Mudpuppie

Hi, Edward. Thanks for the info about fenugreek. I never knew about its use in fake maple syrup, but it makes perfect sense! Welcome....

I don't have a crockpot, but I just went to preheat my oven....

Add liberal amounts of hummus to the condiment-spread bread, both top and bottom. Because of its texture, hummus has mongo surface area. Thus, the hummus will provide more than adequate friction and will keep the sandwich contents from sliding.

You can get an uber-hip Michael Graves slow cooker at Target. I'm betting it has neither grapes nor ivy nor flowers. I'm also betting it will be a rare example in your kitchen of neither form nor function following each other.

Out here in the land of okra scarcity, it's already expensive. When I can find it in the stores, it's often over $5/lb. Sucks, because I haven't had much luck growing it. I like to water my plants, see. I'm worried that cheapo root vegetables, my favorite, will soon catch on. But then again, they probably never will.

Kettle Chips ARE good. But don't you find they have the hardest bags to open? I always had to grab the scissors for those! I'm so glad you mentioned that. I thought it was just me.

I'm thinking that if it was durian, you would have mentioned the stench before the texture. Is it maybe a custard apple?

Honestly, I don't remember a single meal I ever had in Mexico. Something to do with having to drink something other than the water.

i hate being sticky.

My folks have one of those. (Or something similar. Their burners are rasied ceramic stuff.) I hate it. It retains heat for 15 minutes after you turn it off. Living at home, I ruined so many of my mother's plastic bowls by setting them on a hot burner that she finally drilled it into my head that I needed to check the temp first. So, in college, I did. Tapped the burner with two fingers. I heard my skin sizzle before I actually felt the pain. Hate that stove.

I don't find that that's always true. Now, if the garlic is truly dessicated, I won't use it. But in my experience, having a green shoot doesn't necessarily mean that the rest of the clove is dehydrated. Sometimes? Yes. Always? No.

Some people swear that the garlic's no good if it's sprouting. Fact is, in some parts of the world, some months out of the year, it's almost impossible to find garlic that's not sprouting. I remove the shoot. Simply smashing the clove like you'll probably do anyway allows for easy removal. I can't taste any difference once it's chopped up and cooked in something. I thumb my small, perky nose at all those who say the sprouted clove is bitter!

By the way, judging by the round thing I pulled out of my garden a few months back, I invented potatoes. My patent application is pending. All those bastards who have eating the things for thousands of years owe me big time!

My god. Hope there's a designated driver.

My own chickens are my worst enemies. Today is the first nice full day we've had since, I dunno, thanksgiving. I, of course, wanted to dig. So did they. For some reason we had to compete for the same patch of ground. Anyway, after I put up the anti-chicken fence, I got some beets and peas planted. Will plant the pea shoots tomorrow if my back isn't out. (The first gardening day of spring is always hell on the back....) As for pests that I don't feed intentionally, I've found a new nemesis out here in CA -- slugs. Never had a slug problem in TX. (Also have lots of earwigs and occasional aphid infestations.) The slugs are a real pain, but I wouldn't trade them for spider mites, harlequin bugs, fire ants, various loopers and other caterpillars, flea beetles, etc., etc., etc.

Interesting idea, using fenugreek in pastries. I like it! Fenugreek always reminds me (pleasantly) of butterscotch pudding. The bitterness factor might be difficult to overcome.... I'm interested to hear how this works out for you.

Okay, a couple of questions. What kind of rice? Are we all talking about the typical 2:1 liquid/rice ratio?

In case you really don't know what it is, here's some info. Ok, to be fair, I just found some sources that say that Monsanto has promised never to use the gene commercially. But do we believe 'em? (There are so many ways around that promise....)

No to mention the fact that Monsanto owns rights to the terminator gene technology. Seed-saving may be a moot point if the courts ever let Monsanto use it.

Doesn't it make you lose all faith in everything? I was kind of surprised this didn't get much discussion. It turns my stomach. (The story, not the lack of discussion. Although that's kind of painful too.)

Because I really like it. Don't know why, really -- you're right, there are many other things that have much more flavor. But I already know how to make those. This one eludes me.

Will check it out. Thanks!

This also makes a killer topping for pasta. Add some balsamic and you're in business.

Mexican-style rice is one thing I've never mastered. (A future thread....) Can anyone help? I'm talking about the rice that you get in mexican restaurants. Fluffy, vaguely red (tomato?), not a whole lot of flavor, but some. Don't know why I can't get it right. It seems easy enough. Thanks.

I think that was the original definition, but it's sort of evolved to mean anything slow cooked in lots of fat. Hey, bright idea -- consult the Oxford Companion: Ok, so much for Davidson. It's one of those words whose definition no longer fits its meaning. My favorite, very favorite, is tomato confit. Gives me shivers just thinking about it.