MitchW

You're not fooling around, @cinghiale! About a year ago I gave up my bean club membership, as I was just overwhelmed with beans, and while I cook them and with them fairly frequently, for the 2 of us, it was just a bit much. And I guess I'm lucky in that where I shop locally a large selection of Rancho Gordo beans and other high quality products are sold. Agree 100% - I'm a fan of the quick-soak method. But if using the IP, another half hour on the stove (i.e.: not under pressure) helps greatly.

A good portion of @Sneakeater's book collection (and it was extensive) may be found at either of the two Topos used book shops, in (you guessed it), Ridgewood. Of course, I may have absconded with a few, though not the heavy tomes that you two might at any time be absorbed in. Mostly picture books...well, art books, that is. And inside the front cover you might well find a stamp showing who the book once belonged to. I'll add, parenthetically, that a good percentage of his CD collection may well be found, sans said stamp, at Academy Records on 18th Street. The CD collection was vast, and though I and a few others absconded with a few, we barely made a dent. Now that's a bit of a hoarding situation there, don't you think? A Personality Crisis, perhaps? I'm kind of willing to bet that whatever is on the video tape can be found in the ether somewhere, somehow. As to Kim, well she's into quite a busy touring schedule this year...https://www.kimwilde.com/tour-dates/

Since the ability to add and subtract is already a dying gift, I suppose this is…necessary?

Her first eaglets in 3 years! We've been watching them for a long time, and worry every time one of them brings up a bird to feed the eaglets. Apparently, the peregrines are no longer around at UC Berkeley, and she had successfully raised chicks for over 10 years. Experts believe they succumbed to avian flu.

What didn't he learn the first couple of times around? Guy Fieri’s New Times Square Restaurant Launches With a Sputter n and next to the Jumbotron playing reruns of Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives, but otherwise, the dining room was empty.

Yeah - I think the dog did it to both of the humans, and then offed himself.

As noted above, Steve is on a "mini-tour" with Elvis Costello. Seems right, since he's been playing keyboards with Elvis for about 47 years. We saw the shows in Red Bank and Montclair, NJ and will be at tomorrow night's show at the famous Capital Theatre, in Port Chester, NY.

Last week, at the Café Carlyle, we were lucky enough to see a great show by Benmont Tench; Benmont was Tom Petty's (RIP) keyboard player, and has played with, well, basically everyone from the Stones on down or up, however you want to look at it. And he had a special guest, who was on a break from a mini-tour - Steve Nieve. He invited Steve up and they sang a beautiful version of (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding.

I may be misremembering, but wasn't Ruffian one of the first "wine bars" to offer a selection of orange? I may be misremembering, but I'm pretty sure that at the now closed Delancey/Bowery location, the same person who owns Orange Glou was curating the wine list.

So sorry - may his memory be a blessing.

No, evidently the weather wasn’t to his liking.

Yes, those were sold out by the time the person who was on line at 9 AM got a ticket. The guy who waiting since 4:30 AM got a ticket!

An interesting notification I received yesterday and would have jumped at, but we’re 3,000 odd miles away, and it wasn’t possible. It was noted to me afterwards that ticket prices were $50 (standard issue at BB), but not many were available to the general public, and those that were sold out very quickly.

Maybe I’m wrong, but in the 2nd paragraph, that writer states: Didn’t it look out on Sheepshead Bay, from Emmons Avenue? Or, I guess writer could have wrote: “not Atlantic Ocean?”

Happy Birthday! Let’s just say we both can remember when you could buy a piece of Bazooka bubble gum, with a real comic inside, for a penny. Now, you can’t even get a penny.

Coming soon…20% tariff on the pence.

Seriously?! That’s so cool…

This guy is great…

Frittata - potatoes, scallions, dill, parsley, Russ & Daughters Gaspe nova.

BBP - basic breakfast plate. Avocado toast on sourdough boule. A few slices of gruyere and idiazabal. Cara Cara orange. Blueberries.

Setaro gemelli. Tossed with house-made marinara, feta cheese, olives, parsley, Parmigiano Reggiano. Crudités with more of my house-made ranch dressing.

Winter colors. Upper right is sautéed chicken thigh (as Julia calls it), thigh meat removed (not neatly, obviously) and finished in the pan sauce of white wine, chicken stock, drippings, shallots, butter, lemon, parsley. Bottom right - duck fat roasted potatoes. Left - roasted cauliflower and broccoli. Not shown - salad with house-made ranch dressing.

Truth - I was looking at something totally different when thinking I was looking at the starter info. However, their classic sourdough recipe (at least as it existed when this book was published over 20 years ago) still seems to be like 69% hydration. My sourdoughs tended to look like this...

I think I'd be aiming for somewhere between 68 - 70% hydration. Not knowing what the hydration % of your starter is, I'd venture a guess that you could definitely up the hydration level of the overall dough. In their (King Arthur's) main baking book, their sourdough has a hydration level of 69%. Their starters tend to be 50%.

Imagine Below Deck, Madrid…starring Hinds!