andiesenji

Consider planting kale among your roses. It is very decorative and easy to grow in your climate. Lots of things grow well in containers in limited areas, I know several people who live on their boats in marinas and have amazing gardens in containers, growing shallots, peas, tomatoes and etc. Chives, both regular and Chinese, are excellent grown in pots. Anything that doesn't require deep root growth will work in pots and they can be placed in areas you might not ordinarily consider. There is a great book on container gardening.

I have become acquainted with people in ethnic markets who have since become long-time friends, just because I asked questions about a particular food item. Soon after moving up here I was in a local Filipino market purchasing several items, including a bottle of banana ketchup. A woman standing behind me asked if I knew that I could make my own which would taste much better than the bottled stuff. After checking out, we continued our conversation in the parking lot and she invited me to her home to see how to make the ketchup. We have been friends ever since and I have learned a lot I would never have gotten from cookbooks.

I have several ancient cazuelas and they have never been in the dishwasher. As noted above, clean them as you would cast iron. If you run warm water into them as soon as you remove whatever you have cooked, anything that sticks should loosen and be easy to remove. I use a nylon scrubber for any stubborn bits but this is rarely needed. Same directions for cleaning tagines.

"Toast" the quinoa in a dry skillet (or in the oven, but carefully) before cooking it. This adds a very nice flavor. You can also treat it as you would rice in paella, after cooking onions, garlic and other aromatics that you like in oil, adding the quinoa and sautéing it before adding the broth or water. I also like amaranth blended with quinoa for these types of dishes.

I'd think that you could use them like any grain, as a side for something braised or roasted, say. ← I steam them until they have softened and mix or knead them into breads, either quick breads or yeast, although they can go in just as they are. I cook them with brown rice and other grains, and they also can be added to stews, casseroles, etc. Use them in anything in which you would use rice or barley. If they are raw (not processed) you can sprout them and include the whole sprout and what remains of the berry in breads, (there are several commercial brands that carry Sprouted Wheat bread). There are several recipes for wheat berries on this site.

Those look WONDERFUL......and I even have rosewater.....one of the advantages of being a hoarder is that you have odd stuff. Could you please post the recipe. Thanks. ← Here it is: NUT FILLED COOKIES 1 cup whole milk, lukewarm 2 eggs large 1 tsp. sugar 1 cup butter, unsalted, melted or use (ghee) 1 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. sea salt 6 cups sifted flour (all-purpose or I often substitute whole wheat pastry flour for half) -1 egg beaten with 1 TBS milk (for brushing tops) Mix all ingredients until well blended. Knead well. Form dough into two balls and wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for two hours. Flatten dough ball, square up and roll out into rectangle about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. Filling: 1 lb. walnuts, finely chopped (may use pistachio or other nut) 1 tsp. cinnamon 1/2 tsp. nutmeg or allspice (Optional - 1/8 teaspoon Aleppo pepper, very fine grind) 2 tsp. sugar 2 TBS rose water Mix together and spread 1/2 cup of filling lengthwise close to one edge of each rectangle and spread a little but leave enough bare dough so it will stick to itself. Roll dough over filling, pinch seam to seal. Turn dough over so seam side is on bottom. Cut roll diagonally into 3 inch lengths. Place on greased cookie sheet seam down. Brush with egg. Bake in preheated 350F oven for 15 minutes or until brown. Store in airtight container. These keep very well, especially if you put some rose water in a spray bottle and spray them after they have been stored for a week or so and then every two weeks (if they last that long). Makes about 30

Napa Style has added some new specialty salts to their collection. Also Salt Traders.com has added a bunch of new salts and blended salts to their inventory. They are my favorite online salt vendor and I simply love the "Sagemary" salt blend especially for vegetables. I steamed some mixed fingerling potatoes last night and used only a tiny amount of butter and the Sagemary salt to dress them. Absolutely perfect. I've also used it on chicken before braising and did not have to add any more salt or other seasoning at the finish.

I had planned on going another week without shopping, however my neighbor wants to go shopping at Sam's Club, TJ's and Vallarta (Mexican supermarket). Her husband is away for a couple of days with their truck and she has only a tiny car, not up to hauling the amount of foods she needs, she has asked me to take her and one of her granddaughters. Now can anyone imagine that I could possibly visit three stores and not come away with at least a little something? I thought not. The produce at Vallarta is especially attractive: green tomatillo 4 lbs./1.00, Roma tomatoes 2 lbs./1.00 (limit 12 pounds), fresh pasilla peppers, 3 lbs./1.00 so how can I resist....... I'll wait a week and start my participation again.

I know one person who got the new Electrolux Dual-Fuel 30 in range last September and immediately had problems with the oven - apparently the wiring harness for the probe had a flaw and caused the oven to shut down at odd times, even when the probe was not being used. After several service calls he gave up and returned the range and got a Jenn-Air that has two ovens. I thought it sounded odd but when I saw it, I was impressed. So far it has worked out great. He got a good deal at Pacific Sales $1540. for the range, delivered and installed. I don't know where you are located but a lot of places are hungry for customers so you have plenty of leverage right now.

There can be a lot of variables - how warm is your kitchen? Things go more rapidly when temps are between 70 -80 degrees F. I keep my home quite cool during winter (thermostat set at 65 F.) and now the winter temps are low so it takes longer than in the summer when it is much warmer here in so.Calif. desert. I have had some take a week to really get going, others perked up in a couple of days but I refreshed and replenished them and separated some to store before I ever used them for bread. I also was careful to develop and use only one culture at a time to avoid cross-contamination or culture mixing. Did you get your starter from Sourdoughs International? If so, which did you get. They usually include the essential information and it is also available on the site. Click here and scroll down to Use an active culture. You can also find a lot of information and answers to almost any question at Sourdough Home.

I arose early today to prepare my contribution to the potluck. Too bad it is virtual, I have enough for an army. Nut and spice (cinnamon, allspice, rosewater) cookies. To go with after dinner coffee or tea! a closeup For breakfast, late in the morning I sautéed a banana with a couple of spears of fresh pineapple left over from preparing chicken salad several days ago, sprinkled with a teaspoon of granulated maple sugar and added to half a cup of firm yogurt cheese.

I have braised turkey legs and pork shanks in buttermilk with good results. I would advise you first try a small batch of the meat because sometimes the acid in the buttermilk (or yogurt, which I have also tried) will cause the meat to become somewhat mealy. I ruined a whole chicken this way some years ago in one of my experiments. If the meat is tough or strong, it works much better. I know a Basque family who braises mutton in buttermilk and it turns out very nice. I am not a big fan of lamb and ordinarily won't eat mutton at all but it is very good the way they prepare it.

The process has been detailed in this thread: Candied Citrus Peel and there are links to recipes, methods &etc.

I'm bumping up this topic because this morning I received an email notice of the following Sur La Table class Master Knife Skills- Bob Kramer instructor. I am envious of folks in the Portland, OR and Kirkland, WA areas who will be able to get there.

I had a late breakfast this morning, some blintzes I had in the freezer (non-dairy from Trader Joe's) so have not and will not eat lunch, although I did have a glass of milk. Dinner for me and my guests will be a vegetable, egg and cheese strata - rustic bread, artichoke hearts, caramelized onions, roasted peppers with ricotta and mozzarella cheeses, topped with grated asiago. Everything is ready to be assembled and baked - doesn't take long so the baking will be after my guests arrive. If I can remember, I will take a couple of photos. I have a small romaine lettuce and will tear it roughly and toss with some fresh sprouts, some olive antipasto and pickled asparagus to make up for the absence of tomatoes and other fresh stuff. I have noticed that romaine keeps better than most other "leaf" lettuces. I'm somewhat spoiled in that I usually have at least some lettuces growing but they are rather weedy and not really harvestable right now.

Not much to report for the past couple of days. Leftovers for lunches and dinner at my neighbor's home last night. Cold cereal (a combo of frosted mini wheats, flax & bran flakes/raisins and Cheerios) all sold in bulk at Winco, mixed with strawberry kefir and allowed to soak just a bit but still crunchy. And very healthy and good for me. I don't believe in paying premium prices for minute portions of "probiotic" yogurt! Lunch was a grilled cheese sandwich made from small remaining chunks of several different cheeses. Tonight I am preparing a frozen dinner from Home Bistro: Chicken Cacciatore. 420 calories. I ordered two dozen of their Lighter Side meals last fall and this finishes the batch. I liked everything and found the quality much better than store brands. I will do something more ambitious for tomorrow evening as I have three guests coming for dinner. One is vegetarian (but not vegan) so I will have to prepare something without meat, poultry or fish. Fortunately she will eat cheeses and eggs, so I should be able to pull together something fairly substantial.

This takes me back some fifty years to my mother (a wine snob if there ever was one) nearly fainting when one of her bridge club friends dropped a sugar cube into a glass of Tattinger '48, at my folk's anniversary party. The poor lady simply didn't care much for champagne and for her the sugar made it drinkable. The only reason the incident sticks in my memory is because my mother went on and on about it at breakfast the next morning to the point that my stepdad left early to go to his office.

I emailed my friend Karla (the one with the husband who is a wine collector) and she sent this link back to me: Watered wine She added that after her husband had bypass surgery his doctors said he could only drink wine if it was diluted but that if it helped him get through his recovery (and stimulated his poor appetite) it would be beneficial. They have more than 2500 bottles in their "cellar" and have several purchased cases stored for them in various California wineries.

If it tastes good to you, where is the harm? Some people are implacable purists who might say it is virtually a crime, but you are the one drinking it. I have a couple of friends who love wine and he prefers very dry reds. His wife likes a sweeter wine but also prefers not to waste money opening two different bottles. Some time ago she discovered the sweet raspberry wine at Trader Joe's and keeps a bottle on hand to "season" her glass of the red wine poured from her husband's bottle. It works for them and she is not ashamed to offer "doctored" wine to guests who have similar tastes to hers.

I came across this on the CBS web site this morning. Heart Attack Grill I did a Search but couldn't find an earlier posting so thought I would post this for your edification. The size and obvious caloric content of the various offerings are way beyond anything else I have seen. There are probably more calories than one would need in two days just in one meal. On a rough guess, adding up the various components I would estimate 4800 total calories and that is without a drink! I love hamburgers and fries but these are really over the top. Any one of them would make a meal for two people. The Heart Attack I can see being brought on in men by the appearance of the servers!

I sailed through Sunday, my usual shopping at TJ's day, with nary a stumble. Saturday evening I braised a duck that I had removed from the freezer on Thursday. Mixed vegetables, steamed in their own package - from my last TJ's shopping trip. A green salad (ditto TJ's) followed by bread pudding. Earlier that day I had cold cereal with kefir - an excellent option with a type of dairy that keeps for weeks - one can also use yogurt that is fairly thin - one advantage of making homemade stuff with no unpronounceable additives. Lunch was a bread salad with a few of the Roma tomatoes I had in a basket on the counter and half of a red bell pepper, simply dressed with oil and vinegar(homemade). Sunday began with a brunch of a fruit and cheese tart topped with a few blueberries from my frozen stash. I then began the oxtail stew, braising the oxtails slowly in the oven while I thawed some more of the roasted root vegetable medley, which is good on its own but even better when used in a stew. This morning I had mock French toast for breakfast - the leftover bread pudding from Saturday evening. Tonight I will have leftover duck, leftover oxtail stew. With this will be some "wilted" mustard greens, picked just a few minutes ago from a protected area in the kitchen garden. The stuff is even blooming - it is very hardy, having sprouted and grown even with some below-freezing temps week before last. The recent rains, after a dry January, have caused a lot of dormant plants to begin regeneration. The sorrel has put out a lot of new leaves but not yet enough for harvesting. It's now time for lunch and I am baking some cornbread and have yet to decide what will go with it, possibly some ham and cheese.

I got an email from Sur La Table today with the following special Scanpan nonstick skillets Note that these are certified PFOA free and safe for metal utensils. I've never had a Scanpan utensil but the prices are very reasonable and there have been several evaluations of other Scanpan cookware pieces that rated quite well with consumers.

Actually, I graduated to push pins recently, but the cork solution I hadn't thought of. That is a Good Thing, Susan! ← It is a great solution. Many of my egg-cooking gadgets arrived with egg-piercing accessories but many were awkward to use and many had pins that rusted. I have a little homemade gadget I made many years ago from a stainless steel push pin and a wooden thread spool (I have a drawer full from my sewing days). I pushed the "handle" part of the push pin into the center hole of the spool until it was secure. I have arthritis in my right hand at the base of my thumb so it is not easy to grasp small items like the push pin. The greater circumference of the spool makes this a much easier task. To clean, I put the spool in a small items basket and through the dishwasher. I replace it about once a year when the spool begins to look a bit ratty.

Meat grinder = genius! I recall you mentioning putting your candied ginger through the meat grinder also, do you have a dedicated pastry grinder, or do you just clean it really well between meat and sweets? Great, another piece of equipment we're all going to want to buy ← I have a big meat grinder for meats and poultry and its parts get pressure-washed and steam-cleaned. I have a smaller (Maverick MM5501) grinder that I use only for nuts, fruits & etc. Also for making pimento cheese! Its parts go into the dishwasher - I have an accessory basket for little bits and pieces that is a godsend for things like this. The only time I put fruits through the big grinder is when I am preparing mincemeat (with meat) or adding them to sausage. I am a bit of a fanatic about cross-contamination and have never had a problem. I originally ordered the Maverick from Amazon even though there were some negative reviews - I know people who have them and they work fine. (The price was cheaper.) However, after three weeks Amazon informed me that they were back ordered and it would be a month before it could be shipped. So I returned to my favorite online vendor of kitchen appliances, Pleasant Hill Grain, placed the order (free shipping) and had it within 4 days. I have used it for prolonged periods without it overheating or stalling and it consistently turns out stuff exactly the way I want it.

I think a hunk of halvah, a sharp cleaver and a chopping block will do the trick...having bought the shredded stuff, I see I could do it cheaper myself, that way. Halvah cookies?! Now THAT sounds very good. I just looked into my supply of flour, and see that if I'm to bake challah next Friday, I can't spare any for cookies right now. Makes me feel sort of like a pioneer woman, visiting her cellar and inspecting the apple barrel, eking the fruit out till spring... ← One of my friends makes halvah and when it is partially set, rolls it out between two sheets of parchment paper then rolls it into a tight roll (still in the paper) and uses a sharp blade to cut it into narrow strips. For big batches she uses a paper cutter that she keeps for kitchen use. I don't remember it being as fine as the stuff in the photo but is perhaps 1/4 inch or slightly less in width. After cooking the halvah, she spreads it into a sheet pan lined with Reynolds "Release" foil. If she is just cutting it into squares she leaves it in the fridge for more than a day - perhaps 36 hours. If she is going to roll it she starts working it at about 12 hours while it is still pliable. She told me that if I ever plan to make halvah, I should never make it on a rainy day. (Not much of a problem in so.Calif., most of the time.) She braids some of the strips, forms the braid into a coil or a knot and dips them in chocolate. P.S. She also tried rolling and cutting it with a pasta machine and says, "don't try it! The machine will never be the same."