Katherine

Real Liederkranz? Who makes this? It may very well be that the current cheese plate is in fact a sharp white cheddar and not Liederkranz, but in every article that I have read that discussed the cheese plate at McSorelys, and asking the waitstaff on at least 1 or 2 occassions, its always said to have been Liederkranz. You must ask them where they get it. True Liederkranz is unlike nothing else, and sadly, has been unavailable for many years. Even a reasonable approximation would be worth seeking out.

I always wanted an automatic home fry maker: raw cut potatoes go in one end, fat and seasoning dispensed, and crispy browned home fries come out the other end.

None, unless you want to count the jar of homemade mayo I use for many things, but not for dressing greens. And I don't put pickles and ketchup on salads, so I don't count them as salad dressings, either.

Good idea? Somebody's going to sue him for discrimination, and they'll win.

Real Liederkranz? Who makes this?

Was that chocolate? Or was it brown wax?

I have red raspberries in my backyard, and the season's just started. Yesterday I picked about a quart and a half. I washed and picked them over, thinking about how the raspberries in the freezer never seem to get used up from year to year. Then I dumped them in a bowl, poured heavy cream over them, and ate them all on the spot. Yum.

We still have some of those full-service old-fashioned bakeries near where I live. The demise of bakeries like these started long before the recent Atkins craze. The problem is that places like these didn't have any competition before supermarkets started selling baked goods, and now they can't compete with the prices. Because the stuff they traditionally sell is awful. Shortening instead of butter, whipped fluff from a bucket, no better quality than the stuff in the box at the supermarket. There's just not too much demand for cupcakes with crisco shortening anymore. Not that there aren't good bakeries. The good ones have diversified, and make more popular stuff. Plus, now we have artisan bakers who make some really good products. The niche is there..

I've never made peanut butter, but I made toasted pumpkin seed butter in the blender. You'll need to add peanut oil, just a drizzle through the lid til you have enough for the nut paste to churn. After a week or two, excess oil will float back to the top and you can pour it off and reuse. If you're adding corn syrup, then you're not interested in natural style. To better simulate Jif, warm the whole thing and add melted crisco to keep it from settling. (ick!) But for really good, fresh-tasting peanut butter, buy bulk raw nuts and roast them in the oven. Planters peanuts in the jar are only borderline fresh.

No. I've never even thought of the idea of cutting a bagel vertically. My reaction is "What's the point?" Why would anyone go and do a thing like that? I had no idea people had strong feelings about this. I don't even know what you're arguing about. Vertically? Crosswise? Horizontally? What position is the bagel in when you make the cut? Are you saying that it's verboten to slice the bagel to spread or toast it, or that it shouldn't be hacked into two half-moons while in its pristine condition? Or is that after it's been spread you shouldn't cut it?

I would never go back to a restaurant that gave me lousy service the first time. They don't deserve or want my money. Tip 50% until they remember you and start giving adequate service? No way. There are lots of servers who give neglectful service to women dining alone, because women dining alone "tip poorly". Of course they get lousy tips, and they are more convinced than ever that women dining alone deserve crummy service. The worst service I ever got was none at all - the waiter decided it was too much trouble to take care of me, and I ended up walking out and skipping the meal, as there was nowhere else to eat in the area, and no time to go where there were other restaurants.

I think that the coffee might cook evenly, but I would think there would be frying oil clinging to the beans afterwards, giving the coffee some unwanted nuances.

The farmer's market in Saco is Behind Shaw's, which is on Scammon Street proper, but thanks to the demolition of the old Ames in the same plaza, you need to enter from Spring Street, which is also Route 5 at that point. So if you're heading south on Route 1, take a right at the 1st traffic light just before downtown (new church on the left), turn right immediately again, go up North Street a few blocks to Spring Street, and take a left. It's in the second block, entrance on the left. I saw him again today. Not sure if he shows up for the Wednesday morning market, as I'm in Portland at that time.

Lettuce and radishes are still barely available hereabouts, but I found... Live trout! A farmer from Hollis was selling them out of giant coolers in the back of his pickup. Mine was still flopping when I got it home. Nice breakfast, sauteed in a little butter and EVOO.

Sweetness in cornbread has nothing to do with authenticity or adaptation to the tastes of people who prefer junk food like twinkies. Sweet cornbread is northern style. The unsweet kind (baked in the cast iron skillet, as a previous poster noted) is southern style. Each is authentic in its regionality.

Asparagus with mayonnaise. I could eat that for lunch with hard boiled eggs every day.

You can buy these exact same inferior, greasy, disgusting egg rolls frozen in your grocer's freezer case. Why, if you really like them, you can get them by the case from Sysco. Er, so can your local Chi-am slop house, too.

Yes, use the chicken skins, they do add flavor, and it's a convenient way of rendering chicken fat.

If your fiddleheads taste bitter or earthy, you can remove that by boiling them in several changes of water. I've tried this, and they still have fiddlehead flavor. Unless, of course, the earthiness is what you like.

When you say "bag in box", are you referring to the silvery plastic bag-lined cardboard cubes of cheap, sweetish wine with flavoring added that are currently available in the US, or to the aseptic packs which contain fruit drinks here, but can also contain wine in Europe? Or are you really referring to true milk cartons, which are neither? I've heard that some manufacturers package quality wines in "bag in box" packaging, but they're not available in my area, and I hate having to cut open the box to get the bag out and rescue the last few glasses, even if the wine were drinkable, so I wouldn't buy that. When I was in Spain, I bought cheap aseptic pack wine to go with my dorm meals. I liked the .65 euro/liter brand better than the 1 euro type, but they were just generic table wine. The focus of the wine industry in the US is to try to convert wine drinkers into wine snobs, so they'll pay much more for an attractive product with buzz. Simultaneously, the industry is trying to convince non-winedrinkers to buy ever cheaper, more diluted and adulterated product called "wine" so they'll feel sophisticated. Neither of these fits with the image of boxed wine.

Something big and buttery, like hot buttered rum?

I was doing this once, completely unaware, while sipping Sambuca. Another woman told me later that every guy in the room was watching the show.

If you boil and mash them with plenty of liquid, then sieve to remove seeds, when they cool they will begin to set up, just like a thick bechamel. You can form them into croquettes, bread, and fry them, and serve with chocolate sauce or dulce de leche. And ice cream.

Phytoestrogens are found in yams, not sweet potatoes that are generally found in the US. And yes, I have heard that consumption of yams in Africa results in a higher natural twinning rate. That MSG = "brain poison" is completely unsubstantiated. Actually, it's been argued to death already. 'nuf sed.

What was wrong with it? Sounds like it ought to have been tasty. Maybe you need to work on the recipe. Yes. The level of interest depends on how well thought out the recipe is. Whether your bread pudding needs a sauce would depend on what's in it and how fancy you want to get. One sauce? No. Depending on the ingredients and the rest of the menu, you might be able to use any of many sauces. No. Sure, if you find a low carb bread you like, and are willing to use Splenda. Almost anything is possible.