pastameshugana

Well, I spoke too soon. Late gifts arrived from DW: A set of spoons with concentric measurements in them...very interesting. One spoon has ridges for 1/4tsp, 1tsp, 2tsp, the other with tbsp. Also, very excited about a set of silicone molds intended for freezing ice into shot-glass shapes. I plan on doing much more creative things with them!

A new immersion blender. There was one package that was large & heavy enough to definitely be a set of large, expensive books. It was from a person thoughtful enough I thought it may be MC at home, but discovered (to my great delight) it was actually the entire 'Calvin and Hobbes' collection. Yay me! My absolute favorite comic in the history of man, and certain to cause me many many less profanity-inciting moments of frustration than I'm sure MC would have... I've got to go, some serious reading to do...

I generally prefer puree. Although, it would be neat to try a 1/2 n 1/2 variation that has a broth/chunk soup with an extra thick puree 'dolloped' on as garnish to stir in... or maybe I'm overthinking it...

I always bring chocolate for my date (Mrs. Meshugana)... oh wait...

That sounds amazing!

Wait, you mean Olive Garden isn't REAL Italian food?! The horror!! ...I kid, I kid... Just heard the OG was moving into our (small) town and everyone is delirious with joy that we're going to get 'a real Italian joint' as they say. Ugh. I'm glad because it means more people at the restaurants I'm at...

That sounds both decadent AND delicious. Call next time you're making it!

I 2nd (6th?) the pasta dishes. Carbonara happens in a flash. Although, when under mega pressure (I do month long projects that are literally 16-20hrs/day), I'll take one day off in the middle and cook something ridiculously complicated and long that I've never cooked before. For some reason that kind of resets me...

I think this might be the hang up that's confusing you. The issue with much (not all or even most) food is not in 'solving problems' but in creating art. I'm an artist in a lot of ways (I love playing guitar, for example), and when I work out a new, incredibly complex riff, it's not because I'm solving a problem. I'm not curing what ails modern music, I'm making my art. In food, I'm not a professional chef, but I play with it as art I can eat. I'll try different techniques because, often, they're 'cool'! I love looking at a dish and thinking, wow, I did that! I remember my first compound butter. I was so impressed with myself! I could've made the dish another way, but I (naively) thought I was one of the greatest cooks around because I could make compound butter. Granted, if you don't want food art, then a Grant Achatz restaurant isn't the place for you to go. Or maybe the art you're looking for is more 'still life' than Pablo Picasso. Point being: I'm not saying you're wrong in your irritation, just trying to shed some light. Chefs aren't 'fixing' any 'non problems' with a lot of these techniques, they're refining their art. $.02

That is a thing of beauty...

We had Thanksgiving with friends who were already cooking, so we just brought a few things: Sweet Potato Soup (definitely will be doing this again - with Maple, nutmeg, cinnamon, garlic & leek): Turkey Breast with Maple and Chili (Sriracha): I made a compound butter with pure maple syrup, sriracha and butter, then put it between the skin & meat. This was the best tasting turkey to EVER pass my lips - positively amazing... (I do humbly insist) Turkey Breast with Portobella & Pancetta Compound Butter - also amazing: I hope you all had a wonderful day! ETA: A note on the blackened skin - I baked the breasts at a little below 350 until internal temp hit 155 - coasted to 165-ish. After removing, dealing with other things, I basted them in the drippings and put them under a 500f broiler for about 3 minutes. The skin ended up really crispy and wonderful.

Here's an update from Alex Edwards at ICA Kitchen, who responded to my query: Fingers crossed...

It's gone missing (unavailable) on amazon. What a heartbreak. I finally got around to making the decision (in time for TG!) and now I can't get my hands on one...

THAT is amazingly beautiful... a stunning picture of a stunning dish... bravo!

Wow... sounds like someone is in for a hangover.... My wife and I joke about 'hitting the vanilla' when the kids (5!) get crazy. Although, vanilla beans cooked as a veggie definitely sound like an experiment..... maybe even an experiment worth trying!

Hayley - not only does that sound amazing (sweet as) - because dal makhni is a family favorite - but I can feel your pain. Had a dentist make an 'oops' two days ago on a filling and am still swollen and hurting...

When living in India we had essentially the same considerations - a brilliant indicator of safety when choosing a dosa joint.

Mmmmm. My wife and I spent many of our most memorable days in Jerusalem and surroundings (still dreaming of aliyah one day). I just pre-ordered the kindle version and plan on surprising her with some of these recipes. Thanks for the tip off! On a parallel track - 'Secrets of a Jewish Baker' is the only baking book I've ever used, and I absolutely adore it.

Two weeks ago, when in Saint Petersburg, my friend was showing pictures of the family mushroom foraging on vacation. Apparently it's quite common in the smaller villages this time of year. I guess you've got to know what you're looking for.

Beautiful!

Edited my silly comment that didn't realize that arugula and rocket were one & the same... (sheepish grin) Suffice it to say, the above suggestion IS wonderful, I can say from experience.

Holy crow - laptops & sensors & heatfins - oh my! I've been buying from redbirdcoffee.com - they only roast it when you order it - so that's fresh enough for me. And their espresso blend is the best I've tasted yet. I order 5lbs at a time, which lasts about 2-3 weeks, and it works out to about 10.50/lb including shipping.

I'm not much of a Macca's fan here at home (US) - but the five mini-meshuganas love it so I bow. OTOH - I travel quite a bit, and it seems inevitable that I'll run into a McD's in the countries I visit. Part of it is the people there wanting to make the poor, traveling American feel at home (despite my protests), and part of it is simple convenience. That being said, I've eaten McDonald's on every continent except Antarctica. I will say this: Their global quality control is amazing. The consistency of things like french fries, service is impressive (especially compared to other global chains). Their regional offerings can be surprising (Maharajah Mac in India instead of the Big Mac), and often enjoyable. Some countries/locations treat it as a sit-down 'we'll bring your order to you' type of restaurant, even bringing refills to your table. Just a week ago in Russia I noticed they were serving popcorn shrimp (which I didn't try, but looked interesting). And their breakfast menu has a number of intriguing items. The one I tried that I enjoyed was the 'Chicken Fresh McMuffin'. Chicken patty, tomato/lettuce on a McMuffin. Not bad. One thing about Russian Macca's, one of the common words transliterated into Russian on the menu in the Cyrillic alphabet comes out looking almost exactly like 'porn'. It's a bit disconcerting ordering the 'porn burger'...

I will usually look for specifics in a review, rather than trust the generic 'it's great!' nonsense. You can usually spot a fake review if you pay close enough attention. As I travel a lot, sometimes those review sites are helpful! From iPhone using Tapatalk

For the labor day cookout, I was only responsible for bringing a side - and I was craving spicy... I decided to make habanero-stuffed-jalapenos (sounded like a great idea at midnight). My idea was to make a pate of bacon & spicy goodness for the inside, rather than the traditional bacon wrapped around the outside of the pepper. I fried 1lb of bacon, then fried garlic (one head) & sliced habaneros (1 dozen) in the bacon fat (yes, my throat is still burning from the fumes, but boy did it smell good!) Then bacon, garlic, habanero and cilantro into the blender, plus three packages of cream cheese. It made a wonderful tasting, spicy paste that piped easy into the cored jalapeños. I pre-boiled the jalapenos in salt water to soften them a bit (not enough, though). Topped them with cheddar and baked at 350 for a while (15 min?). The results were less than satisfactory. The paste was delicious (I saved the leftovers) and the peppers good - but it just didn't mix well. The two textures were too dissimilar to make a sensible combo. Oh well, better luck next time...