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NulloModo

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Everything posted by NulloModo

  1. oh, I almost forgot one of my favorites: Unfortunately, I killed off the rest the other day, and I am probably remembering the name incorrectly, but I believe it is La Victoria Mexican Style X-hot... I will have to double check the next time I pick up a bottle. The El Yucateco is good stuff, and easy to find at most mexican groceries, although the XXX Hot is moderately spicey at best. Marie Sharp's Belizean Heat was supposed to be a whammy according to the bottle, but it doesn't seem to pack much more heat than Tabasco...
  2. Another attempt is in order for this afternoon. I will try using less water than last time, but more than the first time. I think I will also substitute a tablespoon or so of WPI for one of Flax, the breadlike thigns that I have produced so far tasted more flaxxy than I would like them too. I will also make sure I let them rolls raise formed on the sheet this time, I am thinking that letting them rise only in the bowl, then being ripped into portions, patted down, and tossed right into the oven had to do somewhat with my earlier failures. I might also look into seeing if I can find 'baking rings' or something that I can put around them when they go into the oven so that they keep their shape.
  3. Hmm, the second baking attempt was not much better than the first. The dough was too wet and sorta flattened out on the baking sheet. I am thinking that for my next attempt I might use a bit of pure WPI as well as VWG in order to give it a more stretchy gluteny character. I am also thinking that I seem to be losing a lot of air inside when taking the big lump of dough and shaping int into individual rolls, so perhaps I will shape it into individual rolls right after mixing/kneading and them let it rise on the baking sheet, that way I won't deflate them before sticking them into the oven.
  4. I just made up another batch of the dough. This time I beat the hell out of it for a while, but the gluten never seemed to get really stretchy, and it is still quite wet, almost like an oatmeal consistency. It did however rise a ton more than the last batch, although when I took the film off from the bowl the rise quickly died. I am now letting it rise a second time after working the 'dough' a bit more... I am not sure how this stuff is going to hold its shape on the baking sheet, but I will report back when I get some results.
  5. Ah, thanks Scott, that was the one I was using, but since ADBB is down I couldn't retrieve the specifics (I did use those last night however, and I did use the oil). Hmmm, I Didn't knead them, I more just mushed it around with my fingers for a while, and my dough was far from wet. Thanks for the ideas, looks like I might be ready for another attempt today...
  6. Well, this is a reverse-engineered recipe from a commercial product that has unfortunately left the store shelves. The product I am trying to duplicate was indeed just like a regular bun, and contained the ingredients that I am working with. There is a minute amount of starch in the recipe, as the Vital Wheat Gluten still has some (the difference between VWG and What Protein Isolate I'd assume). The flax also has a minute amount, now, whether this is enough or not, I'm not sure. I am thinking that the grains in my flax seed meal might have been too coarse, so I Am thinking about running it through the coffee grinder a couple times before my next attempt to get a more flourlike consistency, in hopes that that might do the trick. But I Am a baking novice, and really have no idea how this stuff works, how long I should knead, how long I should let rise, etc...
  7. Heya, Yesterday my order from Honeyvillegrains.com came in, so I jumped straight into trying my first low-carb bun experiment. Here is the recipe I used (basically, I can't get the exact data because the board it is on is down at the moment): 6 T Vital Wheat Gluten 5 T Flax Seed Meal 4 T Oat Fiber 2 T Polydexstrose 1/2 t salt 50 mg Ascorbic Acid 1 Packet of quick-rise yeast Enough warm water to make it all pasty My method: I combined all dry ingredients in a bowl, mixed, then added the warm water till I had enough to make it into a thick pasty texture that I could knead. I tossed it around a bit, then let it sit for 45 minutes so the yeast could do its work. It rose a bit in the bowl, but didn't come close to doubling in size. Next, I divided into four equal portions and placed on a baking sheet. These went into the oven at 375 for half an hour. The results don't have a bad flavor, but are not like the light fluffy rolls I was hoping for. In fact they are very flat, have no fluff at all, and are incredibly dense. What might I need to do to make this all rise into more of a regular hamburger bun type of result? Should I have let me yeast work longer, used more of it, or added backing soda/powder/an egg ? Any suggestions would be most welcome. Thanks.
  8. NulloModo

    Turkey Leftovers

    I just had an interesting leftover concoction: I took a Yuba sheet (tofu skin) added some shredded turkey meat, some collard greens, a bit of cranberry sauce, and some gravey. I rolled it up egg-roll style, dipped in beated egg, and pan fried till crispy, then poured some Texas Pete overtop. So Turkey Egg Roll. Pretty tasty.
  9. Heya, as advice from another DE person: Have you checked out the Trader Joe's on Concord Pike (next to Sullivan's and Tweeter, across from where the American Appliance used to be). It might not be the Italian Market, but it is a big step up from other grocery stores in the area. I trek up from Bear whenever I want some good deals on good stuff and can will myself to deal with the traffic on the pike.
  10. I have seen them served both ways, although around my family the gravey was usually ladled inside the sandwhich... tending to run out all over one's chin with each bite taken.
  11. So, fifteen years or so ago, when having first moved to DE, I was introduced to the after thanksgiving joy known as the 'White Horse Sandwich'. The basic White Horse consists of white bread, cold turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, mayo, and (preferably hot) gravey. Now, I imagine this leftover sandwhich exists all over, and probably goes by a variety of names. So, my question for you is: What do you call your version of this beast, and what goes onto it? Also, if anyone knows the origin of the name 'White Horse' for this sandwhich, I would love to hear it.
  12. hmmm... as mild sauces go: Texas Pete For bloody marys: Tabasco For other stuff: I Really can't pick a favorite, I have tons of bottles of hot sauce. I do absolutely love the bottles of Datil Pepper sauce I picked up on my visit to St. Augustine last year. It almost makes it worth another trip to that god-forsaken state just to get more. I also love Blair's sauces, and Marie's Habanero XXX is pretty good.
  13. NulloModo

    Dinner! 2004

    The steak and oyster thing sounds right up my alley... I would love to hear details about how that was prepared.
  14. Tabasco certainly makes a good product, but I have a feeling a lot if its success is good marketing (but really, good marketing is critical for mega-success of any product). I always keep a bottle of tabasco around, and although it isn't my favorite general purpose hot-sauce, bloody marys just don't quite taste the same without it. Some hot sauces seem to make their reputation only through extreme heat, and not extreme flavor. All it seems to take there is a fancy label, a reference to painful bowel movements in the name, and people will gobble it up just to keep on a shelf, and never eat. Some of the extreme hot sauces actually taste very good though, I am a personal fan of Blair's line. A good friend of mine swears by Dave's Insanity, some of which I will have to pick up sometime. Then there are those which seem to live off of institutional sales. Texas Pete seems to be ubiquitous in Aramark controlled cafeterias, which is fine with me, as Texas Pete is my favorite of the mild hot-sauces on the market.
  15. Since this thread has been bumped: The DE locations are not limited to Rehoboth Beach, there is another somewhere in the mid-state area, and another couple up in the northern part of the state. I have personally visited the one on US Route 40 a couple times, with the following being my experience: General crowd (at this location) tends to be a couple families, a bunch of 20 something guys, and then a good amount of Bikers/Truckers. In fact, I can't recall a time I have ever been there and there hasn't been a line of Harleys parked out front. In general the service is fine, and friendly, and the atmosphere is bright and cheery. They have good drink and food specials on NFL game-days, and a couple big TVs if you lack one of your own. As per the wings: I am an avid consumer of buffalo wings. I used to really enjoy the breaded wings with 3-mile island sauce (I believe 911 sauce is Cluck-U's hottest, btw, but maybe Hooters in different areas use different names for their heat levels). Since having to swear off of the breaded wings, and go 'naked' I have been much less impressed. The huge amount of breading really makes the wings seem much larger and meatier. When you get down to the skin/mean/bones of it the wings Hooters uses are pretty dinky. So, for my tastes now, there are better places to get wings, but hey, the atmosphere isn't bad, and when just out with a bunch of the guys looking to drink a bit, grab a bite to eat, watch someone hitting someone else on TV, and possibly get flirted with at the same time, Hooters it he place to be.
  16. Regarding the warm greetings: I love those, as long as they feel genuine, as in the host/hostess is really happy to have me as a customer. If it seems scripted, I just get a dirty feeling. Working in service or sales there are entire books about building repoire and establishing bonds with customers. In my personal experience though, it only works if you take an actual interest in who you are helping. Try to be their friend to the extent that you really want to make their experience the best possible, not just put a layer of fake friendship on top of mechanized actions to boost a tip/commission.
  17. I teach 5/6/7/8 Music, Dance, Drama, Band, and Chorus. I guess I am fairly lucky with the cooking at my school, we have a lot of older teachers in my building (I am the youngest) and most of them have been cooking their entire lives, and enjoy doing it. We also realize that the take-out and delivery items around the school are slim pickins, so if we want anything decent on inservice days or faculty luncheons we have to bring it in ourselves. Noting that you are in chicago why not do like an Italian Beef station? Get a big pot of the beef simmering (do you simmer the beef for Italian beef? I've always assumed that it was a wet au jus style prep, but I could be wrong), and just set up bowls of the pepper mix, veggies, rolls, etc alongside. Big pots of meatballs also tend to make frequent appearances now that I think about it.
  18. NulloModo

    Black lime

    Hmmm... I once found something like that in a brown paper bag above my refrigerator. I believe they had started out as regular limes about a year before placed up there to ripen...
  19. Pork rinds in canned devilled ham.
  20. Invest in a couple cases of beer (or bottles of wine if your friends swing that way) and invite the buddies over. Drink heavily until someone accepts your dare to eat the entire bowl, then be entertained when recollecting the experience thereafter.
  21. Not speaking for NulloMondo, but I don't think he said he was denying care, just not willing to pay for it. Dangerous sex isn't a part of being gay (I'm assuming it's not a choice, just who you are.) But should the rest of us pay for someone who knowingly has unsafe sex after say, 1986? We know how you get exposed to HIV. We know what happens when you point a loaded gun. My point is I don't think people know exactly what the cause and effect of eating fast food is. I'm not speaking in absolutes here. Just thinking out loud about personal responsibility. Can I say how much appreciate the tone of this discussion? What a nice change after seeing NBA players and fans beat each other up. ← I realize I might not be clear either, and my analogy might not have been the best one. I just think that stating that denying care or making people bear the entire health care cost based because of personal choices won't work. There's something elitist about it. Fast food is really cheap and there are people out there who don't earn enough to pay for healthy food (read Barbara Ehrenreich) or they live in places with no cooking equipment so their only option is to grab a meal in these places. To now say they have to pay the full freight of their healthcare costs is piling on. ← I personally don't see the elitism is forcing people to answer for their own actions, as long as this policy is enforced all of the way up and down the social ladder. Perhaps denying coverage would be a tad extreme in restrospect, but I see nothing wrong with raising premiums on those who have exceedingly poor health due to smoking/excessive drinking/excessive fast-food or other junk intake. The companies could then recoupe the money lost on extra care through the higher premiums and the financial penalty over time might force some of those fast-food junkies to think about chaning their diet. I have to disagree about anyone being forced to live on fast-food however. In the poor rural areas cooking equipment is still availible, as is generally cheap produce from the local farmers. In the poorest urban areas, where I am assuming you feel these people live, there are still welfare programs, food stamps, community kitchens, and other resources availible so one never truly has to turn to McDonalds as the only econmic means of sustenance.
  22. Sorry, I'm not being very clear. I too would like to take the stance if you don't like it or it's bad for you, don't eat it. But my point is that because of those things (corporate welfare, the deregulation of the media, government subsidies to favorite states and industries, labor conditions in countries that make your food and blue jeans, etc), fast food is gaining ground. The prices are artificially low, media doesn't want to offend a major sponsor (or is owned by a major sponsor), et al. Re the govenment sticking its nose inot our personal habits, I'm just playing devil's advocate here and don't know exactly how I feel about this but does your right to smoke supercede my right not to be around it, especially if it's a health hazard? Does your right to eat super-processed high fat crap reign supreme if this lifestyle is proven dangerous and adds an additional burden on our health care system? Just asking. I walk or drive by a McDonalds and see the throngs and wonder, Can't you smell that putrid scent? Are You folks nuts? If it were simply a matter of taste or personal responsibility, I'd say fine, but these guys have the upper hand and it's assisted by the government. ← I see where you are coming from now. No doubt you are correct that certain big business find it easier to compete with the current govt. climate than they would without help. I suppose this book really goes into depth about how this deals with the food industry, and I would personally be interested in reading those segments, maybe I will have to pick it up. Still, for the govt. to be chastising big fast-food with one hand while feeding it under the table with the other... I am sure you can see the problems inherent with a situation like that developing. With regard to the smoking: I do not smoke, personally. However, I do feel that someone has the right to do it if they are not unduly inconveniencing others. My big issue with the anti-smoking legislation is that in many areas now places where people expect to find smoke are now non-smoking zones. I think anyone could agree schools, office buildings, etc should be smoke-free. However, for seedy dens of debauchery such as bars, nightclubs, casinos, etc, I would personally take the stance that if you want to go, you can deal with the smoke. Either that or let the individual establishments decide if they want to be smoking allowed or non-smoking, give choice and freedom to decide back to the people. If a business finds it is losing business because it has a smoking policy, they will probably go the other way, but if they find it more lucrative to allow it, they do that, either way, what majority of patrons want is what they get. Now how to tie this in with the fast-food thing: bringing up the potential burden on the healthcare system adds a whole new set of questions. Personally, I would see the easier solution as just denying coverage to those who abused their bodies in the first place. If you have ailments due to a lifetime of poor eating/drinking/etc habits, tough luck, it comes out of your pocket or you don't get the care, shoulda known better. As much as I feel strongly for freedom to choose exactly how to live one's life, I feel just as strongly about being personally completely liable for the results and consequences of those actions.
  23. I actually enjoy famliarity and informality from waitstaff. Being in good humor helps ease the inherent tension of being served by others, and just makes the experience that much more relaxed and pleasurable. I also don't mind cute things scribbled on checks, it usually makes me smile, and a nice smile after a good meal is always a pleasant way to end things. I also hardly ever turn down pepper or cheese when offered up before I have tasted. There are preccious few things that don't taste better with some fresh cracked black pepper on top, and if it is appropriate for a dish to be served with cheese, then sure, I would like some more added right at the table.
  24. Well, if the other two are going to make manicotti or something similar, you have your veggie options most likely covered... When my school does pot-luck lunches I often turn to the crockpot, just set everything into it the night before, turn up the heat, and grab the stonewear liner out with the food inside the next morning. A pork shoulder or two, several cans of saurkraut, carraway seed, bay leaf, some keibalsa, a couple onions, and various other herbs and spices turns into a rich, tangy, delectable substance to be scooped onto plates and devoured with great relish. Our last several Home-Ec teachers have been rather worthless in the kitchen aside from preparing desserts (which are apparently wonderful) so the rest of the staff covers the main courses. One of the best was when one of our janitors brought in a fry-daddy, some catfish, and corn mean and just did a fish fry as people came in. Lots of traditional casseroles also make appearances, and there is usually a deli/cheese/veggie tray laying around. Are the labs going to be in use the day of the luncheon? If not I would lean towards to slow-braised style dishes, they work great for the time of year, and easy to set up, just do the prep-work the night before, pop it into the oven before classes start, and pull it out when the hungry teachers arrive.
  25. Robyn - I see no reason why that shouldn't be enforced for all restaurants. Maybe not posted up front if it would interfere with decor, but easily accessible in written form for any diner who asks, full disclosure ala FDA requirements for food sold at supermarkets. Rancho - I didn't mean to come off as anti-government, and I am trying not to turn this into a political discussion that strays away from food. I have no issue with the government in general, I am by no means an anarchist. Hell, my paychecks come from the government and I work on a military base. I am by no means a fan of deregulation leading to mass-media consolidation, nor of protectionist practices towards certain US industries (steel manufacturing for example), I just didn't see how they fit into the discussion at hand. I suppose the issue of regulation of foodstuffs/alcohol/tobacco/etc just hits closer to home because these are day to day items that many of us purchase/consume consistently. While I am sure it would be morally superior to get huffy over labor conditions in malaysia (or wherever we are currently 'exploiting' third world labor sources) in the end it would just lead to higher prices on the goods we already have, which is hard to see as a positive. On the other hand, it is quite easy to take offense at the government stepping in saying something to the effect of "You are apparently too stupid to make your own decisions, so we are going to make them for you: you can no longer have a big-mac or enjoy a smoke at bar". The other issues are no-doubt more major on the global scale, very few of us live and think globally. I am happy enjoying my day to day life, and I feel it is perfectly reasonable to become upset when roadblocks suddenly get thrown into it because others can't manage their own.
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