Smithy

I love these stories. This is a great topic. Kerry, was there anything in particular about Minnie's way of doing smoked salmon that made it special? (If so, care to share?) And what do you mean by lemonade similar to lemon squash? And, er, since I'm asking...what about those sour cream cookies? Those sound dangerous...

My mother's mother was apparently quite a character, but I never met her. She seems to have been one of those "stay out of my kitchen" sorts, when she was cooking; they had household help that did some of the cooking also, but the children were never permitted to help. My mother arrived at marriage without having learned *anything* about cooking, and some of her early mishaps were hilarious. I offer this illustration of my mother's parents: The scene: at the dinner table, just having said grace. He, picking up his fork: "This is delicious" She: "You haven't even tasted it yet!" He: "looking" My father's mother was a great home cook, although looking back on it I think her most-used seasonings were salt, pepper and boundless love. The one thing I may have learned from Nana is her green beans. Today's chefs would dismiss them out of hand: they were soft and olive drab; all we cared about was their melt-in-the-mouth deep flavor. We tried (how we tried!) to learn how she made them. Cousin Sally took careful notes on at least one occasion. Nobody got it right. Eventually, I inherited Nana's green bean pots, along with Dad's story of how she got that set when he was 10 and she threw a Wearever party, like a Tupperware party, to earn them and some money for his birthday. That makes the pots of about 1929 vintage, and I use them today...and with a bit of bacon, a very little water, a lot of time and memories, I believe I have Nana's green beans about right.

Boy, howdy.

I applaud your creativity! With regard to the potatoes: what about a quick saute in very hot oil, with some good seasonings? I take it these baby potatoes are already cooked? What is their texture out of the jar?

I'm eager to read your assessments of the various types, as you learn more and develop preferences.

Thanks for that information about the spice packets. Those are new to me. Funny you should mention those, rotuts; tonight's dinner was based on Patak's Mild Curry sauce! I bought it on a whim some time ago. We both liked it a lot...enough to figure we'll keep it on hand routinely, and enough that I, the cook, have been declared A Genius.OK, back to the blog. Munchymom, if it isn't too personal: are you cooking for yourself only, these days? And what led you to your current location? (If you'd rather not answer, a Lofty Silence is just fine.)

I love Indian food. Do you find yourself relying on nearby restaurants for certain cuisines (like Indian), or do you make your own sometimes? I'm guessing that you have a broad selection of restaurants close by where you live.

I'm with you on the green bell peppers, although I've found a (very) few cases where they really are better than the ripe ones. Breakfast alfresco...how lovely! And that meal last night!! That looked wonderful. Did you make the horseradish sauce?

I recently heard a poem about having reached the age of "relay" errands. One person goes downstairs to the requisite area, while the other person waits at the top of the stairs to yell down the answer to "what did I come down here for?" Back to the business of cleaning napkins: I have found that some of the "cotton twill" napkins I've purchased for their color and low price take grease stains that I haven't gotten out with standard washing. As far as I can tell they're from food grease: maybe vegetable or olive oil, maybe something more solid at room temperature. They're fine for our home use but not for company, unless I can get the spots out. For those of you who do use cloth, do you have a preferred stain remover?

That was my sense of Amazon, also, although I may revisit the issue with regard to valuable books, if I ever decide to part with them. For the books I've given away so far, I've much preferred the feeling that I've given to a useful cause, and I wasn't obliged to wait for a buyer.

One of my favorite uncles used to live in Delray Beach, and he wrote interesting and educational letters about the agricultural productivity of Palm Beach County. You're in a good place for CSA and locavore eating.

I'm looking forward to this! You're in Boca Raton?

Cloth napkins, almost always. I dislike the wastefulness of of single-use paper napkins, including the water needed to make them, although I'm not a purist on this issue: I do use paper towels, and other disposable paper products, when they seem like the best material for the job. It could be that cloth napkins help satisfy my nearly-terminal weakness for textiles. I do love cloth: its colors, its patterns, its texture, its ability to combine utility with beauty. It's usually just 2 of us, and the napkins stay in position until I deem them ready for the laundry, in which case they go into the laundry basket until time to wash. He uses his napkin, I use mine, and I can't think of a germ we haven't shared already. When we entertain, all the table linens are fresh, and the guests' linens go into the wash afterward. Y'all can come visit us any time, without having to worry about sharing somebody's germs.

I know of no such restriction in California, and can't imagine why there should be one anywhere. This summer I donated my mother's set of Corelle dinnerware and it was gladly received. I think it's just so generally well-appreciated that, as dcarch said, people don't want to part with it.

Huh. the Egyptian-themed plate had me going generically toward someone of Mideastern extraction living in the USA, but "she" throws me. We haven't seen Behemoth in ages, and it can't be Hassouni or Foodman due to the gender. I'm eager to see the answer!

I bought mine at some of my favorite kitchen stores. They're getting easier to find, so you probably don't need to go to your local Sur la Table for them. If you want to see them online, just google "Charles Viancin" or, for what I'm showing, "Charles Viancin lily pads". A lot of links will pop up. Edited to add gratuitous Amazon link: AMAZON LINK

The decision has been made by now, I suspect, but here's my input anyway. I can understand your not wanting to invite strangers to your wedding, but can you make the country club donate those meals to a homeless shelter? If it's being purchased, they should have to deliver it. Otherwise, you shouldn't have to pay that much unless there's some contract clause regarding minimums or late guest adjustments. Someday, after the aggravation has died down, you'll have a good story to tell. Meanwhile, I wish you a joyous celebration and an excellent marriage.

To elaborate on Mjx's answer: they're very smooth and somewhat flexible, so they "stick" just a bit to the rim of any sufficiently smooth object. Glass, plastic, metal: if the rim is smooth, there's a good enough fit that if you pull up on the handle of the lid, air can't get in to break the seal. On the other hand, if you simply life an edge, the lid releases. If gas pressure builds up under the lid, that gas can escape because the contact between the rim and the lid isn't sticky enough to trap gases in. My sister and I established that it will hold against a small liquid pressure - sloshing gently - but I wouldn't trust it for transport as much as, say, a fitted snap-on lid.

Earlier this year, or maybe last year, I started picking up these great silicone toppers, marketed under the name of Charles Viancin - Paris. (I later read a label and realized they're actually made in China. Let the buyer beware.) These things are great. They're oven-proof to 400F or so, they're microwave-proof, unlike an earlier iteration given to me as a wonderful present, they're refrigerator-proof. They make a very tight one-way seal with any other smooth surface: I can put a lily pad on a Pyrex bowl and lift the bowl by the lilypad's knob...although there are limits (the small lid in the photo can't pick up the jar of kraut in the photo), and the manufacturer does NOT recommend using the lid to carry a load. The one thing absolutely prohibited is to cut on these with a sharp object, and it makes sense: surely some knife will ruin the smooth surface, and then you won't have a good seal. Most of my lids are in the shape of lily pads - very whimsical - but there are also sunflower shapes and banana leaf shapes. The banana leaves are squarish or rectangularish, and intended for thing like casserole dishes. Aside from the fact that these can't be biodegradable and are likely to be around even after the cockroaches all die off, I think these are a wonderful innovation. Is anyone else around here using them?

Do you have a picture of the lid?I've been meaning to post about this on the Kitchen Consumer topic, but here's a great intro. I've been quite taken with the Charles Viancin silicon lids. Mine are shaped like lily pads, but they now come in sunflower and banana leaf shapes as well, and in various sizes. The bottoms are so smooth that they make a very tight seal with any other smooth surface, so air can escape but not return. The lily pad I used was slightly larger than the jar opening. I've included another photo with different sizes.

Intracoastal waterway. Judiu?

I'm so glad to see this topic come back to life! (Sorry, I couldn't resist the theme. I know you've both been busy.) I'm very taken with the imagery of a beating masa by hand until fluffy and light. Strength, indeed! I have to resort to electricity to whip cream, for heaven's sake, much less masa. The corundas sound tasty. Thanks to Heidi for adding a video, I'm still eager to hear more, after y'all catch your breath! Like Nancy in Mexico, I want to know why it's called difuntos in Ecuador. Anything else you can add will be welcome. If it isn't too far off-topic, I'd like to know whether people *feel* the presence of loved ones' returns, or simply try to recognize that they might be there? The flowers and recognition of babies lost particularly haunts me. I hope the parents find some comfort.

Hmm. Could it instead be somewhere on the Gulf Coast, or along an Intracoastal Waterway? The two shores look pretty close together, if I'm looking at the photo properly.

OK, now I want a Caja China box. And an excuse to use it. This looks a lot like a commercially-prepared version of a box Mayhaw Man used, way back when, for roasting large chunks of meat. I think he called the topic "Contraption Cooking". If I can find it, I'll post a link...very entertaining, as I recall. I never got around to building one of those, either; I just drooled and admired. As I will on this topic, no doubt. Edited to add: the topic is called "The boy ain't right in the head" and it's at http://forums.egullet.org/topic/67441-the-boy-aint-right-in-the-head The reference to Contraption Cooking is a bit further down, referring to book that was then in progress.

Lancaster/Palmdale area, perhaps? I get the impression Andie can grow just about anything.