andiesenji

After reading your post yesterday, I did some searching for marshmallow lollipop creations and found these sites, which may or may not have some appropriate ideas. multi color pops fancy lollipops I saw packages of little green sugar shamrocks at Michael's crafts last week. I think that is what is used on one of these: Wilton's shamrock sprinkles more fancy lollies The Peeps site shows them made into lollipops and they now have so many interesting shapes, and have a sturdier mass that holds up well to dipping and etc. (Turn off your sound because the site music is annoying) Click on the heading Featured Recipes and Crafts and then on the Recipes and Crafts button. Peeps All my kids ever wanted to do with them was explode them in the microwave. Or rather, microwave them for a few seconds to see how big they would grow before collapsing.

Here are some marshmallows on "sticks" coated with chocolate but in molds. Bitter chocolate dunkers

The organization is a desperation measure. Otherwise I can find myself with too much of one or more of the more "exotic" flours because it was too difficult to find the on-hand supply and I purchased more. (And all too often I am an impulse shopper.) Before I began using the wire racks with everything fairly visible, I found 4 containers of teff flour in different cupboards and none was still usable. (Rancid) Other items that were often duplicated: Wheat berries, rye flakes, oatmeal. Also, the advantage of transferring a flour to a container as soon as one gets home from shopping, is that sometimes one finds "hitchikers" in the bottom of the box or bag. These items are promptly returned to the store. If you keep them more than a couple of days the store is less likely to accept it because they can say the bugs were already in your house.

Steve, how do you like the pumpernickel from KA? I've been using the organic rye from Barry farm. http://www.barryfarm.com/nutri_info/flours/ryepumpk.html And like the texture and flavor. I tried the rye from KA several years ago and wasn't impressed with the results but I understand they have changed sources in recent years but I have yet to try their pumpernickel. I'm trying to stick to organic as much as possible because I am trying to use only non-GMO ingredients as much as possible and I am happy to see that KA now offers the organic pumpernickel.

I use several different kinds of flour, some purchased, some ground from whole grains in small amounts because they turn rancid rapidly and I keep the whole grains in the pantry freezer - reserved for them, nuts and seeds, etc. I buy specialty flours from King Arthur and others and depending on shelf stability keep them in the pantry or the freezer. I always transfer them to containers that can be tightly sealed and with those that are very iffy, i.e. nut flours, vacuum seal them. I spend a lot of money on them and do not want to waste it by having to throw them out. Here's a photo of my pantry flour shelf during a baking phase - some will go back into the freezer after I have finished.

Years ago I tried, with disastrous results, a "sort-of" Triscuit, made with shredded wheat cereal - not a good idea and it was very time consuming and labor intensive, involving soaking bite-size shredded wheat then flattening them before seasoning them letting them dry and then baking them. Rolling them flat was an exercise in frustration. However, I have made a couple of the cracker recipes from this article by Peter Reinhart. The wheat crackers were very good, especially, as he mentions, if they are sort of scorched. http://articles.latimes.com/2008/may/28/food/fo-cracker28

I haven't had that problem but I don't put the heat up very high. I do remove the marzipan from the container and knead it on my marble slab until it "feels" right and can be easily shaped but holds its shape - my test is to simply form a walnut-sized clump into a cone and roll it around until the cone tip is fairly sharp then set it on its bottom. If the tip doesn't deform, it is the correct consistency. Years ago my teacher would pinch some into a petal shape with a curve and if that shape held, that was her test. My fingers are no as adept so my petals are not so pretty so - - - -

I forgot to mention that I still love the Chex mix (homemade) the original "mixed snack bowl" from way back when.

Me too. I measure and count them out carefully when I am alone, sealing the boxes and bags and putting them away before eating anything so I will not be tempted to double-dip. I am a huge fan of TJs - my downfall are the Calbee Snapea Crisps. However I also have great fondness for the black pepper potato chips and at Sam's Club the enormous bags of peppered pita crisps.

After many years of having my cholesterol tested and outliving several doctors who kept advising me to change my diet, even though my cholesterol was normal, I am still convinced that genetics has more to do with cholesterol than diet. I'm now 70 and my doctor (age 38) shakes his head as he studies notes on what and how I eat (lots of supposedly "bad" foods, i.e., butter, cheese, bacon and etc.) and then looks at my blood tests that reveal my total cholesterol is 148 with LDL at 19% of the total and HDL 81%. I'm descended from a long line of ancestors who also ate all the "wrong" foods, lived much longer than others in their generations with little incidence of heart disease. I've often written about my great-grandmother who was born in 1844 and died in 1949 when I was ten. She ate loads of butter, bacon, ham and cheese. There were no tests for cholesterol back in those days but I would wager that hers was much like mine is now. My dad passed away last month at age 89 from complications following cancer surgery but he still had normal cholesterol a few weeks before he died. I also think it IS possible to mitigate the levels of triglycerides and lipids somewhat with diet but far too often the results are not all that satisfactory, considering the hoops through one has to jump to achieve it. I also don't trust most, if not all, of the cholesterol-lowering drugs. Some of the early ones were taken off the market because of undesirable side effects and others were rushed (in my opinion) into production after patient trials that in some cases were not as thorough as advertised. There is a lot of money to be made in the industry and as recent news has shown, not every drug company thinks of patient welfare before profits. Frankly, I would rather enjoy a somewhat shorter life than spend years denying myself the things I truly love.

You could also try this "tea" http://www.vanillagarlic.com/2010/02/kumquat-tea-and-trivial-things.html

Limequats can be used the same as limes and kumquats or any other citrus. They are a cross of lime and kumquat that supposedly was developed in China. However there is a grower in Vista, CA that is producing large crops and selling at the wholesale produce market in L.A. Two local stores sell them at very reasonable prices, compared to what they sold for just a few years ago. They make good preserves and you can preserve them like lemons in salt. I've preserved the Mexican or Key limes that way and had good results. Last year I got some Limettas at the middle eastern market and made spicy lime pickle with them. They are probably not as sweet as limequats. I used this recipe, my first try with it and it turned out exceptionally well: http://www.aayisrecipes.com/2009/03/14/lime-pickle/

A few months ago I ordered some spice blends (specifically the Ethiopian sweet spice blend) from the following vendor and also got some of the Tallouine saffron which I used when I made a saffron cake. I had other saffron, which had been in the cupboard longer and wanted to use it up before using more of this one. It was very good, with very long, dark red threads which produced what I consider exceptional color and flavor as it gave the cake the bittersweet, almondy flavor that had been lacking in other saffrons I have used in the past couple of years. http://search.store.yahoo.net/cgi-bin/nsearch?catalog=yhst-74989174089924&vwcatalog=yhst-74989174089924&query=saffron&x=9&y=13

I keep them out on the counter for the 30 days, or so that it takes for the pickling to mature and then refrigerate them. However, I have made large batches in my pickling crock (has weights to keep whatever is pickling under the liquid) and then transferred the lemons and brine to sterilized jars which are subsequently canned using the regular water-bath method of canning. I did top each jar up with fresh lemon juice and stuck a couple of fresh bay leaves in with the lemons to pretty it up a bit. I gave these as gifts but had a couple of jars left which were still good when I opened them more than a year after canning. I also recently came across this site which has a recipe for preserved kumquats, same method. http://www.vanillagarlic.com/ You have to scroll half-way down the page.

I love Beanilla - great customer service and top quality beans. I ordered their Madagascar - excellent. Their customer service is excellent! In fact, I had phoned about something, can't recall what, and the person to whom I spoke said that they were getting read to offer the larger sampler of the 8 varieties and would I be interested. I jumped at the chance and was very pleased. A short time later it went up on their web site. They had offered smaller samplers (and fewer varieties) for much lower prices. That gave me the chance to try blends of various types for my extracts. Even the delivery guy noticed the aroma from the package. Everything was sealed well but the aroma did permeate the box and the air around it.

Valerie, Beanilla ships to Canada. http://www.beanilla.com/vanilla-beans-c-1.html My friend in Niagara Falls buys from them. I have purchased from them. (I think I have tried just about every online vendor who sells vanilla beans.) I bought their 8-variety sampler, 10 beans each. And then ordered a pound of the Mexican beans. Excellent quality.

Here is one of my most popular non doggy designs and another favorite was a series of Egyptian designs. Because I was in the dog fancy, that was my major business but I also did a lot of Arabian horses, including 36 Baccarat goblets with 36 different Arabian heads that I had to ship to Abu Dhabi. Oh Joy! and that's one of the reasons I have severe arthritis in my right hand. This is on a flat disc of German water white glass (high lead content) but this peacock was easy to do on a curved surface. Because they are all engraved freehand, no two were ever exactly alike.

I'll have to pull some of my glass books out of storage as I don't recognize the pattern on the top glass but as I recall it is similar to a Fostoria pattern. Cambridge, Fostoria and Heisey were just three of the hundreds of American glassmakers who turned out elegant (and fairly expensive) crystal during the first half of the last century and a smaller output from Steuben. Heisey alone produced hundreds of patterns some pressed glass but some were also hand engraved or cut. Even more expensive were the imports from Kosta Boda, Orrefors, Lalique, Waterford, Wedgwood and Baccarat. The bottom glass is clearly engraved using a copper wheel lathe. It's possible the top one is also hand engraved but it might also be acid etched but the pattern lines look as if they were designed to have more texture than usual with copper wheel engraving. I did engraving in glass with diamond burrs for many years, I worked on just about every level of glass and crystal up to and including Baccarat and custom blown pieces. It's all done freehand, as is copper wheel, where acid etching is done with a wax pattern applied to the glass which is then etched wherever the wax doesn't cover the glass. You can also send a photo of a glass (or whatever) to Replacements http://www.replacements.com/crystal/manu/h.htm click on "Info" and you will see where to email a picture to their pattern identification service.

No. If you had checked the links, there is this one: http://www.hot-headz.com/chili-sauce/Dried_Chiles-6-1.html Doesn't look like seed swapping to me. You asked for Anchos - they list them. They are whole, dried, easy to grind yourself.

Terrific find, Kerry. That is a steal! I had to pick up dog food this morning (local feed store that is nice enough to order the stuff I feed) and noticed a box of vacuum sealer bags sitting next to the desk where the owner camps out during the day. I asked if he was planning to vac package some of his bulk items and was told, "No, one of the kids (his kids work in the store) opened this box and opened one of the inner boxes to see what was in it. The box was delivered by mistake and now I can't return it. We don't use them here or at home." I asked if I could buy the case and he said, "Give me $20.00 and it's yours." I estimate I got about $85.00 worth of bags. Actually stumbled over the box.

I would suggest you sign on to one of the Chile-Heads UK sites and inquire for something in your area. http://www.chrisb2.btinternet.co.uk/index.htm Or: http://ukchilehead.blogspot.com/2010/02/httpgroupsyahoocomgroupswapseeds.html You can also try the following which lists some sources: http://www.chrisb2.btinternet.co.uk/uksources.htm Both these guys are long time members of the Chile-Heads mailing list, which you can get as a monthly digest -free- at: http://globalgarden.com/Chile-Heads/list_info.phtml If you are really into hot foods, you can ask any question that comes to mind and get pertinent answers from others who share the love of hot stuff.

Andie, Please, tell us how you make vanilla paste? Thanks, Tim I posted it in the Make your own vanilla extract thread. Scroll down to # 108 I used half "used" beans and half fresh beans a total of twenty beans.

Are those the Martha Stewart Fricos? I've made the various types: Sharp cheddar, Parmesan/Rosemary, Gruyere, and love the Asiago that I make with half semolina and half rye flour. I don't follow her recipes exactly - I grate the cheeses till I have about two cups of each then add a heaping teaspoon or so of fresh herbs. I sprinkle on a heaping teaspoon of flour, toss and add a little more if I think it needs, it - test one or two on a medium hot griddle - not in oven - turn when the edges start to melt and as soon as the center settles and looks like it is going to melt, remove them to a tray lined with parchment. If you want perfect circles, use muffin rings.

I also have a recipe for sesame crackers that I think may have been from this forum. I've made them several times and they are always a hit (even a slightly scorched batch when I forgot them due to a minor kitchen emergency). I've also made these pretzels, which are versatile - and very crunchy. http://www.grouprecipes.com/67527/hard-pretzels.html I tried filling one batch with cheddar, with fair results but I think that was my fault - too generous with the cheddar.

What a great idea! Sort of reminds me of McSorley's in NYC but with better product. You'd sell more simply by having it out, I'd bet.... Peeps love to watch stuff, which accounts not only for the ubiquitous bar television, but the success of cheese shavers and, for that matter, real bartenders. So along these lines, what about a small theatre-style popcorn machine, like this? Set up a few shakers with various seasonings (e.g., the aforementioned truffle salt, Old Bay, grated parmesan, regular table salt), keep a stack of paper-lined baskets (or even popcorn boxes) close by for easy service. A warning about that particular Waring popcorn maker. It does not work as described and produces an awful smell. I had one and less than half the (fresh) kernels popped, it smoked, producing the smell that permeated the drapes and the carpet in my family room, requiring cleaning by Coit (they did a great job). I returned it to the local store where I had purchased it and got the more expensive Maxi-Matic Elite at Smart & Final (local store) and it has worked fine. Since then, it has been made available on Amazon for less than I paid (plus tax) and I would rate it as a best buy for the money. In this case you do get what you pay for.