andiesenji

The only way I have pickled fennel is in a sweet-sour pickling solution - the same that I use for bread and butter pickles. I also add it to a gardinere mix that includes celery, carrots, peppers, onion, garlic &etc., in the same type of pickling liquid. I put them in a lime-water solution overnight, after slicing, to keep them crisp, otherwise it is just boil the pickling liquid and pour it over the raw (treated) vegetables and let them "work" in the fridge. I've made sauerkraut but not with fennel.

Earlier I walked down the road to a neighbor's yard sale. I found a Hazel Atlas jelly jar with glass top (presently soaking to get gunk off) and this........ How often do you come across a late Victorian/Edwardian, hand-painted majolica sauce boat for 50¢? No chips, cracks or even a fleabite. It's not terribly valuable as Shorter & Son produced a lot of majolica. They are most famous for an extensive line of Toby jugs. It was made prior to 1909 when they began machine dipping the wares - this has no glaze on the foot.

I'm sure you will get some great advice here. You might also look at and subscribe to Amazing Ribs as Craig has compiled a lot of essential information about smokers, electric and otherwise. The comments from subscribers are also very helpful. Check the recipes and other sections on the site - warning, you can spend a lot of time because there is a lot to read.

Today, a simple breakfast of griddle cakes: Great grandma Sweeney's *** "Cream feather griddle cakes" With a sausage patty (not shown). *** Praised as being "light as a feather" and remembered fondly by her descendants. Good with or without syrup and even good for a cold snack later - possibly wrapped around a sausage link!

They work well with the refrigerator pickling process. I've done them with the same stuff I use for my bread and butter pickles (sweetish) and with a brine without sugar but with some mustard seeds and a garlic clove. This is the recipe from The Splendid Table I bring the liquids to a boil and pour over the washed pods or buds (I also use the buds before they flower) in small jars, cap and when cool put them in the fridge. I turn them upside down every day (put jars on a small tray in case they leak) and they are ready to use in three to five days. You can make them spicier with a small hot pepper (whole so it can be removed) in the brine. I plant batches a month apart so I will have a continuing supply. When I lived down in the Valley, I had them all year. The ones that I will plant next month will be in the shade, protected from the wind by a shade cloth barrier because they don't tolerate the hot winds here. The heirloom variety "Peach Melba" has the best flavor in the flowers, leaves and buds or pods. Some of the hybrid varieties have lost the flavor and some even have an unpleasant "musty" flavor.

I'm not sure it's "too many people" that add too little parsley, as it is too many Westerners. I think that, at least in the US, the feeling is that in order to appeal more to Western tastes, tabouli is considered to be a bulgur salad with a little parsley added. However, in the Middle East, where it originated, it's exactly the opposite: a parsley salad with a little bulgur added. And since we're discussing this, I also find most versions in the US don't have enough lemon, either. Too little parsley and too little lemon make for a much blander salad. I also think you're right, Jenni, that in different regions of the Middle East, the list of "proper" ingredients varies. I've actually traveled in the Middle East, and although most versions I've had there correspond pretty closely with that humorous video (to which I linked) and include tomatoes, I've also had versions with no tomatoes, but with cucumbers, garlic, spices, etc. Even chopped olives. Honestly, I think it's just like most salads, and for that matter, most recipes. They're going to vary. Add what you like. Leave out what you don't. But I'm a tomato girl, all the way. To each his own. I thoroughly agree. It may seem like such a simple recipe but even a little change in the amount of any of the few ingredients can make a big difference This is the recipe I use, from my friend's mother. Does it sound like it would do? Tabouli by Mrs. Gemayel Sent with permission to post online! 2/3 cup bulgur pint of cold water 1 1/2 cups parsley 1/2 cup finely chopped scallions 1/4 cup chopped mint 2 tablespoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed 1 rounded teaspoon sea salt 3 + tablespoons olive oil, (I use grapeseed oil) 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 2 medium=size tomatoes - seeded and cut into small dice ------- Dressing for tabouli (for people to add as they want) 3-4 tablespoons lemon juice, fresh squeezed 1/2 teaspoon sea salt Soak bulgur in cold water for half an hour. while soaking, wash parsley and mint, remove any big stems, wrap in a dry towel and put in fridge chop scallions (green onions) and set aside seed tomatoes and chop into fine dice (1/4 to 1/2 inch) coarsely chop parsley and mint - it should be fairly dry by now Drain bulgur, spread on a towel to dry a bit. Put bulgur into a large bowl and toss with the scallions, mashing the bulgur and scallions together to mix the flavors. Add parsley and mint and toss to mix well. in a cup whisk together the 2 tablespoons lemon juice, the salt, the black pepper and the oil Add to bulgur mix and toss well to evenly distribute Add chopped tomatoes and gently toss and mix with 2 spoons - don't break up the tomatoes. in a small bottle or jar, mix the lemon juice and salt together and set on table to sprinkle over each serving. Serve on lettuce leaves or a bed of greens - baby spinach is good.

Scrambled eggs with chicken livers (for two). With a toasted crumpet - delicious!

I have to argue with the idea of tabouleh, tabbouleh or tabouli without tomatoes. Of course there are regional variations of this dish but one of my dearest friends is Lebanesse and her mother's tabouleh is my favorite and includes tomatoes. She insists that it is a dish that originated in Lebanon, but who really knows, as it is also claimed by the Palestinians, Saudis, The middle eastern market/deli here in town caters to many ethnic groups and they sell a lot of prepared "tabbouleh" and it includes tomatoes. The list of ingredients on the (call in menu) is: Bulgur, cold water parsley, onions, mint, lemon juice, salt, black pepper, olive oil, ripe tomatoes, seeded and diced. Here's an impressive photo. My link

I have one Kitchenaid 6qt in use at the moment. I recently gave away a 5-quart cobalt blue to a neighbor who lost hers in an accident. (My vintage mixers are not used, although I do have "several" KAs among them) I use the KA for cakes, some cookies - mostly for egg whites and etc., and I have the incredibly efficient Whisk-A-Bowl that does a terrific job on egg whites. I don't have any attachments for the KA - I did try the meat grinder which seized up and the collar split the first time I tried it. I actually have dedicated appliances for all that other stuff so don't need the attachments. I have another mixer for bread dough. The KA is fine for what it is. It doesn't have the guts of the old Hobart-made KAs but it is adequate for most home use. Today's prices are reasonable. My first one, purchased in 1967 cost $145.00 - at Fedco, at a discount.

Since I probably have more specialty appliances than the average bear, I simply can't pick on one that has been a total "game changer" per se. Over the years I have changed some of the way I operate because a particular appliance made life a bit easier. Early on my Vita Mix. Rice cooker, for instance, I got one of the first ones to show up in the U.S. and have traded up as the new technologies became available and I wouldn't be without one (or more). I have not gotten a sous-vide setup nor do I intend to so no changes there. Probably I would have to nominate my Thermomix TM31 because it has profoundly changed how I do some tasks (and made them much less onerous) and saved me a lot of time.

I mentioned cornbread and I have probably beat the subject to death here on eG, but I do like the stuff I ate as a child and no one is ever going to convince me that the cakey stuff is real cornbread. No way! Here's my method.

There are a few enclaves in various remote spots around the world where pepper is not a predominate spice, but as it has been an important trade good since ancient times, there aren't many. The "Vikings" certainly knew the value and raided the coastal shipping lance far to the south of their home countries and by the middle ages there was a brisk trade in pepper, as well as other "exotic" spices. Peppercorns were used as money because they were lighter and easier to carry around than gold and silver. There are a lot of old legal documents that contain references to peppercorns used this way. (Peppercorn rent, for example.) I too love pepper and have written about it before in another thread that had extensive discussion about pepper nigrum (varieties), long pepper, sichuan pepper, etc., and also on my blog.

I have both, the Beater Blade and the Sideswipe and use both in my 6qt KA 600 "Pro" For regular cake batter, that isn't so thick, I find the Beater Blade works fine but with slightly stickier stuff my experience has been that the Sideswipe will drive the mixture down into the center of the bowl instead of it clumping around the structure of the beater. When I first got the Sideswipe and wrote about it there were dire warnings about the blade material coming off in chunks into whatever was being mixed. Like David, mine has gotten a pretty good workout and there has been no breakdown of the material. I clean the batter off it with a silicone brush so as to lose at little as possible and it goes straight into the sink and is rinsed with hot water - most stuff doesn't stick to it so it is easy to clean. I have purchased backups for both, just in case one decides to fail at some ungodly hour when there is no chance of getting another on short notice. I mean, just sayin...

Mazeltov on conquering the constabulary!

Just be careful with your back. I worked for an orthopedic surgeon for almost 40 years and I can't tell you how many times we had both men and women, who were pretty fit, limp in with a severe back problem from treating their back like a crane and trying to hoist something too heavy from the depths of a chest freezer. I got rid of a perfectly good chest freezer and bought an upright thirty years ago when i saw this happen again and again - and had a few twinges myself. Plus the space it took up on the floor was bigger than I wanted and the space above it was mostly wasted. If they made one with an hydraulic lift, I might reconsider.

Sorrel grows like a weed here - it started in one large pot and has self-seeded itself all over the place so I now have five pots of it, plus a few freewheeling plants in the ground. I wrap all kinds of things in the leaves. I don't much care for lamb but I love goat meat and chunks of goat meat, which is quite sweet, has a great affinity for sorrel - the flavors balance and enhance each other. I use grape, fig, avocado and raspberry leaves that friends give me. I grow nasturtiums and use both the leaves and flowers in salads and occasionally I grow amaranth both for seeds and for the leaves. The big-leaf variety Amaranthus caudatus is a big, hardy plant in my area that produces a lot of leaves and a lot of seeds. It's not one of the usual ornamental varieties.

Salt is salt to many people and they use whatever they can easily purchase in their locality and more power to them. I have posted in other threads, ad infinitum, about how much I like salt in as many of its manifestations as I have been able to purchase - so far. It's true that many tasters can't tell the difference between types of salts - even when not diluted or mixed with other things - but some people can, me among them. I certainly can't tell if a roasted chicken has been salted with one type of salt or another - the chicken is the predominate flavor and the salt only enhances it. However, if I spread some unsalted butter on a few pieces of plain white bread and then sprinkle different types of salt flakes on the butter, I can tell, without looking, most of the salt types. Not all, my tastes buds are elderly and no longer have the finer senses that I had forty or fifty years ago. It's fun trying. And I will continue to "collect" salts because I enjoy it, without making it a science project.

I've ordered some of the "Fridge Monkeys" as I think it will be a good way to store some of the bottles of sauces I have. Since I have a P-Touch label printer, I will print labels to stick on the bottoms of the bottles to make them readily identifiable - that way I won't have to shuffle the ones in the front of the shelf to see the ones behind. I also am going to see if one will hold my collection of rolling pins. I have some other ideas too..........

Today's Gear Patrol email included this interesting and inexpensive "gadget" the Fridge Monkey I really don't get the name but it does look like it could be handy in any number of applications. It's not a gadget, but the same email contained a note about the introduction of Stumptown Coffee Roasters "Hair Bender Espresso Blend" I have to confess that I simply do not understand some of these new names, which to me are not descriptive of the source, the method of preparation/roasting and I hope it is not the effect one gets from drinking the end product.

After discovering some "forgotten" boxes while cleaning out my tea cabinet, I brought some "display" teas to the fore and today have prepared one called: "Red Bloom" by Adagio - a black tea with a red flower tied into the bundle of leaves. This is one tea that improves with prolonged steeping. The directions say steep for 5 minutes but I have found that twice that long is better and it is still good with even longer steeping, no bitterness at all.

It's 21 inches tall with the cap in place, 17 without. I used the spigot quite often, when blending juices and other thin stuff, especially in multiple batches, much easier than removing the jug and the lids, etc., etc. My one complaint was not being able to see what was happening in the thing but I learned to dip the "pusher" and look at the consistency of whatever was being blended. It was especially handy for dispensing soups. Cleaning was not that difficult - hot water with a couple of drops of Dawn dish detergent, turn on and let it agitate, then open the spigot and let it run out. Follow up with two rinses of hot water. Rarely needed to do anything else except let it drain and dry. Are you getting the instruction book with the blender?

I've had three instant hot water dispensers, in-sink-erator units, over the years in this house and currently have this one with an auxiliary in-line filter system, absolutely necessary in my area. The heaters last longer without the stress of heavy calcium buildup. It saves me a lot of time when blanching vegetables &etc., not to mention not having to wait for water to boil for pasta. Also for sterilizing containers - do get a jar holder to hold them securely. I also have the Zojirushi water boilers - so I don't have to trek all the way to the kitchen when I want to make tea or otherwise need hot water.

I certainly don't agree that Lurpak and Plugra are better than Kerrygold. And the Strauss butter always tastes a bit spoiled to me. But then again, I taste things that other people don't. I have tasted these and other butters side-by-side on low-salt, fat-free saltine crackers. I think this is a better base for tasting just the butter because it is a more neutral flavor than plain bread. I have a problem with the Challenge European style butter because to me it is too "waxy" which is the only word I can think of to describe what I sense when I taste it. It's better than the others but doesn't have the creaminess of the Kerrygold. I think that this is pretty much a personal thing and not everyone is going to like the same thing. There is more complexity to butter than one may think. I have to say that there is one French butter that to my taste is far superior to any others that I have tried and I have been trying to achieve that flavor with my homemade stuff for years. And that is the lightly salted Isigny AOP Butter. I could eat it like candy.

It sounds like Swee-Touch-Nee It is sold at my local Walmart.

My baker friend buys the smaller molds from Chocolat and from R & R and they also make custom chocolate molds - he had some made that reflect the local flora and fauna (his own designs). for the larger ones - he buys the less expensive ones from moldsanmore The 12 inch santa is at the bottom of the page and the back half is on page 3. The four inch santas on page 3 are filled with marshmallow, as are some of the other 3-D chocolates, Toy soldier, trees, etc. He's also got santa in free-standing sleigh molds that are about 8" high x 10 " long but doesn't remember where he got the molds for them. He's also bought a few unusual antique/vintage molds from Carolyn Byrnes because of the difficulty in finding new Victorian style molds. He said he's going to email me a site that has a long list of mold makers and suppliers, as soon as he finds the link. I will post it later.