MokaPot

My dental cleaning appointment got rescheduled from May all the way to August. I have perio issues as well; that's why I have to go for cleanings more often than most people. Anyway, the "waiting room" is now in the parking lot (you sit in your car until your appointment). Also, they will not be using the Cavitron for cleaning (creates a mist, I'm guessing). They will revert to hand-scaling (scraping stuff off teeth). (This is what they told me over the phone when I rescheduled.) I thought about holding off, but I think I will keep my August appointment.

As long as the char flavor is not overpowering your final product, I don't see anything wrong with keeping on the charred parts of your chiles. I guess it's just personal taste re: what you consider "overpowering." I, personally, like a charred flavor.

As much as I hate using a food processor (hate washing it, plus I've cut myself on that blade before), it does a good job on salsa. I would guess that the processing also helped to emulsify the oils in your pumpkin seeds, plus your olive oil. Even without oily ingredients, the processor somehow emulsifies even the tomatoes (in a good way). You feel more like you have a sauce, rather than just chunks of things.

Here's my basic recipe for raw salsa (can hand-cut or use food processor): Salt Cumin powder (this is a key ingredient) Lime juice Tabasco sauce Garlic Onion Jalapeño peppers Grape tomatoes Cilantro Optional Add-Ins: Cantaloupe (surprisingly good) Honeydew melon (surprisingly good) Pineapple

I recently discovered Bianco (DiNapoli) canned tomatoes. Organic, grown in California. Really good, IMO. So far, I've tried the whole peeled and the crushed in puree. Whole peeled costs a little more. Price is probably similar to Muir Glen.

Thanks, @KennethT. Sawtooth is a good description. You can actually feel those pointy "teeth" in your mouth. I've eaten culantro a couple of times, served with pho. I don't remember the culantro tasting like cilantro. I remember more of a neutral, fresh flavor.

@KennethT , everything looks good. Is this culantro? What do you plan to do with this? TIA.

@blue_dolphin, very advanced storage systems! How about putting a floating shelf above your buffet and storing your liquor there? Your buffet surface would then be clear for auxiliary kitchen storage.

@chefmd, your lunch looks really good. What's on the pink plate? Also, whats on the blue & white plate (top left)? TIA.

OK, got it, @rotuts. You were stating a conclusion (SS vs. Teflon, same total amount of fond, just different locations for the fond). I thought you were asking a question.

Sorry, @rotuts, I want to understand your question, but can't. Could you please try rephrasing it one more time? I use T-fal as well, so I'm interested.

This is a salad dressing recipe that a friend & I reverse-engineered from a salad we liked at a Vietnamese restaurant. I think this dressing would be good on any kind of crumbled meat, poultry or shrimp. (Then you could use your lettuce to wrap your crumbles.) Key ingredients: Fish sauce Fresh lime juice MSG (according to my friend, this is key) Optional ingredients: Sugar Rice vinegar Water Garlic Chili pepper Basil Sambal oelek

Larb, maybe.

I store a lot of pantry stuff in my fridge. Most recently, re-organized my fridge door (condiments shelves). Went kind of overboard with the Tabasco sauce. I use the empty Tabasco bottles to put in other stuff like vinegar.

Not sure about the leftover pizza sauce.

Actually, I have cut my hand on a pull-tab tuna can. It was a pretty deep slice (no stitches required). So, I am really careful with those kinds of cans now.

That's a good story. I usually order soft scrambled eggs if I'm not sure about things. It's behind a paywall now, but there's an old article from The New Yorker called "The Egg Men" (Burkhard Bilger) in praise of egg cooks.

Actually, that shrimp in cornbread muffin idea sounds like it has potential. I'm thinking a madeleine pan, though, so everything can cook faster and your shrimp won't sink to the bottom. (Large madeleine.)

I'm not saying you *have* to buy organic, grass-fed (cream), etc. There are personal budget issues to consider. Just trying to calculate how the price for a quart of cream could arrive at $9.99. When possible, when it's in my budget, I do like to buy organic.

I've never purchased a quart of heavy cream, only smaller quantities. IMO, heavy cream is simply more expensive to begin with. It is cream, after all (a concentrated-type product). Then you factor in organic, grass-fed, etc. Plus, it needs to be transported in a refrigerated container. Plus the animal, the farm, the workers, etc. If I wanted it / needed it, then I'd pay the price ($9.99 or whatever).

@Kim Shook, besides HB eggs, what else is in your “Not Wet Egg Salad”? Any mayo at all? Looks like there are some pickled jalapeno peppers? TIA!

I think @ElsieD was joking, since we were talking about Costco items that are no longer "available." 😛

@Kim Shook recently posted a photo of an ice cream cone that she got from her Costco. IMO, these food court items are / were their loss leaders and they're cutting back.

@chefmd On your right-side bread, is that salmon roe? What's underneath the roe? TIA!

From an eater's point of view, skin on. Never understood why you'd take the skin off of fried poultry (except to cut calories). But the skin has to be really crispy, not flabby. IMO.