Susan G

I'm home with a wrenched back - oy - and it's fast comfort food for me: Frozen "Ethnic Gourmet" saag paneer, doctored with some Patak's lime pickle. Everything tastes better with valium, I swear!

Mango chutney dill pickles sauerkraut

Yes. Like Water For Chocolate

Beautiful work!! Just gorgeous! Doesn't it seem patently unfair to argue for inferior food on the basis that, "they're just high school kids"? As if one doesn't develop a palate until one is finished with college-catered-pap.

My most requested dish is peach upside down cake - made in an iron skillet; but what I most like to do for small dinner parties (fewer than five people) is a cheese fondue. Hopelessly naff, que no?

Maybe this should be under the thread, "Weird Things You Do", but I abhor the practice of putting used, stinky sponges in with my tableware for a hot wash cycle.........this has become a marital bone of contention. Knowing the water in the dishwasher is repeatedly used, even after the bleach solution/dishwashing liquid has been added, unnerves me. Ick! Ick! I use a bucket with 1:10 bleach water solution, and let the little sponges soak for ten minutes or more. The CDC advises this for getting rid of viruses.

Wow. I had suspected the text would rail against too much sex (as caffeine is a stimulant)...............but, wow. What a screed!

I just caught a re-run of ICA with Mario Batali.........loved the cooking, hated the judges. yikes! All the celebrity judges discussed their approval of the tastes in dieting terms: "It was a much lighter flavor than I had expected from fried food", etc., etc. I remarked to my husband it was disappointing that the barely-verbal judges weren't professional foodies: We could learn as much about the discernment of flavors from the judges as we could about techniques from the chefs. But I'll be looking out for the new episodes........

The closest Chinatown for Buffalo is in Toronto. And it's very good!

Coarsely ground black pepper. Chopped garlic shoots or chives. A tablespoon of cider vinegar. Or a cup of grated pepper-jack cheese.

Canned lychees. I could live happily for the rest of my life on canned lychees. Mandarin oranges for tapioca afternoons snacks. I love canned sauerkraut.............washed, cooked with chicken broth, sliced garlic and caraway seeds: You can't tell it wasn't put up by your own mother! Canned chickpeas for hummus or channa dal curries. Beets for quick borsht.

Are we presuming the hypothetical new restaurant is also Brazilian-themed? Tango and Ptomaine Upstate New York's Route 17 used to have billboards for, "Mrs. Murphy's Smorgasbord"

No more ordering Black Forest Cake unless I'm *sure* the bakery has some idea what they're doing...........the last two slices I had, one had a layer of *strawberry* jam, and another had a light chocolate cream filing, no cherries. Grrrrr.

I meant the portion delivered to me on a plate in the dining room............by that time, even the bacon's gone silent!

French women eat with all five senses.............hearing? My entrees stay pretty quiet. Am I doing something wrong?

"Rub the inside of the pot with a garlic clove" ??? Aw, hell no! That's from a recipe from a distant time! Cut up several cloves and toss 'em into the cheese! I also like to add lots of freshly ground nutmeg and black pepper. Sounds like a fun gathering!

Chili con carne, with the ingredients in the crockpot.............it's two birds with one stone: Cheap *and* it cooks by itself! THis was my favorite meal when I was a student...........I didn't have to take time away from studies to stir a pot!

The smokey flavor of molasses would remain, as well as the coloring, but I think it's going to be difficult to calculate how long to proof the yeast so no sugar remains.............add the flour too early and it's sweetend, stop it too late and your yeast has died from malnourishment. Perhaps a pastry chef can help with this calc.?

Thank you so much everyone for the help! This has been great! The cookies are baking now - -I'll let you know how they turned out!

Thanks for the link! I had suspected there was some overlap in terms, but not confident enough to sally forth on hunch alone! There's a new Trader Joes in Santa Fe.......I'll cruise it for Valharona if I can't find the Sharfenberger!

One can add *bacon* to miso! This is a revelation! Hoo boy, miso tonight with bacon! I usally stick to the plain variety: small cubes of firm tofu with mushroom slices and carrot rounds, and topped with chopped scallions. Maybe some brown rice if there's some leftover. Bacon. A whole new world is opening!

Help! I'm trying a new recipe for Christmas cookies, and it calls for bittersweet chocolate. The only brand I've found in that variety is Ghirardelli, and this brings two questions: Is there much difference in the taste of the finished product between semi-sweet, or unsweetend, and bittersweet? Is there a favored brand of bittersweet chocolate, and where can I get some? (OK, that was three questions ) Thanks for the guidance!

I'd made a picnic on the floor of my living room. When my date was curled into the fetal position, grimacing, and whispering - well, that was what we call a "clue" something was amiss. If I'd sent him into anaphylaxis, at least I could have done something about it (at the time, I was an ambulance director). As it was, I felt horribly guilty for "poisoning" him in a way for which there was no antidote. I rubbed his neck and temples for hours. Breakfast was much better.

We had a cold snap two weeks ago in the high mesa here: I was making rolls, beef bourgignon, and molasses cookies. The heat from the oven was comforting............you know the house is too cold when the cats shun your company in the kitchen in favor of the comforters on the bed!

7/11. I'm so ashamed!