Holiday gifts. What food/drink related gifts did you get?

[ElsieD]

@Kim Shook  Is that a canele pan?

[Kim Shook]

2 minutes ago, ElsieD said:

@Kim Shook  Is that a canele pan?

No.  Just a Nordic Wear mini sunflower cake pan.  Supposedly the finished cakes will look like this.  I'll keep my fingers crossed.  I've actually had really good luck with the large one that Mr. Kim gave me a few years back.  It was the Jubilee bundt pan. 

[lemniscate]

1 hour ago, Kim Shook said:

This luscious pound cake is from Stocks in Philadelphia

Oh.my.Lord.    That looks amazing.

[BeeZee]

49 minutes ago, lemniscate said:

Oh.my.Lord.    That looks amazing.

I have eaten that cake, coworker has brought it in a couple of times, it is amazing.

[caroled]

This year we, all 3 of us, seemed to get food related items. 

Dad received 5 lbs. Claxton fruitcake,  pistachios,  Dove truffles,  dehydrated mini marshmallows for his cocoa,  and girl scout cookies knockoffs from Aldi, Hot Cocoa mixes from William Sonoma, along with BBQ spice rub. .                                                      Mama got Lindt truffles,  kitchen towels,  a pink tablecloth,  silicone utensils,  storage containers and Italian rainbow cookies.      I received several silicone utensils, a pepper grinder, and a  big box of variety Jelly Belly beans.

 On the other end, I gave various sweets, Chex Mix,  nuts, fudge,  granola, and pints of spaghetti sauce, freezer ready, for my 93 year old neighbor, to save her some cooking.

Edited January 4, 2020 by caroled (log)

[ElsieD]

I love Claxton fruit cake.  I buy it every year.

[andiesenji]

I received three surprise gifts.  

A box of 48 Tea Forte Earl Grey tea "pyramids" with a Large, blue 17ounce "Mermaid" mug from a friend who moved to Arkansas several years ago and has now moved back and I "baby sat" her little dog for a few days, one where movers were in and out all day and two more when some installers were going to be in and out all day.  This dog is so tiny, 4 pounds, she was worried she couldn't keep an eye on it all the time. My Basenji was not quite sure what to make of it but he was very gentle and shared his bed nicely.

 

The other gift was from a friend that tries to find unusual gifts for me because "you already have everything" and I certainly did not have this:

One POUND of BRROKLYN BILTONG.  Apparently "NAKED" Grass Fed beef.

It is quite tasty with less of the seasonings that for me have way too much salt, in jerky made here. (I do not buy any herky sources from China!) 

 

 

 

[MetsFan5]

We got the Jelly Belly box too @caroled I love it. I sneak a couple every day. 
 

  I am at a loss between the IP, the Anova and the air fryer. Our fridge is dead and not being (hopefully) repaired until next week. So for now I’m keeping leftovers and delivery food in our much smaller fridge downstairs. 

[Smithy]

I just remembered that we got a food-related gift for Christmas.

 

 

What reminded me was the sad realization that we'd come to the end of it. Oh my, these were good!  I generally prefer dark chocolate to milk chocolate, but these were perfect. If I ever spot 'em in a store, I'm buying some.

[heidih]

Hhmm - never had the milk chocolate ones. The place is littered with them cuz of our local ties with Hawaii. Will keep an eye out. Honestly though I find macadamias not as interesting as say roasted almonds when combined with chocolate. Beautiful nuts though. Used to jeep a bowlful of unshelled as a coffee table conversation piece. I think you either have to run them over under the car tire or have a cockatoo crack them for you   No prominent seam. 

[Smithy]

7 minutes ago, heidih said:

Hhmm - never had the milk chocolate ones. The place is littered with them cuz of our local ties with Hawaii. Will keep an eye out. Honestly though I find macadamias not as interesting as say roasted almonds when combined with chocolate. Beautiful nuts though. Used to jeep a bowlful of unshelled as a coffee table conversation piece. I think you either have to run them over under the car tire or have a cockatoo crack them for you   No prominent seam. 

 

I love the buttery flavor and interesting texture of macadamias: the crunch followed by nearly melt-in-your-mouth. They are tough to crack, though! I once bought a package of shelled macadamias, figuring the extra price was worth it. Alas, I hoarded them and they went rancid. In the freezer. What a waste.

 

So, if/when I make it back to the L.A. Basin, where would I look for these particular chocolates? I guessed they came from Costco (of which I am not a member) but maybe there are other sources? Your comment that the place is littered with them sounds promising.  

[heidih]

All the Asian markets have them. More around the Christmas/New Year holidays. Particularly in Torrance/Gardena which is heavily Japanese/Hawaiian  Hawaiian Host pretty local  https://www.hawaiianhost.com/our-legacy/  Same city as Nissin (ramen)  

Edited January 8, 2020 by heidih (log)

[andiesenji]

A friend used to send me unshelled macadamia nuts.  Her brother was a grower on the big island until the mid 2000s when he was bought out by a big corporation.

I have a nutcracker made for cracking hickory nuts that works great on mac nuts. It is made of solid steel in a wood frame, has a "cup" to hold the nut and a thick sort of blade shaped thing that screws down using a T-shaped handle and exerts a lot of force so the shell splits, usually without damaging the nut inside. 

You have to stand or sit on either side where the frame is because the shells often fly out the open sides with some force. 

My cousins used to send me a 25 pound bag of hickory nuts when I was still baking a lot.  When we were kids, the cook would line us up on the edge of the porch outside the kitchen, each of us with a sad iron upside down between our thighs over a kitchen towel and a small hammer (I always wondered why there were so many hammers in the kitchen but there must have been a dozen ball-peen hammers)

anyway, it was our task to crack hickory nuts, and black walnuts, which were very hard, pecans, English walnuts, which were easier, for all the baked goods and candies that were made in large quantities in the fall and winter.

I haven't had any nuts for several years and have no idea where the nutcracker is.  

[MetsFan5]

Ok I’m really out of my element with these gifts so if anyone can recommend which unit to start with and what to do with it, it’s much appreciated:

 

 

 

 

 

 

[MetsFan5]

I’m going to go grocery shopping tomorrow and will also order items to be delivered. Think stupidly simple. 

[lemniscate]

@MetsFan5 Can't comment on the air fyer thingee, I don't have one.  But stupid simple with the IP would be try boiled eggs first.  Cheap ingredient to mess around with.  

 

I have never made it, but an early IP viral recipe is/was Kalua Pork.  It sounds easy.

[rotuts]

pressure - steam   is a fantastic feature for the iPot.

 

but you need to get a basket that fits in the model you have

 

not very expensive @ amazon.

 

then try eggs     i use the LowPressure seetting

 

the pressure steam on high pressure potatoes , beets  etc

[Shelby]

Eggrolls crisp up great in the air fryer.  I've also done a chicken.  I need to use mine more.  Oh I also made potato chips.  Those were a big hit.  A pain, but a big hit.

 

If you google IP recipes a ton will come up.  This site is one I go to quite a bit.  She has a lot of reliable IP recipes.  We like to do potato salad and ribs.  I make these Asian Short Ribs a lot .  

 

Pork belly in the IP is relatively fast and delicious.  I pour a can of pho broth in the bottom, plop the belly in and do 45 mins to an hour.  Then I make pho using the meat and broth over noodles.

 

Beans are excellent in the IP.  Creamy and good.

 

I made several cheesecakes--easy and super good.

 

Yogurt.....cottage cheese, ricotta cheese.  You get a lot of whey, but there are uses for that too if you google.

 

I know that the threads are many and long, but if you have time, the IP threads here are full of good stuff.  I don't do Facebook, but I know there is an IP group there.  Probably more than one.

[blue_dolphin]

I mentioned above that I received a gift certificate to a local gourmet foods shop.  I visited the shop with some friends the other day and since this holiday thread has popped up, I'll share my selections:

I think most items are recognizable.  The little jar on top of the tomato can is piment d'espelette and the item at lower right is mullet bottarga 

[kayb]

You have one thing I want -- Toulouse sausages. I want cassoulet. Got the duck confit. Got the rest of the meat. Need the Toulouse sausages. Got to make a Memphis run, I guess.

[blue_dolphin]

25 minutes ago, kayb said:

You have one thing I want -- Toulouse sausages. I want cassoulet. Got the duck confit. Got the rest of the meat. Need the Toulouse sausages. Got to make a Memphis run, I guess.

 

Cassoulet is what I'm planning on using them for, too.  I need to get some duck legs and confit them.

[MetsFan5]

I do have two kits worth on Instapot inserts so I hope I’m good there. I however loathe hard boiled eggs. And most eggs other than scrambled. I know! 🙈 At least I don’t put ketchup on them! 

[suzilightning]

@MetsFan5, who in your life thought it was a good idea to give you an air fryer and instapot??

Gift card to King's or Wegman's....dinner at Jockey Hollow maybe......

[andiesenji]

I no longer have an InstaPot, gave it away because the 8qt was too large for me.

However, I still have the 6qt FAGOR Multi-Cooker that I have owned for a few years before the IP appeared and I use it often.

 

I cook dried beans of all types in it all the time - no need to soak them ahead of time and I cook them longer than the recommended time because that is the way I prefer them, so if they aren't to you taste, just reset the cooker and put them through another cycle of 1/4 or 1/2 the time.

 

I buy frozen whole chickens when they are on sale - 2 in a bag - and separate them and freeze them separately.  

I put one in the fridge and let it thaw for a day or so, until I can get the bag of stuff out of the cavity.   I put it into the Fagor, even is still partially frozen, with some seasoning and a cup of water.  I set it on high pressure for 50 to 60 minutes, depending on size. 

I remove the chicken, take all the meat off the bones and refrigerate.  I put the bones back into the pot along with celery, carrots and onions and another cup or two of water, depending on how much came out of the chicken. if there is less than an inch, 2 cups.

I reset to low pressure and set the time for 40 minutes.  when finished, I let it cool  some then set a sieve over a container, dump the contents into the sieve,  press on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible.  Easy chicken stock.

 

[lindag]

13 hours ago, MetsFan5 said:

I’m going to go grocery shopping tomorrow and will also order items to be delivered. Think stupidly simple. 

One of favorites is Vegetable Beef soup.  I use chuck or oxtail with some soup bones. Make the broth under pressure then add loads of fresh veg.  Really easy and fun to throw together.  Perfect on a wintry day.

On my schedule for this weekend.