kochleffel

The Junior Cat is in favor of cheetahs but still believes that she is a leopard.I would rather have a tuna melt, or Roy's alternative menu. It will probably be quite a while before I bake cookies again, but I made snickerdoodles and chocolate-dipped toffee cookies last month.

I could envision making a tortilla pie. Since my home cooking doesn't combine meat and cheese, I might make it with beans, or with fake meat. I've had the wine many times, more when I lived in the Northwest, but living now in a different Riesling-growing district, I'm less likely to buy it. I was supposed just to transit Reykjavik a few years ago en route to the Faroe Islands, which at that time required getting from Keflavik, the international airport, to the Reykjavik city airport, but I missed the connection. As it was a Friday and Atlantic Airways, the national airline of the Faroes, doesn't fly that route on weekends (they use the plane for holiday flights from the Faroes to the Mediterranean), I was there for close on three days, and then had half a day more in the return. My photos are similar to many of those posted, but here are a few that might not be. Breakfast condiments at the Hotel Natura, which abuts the Icelandair HQ and looks out over the field at RKV. A noteworthy monument that I don't think is mentioned in guidebooks. 500500 This evening I was at our stand in a winter street fair for three hours. Three cold hours, not because the weather was so very cold -- it was 41° F. -- but because of being nearly motionless in the wind for so much of the time. We decorated our stand as if it were Hanukkah, which isn't really until two weeks from tomorrow. It was pretty popular, but to be honest, anything whatsoever that seems reasonably safe for people to do is popular now.

There are inherent issues with internet service on ships because it's by satellite and because it is often oversubscribed, but your location in the ship also matters. In a cruise this summer on RCI, I had a forward-facing cabin, and the connection there was unreliable. It was better midship, and when I needed to place an order online (because of an expiring reward) I did it from the ship's library, where my iPad would stay connected. I will pass on the pork chops, and while beef short ribs are OK with me, I think I'd prefer that they not be grazed. I think that dinner tonight will be salmon, roasted leeks, and tiny gold potatoes. I'm supposedly off from work today, but have been dealing with an enraged member. We're holding a Hanukkah dinner on the 18th, and reservations and payment have to be made online in advance. A member mailed in a check (wrong) to another organization (not us - wrong), and called to ask whether they should stop payment (no, just ask the other organization not to deposit it) and send a new check to us (no). Member didn't like being asked to reserve online: "I'm an older person and I don't like to put my credit card on the internet. You shouldn't expect people over 70 to do this." (News flash: I am over 70 myself.)

When I got up this morning, the Junior Cat was nowhere to be found, and she didn't materialize until much later, so it was quite a while before I could say "rabbit" to her. She seemed perplexed, as clearly there was no rabbit in evidence. I'm just back from getting a flu vaccination. It's quite late for that, but the season here tends to start late and end late. The pharmacist would have liked to vaccinate me against everything else during the same visit, but I've already had every other vaccination that is recommended. The meal suggestion sounds like a lot of trouble for what is still meatloaf. I'd rather have the roast beef and cherry crisp, but I'll pass on the soup since I don't enjoy coconut in any form.

IOW, it will seem just like home. I was reading an article about how many British houses were built to let as much sun in as possible (many large windows), and others were built to prevent heat loss (fewer and smaller windows), neither of which is ideal for all conditions.

This is a good idea, says the person who had to have an implant removed in Copenhagen this summer. It had been giving trouble but it felt like a gum infection. Are we sure that National Mousse Day refers to food and not to hair? Yesterday in Petsmart there was a dog wearing antlers, but putting antler headgear on a dog does not make it a moose, or a reindeer. I will pass on the pork chop but lamb shanks would be OK.

I had an acupuncture appointment at midday, so I swapped my day off and will work tomorrow. After the session I came home for lunch and a little reading, then set off for multiple errands along the big shopping strip: Amazon return to Kohl's; dryer vent return to Lowe's (installer didn't use it); unsuccessful visit to Petsmart; order pickup at Target, plus purchased a cauliflower-crust pizza; recycling drop-off at Staples; and purchase of a small saucepan at TJX. Most of it went smoothly, but the returns desk at Lowe's was clogged by a group of several people trying to return one [something] without a receipt, with discussion occupying all three associates working at the desk. It was eventually determined that the store would accept the return, but only with a state ID, from which the number would be scanned into a database. I've encountered this myself at another store--they do it to discourage the same person from returning lots more things, possibly shoplifted, without receipts--but the people didn't like the idea at all and started a song-and-dance about how it was their mother who purchased it and her name is different and.... At that point a fourth associate arrived to deal with the growing line of customers and I tuned out. Mine was simple, because I had the receipt and a comprehensible reason for the return, and the refund could go back to the card with which I had paid for it. A Misfits Market order came today, and it looks like I'll be having an allium festival, as it included both leeks and shallots. I had also ordered Bartlett pears and "mystery" Swiss chard, which I do almost every week that they have them. The mystery part is what color it will be. This week it was all red stalks, but there's no guarantee.

I wanted cauliflower-crust pizza on Sunday but the store didn't have any. I think, however, that the cauliflower pizza for today is something else, probably made with a slice of cauliflower. I wouldn't mind a Kentucky Sunrise, if anyone wants to send one over. Hey, with the weather here, any kind of sun-anything would be welcome right now. I haven't been to La Rochelle. Heck, I haven't even been to New Rochelle, which is in the state where I live, although I remember it as the home of Rob and Laura on the Dick van Dyke Show. My organization doesn't participate in Giving Tuesday because our area had a regional day of giving two weeks ago. We did participate in that, and happened to win a bonus through a drawing for early registration.

WaPo, today: "When a plane crashed into a power line tower in Gaithersburg on Sunday evening, Montgomery County Public Schools announced that night all of its schools would be closed Monday due to ongoing power outages. But power was restored in all of the system’s impacted school buildings hours before classes would have started. Still, schools remained closed." https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2022/11/28/montgomery-county-plane-crash-schools/

In Los Angeles, a parent once telephoned to ask whether school would be closed because there might be a small chance of rain.

I was only half awake when I started reading, and the meal suggestion alarmed me: instead of beef, I envisioned dipping the sandwich in sauerkraut juice. What will be next, a tuna melt dipped in clam juice? I think I would rather have French toast. Between not decorating for Christmas at home, and not getting out much in the past few years, I had no idea what the trend in Christmas decorations was. According to the NYT, it's even more topical than before. Some of them, such as Queen Elizabeth or RBG, I can understand, but a disposable water bottle? Butter? I enjoy helping others decorate their Christmas trees, but maybe I have never understood the theory. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/27/style/christmas-ornaments.html It's another gloomy day here, the sort where you turn on every lamp in the house.

I hope it didn't catch the disease from my washing machine. I don't think that my washer was the first, but I don't know which appliance, or whose, was the vector.

I saw the title of the thread that has been mentioned here, but somehow knew intuitively that I didn't want to read it. Today I did some early Cyber Monday shopping, on the goal of replacing almost all my pots and pans. Target.com has a discount code that its website applies to all kitchen appliances, but turns out also to work for cookware, and I ordered three pans in all, two for in-store pickup along with food for the Junior Cat, and one to be shipped. The cost of the third one isn't enough for free shipping but because it was part of a larger order, it qualified anyway. After teaching this morning I wanted a nap, although I didn't actually sleep. I needed to go to the supermarket, but by then it was raining hard and I didn't go until it stopped briefly at 5:00. I had (only) two bottles to return, but one machine was out of service and the other was being used by a man with several 30-gallon trash bags of bottles and cans, so I put them back in the car. I finished shopping before he finished feeding them into the machine. I don't know whether he had accumulated that many in the course of ordinary life, or whether he scavenged them from recycling bins -- in my town, quite a lot of people put them out for recycling instead of returning them for the deposits.

Corning, known as the “Crystal City,” has made Country Living’s list of 55 bucket list-worthy Christmas towns — communities the magazine lauded for being filled with Hallmark Christmas movie magic. The Southern Tier city made the list alongside North Pole, Alaska and bustling New York City. Country Living recognized Corning, home of Corning Glass, for glittering — quite literally — during the holiday season. The city starts off a month’s worth of festivities with its Parade of Lights, which lights up the chilly night with floats and vehicles dressed up in twinkling lights. It continues with Sparkle, a festival that features horse-drawn carriage rides, community sing-alongs and visits to Santa in a life-sized snow globe. https://www.newyorkupstate.com/things-to-do/2021/11/hallmark-movie-worthy-city-in-upstate-new-york-named-among-best-christmas-towns-in-nation.html My organization will have a stand at Sparkle, with Hanukkah decorations (although Hanukkah doesn't begin until the 18th), free donut holes and dreidels, etc.

Some have probably begun decorating for Christmas, so I'll share the tree at the Corning Museum of Glass. It's made of 1000 glass ornaments, blown in the Museum's studio. The photo is by John Kucko and since he posted it on social media I think that reposting it here is allowed. I decorate, only a bit, for Hanukkah, but it will be another week before I do, because I'm lending some of the decorations for a street fair on Saturday night.

Pie in the face and Bavarian cream pie seem to go together, but I don't understand what turtles have to do with them. The meal would be OK with me and I wouldn't mind the drink. I would really like the wine, although I don't think it would go with the meal. Yesterday I got up with pain in every joint. I took acetaminophen and went back to bed, although I didn't sleep then. Unfortunately, I forgot to take my blood pressure medicine and didn't notice it until the afternoon. I took it then -- I'll take it late today, earlier tomorrow, and get back to first-thing-in the morning over two or three days -- but needed to limit activity until it took effect. As a result, my sole accomplishment was organizing the spice racks, which is more than it sounds like since bottles of herbs and spices seemed to be everywhere. Dinner was leftovers from Thanksgiving. Lunch today will probably be the sweet potato with black beans and avocado that was posted here several weeks ago. I'm teaching until noon but I baked sweet potatoes last night.

I think I would like the meal better without cilantro, and the drink strikes me as a waste of Laphroaig--plus, I can't drink Clamato. I think I have some Pinot Noir from France on hand (it is the typical grape of Burgundy), but not that one. I haven't been to Vigo and it's not on the itinerary for the Spanish Farewell next year. For breakfast I had squash, which I liked for breakfast, plus multigrain bread with peanut butter. I think that lunch will be fruit; purple carrot, yellow bell pepper and [ordinary green] celery; and schnitzel. If so, dinner will be fish since it also goes with the wine that's open. [Former English teacher here] In English novels, especially from the 19th century, it's important to remember that when they talk about Corn Laws, it has to do with wheat (or grain in general), not the maize that Americans call corn, and also not moonshine ("corn squeezins"). I need to go to TJX (ordinary shopping), Staples (electronics recycling), Kohl's (Amazon return), Lowe's (return), and Petsmart (food for the Junior Cat), but I am certainly not going anywhere near that shopping strip today. The ordinary shopping is part of a long-term plan to replace almost every pan in my kitchen, because most of them won't work on an induction range and I plan to get one eventually. It is painful to replace them because (a) in a kosher kitchen, there are two full sets of everything, and (b) many of them are All-Clad, purchased ca. 1990 with a steep discount through a chef friend who was then an advertising spokesman for the company, and while many are stainless steel, magnets don't stick to some of them.

Dinner tonight was a success, so much that I almost wished I had guests. There was, in fact, quite a lot of schnitzel, and while a honeynut squash is only half the size of a butternut, that's still a lot of squash. I'm glad that I baked only one. I was uncertain about the hawaij spice blend, because I didn't really like the aroma of it, but I did like the flavor when the chicken was done. I added typical pumpkin-pie spices to the squash, but no sugar or anything, because it seemed sweeter than butternut squash. The Grüner Veltliner was a kosher one from Austria. I had had no idea that any kosher wine was produced in Austria. We also grow it in this region; Austrian and German grapes, such as Riesling and Lemberger (Blaufränkisch in Austria) tend to grow well here. I think I've drunk a little too much of it. Next week I'll be back to cardboardeaux. There's fruitcake for later, if I want it.

A couple of setbacks in the cooking, one minor and one not so minor. Minor: I managed to find both the nutmeg grater and a nutmeg, but thought that the grater was too dirty to use, so I washed it. Now it has to dry, but there is enough time that the squash can be seasoned right before reheating it. Not so minor: the schnitzel recipe requires marinating the chicken in the egg and spices mixture for several hours, and the chicken is at most half thawed. As soon as I can get the slices apart, I'll lay them out in the shallow casserole that I'll use for the marinating.

The Brussels sprouts are out of the oven, and the squash will bake next, using the same pan.

Happy Thursday to those who don't celebrate U.S. Thanksgiving. I imagine that many people over here can't imagine that anyone, anywhere, doesn't celebrate it, the same way they can't understand that I don't "have" Christmas. (For me, this year, it will be just Sunday, plus the seventh day of Hanukkah.) I had a co-worker ca. 1980 in Oregon who was almost obsessed with D. B. Cooper. I didn't get it, but he was from that region, and I am not. I've been to San Juan aboard the Nieuw Amsterdam, in January 2020. It was a strange port call, because there had been an earthquake that morning and we weren't able to dock until the afternoon. Passengers who had planned on shopping and restaurants were disappointed, because most didn't open -- many had no electricity -- but I was able to do most of the walking tour that I had planned, only in reverse order to be more in the shade in the afternoon instead of the morning.

Here's another report on Thanksgiving side-dish preferences: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/thanksgiving-sides-by-state_l_63769cfce4b0e818be4b2bff. It's based on Instacart purchases, so isn't representative of the larger share of people who shop in person. My native state is just one of six that it reports buying more fresh cranberries than canned cranberry sauce. However, it says that the same state prefers Brussels sprouts over green beans. As I was growing up I never saw a Brussels sprout on any table, and never tasted one until I was in college. The customer ahead of me in the checkout line was buying collard greens and seven boxes of corn muffin mix. I would like corn muffins tomorrow, but won't be having any. As for the false stuffing vs. mashed potatoes controversy, we always had both. (Plus butterflake rolls, to ensure enough carbohydrates to make everyone semi-comatose, which was much preferable to wide awake and quarreling, their usual state.) If the dinner was at my mother's oldest sister's house, there might also be turnips, plus fried crookneck squash since her crazy husband went through a phase when he wouldn't eat any other vegetable. Battering and frying squash at the last minute really, really interferes with the kitchen workflow.

I'm ready for a break from squash, not that I don't like it. As I mentioned before, I'm having squash tomorrow, like the good New Englander that I pretend to be. Tonight's dinner was red Swiss chard, omelette, and baked sweet potato. Chard is probably my favorite green, along with beet greens -- they are the same plant, one grown specifically for foliage, the other for the root (and edible foliage, which you don't always get). I was booked on a cruise in 2021 that would have gone to Kotor, had it taken place at all, but the replacement in 2022 was a different itinerary on a different cruise line, calling at Kusadasi. It seems that most cruises calling at Kotor embark from the Venice region, in other words, Trieste or Ravenna.

An article on, I think, FiveThirtyEight deals with popular side dishes for Thanksgiving, by region -- not the most popular, which might be potatoes in every region, but the one most over-represented in comparison to averages. In the Northeast it's squash, and I will be having squash. In the southern Great Lakes, where I'm from, it's rolls, from my experience hot Pillsbury butterflake rolls from a refrigerated tube. The upper Midwest tends to eat green-bean casserole, a form of "hot dish"; the Southeast has mac and cheese; the south central region (including Texas) has cornbread. The entire West is shown as having salad disproportionately, but I think that shows a lack of granularity in the data: California has so much population that it overwhelms the other states, and I'm not convinced that salad is as popular in, say, Wyoming. When I arranged catered dinners in Los Angeles, I was always remonstrating with the caterers that our group required twice as much salad as they were planning to serve.