andiesenji

I have not tried cooking tofu in a tagine. However I have used one large tagine bottom (top suffered a fatal accident) for clotted cream. It is the right size, perfect depth and will maintain the low heat needed.

Large curd cottage cheese (has to be the large curd because it is less salty), possibly "thinned" with just a tiny bit of extra-heavy cream, so that barbecue potato chips, either Wavy Lays or Ruffles ( unless I can find the Michael Seasons Thick and Crunchy Mesquite barbecue chips) can be dipped into the cc so one gets a bite of cottage cheese with a bite of barbecue potato chip. Sourdough bread, sliced thin, spread with sour cream and layered with sweet onion slices sometimes topped with crumbled bacon, possibly with very ripe tomato slices but the tomatoes have to be full-flavored. Alternately, topped with my homemade bread and butter pickles. Sliced strawberries tossed with salt-glazed and roasted pecans. Crepes spread lightly with orange marmalade and sour cream, rolled into cylinders and dipped into ginger syrup. (must be very sparing with these because I am a diabetnik)

Phoenix? You have even more days of sun than us. I thought we might receive more solar radiation due to our elevation, approx 4500 feet, but apparently not. ← Where you notice a big difference is when you get above 6000 ft. We often camped and fished around Convict Lake which is close to 8000 ft. alt. and one sunburns more rapidly and the solar cooker worked very rapidly also. However, water boils at a lower temp so anything that needs to be stewed or boiled, takes longer. Baking is also faster because the material loses moisture quicker than at lower altitude and one has to adjust the baking formula for that - baking powder leavening has to be adjusted - use less. Sourdough actually works better at high altitude, probably the reason it was so popular with the 49ers in the high Sierras. Here is a conversion chart for leavening.

It's an apple peeler/corer. Invented by the Shakers in 1882.

I have a couple of the polka dot bowls, but not in black. I know I have two with red dots and one with yellow dots. As I recall, one is marked Anchor-Hocking instead of Fire-King. I have so much of this kind of stuff I really can't recall all the details and much of it is put away. I really should pull some of it out and take some up to date photos, digital, because so many of the pieces were acquired before digital cameras were available - I did have one of the first Apple QuickTake 100 cameras - but much of my stuff is pictured on slides. I have a lot of the Tulip kitchenware - grease jar, salt & pepper, spice jars, butter dish(rare) and even a citrus juicer(also rare), all collected from family members many years ago. If they had realized it would become so collectible, they would have probably held onto it. I just got a notice in the mail of an estate auction just outside Mojave this Friday and I think I may attend. It says contents of house, barn and outbuildings built in 1921, continuously occupied by the same family. Antiques and collectibles, farm implements, vehicles, appliances and fixtures. Sounds interesting. Fortunately it is this week and not last - temps were well over 100 and no way would I go out in that heat. This friday temps are supposed to be in the 80s. Very comfortable and actually lower than normal. I have used a lot of the Indian Tree china for sit-down dinners (once for 18). There are actually multiple sets of the dinner and salad (demi) plates to allow for multiple courses. I have the original fitted "crates" (they are really trunks) in which the china was shipped from Thomas Goode & Co. London with the royal warrants stuck on the insides of the lids. Most of it is packed away, I only keep a few place settings out. Although, I do have a huge Welsh dresser that has been in my storage shed for about 15 years, that I originally bought to display this set. At the time the house was being remodeled and my studio built and there was no place to put the dresser (ceilings too low) so it was stuck in the back of the shed. Now there is no much stuff in front of it I think it will take a crew of big guys to rearrange things so I can move it into the house. A project for later in the year.

I have one of these, made by Presto It does a fair job but I also have the spiral slicer made by Bron that will cut from 1/16 th to 1 inch "ribbons" and it does a great job but is very expensive. There is a spiral slicer made in Japan that is great for small batches, it also does several thicknesses. spiral slicer There is also the Benriner which has interchangeable blades and it sells for about 50.00. These can all be used for a lot more than just making curly fries. I make sweet potato "threads" deep fried. Very nice.

Zoe, Check ebay Nesting bowls or just mixing bowls Here's a set of greens from the 60s 4 green bowls or this set available as a buy it now, good price item. However these cannot be used in a microwave because of the metallic paint fired onto the surface. The stuff sparks. This is a very nice set, rarely do you see all four of these - the earliest sets had these 4 bowls, later there were only 3, alternating colors. Blue and white snowflake bowls. This also happened with some of the double spout bowl sets. When first introduced there were 4 bowls in a set and later only three. I have a fairly good-sized collection of Pyrex bowls. I also have a number of Fire-King bowls and several months ago broke the largest of my "Tulip" bowls. It was not sold as part of the 3-bowl set but they will nest in it. It is very rare as it was only made in 1952/53. I inherited mine and always felt rather lucky to have the big one. I never put them in the dishwasher because on these the paint will wear away because it was fired at a lower temperature than later designs. I was washing it without wearing rubber gloves and it slipped and banged against the divider in the sink. Darn! my fault. Tulip by Fire-King Recently there have been some reproductions of the "Primary Colors" mixing bowls coming out of China. They have the Pyrex ID on the bottom but the colors are off. The blue is slightly turquoise instead of the true medium blue and the red and green are also slightly off. The "depression" jade green and clear green are also mostly reporductions now - Linens 'N Things has the milk glass stuff (modern) and the clear glass stuff is available in shapes and sizes that were never produced in the 1930s. And if you have the time there really is Lots and lots of Pyrex

I am very curious - what are Indian Tree plates? I have never heard of them. ← Several companies made china, stoneware, etc., with this pattern, beginning in the early 1800s. My great grandmother's set was given to her in 1861 as a wedding gift. Service for 24 and it includes a lot of extra pieces no longer seen in modern china (bone dishes, cream soup with covers, bread plates, butter pats, fruit cups and finger bowls). It also includes 20 serving pieces and a large soup tureen. It is Coalport, bone china, polychrome (5 colors) and is heavily gilded which required two additional firings after the colored portion was fired. The Spode version, which is usually two colors, orange/rust, green/rust, turquoise/rust, is more common and not too expensive.

Fantastic china. I found a pink and red "Chintz" plate at a thrift store I had to walk past when I went to the Phillipine market last week. I rarely look there because it is 99% children's stuff (tiny storefront) but they had this neat plate in the window. I have several multi-level plate stands for serving pastries and etc., and I like unusual decorated plates that show color through the lacy doilies I put on them. I used to use some of my Indian Tree plates but after someone knocked a 5-tier off a table, breaking 4 of the plates, I decided that even though I have service for 24 plus some extras, I didn't want to lose any more as replacements are now very expensive.

I get them at Jack in the Box, extra, extra well done, alternating with Jack's Natural cut fries which are now better than In 'N Out fries. The natural fries still have the skin on and I also order them extra-extra well done. Carl's Jr. has the spicy waffle cut fries which I keep telling them they should sell with a side of sour cream for dipping.

For those who are going to be trying any blue-innoculated cheeses, I have some long spinal needles, never used, still in sterile, sealed cartridges with 30 cc syringes (very large) which I have used successfully to inject cheeses. The needles are large guage and 3 /2 and 4 inches long so are of no use whatsoever to drug addicts (unless they are masochists). I had to buy a box of 100 several years ago and have used less than 20. I had tried the barbecue injectors but they were not long enough. The neurosurgeon in our office suggested I try the spinal needles and they worked nicely. PM me if you would like to try them.

I have been offline for a couple of days - power out and thunderstorms - I don't like to run the computer with generator power. I just keep adding more lemons and sugar, perhaps some boiling water, 1/2 to one cup and mashing the solids down with a scalded potato masher or ladle. Between the acid and the sugar, and even with the low level of alcohol, it isn't easy for harmful organisms to get a toehold. Once I start a batch, I usually keep it going for a couple of months. I use a 2-gallon jar.

I have a solar cooker that looks sort of like a large TV dish but the sides are shiny polished aluminum triangular "leaves" that can be rotated and slid behind each other to make it a small package. It t stands on a metal tripod and has a 12 inch disc at the center and a ring on a wand that holds a 6-inch lens where the reflection from the leaves can be focused to make the cooker really hot. There is a deep round aluminum Dutch oven sort of thing that comes with a rack and an aluminum plate for baking bread, cakes, etc., and there is a shallower pan for frying, etc. It will get to 500 degrees. We tested it several times by holding a piece of wood under the lens and the wood would char, then burn. I have had it for 35 or more years. We used to cook with it up in the high Sierras and at high altitude it works a treat. If I can get to where it is stored in the shed, I will try to pull it out and set it up and take photos.

I also suffer from the "overstocking" syndrome, in fact, I have an acute condition. It has come in handy this past week with temps well over 100 - Lancaster broke several record highs, including one dating back to 1925 - 112 degrees F and unlike the usual weather, we had thunderstorms, monsoonal cloud cover which kept the nights warm also and we had record high "lows". Needless to say, I didn't feel much like shopping or cooking so found things to prepare in the pantry, freezer and fridge. I made a chicken salad with canned chicken (Kirkland, from Costco, which is excellent). I had bread in the freezer I had baked till done (internal temp 195) but not completely browned. Set out at room temp for an hour, then a quick bath under the cold water faucet and directly onto the rack in a 425 degree oven (electric convection so as not to heat the kitchen) for 15 minutes and it was as good as fresh. A salad of leaf lettuce and cherry tomatoes from the volunteer vine was enough to finish it. One evening I made an omelet with cottage cheese and green chilies and some crumbled bacon I had cooked and frozen a few weeks ago. Half an avocado and a couple of cherry tomatoes on the side. This evening I had some pork from a roast a neighbor cooked in my barbecue/smoker earlier today. Their power has been off for 3 days and they don't have a generator. I had room in my big freezer for some of their stuff but not all, so they have been cooking as much as they can and giving a lot of it away to other neighbors. They are also using two of my portable Igloo coolers that run off auto batteries, mostly for milk for their kids and for keeping water cold. I didn't have power for a couple of days but have a big diesel generator that is water cooled so can run continuously for several days, unlike the smaller ones. I have 2 electric panels with an automatic switch that throws over when the regular power goes down and starts the generator. When the power comes back on I have to shut down the generator manually before switching back to regular power. I haven't been running my AC because I also have two evaporative coolers on the roof and when the humidity is low, they cool the house quite well. They both run off solar panels. One thing about living in the desert is there is a lot of sun so solar panels really work beautifully. My well pump is also running off of solar panels now. My electric bill from last month was $78.54. It used to be 300.00 + in the summers. In any event, I am sure that I have enough here that I could easily feed myself and at least 3 or 4 others for a minimum of 3 months, probably longer if folks don't mind repetition. I learned my lesson after the '94 earthquake. Be prepared to be without power, gas and water for several days, if not weeks. Living so close to the San Andreas fault tends to make one cautious.

Decant most of the vinegars into clean bottles, using a coffee filter strainer. Pour the remaining vinegar into a glass measure and rinse the stuff that may have collected on the filter back into the remaining liquid. Wash and scald the original bottles and caps. Using a scalded funnel, pour the liquid back into the bottles, add about a teaspoon of sugar and 1/4 to 1/2 cup of white wine to each bottle. Replace the caps and set in a place away from light for 3 - 4 weeks. If the mother is active, it should have grown and formed a thin mat on the surface of the liquid. Now you can add some more wine or add this active mother to a bottle of wine. Just remember that the more wine, the more time it will take. If it has sunk to the bottom and the liquid is cloudy, discard it. You can still use the vinegar you have filtered out of the original stuff. Bragg's unfiltered and unpasteurized vinegar, available in most health food stores, includes an active mother. It can be used in wine, although some people will advise you to buy a commercial mother, but after just one 4-6 month session of growth in red wine, the mother will have adapted. It usually takes two sessions for white wine, but you can use smaller quantities to speed up the process. Balasmic vinegars are most often cooked before bottling to inactivate any mother, however occasionally one will develop in the very young types, which are not actually true balsamic. In fact, according to one marketing study, less than 20% of the balsamic sold in the U.S. is actually true Balsamic.

Sabroso, in Canoga Park, on Vanowen Avenue - I think it is close to Corbin, has terrific tacos, especially the carnitas and the tacos Al Pastor which are as close to the ones I have had in Mexico as any I have tried in the U.S. The meat is cooked diffrently than most Mexican meats, on a vertical rotisserie, sort of like the Greek "gyro" rotisserie, and sliced off so you get a bunch of slivers of meat. Delicious!!

This recipe, originally by Paul Prudhomme, is a baked version that is one of the best I have ever tasted. southern smothered pork chops I make smotherd pork chops but first make the gravy with pork fat trimmings, chopped very fine, rendered in the fry pan then add chopped onion with a little garlic and a touch of lemon zest, brown the onions, cover, reduce the heat and cook on very low heat until the onions are carmelized. Meanwhile I have marinated the pork chops with a little fruit vinegar and seasonings, (you should use the seasonings you like best, I like a spicy mixture with sage but it is not for everyone). When the onions are deep brown and very soft and sweet, I scrape most of the stuff into a sauce pan, if necessary add a little fat (bacon drippings by choice) to the fry pan, sprinkle in 2 heaping tablespoons of flour and stir well until browned. Now, you can add hot water or a mixture of water and milk, or straight milk and stir well to blend. Add this to the sauce pan with the onions and place over low heat, covered. Scrape the fry pan - add more drippings and bring up to high heat. Now drain the chops and pat dry with a paper towel. Dust very lightly with flour. Place in the fry pan, brown well on both sides, add 1/4 cup of water, cover tightly and reduce heat. Cook for 20-25 minutes depending on thickness of the chops. Add the gravy/onion mixture from the saucepan cover and simmer gently for 20 minutes. Serve over rice or boiled new or fingerling potatoes split in half.

I find it "works" best at about 80 to 85 F. You can always taste it, diluted with a little water, the difference can be from subtle to very pronounced. I don't know how to explain it, the flavor just seems more intense than lemonade with a hint of wine. I think it is because the flavor of the zest is so intense and lemony. My grandpa liked to have lemon peel or zest mashed with sugar and heated over an alcohol lamp with a tiny bit of water. A measure of bourbon was added to this and it was then strained into a glass. Mostly grandpa drank this with a little seltzer - no ice. However, by the time I was about five, he had begun using ice, at least in the summer. Many of the friends and neighbors thought we were peculiar, because many of us drank hot tea even in the summer, (in particular my great grandmother) and worse, put milk in our tea. I can remember one of my great uncles exclaiming that he could never put ice in his whiskey - not only would it dilute the spirits, it might cause a "chill on his liver." That always broke me up, I thought it was such a funny remark.

How is your jar of shandy doing? I started a jar the following day and it is bubbling merrily. It has been extremely hot here but the temp in my pantry hasn't gotten over 85 degrees. I have yet to turn on my A/C as I also have 2 evaporative coolers (AKA "swamp" coolers) on the roof that use very little energy compared to refrigerated A/C.) While listening to Melinda Lee today, she mentioned several ways of using summer fruits and has the recipes up on her website: Melinda Lee recipes She is on KNX1070 from 8 a.m. to 12 noon every Saturday and Sunday and if you are interested, you can listen online. She does a great job answering questions from callers as well as her prepared segments. Food News?

I use several of the sauce recipes found on This Asia Recipe site. The "Universal Sauce" found just below the potsticker dipping sauce, is excellent with vegetables and tofu.

Here is my recipe for Bread and Butter refrigerator pickles. Easy, quick and pretty good, if I do say so myself. You can use this for mixed veggies, zuccini, etc., as well as cucumbers. Add an extra 1/3 cup of sugar to the liquid and use it to pickle watermelon rind, (the pale green part with the skin peeled off.) Andie's Bread and Butter pickles on Melinda Lee's web site.

I have bought cilantro root at the 99 Ranch market in Van Nuys. It may be seasonal, like some of the other produce they carry. If there is one near you, call and ask.

The "gauze-type" so-called cheesecloth doesn't work very well. True cheesecloth, also known as "butter muslin" is a very fine weave and is perfect for straining yogurt, soft cheese, etc. Williams-Sonoma carries it in individual squares just the right size for a large colander. However you can buy unbleached muslin at a yardage store, wash it first in hot water to remove the sizing, then put through the washer again, without any soap or other additives. Then cut to the size you need.

Mostly in drinks, mixed with seltzer water. The family used a lot of seltzer there were several siphons around. In fact, all of us kids got in trouble one time or another spraying each other - like the Marx Brothers did in their movies. The vinegars were like thin syrups and were used in fruit salad and poured over ice cream. (our cook also made peach, cherry and apple "brandy" in a jar in the pantry, she dosed fruit cakes with the various flavored spirits). She also made an orange wine that was a favorite of my great grandmother.

Keep it, it takes at least 6 months to convert. That "nail-polish remover" aroma is a temporary thing. You can add whatever kind of wine you want. You can add some fruit juice - preferably some of the frozen concentrate stuff, diluted with half the usual amount of water. Even though that is very sugary, it will speed up the vinegar process as it gives a boost to the acetobacter bacteria. The next process involves first removing some of the mother and storing it in a separate jar. If you can find fresh yeast, or "cake" yeast, you can toast a slice of white bread in the oven until it is very dry, even a bit scorched is okay. Spread the yeast on the toast and carefully float it on the surface of the wine/vinegar. (if you can find fresh yeast, use active dry yeast mixed with a tablespoon of cold water) Allow this to sit, undisturbed for 6 weeks then strain through butter muslin (or an old pillowcase works well). Wash and scald the container or clean it with water into which you have mixed some bleach (and be sure to run the water/bleach through the spigot then rinse well). Return the liquid to it and add the saved mother. NOW you want to top it up so there is very little head space, cover it with plastic wrap (the new silicone bowl covers also work beautifully) and put it back in a dark place and leave it alone for a minimum of 3-4 months before testing it for acid content and tasting. Check it every few days to make sure the top hasn't blown off. I invert one of the super jumbo heavy duty ziploc bags over the carboy to make sure there is no dust on the cover. If the acid is below 5%, put it back for another 6 weeks or so. Making really good vinegar takes time. I have some made with a very special mother that took 2 years but it was well worth the wait.