andiesenji

There are several of this type bottle now being marketed, plus some that have a molded-in dispenser top that is too small to insert anything except a skewer. I simply cut the bottom off the bottles to get access to the good stuff in the bottom part. I save these if they are the ones with the twist-type dispenser top opening because they make nice disposable funnels that will hold a liquid until you get it positioned perfectly then a judicious twist of the top will allow either a little or a lot to flow through. They are also a lot easier to grasp than a regular funnel. Is that frugal, or what?

I have several tube squeezers or tube wringers. Most work only so-so for me. Having arthritis in my hands, in particular at the base of my right thumb, means that I have difficulty operating anything that requires pinching or turning something shaped like a wing-nut. I saw this one which works differently from the others On the Smart Stuff web site some time ago and ordered two of them directly from the company that makes them. $15.95 seemed a reasonable price for something so handy. One is for kitchen use and one is for utility use, although it seems to live most of the time in one of the bathrooms. Several years ago some company made a battery operated one that was part of a holder made to be hung in the shower, and held shampoo and body wash bottles plus the tube wringer on one end. Unfortunately it died, the maker was no longer in business and even my wizard appliance repair guy could not fix it so it was tossed in the trash. It worked on the same principal as the crank-type wringers only powered. Somebody should invent one - maybe I will send the idea to American Inventor. The new "reality" show due to start soon.

I use the Viva paper towels that have a cloth-like feel. They tear cleanly into strips lengthwise. However the best feature is that if just used for swiping up water, they can be set aside and allowed to dry and be re-used. I have found that this particular towel is far more absorbent than any other I have ever tried and I think I have tried them all. I buy them in the 6-roll packs when they are on sale and buy 3 or 4 packs at a time. I have found them in the "bulk-items" aisle at Albertsons, at Wal-Mart, at Smart & Final and at Sam's Club. One additional advantage, the soft surface is excellent for one who has severe allergies, hay fever and Kleenex needs to be quadrupled to be of use. I always have a roll in my van for emergencies.

I have the CDN timer - fifth down on this page. that has a keypad so you can enter the exact time you want the timer to sound. It is easy to set and has a pretty loud signal. I have several timers and this one is used a great deal because I can hear it even when appliances are operating and making a fair amount of noise. At 20.00 it seems expensive but I have paid more for less useful timers. CDN makes several - I think Fantes has an excellent selection.

This one and this one Work very well. I have a round heavy glass bacon press that must have been discontinued because I haven't been able to find a link for it. Lodge "Logic" makes one that is round and is supposed to be easier to keep clean than regular cast iron.

Samuel L. Clemens, AKA Mark Twain: I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mrs. Warfield for the great honor of inviting me to address this impressive gathering in this august city of Annapolis. I would also like to thank Bessie, the cook, who, I have been led to believe, produced the exceptional bill of fare set before me at luncheon not two hours ago. I have consumed dishes all over the world but the crab cakes I tasted today were a glorious fate for the denizens of the Chesapeake and would not be out of place on the table of the Tzar. The pie made from lemons, that sour and bitter fruit, was of such sweetness, with its cloud-like topping, as to make the very angels regret not being able to taste it. What secrets must abound in that kitchen, what mysteries of flavor and mixing are hidden there. Were I but a fly upon the wall in that place to learn them. Now I have never claimed to know any more about cooking than I know about farming, and that is precious little. I have essayed a time or two to prepare a pot of coffee, but with results less than stellar, I decided to leave it to those who know which end of the pot goes up. Suffice it to say that I do know how to enjoy food and hope that all of you had as delightful a luncheon as did I. Alexander Belford: Am I to understand, Mr. Clemens, that you are to write a book of cookery? What experience have you had that encourages you to take this course. I have not heard that you know anything of the art of the kitchen. Will you produce these receipts from your own imagination or will they be the work of others. And who will publish this text of a heretofore unknown talent? (This is, I know, quite obscure. Everyone has heard of Mark Twain and just about everyone has read one or more of his books. However not everyone knows the story of how Alexander Belford, a book publisher in Canada, printed thousands of unauthorized copies of every one of Mark Twain’s books, so that he derived little or no profit for the early ones. Belford bribed pressmen, copywriters, and even postal employees, to get copies, sometimes incomplete, lacking illustrations, and distributed them cheaply. When sued in court several times, each time he managed to get away with it, often with speculation that he had bribed the court. Of course now Mark Twain is one of the most famous American writers and few know that Alexander Belford even existed.)

How much ribeye steak do you have? Have you considered a version of braciola ? I can pound a ribeye steak until it is 1/4 inch thick and the size of a dinner plate, then spread a mixture of various things over it, roll it up and braise it and finish with a tomato-based sauce with fennel or ?? There are lots of ideas on that site and you can combine various ingredients taken from several. Heck, you could even add in some of the cracklins. I use bread crumbs, dried fruit, nuts, cooked sausage, grated potato or carrot and so on. It can make one steak go a long, long way.

Terrific blog, Kathy. I have been following the posts with great delight. Although I am sorry you are moving so far away, I am sure you will do beautifully wherever you go. I have some friends in the area around Portland - mostly basenji people, they are nice too. In-N-Out Burger is one of my favorites too. There is one right next to the freeway just one exit from where I get on and off here in Lancaster and there is another just off the 14 about 2/3 of the way along my commute into the Valley - or rather 1/3 of the way home as they aren't open in the morning, but sometimes I miss lunch and it is the perfect place to stop on the way home. I get my fries "Well-done-dark" which means they are super crispy, crunchy, some even scorched. I haven't ordered them "Animal-style" however I usually have a squeeze bottle of sour cream and a bottle of ketchup in my little fridge in the van and place a blob of each in the tray that held the fries (which have now been dumped into the box on top of napkins). With this in the wire file basket that stays neatly on the console between the seats, I can snack as I drive. Your solution to the difficulty of feeding children who are picky about new foods, is very wise. I never believed in forcing kids to eat, although I was raised in the era when one ate whatever was placed on the plate because everyone else did and I didn't want to be different. When my baby brother was little (15 years younger than me) he was very picky and my mom gave into him but I began telling him he couldn't have what I (and my sister) had on our plates and he began sneaking bits when we "weren't looking" and it wasn't long before he would be jumping up and down and shouting "me want dat" and pointing at something that earlier he had refused to eat. "Headology" (apologies to Terry Pratchett and Granny Weatherwax) sometimes works in mysterious ways. The only way we could get Phillip to do anything was to tell him he wasn't allowed.

Well said, slkinsey. An excellent description and an interesting link. I have one very old glass double boiler that has an unusual shallow top that my grandmother used for making a milk pudding for me when I was ill. Unfortunately I never thought to get that recipe and there is no one who recalls it now. I have one of the Pyrex ones, from the '50s and also have one of the modern glass ones made from laboratory glass. If I can find where my housekeeper has put them, I will see about getting a photo. Somewhere in my junk I also have a shallow pan with a snap-in wire frame that holds the creme brulee molds to keep them from sliding around - it holds them about 1/4 inch off the bottom of the pan. I think I used it once and decided it was not worth the bother.

I use a large, fairly deep roasting pan for custard-based things - bread pudding, cheesecakes, creme caramel, creme anglaise, etc. I use one that I can clamp a breeze barrier (made for camp stoves) to on the back side because otherwise the convection fan will make ripples in the surface of the custard without it. The convection fan in my Blodgett oven is ten inches in diameter and it moves a lot of air. I have two of the copper double boilers with ceramic insert, one is 3/4 quart, the other is 1 1/2 quart-plus, mine are old and the bottom part is wider at the bottom than at the rim and both have helper handles opposite the long handle as they are very heavy. They are tin lined and need retinning but since I never cook directly in them, I am not going to bother. I also have one of these which is a handy little item - the water is in an enclosed system and doesn't boil away as rapidly and there is absolutely no condensation into the inner chamber so it is perfect for chocolate. Mine happens to be bright red on the outside. I use a wide glass (Pyrex) bowl over a sauteuse for things such as lemon curd, which I make in fairly large batches. This site My Chefs Favorites has the copper one for much less $139.00 is a pretty good price. To give you an idea of how old mine are, the big one cost me $85.00 at Sur La Table.

I rinse one well, separate it into sections and toss it in with a batch of onions to be caramellized. It adds a piquancy to the end result I have not been able to duplicate with anything else.

I have one almost exactly like that. I bought it in an art supply store at least fifteen years ago, I use it for stirring gesso and for scraping it out of the jar. I never thought of using it in the kitchen. I use quite a few things made for art, crafts and hobbies in the kitchen, but it never occurred to me to use that.

It'[s not about being cheap, it's about being frugal. There's a difference. If you are cheap, you wouldn't even think about the expensive items. If you are frugal, you think of ways to use every bit of the cheap AND expensive stuff. It's an important distinction. But compared to some of the OCD postings here, I'm a lightweight when it comes to scraping and such. ← That's me! Frugal. I don't mind spending market price on lobsters because I use every bit of them. I shudder when I see people throwing the shells away without making stock with them.

Bumping up this thread - Starbucks' test of breakfast sandwiches must have been successful because several local stores are adding them to the menu and there have been several mentions in the news both TV and radio. Some of the stores that have drive-thru service have signs up that say they will be open at 5 a.m. (obviously for commuters) for drive-thru breakfast service. There is a sign next to the freeway (14) indicating the off-ramp to take to get to the Palmdale store that is just off the freeway. They don't miss a trick!

I was born in 1939. I remember washing and flattening empty food cans (made of steel then), bottle caps, saving foil from candy wrappers, gum wrappers, paper, rubber jar rings. Glass jars and bottles were saved and re-used. Waxed paper was used sparingly - we made our own waxed muslin for many kitchen applications. I recycle everything, scrape the remnants from jars, combine sauces, salad dressings, marinades and etc., when there is just a smidge left in a bottle - some interesting flavor developments discovered this way. And I am also addicted to expensive cookware and other kitchen accoutrements. In the matter of food, only the best is good enough. My philosophy is that I am worth it and life is simply far too short to skimp on certain things. After all, there is no guarantee that I will be around next week or next month or next year to taste something if I avoid it now because it is expensive. Presently waiting for a delivery of Perigord truffles coming by way of Fed-Ex.

I have been using recipes and ideas from Spiffy Smoothies and recipezarr smoothies You can use fresh or frozen fruit. Strawberries, yogurt a sweetener if drink is too tart, and so on. However, if I don't feel like looking at a recipe, I usually just use frozen fruits, in any combination or just one, yogurt, a little milk, orange juice or water if it is too thick, a teaspoon of almond meal or hazelnut meal, a dash of cinnamon (supposed to be good for diabetics) and whatever else occurs to me. Sometimes the fruits are a bit tart and I will add a teaspoon of Splenda. I also sometimes add malted milk powder. I like strawberry/banana with a dash of carrot juice. Blueberry/lemon, mango/lime and so on. I buy the Greek yogurt at Trader Joe's, the zero fat stuff. At recipezarr, check pages 4 and 7. Page 7 has a great recipe for mango lassi that is terrific. Page 4 has a mango/ginger recipe that is super.

Brooks, part of the problem in your area may be that a significant number are being exported, here for instance. The local markets have had specials on them for the past couple of weeks.

This is what I use. It is solid at room temperature, and is very tasty, as is. Not cheap, but is perfect for certain applications. I tried another brand but found this one is superior. Tropical Traditions They also have an excellent palm oil. (I have had problems with rancidity in other brands, opening one jar that smelled horrible and the "aroma" hung around the kitchen for some time.)

I use Carbon-Off on my All-Clad and other cookware. It works beautifully. Unlike other compounds, it can also be used on aluminum. Carbon-Off

I have an antique "soap saver" like this one that my grandmother used, not for laundry but to swish about in her tub. When I was little, I used to get to do this and can remember hanging over the edge of the tub and swishing it about in the water to make lots of suds, just like a bubble-bath. I remember she had some soap that smelled like gardenias. Thanks for evoking this memory. However I also have one of these, sisal soap bags into which one puts the remaining pieces of bar soap to wet and work with the hands or simply swish about in a basin of water.

How quickly do you need it? Wine jellies are very easy to make and are virtually fool-proof. Recipes for Wine jelly.

I put the larding all the way through roasts. "Barding" is the wrapping of meat, fish or fowl with fat. Larding is forcing strips of fat deep into the meat or whatever. Barding

You can actually grow angelica in a pot but since it is a biannual, it can only be harvested every other year. If there are farmer's markets in your area, when late spring comes around, call and see if any are growing it. There are a few specialty growers around the country that supply the herb products manufacturers. Angelica I occasionally see it at one of the Asian markets at which I shop.

As long as they are stored in a dry jar, with a tight seal, they will keep a long, long time. And, if they dry out, simply dry them completely in a very low oven and grind in a spice grinder. You can add this to marinades and sauces, to tea, or add to frosting for topping cakes or cupcakes, lots of ways to use this.

Some of the new silicone "spoonulas" have one very sharp edge on one side and a rounded edge on the other side and are narrower than the standard scrapers. (Discovered at Linens 'N Things) They are perfect for cleaning every smidgen of stuff from the inside of jars of PB, jams, jellies, honey, molasses, mayo and the very sticky things such as tamarind paste, chile pastes, sambals and etc. When there is a bit of PB left in the jar, not quite enough for spreading on something, I add a little seasoned rice vinegar, a dash of coconut oil, a little coconut milk, a dab of chile paste, a squeeze of lime juice, a teaspoon of brown sugar (or palm sugar). Put the lid on the jar and shake vigorously, remove the lid and microwave for 15 seconds or so, replace lid and shake again. Then I make gado gado salad.