TicTac

Ended up making a late addition to our smorgasbord - Was gifted some beautifully large dried porcini, so I re-hydrated a few in hot water and dry seared some shiitake and oyster mushrooms - in went some shallots, young garlic and fresh picked thyme (there was snow on the ground!!!) along with some white wine and the porcini and liquid - reduced mostly, then blitzed with butter and schmeared on toasts. All was enjoyed with a fantastic 2011 Williams Selyem Drake Estate Chard.

NZ is certainly stunning. Great shots and thanks for taking the time to share with us, as always @KennethT

Now that our kids are a bit older (6/4/2) they enjoy sitting around and eating with us (and watching a movie of some sort) As such, the recent tradition continues of nibbles to pick on throughout the night... Made my annual gravlax which is curing away as we speak, along with the prerequisite balsamic/dill/caper sauce. Other nibbles will include: 6 or 7 different cheeses, prosciutto, smoked oysters, pate and (GF) breads and crackers. And good wine.

Does a bear shit in the woods!?

Absolutely. Take young spring garlic, place in a mortar and pestle with some coarse salt. Proceed to grind into a paste. Place in a small jar and cover with olive oil. Freeze immediately. Enjoy.

Wild Mushroom / Dried Porcini / Black Truffle paste risotto - topped with seared cauliflower mushrooms Followed by sauteed baby bok choy, spanish onions and napa cabbage - finished off heat with a little frozen spring garlic Dark chocolate covered orange peels for dessert

A stellar batch of Latkes were had last night. Russet potatoes, salt, pepper, a couple eggs - salt at the end before forming - that's it! Golden brown, crunchy goodness. Served with home made apple sauce, cranberry sauce and a whole smoked turkey.

I do not put anything that comes in contact with our food anywhere near products containing SLS or other nasty chemicals!

More like if you are using P&G products you are doing it the wrong way!

And unlike truffles, if you treat them right (aka ethical harvesting/not pulling the bulbs) they will return every....single....year! Speaking of which, I have about 4 months to use up a few freezer ziploc bags of the green gold! Soup might be in order.... And it is oh so fantastic cooked down slowly -

I have transplanted a few patches from my 'spot' into my backyard over the last couple of years. Have not noticed any spreading as of yet and we do not pick the bulbs, so we shall see. Come for a visit in late April/May and so long as you do not mind wearing a blindfold, I will take you to wide forest swaths with ramps on rolling hills as far as the eye can see!

This was my first attempt at making ramp powder, actually. Just low and slow in the dehydrator then blitzed in the blender. A glut of ramps this past spring led me to not only freeze but also dry them. A very unique (and different than other preservation techniques) flavour profile seems to get captured via the drying process.

I made a 'version of' a creamy ramp recipe; 3 tbsp of mayo Quarter lemon Pickled red onions minced Dried ramp powder Olive oil S&P Came out nice, I anticipate the longer it sits the better it will become esp with the dried ramps...

Looks pretty scary. I for one would have promptly returned that $14 abomination for something palatable!

I was kind of curious as to the mysterious thick purple sauce under the steak...

A fantastic concept and one that I and other family members are quite passionate about... If only there were an English version (copy and pasting an entire book to google translate.....no thanks!)

Thanks for the laugh - 'the parts they needed were inside the dishwasher' 🤣 Too good. Sounds like something I would do (which is why I am allowed to laugh at it!!).

While by no means was I preserving these due to an overabundance - I did try my hand for the first time at making pickled turnips (in the middle eastern style) and they came out fantastically! I also ran into a Russian couple loading a small shopping cart with our local farmers cabbages - me being me; I had to ask - "guessing someone is making sauerkraut!?" to which they laughed and confirmed. After some further chatting, I recognized why my initial batch failed (far too much salt) and she gave me some guidance and pleased to say my first successful batch has now been tasted! Though there is still a bit of a cabbage flavour, it is certainly fermenting and turning sour (the more the better!) Did I say how much I like pickley things!?

Always enjoy these blogs @Shelby - thank you! What do you do with things like the Heart, Liver, Caul fat, etc?

Leslie and Finch He He Long BBQ - Get your Peking Duck and BBQ Pork (among other delicious offerings) cravings satiated.

A 5 year old Barolo (sans decanter - though perhaps it was opened for 12h+?! ) in Sonoma....Oy! 😝

Do they list all of their deals in one place?

Thank you both! I read online that the painted Pyrex bowls contain lead paint - Not that I use the outside to mix in, but the thought doesn't bode well with me. Perhaps I need to look for the clear ones only!

Come on...someone @andiesenji, @Kim Shook, @JoNorvelleWalker - anyone able to give me a bit of friendly advice on the above 'deal'!? My wife thinks I'm nuts - please confirm / deny!

Ok, will not go down the rabbit hole......will not go down the rabbit hole....(keeps repeating/muttering to himself)....... Having no clue about this stuff (and hoping I am not breaking any EG Laws....) is this a good deal?! https://www.kijiji.ca/v-view-details.html?adId=1446778180