MaryIsobel

Boston Baked Beans and Chicken Bones were my Dad's favourite candies. In his twilight years, my sisters and I went to great lengths to make sure he always had both. Chicken Bones: https://www.idahospud.com/products/oldfashbagchickenbones4oz#: When he once reminisced about toasted coconut covered marshmallows, I learned to make them from scratch and those were my go-to gift for him for every occasion. Funny story, just after my Mom died and Dad still lived independently in a gated seniors community, he was outnumbered by women and thus had a lot of female friends. He passed his marshmallows around and bragged that his daughter had made them. He called me and said "the ladies want to learn how to make marshmallows, will you teach them?" I said I would but as soon as they learned there was a thermometer involved they said they would rather just buy them from me. At the time I had a full time job, a one hour commute twice a day and two teenagers who were in several activities. I told Dad I would have to charge 100.00 a pound, so the idea was dropped. I continued to make them for Dad until his last days.

My kind of dinner! Or breakfast or lunch for that matter, it looks scrumptious.

My husband is an early riser (5-6 am) while I usually show my face between 7 and 8. He makes himself cereal and fruit or heated up leftovers or occasionally an egg/cheese sandwich. My break the fast meal is usually closer to 11 and by that time, I have whatever I feel like, often not a typical breakfast meal. He is kind enough to make sure that there is an espresso for me within 5 minutes of waking. Works for us.

Olive, your meals and your photography are both mouth-watering.

That may be the most perfectly roasted marshmallow that I have ever seen! My kids were always too impatient, their MO was burn it, eat the burnt part, burn it again and repeat.

That looks like a perfect summer dinner. I don't have access to NYT recipes but seems like something I could cobble together. Thank you.

We are fortunate enough to have a multi generational butcher/ sausage place nearby. They are so accomodating, We buy a couple of pounds of their fabulous bacon a few times a year. They always ask how many strips do you want (vacuum packed) in each package. One time my husband jokingly said "one" and had to convince the woman he wasn't serious. It's a great service and smart marketing because if you're there anyway, why not buy more since it is so well packaged?

Our long ago neighbours used to give us a couple of bottles of their homemade blackberry liquer every year around Christmas because my husband always shoveled their driveway for them. It was more like blackberry syrup - undrinkable to me. One year they brought it over a couple of days before Christmas so I put it at the back of the fridge, thinking maybe I could mix it with soda or something. Kind of forgot about it and with all the Christmas food being put in the fridge, it got shoved to the back and one of the bottle's lids came off. Everything in the fridge was crazy-glued to the shelves. I actually broke the bottom of a Mason jar trying to unstick it. It took me a good 4 hours to clean it; blow dryer, scraper, scrubbie, steel wool and a whole lot of bad words!

Amazing! I have very serious market envy and as usual, your photos are fabulous.

That type of fridge incident makes me want to "move out in the middle of the night!" Maybe coffee is not too bad but in my fridge, it is always the sticky stuff that spills...

I finish a lot of things with some type of briny solution or an acid. It's the finishing touch that a lot of things need in MHO. I just saw a recipe for "Dirty Martini Pasta" which uses olives and their brine.

As I ponder what to have for lunch, it now seems that whatever I decide will pale in comparison to this!

Or the star of an amzing grilled cheese!

I suppose, it's much like any cooking method debate. I'm happy to have mine the way I make them, but if anyone has a more desirable to them method, so be it.

I have had great success using the strainer method to get rid of the more "liquidy" white. Then I just dump the strained egg into a Pyrex "custard" cup" and tip it into the just- below-a simmer water.

Those may be the best lookig ribs I have ever seen. Please don't tell my husband!

My poor mom, she worked as a substitute teacher so had to be very organized and flexible but we always had home made cookies, but begged for store bought and the Peak Freans assortment was top of the list followed by chocolate covered digestive biscuits.

😆 Bourbon Cremes as we called them were my favourites from the Peak Freans assortment that we got as very rare treat when I was a youngster.

Our biggest entertaining disaster was hosting my neice and her boyfriend. Husband made ribs. Carried them in on a platter from which pork fat/sauce dripped. He slipped, the platter went flying and when I went to assist, I also slipped. We laughed so hard we couldn't get up for a few minutes. We rinsed off the ribs, put them back on the BBQ, resauced and everyone was happy.

No photos but... Tonight we hosted our daughter's fiance's parents who live in Ontario, so about 3000 miles from us. First time we've met them. They arrived at our door with a 6-pack of Ontario wines for me and a 2-pack of artisinal whisky for my husband. So we got off to a great start. I made baked lemon chicken, layered salad, broccoli and cheese and foccacia. Came time for dessert, a chocolate mousse tart with a pecan crust in a springform pan. I had taken it out of the springform so it was in the fridge on the base. Picked it up, turned around and if flew as far as it could until it hit the side of the island. I had local strawberries and whipped cream to go with it so that's what we had.

How interesting. I'll have a look next time we go across the border but we are very far north, so may not be available in Washington.

Yes, I have seen it advertised from the shops that sell replacement or out of stock china but what they sell it for and what they will buy it for are two very different price points! Like I said, I would rather just give it to someone who would love it. If that doesn't happen I will contact a couple of charity shops.

"a tube of frozen creamed corn" has me curious. I have never seen creamed corn except in a can. Not a great memory for me.

I inherited a rather extensive collection of Spode Buttercup. It's not my nor my daughter's style and we don't entertain to the extent that the great aunt that left it to me did. I'm in the Pacific Northwest in Canada so packaging/ shipping etc would have to be arranged but if the Spode would make your heart sing, that's payment enough.

Thanks so much Bon Vivant for taking us along on your fabulous trips. I too, enjoy the black and white photos and your adventurous nature. It's the next best thing to being there!