Maison Rustique

My birthday is NYE and I am going to my sister's in Topeka again. She says she is making pollo con arroz and some sauteed shrimp. Neither of those are things I'd request for my BD dinner, but she has also invited their best friends who are Mexican and the guy is very fussy about food. He doesn't like anything, so I suspect it is something she knows he will eat. I'm easy. I am making black-eyed peas with collards and ham for NYD. I used to always make posole for NY but I think that's just more than I can handle this year.

@Katie Meadow This inquiring minds needs to know deets about the calvados cake. I'm a calvados fiend! Or at least I was when I drank a lot more than I do know. A cake with it sounds like just the thing.

If money and space were not a problem!!

I don't think I can find fruit pierogis in this area--I've never seen or heard of them either, but they sound delicious.

I don't want to know how you send it to fishy heaven. I need to buy my fish already on the other side. Otherwise, I'd have it living in my bathtub permanently.

I made some sweet potatoes for Christmas dinner today. As long as I had the oven on, I took some of the starting-to-wrinkle baby tomatoes I had and put them in to roast along with a small potato to bake. So I had a baked potato with roasted tomatoes. Very tasty!

I have numerous timers that I never use anymore. Alexa is my best friend. She plays my favorite music, too.

My sister/BIL are hosting this year. My BIL has been talking about making beef for about 2 months, so I bought myself a very small ham to use for some sandwiches and making black-eyed peas for NYE. My sis texted me the menu yesterday. They are making ham. LOL! I know there will be leftovers sent home with me. I'll have to find some space in the freezer. Murphy was an optimist.

I like a slice of orange and a slice of cucumber in my water--especially good in warm weather. If I don't have fresh produce, I use lemon essential oil or the delightful Fiori di Sicilia oil that King Arthur Flour sells. If you use essential oils like this remember that you only want a tiny bit--a good idea is to dip a toothpick in the oil, then swirl it in your glass of water.

I noticed that about the lid when I washed it after unpacking. Apparently I will need to experiment with food for myself before I plan to make anything for others!!

I always brown in a skillet or roast in the oven. I've never simmered in stock, but I'm also not Irish.

There are some plastic bags that came with my A4. The only place I see them mentioned is on the box where it refers to Lazy-Cooking Bag. Any thoughts on how these are to be used?

Has anyone inquired about when the optional pans might be available? I'm anxious to get them!

I can't read the article (no account), but I would kill to have a Hoosier.

Mine just arrived this afternoon and I haven't used it yet, but I did turn it on to make sure it worked. I turned it on high for probably 7-8 minutes. When I turned it off, it stayed hot for probably 15 minutes and very warm for 25-30 minutes.

There may be a better place to post this but I couldn't find it. ABC News' David Muir had a delightful feature on Lodge cast iron company. Made me want to run out and buy one of their pans. What a cool company!

Just an FYI ANNIVERSARY5 still works for free unit, with shipping only ($44.99). I just did it. My consolation for losing Lucky this morning.

Does anyone remember the code to get it free and just pay for shipping?

Thanks for all the helpful info, @Smithy. I'm still on the fence. 🫠

Does it get hot enough to replace the Griddler with it?

You've got me still wanting one. Trying to figure out what I'll have to give up to make space for it. How big is it? With no handles on the insert, how hard is it to get it out when it is hot and full of food? My fingers are big and gnarled--they don't easily fit into small cracks.

@Tropicalsenior Beautiful quiche!! I am pastry-impaired.

I don't sous vide so certainly am no expert, but I think any sort of coating you'd use would just get gummy and gross. Try a dry rub instead. Then, if you're looking for crunch, sprinkle a little toasted panko or brioche crumbs over when you serve.

I sat in the dining room at the memory care many times this past year. You'd be amazed how many of the patients had a hard time eating--lots of choking at every meal. Some did have Parkinson's and I am pretty sure meds used for that are sometimes used for other dementia types, too. When they got to a certain stage, they would put them on liquid diets.

@liuzhou, thanks for sharing that. Fascinating stuff. As my husband got older, his mouth got very dry and what he would eat changed completely. I always chalked it up to his dementia, but now wondered if some it his eating habits were more related to dry mouth.