Falling Back on Island Time

[Shelby]

I was raised by an extended family. All my aunts were married to men who held blue-collar jobs. In those days and I am talking about the 50s the men in my family expected to come home to "tea". This was their evening meal and was usually meat and potatoes. No matter what my aunts and I might be doing, about mid afternoon they would declare, "Must get home and make (insert husbands name here) tea". It was always said with a mixture of pride and fear. Some husbands would become quite abusive if their tea was not ready when they arrived home from their jobs. Even though my own husband frequently declared that he did not want or like to eat as soon as he arrived home I had a terrible time overcoming this early influence. Only on Friday nights when my husband was alive could I relax and enjoy a glass of wine with him before we began making dinner. It amazes me how these early influences have such an ability to continue to control our lives.

I am glad to hear that you can enjoy a leisurely glass or three of wine before making dinner!

I love hearing about your life, Anna.

 

I had no idea the evening meal was called tea.  I'd have guessed that was a mid-afternoon tea such as tea and biscuits.

 

Our habit started like this because we would maybe get home at 5:30 or later and I wanted to relax a bit before I got up and did anything cooking-wise.  This habit has continued even though I don't work outside of the home anymore.  In fact, if we are finished eating before eight, I feel like wringing my hands because I don't know what to do with myself LOL.

[Kerry Beal]

I made half a batch of Diana Kennedy's flan, split into two bowls.  The round was steamed in the cuisinart at 200F for 40 minutes, the oval 190 for 40 minutes.  

 

 

A little unmolding issue.  But no bubbles and silky smooth.

 

 

More bubbles than I'd like but still a very satisfactory custard.  

[andiesenji]

Are you into brewing per se?

 

For some reason, which I cannot fathom because I don't drink alcohol because of an allergy, I got FOUR emails today with links to this site for this Maple Pumpkin Ale.

I only wish I could drink it.

[Kerry Beal]

I'll try fermenting anything once!

 

Although I've seen way too much pumpkin stuff lately - not a big pumpkin fan.

[andiesenji]

I'll try fermenting anything once!

 

Although I've seen way too much pumpkin stuff lately - not a big pumpkin fan.

Home brew was a staple on my grandpa's farm and in the '40s it was not legal - a "dry" county but making anything with alcohol was illegal then.

Just buying the malt was difficult although the Jewel Tea man always had some on his truck...

Edited October 14, 2014 by andiesenji (log)

[Anna N]

Good morning. Breakfast was a slice of the Apple banana bread I made yesterday. Kerry also had a slice and the rest went to the hospital for rounds this morning.

The Richmond Bertinet bread I baked yesterday will probably turn out to be a bit of a brick. I shall toast a slice shortly and see if it is edible. I suspect it needed more kneading or perhaps being allowed to rise a little longer.

Not sure what we will get up to today. We are expecting a visitor but not sure when they might arrive so we cannot wander far from home. Grocery shopping may well be on the agenda as we seem to be running low on baking ingredients.

[rotuts]

flan re bubbles :   those along the side are the issue ?

[Kerry Beal]

flan re bubbles :   those along the side are the issue ?

Yes.

[rotuts]

out of curiosity and to add to the CSB Archive :  bubbles different at the two temps ?

[Kerry Beal]

There were really no bubbles at 190 where there were bubbles at 200.

[Tri2Cook]

So a lot of catching up to do in this thread... my internet went down fairly early on Saturday and it wasn't something I could fix myself so, with it being a holiday weekend, it was today before anything got done. The day with the apple press looked like a lot of fun and yep, I am happy they are continuing to stock the carpano antica.

[Kerry Beal]

Before our visitor arrived we managed to make it out to the grocery stores and pick up a few odds and ends that we required - and a few that we hadn't planned on. 

 

 

Baking necessities and ice cream.  

 

 

Saw those little slices of bread cut lengthwise - took me back to the tea sandwiches of my youth.  I shall be making rolled up and sliced sandwiches with olives in the middle and cream cheese buttering the bread.  Grapes were only $1.29/lb so got some of those along with buns and ham to serve lunch to our guest.  

 

 

Found a relatively inexpensive boneless lamb leg and then had to hit the other store for mint sauce.  Found some cheddar cheese and onion chips in the bargain bin and had to bring those home as well.  

 

 

Last stop in the beer store to see if they had managed to save a few 375 ml absolute bottles for us - we'd asked before we left in the summer.  They had - 38 of them!  More than half had lids.  

 

[Kerry Beal]

 

While our guest was here I tempered a bit of dark chocolate.  Dipped a couple of things - then put them in the fridge for the 10 minutes I usually do and totally forgot about them.  Went to get the milk out - and BANG, down they all came.

 

Scraped them back onto the sheet pan, plunked them on the table in the living room, swept up - when BANG, down they came again!  

 

Is there a 10 second rule for two falls?

[rotuts]

Chocolate is exempt Im told.

[Kerry Beal]

Anna has been wanting a Last Word after reading through the thread about it.

 

I have to go out to an educational event put on by the CNIB tonight so will wait to have something until then.

 

[Anna N]

And it was good! But brief.

[FauxPas]

What will you do with the Absolut bottles? Why those ones and not others? 

[Kerry Beal]

375 ml bottles are perfect for a whole lot of things.  Particularly gifting various liquids that I have made.  You see lots of small bottles in  thrift stores but they want a buck or two for them.  These I can 'purchase' for the cost of the deposit (10￠).  I like the size, the shape - now if I could just get them to stop putting their branding on them I'd be all set!

[FauxPas]

375 ml bottles are perfect for a whole lot of things.  Particularly gifting various liquids that I have made.  You see lots of small bottles in  thrift stores but they want a buck or two for them.  These I can 'purchase' for the cost of the deposit (10￠).  I like the size, the shape - now if I could just get them to stop putting their branding on them I'd be all set!

 

I guess you've considered making your own labels but their printing is spread out over so much of the bottle, isn't it? 

[Kerry Beal]

I guess you've considered making your own labels but their printing is spread out over so much of the bottle, isn't it? 

It is indeed.  I picked up a Dymo LabelWriter Twin Turbo at a thrift store for $3.  Managed to find a cord for it (on a little Kodak printer) at another for $6.  Of course labels cost me a small fortune.  

 

Let's me print some basic labels in black and white that I can use to cover some parts of the existing label.  It's not really critical - what's in the bottle is far more important.

[Kerry Beal]

Back from my CNIB dinner - sadly the food was not as entertaining as the company and the talk.    

 

 

The squid was actually quite tender and good - shared it with the table - should have eaten more of it myself.  

 

 

 

 

Fajita's and fixings - 3 tortillas for a great heap of meat, peppers and onions.  And by the time anyone brought more - I was not really in the mood to eat them.  

 

Glass of malbec - not one of the more stellar examples.  

[Shelby]

Squid looks delicious.  The tomatoes for the fajitas....not so much.  Why do people serve icky 'maters? (rhetorical question lol)

 

I'll bet you enjoy tomorrow nights meal with Anna more

[Kerry Beal]

Yup - almost always better eating at home.

 

Bad year for tomatoes up north here apparently.  Lettuce looks better in the picture than real life too!

Edited October 15, 2014 by Kerry Beal (log)

[gfweb]

salsa in a plastic cup at a sit-down meal is a bad sign

[Tri2Cook]

The last time I ordered fajitas in a restaurant, I asked for corn tortillas instead of flour and the waitress looked at me like I had a horn growing out of my forehead. It made me sad.