Maison Rustique

Fried some bacon to use in salads and sandwiches this week. Then fried some potato and onion to use with leftover smoked sausage in a frittata for supper. No photo of the finished frittata because my bad hands completely mangled it. Tasted fine just looked like a mess.

Hot weather salad for supper. Spinach, blueberries, red onion, bacon, goat cheese.

Didn't take a photo of the final salad, but supper was a salad of these over spinach.

I have basically the same one, but not that brand. And it was no where near that expensive!! I think way under $20.

My dear sis and BIL are going out of town week after next. I went over to Topeka yesterday afternoon to get the lay of the land so I'll be able to go a couple of time while they are gone to replenish cat food, bird food, water the garden, etc. Then we all drove back to Lawrence, KS for a quick bite to eat before I headed back home. None of us had been to Fork & Tumbler but it had popped up on Facebook so we decided to give it a try. The website and FB page looked really great. It was not all that. We shared some of the small plates, which turned out to be enormous. We had the Fried bread with whipped cheese, Meatballs, Stuffed Squash Blossoms & Brussels and Crab Cakes. The bread/cheese and meatballs were good but everything really was just so-so. We won't be going back. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. We all have many leftovers. And I picked a few tomatoes at their house, so that's a good thing!!

I had to search for a Gentlemen's Paste recipe. That sounds delicious!!!

For me, it is a matter of using it when you have a pan that is not easy to grip. If something doesn't have handles or you have a pan with no lip on it, it isn't easy to pull it forward and grab hold of it. At least not with arthritic hands.

@Shel_B, as I recall, they worked just fine.

I have that one on the bottom right. I think I used it once when I first got it but then forgot about it until now. That said, life has been pretty chaotic since then so I haven't really been baking a lot of things.

@Honkman, does this sound at all like what you made? It is from the Google AI response when I looked for a recipe. This recipe is a modern, fruity twist on classic spaghetti carbonara, replacing the standard pepper with fresh basil and incorporating the sweetness of roasted grapes. The traditional creamy, egg-and-cheese sauce is preserved, but the result is a lighter, brighter flavor profile. The key is to add the egg-and-cheese mixture off the heat to create a silky sauce without scrambling the eggs. Ingredients 1 pound spaghetti 8 ounces guanciale or pancetta, diced 2 cups seedless red grapes, halved 1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese, plus extra for garnish 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese 3 large egg yolks, plus 1 whole egg 1 large handful fresh basil, torn or roughly chopped 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground Salt, to taste Instructions Prepare the grapes: Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Place the halved grapes on a parchment-lined baking sheet and drizzle with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast for 15–20 minutes, or until the grapes have softened and started to blister. Cook the pork: In a large, cold skillet, add the diced guanciale or pancetta. Cook over medium heat until the fat has rendered and the pork is crispy. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the crispy pork to a plate, leaving the rendered fat in the pan. Turn off the heat under the skillet. Whisk the eggs and cheese: In a mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and whole egg with the grated Pecorino Romano and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheeses. Season with the freshly ground black pepper. Cook the pasta: Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil and cook the spaghetti until al dente. Before draining, reserve about 1 cup of the starchy pasta water. Combine the sauce: Drain the pasta and immediately add it to the skillet with the rendered pork fat. Toss to coat. Slowly pour the egg-and-cheese mixture over the hot pasta, tossing vigorously to combine. If the sauce seems too thick, add a splash of the reserved pasta water to loosen it until it reaches a silky, creamy consistency. Add the final ingredients: Gently fold in the roasted grapes, crispy pork, and most of the fresh basil. Toss just to combine, being careful not to crush the grapes. Serve: Divide the pasta into bowls and top with the remaining basil, extra grated cheese, and a final sprinkle of black pepper. Serve immediately. [1, 2, 9, 12, 13]

She didn't specify how she bought them She may have bought a few sample packs.

I thought the same! Sis said she'd bought a bunch and had been eating them for lunch at work and they were really good, but she'd gotten tired of them for now.

My sis brought me 3 tins of these fish meals--the Moroccan, Barcelona and Provence. Can't wait to try them! https://freshemeals.com/

@rotuts, I got a taste and they are delicious! They are service with wedges of crispy polenta which was also fabulous!!

My wonderful sis and BIL came in last night (so we could get an early start packing today), and we went to the best local place here that I've talked about previously. Osteria Bianchi We ordered way too much food. Focaccia there is to die for. Made in-house and served with an olive oil-parmesan dipping sauce. I swear I could just eat that and be happy. We also ordered a mortadella pizza as an appetizer. BIL ordered appetizers meatballs and shrimp panzanella as his meal. Sis & I both ordered spaghetti carbonara. Had a lovely chianti with. They shared a chocolate torte while I tried an after dinner glass of italicus rosolio di bergamotto. It was tasty, but a little sweeter than I'd hoped. I doubt I'd drink it again. Got to chat a bit with owner Kelly Bianchi about her vintage stemware buys on eBay. My drink was served in vintage Moselle which my BIL went ga-ga over. Sorry, once again we took no photos. Got home to the raccuties on the deck entertaining us with their usual antics. Nothing cuter than baby wildlife.

Dang it! I wish TJs would open nearer to me. I want chili rellenos!! Maybe I'll get some take out from the Cuban place to console myself.

This was actually Saturday night and we failed to take photos. My sister and BIL took my other sister and I out for dinner at Jasper's, a long-time Kansas City favorite. Only during the summer during tomato season, you can get table side mozzarella and tomatoes. It is a ton of fun. I had Veal Valdostano, my BIL also had a veal dish, one sis had a chicken entree and the other had cannelloni. We all went home with a ton of leftovers. I had some of mine last night, but still have enough veal left for another meal. It would have been my husband's birthday on Saturday and this week is the countdown of his final days, so was nice to be out and doing something fun. We toasted him several times.

I wasn't really hungry. Started with some chips and salsa. Then had some sliced peach and half an almond croissant from my neighbor's daughter's bakery. Stuffed!

No recent pix from me either. Like @liuzhou, I simply don't feel like eating much when it is this hot. I eat a lot of fresh tomato with cottage cheese or just a small cheese sandwich. Weather is supposed to cool down a little next week so in anticipation, I bought some baking potatoes to eat with various toppings. I did pick up my first fresh peaches of the summer yesterday (only 2) which I will likely eat with some brie, either a cold plate or a grilled cheese. And one of our oldest Italian restaurants in the area are having a take-out special on Tuesday with around 20 entrees available for $15 each. I am planning to pre-order an eggplant Parm and go early to pick it up so I can sit in their friendly dark bar with a glass of wine to wait for it.

Imma do a sammie...

@rotuts, GBP??? Nevermind--green bell peppers--just figured it out.

In the US, it seems that most cutlery sets sell only tablespoons and not the true soup spoons, so most of us grow up not knowing the difference and considering them interchangeable.

I fear I'd starve to death if I lived in China. Do the Chinese never get debilitating arthritis in their hands? I could not eat with chopsticks--even if I tried to stab with them. I can't hold onto thin utensils/items. All my pens and pencils have soft rubbery grips on them and even that is difficult if I'm having a bad day.

My sis and BIL were here yesterday to help me with moving chores. Once again, they brought me a huge quantity of home-grown tomatoes. We went to a fairly new Cuban place for lunch. It was delicious and it is very near my new house, so I will definitely go back. They both had sandwiches and I had tacos that were delicious. Lots of leftovers. Anyway when I got home and it was normal supper time, I wasn't really hungry, but had gotten lectured about not eating right/enough, so I sliced up a little of the Wild Morel & Leek Jack Cheese I picked up at Costco last week ($6.97/lb.) and cut up one of the tomatoes. Had it with a glass of pinot grigio and it was more than enough.

I used to go to SLC every year for a business conference. I'm surprised I never heard about it--I'd have made a point of going, for sure! Mind you, I always drove there and back, so I wouldn't have been buying any of those things to transport back to KC.