Orbit

Salt and Board, near the university. We dined there this evening. They have a small but well chosen wine list, nothing over $32. The charcuterie board was very good, with bacon jam, apricot jam, and a selection of charcuterie, enough for two, $14,

I'm going to ask a stupid question: what makes IP better than my stovetop pressure cooker? Is there any reason to switch?

I love baking bar cookies, and had several basic recipes for shortbread and chocolate chip bar cookies for my 15x10 jelly roll pan. I lost the recipes in a move (they weren't in weights either I haven't converted yet because all my cookbooks use volume). I've been looking ever since for such recipes (for that size pan, in volume), and I have googled with little success. Can anyone tell me where I might find what I'm looking for?

Could it be this? http://www.lantic.ca/en/products/yellow-sugar/

If you can find ginger beer at your liquor store, I recommend the Moscow Mule: 1 shot vodka over ice in a rocks glass Add the juice of half a lime, and a slice of lime Fill with ginger beer

We had a very basic pizza tonite

I'll be heading to L.A./Long Beach in a couple of weeks--are there any "must-eats" that I shouldn't miss?

I'll just leave this here for anyone going to ABQ: the Jambo Cafe; there's one in Santa Fe also. Afro-Carribean food, very tasty.

I love parsnips, and those look delicious. Are they roasted, or how did you cook them?

We tip 20% unless something is particularly well-done, then it might be a little more. I tend not to reduce tips for bad service because I know the server isn't getting minimum wage and around here, is an under-trained college student.

A lot of classic cocktails are very easy: the Moscow Mule, the Manhattan, Mojitos, Cosmopolitans. They don't require hard-to-find ingredients or special techniques.

Can I use a Sodastream to carbonate wine? Everyone seems to be using something else.

I've been really into Moscow Mules lately, (vodka, lime, and ginger beer) so the last thing I bought at the liquor store wasn't liquor but ginger beer. Fever Tree ginger beer is by far the most gingery of any brand I've tried.

I tend to be half and half. I'll make something once, and then remember that it was good much later and do it again. I tend to "make it and then forget about it" until my husband reminds me that we ought to make it again. I do have certain go-to recipes, though, like my scone recipe.

Chili mac - a can of hormel chili mixed in with a box of Kraft macaroni and cheese.

When I was in my 20s, Joy of Cooking introduced me to some basics that I sorely needed. My mom was a terrible cook, so I didn't learn to cook from her, it was from JOC. I branched out from there and got more sophisticated, but it was a valuable starting point.

I love my old copy of the Fanny Farmer Baking Book, from the 50s I think. I still use it all the time.

What's your favorite quick-to-make sauce? Mine is a faux port wine reduction. 2 cups port 2 TB butter 1 TB flour 1 minced shallot Dash of salt Make a roux and then sweat the shallot in it. Add the port and simmer until it thickens. Salt to taste.

I ended up pan searing them in a cast iron skillet using ghee. Then they cooked briefly in a port wine reduction. They came out perfect by pure beginner's luck I think.

Light breakfast at 8am; lunch at 11:30; I'm hungry for dinner at 5pm. I can't wait for dinner at 8.

Thanks all!

Medallions

We don't have a sous vide or professional oven. What's the best way to do a filet mignon?

Green Split Pea Mexican chicken caldo with cilantro and tortilla chips, & little rounds of corn cob Gazpacho

I finally found out by looking carefully at some small print on the package, which Google Translate told me was Slovenian (!!) that the ratio is 2 cups liquid to 1 cup rice! The paella came out fine!