These two were absolutely no help with this project yesterday.
Wednesday is Tomato-Pasta Salad
Sorry for the delay on the recipe exchange, as you can see above, I had a big project yesterday. That’s my sectional, assembly required. Nothing major, but damn putting the very fitted fabric on the very firm cushions was a workout.
Continuing with our summer menu project, here are this week’s menus, recipes and shopping lists. Lots of garden fresh ingredients and grilling as summer kicks into gear.
JeffreyW has a great blueberry harvest. Perfect for Wednesday’s Blueberry-Lemon Parfait
For the PDF of week two menus and recipes, click here: June Week Two Menus
Shopping lists are here: June Week Two Shopping List
Don’t forget the staples, here.
Monday is Cranberry Grilled Chicken and Minted Cucumbers
That’s it for this week’s menus. You can find last week’s menu, recipes and shopping list here.
What’s on your menu this week? Anyone harvesting anything right now? I got a surprise when I went to water my strawberries this week – several bowls of big berries.
Those are the June berries – if I remember correctly from last summer, there were berries all the way until late September, so if I didn’t manage to pull out all of any one variety when I thinned them, I should expect the same this summer.
Hit the comments with some of your favorite recipes for this time of year…. TaMara
Omnes Omnibus
Yes, and?
Iowa Old Lady
It’s all so pretty!
schrodingers_cat
Grilled corn on the cob
1. Remove the corn husks
2. Grill the corn
3. Prepare a spice mix of cayenne and kosher salt.
4. Quarter limes (one quarter per ear of corn)
5. Dip the lime quarter into the spice mix
6. Rub all over the grilled corn on the cob while squeezing the lime.
&. Enjoy!
Don’t remove the stalk, use it as a handle to rotate the corn on the grill, so that all sides get slightly charred.
Omnes Omnibus
@schrodingers_cat: Lacks butter.
Mnemosyne
I think I post this one every year, but it’s still one of my all-time favorites: Sweet Onion, Tomato, and Corn Salad with Basil.
Plus my favorite Caesar Potato Salad, but I omit the anchovy paste since I’m not a fan and would never use the rest of the tube anyway.
Mnemosyne
@Omnes Omnibus:
One thing I miss about the Midwest is going to a big cookout in the park where the guy in charge of roasting the ears of corn on the grill has a tall metal container filled with melted butter that he dips your corn into before handing it to you. Yum.
schrodingers_cat
@Omnes Omnibus: Try it, you won’t miss the butter. If you do, you can always add it after the spice treatment.
schrodingers_cat
@Mnemosyne: Does everything have to be smothered in butter and/or cheese?
Louise B.
Went to the farmers market today – got some green cabbage, fresh cilantro, cucumber and new potatoes. Picked some fresh mint form the garden. Having Indian food tonight – butter smothered cabbage with tomatoes and ginger, basmati rice and new potatoes with cumin seeds, red lentil dal with mint and raita (yogurt salad) with cucumber.
Mnemosyne
@schrodingers_cat:
In the Midwest? Yes.
Even out here, I usually see that same recipe you have with a little cotija cheese sprinkled on top. It’s a Mexican hard cheese, a little like feta in that it doesn’t melt.
eclare
@Mnemosyne: Yes, the best Mexican place here has wonderful grilled corn on the cob, with spices and that cheese you mention, with limes on the side. Yum! OK, now I’m hungry.
Sab
@schrodingers_cat: I’ve used cayenne on corn, and lime on corn. I never thought to combine them. Sounds delicious. The lime brings out the sweetness in the corn.
schrodingers_cat
@Sab: If you can find key limes, they give the recipe that extra kick!
Ruckus
Those two look like they’d be no help with anything other than eating. And possibly laying about.
Which of course makes them perfect.
ETA Had a neighbor who made coats for pugs, (and other dogs but pugs were her first love) and she always had her dogs with her at her shop. Her pug, which slept on a shelf in the display cabinet and her great dane who slept on his own bed. And it wasn’t a dog bed, but a twin sized human bed. He filled it up. Completely.
Mnemosyne
@eclare:
Cotija cheese on Wikipedia — apparently it’s considered a semi-hard cheese like Parmesan. The one I usually see out here is what the article calls “queso cotija.”
Mnemosyne
@Ruckus:
I think you could use them to pull a sled for small children, if they felt like cooperating.
NotMax
Ah, a food thread.
Bananimals!
Omnes Omnibus
@schrodingers_cat: Corn on the cob needs butter. It is known.
Sab
@schrodingers_cat: My Midwestern mother used butter as her only seasoning. Her lamb curry was hilarious.
NotMax
@schrodingers_cat
Tip for removing those pesky strands of cornsilk is to rub the ear with a barely dampened paper towel. (A slightly damp nylon stocking also works well.)
Mike J
@schrodingers_cat: The difference between your favorite restaurant and cooking at home is about a half a stick of butter per dish.
BethanyAnne
Oooo, assembling your own sectional. Did you go with Home Reserve? I’ve been curious about them.
efgoldman
@schrodingers_cat:
Yes
SATSQ
tybee
@schrodingers_cat:
grilled corn on the cob:
do not remove the husks.
soak ears in a bucket of water for about 30 minutes.
place on grill.
roll every 15 minutes or so until outer husks begin to dry out and char.
remove from grill.
pull husks and silks.
coat in a light oil (i use a spray).
sprinkle with spices.
eat.
Ruckus
@Mnemosyne:
My neighbor’s great dane could probably tow a car. Standing on all 4s his head was above my waist and I think I only out weighed him by about 20lbs. He’s a real gentle guy, don’t think he’d harm a fly but I’d bet she could walk him in any neighborhood in the country and never have an issue. Other than maybe someone might complain about her walking her horse. Should have mentioned that she’s about 5′ 2-3″
Mnemosyne
@BethanyAnne:
I had Ikea assemble my couch for me.
Or, rather, I instructed G in how to have them assemble it because he was the one at home when they delivered it, only to have him get the instructions exactly backwards, so we had to have someone else re-assemble it. It’s a good thing he’s cute and I love him, because I was pretty shirty when I got home.
Mnemosyne
@Ruckus:
I drive through Rancho Equestrian on my way to work every day, so I see people walking their actual horses all the time.
Favorite morning was when a stablehand was out exercising someone’s horses with a Starbucks cup in his hand right by the entrance to the 134. Sadly, I was driving and unable to get a photo.
Aleta
Great recipes. I love cuke salads. Today the dog discovered he loves edamame. He met a bag, took it to bed, ate the beans and spit out each pod.
schrodingers_cat
@tybee: I like it grilled without the husks, YM obviously varies!
Ruckus
@Mnemosyne:
It might just be me but I find assembling Ikea stuff to be pretty simple. Funny thing is I don’t own any myself right now but I’ve put tons of it together.
efgoldman
@Mnemosyne:
My daughter insists that some Ikea assembly instructions contravene the laws of physics.
schrodingers_cat
@Sab: You can make many Indian curries (dishes with sauce) without dry spices. You use green chilies, cilantro, ginger and garlic, coconut and onions.
TaMara (HFG)
@schrodingers_cat: FWIW, I like my corn on the cob with just a hint of salt and lots of pepper.
Mnemosyne
@efgoldman:
She just doesn’t know how to do it. Like Ruckus, I’ve never had a problem with Ikea stuff as long as I follow the instructions and look at the pictures.
As I’ve said before, if you really want nightmarish DIY instructions, buy something from Target.
@Ruckus:
We have much Ikea furniture — G bought the Ikea toolset so he could use the Allen wrench heads with a screwdriver handle. He endeared himself to our next-door neighbors soon after we moved in with his voluble curses upon discovering he’d put his bookcase together backwards.
TaMara (HFG)
@Mnemosyne:
@Ruckus:
@BethanyAnne:
It was IKEA and it was very simple to assemble. It’s just the fabric is this lovely, heavy weight, very tailored (once it all settles in, you’d never know you can remove it all and wash it) that goes around very firm cushions. Think spandex. After Thanksgiving.
Sab
@schrodingers_cat: You do, because you know what you are doing. My mother didn’t. She was trying to be adventurous.
Ruckus
@Mnemosyne:
Used to exhibit at a bicycle dealers show at Golden Gate Fields every year. It was held in the clubhouse area high in the stands and we could watch the hands walk the horses throughout the day. Some horses seemed to enjoy just walking and a coffee could be enjoyed and some seemed to enjoy trying to escape. Made for some fun times watching. Maybe Miss Bianca can enlighten us which are the best horses based on walking behavior.
Another Scott
@Ruckus: We were at our vet a few months ago and came out to see some sort of Mastiff. The ~ 90 pound woman owner (a long-distance runner) said she had another one at home. IIRC, she said they each weigh over 150 pounds and she walks them together.
They were pretty well behaved, fortunately!
Cheers,
Scott.
NotMax
@TaMara (HFG)
Not a fan of using salt. A light brushing with bourbon does wonders.
TaMara (HFG)
@Another Scott: I’ve told the story before, but I’m barely 5’6″ and I had three Danes, each 150 lbs that I walked all over the neighborhood for years. These dogs are truly gentle giants and really behave well, but let me tell you, it does stop traffic. LOL
Bixby, all by himself always seemed to stop traffic – he is a brute, but adding Bailey we get all kinds of comments about how dainty and regal she looks. I hate to break it to them, but she’s a big doofus. A big, lovable doofus.
Aleta
Iowa Corn on the Cob
Put the pot of water on to boil.
Go pick the corn.
Run back. Husk and cook right away before the sugar can turn to starch.
.
Ruckus
@Mnemosyne:
I use a powered driver and it goes real fast What I find is that while the instructions don’t look all that informative, the pictures always match the parts. Doesn’t matter what language you read or don’t because the pictures are always proper. Maybe it’s because I machine things to sketches and cad drawings and have for decades but really, I find Ikea’s stuff to be better than a quite a bit of engineering drawings I see regularly. Including some that I make.
NotMax
@Another Scott
Years ago a friend had a gigantic mastiff. Poor thing would inadvertently destroy anything brought in as a doggie toy until we came up with the idea of giving him a coconut to play with, which was thenceforth gleefully batted about.
Ruckus
@Another Scott:
Funny thing is I bet they obey that 90 lb lady just fine. They know who is boss and they know who feeds them. This great dane sure did. I think her pug was more of a problem than the dane.
TaMara (HFG)
@NotMax: I’ve pretty much given up on dog toys – and forget anything with stuffing in it! I get cheap bath towels, tie knots in them for tug ropes and soccer balls – they can deflate them, but they stay intact and are just as good for fetch.
Another Scott
@TaMara (HFG): I remember. :-) Great Danes are neat dogs, and I enjoyed reading your “bringing up Bixby” pages. :-)
Our late Sophie (a 50# GSD, Dachshund, Bernese Mountain Dog, Great Dane, German Short-Haired Pointer, Irish Water Spaniel, etc., mix with nothing dominant, according to a DNA test we had done) met a Great Dane (white with spots) on a walk one day. He was quite interested, she was interested but a little wary, and the owner seemed to be having great difficulty controlling the situation (and seemed a little annoyed that we had the temerity to walk on the public sidewalk while they were there). I think she was much more nervous than the two dogs were. He towered over her, and his head looked to be the size of a small horse. We left after a minute or so, so we didn’t get a chance to get well acquainted.
This Mastiff was really imposing though. He was just so massive! :-)
Cheers,
Scott.
Mnemosyne
It drives G nuts that I do this, but since we’re going out to dinner tomorrow (early birthday celebration), I’ve already looked on the Karl Strauss website to decide what I’m going to order. I have my eye on the two beer-braised sausages, and probably the beer tiramisu for dessert.
Ruckus
@TaMara (HFG):
That picture makes them look smaller than they are then. We had a german shepard as a shop dog (he came with the place when my dad bought it) and he’d stand with his paws on my dad’s shoulders and his head was then about 6 in above dad, who was 5′ 8-9″ Poison was his name and he was what some would call a junkyard dog. Lived chained to his dog house with 3/8 binder chain and his house was made from 4×4 timbers and corrugated steel. If motivated he could drag it and he had broken the chain a few times. Only ever saw 3 people who he’d let touch him. My dad and one of the employees, they both fed him, and me. I was 13 and about 5′ 4″, he was gentle as could be with me. I wouldn’t have wanted to get on his bad side.
Another Scott
@Ruckus: and NotMax :-)
There was a woman at work years ago who had an Australian Cattle Dog. That thing was a dynamo and could leap about 5 feet in the air. She would get it to burn up energy by playing with a “hopper ball” with it – tossing it way up in the air, and the dog would catch it on the bounce, or drag it back to her, etc., etc. It was amazing.
Cheers,
Scott.
BC in Illinois
Reminds me of a college dramatic / comedic production of years ago, that had this acknowledgement:
dmsilev
@Ruckus: Yeah, the drawings tend to be better than the written instructions. Of course, I have somewhat of a background in creating such drawings (I.e. I’m the guy who hands the machinist a drawing for something that looks great on the computer screen but is a tad …less feasible in the real world), so that helps.
NotMax
@Ruckus
knew someone who had a large, multi-story warehouse in Newark, NJ. Had a contract with a guy who would show up just after sundown and release several Doberman Pinschers to roam the premises, then return post-sunrise to retrieve them and haul them away.
As the guy with the dogs was also the only one who could safely get near them, if he woke up sick no warehouse work ensued that day.
dmsilev
@BC in Illinois: One of my classmates in grad school talked about putting a ‘disacknowledgments’ section in his thesis. ‘This dissertation completed in spite of the best efforts of….’.
EBT
@Mnemosyne: I must be the only person on the planet who enjoys putting together furniture.
TaMara (HFG)
@Ruckus: Here is Bixby standing on his hind legs at only 9 months. I keep meaning to repeat this photo now, but somehow we never get around to it.
Maybe for his 3rd birthday this week.
efgoldman
@Mnemosyne:
Daughter and SIL bought granddaughter’s “grown up bed” from target. Lasted six months before the side rails broke. They were able to get their $$ back, and bought a closeout from Pottery Barn.
Mnemosyne
@EBT:
I actually don’t mind it — I’ve assembled most of my own furniture except for that couch. I doubted my ability to get it assembled in a reasonable timeframe since I’m a petite middle-aged woman.
Cost Plus World Market has very nice DIY furniture as well, usually of real wood, with good instructions and pre-sorted hardware. Our coffee table, two end tables, and media center are all from Cost Plus.
NotMax
@TaMara (HFG)
Now if you could just train him to make use of that tongue to clean the tub…
:)
Ruckus
@dmsilev:
So you’re that guy!
The guy who caused me to have to learn to read standing on my head with the drawing upside down in my left hand looking at it in a mirror.
Sab
@Mnemosyne: We just got a local Costco. My stepdaughter calls it the “Magical Warehouse.”
Ruckus
@TaMara (HFG):
LOL
OK much better perspective! That’s a big boy. That’s a good boy…….
TaMara (HFG)
@NotMax: Yeah, he never has grown into that tongue!
Ruckus
@TaMara (HFG):
Do they ever?
efgoldman
@Sab:
For some reason, there’s no Costco within an hour of us. There is BJ’s, but we can’t justify buying in those quantities any more – certainly not paying a yearly fee to do so.
Lyrebird
@EBT: Hi EBT!
Not the only one…
and I have a book recommendation I want to pass along, in case you have little children in your house/extended family etc
Michael Hall’s Red: A Crayon’s Story is about a crayon who has no success doing what everyone thinks he should do, draw in red, but he’s really good at drawing in blue. A good friend brings in some acceptance… I don’t know if you’d like it, but I am really glad our library has it!
dmsilev
@Ruckus: Yep, that’s me.
In fairness, for anything that’s even vaguely problematic I do try to talk with the machinists early in the design process to get their opinions on feasibility. I’ve had to scratch several designs because they’ve said that the tolerances weren’t workable (the things I design tend to have fairly simple shapes but have to mate to tight tolerances on a few critical dimensions).
MomSense
What’s with all the furniture assembly mess? Don’t you people have estate sales and auctions?
As for corn, the important thing is the kind of corn. If it is that awful big kernel orangey yellow stuff forget it. That stuff is for cows. Look for smal kernels that are mostly white like super sweet or small yellow and white kernels in a pinch. Then do whatever you like to it even though it is delicious gently steamed and plain.
eclare
@efgoldman: In my neighborhood newsletter, some teen has advertised himself as available to assemble Ikea furniture. I have kept the newsletter as I could barely assemble a dog crate, which only needs to be prodded to be a crate, and does not need to be assembled.
Lyrebird
@tybee: Thanks! I like cooking before husking (incl for microwave) bc then the corn silk is easy to get out.
I’m sure @schrodingers_cat‘s way is yummy too, but I would very likely scorch it… I think the grill-steaming method might be a little more forgiving.
efgoldman
@eclare:
When I was a teenager, I had a part time job working in a local toy, hobby and record store, which means I didn’t keep much of the money I made. But I hired out to put together model train layouts for people who bought them for their kids, and didn’t have the first idea how to do it. I did one for the attorney general of MA once.
satby
My god, I went to pick up that abandoned cat this evening and the state of that house was un-fucking-believable. That show hoarders doesn’t begin to show the horror of walking into a place like that, or the smell, or the feeling that things are crawling on you.
That poor baby is now safely ensconced in my bathroom until he gets to the vet for shots and FIV testing.
Jeffro
@Mnemosyne: I’ve been using cotija here the past two months for tacos and taco salads, and the family is basically going bonkers over it.
also very big on the chilled salads these days, and Asian-inspired wraps and sandwiches. I’m going through siriacha mayo like it’s going out of style.
satby
@MomSense:
And resale shops? My entire house, except for mattresses is mostly from resale shops. I got some decent antiques that way.
Jeffro
@Another Scott: Our 1/2 cattle dog, 1/2 border collie does that…she’ll chase a tennis ball or frisbee until her legs give out from under her. She can also leap up to almost head height (from a seated position) to grab a treat.
Jeffro
@Mike J:
You’re forgetting the tablespoon of salt, too! lol
“Kitchen Confidential” is true, every word.
EBT
@Lyrebird: I know a children’s social worker for the state of washington who might find some use out of that from how it sounds.
eclare
@TaMara (HFG): That is an awesome photo! Happy early Birthday to Bixby!
Mike J
I used to read really crap sci-fi and come close to retching when the scienticians would wheel out the xr-74-z space modulator.Just the idea of these stupid numbers substituting for actual world building annoyed me. Every name should be a whole story unto itself. Random numbers in place of the stories was the worst.
Then I saw a phone company commercial where they bragged about the biggest 4g-lte network in the country.
Are the people running our instance of the sim just getting lazy?
Corner Stone
@Mike J: This was what you bothered you so badly?
MomSense
@satby:
Ha! Yes resale shops and sometimes flea markets.
Had a huge score this week. My mom’s friend moved out of his assisted living cottage to a single room and offered us his sofa. I was a little nervous about it but my teen wanted a couch for his bedroom. When I got home and looked at it I was sorry I didn’t have them put it in the living room. Denim/chambray fabric. Very comfortable and a sleep sofa. I may never see my kid again.
Glad you got the kitty out of there. Sorry it was gross. I’ve had way too many experiences with those kinds of environments but usually we are rescuing children. ?
Hot shower, moisturizer, chamomile tea.
Mike in NC
Made crab cakes tonight using one of the recipes Pat Conroy came up with.
Mike J
@Corner Stone: When Chuck Jones used it, he was making fun of what bothered me.
eclare
@Sab: Costco rules.
Lyrebird
@EBT: Cool. It’s not preachy, and it’s not trying to explain every issue, either. It’s about an obviously blue crayon that got packaged in a red wrapper, and the friends and family eventually see how much better things go when they stop trying to make the crayon do something/be something he can’t do/isn’t.
And I truly appreciate your taking my “Oh oh I know someone I want to tell about this book” in the spirit in which it was intended.
Corner Stone
@Mike J: Ah. I didn’t know you were friends. Condolences.
efgoldman
@MomSense:
The New England consignment chain Second Time Around closed this week and left lots of sellers holding the bag.
satby
@MomSense: there were 5 children living there under the age of 10, and Child Services declined to get involved in spite of repeated calls. I assume they never saw the inside. Water had been turned off for a year.
Red state America, we don’t need no steeenkin services!
eclare
@satby: Oh god, that is horrific. Glad the cat got out, but what about the kids?
efgoldman
@satby:
Well, hell, as the older generation overdoses or dies off from treatable conditions. somebody has to replace ’em.
NotMax
@Mike in NC
Should the craving arise and the seafood markets be closed…
efgoldman
@NotMax:
I
don’t
think
so.
Sab
@efgoldman: Yeah. When we go in we just head to the t.p. and napkins, and mayonnaise. No looking at the other cool stuff because some of it (electronics and furniture) is amazing. They had this tiny end table that folds out into a dining room table that seats twelve comfortably. It was heavy so we didn’t buy it and we have spent six months regretting.
satby
@eclare: no idea where they or the dad are.The mom was found dead in her bed a month ago, no investigation, no autopsy. We’re working on the assumption of mental illness compounded by extreme drug use, but they were white, so they were able to deflect any interference from authorities, as far as the landlord could tell.
Landlord was out of state, handling the admin for the elderly couple who owned the place and lived there too. So elder abuse was also involved.
Just incredible, and I’ve worked in disaster zones. Never saw anything as bad as this.
eclare
@satby: OMG, yes, this happened in America. Wow. Thank you for getting the cat, stunned.
ETA> That sounds awful, are you Ok?
Another Scott
@Mike J: So, you don’t have Xfinity X1 Platform, I take it?
;-p
Cheers,
Scott.
(“Who is afraid he will have Cygnus X1 as an earworm for the rest of the night.”)
NotMax
@Sab
Should yours be anything like the one here, also a very, very nice selection of wines.
Trivia: Costco also sells coffins. Online sales only (and don’t have to buy a 12-pack).
Major Major Major Major
Mcsweeney’s: Senate Intelligence Committee’s Post-Show Discussion of Hamlet
satby
@eclare: I’m fine. Feel pretty bad for the landlord (younger woman, married to the guy who basically inherited that mess. Three dumpsters has just begun to put a dent in the debris.
Sab
@eclare: Stunned also, and I have a stepkid who grew up in the bad side of fostercare.
Another Scott
@satby: What a horror. :-( :-( Those poor kids. :-(
Thank you for helping the cat.
Please put up a bleg when you get the vet bills so we can help.
Hang in there. You’re wonderful for doing all you do.
Cheers,
Scott.
Major Major Major Major
@Mike J: @Another Scott: One of my friends keeps having to rename things in his sci-fi dystopia because it turns out there already are corporations with names like BetaZen.
satby
@Another Scott: Thanks. Think the rescue will have the vetting covered, but we may put up an adoption bleg. That beautiful boy deserves a better life.
Edited to add: so do the children, but concerned witnesses struck out at getting them help multiple times. We could do a whole rant on that.
eclare
@satby: OK good, glad to hear. So many bad things going on, easy to get depressed. And this sounds like it was especially depressing.
ETA: as far as blegs go, you know we’re all here for you
NotMax
@satby
Cats were present (but no kids): the Collyer brothers.
Sab
@NotMax: That’s my kids problem. We prepaid the plots and funerals. Weird feeling writing that check, but glad the kids won’t have to. Now they are free to fight over the furniture and dishes.
Do the autocorrect programmers even speak something approaching English? Their corrections are beyond weird.
satby
@eclare: ??
?BillinGlendaleCA
@schrodingers_cat: Yes.
satby
@NotMax: jayzus.
workworkwork
@schrodingers_cat: Agreed – good sweet corn doesn’t need butter.
TaMara (HFG)
@satby: Wow, that’s sounds…unbelievable – except we had neighbors like that once when I was a kid. So glad you were there to rescue the kitteh.
And I love antique/resale/thrift stores. Just not for a couch. My whole dining room is craigslist/thrift store and living room is mostly found antiques. Love me a good yard sale!
seaboogie
@Mnemosyne: The first time I had Mexican corn on the cob, it was a revelation. Grew up in the midwest with butter and salt, but the Mexican version is hands down the best – trust Mexicans to know everything about corn.
OH – and Mexican corn on the cob is grilled, and then brushed with a mixture of cotija cheese, crema or sour cream and – wait for it – MAYONNAISE! Then sprinkled with ancho or guajillo chili powder and more cotija cheese, maybe some cilantro, with wedges of lime to squirt on it. It is heaven, and bettah than buttah or salt. Pings more parts of the palate.
NotMax
@seaboogie
Shall take a pass on the cilantro.
Why put the taste of soap on corn?
seaboogie
@Omnes Omnibus: See my reply to Mnem @ 111. One thing I think needs only butter and salt to make it perfection is rutabagas, and I knows you loves you some swedes. Heh. I can actually make a meal of that – like I used to do with corn on the cob.
NotMax
@seaboogie
Also too, butter on radishes as a snack.
seaboogie
@NotMax: I know. Either you love cilantro or it tastes like soap to your palate – there is no middle ground on that. My bugaboo is truffles (the fungus). I love mushrooms of many sorts and most always have some on hand, but truffles are a funk to far for me.
seaboogie
@NotMax: Imma have to try that this summer – love both things, and can imagine how it would work – I know it’s a very French thing, and they have figured out a thing or too as well.
Upon re-reading, not sure if you are for or agin on the butter/radish front. Maybe agin?
NotMax
@seaboogie
Recently watched a not very good short series featuring Australian chefs, with subtitles turned on.
Each and every time the word palate was uttered, the subtitles showed the word palette.
*sigh*
Major Major Major Major
@seaboogie: That’s genetic, isn’t it? ETA: the cilantro thing, that is.
NotMax
@seaboogie
Fall firmly into the pro camp.
Ruckus
@dmsilev:
Yeah that’s what I do, a lot of tight tolerances. +/- a tenth a lot of times. I’ve worked in millionths before. I didn’t like it all that much. What I like is building an assembly that needs very tight tolerances and have the designer put them in, in places that don’t need them and not specify them in places that do. And yes I used to design and build projects that every tolerance is +/- a tenth with cycle life of a million or more so I mostly understand both sides.
TaMara (HFG)
I put up a new open thread…enjoy.
seaboogie
@Sab: I also brush chipotle Tabasco sauce on grilled corn and then a squeeze of lime. The chipotle tabasco is smoky and warmish without being too hot, and saucy, and hen a hit of dry acid from the lime. Very easy and totally delish.
seaboogie
@Major Major Major Major: Yep – like being able to roll your tongue, and also maybe whistling.
seaboogie
@NotMax: I here you.
Mnemosyne
@satby:
Holy cow! So were the kids alone for a month after their mom died? I wasn’t quite clear on that part.
I’m glad you were able to also get the kitteh to safety while (presumably) the kids were taken care of. That’s horrific.
seaboogie
@NotMax: Cool – I’ll give it a go.
Also, I’ve variously worked in art publishing, shipping, and olive oil tasting, and – being a bit of a pedant – have a firm understanding of the differences between palette, pallet, and palate.
seaboogie
@satby: The reasons why you make artisan soap are becoming abundantly clear….
NotMax
@seaboogie
Not alt all uncommon for the subtitles on Netflix to leave the proofreader/editor shaking its aged head in frustration.
Typos one can forgive; obvious (and lazy) sloppiness is a sin.
NotMax
@NotMax
And of course effed that up.
Not at all uncommon for the subtitles on Netflix to leave the inner proofreader/editor shaking its aged head in frustration.
seaboogie
@NotMax: Not sure I agree that this is in the category of sin – and I was raised Catholic, so have some grounding in degrees of sin.
Possible that someone who does the job of transcribing dialogue into subtitles (for not a major motion picture) for a living has a somewhat circumspect life that lacks greater experience and nuance. Plus the gaffes can be a bit of fun.
NoraLenderbee
Cucumbers! We picked our first cucumbers!
Slice them, dress with a bit of balsamic and salt, and fresh tarragon. If the balsamic tastes overpowering, you can use a milder-flavored vinegar. That’s all.
J R in WV
TaMara,
Regarding cucumbers, one of my favorite veges in salads of all flavors. But I MUST peels them all of them, even the fresh ones fro gardens, because the peels and seeds react with my digestion something awful. Gas, painful amounts of gas from end to end. Sorry about TMI, but it is just that terrible.
But if I avoid 95% of the peel and seeds, tastes great, and no issues with the amount of gas – there is a little, but nothing the average person can’t handle. My Dad was the same way, always said he loved cukes, but they didn’t love him. I couldn’t ever get him to try peeled/seeded.
All that said, the mint Cuke salad recipe looks great, will be making it today with the english cuke I have in the fridge, which needs peeling, but doesn’t need seeding much.
I mostly use rice wine vinegar, slice the cuke and pile in circles in a flat bowl with a little sweet onion, a little salt and pepper on each layer, pour the vinegar into a big measuring cup on ice for a couple of minutes, then pour just the vinegar into one spot by the edge of the bowl to leave the salt and pepper on the cuke slices. Then some high-flavor extra virgin olive oil when served.
But we visited Tuscany last month, so I have a new respect for balsamic aged vinegar, we visited a farm with 8YO and 30YO balsamic, which they serve for dessert on a rich vanilla ice cream -amazingly wonderful sweet and sour sensation. I’ve started using a little of that in my cukes, it’s so rich (we ordered wine, Olive oil, some including truffles and vinegar at the farm, delivered via UPS).
Regarding truffles, I was the same, seemed really musty, but this stuff is great, fresher. We met the truffle dog, who was really affectionate, loved that there was a crowd who wanted to make up to her while she wasn’t working the woods for truffle hunting.
Anyway, thought you should know there is more than one reason to peel cukes, and possibly how to make them attractive to folks who say they may cause a problem.
Miss Bianca
@Ruckus:
Why, a Tennessee Walker, of course! : )
Altho’ they, like Saddlebreds and Rocky Mountain horses, are best known for their “gaiting” – which are gliding steps meant to make hours and hours in the saddle more comfortable. I’ve never had the pleasure of riding a gaited horse, so I don’t know about that, but am looking forward to trying out one of my neighbor’s Walkers later this summer.
Scamp Dog
@TaMara (HFG): Huge dog with a huger tongue!
Ruckus
@Miss Bianca:
I’ve ridden a horse twice if I remember correctly. When I was very young my parents hired a pony for me to sit on. I was reminded of this on “That 70s Show” when his mom got Eric a pony for his birthday. Eric was a teenager. And the pony came to about his knees. Bixby is a lot bigger. And then once when I was 11 or 12 I went to a summer camp and we rode. Turns out, I’m not a good horse operator. But they are beautiful animals, graceful and powerful. At least we don’t beat them and let them die in the streets any more. The people that need to do that now reserve it for kids, cats and dogs.