Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Never entrust democracy to any process that requires republicans to act in good faith.

I desperately hope that, yet again, I am wrong.

He imagines himself as The Big Bad, Who Is Universally Feared… instead of The Big Jagoff, Who Is Universally Mocked.

The gop couldn’t organize an orgy in a whorehouse with a fist full of 50s.

It’s all just conspiracy shit beamed down from the mothership.

A sufficient plurality of insane, greedy people can tank any democratic system ever devised, apparently.

They are lying in pursuit of an agenda.

Relentless negativity is not a sign that you are more realistic.

Republicans don’t trust women.

Bark louder, little dog.

I like you, you’re my kind of trouble.

We know you aren’t a Democrat but since you seem confused let me help you.

Only Democrats have agency, apparently.

Come on, man.

Peak wingnut was a lie.

Every reporter and pundit should have to declare if they ever vacationed with a billionaire.

Let me file that under fuck it.

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Let’s finish the job.

Pelosi: “He either is stupid, or he thinks the rest of us are.” Why not both?

This blog will pay for itself.

Dear media: perhaps we ought to let Donald Trump speak for himself!

Let’s show the world that autocracy can be defeated.

If you thought you’d already seen people saying the stupidest things possible on the internet, prepare yourselves.

You are here: Home / Food & Recipes / Saturday Afternoon Open Thread: A Little Cookin’

Saturday Afternoon Open Thread: A Little Cookin’

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Finally found some time to do some food blogging.

Saturday Afternoon Open Thread: A Little Cookin'

First JeffreyW made some amazing Greek Potatoes:

I saw mention of Greek potatoes the other day and Googled for a recipe. Saw several variations but they are fairly simple roasted potatoes cooked in olive oil with lots of garlic, some lemon, dried oregano, and plenty of salt.  Most of the recipes roasted them with some broth or water  but I decided to just boil some Yukon Golds. Halve them, and smash them down into inch thick discs then toss them with oil, salt, oregano, and  lemon juice.  Place the smashed pieces on a tray and roast at 425° until they turn golden brown.  I turned my batch over once – the tray side usually browns before the tops do.  Drizzle more oil at this point, as needed.

I’ve been baking more than usual, especially when I want something sweet.

Saturday Afternoon Open Thread: A Little Cookin' 1

These cinnamon rolls and sandwich rolls are very simple (recipe here). I only made half a batch of cinnamon rolls, seems prudent as lockdown can lead to overeating and used the remainder of the dough to make the rolls. But, unfrosted, the cinnamon rolls would freeze well if you made a full batch. Heat up, frost, and have fresh rolls anytime.

Saturday Afternoon Open Thread: A Little Cookin' 2

I’ve been cleaning out the freezer, trying to use up what I have before each weekly shopping trip. This led to two good recipes. First, I perfected a nice Instant Pot Steak, Pepper and Onions, that doesn’t create a mushy mess.

Saturday Afternoon Open Thread: A Little Cookin' 3

And then I needed to improvise some gravy for my Oven-Baked Fried Chicken. So I used up burnt ends from a smoked brisket I had in the freezer. Click here for all the recipes.

What’s everyone doing today? I was going to mow the lawn, but it’s a bit wet, so I’ll settle for shampooing the carpet and writing. Oh, that reminds me, I really wanted to share the full cover for my newest novel, I was so thrilled when my friend, who is a former magazine editor said she’d tackle it. Take a look here if you like. The photo was mine and she did the rest.

Open thread

Reader Interactions

122Comments

  1. 1.

    Sab

    I made your quiche from earlier in the week for dinner last night, but modified with sliced potatoes instead of puff pastry (becaise I didn’t have any.) Easy and delicious. The potato suggestion came from the comments.

    The Greek potatoes also look delocious.

  2. 2.

    rosalind

    belated thanks for posting your Jicama Salad recipe long ago – it has become my go-to salad during lockdown. soo delicious and easy, stays crisp and tasty for days.

  5. 5.

    Spanky

    I wanna live with a cinnamon roll
    I could be happy the rest of my life
    With a cinnamon roll

    I spent the morning in my roses trying out these guys for some air layering. We’ll see how that goes. Then I moved to the shop to practice turning some feet for a butler’s desk I picked up cheap. Cheap because someone had cut off the feet. At least they left two in a drawer so I knew what the originals were like. And I only have to turn 2.

    Now for a late lunch.

  7. 7.

    Yutsano

    @pamelabrown53:  Dangit. Jicama going on the shopping list now!

    I’m in a touch of a cooking rut. I have a ton of stuff, just not a lot of ideas sparking with me at the moment. Maybe I’ll just suck it up and make piccata some time next week. I pretty much have everything but parsley right now.

  8. 8.

    NotMax

    Heh. Finally made use of a food related item as a minor smile enticer in this morning’s thread after holding it back in anticipation of a food thread, and now mere hours later here one is.

    Story of my life.

    ;)

    Instant Pot tip: Wait for the display to read “Hot” when using saute function before adding oil to the cooking insert. Tremendously cuts back on chances of things sticking.

  10. 10.

    pamelabrown53

    @Yutsano:

    I know what you mean by a cooking rut. I, too have lots of food but keep coming up with comfort food recipes. Light and healthy need more attention!

  11. 11.

    dmsilev

    Went down to the farmer’s market this morning. The haul included some fresh tomatoes and basil, so I’m making a pasta sauce for dinner. Fresh eggs as well, strawberries, and a bunch of other stuff. Only had to wait in line for twenty minutes to get in.

    And, while buying staples of various sorts in Trader Joe’s, I saw they had a bunch of packages of instant yeast by the pound and several bags of AP flour on the shelf. I guess that’s a sign the supply chain is starting to catch up with the new national baking fad.

  13. 13.

    ThresherK

    My use of yeast hasn’t yet lead to cinnamon rolls, but those look tempting.

    From someplace unknown I snipped this:

    I cooked the rolls 15 degrees short of the prescribed end point (190 instead of 205), they were absolutely perfect.

    It is a different kind of yeast bread than you’re looking for compared to the burger rolls.

    Any experience with that among the jackals?

  14. 14.

    pamelabrown53

    @TaMara (HFG): That zesty lemon chicken recipe looks fantastic. (Of course, it has 10 lemons!)

    I made something similar but with chicken thighs in my huge cast iron skillet. I was able to fit 10 thighs in it.

  16. 16.

    WaterGirl

    TaMara, the cover of your new book is very appealing!  If you’re willing to share, it would be fun to see the original photograph she started with.

    Glad to see you feel well enough to cook and to post!  (quiet whisper: but please don’t do too much too fast)

  18. 18.

    Cheryl Rofer

    I made some absolutely wonderful English muffins this week with my sourdough starter. Also added a bit of the starter to a standard whole wheat bread, which greatly improved it.

  19. 19.

    NotMax

    Dammit. Now have a sudden urge to make chicken marsala in the Instant Pot. But not about to venture out on a special trip to a store for only one thing in order to score fresh mushrooms.

  20. 20.

    rosalind

    @TaMara (HFG): fyi: i omit the sugar fm the Jicama dressing and use golden raisins in the salad, and find it provides enough sweetness for my taste.

  21. 21.

    donnah

    I’ve got chicken breasts marinating in a mix of Asian sauces, garlic, onion, and brown sugar to be grilled later this evening. I’ll cook rice to serve with it and toss some fresh greens. yum

     

    I’ve also been working on my Helen Keller rug. The stay-at-home order here in Ohio has robbed me of teaching jobs, but it’s allowed me to work, guilt-free, for days at a time.  I hope to finish the rest of the background and then the border very soon!

    https://imgur.com/gallery/sdRWu8c

  22. 22.

    narya

    I got hakurei turnips (with their greens) in this week’s CSA, plus black radishes, and one daikon radish from last week. Most of that stuff does not settle well with me–unless I pickle it, it turns out, so I did that. I added carrots, onions, and garlic, and some Penzey’s pickling spice to the mix–three large mason jars are now nestled next to the six (!) jars of sauerkraut. Made the black-eyed peas from my last Rancho Gordo haul; I think the turnip greens and black-eyed peas will feature in tonight’s dinner. Possibly with cod? I got a ton of cod in my first fish delivery of the year. I’ve tried roasting radishes, too, but with a dead oven, that’s not an option right now. Even if I line up the contractor and start work when the state opens, we’re still talking mid-June at the earliest, I think. However! I still have a waffle iron, so I”m going to try some carrot “cake” waffles and some peanut butter (powder)/chocolate chip waffles, with sourdough discard, to replace the cookies I’d otherwise be baking. And I need to clean the bathroom, but that is much less exciting. ETA: got a call from friends who are baking bread for the very first time and needed advice on what flour & yeast to purchase.

  23. 23.

    prostratedragon

    Ah, so those are Greek potatoes. Been making the roasted-only version with onions and bell peppers for a while, but just last week almost did that with a couple of leftover boiled ones. I’ll do it next time.

    Meat sauce as the fridge staple this week, coming up.

  25. 25.

    LuciaMia

    Ooh, love the look of those potatoes.

     

    Ive been using the cookbook, The Baker’s Apprentice, and every recipe Ive tried as turned out really good.  When I was looking up related books in my local online library, nearly every book having anything to do with baking is checked out. Especially sourdough.

  27. 27.

    oatler.

    If I had told my Greek yaya to smash her potatoes she would have run me out of the kitchen.

  31. 31.

    Feathers

    I may have posted this before, but all the lemon chicken recipes brought it to mind. It’s Lemon Butter Pasta from Food 52, super easy and quick, super lemony. Goes great with broccoli or greens. It’s great comfort food on its own, but the lemon helps make leftovers seem like a different meal.

    Also, America’s Test Kitchen has put the post Kimball episodes up on YouTube. I’ve been watching those, although I haven’t made any yet. They have a new no cream or bechamel  Alfredo sauce that I really want to try.

  32. 32.

    Raoul

    Afraid this is going to border on tacky privilege talk, but here goes: We moved, locally, and re-did the kitchen in the new place. It was a tricky space, so we hired the same person who did the neighbor’s townhouse (which is the mirror of ours). She recommended a steam oven as part of the project. She first mentioned some euro-brand I’d never heard of. And then I googled it and blanched at the price.

    But, in the end, after watching a couple Wolf videos, we plumped a bananapants amount of money for a steam-convection wall oven. Holy cow has Covid made that decision seem like the best ever. I’ve cooked dinner at home 36 of 39 nights of late. And probably close to half of those in the oven.

    It makes the most miraculous potatoes. I just scrub, lightly edit, and cut in half a batch of red or yellow skin waxy potatoes, toss em in a little oil and season them. 25-28 minutes — from cold oven! — on ‘humid convection’ mode and bam! completely amazing. Sliced carrots roasted for the last 15 minutes come out like brown-edged candy disks … that are good for you.

    Sorry to be bragging, but I’ve come to call it my Easy Bake Oven. It makes darn good scones and quickbreads too. One of these days I’m going to break out the scarce yeast and try my hand at bread. I gather judicious use of the steam mode can make an excellent crust.

  33. 33.

    Thor Heyerdahl

    Made homemade heuvos rancheros for brunch today (refried beans were from the can).

    Does anyone have a good recipe to fry a steak in a castiron pan using a dry rub and what oil would you recommend for high smoke point?

    I used a homemade Montreal steak spice mix yesterday and generously prepped the steak. I heated my pan to 500 F and then put it on the stovetop on a maxed out burner. The steak turned out really well, but it smoked up my place more than a Cheech and Chong movie set.

  36. 36.

    hitchhiker

    Moroccan chicken, sometimes called Million Dollar Chicken b/c someone got a prize for it, is a favorite in our house. It’s just pan-fried chicken thighs with spices and salsa served over couscous, but it’s SO GOOD.

    Recipe here. https://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/salsa-couscous-chicken/9a67f834-8771-4fc8-b183-a08910ff2a4f

    We found out last night that someone in our building (downtown Seattle, 17 floors, 350 residents) has the virus. Very unsettling, especially because the place is basically a ghost building and has been for six weeks. The only common area is the lobby you walk through to get to the elevators, the elevators themselves, and the mail room. Are we nervous? Of course we are. We’re old, and mr hitchhiker is disabled. We can’t get this thing.

  37. 37.

    donnah

    @waratah:

    Thanks! I love creating them and to be close to getting this one finished is exciting. I’ll be thrilled to have it all done.

  38. 38.

    Sure Lurkalot

    We’re doing InstantPot ribs finished on the grill…partner will risk the predicted thundershowers on this nice cool day after the too hot day yesterday here in the square state.

    Those potatoes look sublime but I also have a jumbo size bag of tater tots that needs to take up less space in my smallish freezer sometime very soon. It’s the 2nd bag I have bought during the pandemic. It’s a lazy treat and I don’t know why I love them so much after not eating them for decades. Oh well, I don’t bake or like sweets and everyone needs a guilty pleasure.

    Stay well TaMara.

  39. 39.

    JDinSF

    Thanks for jolting my memory into action. I mostly use my Instant Pot for rice, bean, and grain prep when I want to focus my attention elsewhere in the kitchen. I am not so much excited by the steak and peppers recipe as pleased to remember that one of my most satisfying culinary discoveries ever was how the Instant Pot is a perfect way to make Italian Sausage and peppers. I’m not offering a recipe as I simply searched some sites for ideas and tweaked those recipes. One other recipe that worked well in the Instant Pot is chicken paprikash.

  40. 40.

    Thor Heyerdahl

    @mrmoshpotato: I even tried to prep knowing it would go off by directing a fan at it. No dice. And no place to hide in a studio apartment – the damn thing just kept going off no matter where I put it. LOL

  41. 41.

    pamelabrown53

    @TaMara (HFG):

    Good with dairy. Don’t care for greek yogurt. Truthfully, I don’t care for creamy dressings: they hide the food and taste too heavy. For years, I only ordered lemon wedges for whatever salad I selected,

    For this jicama salad, I think I’d first try a lime vinaigrette with fresh cilantro…and go from there.

  43. 43.

    Yutsano

    @Thor Heyerdahl:

    Does anyone have a good recipe to fry a steak in a castiron pan using a dry rub and what oil would you recommend for high smoke point?

    Anything above 200ºC is going to smoke like hell, but there are mitigation strategies. Use any neutral oil, like corn or peanut oil. Olive oil will just burn to a tasteless mess. After you season the steak, put the oil on the meat as opposed to the pan. Don’t put the steak in until you know the pan is at temperature. Then open up the kitchen to as much airflow as possible. The results should smoke less but taste great. Annnnd now I want a steak. :P

  46. 46.

    mrmoshpotato

    @Thor Heyerdahl: If I know I’m about to smoke up my place (even with my AC unit on fan bringing in outside air), I just take down my smoke alarm while doing the cooking.  Sure beats having to remove it while it’s shrieking.

  48. 48.

    trollhattan

    @Raoul:

    Interesting. Is it actually plumbed or do you fill a water reservoir?

    We sprang for convection range–“dual fuel” because the oven is electric and the cooktop is gas. They’re more common than they once were but ours did come at a premium. Compared to the crappy ranges in all my various rentals, splurging on your own kitchen usually seems like the smart move.

  50. 50.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    I haven’t taken up cooking yet. Instead I called the building restaurant for a burger and fries to be delivered at dinner time. That was after I ate chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream straight from the carton. I am losing all claim to be a civilized adult.

    ETA: An ambulance just pulled into my building complex. They’re not uncommon here even in normal times. Old people sometimes fall or wake up dead. But I’m on edge.

  52. 52.

    Amir Khalid

    I don’t have a recipe to share, but there’s a Malay expression of praise for an excellent dish (I promise you all, I didn’t make it up) that I think you jackals will like: “Tastes so good, you won’t notice your in-laws passing by.”

  57. 57.

    JPL

    @TaMara (HFG):  Since my smoke alarm is on the wall, I can reach it and just pop the cover.    I’m old enough now, that I set a reminder to shut it though.   Wonderful recipes and thank you.

  59. 59.

    trollhattan

    @mrmoshpotato:

    A very complete list, although it doesn’t match my temp above for grapeseed oil. Maybe there are different kinds.

    IDK what light/refined olive oil is–sure lists different from virgin olive oil.

  60. 60.

    Another Scott

    @Raoul: Interesting.  We need to redo our kitchen (it was probably done in the 1970s, but still has the original push-button electric drop-in range) and are dreading the time, cost, and messes.

    I had been wanting gas for ages, but had read that the humidity from the gas combustion is bad for breads and such – that electric ovens are better.  Plus, really big gas stoves need to be/should be vented outside, and we have enough HVAC issues in that end of the house without unbalancing it further.  :-/

    So, I’d pretty much convinced myself that an induction cooktop/convection oven is the way to go.  I’m getting to be a huge fan of eliminating gas combustion where we can (we’ll be replacing our gas furnace+AC with a gas furnace+heat pump (with any luck, the furnace won’t get used much, but when it is below 40F we won’t freeze or pay $500 a month for supplemental electric heat electricity)), and induction is faster (though it needs pans with iron somewhere for efficient coupling).  Plus, induction doesn’t have to be vented outside, so that helps too.

    I’ll have to do some looking at the steam oven you mentioned now!!  ;-)

    Thanks again.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  61. 61.

    Mo MacArbie

    Those Greek potatoes appeared to me to be scallops, which I am now afraid I shall crave forevermore.

  62. 62.

    trollhattan

    @JPL:

    Mine is hard-wired per code, plus there’s a separate one for the alarm system. Fun when it goes off because we have to call before they send the fire dept. Thank bog for the whole house fan.

  63. 63.

    JPL

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: hah..  Son called this morning so I could face time with fifteen month old and  I was eating.   Son asked what I was eating and I said cooked cabbage and onions.   He did mention that didn’t seem like normal breakfast fare, and I said pandemics don’t keep track of mundane things like that.

  66. 66.

    mrmoshpotato

    @trollhattan: although it doesn’t match my temp above for grapeseed oil

    Fuck it.  Burn it all down – with the oil of your choice. :)

  67. 67.

    pamelabrown53

    @NotMax:

    IMHO, and since I don’t indulge my love of steak too frequently, butter is the best. Plus a good range hood fan negates the need to clarify.

    Alton Brown recommends heating the cast-iron skillet to 500 degrees in the oven before searing the steaks and returning them to the oven.

  69. 69.

    WaterGirl

    @TaMara (HFG): She did a really great job.  The cropping choice was brilliant because all the things you don’t see, or only see part of, add to the mystery.  And the kitty, of course!

  70. 70.

    JoyceH

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: “I haven’t taken up cooking yet.”

    Me neither, though I’m getting some mixes. Bisquick, stuff like that. But last time I was at the grocery store I went down the baking aisle, and the flour section was completely bare. It’s not a media myth that people have taken up baking.

  71. 71.

    Yutsano

    @Feathers: They break the capellini…I’m crying. :P I actually have a good idea of making something like that., although 10 minutes even on low heat will turn capellini into mush.

  74. 74.

    Another Scott

    @Yutsano: All olive oil isn’t the same.

    https://www.clovegarden.com/ingred/oilchart.html

    I use EVOO for post-cooking drizzing on popcorn, salads, etc.  I use “pure/light/etc” oil for cooking popcorn, etc.  It has a much higher smoke point.

    For really high smoke points, you want something like refined avocado or refined safflower oil.

    (There’s lots of great information about ingredients, techniques, out-of-the-ordinary recipes, etc., at clovegarden.  It’s an online friend’s site.)

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  75. 75.

    NotMax

    @mrmoshpotato

    “Honey, this Quaker State fried chicken is the best! Be sure to give them some they can take back to the firehouse.”

    :)

  76. 76.

    mrmoshpotato

    @NotMax: Never used sunflower oil myself.  I just saw it beat the pants off of every other oil in the list.

  78. 78.

    cleek

    we’re about to start assembling a raised garden bed.

     

    and then we’ll probably walk away mad at each other. :)

  79. 79.

    Josie

    A local restaurant is selling local produce to make a few dollars while closed down.  Our box of produce had way more carrots than I wanted, so I went online looking for a recipe.  This one was a winner.  Everyone said to make it for Thanksgiving and Easter and any other time I wished.

    In a saucepan, cook 1 1/2 pounds carrots, peeled and sliced, or 1 20oz bag frozen, just until crisp-tender drain, reserving 1/4 cup cooking liquid. Place carrots in a 1-1/2-qt. baking dish. Combine 1 cup mayonnaise, 1 T grated onion, 1 T prepared horseradish, and reserved cooking liquid and spread evenly over carrots. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup shredded cheese top with 2 T bread crumbs. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 30 minutes.

    ETA: I used half mayo and half Greek yogurt.

  84. 84.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    @JoyceH: I used to bake. And it sounds like a good way to pass the time. Plus at the end, there’s baked goods. We even have flour. I just can’t motivate myself to do much of anything.

  85. 85.

    Another Scott

    @trollhattan: “Light” or “Pure” olive oil is available at Safeway – it’s usually in a clear bottle and looks yellow (rather than being in a dark green bottle).  That’s the stuff with higher smoke point than EVOO because it’s been through more processing (heat, etc, to get the last dregs of oil out of the olives).  It should be substantially cheaper than EVOO (that doesn’t undergo the heating, etc., and is more flavorful).

    It should be available at similar stores, but you might have to search around.

    HTH.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  87. 87.

    Thor Heyerdahl

    All of these oils and smoke limit articles are terrific. Thanks all you jackals!

  89. 89.

    NotMax

    @trollhattan

    Have found Costco’s Mediterranean Blend oil (blend of canola, olive and grapeseed oils) an excellent compromise, suitable for the vast, vast majority of uses. Much less pricey than the single source oils they offer, too.

  91. 91.

    jl

    Is Balloon Juice going to start one of those home delivery services? Get this dang blog to pay for itself, maybe? I’m only a thousand or so miles away and got some spare change.

  93. 93.

    Benw

    @pamelabrown53: put your burgers and some pineapple slices on the grill, then fry up some onions and over-easy eggs. Each burger gets a slice of pineapple, egg, onions, cheddar cheese and a generous slathering of Aussie BBQ sauce! You can optionally add pickled beets, lettuce and tomato.

  95. 95.

    Sab

    @Cheryl Rofer: James Beard bread cookbook has a microwave cooked english muffin breadloaf recipe. You end up with a very pale loaf of bread that you can slice for toast. It has the nooks and crannies just like english muffins, but slices like regular bread.

  99. 99.

    middlelee

    So happy to hear about the new book!  I recently reread the first one and enjoyed it more the second time.  Woo hoo.

  100. 100.

    trollhattan

    @NotMax:

    Good tip.

    Turns out there’s massive counterfeiting and mislabeling of imported virgin olive oil and we try to get California instead. There’s a huge range of types and flavors, which can be daunting and not every type is good for every use (e.g., dressing versus cooking). They’re fun to taste and compare, and some wineries have begun pressing and selling their own house brands.

  103. 103.

    ziggy

    I’m making a strawberry rhubarb pie, to share with a friend. Speaking of oils, I’ve found that a mixture of 1/4 duck fat and 3/4 butter (Kerrygold) makes an excellent crust. But I need to get my hands on some leaf lard–anyone have good recommendations for a mail-order source?

  105. 105.

    trollhattan

    @HumboldtBlue:

    Holy crap, STFU Caren! A richly deserved and well-delivered smackdown.

    ETA–the best bakery-baked bread is better than the best home-baked bread, said as somebody with decades of bread-eating experience with both.

  107. 107.

    debbie

    It’s gotten to where I see TaMara’s or JeffreyW’s nym and my salivary glands jump into action.

  110. 110.

    Florida Frog

    @ziggy: try Milk Street, Christopher Kimball’s new place. A couple of days ago they had a sale on duck fat and lots of other cooking fat.

  111. 111.

    Sab

    Spouse looked sadly at the cinnamon rolls and said “those look really good.” I guess that’s Sunday project.

    He says he’s on a diet so I try to oblige.

  112. 112.

    Feathers

    @Yutsano: The idea is that the pasta absorbs all the chicken broth. It ends up as kind of a lemony mac and cheese equivalent. Toasting the broken pasta in butter to start does keep it from complete mush, but it is definitely not al dente. I even usually use Better Than Bullion to avoid having to open a box of stock.

  113. 113.

    Feathers

    @TaMara (HFG): One of their cookbooks, has a similar method for roast beef. Sear the outside, then cook at a low temperature (250F) until as done as you want it, 60-90 min for 3-4 lbs. Absolutely fantastic.

  114. 114.

    opiejeanne

    I just pulled a pan of shortbread out of the oven and I made scones for breakfast this morning, so Caren can bite me if she really exists.  I think it was John Scalzi that asked the question, “Her name is Caren with a C? Caren? Really? Caren White? That’s just lazy writing.” Wonkette’s take on this is hilarious, especially some of the comments

    Tonight we’re having the last of the pulled pork I made in the slow cooker on Thursday, or if any is left over it will be lunch tomorrow.

    Tomorrow evening supper will be Italian white bean and sausage stew. Or soup. Chef John was unsure which it was. https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/279875/italian-white-bean-and-sausage-stew/

    I was really glad Instacart found some “French” (take and bake) baguettes to go with the soup/stew because I am not ready to make French baguettes that take 14 1/2 hours to rise.

  115. 115.

    J R in WV

    Some of you are aware that a tree fell on our house on Wednesday — late that afternoon Ed, the local manager of Davey Tree came out and took a look. Thursday morning the Davey Tree folks showed up in force, rigged heavy rope to the tree trunk for safety, and removed the trees (there was a smaller tree top bought down by the major tree that fell) and chipped them into their truck.

    There was no way to approach the down trees with heavy machinery because of the boulders that make our front yard, so they did it all by hand.

    It rained hard Wednesday night, and I spotted big kitty litter pans and stock pots to catch the water dripping through the sheet-rock ceiling.

    Thursday afternoon I called around to roofing companies, especially ones who advertised that they respond to roofing emergencies, which this was a prime example of. Not one called me back! By the end of the afternoon the lead of the Tree crew told me there were about a dozen obvious punctures in the rubber membrane the house is roofed with

    Friday, after the Davey Tree crew came out to complete the cleanup, I went to a building supply warehouse that specializes in membrane roofing supplies as well as other specialty construction equipment and supplies. I spent about $250 on material, special solvents for cleaning and priming the existing rubber to prep it for gluing new rubber, patches, onto the existing roof membrane.

    I also called a friend who has worked with me off and on for years on construction projects of all sorts. He came over about noon today, and by 3:30 we had pulled branches out of the roof, treated the existing rubber, and applied patch material to most of those holes, finished those repairs.

    One spot was crushed, we did what we could with the material we had, and it is a major improvement over the gaping hole it was. But there’s probably structural damage inside the roof structure, so I need a contractor to dismantle the roof over our front porch and determine if some of the 2×12 roof joists are broken. While the tree was on the roof the corner of the porch roof was 10 to 12 inches lower than as built.

    I have been pretty tense, having it rain inside is a worst case event for a house. None of that moisture can escape through the roof membrane, it has to leave through the sheet-rock or through the vent slots on the eaves of the roof. We have more to do, but things are more than an order of magnitude better than they were Wednesday through Friday. Good friends are more precious than gold !!

    Also, had a brief visit from in insurance adjuster, who implied that we will have at least some coverage for both outside and inside damage. Maybe…

    ETA: It’s now gin an tonic time here in the hollow !!!

  116. 116.

    Steeplejack (phone)

    @J R in WV:

    Good news! Relatively, anyway. Glad you are safer than before. I guess the permanent repairs can wait until the after time.

  118. 118.

    Spanky

    @J R in WV: Where were you when my porch sprang a leak last year? It didn’t even need prompted by a tree.

    After my comment at #5 I passed. out. Sleep in the wee hours has been spotty, so I guess I needed it. Got up at 4 and did a little more practice turning, then broke for carry-out. We try to support the local restaurants at least once a week, although I’d like to do two meals a week, at least. Now chillin’ with some Rioja.

  119. 119.

    Spanky

    @Spanky: And I know there are more threads up above. Fuck it. I’m gonna just chill with the wine and the Jazz Channel on Sirius XM.

    ETA: And maybe check into our flour supply after thinking about cinnamon rolls all day.

  120. 120.

    ziggy

    @Florida Frog: Thanks, I checked the website, but didn’t see any. Lots of other stuff sold out!

    OMG–the rhubarb pie was to die for, I think I’ll just tuck the scale in the hall closet for now….

    @J R in WV: I’m impressed that you manage to fix those holes yourself! We’ve delt with a lot of roof smashings for one reason or another, and always covered it with a huge blue tarp until the roofers got there (always took a while). I suppose that wouldn’t work so well on a flat roof. I can’t imagine that insurance wouldn’t cover it all, they’ve done 3 roofs for us, due to tree damage.

  122. 122.

    Another Scott

    @debbie: Heh.  May dad loved black and green olives.  My brother only likes green.  I only like black.

    People are strange!  :-)

    Cheers,
    Scott.

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