Margaret Pilgrim

Light supper of quick salted cod brandade, splash of EVOO, grilled red onion, broccoli and raw mushroom with repurposed Bearnaise sauce. Tomorrow, will saute up leftover brandade and top it with fried egg(s).

Thanks! I love this method. In fact, asked husband just a bit ago whether he wanted fried or flash-salted brandade. Will advise.

Salt or fresh cod? I love both.

What problems are you having with the AC handles?

Repurposing a minute portion of the Halloween Fairy Tale pumpkin -> sage infused Calabrian sausage and pumpkin pasta. Husband surprisingly loved it, had seconds and approved repeating.

My father's family told the story of how, when he, the youngest and only boy, was small, his older sisters would start insisting "I want the back!" "No, I want the back!" and so on until my father would begin the chant and being the youngest and spoiled, got his way. Then the girls would smile and collect their preferred pieces.

Magnificent.

FWIW, we saved one of those shallow plastic bowls from frozen steamer lunches that we use to cover EVERYTHING in the microwave. A bit of a bore but nothing like cleaning the entire microwave.

"Had a wonderful time; wish you were here!"

By request, battered prawns and fries. Jumbo white shrimp. Cold start shallow oil fries. Crystal crust, succulent shrimp. Mayo, cocktail and tartar sauce on the side.

I think that adding a slight "tang" is often mentioned. Certainly true in mid-Eastern/Indian yogurt marinades. True in buttermilk desserts. And if you want to be a complete cynic, what other liquid is in excess on the farm? eta, YES, overnight is the proper method.

I have to ask @gfweb, you, yourself, have done any side-by-side comparisons of cooking same parts of the same chicken with and without buttermilk marinade. Not the science that you are looking for but might give some clarity to your concerns. I frequently think back to my early days i business. A recently retired sports hero had taken the position of West Coast manager of a major supplier that I did not use. I had explained repeatedly that we were very happy with the products of their competitor who was treating us very well. After many attempts to garner our very large account, and after several visits from the CEO of the company, he took me aside and told me I was doing the right thing. His advice, "Never change a winning ballgame." In cooking, we often listen to the siren calls of commercials and, yes, food blogs, and go off course from tried and true method.

Or invert a rimmed baking sheet on a larger one or a non-rimmed sheet.

Even Kenji…

There are many on snd offline articles describing the tenderizing effects of soaking chicken overnight in dairy. Lactic acid etc. What sort of evidence are you looking for?

This mantra is a universal.

Exactly. There is so much cooking that is second nature, automatic pilot, what feels like common sense. Thinking "outside the recipe" about what you're making should be part of your MO as it builds one's battery of processes.

Tri-tip roasted on the hearth (on repurposed Farberware grill) Sauteed mushrooms, smashed new potatoes with scallions s

Totally agree. We need to take turnips out of root cellar thinking.

Indeed it does. Also try Alice Waters' fennnel, mushroom and parmesan salad.

Last night, arrival in the country. House freezing. Asked husband what he wanted for dinner, not much wanting to budge from front of fire. "Something simple and fast" "How about hash and eggs?" "Fine!" No pics since if you've seen one plate of canned hash topped with fried eggs, you've seen them all.

Round only lasts until the first slice is cut, then it's a Pacman.

You make hollandaise, I'll make lemon curd.

Too bad we didn't meet some 50 years ago. I remember many martinis accompanied by smoked oysters heated over a candle. While I still enjoy an occasional martini, I so overindulged in warm, smoked oysters (on an empty stomach) that I've relegated then to the fond memories category. And I did once own an Ulu knife. It didn't fit into my regime and I worried about other householders injuring themselves to it passed it on. It could have been an outstanding kitchen aide had I kept it around and added it to my battery.

Chicken Katsu, tonkatsu sauce, shredded lettuce, rice. A surprisingly better result than normal: shattering crust, juicy interior.