TicTac

Knock on wood, I have had my Wolf for 10 years without any need to call a repair man. I did have some issues with the igniter clicking and just had to youtube a video on how to clean it properly. If taken apart (it is amazing how well they engineer these things) and cleaned regularly, no reason why I would see there would be these maintenance costs previously eluded to. Granted I have the gas oven model, the electric one might have more moving parts which might increase the odds of something going wrong.

I recall you and/or Karrie having a connection at Cumbrae's If you like touriere's - try theirs out, it is extremely decadent!

Agreed - not mine though (the kitchen, that is), the pic is from the manufactures site. We went with a modern kitchen design. Though if I ever built again, I would really consider heated concrete floors.

Honestly, once you are up in that echelon of ranges (I considered 'range of ranges...but it was too early for PUN FUN), they are all very similar. I ended up going with a Wolf 6 burner, but I have cooked on both Bluestar's and Thermador ranges. Ultimately I prefer my wolf, but that is personal preference you can establish if you have had a chance to try them all. They all pump out a ton of heat and are relatively strong workhorses. Equally if not more important is your hood. No sense in having a super hot range if your going to fill the house with smoke every time you really fire it up. We ended up with a Sirius hood - the dual motor option of this guy - 4 settings, much preferred to the Wolf hood setup, and on 3 or 4 - ain't no smoke, odor or finite molecular particles escaping this beast!! Easy to remove the grates and wash in the dishwasher too. Big bonus. Those get nasty.

Not being a huge fan of champagne I did celebrate with one of these followed by crispy chicken ‘fingers’, Korean sweet potato, chipotle aioli and carrots for good measure

The 4 year dark cloud is gone, congrats! Perhaps my self imposed US travel ban can now be lifted!

fresh little neck clams in an Asian inspired sauce with a mix of local spinach and baby bok choy

Paneer curry - seared red cabbage with Indian spices - Haiga rice

Would love to hear your method!

That version of chicken livers also works really well with caramelized onions and balsamic vinegar reduction, if pomegranate molasses is too hard to source.

Hopefully it at least got zapped and slightly crunchy before you got to taste it...otherwise, I can only imagine the consistency/texture....!

Perhaps you could zoom in a bit more next time because I can't tell from the photo, is that green lettuce on the burger as well?! 😝

Looks good. I would say most in those pan are a bit past their prime pick'age window as the gills are no longer white but starting to brown a bit. Ideally you want to pick them before the gills open completely and are still very tight/white. That will impact flavour. But then again, when comparing to your foraged porcini....not much of a contest! 😛

Sear till browned all over in butter - salt - on good bread.

I have seen people bring lemon trees in and outdoors from here in Canada - Do not let your dream slip away so easily. Go get that Lemon tree!

Just took a look at your last post @Franci - the spacing noted in that software is off. Squash for example are going to need way more than 2 sq ft. Tomatoes, more than 1 sq ft...etc. Peppers can sometimes get large too. My poblano's grew about 2' tall and about 4' wide this year. I would also explore options for getting some full till organic soil in or organic compost as a base if not for your entire beds. You will not need to fuss with it as much with additional nutrients, etc.

On top of Ken's questions.... How much work are you prepared to take on? I would certainly look to carve out a spot for some citrus tree(s) given you live in FL or some other fruit (does passion fruit grow in your climate!?) that you can enjoy hand to mouth.

Happy birthday @Shelby! Love the fact that you know how to treat yourself - you deserve it!! Looks like a really tasty (and fun) meal. To many more.

This behemoth was growing about 10’ up on a maple tree - never have I seen a mushroom stalk of such girth (there’s a joke in there somewhere!). Truth be told it must have been multiple stalks which turned into Siamese twins (possibly quadruplets) .... thick as a can of beans!

Certainly far from photogenic - but surely not far from delicious unctuousness! Japanese style braised kampachi collars seared garden zucchini and Japanese eggplant served with rice and a bottle of Soave

I had to stop somewhere...

Assumptions are fantastic, aren't they?! Not only have I hunted before - I only purchase meat from butchers who work directly with local farmers who follow humane and organic processes to raise their animals. Furthermore, I am comfortable in in my first hand knowledge of how these animals were raised, because I have visited these farms and have seen how lovingly they are treated (not like a simple piece of meat/dollar bill). Now; if you enjoy eating highly processed (often chemically altered) thermoplastic substances....by all means; but please do not kid yourself that it is a 'healthier alternative'.

Do you really want to know!? TVP is usually made from high (50%) soy protein, soy flour or concentrate, but can also be made from cotton seeds, wheat, and oats. It is extruded into various shapes (chunks, flakes, nuggets, grains, and strips) and sizes, exiting the nozzle while still hot and expanding as it does so. Scary.

Have you foraged for them before? Have you actually ever seen one growing in the wild? If so, have you seen one growing on an Elm tree?! All the examples in the video you linked show them growing on Maples. In my many years of hunting in my backyard/forest-ravine, which hold a wide variety of species of trees, I can confidently tell you from first hand knowledge (and from everything that was taught to me by other far more skilled foragers) that this mushroom only grows on the Manitoba Maple. Least here in this climate. If you want to pick one from another tree; do so at your own peril!

Evelyn - I am in AWE - and certainly envious! It has been a dream of mine to forage for porcini, but I have yet to find a spot. If you want to diversify and get a bit of variety in your mushroom diet, we can swap for Elm Oyster's!? 😛 Fantastic. Love it. Kudos!