MitchW

Deconstructed (okay, not plated) duck confit. Roasted cabbage and duck fat roasted potatoes. Looked good on the plate; tasted better.

Pan pizza? Focaccia? whatever...half with tomatoes and mozzarella, almost half with baby artichokes and tomato. Parmesan sprinkled. This one was quite good.

Sure - I have a smaller pot that I use for making small amounts of short, tubular pastas. Like I only made 6 oz. of penne, which I can do in a light, 3 quart pan; when I make spaghetti or linguini, I gotta bring out the 6 qt., stainless soup pot.

Did another Ken Forkish-style loaf; this bulk fermented over night, proofed in the Dutch oven, into a cold oven for 50 minutes or so. Slashing needs work, but my slashing has always needed work. Griddled grilled cheese sandwiches for breakfast this morning.

Made a nice batch of meatballs - these actually went under the broiler for 6 or 7 minutes a side, before adding them to a pot of sauce. They're pretty big, so one meatball with sauce, over penne. A fair sprinkle of Parmigiano.

Santa Barbara county’s reservoirs are nice and full now. Even Cachuma.

You all better start getting ready to complain about the temperature and potential snow.

How about a little Christmas rap?

Have you tried it into a cold oven? I proofed the loaf in a Dutch oven, and that went into a cold oven.

Duck confit, anyone? I confited 6 Hudson Valley Farms' duck legs via sous vide (Chef Steps' Method - 70℃ for 16 hours), a couple of which I'm sure will make it to dinner shortly. One of my favorite, if not only use, of sous vide...for those who have made confit the traditional way (other than maybe Ori), tell me I'm wrong. While I was at it, I baked a not flat, actual loaf of bread (i.e.: not pizza or focaccia). Ken Forkish, sorta no-knead, same day bread. Bastardized by using the old Cooks Illustrated cold Dutch oven into a cold oven method. Actually came out great, and since this is the dinner thread, the bread went with some with good butter and the 3-mushroom and farro soup I made.

We knew Joe was sick, and had stopped touring...but this one really hurts. He was such a nice guy; must've seen him perform a couple dozen times. At 78...RIP. Joe Ely, Texas-Born Troubadour of the Open Road, Dies at 78

If, like me, you grew up in Queens in the 50s and 60s, then made the fascinating move to upscale (well, the lower upscale part of) Nassau County, then maybe this article will bring back some fond memories. If not, enjoy some of the pictures, and (for now) be thankful for what you get now! NYC SNOW DAYS FROM THE PAST

There's always Florida.

I have no idea what is wrong with the winter weather. If people don't like winter, shouldn't they move to a different climate? As I wish I could in the summer.

Chirashi. Seared yellowfin, Wild Alaskan salmon, Alaskan ikura, avocado, tomato over seasoned sushi rice. Pickled cucumbers and radishes on the side.

Lazy man sheet-pan chicken thighs. Roasted with carrots, parsnips, sweet potatoes, garlic and Caraflex cabbage.

Though our trip got chopped in half due to illness, and instead of driving down to Portland from Montreal, we drove up to Portland from NYC. And did a bit of damage - to whit: The six on top are Pemaquids, from the Damariscotta River. The bottom 6 - Wolfe Necks, from Yarmouth. Along with a nice pasta dish or two: Then on to Scales, to sit at the bar and enjoy: From left to right: And a lovely local halibut ceviche: Could Significant Eater refuse? And for me: Beautifully cooked fluke, in its entirety and enough for at least 3 people. A lovely dinner was had at Leeward, though no pictures taken. Except: All house-made pastas, and they were lovely. Then onto our long-time favorite: Clockwise, from the top, 4 of each: Wet Smack, Bombazine and Cora Cressy. So all in all, 8 different varieties of oysters - and all quite good. Also, a new bar, right around the corner from our AirBnB - Gill's - was great for a nightcap.

Last night, saw a number of Mekons at Lucinda's, on Avenue A.

Montreal must be a jinx! I ended up making the Traditional Thanksgiving meal of somewhere: Paella (with non-traditional chorizo).

Nothing I've ever heard of - a distant cousin of the Singapore Sling, perhaps? Oh wait - AI tells me theres something called *Green Isaac's Special, another distant cousin. Probably should go in a different thread, but we were supposed to be on our way to Montreal and looking forward to dinner at Mon Lapin. But I've come down with a horrible cold 2 days ago (not covid, thankfully) and decided it was not gonna happen, since we go to Montreal to basically eat great food. The bright spot (if it can be called that) is that our AirBnB was fully refundable, right up until yesterday at 4 PM. I feel bad for the host, but I sent her a nice email and she said not to worry, Happy Thanksgiving - and I'm hoping Wu's is open today. Green Isaac's Special Ingredients 2 ounces London dry gin 4 ounces unsweetened coconut water 1 ounce lime juice, freshly squeezed 3 dashes Angostura bitters Garnish: lime wedge or peel

The first reggae I ever saw live was Bob Marley at the Beacon, late April, 1976. I was gifted the tickets by Chris Blackwell, whom I had picked up in my cab outside the Bottom Line. I moved to Santa Barbara very shortly after that concert - that was like my last week in NYC until I came back. In Santa Barbara, Marley played the County Bowl a couple of times - they were great shows as well. I don't recall seeing Jimmy Cliff live (which doesn't mean I didn't, but that's a whole other story), but I did see Tosh open for the Stones in 1978. God, this is depressing.

Three recent dinners... Pan-roasted pork chop with pan sauce of shallots, mushrooms, white wine, stock, fond. Brussels sprouts simply sautéed. Maryland-style crab cakes. House-made cocktail sauce. Kenji's best-ever oven roasted potatoes. Four-cheese baked rigatoni with a sausagy tomato sauce. Big salad alongside.

One of the great singers of our time. At 81 RIP. Jimmy Cliff, Reggae Icon

She's kinda been all over the news lately - with a new book as well. Imagine how long it's been since you first heard "You Really got Me!"

Yeah, there were a whole bunch that were left out for sure. Friends of mine vouch for this brand... https://www.thumanns.com/pork-and-beef-natural-casing-franks https://www.thumanns.com/allbeefnaturalcasingfranks Others insist it's this brand... https://sahlen.com/hot-dogs/ I wouldn't mind trying both! Also, if we ask Chicagoans, all bets are off!