Been reseasoning all my cast iron cook ware the last few days.

12/15/2013 8:44:45 AM

Anyone know where I can get a hold of live octopus in the Raleigh area?

1/3/2014 12:37:52 PM

I froze the leftovers of some peking ducks and I am going to make soup. I can't decide if I want to go asian or european with the ingredients/flavors. I have carrot, parsnips, onion, savoy cabbage dried porcini mushrooms, fresh bay leaves and barley for the european flavors, and dried shiitake, lemongrass, sweet potato, spinach and brown rice noodles for my asian ingredients. not sure I'll have enough broth to do both

1/8/2014 1:28:27 PM

You could almost do a variation on pho with this more asian-y ingredients. I'd opt for that.

1/8/2014 1:31:09 PM

No awesome herbs or fish sauce in the house, and I really want to use a lot of vegetables AND avoid going to the grocery store, so i'm not sure this will deserve to be called pho. Like, i think it's really got to be just noodles and meat and herbs to count

But there was more leftover duck than i remembered, so I might go for some kind of pot au feu with the drumsticks and the cabbage and carrots and mushrooms tonight, and make the asian soup tomorrow with the majority of the meat and broth tomorrow. My spicy sprouts might be far enough along to use as a garnish by then.


the best duck soup i ever made was just fresh sweet corn and red pepper in a very clear broth with some cilantro/spring onions. summer needs to hurry on up and get here!

[Edited on January 8, 2014 at 2:40 PM. Reason : ]

1/8/2014 2:34:35 PM

does anyone know where to get less than 3 lbs or a rack of lamb in raleigh?

I went to the meat house off of falls, but the smallest they offered was just over 3 lbs.

1/8/2014 2:36:08 PM

^^ That sounds awesome. Do that.

^ I actually have started seeing prepackaged leg of lamb (boneless and boned) and lambchops at Lowe's Foods. That may or may not be a big help.

1/8/2014 2:40:14 PM

Have you tried whole foods? One of my good friends is a chef and he special orders stuff from them all the time.

You could also talk to the meat vendors at the farmers market. I know several will do custom orders.

1/8/2014 2:40:44 PM

I'll check them out, thanks for the tip.

1/8/2014 2:40:48 PM

^^WF was my first thought too, but the nicer teeters will order stuff for you as well. I'm not sure if that halal market in west raleigh carries that particular cut, but it's also an obvious go-to for lamb.

1/8/2014 2:45:05 PM

Spent a considerable amount of time in the kitchen today.
* Portioned up 2 large turkey breast into meat and bone/trimmings
* Prepped 7 lbs of turkey meat to marinate before dehydrating for jerky
* Cut up the trimmings and set in a crock for 1/2-1 gallons of stock
* Roasted 3.5 lbs of chicken breast for the week
* Cooked 1.5 quarts of Thai Chicken and Noodle Soup for lunches (Gluten and Dairy free for the wife)

1/8/2014 11:05:42 PM

I found that harris teeter does carry rack of lamb but its special order.

anyone have recommendations for prep bowls or tupperware?

1/12/2014 8:56:36 PM

I love glass storage. Less staining and such.

I have a bunch of different mixing bowls and I end up using the heavy ceramicy ones more.

1/12/2014 8:59:37 PM

yeah, i'm debating the rubbermaid glass sets (8 piece for ~$23) or standard (50 piece for ~25)

glass would certainly last longer, but not sure i will need to worry about getting more for awhile with a 50 piece set

1/12/2014 9:03:46 PM

Agreed on the glass for storage. We have a whole bunch of Pyrex/Anchor storage containers that I have mostly had for years. You can bake in them too, which is nice. We keep some of that not-quite-disosable plastic stuff around in case we need to pack something that won't be coming back home. That and I save all my yogurt containers to put things like that in.

For mixing bowls, I have a set like this http://www.crateandbarrel.com/10-piece-2.25-10.25-glass-nesting-bowl-set/s591303 that I've had for over 10 years and use daily. I think mine originally came from Williams Sonoma, but I assume they're the same.

1/12/2014 9:05:45 PM

I like those glass bowls. I would use those over mine.

1/12/2014 9:23:21 PM

We use Mason jars for a lot of our storage; dry goods, refrigerated and frozen. They're a lot cheaper than most and come in a much wider range of sizes that are all made to fit 2 lid sizes. We also tend to use them for preservation during the summer months so we've always got a bunch laying around.

1/12/2014 9:26:53 PM

i use mason jars for my rubs. i punched holes in a seal with a nail and keep it with the jars for a shaker top.

1/12/2014 10:32:40 PM

I use mason jars to grow sprouts. speaking which, time to go wash them.



the duck and noodle soup I made the other day with sweet potato, spinach and shiitakes. I skipped the lemongrass and used dulse instead.

but, the corn soup was nagging in my mind, and I chanced by that asian supermarket with the ducks again, and they also had both fresh sweet corn and oyster mushrooms. I threw the leftover duck bits (like this wing joint) into the broth I already had and simmered that for twenty minutes, then added the corn and mushrooms about 7-8 minutes before turning it off and serving, so they were still both pretty crisp. heaven!

1/13/2014 3:11:30 PM

can't wait to try this with Cara Cara oranges and red walnuts.

[Edited on January 15, 2014 at 2:57 PM. Reason : ]

1/15/2014 2:56:56 PM

Can we talk dish sets or is there a better thread? Looking a 4-6 plate and bowl set. Saucers optional. Where's a good place to buy and what price range can I expect for a decent set?

1/15/2014 8:28:52 PM

I love plain old Corelle dishes in winter white. They're practically indestructible, and you can use them in the microwave. And they're super light, and they just stack so good. They stack beautifully, really. Like, it's kind of exciting to stack them.

Anyway, I don't know why they even make other casual dinnerware.

But don't get the mugs. The mugs are not glass.

1/15/2014 8:47:48 PM

AHAHA I saw that set at Target and almost bought it. But I had no idea what the going rate was. I have no need for the mugs. I have like 100 coffee mugs. Wish I could build my own set.

1/15/2014 8:55:48 PM

walmart sells them by the piece, pretty sure

1/15/2014 9:06:50 PM

Yes, you can buy it by the piece!

And I know it's plain, but it's just so awesome and practical.

1/15/2014 9:15:08 PM

I'm down with plain.

1/15/2014 9:20:31 PM

Are you coming on to me?

1/15/2014 9:21:25 PM

I like a girl that gets turned on by stacking dishes.

1/15/2014 9:35:53 PM

I have a good amount of glass mixing bowls, but you've inspired me to look into this glass storage thing. Usually I just hold onto Chinese takeout containers and use that.

1/16/2014 8:41:34 AM

after dropping several glass containers on the floor, I've gone back to plastic storage for most of my needs. but I'm going with Cambro squares more and more for the larger stuff. wonder if they make a line of smaller storage as well.

1/16/2014 8:43:13 AM

I wish we had room for all glass storage. When we move I will have all glass minus some take and toss stuff for taking goodies to people.

1/16/2014 8:43:30 AM

I'm gonna install a bouncy floor in the kitchen, so if it drops I don't have to reach down to pick it up.

But in reality I'm probably gonna stick with the plastics, since I can get more and toss them if they start looking bad. Also, with high probability of children coming up I figure whatever nice things I have will get ruined

1/16/2014 10:17:02 AM

I replaced all my assorted small plastic storage with rubbermaid easy find lids. Cheap, and they're pretty durable (though heat dry in the dishwasher wrecked one once and now I am a lid short).





I don't have much cabinet space and was tired of mismatched sandwich container avalanches. never have that problem now

1/16/2014 10:25:14 AM

I was looking at those containers. They had a 50 pack for $25 or something on amazon.

The heat cycle ruins the lids though? so you have to make sure to put them through a non-heat dry?

1/16/2014 10:28:31 AM

yeah, i just have my default cycle set to that anyway, it saves energy and opening the dishwasher usually lets most of the water steam out. I do have to shake the plastic things a couple times, though. I think the issue might have been because they were touching the ceiling of the dishwasher. I think my top shelf isn't very deep.

1/16/2014 10:59:14 AM

yeah, i typically have to shake some water from my dishes still after a cycle.

just good to know if it crops up that they can melt semi-easily

1/16/2014 11:02:04 AM

i guess the microwave can do the same thing.

1/16/2014 11:13:20 AM

I've never had an issue with heated drying them in the dishwasher on the top rack

but I have a really old dishwasher at the moment, maybe that's why

1/16/2014 11:22:14 AM

I've never had an issue with heated drying them in the dishwasher on the top rack

1/16/2014 11:23:12 AM

I've never had an issue with heated drying them in the dishwasher on the top or bottom rack

1/16/2014 11:23:43 AM

^ That

^^ And that

1/16/2014 11:24:12 AM

I've microwaved many an easy find lid and never had one start to melt. (Obviously not sealed, but I'll often lay the lid back over the container to prevent splatters/promote better heating). We also have some glass containers with locking lids that are pretty awesome but I don't remember what brand they are. Only trouble is that they don't stack well, so we only have a few in our very limited cabinet space.

Quote :

"I love plain old Corelle dishes in winter white. They're practically indestructible, "

We had corelle my entire childhood. And they are very difficult to break. But if you manage to break one, watch out--I once broke a large dinner plate and it was like a grenade going off. Shattered into small, sharp shards with an impressive blast radius. Cleanup required great care.

Other than that they're great though--only breaking one that I remember is a pretty good track record for a kid, especially considering I had a talent for breaking drinking glasses.

1/16/2014 11:39:53 AM

Had a great homemade meal tonight:

Indonesian ginger chicken: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/indonesian-ginger-chicken-recipe/index.html

with

butternut squash ginger carrot soup: https://farmerstoyou.com/organicfoodblog/2013/11/01/butternut-squash-ginger-carrot-soup/

and

crispy kale chips: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/melissa-darabian/crispy-kale-chips-recipe/index.html

I also prepared breakfast/brunch for tomorrow: http://www.theyummylife.com/Refrigerator_Oatmeal

1/18/2014 7:30:11 PM

^did you make the full recipe of the ginger chicken? looks like it makes a ton!!

1/20/2014 11:49:57 AM

I decreased everything by 1/3 to make 2 chicken breasts

1/20/2014 1:49:57 PM

Oxtail soup

1/21/2014 12:31:30 AM

Quote :

"after dropping several glass containers on the floor, I've gone back to plastic storage for most of my needs."

Holy shit how many pieces did you drop? Drink much?

Quote :

"I've never had an issue with heated drying them in the dishwasher on the top rack"

+1

1/21/2014 1:22:26 AM

What can I do with my crockpot and some chicken thighs and standard ingredients most people have on hand? Meaning mostly dried spices at this point.

1/22/2014 1:44:52 PM

chicken, frozen veggies, cream of ______ soup, salt/pepper. Crock it.

[Edited on January 22, 2014 at 1:48 PM. Reason : ]

1/22/2014 1:48:38 PM

That is my hang up. I dont think we have cream of anything soup. practically every recipe I find wants that or italian dressing.

1/22/2014 1:50:58 PM