that is a beautiful meal, all the way around!
Re: lye vs baking soda
@smtucker, did the pretzels have a soda-y tinge to them? I always feel like I can taste the baking soda wash. Lye is difficult to manage in a busy kitchen. I’m always afraid someone will bump into me, or I’ll lose focus because another recipe needs attention and accidentally spill it. But I think it makes a difference in flavor. I am excited to try the baked soda method @bear posted. Hopefully it will be a happy medium for me.
@bmorecupcake. I didn’t taste a pronounced baking soda flavor even though the concentration of soda was higher than anything I have ever used before. What I didn’t taste is the lye flavor which seems to change both the texture and flavor of the “crust.”
I too plan to try the McGee/@bear method, but I am seriously considering my other option. My kitchen isn’t busy, as a general rule, so being bumped isn’t my concern. I just worry that something will slip out of my hand, or I might slosh too much, or who knows what stupid thing could happen.
Ohhhhhh, do I know that feeling, Ttrock. Boy, do I know it. The year-end crazies have started up, and it’s going to be a :::::::DEEP BREATH::::::: month for me. Hopefully it settles down for you.
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Impending year-end, current month-end invoicing, a recent company acquisition, furniture moved from a closed office to the main office and someone wanting it all unpacked almost immediately, resignations and almost immediate replacement hirings, and just all of the other “stuff” that got pushed to the side whenever the proverbial 
hit the fan. So yes - the wine was VERY much enjoyed. 
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I’m the only soul in the house who will eat rotkohl (even the 4-legged kids turn up their noses) so when I make it (amid cries of Mom, why’s that SMELL) I freeze it in small portions. Happily the new bf likes it too.
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How can you not like red cabbage. Sweet, tasty, low cal…
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Meals from the last few days
Smoked a side of Stealhead
Served with sauteed peppers and salad
Did a SV prep on a couple of shoulder roasts that I picked on sale.
Made several meals and sliced the rest for sandwiches. Then used the slices to makes chopped meat. Two dishes followed, Larb and a middle eastern dish using baharat spices and peas. Got some mileage out of those roasts
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Made a big pot of Oma’s cabbage yesterday for dinner!
Horrible lighting in my apartment, the shadow is from my phone. I used some homemade veg stock that had fennel and celery in it, a lot more cider vinegar (prob 1/3c and reduced amount of stock) and skipped the sugar since the vinegar is enough sweet for me.
This is SO GOOD!
I decided a bowl of cabbage wasn’t really a meal, so i added a big handful of toasted chopped walnuts and some white beans to my bowl with a gob of fancy grainy Maille mustard. Totally hit the spot!
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Looks real tasty
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I literally order desk snacks from amazon delivered to my office! The bottom drawer always has clif builder bars, a jar of nut butter, various pretzels, dry roasted edamame, and a few of those dr mcdougal vegan instant miso noodles. There’s usually little warning it’s going to be a long night and when i’m hungry and exhausted it’s bad news for everyone around me!!
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So happy that you enjoyed Oma’s Cabbage so very much! I agree. Vinegar is required, and lots of it. To turn this into a complete meal, I might do a braised stuffed cabbage leaf. Or Spätzle with cheese. I often have a cucumber salad on the plate. Or a pretzel! [Always willing to have a pretzel.]
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T’was a buttermilky day.
Buttermilk waffles made on my new T-fal waffle & sandwich maker for breakfast (although I need some practice on how much batter goes onto the waffle maker).
I later made some grilled cheesesteak and onion paninis for work lunches. Hopefully tastes as good as they look! I’ll know tomorrow, but I think I’ll keep the T-fal.
Dinner was Buttermilk Roast Chicken from the NYT. Needs a LOT more spicing (salt, pepper - maybe a handful of Aleppo?) and perhaps some ground sumac) to the buttermilk marinade. But it definitely helps in keeping the chicken very moist!
Sides were roasted Brussels sprouts and creamy garlic-parsley rice. Yup - there was wine. Because work tomorrow.
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Italian delivery…steamed brocolli, sauteed spinach, chicken parm, and spaghetti. I really just wanted the veg and garlic bread. And wine. Argh, how is it Sunday night already? 
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Posting post-cocktail… let us see if I make any sense at all.
I love my week’s “off” from chemo. By the end of the week, I have some energy. I can spend some time in the kitchen, though the length of time I can be on my feet is still limited.
The menu tonight: Rhode Island Calamari, Anna Sortun’s Caramelized Onion Tart, green lettuce salad, Crick Cracks, and herbed goat cheese.
This dinner was over the top. My goal is to add two more pounds to my body before I start cycle 10 on Tuesday. This is the kind of meal that could make that happen.
I started the Crick Crack dough yesterday. Rolled it out in the morning. More chilling. 1/3 of the dough went onto one tray, and the rest we split three ways to make crackers. For those that don’t live in New England, Rhode Island Calamari is fried calamari that is then tossed in sautéed garlic, hot pickled peppers and olive oil. The tart was the Crick Crack dough stuffed with an onion, thyme, salt, and creme fraiche mixture. The recipe calls for bacon, but I didn’t see the point, so I didn’t include.
Crick Crack Crackers. The next batch, I cooked longer to get more browning. Some herb goat cheese for topping.
Calamari with hot peppers and lemon:
Caramelized Onion Tart with Dates:
I did not take pictures of the salad. The dressing was heavy on the Dijon and vinegar to offset the richness of the calamari and tart.
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Hon, the point for you with bacon is MORE CALORIES!
your food looks great. enjoy your time off between sessions!
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Made choripan tonight - basically a sausage sandwich on a roll. Argentinian style pork sausage from my Meximart, a rocoto pepper mayo i made (had a pepper in my freezer), chimichurri, also pulled from the freezer), a bolillo (too big for my sausage!), avo slices, cilantro, and quick-pickled red onions. Also, made fries alongside, tossed with fried rosemary. the rocoto mayo went well as a dip for the fries, too…
i cooked all day today, making meals for the week: guisado de pollo, and a very bastardized version of Lydia Bastianich’s pasta e fagioli. pasta will get made tomorrow and added in while reheating the pasta e fagioli, though, as i didn’t want it to soak up all the broth. looking forward to trying it tomorrow night, as it’s my first time making and tasting it! the guisado will be for Tues. night.
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We had bacon for our Sunday brunch. Twice in one day is just a bit too much. 
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Friday night was a steak assortment! Sous vide ribeye and sirloin, I couldn’t decide so went with both and then had plenty of leftovers for weekend breakfasts. The steak was incredible though thinner than I prefer so it was hard to get a good sear without overcooking. I usually buy grass fed and there aren’t great options here so butcher box seems a good idea but I’ll have to see if it’s worth the price especially as you can’t specify cut thickness, etc.
Last night’s dinner was another new product experiment. I ordered a gluten free low carb bread with the idea to use it for stuffing for Christmas dinner. I decided to try it last night in sandwich form with bacon and cheese. The bread was definitely a fail for me but will work for stuffing. Perhaps if someone really just liked sandwiches on bread it would work for them but “sandwiches” without bread are my default and I have no issues eating the insides. However, the kitten loved it! It was pretty salty so I think she mostly wanted the salt but definitely had little bites (no ingredients bad for kitties).
Lazy weekend Hallmark channel watching snacks included flackers and TJs fondue. I also made banana bread. I don’t bake and had low expectations but it was surprisingly delicious. I guess it’s hard to mess up banana bread. It’s been frozen for small treats over the holidays.
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