lindag

Unquestionably the best kitchen items I've bought in the last few months: #1 Silicone spoon/spatula I use this nearly every day....if I can't find it I'll take it from the dirty dishes in the d/w and used it again. #2 Electric wine opener The BEST wine opener ever and I've owned nearly every other one on the planet. #3 Thermapen Can you say f-a-s-t?!

Due to a run of unusually cool days, last night I needed homemade soup. Minestrone, consisting of the usual suspects handily made in the crock pot. Next will be a new one for me and I imagine it will be a killer soup and I can't wait to try it out. Hot Ukrainian Borsch (recipe from America's Test Kitchen.com) Broth 1 (2-pound) boneless pork butt roast, well trimmed and cut in half 1 onion, halved 1 large carrot, sliced 1 inch thick 2 bay leaves ½ teaspoon table salt 10 cups water Soup 1 pound Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces ½ small head green cabbage, halved, cored, and sliced thin crosswise (5 cups) 1½ teaspoons table salt, divided ¼ cup vegetable oil 1 onion, chopped fine 8 ounces beet, trimmed, peeled, and shredded (2 cups) carrots, peeled and shredded (1½ cups) 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste ⅓ cup chopped fresh dill, plus more for garnish 1 tablespoon lemon juice, plus more for serving FOR THE BROTH: Combine all ingredients in Dutch oven and bring to boil over high heat. Adjust heat to simmer and cook, covered, until pork is tender, about 2 hours, occasionally skimming foam off surface.2Transfer pork to large plate or cutting board. Discard onion, carrot, and bay leaves. When pork is cool enough to handle, cut into bite-size pieces (it's OK if meat starts to shred). Skim fat from surface of broth. (Alternatively, cool broth completely and refrigerate overnight. Refrigerate pork separately.) FOR THE SOUP: Reserve ½ cup broth. In Dutch oven, bring remaining broth to boil over high heat. Add potatoes, cabbage, and ½ teaspoon salt. Adjust heat to maintain gentle simmer and cook, covered, until potatoes are just tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add beets, carrots, and ½ teaspoon salt and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in tomato paste (mixture will be thick) and cook until fragrant and tomato paste is slightly darkened in color, 1 to 2 minutes. Slowly add reserved broth, scraping bottom of pan to loosen any browned bits. Add beet mixture to Dutch oven and stir gently to combine. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in pork, dill, lemon juice, and remaining ½ teaspoon salt. Season with salt, pepper, and lemon juice to taste. Portion borscht into bowls and garnish each serving with more dill. Serve. (Borscht can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 4 months.)

I found a new cocktail that I'm keen to try with my favorite Tanqueray No. 10 gin. Kachumber Cooler

Thank you for the shots of the house...what a wonderful private paradise!

Do you do this in your blast freezer?

My neighbor in Portland who was an incredible cook swore by Gravensteoms for her apple pies. They were grown locally.

A small price to pay for ALL THAT! Anything more would be sinful.

I would dearly love to see some photos of and around that beautiful house.

While I'm usually a very big fan of any of the Zo products I would pass on this one because #1 Too large, I'd prefer a smaller size, probably around 4-qt. #2 According to reviews it is underpowered, unforgiveable when it can't steam efficiently #3 Pot interior is not non-stick. #4 Cannot pressure cook (a multi cooker that can't pressure cook?) #5 There is a better product that does what this one does at a lot less cost.. (and I already own it Cuisinart (eG-friendly Amazon.com link) and it is perfection in a slow cooker.)

What a gorgeous beach! And the house is quite picturesque.

Agreed. Same here.

Zojirushi has just come out with a multi cooker. However, it appears to have some problems. Looking forward to seeing this product when they've ironed out the kinks. See Amazon reviews, lots of issues. Made in Chine.

Last night's dinner was steak kabobs. Here's the recipe I used....They were Damned Delicious! (recipe from DamnDelicious.com) KOREAN BEEF KABOBS 2 pounds thick-cut New York strip steak ½ small pear, peeled and coarsely grated ¼ cup reduced sodium soy sauce 2 tablespoons brown sugar 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger 1 tablespoon gochujang, Korean red pepper paste 2 tablespoons vegetable oil Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 2 green onions, thinly sliced 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds INSTRUCTIONS Wrap steak in plastic wrap, and place in the freezer for 30 minutes. Unwrap and slice across the grain into 1/4-inch thick slices. In a medium bowl, combine pear, soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, garlic, ginger and gochujang. In a gallon size Ziploc bag, combine soy sauce mixture and steak; marinate for at least 2 hours to overnight, turning the bag occasionally. Drain the steak from the marinade. Thread 2-3 slices steak onto skewers. Brush with vegetable oil; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Preheat grill to medium heat. Add skewers to grill, and cook, turning occasionally, until charred and cooked through, about 4-5 minutes. Serve immediately, garnished with green onions and sesame seeds, if desired.

Nectarines are $2 EACH here!

I love the look of those meat buns! I believe you've posted about them before but if you did I missed your recipe. Can you tell me more?

Fresh steelhead fillet for dinner air fried on the Ninja Speedi So good! Slightly undercooked as I prefer. Served with Calrose rice made in the Zo.

I love these wax paper sheets that I use to keep my counters and range top clean although this doesn't look the the brand I have that I got at Costco. Handy for setting down an sticky spoon or knife or drippy lid. Also good for separating sliced meat and burger patties, etc. Cheap and disposable. image from Amazon.

Indeed. I always make enough so that I don't have to cook on another day. Gives me an evening off.

One of my favorites is Shrimp Louie. Tiny salad shrimp that I always keep in the freezer (it thaws in minutes_, bag o' chopped romaine, 1,000 island dressing, sliced hard boiled egg and Salt and pepper and it's ready in no time. Oh, and I like to add grape tomatoes too.

We loved to have lamb chops but DH always cooked them outside on the grill due to the smell.

Here's a nice summer drink: Jack Daniels Sweet Tea from TSRI INGREDIENTS ▢ 2 ounces Jack Daniels Tennessee Whiskey ▢2 ounces fresh lemon juice ▢1 tablespoon honey ▢4 ounces Coke INSTRUCTIONS In a mason jar or tea glass, combine whiskey and lemon juice. Add honey and stir until honey is dissolved. Make sure honey is dissolved, once the drink is chilled it will not dissolve. Add cola and ice. Stir to combine.

OMG, I just fell into this rabbit hole myself...if is hilarious!!!

Anything salty gets me. VA peanuts is my newest addiction...I'm now on my fourth can of them. It's a sickness.

It's BEAUTIFUL!

WOW!!!