First time making baklava, used up some nuts that needed eating before they turned rancid. I used browned rather than just melted butter, sprinkled some macadamia nuts on top, and used pomegranate molasses in the syrup, which gave it a bit of tang.

[Image description: an aluminum pan with baklava, the bottom layers of phyllo dough saturated with sticky syrup, followed by a layer of chopped nuts, the upper layers of phyllo dough semi-saturated and flaky, and topped with a few more chopped nuts.]

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/17825263

> [Image description: a bright green bee with pollen covered legs on a lilac flower with jagged edged petals.]

[Image description: a bright green bee with pollen covered legs on a lilac colored flower with jagged edged petals.]

[Image description: a perfectly round peeled bulb of garlic on a cutting board, with unpeeled normal cloves behind it.]

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/17819303

> [Image description: a white and red helicopter tilted sideways over large houses on a hilltop covered with brown brush. Multiple plumes of grey smoke are rising from behind the houses, and flames can be seen on the brush on the left side of the photo.]

[Image description: a white and red helicopter tilted sideways over large houses on a hilltop covered with brown brush. Multiple plumes of grey smoke are rising from behind the houses, and flames can be seen on the brush on the left side of the photo.]

[Image description: a partially eaten slice of cake on a blue plate with a fork. The cake has three layers, the bottom is a brownie, the middle is a chocolate chip cookie, and the top is vanilla cake. There's white chocolate frosting between the layers, chocolate frosting on the outside, and chocolate ganache on top.]

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/17588319

> [Image description: a thicc green hornworm hanging onto the stem of a tomato plant. The hornworm is speckled with little white dots, has eyespots and angular white stripes down his side, and the namesake sharp little spike of a horn on its butt.]

[Image description: a thicc green hornworm hanging onto the stem of a tomato plant. The hornworm is speckled with little white dots, has eyespots and angular white stripes down his side, and the namesake sharp little spike of a horn on its butt.]

[Image description: a curly-leaf kale plant in a raised bed, with voluminous radiating leaves that kinda look like the afro of said Simpson's character.]

[Image description: a photo looking down the center of a frilly-leaf kale, the edges of the leaves zigzag wildly, with an almost fractal appearance, and the colors range from dark green on the older outer leaves, to light green on the inner younger ones.]

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/16622039

> Week 24 - Seasonal ingredients: Many berry pie with rosemary lemon ice cream > > My dad loves berry pies, so had to make him one for Father's Day. Fresh seasonal items used were blueberries and lemons (picked from my tree). The rosemary was from my yard too, but that thing grows year round 😋 > > Other berries used were the frozen Costco mix of blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, cherries and pomegranate, on a homemade crust. > > The ice cream was a custard base, with rosemary steeped in the milk & cream. I like experimenting with unique flavors of ice cream, and this one was a hit with my family. > > [Image description: a close up of a slice of double crust berry pie with a dollop of melting ice cream on top.]

My dad loves berry pies, so had to make him one for Father's Day. Fresh seasonal items used were blueberries and lemons (picked from my tree). The rosemary was from my yard too, but that thing grows year round 😋

Other berries used were the frozen Costco mix of blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, cherries and pomegranate, on a homemade crust.

The ice cream was a custard base, with rosemary steeped in the milk & cream. I like experimenting with unique flavors of ice cream, and this one was a hit with my family.

[Image description: a close up of a slice of double crust berry pie with a dollop of melting ice cream on top.]

[Image description: a deep red colored setting sun caught between two trees, with layers of hazy brown to orange smog in front of and above the sun.]

They look pretty grown but just before I snapped this pic, one of them was begging an adult at my bird feeder, very cute to watch them flitting around.

[Image description: two small brown and white speckled finches perched on a mature sunflower that is drooping with the weight of its seed head. One of the finches is sitting upright on the neck of the sunflower, while the other is flipped upside down to get at the seeds. The whole image has grid pattern imposed on it, due to being taken through a window with a mesh screen.]

As is often the case with my meals, this was a "use it up before it turns" meal. Had some beef top round roast, jalapenos, carrots, and cabbage, plus a giant bag of oranges from my parent's tree that need to be eaten, and this is what came out.

General recipe:

• Slice beef into strips, marinate for a few hours in orange juice, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, pepper and garlic powder.
• Stir fry ginger, garlic, and onion, then add julienned carrot, jalapeno, cabbage and roughly chopped mushrooms. Don't over crowd the wok, cook in batches. I added a splash of soy and rice vinegar to the cabbage at the end to steam it at little.
• Pat the beef strips dry before searing in the wok, again working in batches.
• Cook down the marinade, add a corn starch slurry, and keep adding a little bit of soy sauce, rice vinegar, and brown sugar until it hits the right Magic Sauce™ blend of overly sweet, tangy, savory.
• Serve on rice with some green onions.

Still have more beef and more oranges, going to use the same marinade, but add lime and turn it into some carne asada for tomorrow.

[Image description: a blue bowl on a speckled white countertop. Inside the bowl is white rice and mixed sauteed vegetables, topped with small cubes of beef with a drizzle of glossy dark brown sauce, and a sprinkle of sliced green onion.]

Her first time seeing a balloon, was absolutely fascinated.

[Image description: a brown and white tabby cat sitting in front of a backlit curtain, staring upwards with rapt attention. The end of the balloon ribbon can be seen dangling to one side. The angle of her head emphasizes the roundness of her little cheeks.]

From the bones of a couple Costco rotisserie chickens and veggie scraps saved in the freezer. Only boiled the bones for a couple hours, so didn't get as much gelatin out of them as I'd like, but it was getting late. I also thought I had more pint jars, had to put the last bit of stock into a couple quart jars in the fridge.

Is it possible to mix jar sizes when canning? Assuming you process them all using timing for the larger jar size?

[Image description: five pint jars of opaque tan broth, still slightly bubbling as they cool on a towel on a kitchen counter. In the background a stock pot and an All American 910 can be seen.]

Here's the link to their recipe.

Now normally Serious Eats is pretty bang on with their recipes, but this one has a CRAZY amount of sugar in it. I made it as directed (but using store bought puff pastry) for Mother's Day, and it was tasty but so sweet it could have been served for dessert.

This is the second time I made it, but with half the sugar. However sweet is still the dominant note, even after adding Worcestershire sauce, tart goat cheese, and more herbs. If you want to make this, seriously try using just a quarter of the sugar they ask for, and you might get something more savory.

[Image description: a circular tart made of layers of deeply caramelized cabbage in a sticky glaze. A bit of golden crust can be seen on the edges, and the tart is sitting on a wooden cutting board on a stove top.]

[Image description: a dark red beer in a glass sitting on a wooden ledge, unfocused in the background are trees with fresh spring leaves and old brick buildings.]