Maison Rustique

Today's Misfits order which got here early again. Most of the cheeses are for my sister since she loved them when she had them here.

And I'm right behind her!!

Oh, my! That looks and sounds wonderful. I might have to buy that book just for this recipe!

I love the Lamp Chopper and the Purple Haze. Also wouldn't eat it every day, but I got one of the blueberry/thyme/something goat cheeses to serve with croissants last weekend and everyone loved it. Last time I ordered one of the little Coleman pork loin roasts and a little flank steak. I put the steak in the freezer but cooked the roast that day--very tasty. I may order another one and cut it into thick chops to freeze. One of the things I tried on a whim and have fallen in love with is the steam and marinated asparagus that comes in a bag. I expected it to be slimy and mushy like canned asparagus. It is not at all and it is great to put in salads. I ordered another couple of them to keep in the pantry. And noticed yesterday that the same brand now has artichokes, so am putting one of those in my order to try. Sorry for lack of photos--for some reason I'm having trouble posting photos here.

Not sure. Maybe someone else will know?

What do you plan to put in with the duck? If it will have a lot of liquid, I'd make it more of a "crumble" type topping, which you could do by either actually baking the cornbread and crumbling it over, or to cut in some butter (or duck fat!) into the dry mix and sprinkle over the top.

Yes, we really like them--when they arrive safely. Sigh.

I didn't take pix as I was in a hurry, but had issues again with Misfits. Pork chops were completely defrosted and apparently had a puncture in the package because the cold bag was full of meat juices. There was also a package of goat cheese in it. Yuck! And for the second time, the ice pack had a hole in it, so everything in the cold bag was covered in the gel that had melted. What a mess. I have really been enjoying what I get, but not sure it is worth the hassle. I reported the issue, but have not heard back from them yet.

You can get a free dried starter from the 1800s here. You just send a SASE to them. I haven't tried it, but keep saying I will.

@MaryIsobel, sorry to hear but glad you are home now. Hope you are back to 100% soon!

Make that three!

I made the dandelions and collards yesterday. I did cut a few inches off the bottom of the dandelions--they are huge! I pre-cooked them, drained well and sauteed in EVOO with s/p, finished with a drizzle of agrodulce (Trader Joe's) and a sprinkle of Penzey's air-dried shallots. They were really good!! I wish I had more!! If they still have them when I order this time, I will get a couple of bunches instead of just one. We had this with Rancho Gordo Marcella beans and the boneless thick pork chops from Misfits, which were also very good. I over cooked them slightly, but they were still very good. I'd order them again, too.

I forgot to mention that I had them put me on a la carte ordering instead of pre-packed boxes. I was able to go in and shop at will, so didn't have all the issues with everything I wanted being sold out within 5 minutes of my appointed shopping time.

OK, my first order from this new try with Misfits has arrived. I was pleased it arrived early in the day. It was delivered by Imperfect. Packed much better than previous go-rounds with them. Produce stayed intact and not battered. Meats are still frozen. I purposely ordered a variety to see how they did with it. If they continue like this, I'll stick with them. Total for this order was roughly $70 and I got free delivery.

OK, I have signed up for Misfits to give them another try. Wasn't pleased with my second try with Imperfect and I know they are same ownership now so I don't know that I'll be much happier but I see what you all get and just have to try again.

One of my favorite fast food pantry meals is to make soup with a can of pumpkin and a can of coconut milk. Spice as you like--curry, cumin, sage, or whatever you like. I know you said ideas other than soup, but I could eat this for lunch every couple of days in some form.

I literally threw out a can of them yesterday because they had expired, though I'm in the US. Can you order from Amazon?

You could make a lot of lemonade with those huge lemons!!

I have caper dust that a friend gave me. And I often pulverize dried mushrooms. I think I have a couple of books on dehydrating foods. I'll see if I can find them and if they might have anything in them about this. Be patient, I have a lot on my plate these days with a husband with dementia.

I bought these sprouted rolled oats at Costco the other day. My super quick soak does not work with these. I am going to have to try overnight,, as they were just way too chewy.

I had never heard of flocking in cooking. (I think of flocking a Christmas tree.) I learned something new this morning!

Those Lee Valley jar seal gizmos are wonderful! I use mine all the time!

I have never liked oatmeal because of the texture. My sister kept telling me to try overnight oat because it wasn't so slimy. I tried and it still didn't suit me. After losing my gall bladder recently, I read that oatmeal was a highly recommended food choice. I decided to try it again. I now put the oats in the dish, and just enough unsweetened almond milk to cover, let stand for an hour or so (or if I forget, I will nuke it for about 20-25 seconds, just until the milk is mostly absorbed. Then I stir in whatever I want--sometimes nuts, sometimes a little yogurt, sometimes honey, sometimes fruit. It has a little more chew to it this way and isn't slimy at all.

One of those things that just seems like too much work. But I might try with leftover risotto and baking. Thanks for that idea, @blue_dolphin. I suppose I could even use the air fryer function on my oven.

Those herb scissors look exactly like the probably useless paper-shredding scissors that are sold. Hmmm...did someone say, "Hey, these don't work well for herbs. I wonder what else we could market them for?"