Margaret Pilgrim

As an old timer on food forums, (joining during first weeks of eG, OA and MFF) I'd suggest that the overwhelming influences bringing the demise of departed forums has been smothering of content and its natural format. Too many "you gottas" that extinguish the urge to share.

Plattered leftovers last night = strip steak, grilled red onion and cauliflower, asparagus, drizzle of Bearnaise, sauteed potato, egg salad, mushrooms/apricot vinegar Tonight, cabbage noodles with pork belly.

I've not pulled out the parfaits at breakfast but we do do a version of this. My soft-boiled eggs are not reliable since I whore myself around among sizes from medium to jumbo depending on which is the better market value. So we (I) now poach eggs for this presentation wherein I can have a better handle on their doneness. Lovely bowls of buttered toast glistened with yolks accompanied with chunks of white. Good morning!

My excuse also. "Did anyone chew on this bone?" "You don't remember? "Throw it in the pot. It's going to boil anyway." Reminded of the end of a beautiful friendship. Joined an old friend for dinner. Shared a rib. He cut off a portion of meat for me, then PICKED UP THE BONE AND GNAWED IT! I don't eat meat; I chew bones. Worse, he only gnawed for half a minute before discarding it, and I don't do second sittings.

Really!

Our old friend came this morning (7am) for "coffee". I served these cream scones, which were a cinch to make in minutes and absolutely delicious. Light as air and addictive. Three of us devoured 6. Considering the ease and resulting quality, this is a real keeper.

Of course not. A different veg, a different sensibility. Merely pointing out different tastes.

LOL. This is my parallel of your green beans. I cook the liquid down until you essentially have "zucchini butter".

Not sure it qualifies as @weinoo's braised veg, but buttery zucchini Followed by disappointingly melting enchilades suises (chicken, onion, Oaxacan cheese, green chili sauce). The tortillas, bought last week, just disappeared into gloop. But tasty.

I kill for romesco.

It depends on the ripeness of a Meyer. They turn a deeper, more orangey yellow when really ripe. Or ours do.

Scampi linguine. Prawns, garlic, red pepper, EVOO, white wine, thyme, parsley.

Tagging onto this thread branch, here is an old food mag recipe for man-friendly coleslaw. Always a hit in our house.

Thyme scented boned rack of lamb; Yukons; romaine scorched in lamb drippings. Bones roasted as sauce base. Sublime lamb flavor and texture.

A legitimate question, but in JNW I trust.

Pasties, yard chard

Grilled zucchini/salsa/crema Hungarian chicken

My father watched me peel potatoes with a paring knife and commented wryly that he couldn't afford me as kitchen help.

Some elaborate, some pared to essentials.

After years of using a garlic press or mincing by hand, I have begun to thinly (think: shave) peeled cloves when garlic is going to be cooked. The flavor is mild and sweet, and it's a lot easier than the former. I also have been able to source superb garlic at a Kroger's affiliate. I don't know if it's local or corporately sourced but it is very reasonable, fresh, delicious.

What is most interesting in this thread is how varied and distinct our pizza goals are.

Many variables. I usually want just one or two cloves at at time so mass stripping wouldn't work for me. My main approach is to buy big and fresh heads that are easily separated into cloves, then, depending on the virility of the arthritis in my wrist, whack like @weinoo suggests. When that isn't feasible, I cut off a fraction of the clove at the root end and they the paper usually comes away easily. But, again, I am a biting sow on the quality of garlic I buy. Never from China, and try for the best and freshest local (Gilroy) stuff. It's not cheap but neither is my clocked kitchen time.

Fridge/freezer dive and cleanse => seared boneless chicken thigh chunks, leftover cooked corn, jarred red pepper, onion, remaining half can chicken broth, splat of Salvadorian crema, dash of chili powder, spoon of street taco sauce, cilantro and scallions. Remarkably delicious and tasting like something "real".

I'll go along with that! 🤣

Just source good crab, some minced scallion and tiny amount of celery, bit of mayo, dusting of panko or cracker crumbs. KISS.