So, I decided to make stock, including a test of Bittman's* idea to roast beef bones before using them. The local Ranch 99 has the raw materials for $0.8/lb. I also used Yelp's recommendations to find what's now my favorite produce place.

While the beef bones ($3) and assorted veggies ($0.75) were roasting, I made chicken stock using chicken bones ( Read more... )

Random observations from this past week:

Libraries
I continue to love the combined San Jose main library / San Jose State University library.  One can find the usual city library books, and then go deep into the obscure 18th century literature hinted at in the former.  The research library floors even smell different--that scent of early 20th century ( Read more... )

On Two Pressure Cookers.

The figurative pressure cooker of work is now depressurizing under the clear, cold water of post-conference energy.

I am, again, quite happy with my real pressure cooker.

This week I tried 30 minute beef stock-- I only used 1 lb of bones, not 5, and didn't pre-roast them per Bittman (?), but it still was a good stock, fine ( Read more... )

Have I mentioned here how much I like my new pressure cooker?

It's put a giant set of recipes into my "go ahead, contemplate them" mindspace because I can shop at 7pm and have them done by 8pm.

(Shop by 5pm in order to have a recipe done by 8pm never worked as well for me. Nor did shop in the evening to set up a crock-pot to start at 8am to be ( Read more... )

This weekend was the third in a row where I didn't go to a farmer's market, and I'm not missing them as they are around here.

I still miss the idea of them, but the reality isn't satisfying. The reality is far too expensive ( Read more... )