MokaPot

Early Christmas candy. See's Scotchmallows in two forms: milk chocolate bars & dark chocolate trees. The two items on top were the freebies.

@Kim Shook, your holiday foods look good. So sweet of you to put out stuff for the delivery drivers. I'm sure they appreciate it.

@gfron1, when you have the time, I'd be interested to know which one(s) of those fruitcakes you liked. I've always been curious about stuff made in the monasteries, like fruitcakes and fudge.

Sounds good, @heidih. I love baklava and Linzer torte (your bars sound good). If you feel up to it, post some photos.

I like to make a salad of cooked Brussels sprouts, raw apple (peeled), blue or gorgonzola cheese, raw celery, and oil/vinegar dressing (with onion & garlic in the dressing).

@KennethT, do you make tabbouleh with all your mint?

Glad you got stocked-up again.

@Kim Shook, your food looks good, esp. the French fries. Sorry to hear about the knee problems! Get well soon.

This is the kind I like (Sugatami yaki sushi nori sheets). It's been a while since I purchased it, so I hope the quality is still the same. I like the seasoned Korean nori for snacking on, no rice necessary. Not very filling, though. @scott123, since you really like nori, have you tried furikake?

@shain, your bubble tea looks good. Where did your "strong tea" come from? (I'm looking for some concentrated-type black tea.) Did you prepare it or did you purchase it? Thank you!

Twinkie kit must have sold out. Says it's out of stock at Walmart.com.

My conclusion of liking an ice maker did factor in the aggravations of breakage and leaks.

That hairy pasta looks like the sauce would really cling to it.

I like having an ice maker. Everybody's different, I guess.

Bonito flakes are also called "katsuobushi" and might give you extra hits when you Google. Anyway, how about soft scrambled eggs with bonito flakes, like this: https://medium.com/@choy/fluffy-egg-scramble-with-bonito-flakes-c484ee174d9 I'm also thinking a dry fry with scrambled eggs and string beans (or another veg). My mom used to make that with the small dried shrimps, but I think bonito would work.

My family uses short-grain, white rice. Other people can chime in with what they use.

According to Serious Eats: https://www.seriouseats.com/2012/10/ask-the-food-lab-on-sizing-shallots-and-frying-curry.html So, Serious Eats is saying that the entire bulb is one shallot (for Serious Eats recipes). I would have thought you had two shallots there, @Smithy.

Turkey makes good congee. I've often eaten post-Thanksgiving congee made with turkey leftovers (carcass, some of the meat). I'm not sure about all the different pickles, but I really enjoy the pickles (salted cabbage) as a condiment. The pickles might be a little hard to find if you don't have a Chinatown or Asian grocery store in your area. IIRC, cilantro or Chinese parsley is involved as well. (It's been a while since I've had post-Thanksgiving congee.)

@RWood, your macarons look great. Nice amount of pistachio filling, too. How is the Swiss meringue texture different?

Angel hair pasta is a divisive pasta shape. Carla of Bon Appetit, who is Italian, disparages angel hair pasta. I would have to agree with Carla on angel hair. Too skinny for thick sauces (hard to get a good pasta to sauce ratio). If you want to make a chunky sauce, you've got big chunks plus skinny threads of pasta: not a good match. Angel hair is maybe easy to overcook because it's so skinny. Step away from the pot and boom, it's overcooked. I'm sure there are sauces that go well with angel hair, however. All of this is stated in good fun, in case it didn't come across.

Also, @KennethT, good idea to fortify before the flu shots. Who knows exactly how you're both gonna feel after the shots. Those potatoes look delicious. I could eat just the potatoes and be happy.

I like the 365 (Whole Foods) brand pasta, specifically, fusilli. I like both the organic and the non-organic 365 pasta. Nice texture (has a chew) and not too thick. I cook it past al dente, probably. The package says it's a product of Italy, so there's that. Also, it's inexpensive. I do order penne (alla vodka) pasta at restaurants, but don't buy it for home use. Penne is too large / thick, in general, IMO. I also like pappardelle.

Great photos, @shain. Looks absolutely delicious as well.

Went to Catholic school (not Catholic, though) and the church put out a recipe book (plastic-bound, long gone) of parishioners' tried-and-true type recipes. When I was about 12 or 13, I made a lasagne from that recipe book. I don't think I've ever made a better lasagne. Those parishioners were not holding back on their recipes!

Thanks, @Shelby. I'll give it a try.