I don’t know what’s cookin’… My FIL is in my kitchen doing, something… It smells delicious.
He’s got out the Instant Pot, and I hear something sizzling. He’s gone through the spice cupboard, and the fridge, gathering supplies, and took a trip to Aldi for good measure. I’ll report back when I know more. But for now, I’m going to be machine quilting while the In-Laws watch my child and cook for me. Snide or jealous comments accepted. 
Welp, the new tool didn’t work as I’d hope. Meh, just went with fettuccine.
Made from one steamable bag of walmart brand cubed butternut squash. a little salt, and one tablespoon olive oil. I’d say this is half the batch (perfect sized portions for myself…sort of. I should eat twice this amount, O_o. heh). Legs hurt too much at the moment so will make the rest soon.
Oof! this is bad. The beet, garlic, rhubarb, cinnamon, sugar might have been fine…if I only stopped there. chard, romano cheese, fresh ginger…Nooooooooo! and overcooked the noodles a bit too much. 
Regardless, though, I think I won’t like beet pasta sauce. 
take another bite…and separate the flavors… Nope! not something I would like. Well, drat, heh.
On a side note, does seem like rhubarb will work with beets…so will have to think about what to do with that, heh heh heh!
At least it’s pretty. That is a fabulous color.
My bananas were on the verge of becoming too ripe for the kids’ tastes. Just your basic banana bread, Better Homes & Gardens recipe, plus a pinch of ground cloves.
Oh, I like that pan! Banana bread always takes nearly twice as long to bake as any recipe says, maybe a hole in the middle would make it go faster.
It does! This took about 38 minutes, and it’s a recipe that always overfills a standard bread pan. And the bottom doesn’t get overdone before the center cooks. This pan (Simax) was on my wishlist for precisely this job… Just about the best Christmas gift ever. It feels delicate, but it’s tempered glass.
Ooh, they make cookware AND scientific glassware!
We should start a thread to share our wishlists, I bet there are some real treasures we could learn about from each other. I heard about these fanfrikkentastic scissors from @AIMR that I would otherwise never have found.
And they’re European-made, so no ethical/environmental dilemma there. Stainless steel, cast iron, and tempered glass…these are a few of this ex-chemist’s favorite (kitchen) things.
I would love a thread like that! Most of my favorite tools/supplies were purchased on the recommendation of someone here. So much collective wisdom and experience in this group.
ETA: I bought those shears, too, and for the same reason.
I gave a pair to Kelli, with a warning about sharpness! Scary sharp.
Do they have a website for their kitchen stuff?
I got mine on Amazon, but it looks like Wal-Mart and Target carry some of their line. It looks like prices in Canada (at least on Amazon) are a lot higher…holy cow, so much higher.
I also have their garden hand clippers and micro pruner scissors. I bought a pair for my landscaper and also my friend who loves to garden. They are super sharp and can cut down even small sized saplings! I wish they came in any color other than black for the garden since I tend to lay them on the ground and can’t find them. I wrapped the handles with some red duct tape.
I really don’t know too much about cooking stuff, but I am looking to replace heavier items with lighter ones.
Well, that is quite the flavor explosion. fried banana, beet, and sweet potato in butter.
It’s not all that bad. (and if my GERD doesn’t have a bad reaction, I’ll definitely make it again).
I wonder…
Hmm! how to incorporate fresh ginger into it.
Ok! Breathing issues a coughing fit, a pretty bad…acid attack…but very very short term. I’d say about four minutes. (mental note to self: keep track of the time, yeesh!). Coming back after about three minutes after drinking…might not be over yet. a tightness under my ribs. Breathing issues pretty bad, but no coughing fit. Butter might have been the biggest culprit. Really need to try coconut oil. Ok! ok! that’s what I’ll use a little of the money I made on. mental note to self: get some coconut oil, and try this again tomorrow morning. (breathing issues stopped…wish I could force myself to write a darn journal, heh).
Mini meatloafs and an attempt at adapting my eggplant meatball recipe to loaves. Going in the oven… 
@MistressJennie - you never told us what your FIL was making that smelled so good!
He made a roast, baked potatoes, buttered carrots, and served those with sliced tomatoes and sourdough bread from the farm.
BTW, the roast was so tender, Ada was able to eat some with her 4.5 teeth. She actually was able to eat some of everything he made, and seemed so excited to be eating everything the adults were eating. (She usually gets some of whatever we are eating, whatever is soft enough, but inevitably some stuff is beyond her tiny chompers, and she wants it anyways.) She was so excited that she ate about double what she normally does at dinner. HUGE belly afterwards.
Lunches for this week:
and I forgot to grab some coconut oil…Grrr!
Anyway, started making a small batch of mushroom soup to freeze in ice cube trays. right now reducing it, and arguing with myself not to eat it all right now. Hoo boy, how I love mushrooms.
First batch is in the freezer
Now this one, this is very interesting, but I get the feeling my GERD no likey beets. Though, it doesn’t last long, so maybe it’s just the initial reaction.
Anyway:
Fried some beet in one tablespoon butter til softened, then I mixed in a little water, two thin slices of fresh ginger, a couple pinches of cinnamon, one pinch of nutmeg, a small handful of rhubarb, sugar, and salt. it’s sweet and salty. After cooking for a while, I then mixed in one cup of almond milk mixed with two tablespoons of flour. Then during the final few minutes, I blended in some old fashioned oats for filler.
While eating the remainder in the pan, I actually like it. 
Well, I have enjoyed the ice cube soups. The beet, rhubarb, and oatmeal one especially. Heh!
Made two batches of rhubarb, blueberry, and oatmeal. Will have to keep these separate from the soups, though, heh. Anyway, I have an idea once they freeze. I’ll make a lazy microwaveable bread pudding with a cube, 
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooow! Why oh why do I do this to myself? “because you like food more than not hurting”.
Making gnocchi again, and my thy is killing me. So didn’t finish kneading yet…(haven’t kned enough yet. That sounds better, 
).
anyway, hope there’ll be no issues letting it sit for a bit before I finish the kneading.
Update: Ok! it’s not going to be done correctly. I just can’t work it that much. pshew! man I hurt, heh
Update 2:
Yeah, I’m not going to finish tonight. The pain is just too much. . I’m at least going to get a small meal made before I wait the 2 hours to go to bed. I don’t need that much sleep anywhy, heh.
butternut sauce.
