Anna N

I suppose it will strike some people as gauche, but I have been known to mash my potatoes with my dinner fork right on my dinner plate. I incorporate some butter and gravy if it’s available. One can also quickly transform plain old mashed potatoes into colcannon if there happens to be a little cabbage on the plate. Come to think of it the possibilities seem endless.

Thank you. Thank you. That was my suspicion but as pointed out by others it seemed illogical. In my mind’s eye I could see skinless, whole tomatoes but I did not trust this picture. I wonder if it is a case of we notice what is there but frequently do not notice what is not there!

I agree with everything you say including the uncertainty about whether or not there are skins. And for once I don’t have a can in the pantry so I cannot check! But they are back on my grocery list so in a week I should know.

They are whole but I don’t believe they are skinless.

I think this is a fun way to play with your food.

I usually have one or more of these in my pantry. I find them quite a lot sweeter than most canned tomatoes. These. When fresh cherry tomatoes are not at their best I find using them in a sauté improves the flavour. It’s a bit like roasting out of season strawberries to bring out some more of their flavour.

Savoury French toast with grape tomatoes and basil paste. Fresh basil would’ve been preferable but on short notice and out of season….

Years and years ago I helped my daughter and son-in-law undertake this task. It is not as easy as it is made to sound nor is it particularly economical. You would be better off reading some wine reviews and grabbing a few bottles of a well regarded wine that comes at a price such that you could afford to enjoy a bottle once or twice a month. YMMV

Indeed I have. I have tried different pans. I have tried different heat levels. I have tried different times. I am of the opinion that duck skin simply does not lend it Cself to the kind of crispiness that can be attained with pork skin and/or chicken skin. I am not saying that it doesn’t get a little crunch to it but it is a different result than with other things that we manage to crisp.

Awfully glad you were able to tweak your memory. I am not familiar with this chef. I could never get into those cooking contest shows.

Thank you. Although it looks crispy and it was quite delicious it did not have that “crackle” that you get with pork skin. I have tried dozens and dozens and dozens of techniques. I can get pork skin crispy and I can get chicken skin crispy but be damned if I can actually get duck skin crispy.

Rice bowl with chicken and assorted vegetables. Edited to add: Yesterday, this duck breast was also planned for a rice bowl but I ran out of steam. Even unaccompanied it was delicious.

Might be fine for a chef reaching for another star but for a home cook? I suggest he or she ought to be committed.

Inspired somewhat by @Kim Shook’s “Trashy Benedict“. Buttered spinach with just a hint of freshly ground nutmeg, egg fried in duck fat and hash brown patties cooked in the air fryer.

Sardines in tomato sauce on toasted rye. I was most disturbed that the size of the can had shrunk so much since the last time I purchased these.

I am an equally cheap date. Perhaps even cheaper. I buy my wine by the cask. It is what you like that counts.

Slow roasted duck leg with braised Belgian endive. I think I have @weinoo to thank for the inspiration.

As always, I am looking forward to this mini blog.

Apologies to those who are edge-to-edge/wall-to-wall perfectionists. Rye toast with garlic and herb cream cheese and a generous sprinkle (downpour?) of TJ‘s umami seasoning.

Not a single one of the items tested calls out to me! Surely someone had tongue in cheek when they declared turkey gyozas to be the winner. Thank you for an amusing read.

I have only recently learned that we have a house calls service in Ontario that is paid for by our provincial insurance. I am not sure who is entitled to use it.

Chicken with roasted red onion and mini peppers.

Mushrooms on toast. Adapted someqwhat from a recipe in David Kinch’s At Home in the Kitchen.

I have been feeling a little too saintly just lately so when I spotted this product description for some sherry vinegar on amazon.ca I rushed to put in my order. “Rich in enzymes and potassium, it helps to maintain a healthy lifestyle by strengthening your demonological system and lowering your blood pressure,”

Rye toast is not the best substrate for poached eggs but it is what I had. Amazed at the colour of these yolks.