will change varieties and fertilize better next year.

My Aldi does not sell wine or spirits (no such in grocery stores in AR), but I live about 50 miles from an Aldi in a Missouri town that stocks a reasonably good Prosecco for about $5 a bottle. I stop through when I'm traveling (it's on my route "up home"), and will make a special trip if I'm going to be doing a brunch that calls for lots of mimosas! My current evening glass, unless it's something specifically paired to a meal, is Bota Box Old Vine Zin. Pretty doggoned good for really cheap wine (works out to something less than $4 a 750-ml bottle). I like Gnarly Head, as well.

Question -- and that looks tremendous, by the way. Did you just put your chicken in without any liquid, other than the olive oil? What kind of dry rub? Intrigued by this.

Kroger has informed me on my last six checkout receipts about the recall, specifying Gold Medal flour, which is what I generally buy. The first one came out after I'd finished off my last bag of Gold Medal. I have not died. Guess mine was OK.

I'd take the pork butt steaks and marinate them in a pernil-style sofrito of onions, garlic, cumin, oregano and either some vinegar or lime juice overnight. I'd gril them very low and slow, maybe finishing up in a pan under foil to keep from drying out but still get plenty of tenderness. Served with fried maduros, yucca frita, and a Caribbean-style rice with cumin, peppers, onions and coconut milk, if you have any.

I am intrigued by the Roti John. But I don't know that I'm intrigued enough to try it, as it looks damned complicated. What was the verdict on the taste?

@Shelby-- That's a big ol' catfish! River? Can't eat river cat around here; they're too muddy-tasting. Have to get farmed. @ninagluck -- that is a beautiful meal. Much too ambitious for me, I fear. @mgaretz -- I know you have posted this before, but as I don't do well at the search function (if there's a tutorial on using it and some host would like to point me toward it, I'd be most appreciative), would you share your recipe/method for char siu tenderloin again? PM is great.

Possibly the favorite zucchini recipe in this household is fritters, for which my children clamor relentlessly. Grate 3 medium zucchini (should grate out about four cups); add two beaten eggs and a stack of Saltine crackers, crushed into crumbs. (My girls insist they must be either Zesta or Nabisco saltines, no off-brand, and must be salted tops.) Add two beaten eggs. Stir and let sit about 20 minutes. Drain off excess liquid if needed. Shape fritters (I used a measuring cup) and drop into about 1/3 inch of hot oil; fry until golden and flip. Keep on rack in warm oven up to 30 minutes while you prepare the rest of dinner. The kids want no sauce. I prefer either garlic aioli or comeback sauce. I also like to slice them thinly, salt and drain them on paper towels, and fold the strips around ricotta cheese, then top with a tomato sauce and bake. I've done zucchini crisps -- slice very thinly, salt, drain, brush with olive oil, bake on a rack until crispy, salt. Great, but they need to be eaten hot. I'm contemplating trying to slice, drain and bake some as @Lisa Shock described earlier, then freezing them on the sheet pan, and when frozen, packing them between layers of waxed paper and into a plastic or vacuum bag for longer-term storage. Should work all winter as "noodles."

Good Lord. I'm seeing movie trailers. "Revenge of the Killer Basil." @Tere, your gardens are beautiful. Mine is grass and weed-infested now, but hopefully with an injury free summer next year and a better start, mine will look better next year! Tomatoes are still happily producing, though.

I, who have never cooked a goose (and truthfully, don't expect to) have unbounded admiration for your attempt and your chronicle. I'm also jonesing for some red cabbage, now.

It's created a monster, it has. I've used this thing every single day, I believe, since I got it. My oven has been turned on exactly once, and that was to keep things warm. Today after church, I was cooking midday "dinner" for the three of us. I wanted to roast new potatoes in the CSO, but I also wanted to bake pork chops in it. So I steam-baked the potatoes, tossed in olive oil, for 20 minutes at 450, took them out, scooted them to one side, laid the pork chops alongside, cut the temp to 400, and went for another 20. That was probably two or three minutes too long, as the pork was just a tad overdone. But the pork jus soaking the skin side of the potatoes, while the oil-coated cut sides browned beautifully -- that was a thing of beauty. Because I'd already figured out I can't make a space for two of the danged things.

Yes. Probably should have used convection, but it was good.

IP yogurt, homemade granola, and local blueberries, of which I did not take a photograph. Back to IP yogurt after a few weeks of the supermarket kind. Astounded at the difference in taste. No more supermarket stuff for me!

Andiesenji and I, along with anyone else who spent any time in Western Kentucky, will remember mutton barbecue. I thought it was horrible. And I confess to being one of those who doesn't care for lamb, unless it's highly spiced. Don't care for the "barnyard" taste. And I grew up eating, and still eat, all kinds of wild game. I also much prefer wild duck over farmed duck.

Oops. Maybe they make a real flat CSO??? Double oops. On top of the refrigerator. At least that's where mine moved. Not so sure about a litter box, though.

Set the CSO on top of the microwave. That's where mine is.

I just used the bread setting and guesstimated the time...took the short side of the recipe recommended time, and knocked 5 minutes off that. Beginner's luck, I reckon. Lesson learned with the CSO last night: 450F is too hot to bake sweet potato wedges. However, 450 for 10 minutes on steam bake turns out roasted broccoli llike a champ.

Sounds lovely. If you want an "entree" item, Anna N's shrimp fritters would fit the bill.

I have a pot of yogurt about to be finished here in an hour or so, but I've used yogurt starter. I will try this with my next batch, for sure!