judiu

Gastro, try this: Using "tubed" crescent roll dough, rather than puff pastry, cubed cream cheese instead of brie, and mix the mayo with whole fruit cranberry sauce. Do a stripe of cranberry stuff, a couple of chunks of cream cheese, and more cranberry stuff. Roll up and bake. I'll bet they lap 'em up!

Um, actually, no. Fennel seed is from the fennel plant, and does have a sort of anise taste, but savory, not sweet. Anise seed,OTOH, has a sweet taste, as well as licorice-y taste, if my memory serves me right...

Mace is derived from the nutmeg, and generally "works" with whatever you'd put nutmeg in. Savory comes in two varieties, summer and plain old. I love summer savory with green beans almondine, or beans just steamed with butter! YUM

It was suggested to me by a doctor that I slather my feet and lower legs with Crisco (I have issues with them due to bad circulation and type 2 diabetes) Maybe if you used Crisco on your hands overnight and wore plain white cotton gloves?

I have a feeling my "no new stuff" program is going to hell in a handbasket, here! Oh, well, what's a few more boxes gonna hurt once I get started moving?

Now I'm getting curious. Cook's Illustrated magazine did a butter tasting, and came up with Land O Lakes Extra Creamy as the winner. I can't seem to find that down here in south Florida (might be at Whole Paycheck, but I rarely get up that way), but what I have found is KerryGold, which is imported from Ireland, and is wonderful! I also like the canned Danish butter I see every so often; its' funky cheesieness is great on bread and toast!

Take skinny sliced bacon, dredge in grated parmigiano (sp?) on one side only, then wrap around the breadstick cheese side in. Bake at 325-350 F until done. Let cool and munch away!

9 out of 11 for me!

Winesonoma, you reminded of MY favorite picnic thingee (I WISH I had a digital camera!) It's called a Leatherman Flair, and it has needlenose pliers (for the bale on the champagne) a corkscrew with assist, several other gadgets such as scissors and screwdrivers, a pate spreader blade, AND a serving fork for the olives or cornichones (sp?)! http://www.leatherman.com/products/tools/r...air/default.asp Hopefully, the link above will work and you can see it for yourself! Unfortunately, it's considerably more expensive than your little gem, but it's a HELL of a stocking stuffer!

The best gadgets I've discovered lately are the flexible chopping mats made out of polyurethane. They won't dull a good knife, absorb "off" flavors, or grow bacteria. They're easy to clean, and easy to chuck out when they get old. I gave some to a friend for Christmas several years ago; she thought I was nuts until she started using them and realised how neat they are.

Due to the generosity of many e-Gulleters, and the Friends of the Library store, my count has zoomed to 35, one of which is a Christmas gift for my boss. I can't quote the title exactly, but it's a collection of recipes from Commanders Palace in NO. And, as it has been said, it's not even Christmas yet!

My sainted grandmother, who always "did" the holidays put out a relish tray, as well. She was from New York and lived on Long Island when I was young. There were always radishes, celery sticks, carrot sticks, pimento stuffed olives (which I had the vile habit of sucking out the pimento, eating it, and put the olives back! ) (Hey, I said I was young! ) and pickles. My mom discover Dilly Beans when I was about 8, and they soon became the "nosh" of choice. Unfortunately, the pretty glass dishes that were used for the display of the goodies have long fallen by the wayside. Any one have a Dilly Bean connection?

Another vote for Buttercream Dreams

KatieM, It's not that Malone is not a "pretty" name, but it conjures up a vision of "cockles and mussles, alive alive-o" rather than cakes! (ducks and covers)

Katie, since you say your brother may be joining you, and you, I take it, plan to expand the business to include food other than sweets, why not just go with "Custom Cusine" ? It shows "made to order" (Custom) and the fact that you have more than just sweets to offer (Cusine). Sound good to you? Best of luck with the new location and venture! Edited because I can't type worth a damn!

Nah, the cheese would overwhelm the delicate nuances of the peanut butter . How about homemade bead and butter pickles instead?

I, who don't much care for turkey "as is", generally end up bringing my own cranberry sauce to the home I've been invited to. Several years ago I tried making my own whole berry sauce with orange juice & peel, but it tasted about like the "cran-fruit" stuff in the tub, so now I buy a can of the whole berry sauce. I love it, and it just ain't Turkey Day without it!

Hellmann's mayo, or good brown gravy. Or ranch dressing. Or sausage gravy (the white kind that goes over biscuits [drool]). Ah, rats, now I'm hungry and it's not even lunchtime yet!

As far as I can tell, it does. Coke also came in a 12 oz glass bottle of about the same shape as the classic, but tasted different to me.

Many years ago I head a theory that the shape of a container affected the taste, which is why Coca Cola in the 6 oz. bottle tasted different than the Coca Cola in a 2 litre bottle. At the time, the theory went that when "cosmic rays" bombarded the product, the shape of the container bent them, and that's what made the taste change.

Yep, that's how ya gotta do it, alright. I also drive waitresses nuts. They can't figure out why I order the "low carb" breakfast and the put jam on my sausages! (I figure ther are fewer carbs in two T. of jelly or jam than in 2 slices of toast and potatoes - sob-) Also, if I'm ordering breakfast out, it's usually about 2 p.m. and my blood sugar has taken a dive!

I'm not familiar with the "boutique" brands under discussion here, but I'll cast my vote for Dr. Brown's black cherry and cream sodas. Some of the best I've had.

I'd suggest as a reference The Foxfire Books as having interesting pictures and articles about making moonshine. The books were published as an ongoing project by a high school in Rabun's Gap, GA (I THINK). They deal with the history of the area and throughout the mountains. I'm not good at the link thing, but I looked on Amazon and they have the books, some as cheap as $1.79 used... (edited because my brain gets ahead of my fingers...)

Two words: Super Glue. Stings, but it seals the cut immediately.

EGullet has shown me that I have friends I've never met, people who enjoy all things "food" as much as I do, and who love to talk about thier obsessions. It has also proved to me that there really is a Tony Bourdain...