Anna N

Thank you so much.

Well aside from the fact that the noodles got short shrift from me given that I was just trying to remain alive, I found them very disappointing. Think soggy pasta. But I have absolutely nothing to compare them with in terms of what are good versions.

Thank you for your take on it. Well I guess I have learned a lesson then. My idea of chicken on the bone differs from others It’s not as though I was expecting a whole drumstick. I was much more thinking along the lines of how I’ve seen the cooked ducks dispatched in the markets. 1-2 inch pieces of duck containing both bones and flesh. I certainly won’t be adventuresome enough to order this again without an EMT on each side of me and a surgeon in waiting.

I would love to get @liuzhou’s take on this chicken dish. These chicken bones were not simply chopped, they were crushed. I could not help but think of a chicken being pressed in a duck press and instead of the juices being retained, the purpose was to retain the bones. I cannot imagine how one can enjoy a dish in which almost every mouthful contains potential choking or oesophagus tearing hazard.

A new restaurant recently opened in Burlington and today we thought we would kill two birds with one stone as it were. We would get a chance to try a new restaurant and at the same time offer some support to our Chinese come patriots who are under such stress as a result of the virus. It is a small restaurant with an extreme minimalist decor. But I loved this wall treatment. The table tops were so cold that I thought that only a pastry chef could love them. I am not quite sure how to handle a description of our experience without sounding somehow mean spirited which is not the impression I wish to give Our server was young and delightful. I believe she was the co-owner. She wanted very much to impress us. She did bring two steaming cups of tea to the table which somehow did not get photographed. And these these were quite delightful and obviously freshly made with just a hint of spiciness. She did her very best to help when Kerry looked for a better understanding of the menu. And when her English finally failed her she dragged a young man in from the back who was apparently the chef and possibly her partner. She tried her best to discourage us from ordering from the early part of the menu. She said that it was “real” Chinese and at the back of the menu we would find the typical Canadian-Chinese dishes. We said we were interested in the Big Plate Chicken. She did not think this was suitable for us because there would be bones in it. But she said it was the signature dish of the town from which she came and was obviously very proud of it.We told her bones didn’t worrierWorry us. At the time that was a very true statement! We asked how it was cooked and the chef tried his best to explain it and eventually got across to us that it included the hand pulled noodles which were high on our list of things we were interested in. While we waited for this chicken to arrive, she brought a complimentary plate of spring rolls. These arrived with a fork each but still presented a challenge to eat with any degree of decorum having already been sauced. The fork was obviously inappropriate and fingers going to end up very sticky. But we persevered and they were quite good. Again obviously freshly made. Finally the chicken It was tasty with a very prominent star anise component. But it was a minefield of crushed and splintered chicken bones. Not at all as we had imagined. We soldiered on as best we could but there was a great deal left over. Here is the website. I did bring home the leftovers but no matter how hard I tried I could not muster up the courage to eat them. The Heimlich maneuver is challenging to self administer! With a heavy heart and Kerry’s blessing I ditched them.

And the votes are in:

It is late for lunch yet early for dinner. But whatever I call it it will be my main meal for the day. Lamb mince over a baked potato.

I used a plain cooking onion. I don’t see any reason to try to tame onions that will be cooked. The heat will sweeten them up.

Just to wrap it up from my point of view. What a difference a day makes. I had kept two deformed pieces which I tried today and it’s hard to believe it’s the same cookie. So if anyone else attempts these please save your judgement at least overnight.

I am not afraid of salt but the last time I remember using Lipton’s onion soup mix I found the saltiness overwhelming. I’m guessing you did not?

The only way to enjoy this non-food.

Inspired by @Duvel’s little one. Peas and bacon (with pasta).

Whew! I was feeling totally inadequate because I was sure you would have made perfectly! I can now scrape a little of my ego up off the kitchen floor! But I still don’t particularly like them. I wonder how they will be received by the meeters? Meetees?

Exactly my thoughts. Not that I would make them again even without the chocolate chips.

These are the potato chip shortbread cookies from Midwest Made introduced here by @blue_dolphin. I must have read this recipe through so many times I thought I could recite it. I should’ve read it at least one more time! I completely forgot the step about brushing the dough with the egg before sprinkling on the potato chips. I tried to recover by brushing with the egg wash after applying the potato chips and it seemed to work reasonably well. My rolling pin is MIA. I don’t understand since it has only one place where it lives. I live alone. Perhaps it has been eaten by termites. A cold bottle of aquavit did the job. I thought these would be completely irresistible. But I’m just not feeling the love. There is just something too out there for me. Chocolate chips and Lays potato chips are not a marriage made in heaven to my taste buds. But I am still grateful that @blue_dolphinshared her experience and gave me an opportunity to try something new.

Wow. Nothing makes me happier than to see something I suggest take on a life of its own. I may need to make it myself again soon. Certainly I will be turning to a vegetable other than spinach which is hard for me to source and keep until I’m ready to use it. Sugar snaps and broccoli seem to have a longer lifespan in the crisper. Thanks for all the ideas.

Wow. I want to leap up and make this right this minute. The little one has amazing taste.

Inspired by @blue_dolphin: Goat cheese on rye crisps with ginger marmalade. Next time I think I might try a sprinkle of heat such as Aleppo pepper. Was too lazy and somewhat pushed for time to try it this morning.

Damn. As I spread my toasted rye with goat cheese this morning I stared at the ginger marmalade and said, ”Nah”. Should have followed my instincts.

No worries. It will still be good. I had no spinach.

😂

Toast topped with scrambled eggs on one slice and sautéed mushrooms with a drizzle of balsamic on the other.

Lovely salad and even lovelier presentation. I will never tell that you subbed in tart cherry Zinfandel balsamic for black currant vinegar.

Duck breast and a simple salad. Breast cooked stovetop until the skin was nice and crispy and then finished in a 400°F oven for five minutes. Salad dressed with a simple lemon vinaigrette using the marvellous olive oil that @Kerry Beal brought back from Italy.

Yes and you will notice many raitas are rich in yogourt. They can’t all be wrong. Click.