I’m overrun with duck eggs since it’s spring and everyone is getting busy. So I decided to dye some for Easter. Help the Easter bunny out, if you will. I thought they turned out nicely. Funny thing about duck eggs, they have a porous, textured shell that takes color very well. I like the vibrant, jewel tones.
Next up, I’m making cinnamon rolls. There will be photos, maybe tomorrow. The dough is doing its first rise right now.
How is everyone doing? How are you spending your time? I’m staying busy, the house is getting its spring cleaning, this year with extra cleaning. I’ve been scrubbing walls as I go room to room. Time to get the Great Dane drool removed.
Check-in, share any fun stuff you’ve found to do. geg6 pointed me to this fun little PBS series:
Find the schedule here or you can stream it on Roku or online.
What else has kept you occupied?
Respite open thread
NotMax
Coolness. Been awaiting a food thread.
Is it or isn’t it?
(Yours truly came out of as Lawful Good.)
Jeffro
Non-food but sorta on-topic: we just finished watching CADILLAC RECORDS (2008), the thinly fictionalized story of Chess Records and the birth of rock n’ roll. Great flick!
ziggy
OMG those eggs are gorgeous! I’ve been thinking of getting ducks for a while, but I don’t have use for the eggs, might have to revisit it. “getting busy”?, hmm
I put a little Easter display with a bunny and eggs out by the road, hope the neighbors enjoy it!
WaterGirl
The eggs are beautiful!
TaMara (HFG)
@ziggy: A lot of people love duck eggs, you may be able to give them away, or sell them (how does $5 for 6 sound, that’s the going rate on Next Door these days). And of course, I feed them to the pups (they get about a tablespoon of scrambled each meal).
WaterGirl
@NotMax: I took the quiz and it was fun, but I do not understand the ratings at all.
I came out as TRUE NEUTRAL.
A Ghost to Most
@Jeffro: Never heard of it. May check it out. Thanks.
We’re good. Sheltering in place in a construction zone is lively, so boredom isn’t an issue.
Elizabelle
The colored duck eggs are beautiful.
Omnes Omnibus
@WaterGirl: I think the real key is the burger and hot dog. Only the burger is a sandwich.*
*Because fuck you that’s why.
ETA: Lawful Good. Many of the things there looked yummy, but that does not a sandwich make.
Dorothy A. Winsor
@NotMax: I’m also Lawful Good. I took the test a second time and tried to get crazy and achieved True Neutral. You have to be a lunatic to get to chaotic on that.
Comrade Colette Collaboratrice
True Neutral @WaterGirl: Me, too. And how in the world could a liquid-filled dumpling be a sandwich?
Mary G
@NotMax: Chaotic neutral, which I like!
TaMara, the eggs are gorgeous colors
ETA: I’ve done a truly ridiculous number of jigsaw puzzles on the PC. Nothing useful is getting done. Taking a shower is enough for one day. Also, naps and audiobooks.
oatler.
Ships biscuits (hardtack) in fashion now.
CaseyL
@NotMax: So did I! Never thought of myself as a purist in much of anything, but apparently when it comes to sammiches….
I could sort of get into the levels-of-abstraction theory that anything involving “bread” and “cheese,” or “anything wrapped around something else” could qualify, but… no. Like my sandwiches Platonic, thankyou.
NotMax
@TaMara (HFG)
Made scrambled eggs in the microwave for the first time just last night, to add to fried rice. Skeptical about doing eggs that way no longer.
Used a Pyrex measuring cup instead of a mug (skipped the step of spraying it first) and substituted a few little chunks of cream cheese for the milk. Added black pepper and used no salt (personal preference). Second stir with a fork when they were done in order to break them up for inclusion with the rice.
danielx
Cinnamon rolls….hmmmm….
Jeffro
@NotMax:
@CaseyL:
There was an article that came out not too long ago explaining the 8 different shapes of food or something…the gist was that a hot dog is technically a ‘taco’…UNLESS the bun has separated, which makes it a sandwich, and so on.
I think it was a WaPo food thing. I’ll go look it up…
Brachiator
Those eggs look very cool!
Jeffro
Here it is! Great fun (although my kids are so, so tired of me citing this article whenever we have a meal)
(I only do it once or twice a month, I promise)
A hot dog is a taco:
prostratedragon
Such beautiful eggs!
A little Beethoven. The Bugs Bunny scenarios practically write themselves.
zhena gogolia
It would be nice if one could get food.
ziggy
@TaMara (HFG): $5 for 6? that should cover costs. I don’t suppose that they produce at the rate of a chicken though.
Brachiator
@NotMax:
A bit of fun. Originally got Lawful Good.
And then I went again, with the rule that a wrapping of differing inside goodies makes a sandwich and got a rating of Chaotic Neutral.
I’m not sure what I would have to do to get Chaotic Evil.
NotMax
@Jeffro
Not no way, not no how will ever call an open face roast beef sandwich smothered in rich brown gravy a toast.
;)
Scamp Dog
I’ve spent some time over the last couple of years trying to recreate my grandmother’s cinnamon rolls, and am getting pretty close. I’ll put the recipe on my long-neglected blog eventually. Do you plan on sharing yours, TaMara? Or is it already online somewhere?
Jeffro
@NotMax: of course not! You call it “de-LISH-ous!”
Mary G
“Farm Aid at Home” alert:
Mnemosyne
I’m going to make some flourless peanut butter cookies tonight. The recipe is ridiculously simple — just peanut butter, sugar, an egg, and vanilla extract. We’re both a little on edge because we found out yesterday that I’m being furloughed (job is being kept for me, but no pay). Luckily, in California, a furlough lets me apply for unemployment payments. People in other states are not as lucky.
debbie
Those colors! ?
TaMara (HFG)
@ziggy: Spring, summer, fall you’ll get one egg per duck per day. I would go with Pekin (that’s Penelope Pearl) if you want consistent eggs. They are good layers, friendly as hell and fairly healthy. And duck feed is pretty cheap.
But my caveat is this…they are MESSY! They will make mud wherever they can. And the must have access to a pool and be put away at night (predators).
TaMara (HFG)
@Scamp Dog: Yes…probably tomorrow.
Brachiator
A very thoughtful tribute to John Prine on the NPR program “Fresh Air” today.
debbie
@Mnemosyne:
I hope it won’t be for very long, but maybe you ccan get some writing done?
NotMax
Shall repeat a site shared here which I recently came across with an amazingly comprehensive list of bread, pastry and topically related meal recipes.
And for those who might want to practice their German, a different mouth-watering site, from Austria.
debbie
@Brachiator:
Wasn’t it great? Especially about his dad.
Mary G
Martin
@Brachiator: I got lawful good, but I should be chaotic good. I’m squarely a strict adherent to form with anything goes for filling. A radial tire between two pieces of bread is a sandwich, but PB&J on a single slice of bread is not.
I think I just got a bad set of examples to draw that out.
Scamp Dog
@TaMara (HFG): Thanks!
cain
It’s been over a month since I’ve seen my girlfriend. it’s been about 6 weeks since I’ve had sex. I’m at the John Cole level now.
Brachiator
@Martin:
I tend to agree.
My fundamental criteria is that you have to have an edible wrapper, some type of filling, and you must be able to eat it with your hands without the need of a napkin (so fondue is out).
A burrito is a sandwich. Or, a hamburger is a burrito that doesn’t completely wrap around.
I went in again and got True Neutral.
cain
@Mnemosyne:
I’m so sorry to hear that! I hope that you can survive on what we got. :/
delk
Radiohead has been putting up Concerts on their website.
Jim Gaffigan has been sharing his dinners with his families.
I made quarantine fried rice for dinner ????
Brachiator
@Mnemosyne:
Hang in there.
I heard about a certain company putting various categories of employees on furlough. I heard that most would continue insurance benefits.
I hope we all pull through this soon.
randy khan
Thanks for the PBS link. We just watched the first episode and it’s a hoot. The combination of deep respect for her – they both told self-deprecating stories about her visiting their restaurants – and their amused astonishment about some things she does is great.
Kayla Rudbek
@Brachiator: answer as if you were John Scalzi?
mali muso
@NotMax: Thanks for that! Bookmarking…
My homemade sourdough starter is on day 10 and I felt it was finally strong enough to try for bread. Turned out pretty decently, if I do say so myself. Sadly, my boule shaping technique is not quite up to par, so it ended up a little bit spread out more like a country loaf, but still has nice pockets and good crumb. Have now shared discard starter with 3 different friends, so it’s nice to think that my little quarantine experiment is feeding a larger circle of people in my community.
Amir Khalid
I’m Chaotic Evil. Heh heh heh.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Amir Khalid: Uh oh.
TomatoQueen
@Amir Khalid: Of course you are. Sorry to note Kenny Dalgliesh has tested positive for Corona.
mrmoshpotato
Yum. Yum. Yum.
And now to read the thread.
(Making shells and cheese with ham for dinner.)
delk
The Take Out has been asking celebrities Is a hotdog ? a sandwich ??
Achrachno
@TaMara (HFG):
I keep thinking about getting ducks, to help with insect control in the garden but the messy issue has kept me from doing it. Plus the protection problem.
Indian Runner Ducks are particularly interesting to me — they’ve been bred as egglayers and “The females usually lay about 300 to 350 eggs a year or more, depending whether they are from exhibition or utility strains.” I have no plans to exhibit them so …
Plus they’re just very interesting — they walk erect! There are videos on Youtube.
ThresherK
@Jeffro: The Atlantic has a “30 overlooked movies to watch while you’re at home” today, and Cadillac Records is one of them.
My wife, an ex-hippie chick, has never seen Fail-Safe. We watched it together tonight; the surprise on her face was something.
Jeffro
Speaking of sandwiches, my daughter and I have been making some with thin slices of apple in them (like turkey, cheddar, and apple plus a bit of mustard) lately and wow they’ve been awesome.
Cold or grilled!
Sorry, tomatoes…we’re taking a break until you’re more fully in-season!
(pear is good too)
Kent
Just up the street from me we had a driveway social-distancing rock concert by a local band. Pretty cool
https://www.columbian.com/news/2020/apr/10/folk-duo-fox-and-bones-performs-driveway-concert-in-camas/
They played John Prine’s “Angel from Montgomery,” as an homage.
Meanwhile I made Mexican-style Chicken Tortilla Soup in the instapot tonight. Big hit with the kids.
Darkrose
Tonight we’re having shrimp and cheese grits with a tomato/garlic/basil sauce. The tomatoes and basil are from this week’s CSA box, and the sauce that I just tasted is fabulous.
Tomorrow is probably teriyaki pork chops and rice, and then kale and white bean soup.
Dessert will be Girl Scout Cookies–we just got six boxes that we’d ordered online.
Pete Mack
Tomorrow is sourdough focaccia day, for me.
NoraLenderbee
@Achrachno:
Like on two legs and all?
Kent
You think Cole got lucky 6 weeks ago?
satby
@NotMax: True Neutral for me. So seldom true about anything else.
Mary G
Krakatoa erupts
Achrachno
@NoraLenderbee: Yes! They’re often compared to penguins.
mali muso
@Mary G:
Oh no! And Indonesia is just starting to really feel the impact of Covid…this is so not good. :(
Mary G
satby
The eggs are gorgeous TaMara. Too bad no one sells them around here that I know of or I’d try dyeing some.
Finished off the last of my asparagus soup today, so time to make something else to last for a few days. Really tempted to sous vide the homeless leg of lamb in the freezer.
columbusqueen
@cain: TMI, good buddy.?
NotMax
@satby
Autocorrect? If so, wondrous typo.
We’re poor little lambs
Who have lost our way
;)
ballerat
That is the richest color I’ve ever seen for easter eggs. But then again I’ve never seen duck eggs colored. Just lush, rich, deep color. Beautiful.
satby
@NotMax: boneless. Connection dropped just as I posted, so no edit for me.
I’m staying up way too late ?
NotMax
There was a young couple – maybe in their late twenties – who lived in the same apartment building as I (older structure, three stories) who made what passed for a living by selling hand-painted eggs at farmers markets, craft shows and the like.
The super and the building owner eventually brought down the axe when they discovered what was mucking up the pipes in the building was the contents of hundreds of raw eggs which had been blown out of the shell and dumped down the drain of the kitchen sink in that apartment.
mrmoshpotato
@NotMax: Neutral good.
piratedan
Possible subject for Bg on sunday… five overlooked movies that were made 25+ years ago… be they funny, thought provoking, scenic or had a certain quality that made it memorable…. and worth watching again.
NotMax
@satby
Yeah, figured that. Didn’t stop mentally constructing a scenario involving you discovering an abandoned leg of lamb peeking out from the shrubbery while walking a dog.
;)
?BillinGlendaleCA
@NotMax: Well, at the leg portion of the lamb is not at home with the rest of the lamb.
?BillinGlendaleCA
50 years ago Sir Paul announced that he was leaving The Beatles, Lennon left the band in Sept. ’69, but they agreed not to make it public.
trollhattan
Good Lord, the Hopkins gizmo shows the US surpassing 500k cases. My foam finger is at the cleaners so, virtual “We’re number one!” for y’all. Let us savor.
Mrs. D. Ranged in AZ
I’ve been watching a lot of streaming stuff. Watched S1 of Picard in one sitting. Watched Tiger King with my eldest. Not crafting much tho. Creativity and Depression do not play well together for me. I did make some bread pudding with a scoche of whiskey. Simple, comfort food is all I crave right now.
NotMax
@NotMax
Still have the one my temporary roommate at the time commissioned from them as a gift for me. The starship Enterprise hovering amidst a deep space background.
Surpasses kitsch; it’s a whole new frontier of tacky.
debbie
@randy khan:
If you haven’t read her memoir, it’s definitely worthwhile.
Steeplejack
Just got done with some cyber-housecleaning: reviewed and pared down my open Firefox tabs from about 140 (including some Balloon Juice posts going back to March 23!) to 27 tabs and updated Firefox to version 75.0. Spurious feeling of accomplishment. Yee-haw.
I gave my friend B. a ride home from Trader Joe’s tonight. Picking her up again at 10:00 a.m. tomorrow. She told me that Trader Joe’s is supplying the employees with masks now. I didn’t know because she leaves hers in her locker.
The unexpected benefit of driving her to work is easy access to the small set of goodies that I usually get at Trader Joe’s. I pay, of course, but it’s nice to have a “personal shopper.”
I’ve got no plans for the Easter weekend. The Brazilian brother-in-law’s aunt’s traditional afternoon meal has been torpedoed, so no salt cod for me! Bummer. ? Might get together with Bro’ Man at some point.
Fair Economist
My teen son wanted to make some chocolate chip cookies and I agreed but boy I should have insisted on halving the recipe. It made a lot of cookie! Cooking the first batch he put so much dough into each cookie that when they spread they covered the pan and turned into squares with rounded corners. Well, so much for losing any weight this week.
Yutsano
Pretty sure I’m gonna make risotto tomorrow. Then arancini at some point after.
joel hanes
@Mary G:
Not all eruptions …
Krakatoa also erupted in 2018.
This weekend’s eruption subsided after a couple hours, according to the report I saw. So far, anyway.
That said, I’m told that four big volcanoes in Indonesia are all currently in active phase. This suxxors for the Indonesians, but may contribute to giving us a little more breathing room on climate change — the huge 1883 eruption of Krakatoa temporarily drove world temperatures down 2.2 degrees C
It might be bad though in that it might make the weather even more unusual/unpredictable for a while.
Also, NE Africa is seeing huge plagues of locusts.
I blame Pazuzu
Steeplejack
@Yutsano:
What recipe do you use for arancini? Been intending to try those.
NotMax
@Yutsano
OT.
Any insider opinion on how this additonal wrinkle will or won’t work when it comes to plugging people into the already operating less than optimally system?
TaMara (HFG)
Just going to leave this here and say goodnight.
Kattails
Thought to maybe make hot cross buns but ended up getting car inspected (failed, needs body work to the tune of $500 sigh), getting groceries, putting groceries away….Did score a bag of bread flour.
Have a pair of Phoebes flying around catching bugs, a robin that scolds me if I’m out in the yard when it wants to be, and saw a hermit thrush poking around just in front of the kitchen this afternoon, so that was lovely. They have the most beautiful song at dusk, and I haven’t heard one in the last couple of years.
TaMara (HFG)
@joel hanes: I’m waiting on Godzilla….
TaMara (HFG)
@Fair Economist: Cookie dough freezes well. You can make balls, freeze them on cookie tray, then move them to a ziploc bag. Pull out 6 or 12 next time you want to bake fresh cookies. I do this all the time. :-)
Krope, the Formerly Dope
Fun read, thanks. Something to think about. But I got neutral good; ingredient neutral, structure purist.
I called a hot dog a sandwich. Hell, I went for the sushi burrito. It’s a burrito and therefore a sandwich.
NotMax
@TaMara (HFG)
Option for those these days whose freezer doesn’t have extra room for a cookie sheet.
Spray an emptied ice cube tray with cooking spray. Fill each cube slot with dough, then remove them to a storage bag when frozen.
Mary G
@joel hanes:
NotMax
@Krope, the Formerly Dope
No right or wrong on it; personally would class a burrito as a wrap.
As for hot dogs, would you include pigs in a blanket as sandwiches? Idle curiosity. Again, no right and no wrong.
;)
cain
@Kent:
I have no idea, I don’t think he is going to tell us. :-) But if he got laid in the past 6 months then I am happy. But it’s probably just pets for him now.
cain
@Mary G:
No alcohol? yeah, something is off.
Krope, the Formerly Dope
@NotMax: Pigs in a blanket seem like a sandwich to me. There were so many that gave me trouble. And probably some inconsistencies. (Like crepe yes, pop tart no)
I was stumped for a minute on lasagna. I came down with no, but it still haunts me.
ETA: And I would classify any wrap I can currently think of as a sandwich.
Steeplejack (phone)
@cain:
Phrasing!
NotMax
@Krope, the Formerly Dope
All in fun, not in any way being critical. The lines are both vague and malleable.
Hot Pockets? McDonald’s apple pies? Jelly doughnuts?
mrmoshpotato
@joel hanes: Pazuzu
Also Pazuzu
NotMax
@mrmoshpotato
More cuddly than in The Exorcist.
:)
Krope, the Formerly Dope
@NotMax: Hot Pockets? McDonald’s apple pies? Jelly doughnuts?
Oh my god this is torture. Umm; yes, no, no. No way am I going to be able to fully quantify why. Although poke all three of those on top ajd see what happens.
Structural stability matters. That’s why I didnt give ot to folded pizza.
smike
@Krope, the Formerly Dope:
Seems like pigs in a blanket crosses the line for me. Are jelly-filled doughnuts sandwiches? Seems like pastries merit a distinction re: sandwiches.
ETA: I see that I was a bit behind the uptake on that comment.
Krope, the Formerly Dope
Jelly filled doughnuts, no. Uncrustables, yes.
NotMax
@smike
Oreos used to say sandwich cookie right on the label (maybe still do, for all I’m aware of them). Also too, Cadbdury’s.
:)
Amir Khalid
Just back from Jaya Grocer. Their entrance policy is one out, one in; and you queue up for an hour to get in. They were all out of the Cobs cheddar popcorn that I like so much. ☹️ I had to make do with Lay’s reconstituted-potato chips (i.e. the ones in the canister). Still a few with their masks on their chins instead of over noses and mouths, but at least this week no one was blowing their nose or standing too close to their BFF.
WereBear
@Amir Khalid: I have been astonished by the social media messages from store workers. People, you don’t have to bring the whole family to the store!
This isn’t a fun outing!
Amir Khalid
@WereBear:
Here, per the Movement Control Order, people are expected to do their grocery shopping alone. And luckily Malaysians have generally been compliant.
However, I’m not sure how long we can keep this up. The Grab driver was grumbling to me about the second MCO extension. I said there was no way the pandemic would be over by the end of April, that I expected the MCO to go on at least through Eid al-Fitri next month, and likely even during Haj season. Grab guy’s moan of agony was truly heartfelt.
opiejeanne
@delk: OMG! Did Gaffigan ever move out of that tiny apartment he shared with his wife and sooo many children? Because, if not, they must be going nuts.
NotMax
@Amir Khalid
Snippet from a piece on TPM.
Amir Khalid
For those who loves them some nice long German compound nouns, here’s a topical one: Bewegungsbeschränkungen — movement restrictions
WereBear
@NotMax: I don’t think I’ll ever get over the worry I have about people faced with this crisis in a state with employers who blow off the threat and make them play Your Money or Your Life.
Especially when they have vulnerability in themselves or their families.
mrmoshpotato
@Amir Khalid: (chef’s kiss)
delk
@opiejeanne: yep. They moved to a huge place. Kitchen looks amazing.
James E Powell
I baked blueberry scones and blueberry muffins. Only problem was that I ate most of them.
mrmoshpotato
OT – psst
Any word on Alaska’s primary tonight?
Yutsano
@NotMax: I don’t know why anyone should do anything beyond a 1040 form with all zeros. It’s totally legal and would solve the problem anyway.
@Steeplejack: Easiest way I do it is take about 2 tablespoons of the old rice, roll into a ball, put a small cube of Italian cheese (mozzarella or fontina) in the middle, do a 3 breading station with Italian breadcrumbs, then fry in an inch of regular olive oil until golden brown on the outside. Devour hot as they lose a bit of oomph as they cool.
Steeplejack (phone)
@Yutsano:
Sounds good, thanks.
Steeplejack (phone)
@NotMax:
Neutral good here.
Dorothy A. Winsor
@Mnemosyne:
I’m guessing you apply for unemployment in a more smoothly running system too. I hope it’s not for long.
Dorothy A. Winsor
@TaMara (HFG): Thanks for that video. It brightened my early morning.
debbie
@Amir Khalid:
This is why I loved going to see German films. You could leisurely read the subtitle, check out the visuals, think about it, and still have time to read the subtitle a second time before it changed!
Spanish Moss
@NotMax: Lawful good here too. I am having a lot of trouble getting that photo of chicken on a waffle out of my head. I think I am going to have to cook something to cleanse it…
J R in WV
@Comrade Colette Collaboratrice:
The dumpling is filled with meat and minced veges, but is cooked and served in soup. It’s in the name, it’s a dumpling, not a soupy sandwich.
J R in WV
@ThresherK:
I’m pretty sure there is no such thing as an EX-hippy chick.
Speaking as one with a wife who leans that direction is many ways…