SLB

I have the exact same reaction to pasta. In fact, I sometimes eat pasta to facilitate my going to sleep.

Here's a followup from The Atlantic: https://www.theatlantic.com/letters/archive/2019/03/readers-share-their-lunch-routines/584815/?utm_campaign=the-atlantic&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&utm_term=2019-03-18T18%3A08%3A48&utm_content=edit-promo&fbclid=IwAR13SbgJ39hoqboY4UpeVlSKt-QN725UCIUqBgWLa0SiFaee5BOreckUr3k&fbclid=IwAR2N06bUhjjl8eToHdHL_0A7NrO2_oWDCy7phbUYSh97Ty90tzvupn3IXHI I think what's most striking to me is just how little people seem to be eating for lunch. I am one of these people who needs a big lunch. And a pretty big breakfast, honestly. I do enjoy a comparatively light dinner (at home), but a small lunch would demolish my whole possibility for the afternoon.

I found a 3 lb "boneless shoulder roast" in my freezer, and I think I'm going to corn it. It's late, but I've been out of town and, what the heck, better late than never. I've never corned beef before; always bought it prepared. When I'm brining pork or turkey, I will usually put the meat into the brine frozen, and let it thaw in the brine. But no one would consider my brines technically correct by any measure . . . I'm planning to use a real corn recipe; but is there any reason not to start with frozen meat when corning beef? Assuming it's ok -- maybe add a day or two? On Edit: Nevermind. I'm just going to thaw it.

I knew someone who grew up without running water either, and he couldn't STAND to see people let the tap run. My own father, who grew up, uh, *farm-to-table*, was super-harsh on us if we left even a scrap of meat on the chicken bones. Anyway, back to the new baseline. I forgot about something else I love/need: my automatic icemaker, which I don't think is hard to plumb. I could go back to ice trays. But I don't want to. [Please understand -- I don't use air-conditioning in the summer; which is to say, I drink A LOT of ice-water.]

I second the window. A big window nearby but not exactly in the kitchen is ok. Probably better, because then the breeze from the window does not blow cold air over your stove-top situation, including the flames arising in a chimney effect off of your open burners . . . . My personal need, tho, is for the sink/stove/main-prep-counter/garbage can to be all in the same small radius. By small radius, I mean like three steps. I once lived in an apartment where the prep counter was across an unnecessarily large room from the sink, which was itself located near the only plugs, and I was routinely homicidal. This was when I realized I prefer, strongly, small galley kitchens designed by people who actually cook. I think an actual bona fide pantry is dreamy, and I now think it's essential in my next home. But actually, as I write this, I realize that there is only one truth about me: unless and until I go off-grid, I am never living again without a dishwasher. I put off getting one because I am cheap. And as turned out, I now feel that it has improved my life beyond my wildest dreams. I still can't quite believe I have one and I get kookily-happy every time I turn it on.

I sat and read through the book while dining at the bar at French Louie, and it was an enjoyable book! I don't really have ANY MORE real estate that can be given over to cookbooks, particularly since I was kind of saving a spot for that new Noma book. But I kinda want this one. I'm picking it up from the library today so I guess I'll make the decision within a couple of weeks.

Me neither. My lunches are almost always some collected mess of various scraps from prior dinners. I used to have a quote of Nigella Lawson's on my fridge that went something like: "I like repetition, and if something tastes good, I eat it often."

I once threw a New Year's Day jam for 10 people that ended up with a day-of situation involving me: shopping for part of the meal; cleaning the greens; cooking the entire meal (including the black eyed peas AND the smoked neckbone stock for the greens); cleaning the disaster that was the house; and managing a hangover from New Year's Eve that somehow took me by surprise and which was enhanced by sleep deprivation, since I had to rise earlier than desired in order to deal with the aforementioned aspects. All in time for the actual dinner. I have never been in so much food-based pain in my life. I don't know WHAT I was thinking; the point when things went awry was when I decided to go out the night before, instead of staying home and maybe, you know, doing the cleaning? Or, perhaps, finishing the shopping? The only thing that I did in advance was season the chicken for frying and the beef filet for roasting. I kept adjusting the menu to account for the fact that I couldn't get it all cooked. And, sigh, there was no salad whatsoever. I just couldn't manage to clean the lettuce. The food to the guests was very good-tasting, although at some point the elder on site recognized that something was, uh, wrong, and she stopped being a guest and just started cooking. Which humiliated me, since I was kind of aiming to take care of her, for once. Everybody did have fun, and the two-year old kept demanding more chicken, which I took as approval. But y'all, it was awful. I do not recommend this.

How long can you, uh, keep good-n-oily pesto in the fridge? Obvs I'm not talking about in your restaurants, I'm talking about at home. Tell the truth, y'all. How long would you keep eating it? Inquiring minds want to know. Well, maybe just this one specific inquiring mind over thisaway who put some very expensive nuts into an aforementioned good-n-oily pesto some months back, and somehow lost it in the back of the bottom shelf, and who really wants to eat it now that it has resurfaced and doesn't seem, you know, off or anything . . . . I mean, did I mention the generous layer of luscious oil? Isn't that a kind of a . . . preserve? Sigh.

First, I like to feel welcome. Not coddled, or even nurtured; but truly welcome within your retail establishment. This is not the same as technically good service, although they are connected. And it's not found as reliably as you might imagine. Second, I like the food to taste delicious. Third, I like for the wait staff to enthusiastically like the food, and to be able to talk about how a dish works (in terms of flavor), and what they like about a dish. Really, enthusiasm is more compelling than literacy, I am fine with pure emotion on the subject. And finally, I like clean. I admit that I'm fine with less-than-perfectly-clean if: (a) I am welcome, and either (b) I am hangry; or (c) all of the delicious food has been fried.

I pulled out some marrow bones yesterday, they are soaking. I am obsessed with this dish at a Brooklyn restaurant which involves marrow and scallops in tacos. So I'm aiming at marrow and black beans in tacos. There are no scallops anywhere near my freezer, but there are a whole lotta black beans up in here.

What are the orange flecks?

The Moguettes are gonna cook quickly too, be wary. I found them to be creamier than any cannellini bean I've ever had, and I think they would make an excellent contribution to the soup. I still prefer to soak because -- well, first of all, I soak in brine. But also -- I find that it helps the beans to cook significantly more evenly, which I think matters even more if they're going to be done in less than an hour. That said, I think they would work absolutely fine in the Hazan soup. One thing, @Thanks for the Crepes -- I've only been in the Bean Club for three shipments now, but so far it's been rather a lot of white beans (counting the Flageolets, which perhaps I shouldn't). I was surprised, only because I didn't actually eat too many white beans before, maybe a pound a year. My favorite beans of RGs is the Rebosero. I also think that their Garbanzos are really good, like distinctly good.

You 'n me both, @robirdstyx. But I lurrrvves me a good rabbit hole . . . .

The eggs in the top photo are in a bowl (like a pasta bowl). The bottom two are shown with the eggs flipped in the pan.