MokaPot

Looks like Saveur mag got sold. I used to have a print subscription.

Actually, I remember making chocolate-covered strawberries, etc. (back in the day). IIRC, one of the ingredients was a tablespoon of Crisco. Considering I (we) had zero chocolate experience, the dipped fruit came out decent. Also, I don't remember any "off" flavors. I think Crisco may be a shortcut for inexperienced people working with chocolate.

Actually looked pretty good to me. I like food from terrines, yule logs, etc.

@rotuts, have you tried any of the granular / dry, vegetarian soup bases? If yes, how did you like them? (Talking about soupbase.com.)

Crab sounds great. Any kind of seafood sounds good: scallops, salmon, etc.

@Ann_T, I love seeing all of your & Moe's breakfasts. My mid-day meal is probably my largest meal. By dinner time (unless on vacation or it's a holiday meal), I'm not really that hungry. Nice to see alternate ways of eating.

The first time I made French onion soup, I used (per the recipe) Vidalia onions. Yes, the onion (base) was too sweet. After that, I've never used sweet onions. I also don't add sugar. Are you using sweet onions?

Bread looks good to me, @Kim Shook. So do the Funyuns.

Next time, I'll slice root to stem. My across the belly onions already taste good. But maybe root to stem will, at the very least, speed up the process (path).

Has anybody experimented with slicing the onions with the grain vs. against the grain? (Alongside the axis or across the axis?) I always slice perpendicular to the axis. According to this YouTuber (CookinginRussia), when making French onion soup, you're supposed to slice alongside the axis. He says that if you slice across the axis, you'll get a harsher taste b/c you've broken up more of the cells.

Thanks, guys. I was able to place my Penzeys order & get a free jar of Spanish smoked paprika. Also ordered some (a lot, actually) Turkish bay leaves. Who knew there was a difference between the Turkish & the California bay leaves. Turkish is supposed to be better. I want to get into soup-making. So, hopefully, these ingredients will help.

@rotuts, just went on the Penzey's website. Is this sale over / done already? I see the free shipping at $25 (instead of $40), but I don't see any other discounts.

I've also had a chocolate cake with beets as an ingredient (I don't think it was Nigel Slater's recipe). I couldn't really detect the beet flavor, but could see small pieces of beet in the cake. Point is: the beets will, at least, do no harm.

Split pea soup w/potatoes. Thanks for your help, @heidih and @shain! The split peas were surprisingly sweet, like you said. I also want to make clam chowder & mulligatawny at some point.

Daikon: emergency kimchi (uses a little bit of carrot, too). Daikon & carrot: quick pickle for Vietnamese-style sandwiches, e.g., tuna sandwich. Beets: cooked via any method, vinaigrette dressing. Carrots: "roasted" on a sheet pan with olive oil and salt.

@Shelby, love cioppino. Probably one of my favorite all-time dishes. If possible, post a photo so we can see what kinds of things (seafood) you put in there.

Nice gift for husband! Let us know what you got, after you get it.

I like this thread a lot. I hope, next year, you can get together and make stuff again.

@Toliver, I did the search that @Kim Shook mentioned, and got a decent amount of hits / products, including Litehouse brand (seems like a brand with wide distribution). I did switch from "shopping" to "images" and saw even more different products. Can you buy chorizo or other kinds of sausage in smaller quantities than bacon? You could probably make a tasty dressing with sausage fat.

Limited experience with collards, but I liked them a lot, very comforting. I also like kale & mustard greens. Kale, IMO, is more earthy-tasting. Mustard greens, very strong tasting (well-named).

Hey Guys and Ladies, could you please direct me to a good recipe for split pea soup? I'd be interested in no-meat versions as well. I do like a smokey flavor. Fewer ingredients are better for me. Thank you in advance!

What about a sauce that has a vinegar element? I think of duck as something rich & fatty (in a good way), so maybe vinegar would complement that. When I Googled, lots of hits for a sherry vinegar duck sauce.

Agree w/ @Dr. Teeth about the Microplane grater. I have the "Professional" series (all stainless steel) fine grater (~ $20). I mostly use it on raw garlic to make a paste with it.

@David Ross, I went on the website and they do have a marketplace. Unfortunately, no fruitcakes and fudge!

Not very scenic looking, but tasted good. Inari sushi (fried tofu on the outside, seasoned rice on the inside).