andiesenji

I'm so glad this topic popped up again today. I have been trying out some prepared mixes from The Prepared Pantry and have had some excellent results, which were totally unanticipated. I think most members know that I am usually devoted to making things from "scratch" (sometimes carrying it to ridiculous extremes) but I also like to try some of the "convenience" mixes, as long as the results are good. I've tried any number of commercial mixes from the grocery stores with little more than mild appreciation. Several months ago I was alerted to this online vendor and began trying some of the mixes and was astonished at most of the results which are often as good as, if not better than my usual recipes. I've carefully read the list of ingredients and there are no "mysterious" ingredients with incomprehensible names, just good basic ingredients. The quality has to be good because the flavors are exceptional. This morning I baked the Anadama bread in my Sunbeam bread maker and it is very tasty. The aroma while it was baking made me salivate. I've also tried several of the cookie mixes but since this is a bread topic I will hold off on those. I also got the English Muffin mix (as well as the English Muffin Bread Machine mix) and the muffins baked on an electric griddle turned out beautifully and the flavor and texture were outstanding. My most recent order consisted of the following: Ordered: 1 M64-1 San Francisco Sourdough Gourmet Bread Machine Mixes (A Single Pack) $2.99 1 M02-1 English Muffin Bread Machine Mixes (A Single Pack) $2.99 2 M55-1 Anadama Bread - Bread Machine Mixes (A Single Pack) $2.99 1 M54-1 Buttermilk Wheat Bread Machine Mixes (One Pack) $2.99 1 M91-1 Red River Valley Settlers Multi-Grain Bread (Makes one two-pound loaf) $2.99 2 M95-1 French Bread Machine Mix - (Makes one large loaf) $2.99 1 M96-1 Summerhill Irish Potato White Bread (Makes one two-pound loaf) $2.99 1 M17-1 Country Farm White Bread Machine Mixes (A Single Pack) $2.99 1 M94-1 Summerhill Irish Oat Bread (Makes one two-pound loaf) $2.99 1 M97-1 Summerhill Irish Potato Wheat Bread (Makes one two-pound loaf) $2.99 These were all on a "featured" special price (I got an email) and some are still on the discount list: Features mixes. I think these mixes, particularly the ones that have ingredients that you don't use very often, are a bargain when discounted. It's nice to have something on hand that you can pop into the bread machine with just water and butter or(I use coconut oil with excellent results), the included yeast, and have a loaf that always turns out well. They all work on the "basic" program. I hope it is needless for me to say that I have nothing to do with this vendor, other than being a customer. Today I'm ordering some that I have not yet tried. The Black Russian Gourmet Bread and the Old World Sourdough Whole Grain Bread Mix. I'm told it is different from the San Francisco.

I belong to a forum where most of the members are in Australia and have posted an inquiry there, asking if anyone knows of it or can do a search for the item. Will report back if successful - or not...

"Esteemed!" Me? Wow, I had no idea... There are so many members on this forum who are truly to be esteemed. I'm blushing to be considered so. I have mentioned in many other threads that I am an avid gadgeteer and this knife case really fills the bill in that category. I love that my garnishing tools, many with odd shapes, fit in nicely. P.S. I love the "I Love Trader Joe's Cookbook" and the other TJ's cookbooks. I have one in my purse even now - it always goes with me on my excursions to TJ's.

If it's the item that I recall with that name, it was made in Australia and is probably no longer available in North America. The one I recall was made of thicker leather for the outside shell, almost like saddle leather and quite stiff, with suede lining and pockets and straps to secure the blades. There are several manufacturers that do make leather knife rolls and/or cases. There are also leather workers who will make custom ones such as seen in this link Definitely not your usual cooking school knife roll. I don't travel as much now (with my knives) as I once did but I have the F. Dick Wales knife case as it holds the other little bits and pieces that I also carry along and do not fit well into a regular knife roll bag. See it here. I've had numerous knife safes and cases over the many years I have had "good" knives and hauled them around because so many people whom I visited or for whom I worked had crappy knives. This case is by far the best I have ever used.

Wow, such serendipity. I was also looking for beet recipes as I pulled a bunch of golden beets from the garden this morning. I entered roasted beets The recipe is in the Everyday Food: Fresh Flavor Fast (Martha Stewart). Orange, roasted beet, and arugula salad It specified one large beet but I used four small ones. Delicious

I love this idea! I haven't seen pantyhose holders around, but I have seen shoe organizers along the same lines. Unfortunately, my kitchen cupboards are completely unusable, due to an ongoing mold problem. I may be able to hang them off the wall, however. If the pockets are opaque, it should solve the light issue. I don't think the pockets are opaque but a 3 x 5 inch file card, or similar card, with the name of the spice on it, should work okay. You might also look for hanging cosmetic organizers, although the ones I've seen have not had compartments all the same size. I have one that, when folded and fastened to go into the suitcase, looks like a tote bag but when unfolded hangs up and most of the pockets will fit a spice bottle. Some are larger and can hold three, or even four. I got it out and checked and the larger ones will hold a can of hair spray.

One of my friends solved a similar problem - moved into a small condo with a tiny kitchen - which did have a small "broom" closet which she has converted to a pantry. There was no place away from the stove or from light to store the spices and herbs so she hung four of THESE inside the door of the pantry. The door was too narrow for one of the wire racks made for that. The pockets won't fit large jars but for the standard spice bottles, or tins, they work just fine. She has the spices grouped by use so when she is going to be baking cookies, she hangs the organizer that holds cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, etc. from the cabinet knob over her prep counter. She says they are cheap enough that if they get a bit grungy, she uses them for something else. She had one hanging on her deck with some herb seedlings - punched drain holes in the bottom part of each pocket, filled them with potting soil and inserted seeds. The basil and parsley were doing quite well and were ready to transplant to a pot. Some people just have the best ideas.

Sorry I missed that one Chris. Please ignore my far too late post!

Paul, I understand your point. My reference was to the fact that multinational food companies do not have to comply with the same restrictions as local companies. There are some loopholes, engineered by Congress, specifically to allow the big conglomerate companies to avoid listing specific sources of food ingredients but small, local companies in certain states (and particularly in California, Oregon and Washington) must list every ingredient and if it is GMO. I don't think this is fair and that it puts an extra burden on the small producer. This was corrected, to a point, after the pet food disaster when a product sourced from China (and not identified as such) caused illness and death in hundreds of animals.

Chris, I got the link to this recipe on one of the Thermomix forum sites but thought the processing of the rice might be a natural for the UP. fresh rice noodles I tried making the "noodles" and did cut one batch into noodles but used some of the whole ones for wraps. It worked quite well, but I used an 8-inch round cake pan in the steamer. I have a larger steamer (actually a big couscousiere which I am going to try next time as it will hold a 10-inch round pan. Anyway, I thought you might like to try it.

I completely agree. It's very "Costco-like" of them. Both store franchises will get something in and then when it's gone, it's gone for good. I still mourn the loss of Tamari Cashews at Trader Joe's. Oh, me too! I had to put them in a sealed container on a high shelf so I wouldn't consume them all at one sitting. I would put some in one of the "little dishes" I use for prep that held less than a 1/4 cup and that was my limit... My store also no longer has the orange-flavored dried cranberries, sugar free. I loooved those.

There are lots of people who buy food processors and other appliances and never use them or use them a few times and "forget" about them, particularly if they have little room to keep them out where they are handy. Recently the thrift store to which I donated a pile of clothes that are now too large for me, had a boxed, never used Cuisinart priced at $30. I sent one of my neighbors down to buy it (military wife, small children, limited income) and she was thrilled to get it. The church down the road from my home, has a "rummage" sale twice a year and I have seen several food processors over the years show up in their sales. There are so many churches in my city that one can usually find a similar sale almost any weekend. I think the local council of churches schedules them so they don't conflict with each other. Check these sources as well as thrift shops. (I'm not a church goer but I have called the church secretary of the one down the road to find out when sales are going to be scheduled, I also donate to them.) I have three Cuisinarts, different sizes, and use them all fairly often. I was considering buying the MagiMix 5150 special deal that has been in Napa Style catalog, mainly because it comes with some extras. Then I had a second thought, curbed my buying impulse and decided, No! I really didn't need it. However, I am still tempted. If I get this I can haul the Cuisinarts to my daughter and give her custody of them. The 16-cup capacity of the MagiMix isn't as much as the big Cuis, but I can cope.

Email today from Cooking Enthusiast (one of the many kitchen utensil and gadget catalogs that sends emails to subscribers) with a "new" style knife names "Half Time Knife" - a twin-bladed knife that reminds me of something similar I saw some ten or so years ago on one of those late-night sell-a-thons. Never bought anything from them. CE says this is a Must-have kitchen workhorse that comes with a lifetime warranty. I'm not so sure of the "must-have" identity. I have several twin-bladed mezalunas and choppers - one similar to an ulu but with two blades and its own bowl. The blades appear to be stamped and I am always suspicious of stamped blades on a regular knife. The discounted price isn't too outrageous but the regular price is. (IMHO) Anyone seen or tried this item?

Genetically modified plants per se are not modified by Mendelian crosses and natural mutations but by actual modification of the genetic structure itself. Genes are removed, others are substituted - from other plants and even from other species. Not long ago there was a Science channel segment on plants into which a gene from the lightning bug had been introduced to make a glow-in-the dark plant. As mentioned above by azurite, Monsanto has had many problems Crop yields are increased and often these crops exhaust the soil far more rapidly than "normal" crops. Monsanto sells a heck of a lot of fertilizer to replace these nutrients so they have a death grip on the farmer from every angle. Jeez, I keep remembering that old movie, Soylent Green, which scared the heck out of me and that was when I began to read ingredient labels on food packages and also the beginning of my turning to organic foods whenever possible. In those days there was less available and anything labeled organic was a lot more expensive. It's much better today.

My values are extremely high when it comes to cooking or baking. When it is a "choice" and not a "necessity," it becomes more reasonable to assume that the cook is making the substitution because he or she wants to see if it works. I think this may be the true origin of "fusion" cooking and I have done a lot of this over the years because I love to experiment with food. Not always a terrific result, sometimes a disaster, but it was mostly fun. One example, I've used couscous instead of rice to serve with Asian dishes. I didn't have to but I wanted to see if it worked. I never tried to sell anyone on the idea that it was authentic. I like it and so have my guinea pigs/guests. There are lots more but this is the one that comes readily to mind. Yesterday I read a hilarious mystery that I really should mention in the topic about food in books, because food plays a significant role in the story. And an integral scene was an attempt to prepare chicken marsala by replacing the "good stuff" with low-fat and non-carb ingredients and you can guess the result. (If anyone is interested the book is Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie and it is aimed at a female audience.) I don't believe in substituting a cheap ingredient for a more expensive one and trying to pass it off as authentic. I detest the phony in everything, not just cooking. If the ingredients are too costly for the budget, make something else. There are thousands of dishes that can be made with very inexpensive ingredients. The most glaring examples are the fake "crab" and "lobster" and the "punched" scallops which are worse than phony. I've never purchased them and never will. For some things there simply is NO substitute.

In my opinion, not even a distant contender. .... Thank you for coming to Peg's defence, Andie. There was a time when I truly hated cooking. I had 3 kids, a full-time job and was attending university to complete my degree part-time. I had an hour between arriving home from work and heading off to uni to feed the kids and my husband. Peg was my other "best friend". Exactly my point. There was a time when I had three teenagers at home, a full time job during the week and was spending every weekend showing dogs, both my own and others (for pay to support my own entry fees and travel expenses). The available time for planning, shopping and preparing meals was extremely limited and I got little or no help from my husband or the kids (until sometime later when I laid down the LAW!) The recipes in Peg Bracken's book saved my sanity (and possibly the life of my husband) as the kids would willing consume "Sweep Steak," "Pedro's Special," "Old Faithful" and "Maxie's Franks" without complaint. Later, the kids learned to make some of these on their own, which took a big load off my shoulders. My husband was never "into" cooking, although he could construct a mean sandwich and often did lunch prep duty. I tried a lot of "easy to fix" recipe books but this one really made a big difference for me. The fact that it remained popular for over a generations must mean that other people also found it helpful - and fun.

The difference is that unlike selection processes (where you're accelerating the effects of natural variation) or hibridization (where you're combining existing traits of two or more plants) genetic modification is the creation of a significant mutation. It's an unknown quantity. Luckily, "modified food starch" doesn't mean GMO ... it just means that a regular starch has been altered, usually with enzymes, in order to work better as a thickener or emulsifier or binder or somesuch thing. There are no known dangers and these things are used in tiny quantities. Strange and unfortunate story about your daughter. Did the specialists say they've seen much of this sensitivity? Azurite, if a fraction of what you say is true about Monsanto (and I've heard it elsewhere) I think you've given the best argument so far against GMO foods ... at least their current manifestation. I'm going to do some research on the state of the evil empire. The one specialist in San Francisco said he had seen a significant increase in people complaining of intermittent regional ileitis, (when chronic this is Crohn's disease), associated with certain foods, not related to celiac disease or to lactose intolerance or the other "usual suspects" he began a double blind study in the early '90s. Putting subjects on a limited diet for a period of time and then feeding genetically modified food starch (corn based, which is the cheapest and thus the most common) he could duplicate their symptoms. Feeding these same subjects corn products from heirloom varieties (disguised so they weren't aware of what they were consuming), the subject group did not have the symptoms but when the GMO product in the same foods was fed, they did have the symptoms. The control group was given no GMO product and did not develop symptoms. The problem is that since the laws were relaxed in 2002, the multinational companies do not have to disclose the source of "modified food starch" so there is no way to tell if it has been genetically modified or not.' Local companies, small manufacturers in certain states must identify their products. This is not a fair policy but that is just the way things are in the here and now.

Also for my pie crust - unless I am baking for people who observe religious restrictions. Or people who are vegan - coconut oil, frozen and diced works a treat. But it just ain't the same.

In my opinion, not even a distant contender. Even though I love to cook, I love that cookbook - I have all of Peg Bracken's books and recently got the 50th anniversary book. Several million women have found the book to be helpful when they have little time and even less energy because a decently flavored meal can be tabled without spending hours in the kitchen. It was not aimed at the experienced or avid cook. It is fun to read - just the chapter titles are evocative of her humor. "30 Day-by-Day Recipes - Or the Rock Pile" "Household Hints - Or What to do When Your Churn Paddle Sticks" All written with her tongue firmly in her cheek and as you read, you can almost hear her chuckling as she puts word to paper.

The first U-line icemake I had made round, plug-shaped "cubes" that were hollow in the middle because of a cone-shaped prong that was on the bottom of each section, around which the ice formed. I think we got that one in 1971 or '72 at the Home show in L.A. We bought the demo model and picked it up at the end of the show. It had a few dings but worked just fine for several years and was still working when I sold the house in 1978. It was not frost-free and had to be periodically defrosted and cleaned. The one I got in '94 was the only frost-free one on the market at that time. I was doing some catering then and needed the capacity. U-Line is made in Wisconsin

I've had a built-in undercounter U-Line ice maker in my kitchen since it was installed in 1994 and other than having it recharged with coolant, five or six years ago, and having some external tubing replaced, it has produced ice reliably and it is dry, clean and usually quite clear but I also have a water filter system that removes most of the particulates that occur naturally in our local well water. When I lived down in the Valley, I had a smaller unit, also made by U-Line and it worked fine for me. I haven't had any experience with the other manufacturers mentioned. I think U-Line has been making home units for a very long time - I've recommended them to other people and have never heard any complaints from those who bought them.

I agree about the eggs and the milk, etc. In my personal opinion, egg white omelets are a crime against humanity - at least that portion of it that eats omelets! My omelets tend to be extra rich, tender and silky. I use whole eggs plus extra yolks, a dash of cream and of course, butter. There is no adequate substitute.

The Kitchen Contraptions email appeared this morning and included This very handy laptop protector I had seen another some months ago, not as high or with as much coverage as this one, i.e., did not protect the screen. For those who routinely use their laptop in the kitchen (and have a mouse as apparently the touchpad is covered) this should be ideal.

The taste is really not that different. Rather bland, to my taste. The customers of the Mexican market usually buy things based on price and these are often a bit cheaper than the smooth ones. I don't know why but that is just the way they are marketed here. Some people may have a personal preference for a particular variety but I don't know of this from my own experience. Perhaps some people just like a bit of a challenge.

This is the variety you found. They show up from time to time in the local Hispanic markets and in the Philippine market, which is one of my favorite places to find unusual fruits and veg. That site has two recipes - I have tried them both and both are very good but my personal preference is for the casserole. I also like it cold, drizzled with a little EVOO and a dash of balsamic v. Also, chayote, whatever variety you choose, make great pickles. And don't throw away the seed, it too is edible. The younger fruit can be peeled, chopped and added raw to salads and combined with jicama, dressed with a citrus-based dressing and tossed with a little dried ground chile pepper (choose your own degree of heat) makes a great summer salad to accompany barbecue, especially pork. My Mexican neighbors make this dish to serve with barbecued goat. Delicious! For the variety you found, my neighbor singes the spines off before peeling - just impales each one on a fork and turns it over the gas flame on her stove.