andiesenji

The dried fruits and nuts, the yogurts, the cereals, the frozen foods, the canned soups, the wines. It is difficult to pick without knowing your tastes. Their "B" grade maple syrup has super flavor and the price is right. The "bulk" chocolate chunks. My best advice is leave your credit cards at home and take a limited amount of cash for your first visit. (I rarely get out of the store for less than $100.00, usually more.

Findings at Rutgers University loom large. So all you guys who have avoided the cruciferous veggies, now there is some word that it IS good for you, especially when teamed with curry.

A friend of mine lived in Nagoya for two years while studying with an artist. She was able to order some small appliances from Hong Kong for much less than the cost in Japan even with the import fees. I don't recall if a KA mixer was one of the items but I know she did get a heavy duty juicer that wasn't available anywhere in Japan.

I paid more because at the time I got mine, there were no others available with a holding guard and I had just taken the tip off my right middle finger with one of the cheapies. I paid $69.00 for it in 1972, which was a lot of money at the time. I place it in a bus tub (looks like a shallow plastic dishpan but much sturdier) and go to work with the thing on a low stool while I sit. I can go through ten pounds or more of potatoes, carrots, cucumbers, onions and just keep raking them out from under the mandoline into the corners of the tub. This would not work with one of the smaller ones unless I could find a tall, narrow container on which it could rest. I personally think it is extremely versatile and I like it. However each person has to choose what is right for them. Unless you are using it often for fairly large batches of stuff, it is rather pricey. However I feel it has saved me a lot of time and a lot of grief over the years. My philosophy has always been the best tool and the right tool for the job and when I got this it was and it has held up well. If I am slicing one onion or three potatoes, etc., I use a knife.Bus tub I bought mine at Smart & Final for less.

I have had a Bron for more than 30 years - have replaced the blades on it twice and although I have tried the smaller, "handier" and cheaper ones, I keep going back to the Bron when I need to do stuff like piles of onions for confit, potatoes, particularly waffle ones, cucumbers for pickles, julienne vegetables, etc. You can do more things with this mandoline than with any other, and I have tried them all. The blades pivot up and down for thicker/thinner, the machine is placed on one end or the other to choose the type of blades. Fantes has the best price. Scroll down to where it says $109.00 They also have the instructions which sometimes do not come with the machine from some vendors. Replacement blades are here

Thank you Katie. I had to stop engraving because of arthritis in my right hand - difficult to hold onto the hand piece. I do have a few pieces of my work, mostly samples but do have a couple of plates and a pitcher, just no goblets or glasses. I uploaded some others to my public gallery yesterday, a couple of birds, a Dalmatian, a Maltese and a running cheetah.

Wow! Those are expensive beans. The produce market here in Lancaster carries several different bean mixtures with spices and herbs in bags and most cost less than $2.00. As I recall, a couple that include dried porcini or dried shiitaki plus pasta are $2.75. The one bag I have (7-bean soup) is a total of 20 oz., so probably has at least a pound of dried beans along with the little bag of spices, herbs, dried onions and vegetables inside ($1.95).

I feel so lucky that I have friends who are willing to trek around to estate sales and sit around all day waiting to bid on books for me. Vivian collects vintage hats from the 20s and 30s so I will be making a trip down to west L.A. to find something for her. Even though other people were bidding, she managed to get them for much less than my limit.

I agree with jackal10 in most cases. The reason I started grinding my own was because I used some flours that were not common and the ready-ground stuff was often stale or in some cases, rancid. Spelt, buckwheat, kamut, barley and etc. In many stores there is no way to tell how long something has been on the shelf or in a warehouse prior to that. On one occasion, in a local store, I found 4 different price stickers on one package, peeling off the top ones, I found the bottom one was very faded and the price was much less than the more recent one. The label was also different, an older style no longer used by the manufacturer. When I pointed this out to the clerk, he simply shrugged his shoulders and asked if I expected them to toss out anything that didn't sell right away. I estimated that particular item had been on the shelf for at least two years and again I got a shrug. I stopped shopping there. I could buy the whole grain on the internet from a supplier who provided only fresh grains and know that it was fresh when I used it. If you shop at a store that has a high turnover or sells bulk specialty flours, then you can depend on fresh ingredients and there would be no need to grind your own.

It has been a while since I posted and I have either purchased or received quite a few books in the past few months. One important (in my opinion) addition to my collection is the rare Early California Hospitality by Ana Bégué Packman, published in 1938, which contains recipes from the Spanish colonial period in California. Very interesting to read, in addition to the traditional recipes. It is a very special gift. I also received the Jane Austen Cookbook and Tea with Jane Austen. Spices of Life by Nina Simonds The Curry Book of Indian Cuisine by Pat Chapman Bouchon by Thomas Keller The Mitford cookbook and Kitchen Reader by Jan Karon Dessert University by Roland Mesnier Foie Gras: A Passion by Michael Ginor Olive Trees and Honey by Gil Marks and those are just the Christmas loot. Earlier I got the Nanny Ogg Cookbook by Terry Pratchett (Discworld - parody and statire fantasy for grownups as well as young adults and children.) Maccaroni and Cheese by Marlena Spieler Great Grilled Cheese by Laura Werlin (already have Marlena's book on this subject) The Cooking of Southwest France by Paula Wolfert The Nancy Drew Cookbook by Carolyn Keene The Redwall Cookbook by Brian Jacques (I always collect literature-related cookbooks) The Book Lovers Cookbook by Shaunda Wenger and janet Jensen Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook by Beth Hensperger and a special find, signed first editions of (1950) A Book of Mediterranean Food and (1951) French Country Cooking by Elizabeth David - purchased for me at at estate sale in Bristol, UK. Reference - - - the new On Food and Cooking by McGee Not a cookbook but related: Will Write for Food: The complete Guide to Writing Cookbooks, Restaurant Reviews, Articles, Memoir, Fiction and More by Dianne Jacob Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl I forgot that I also got the Chas Addams Half-Baked Cookbook: Culinary Cartoons for the Humorously Famished by Allen Weiss. Absolutely hilarious.

I grind a fair amount of flour or meal from various grains, beans, etc., but not as much as I used to, only because I do much less baking now. The one thing you have to consider is the volume is greater in freshly ground flour so you should measure by weight instead of volume. Baking depends on fairly exact measurements and volume can vary hugely and spoil your results. With coarser meal, it settles quicker and the volume is not so different so one can use cups and etc to measure. The finer the flour, the more the volume increases. Invest in a good scale and look for recipes that use weight instead of volume. In this thread about cornbread from "scratch" you can see the mill I use.

Dammit Katie! I told you that I have a thing for ancient flora! NOW you come up with that fern pattern crystal. With my "thing" for ferns and anything clear glass you are killing me!!! This is a very dangerous topic. I am starting to envision a collection of unique champagne flutes. Er . . . ← I used to engrave unique wine goblets and a few champagne flutes. For many years one of my clients in Santa Ynez who raised Arabians, would bring me 8 Baccarat wine goblets every August so I could engrave head studies of some of her horses, a different one on each goblet. She gave one to each of certain friends each Christmas. Since I stopped doing the engravings, I have often wondered what she is now giving. I have never heard of one of them appearing on ebay. I have seen some of my basenji engravings show up from time to time but none of those were done on Baccarat. I did do a set of cocktail glasses with baseball players in various poses for a gift for one of the Dodgers execs back in the early 80s. My best friend Carol probably has the largest collection of my basenji engraved holloware and even though she uses them all the time, none have ever been broken. For some reason I never did any for myself and right now that seems a little odd, I just never thought of it before.

It doesn't sound like a healthy person should worry, but I'm going to stop drinking caffeine before I run. I'm also wondering what sort of insight the track coach from my friends' high school had when he told all the kids to stop drinking soda during track season. I'm curious to see what they find in the follow up studies. -Linda ← It is possible the caffeine might be the reason, however there are other reasons to avoid carbonated beverages before and during vigorous exercise. There is a delicate balance that has to be maintained in the circulating blood so it can pick up the fatigue acids (lactic acid) produced when muscles work and which, if they build up in muscles, can cause cramping or a charley horse. Carbonated beverages of any kind in particular lower the serum calcium which has to be at a certain level to pick up the lactic acid, as does excessive water. This is the reason for the electrolyte replacement liquids which replace electrolytes, potassium, sodium and calcium, lost during exercise. There have been many detailed studies going back 30 years or more that document these effects. Because it is believed carbonated beverages can also influence bone formation in infants, many nutritionists advise giving infants and small children only limited amounts of carbonated beverages. I have worked for an orthopedic surgeon for 38 years and we used to see a lot of fractures in young children and invariably, they drank large amounts of carbonated beverages and very little milk. My boss always advised them to cut way back on the Coke, Pepsi and etc and encourage them to drink milk and eat the right kind of veggies. Since ideas about the effects of caffeine have yo-yoed back and forth over many years, I wait for the other shoe to drop - or another study to appear. One of the women in my office has terrible migraine headaches, relieved only by caffeine (tablets) and the change is immediate and profound. As far as espresso is concerned, I believe that there is much less caffeine in the dark roast coffees than in the lightly roasted beans. Someone explained to me how caffeine is reduced by heating for long periods but I don't recall the specifics.

This is a set I inherited. I have a few pieces of the Spode orange/rust but do not care for it, I much prepare the multiple colors.

I love apples with pork. A mixture of dried apples and prunes, chopped and mixed with some sweet spices, a dash of dry mustard, a very little rosemary, bread crumbs and finely chopped pecans, spread over the flattened meat, sprinkled with a little balsamic vinegar then rolled and tied and roasted long and slow or braised, etc.

I love that also. I have several pieces, mostly serving bowls and platters, but did pick up a set of the mugs when Gottschalk's dept store did a close-out sale about three years ago. I think I also bought pieces that depicted culinary herbs. I am glad you reminded me of them. I used to bring them out for spring but forgot last year. I set them out with the large "Provence" platter I bought at Williams-Sonoma the first year they carried it. The cost of that has certainly increased since I got mine.

YES!!! Get thee behind me, Satan. ← I do think that china is lovely and the proportions of the palms is just perfect. I even have some flatware with pattern that would mate nicely with this china. Colliseum, made by Wedgwood. Colliseum I have never used it, it is still in the original box simply because I have so much other flatware. I think I hear my housekeeper gritting her teeth - ooops.

Too bad you don't live near me. I have cardoons "volunteering" in my yard. I started out with a single plant several years ago but unless you keep the seed stalks cut back, they self seed all over the place - the neighbors have some also but their goats keep them trimmed. If you are ever interested, you can grow them in a large pot. One plant is plenty! Note the warnings! One of my friends, who lives on a boat in the Oxnard marina, has one on her dock in a half barrel - It keeps kids from skateboarding down her slip! Those spiky leaves can be sharp.

Here is a recipe that should be close to the ones I tried at a restaurant. Here is another recipe that is just a bit different. I tried both beef and chicken - I think they also had lamb. There was a similar one with fish but as I recall the name was slightly different. On the menu the item was listed as Roti Murtabak and came with a couple of dipping sauces. The person who took us to the restaurant had lived in Malasia for many years doing research on old rubber plantations, and was then teaching at one of the Claremont Colleges. The dish probably was adapted from Indian Muslim foods sometime in the past but the spice mixtures are somewhat different, at least according to some of the recipes and restaurant critiques online, so it seems the Malay people have made it their own.

This Coalport Indian Tree is one of my favorites.

Specific instructions are available at this site. And, as is mentioned in the text you can get a kit from New England cheesemaking supply. There are several links to sites here and some more here. I use manufacturer's cream which is not ultra-pasteurized and I generally mix it with whole milk that is NOT homogenized, that is, the kind where the cream floats to the top. For cream cheese I use 1/3 whole milk and 2/3 cream. I find that I get a better end product this way - I have never used straight - cream and I then make ricotta from the whey that is left after the curds have been strained out. I have not used tartaric acid, I use rennet and often a culture for a particular type of cheese, usually a mesophyllic culture. Once the curds have formed and the whey strained off, I knead the curds into a solid mass in the cheesecloth (the fine stuff also known as butter muslin, not the gauze-like stuff found in most stores) wrap tightly and place in a plastic colander set in a pan to catch drips in the fridge I reserve for cheese and produce, which is not as cold as a regular refrigerator, and let it drain for 24 hours. For mascarpone, I make a small batch using only vinegar. I use a double boiler and bring the temperature of the milk up to 190 degrees then add the vinegar and stir carefully, not too vigorously, as the milk curdles and the curds form and clump up. I remove the top pan from the heat, cover it with a cloth so steam won't form and drip into the pan and allow it to cool for about 30 minutes or so. By this time the surface should be fairly solid. I personally do not care for the flavor of this by itself so mix this batch with an equal amount of the plain cream cheese after they both have set for 24 hours. I simply put both batches in a mixer and beat with the flat paddle until the consistency is the way I like it. My cream cheese is not as stiff as the commercial variety but it certainly is not thin. I can turn the mixer bowl upside-down and it won't fall out. I divide it into smaller amounts and add herbs to one, sometimes fruit to another, etc.

The only reason I know about it is because of my two visits to that particular restaurant and when I asked about the "turnovers" the server told me she and her siblings would carry them to school and at the time I was interested in "portable" foods. She showed me a little set of three stacking bamboo containers which would be lined with banana leaves and one would contain rice, one the roti or similar item and the third would be a sweet of some kind. They were sort of like the bamboo steamers except the bottom one had a solid bottom and they were held together with cords. I wanted to buy a set but they were for display only. There were seven or eight in our party and the person who was familiar with the place ordered a selection of several items, sort of like a sampler platter. I had long been familiar with Indonesian food but that was my first visit to a Malay restaurant. Some of the foods were similar but some were quite different and interesting.

No, they are called (I think) roti murtabak and are made with roti dough, filled with spicy beef or chicken and fried on a griddle, however sometimes they are deep fried. There is a Malay restaurant in the San Gabriel valley either in Covina or West Covina, where I have had them. This is a Malaysian staple according to the folks at the restaurant.

I often use a recipe from Nick Malgieri's How to Bake. However, I often decide to prepare quiche at the last minute and find it is easier to use filo/phyllo sheets, I use 8 to 10 sheets, brushing each with melted butter before adding the next layer, and after fitting it in the pie plate, simply trim the edges with scissors. I love the crisp, flaky crust this produces.

And regarding the air travel with "fun finds", back in the early 90s I did a large collection of one-of-a-kind engraved glass trophies for a national specialty dog show and transported them to Illinois myself because I didn't trust shipping. I had a few extra days on the way back and detoured to southern Ohio and the Hall China outlet and then across the river to West Virginia to visit a few small local potteries and loaded the cases in which I had transported the trophies with interesting pieces. I don't recall the exact amount but the charges for the extra luggage weight was more than $100.00 and I had to tip the skycap extremely well after he loaded it all into my van. He asked if I was a weight-lifter and carrying my weights in the cases.