WolfChef

I have heard many good things about Zojirushi bread machine. Don't have one myself, but sorta want one. I do have their fuzzy logic rice cooker, and am glad I spent the $$ on it. Perfect rice every time. Well designed, and quite easy to clean.

Boy with that last comment I had to call Pete and ask him if he has a long lost twin brother. That's one right out of his book.

AlexP If and when we do it, you can definatly come as my guest. It's a big if though. We've been talking about this for 4 years now. Part of the problem is the local small town butcher is quite good, and reasonable in price. That and the lack of certain key equipment. His current batch of feeders are off to the market in a couple weeks...minus two for his and friends like myself's personal use. I'm getting a half a hog, which usually lasts almost till the next batch is market sized. It's hard not to eat the pork that Peter raises. The sausage we have made is without casings. Basically just ground pork, salt, pepper and sugar. Lean enough you add a little oil to the pan to get started, then usually we fry patties of it and eat it like hamburgers. Of course Pete picks the best hogs for his and our use. Not sure if I already post this next bit but here goes. I just asked Pete how he picks new sows from the "feeder pool" to replace any that have passed their prime. His response: "The cute ones." The boars are usually purchased from another farmer. Pete raises chester whites now, and is very careful with the genetics. Corn fed, none of that hormone crap or unneccesary antibiotics and plenty of room and treats(watermelon and such). Sometimes they even "free range" it when they get out. They never stray are are quite easily shooed back to the pens.

Hmmm...can you fill the rest of us in on how hamster crap tastes? I'm sorry. Just couldn't resist. I really tried, and was quite surprised no one beat me to it. Lack of will power on my part I guess. You guys are made of stone. <big grin>

Sound like something you might find interesting? ← I doubt it, given the source and the easy availability of good restaurant soups in my neighborhood. ← I envy you.

Shrimp or lobster bisque. I also would give them a try.

Keep us updated on how it goes Alex. A very good friend of mine is a hog farmer, and keeps begging me to help him butcher one of his feeders, instead of "taking it to the town butcher" to be processed. One of the tasks would be grinding, seasoning, and making sausage from the less desirable cuts. This doesn't worry me, it's the big job...the gutting and skinning. And it's one of those things, once you start(the .22 bullet to the brain), you are committed...no turning back.

Here's the first hit off of google for "sausage making supplies". sausage making supplies

Alex, have you tried online. Bet there are any # of online sellers of sausage making supplies. I'm willing to bet that a small town butcher shop would have some for sale.

Hmmm...to me chicken is not like vodka but more like a subtle white wine. A roast chicken has tremendous flavor...even if it is easily overpowered. Now since I have never eaten tofu, I cannot comment on it. So for me I would say cod is like vodka, not a whole lot of flavor on it's own, but readily latches onto others. This is why many people eat cod...it doesn't really taste like fish. This is why people drink vodka, it doesn't taste like gin, whiskey, scotch, rum, or whatever. Just my 2 pennies.

I second whoever mentioned cookbooks earlier. Whenever I use a "gift" cookbook I always remember the person who gave it, when it was given, and why they chose that/this book. Example: When we were married in `83, one of the cookbooks we recieved was _Harmony in the Kitchen_ , from my wife's college choir director. Everytime I pick up this book I go back in time a bit. I mean, what a choice, I was a chef, she sat first soprano with him for four years(the guy was a drill instructor) and whenever I use this book it makes me remember him, my wife singing, those terrible evenings when she couldn't go out cause they had practice, and that summer when the choir went on a US tour, and then to Germany for the 500th aniversary(or was it 450) of something in Augsburg(I know I should really know what it was, but I don't). She was gone for almost 2 months, and it sucked. For me this happens with any gifted cookbook.

After smoking a really good cigar (Montecristo or some of the first Bahia Golds) I was completely ruined for normal cigars. What used to satisfy us became dog turds. In a way we were sad we had the pleasure of herfing down such gems. Does this make sense to anyone else? Does this also happen with wines?

Bad smells or odors.

First resturant I had the pleasure of working for one cook put tabasco in the soda straw of another's drink...it almost came to blows. Then the time a prep/salad girl stretched saran over the drink glass of the head chef and cut in just below the rim all the way around. The chef tried to drink from it a couple of times before he figured out something was wrong. We used to have the bartenders put club soda in place of the beer in our "free" beer (bottles) for other chefs during the rush. The scallops post is hirlarious, makes me wish I would have known about it back then.

One flip, if you do the steak markings right, the first seared side always looks better and more defined. Of course 3 and 1/2 years as broiler chef in a 300 seat private club honed these skills.

Suckling as in tiny 20lb range? Or is it larger in the 75lb plus category? I think different parts of the country suckling can have a different size meaning. Oops, I should have read the link and previous post better...guess this question has been asked already. Sorry bout jumping the gun there.

No substitute. Dang what a horrible allergy to have. Knew a kid in my senior year class who was allergic to tomatoes, also eggplant if I remember right(this was 1979). He loved pizza though, and would occasionally eat it. The most noticable reaction he had was patches of his hair would fall out.

I havn't bought beer for myself for a couple years, not a big beer drinker I guess. But one of the few times I like a beer is mowing and since the wife is a beer hound, I just grab a couple of hers...usually Heineken, Leinenkugels or Grain Belt if there are any left.

Don't you hate it when that happens. Actually I didn't notice it till you pointed it out.

When our son was in boot camp and requested cookies in his care package at Thanksgiving and X-mas we just under baked them a bit to keep them moist and flexible. Then stuffed em in a large gladware container. Surround this with crumpled paper and ship. The post office does a wonderful job. They are quick and cheap.

Sardines. Who needs crackers, last tin just dug in with a fork. Now I look at everything in the grocery store, just trying to find something new I havn't tried yet.

My MIL just throws together a basic pancake(sometimes even boxed) but adds buckwheat flour to it. It really surprised me what a difference this made...for the better. It isn't a whole lot she adds, maybe a half cup or so, but it really does something for the texture/mouth feel and adds a bit of sweetness. She doesn't use recipes, just adds the dry ingredients minus the buckwheat and then adds the liquid till it's a thin batter then puts in buckwheat till it's just thick enough. Dammit, now I need to go get some buckwheat.

That's what my wife said too(red not the bit about the blood). But she already has a red thing going in the kitchen with two walls very sharp red to match the knobs on the wolf stove. In fact now she wants a new Kitchen Aid mixer because the red one is almost a perfect match. But for me it's too much of a good thing. What I really wanted to do is cut the nasty bastards off and have a stainless steel pedistal made for it. Four 2" stainless tubes in the center about 3 to 4" apart with stainless plates top and bottom for mounting and base. The base plate would be larger than the 2' of the butcher block to make it stable. This turned out to be cost prohibitive and the brushing of it to make it look professional a real pain in the ass. Next I was thinking of getting some 2" copper water pipe and appropriate fittings to solder up a base. That one still has me going...sometimes. Those four wooden legs on the corners just don't do much for me.

I'll have to post a pic of the cleaver I just bought to go with it. Started sanding and it's going good. At first I wasn't going to sand the sides, but the top is coming out so good that what the heck. Now I need to decide what color to paint the legs. The white just doesn't do it for me.

Lefse