lovebenton0

Not nearly enough! I have three full sets of measuring spoons, two metal, one plastic. Two Tbsp measures (I don't what happened to the rest of those sets -- perhaps they joined Rachel's 1/3 cup measures in a far off land, alternately spilling and spooning in the moonlight. ) One one set of dry measuring cups (the 1/2 cup is an odd one -- the rest are with those spoons I suppose), because I melted the the original 1/2 cup when I set it on top of the toaster oven, and forgot it was there. It was clean. One Pyrex two cup measure (had two -- broke the one I had for over 20 years recently when I fell on the concrete kitchen floor ). One Pyrex one cup measure. Then if you count the canning jars I've set aside to supplement those (handy, marked on the side) I have about another six -- two each -- pint, pint and a half, and quart size for rough measures. I need a big stockingful for Xmas!

When going for my standard I like to use a combo of Monty Jack and very sharp cheddar, good bit of the sharp on top. Baked until crusty all around. (My mr will fight me for the crust. ) Half and half or evap milk, both are good, red pepper or black. But my new favorite variation on the theme is an old German/PA Dutch standard -- German Noodle Ring. Swiss cheese with egg noodles. Bechamel sauce, with tons of Swiss melted in, sometimes a little caraway seed, sauce poured over noodles in a ring or bundt pan (I have a ceramic bundt that is killer for this) baked until solid and crusty around the edges. Then the other half of the sauce is ladled over the unmolded ring. Arranged in the center -- (seared, I prefer adds something to dish) asparagus or other green veg like broccoli spears (peas are also suggested in original recipe, but I haven't tried those). We have been known to get up to eat this in the middle of the night.

Yep... That has been the fate of many a carcass in this house. One year I smoked the turkeys. The gumbo was awesome. A tip on the smoked turkeys... If you remove the skin before making the turkey stock you will have just the right amount of smoke flavor for many uses. ← Absolutely, fifi. And then if you want to throw that skin in a little pan of with a bit of that stock and water, extract all the goodness out of it you can, put that broth in the freezer, you can use a little to smoky up anything you want. Gumbo, yes! Turkey enchiladas with sourcream/salsa verde, roasted turkey with dumplings and baby carrots. Any wild assortment of turkey soups using that fine carcass. Turkey, wild rice with pecans, chopped apples, and sweet onions for a mild bite, gingered butter. Thiiiiin sliced pork chops rolled and tied around turkey and dressing, braised with apples and orange flesh squash or pumpkin.

Sunday dinner was just everything I felt like eating. And cooking. Shoulder arm pork steaks braised in this weekend's chicken stock, splash of apple cider vinegar, black pepper, a little powdered galangal, dozen seeds from monster fennel/crushed, sprig of silver thyme, bay leaf off the tree. (One of the advantages here -- it's fall and all my herbs are loving it. ) Laid that on a bed of soft, buttery sour cream mashed potatoes. Green beans and baby carrots steamed slightly then finished slow 'til very tender Southern style in butter with lemon thyme, S&P. Can you tell I was in the mood for soft? Also baked a French boule, served with butter. Sliced crisp granny apples and sharp cheddar for dessert for contrast to the rest.

Cruisin' floor, Dave! What a pro job! KitchenAid sounds perfect aesthetically. About the Accolade 400 -- think my friend has one of that model and I'll ask her. If it is the same it has been a good tool for her for several years. I think your cute doggie was just telling you the old floor was too ugly to bear! And, Andie, those racks look perfect for my needs. Thanks for posting the photos.

That first cup of coffee in the morning. The aroma, the rich color, heat down my throat. Yes, bread, smelling hot bread straight from the oven. Then dipped in seasoned EVOO. Or toasted with honey butter. Greens dewy from the garden, munched while picking. Our first sweet peaches, so full of juice you can't be neat. Romaine hearts and chiffonade basil with EVOO and basalmic. Crisp red grapes and Asian pears, bleu cheese. Cantaloupe. A bite of the sharpest cheddar, ever. Hot apple cider swizzled a with a cinnamon stick.

Thanks for the Staples tip, Andie. The racks you mentioned sound very workable. We are adding two workstations to my kitchen, on the lower level. Previous owners added a much appreciated dormer with window over the sink, which increased the width of the kitchen by four feet. But it is on a one step up level from the original, which is a pain for me to deal with, turning and stepping up and down to retrieve ingredients from the fridge and pantry to work with on upper level counters, which are also too full of stuff I use all the time. Both work stations will be located on that lower level. One of which will be at the end of the counter allowing me to just set prepped food on the counter for easier to-stove/sink access for me as well. The other station will be at the opposite end of the kitchen, near the oven. Lucky to have my own mr professional carpenter and cabinetmaker. I'm thinking those $8.95 racks will be good, leaving the cabinet under the wall oven open to store other bulkier items that are now in the big walk-in pantry/closet at the end of the kitchen. There's a step down into that also and with my generally wobblyshaft gait and the cane it is not the best place for me to keep items like my cast iron skillets, dutch oven, etc. that I use frequently. This has been such an incredible resource. I am very personally thankful to Dave for starting the thread and all who have contributed so many great ideas and info.

Thank you, Mr. McGee, for extending your time and attention to us this week. I look forward to your new edition, having to admit with shame that although I have read sections in the original I do not have it in my library. I am sure this has been thoroughly covered in that compendium. However, I was not involved in the process of preserving by pressure cooker at the time, restricting myself to water bath method for appropriate foods. The science behind preserving foods in a pressure cooker is ill-explained to the home cook by both the manufacturers and in recipes. We get general notes telling us what to preserve at certain psi and length of time involved. But why? I understand the need for the pressure induced vacuum, but what is the science behind preserving meats and vegetables at varying psi? Thank you.

Well, when you put it that way. . .

Elegance be damned! It was Saturday, and we've bof ha cods aw week. So when my sweet mr said he'd like to do his anchovy/garlic/Parm Florentine fettucine thing for dinner, if we still had some of the serranos, I said, Sure honey. Here they are, showing him the jar of garden serranos in fridge. I'll bake some French rolls and do some EVOO with red pepper and basil for dipping. So he did this and I did this Carbs are good, right?

OMG I miss getting into CM on a regular basis. 38 varieties of apples!

How to make Chesnut Puree 1. Buy way more chesnuts than you need. 2. Peel chesnuts. Be sure to try a different method every year so you can say "this was much easier last year." Force offspring to help and have some "chesnut bonding time"* until their whinning becomes more unbearable. 3. Boil chesnuts in chicken stock. 4. Make wife put together the Cuisinart. Make wife show you how to use it. Again. 5. Brush dust off of grand maniere bottle. Make comment about hardening your arteries while getting heavy cream out of fridge. 6. Dump the chesnuts, a bit of stock, a lot of cream and a good helping of GM into the cuisnart. 7. Blend until it has reached the consistency of dried paste. 8. Force offspring and wife to taste. Use trick of "there's alcohol in it" to get youngest offspring to open mouth. 9. Put in the same bowl every year. Put paste in the fridge. 10. Force everyone at table to take a serving, even if the serving size is a teaspoon. Marvel over your masterpeice and hard work. Repeat every third Wednesday of November. * Note: Chesnut Bonding Time is only successful the first year olderst offsrping comes home from college. ← Definitely answered my questions!

I would LOVE to have the sweet potato cinnamon roll and sweet potato with plantains and pecans recipes! Are you willing to give them out? ← amccomb, I'm very willing to share the SP cinnamon roll recipe and the SP plantain/pecan recipe. Thanks for asking. I'll post them a little later. I think I watched too much history into the wee, wee hours last night and need a nap first. ← Sorry this has taken me so long, amccomb, I've had a cold all week and spaced this. BTW I would love to be eating at your place! Menu sounds phenomenal! Here's one . . . cinnamon rolls tomorrow! Sweet Potatoes with Plantains and Pecans 3 large sweet potatoes 4 plaintains (unripe to mid ripe-- mostly green to slightly yellow) 2/3 cup pecan halves split Syrup 1 stick butter (unsalted) 1 cup brown sugar 1 tsp cinnamon (ground) 1 tsp ginger (ground) 1/2 cup apple cider plus 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar Garnish: 12 pecan halves Thin slivers of *candied ginger (optional) Peel sweet potatoes, and cut in quarters. Cut each section in half (or 3 pieces if potatoes are very large). Cut plantains in half crosswise. Take a sharp knife and slit the plantain peels lengthwise. Remove peeling. Quarter plantains. Spray a 3 quart (or 9" x 13") glass baking dish with cooking spray. Arrange the potatoes and plantains so you have a piece of plantain for each two sweet potatoes pieces. Melt butter in saucepan, stir in brown sugar. Add the apple cider/cider vinegar to make a nice syrup. Stir in cinnamon and ginger. Cook on med low, stirring until well blended and slightly thickened. Add pecans to syrup. Ladle evenly over sweet potatoes/plantains. Top with the additonal pecan halves (and slivers of candied ginger, if using). Cover with heavy foil and bake for 45 to 50 minutes at 375 F. SP and plantains should be very tender but not mushy when done. Remove foil from dish, turn off oven, return dish for five minutes to set the glaze. *If the candied ginger seems hardened, soak in a little warm cider for a few minutes.

My own particular translating to English problems appear mostly in the New Orleans forum ... until I get them translated? I harrass Mayhaw Man until he gives in and offers assistance ... ← You mean like "panee" (pan-NAY)? Or something more compicated than that? I think that the problem with New Orleans is that we, really, don't speak much English here. ← Since you've peeped in now, Mayhaw Man . . . . Want to explain roux for us? Any other basic terms concerning Cajun cooking? Yes, you can talk about okra.

I haven't yet had the nerve to start my own thread at eGullet, but to have inspired a thread feels pretty good. I'm having fun exploring the links that others have contributed; thanks for thinking of this, lovebenton0! I'm sure I'll be returning to this thread again and again. ← Oh no, let me thank you, patti!

I would first suggest you try a batch of the grapes in preserves, jams, or jellies (or all of them!) using the basic recipe included in your gelling medium. Especially if you're new to this. I make "Back Fence Grape Jelly" (from guess where? ) every year from our grapes. And jams. The grapes themselves are not good to eat off the vine (muscastel and mustang grapes have bitter thick skins, but they also add rich flavor when cooked for the canning). Ours are exquisite every year in the jellies and jams. Nothing in the store tastes as good as that. No gourmet grape concoction I've ever had is the same as these. Very good with sausages, yes, and dark bird flesh. You can also mix the grapes with other fruit, such as cranberries for relishes, or make sweet toppings for ice cream, serve with coffeecakes, sweet rolls, or breads. Add to berry pies and cobblers. (About 3 or 4:1 -- berries to grapes.) You're blessed with readily edible fruit, chow down! The fruit itself is the treasure. Homemade grape juice is also wonderful. No fermentation problems there! And the donation idea is great, if you have such a big haul.

It floors me when someone is invited to share a meal at your house, and before they accept, they ask you what you're having. Or how about when food is served and someone stares at it (no matter how lovely, or even how familiar the dish) and says what's in this? Now I've already done the courteous host bit by making sure I don't feed anyone something they truly hate, or are allergic to. It's just something that people feel free to do now that I never would consider. An invitation to share a meal is a personal sharing -- if the food's great so much the better -- I win double! But no matter, the invitation is to share someone's company.

Warm and soothing, soft and easy, spoon food, maybe chicken and soft little dumplings with lots of good, rich and thick soup broth. Or real tomato soup, aromatic with basil, served in a nice big rounded cup, comforting to hold in your hands. Fresh bread to tear off and butter. Coffee, rich and sweet. Cookies to nibble and to dunk. A big soft cotton napkin.

Thanks, Mayhaw Man. Always open for suggestions from the experts. I was not at all implying anything else! Your post was wonderful. A fine trip through the historical/current run of Cajun cuisine. Crystal is good too, I like it, and have used it. I grow my own Tabasco peppers, and there's just something about making my own sauces. Enjoy doing it and using it! Longest aging pulp I have now is three years old and man oh man! Aging Tabasco peppers is like fine wine -- the good get better!

Judith: SzékelyGulyás: Green bell peppers, garlic, and (slightly)crushed caraway seeds added to simmering boneless pork; tomato paste then stirred in for further 20 minutes cooking; drained sauerkraut added to cook about 30 minutes. Flour & sour cream combined, slaked with some of the cooking liquid, then used to bind the stew. You may review another recipe for Szekely Gulyás. Gulyás (*shortened form of gulyashus, "herdsman's meat") unqualified refers to either a soup or a stew (Gulyás Leves, mentioned in my original post, above) made from beef and almost without paprika. It’s interesting to note that pörkölt is the Hungarian name for the dish English-speaking cooks call Goulash. Version containing meats other than beef include Bográc Gulyás and Csángó Gulyás. *The Oxford Companion to Food provides clarifying etymological insight: "In Hungary, the word 'goulash' today refers to the cattle driver, the 'cowboy.' The only place on a Hungarian menu where you would find a goulash...would be among the soups, and it would be called gulyas leves, meaning 'the soup of the cowboy.'" [p. 415] ← Thank you, Redsugar! Makes much more sense to me now with the pork. And will indeed have to try this one.

So, Mayhaw Man, our honored resident expert, a question here, please. Do you have a suggestion or addition to the general base Cajun seasoning I posted? Of course, I don't always use my pre-mixed combo -- fresh is best -- but there are times the mix is useful and for dry rub (catfish/chicken, etc.,) it is very convenient. I got this from cooking with LA/Lafayette native friend. Much prefer to mix my own, as she does, rather than use brand prepped seasonings -- as I definitely can adjust to suit the dish and my momentary herbal preference -- also usually for a higher ratio of the good red peppers, so productive in my garden And nothin' beats the homegrown Tabasco sauce for table condiment as desired-- either the red or vinegar sprinkle.

Thanks to everyone for jumping in so quickly! The additional links from GG and andiesenji are great! I searched all over the other day to figure what the hell was in advieh to make eggplant Torshi! Ended up having to refer to about four different sources that sell the product, but it varies, of course, and I need a beat on the one that seems most appropriate. I'm going to love the spice/taste index/glossaries from you both. And a pic Thesaurus -- what a boon. Yeah, gonna have drag Mayhaw Man into this this sooner or later!

If you get the chance, fifi, and everyone here -- Horticulture mag for Dec has a nice article, Passionflowers, on the Windowsill. It has some very good advice about growing the vines potted also. Something I never really considered myself as the weather here didn't prompt me to think along those lines. A handy chart for suggested indoor varieties -- including fruiting info, edible or not. In the article are several beautiful pics of different varieties. Not nearly enough to satisfy me, (since there are over 475 varieties of PF!) but really nice. One of the varieties is a deep red, p. alata. This may be the one you saw, fifi. It has yellow or orange edible fruits.

Well, with that endorsement, how can I NOT try? Maybe if I get it started now it will be well acclimated by the time the heat hits in May. Definitely worth a try and a nice change from the bougenvilla that's everywhere! Thanks! ← If you're growing bougainevilla with success, I think the passionflower will do just fine! We want pics when it happens, if you're able.

Think garlic, onions, and yes pepper, red and black . . and more. A basic play around with it formula: Cajun seasoning: mix: garlic powder/onion powder/paprika/black pepper/cayenne pepper and finely crushed or ground dried basil/thyme/bay leaf salt to taste Start with about 3 tbsps of each of the spices and garlic/onion powders. 1 tbsp of each of basil, thyme, bayleaf. Add 3 Tbsp chili powder also if you wish (they have a lot of elements in common and chili powder also has a line of cumin in it -- so you might just want to add that, but easy on the cumin, maybe 1/2 tsp). Throw it all except the salt in your spice mill or blender. Add salt afterward, or reserve that to add during cooking. And put the Tabasco sauce on the table so you can shake on your own!