andiesenji

Regarding the "chick thing" - I think it depends on the guys. I have some gay guy friends(partners for at least 25 years) who could make us all look like pikers. They have a lovely home in Malibu, overlooking the sea, and one entire wall of the kitchen/breakfast room is glass with glass shelves, displaying many of their collected depression glass. You must have seen some of Martha Stewart's collections - - - they have many more, including entire sets of single patterns in every color. On one visit, I got to look through their storage room and counted more than 30 complete sets of dinnerware. They rotate the different ones out for display, changing the colors with the seasons. They have extras for daily use. When I still lived down in the Valley, we used to go to estate auctions together, with the agreement that we wouldn't bid on each other's interests. Lots of fun.

One can never have too many sets of tableware, as long as there is a place to store them. I have inherited several sets and choosing to part with one instead of another would be like choosing between children.

There are several unusual varieties of bay that do not usually show up in the literature unless you can find a reference to it. The California native bay or mountain laurel, has longer, narrower leaves and should not be used in food because of the high levels of safrole. Some people tell you it is okay in foods and many Mexican people use it but it really is not. Safrole is a carcinogen. The aroma from the crushed leaves can cause severe headaches when inhaled,. It works great as an insect repellant when you are out in the woods but not in the house and one should never inhale the smoke from burning leaves. The Greek bay or laurus nobilis is also known as sweet bay and you can tell the difference immediately. The scent of the crushed leaves is sweet and spicy with none of the chemical/kerosene scent of the California native. Laurus nobilis has been known by a number of names, depending on the country in which it is gathered. There is a Persian or red bay that is also used in cooking. The very rare Canary island bay is also a sweet bay and grows alongside the common sweet bay. They are a protected plant and are no longer exported. There is one in the Huntington Gardens. In the latter half of the 19th century a number were imported into the U.S. and can be found in botanical gardens, sometimes mis-labeled, according to the arborist at the Huntington. They are larger than laurus nobilis and have a distinctive natural umbrella shape. Laurus azoricus Purdue University has details of the chemicals involved. I have several bay "bushes" which have to be protected when the temperature dips below 25 degrees. I keep them small so they can easily be covered with burlap blankets. They used to overwinter in the greenhouse but about 8 years ago I experimented with one and when it survived with minimal protection I moved the others outside except for one which was trained and trimmed as a standard (round "lollipop" top on a single stem) which I gave away last year. The leaves are easy to dry, just pick and leave in a wire collander and toss them every few days so they all dry evenly.

I have always been nervous about other people slicing bagels and getting hurt in my kitchen, which is why I purchased the bagel biter which in my opinion is the safest of any thing I could find up to that time.

Andie, have you received your apple slicer yet, and if so, is it indeed perfect? ← I haven't got it yet. It is back ordered, supposed to be shipped 1/26. I will post when it arrives.

Safety oyster knife.

Calzone are the Italian version made with pizza dough instead of a short crust. There is a Malay version. There are also a few Phillipino items that depend on dough formed around meat or fish or cheese. The Greeks have pitta me kima which is a mixture of meat, usually lamb, tomatoes, cheese and spices wrapped in phyllo dough. There is also a very spicy version which I think is a Cypriot recipe. Syria has a version wrapped in unleavened dough that is sort of like lavosh, I don't remember the name. I had a terrific meat pie when I visited Quebec many years ago and was told it was a local specialty. I shouldn't forget the crispy meat pies from south China that are steamed then deep fried. Yum!

Not me, however I have prepared meals for and with people who wanted to pretend they did the whole thing. It paid very, very well and most of those people did become fine cooks in their own right.

Marinara sauce, all types of pasta or pizza sauce, many types of condiments, mustard, ketchup, chile sauce as well as salsas, sour cream, cream cheese.

wonderful idea too! i hadn't thought of it, must email it in. i'm a total empanada hound. i have a cousin who lived in argentina and uraguay and bolivia, and made such good empanadas. i must remember to ask her to make some for us next visit. i love the aniseed in the dough, and the crisp/sweet quality too. Marlena ← It came to mind because I just mentioned on another thread that I had received an old cookbook about early California cookery, from the Spanish colonial period, and it has a recipe for empanada dough with a list of different fillings. I love empanadas of all types. The first time I visited Mexico, in the late 50s, I tried some from a street vendor. (He had a little charcoal brazier with a metal box on top and they were so hot I was sure I didn't have to worry about germs.) He had three varieties, including one with finely chopped beef tongue, raisins and spices that was sort of like mincemeat.

what about making empanadas or empanaditas, the "little turnovers" which are filled with pumpkin, mashed beans or meats - these can be fried but more often are baked as they keep better without the dough becoming soggy. Unlike most pie dough, traditionally this dough is made with sugar, an egg, and includes baking powder and sometimes aniseed or other spice.

I am bumping up this topic because for Christmas I received a gift of a rare cookbook on this subject. "Early California Hospitality" by Ana Bégué Packman "The first and only authentic record of Spanish California cookery, revealing many secret recipes and menus of the period handed down through five generations by the author's illustrious Spanish ancestors who first trod the soil of California with Padre Junipero Serra." The jacket states the author is the secretary of the Historical Society of Southern California and custodian of Casa Figueroa and a direct descendent of Juan Francisco Reyes, an early alcalde of Los Angeles and Maximo Alaniz, the founder of Rancho San Jose de Buenos Aires, now Westwood Hills. She is also the author of "Leather Dollars." This book was published by the Arthur H. Clark Company, Glendale, California in 1938. One thing I find interesting in this book are the number of daily meals: Desayuno (Breaking the fast) Almuerzo (Mid-morning meal) Comida de Medio Dia (Noon dinner) Merienda (Afternoon collation) Cena (Supper) One recipe name that is different from the present-day meaning is "Cajeta" (Glazed Fruit Pulp) It states that Cajeta is a concentrated fruit jam. Equal parts of fruit and sugar are cooked until all the water is cooked away with constant stirring with a wooden paddle. This is then spread in a wooden tray 1 1/2 inches thick then put in the sun and air for further drying. The traditional fruits were tunas (prickly pears, mission grapes, figs, and quinces. Many of the recipes include pumpkin, green pumpkin or summer squash, sweet potatoes, beans, string beans, as well as chiles, tomatoes, onions and olives. There is a very short chapter on making fresh cheese (using rennet tables) as well as describing saving the stomach of a freshly killed calf for the rennet. There is also a recipe for preparing ripe black olives that does not require lye, only water and salt. (A strong brine that will float an egg.) One Lenten dish is Ojos de Buey (Oxeyes - Eggs in chile) to remind people of the patient oxen I have yet to prepare any of the recipes, however the book is very interesting to read. Apparently a reprint was published in 1953 by a Library Guild in Fresno but I have no information about it.

← How timely! I just ordered her new book - I have had the Grilled Cheese book for some time and like the way she writes and expect to find some interesting combinations of cheeses and pastas. However for the plain dish for myself, I will probably to stick to my old "instant" method, humble as it is.

Cultured butter is developed with a lactic acid culture mixed with the cream which is then allowed to stand overnight or about 12 hours or longer, at room temperature, for the culture to develop. You cannot use ultrapasteurized or ultrahomogenized cream - Manufacturers cream is pasteurized but not homogenized. This site has an excellent and easy method explained and illustrated. Usually in the washing phase, butter paddles are used, however you can use your hands but do wear gloves. Otherwise, use a broad wooden spoon, I use the bamboo rice paddles like this.

This is not a cheap solution, but if you have a problem with any kind of odors, cooking, fire, etc., this air purification unit is the best for the job. I used one when we had the brush fires and my house smelled like the inside of a barbecue. One of my friends whose home was flooded in the rains last year, used one and it killed the horrible mildew odor.

I always test the oil with a cube of bread. It should brown and crisp in 30-40 seconds.

I love cookbooks and have collected a huge number. I have to be seriously annoyed to chuck one in the trash, however it has happened. A few months ago I was thumbing through a cookbook that I had received as a gift but had never examined it in detail. It was filled with wonderful photos of dishes - NOT one dish pictured was identified anywhere in the book and the recipes on the near pages had no relation to the photos whatsoever. Some were covered pies, with no indication what was under the crust. Some were vegetables or had identifiable vegetables in them and some were poultry or meat that could be identified but I don't want to hunt through 200-plus recipes to figure out which one is the one shown in the photo. I stood on the deck and sailed it into a trash container. Another book I discarded had some glaring errors in the recipes themselves. I recall in particular that a recipe for a potato dish listed all the ingredients EXCEPT FOR THE POTATOES. Another recipe had a long list of ingredients and some were duplicated, in particular, salt was listed three times, parsley was listed three times and oil was listed twice. Needless to day, I did not waste much more time on this one but dumped it immediately. Obviously that publisher (a major house) needed a better proofreader.

I grew up in a family that was well off financially but would probably have been considered frugal because nothing useful was ever wasted. Sheets that had become thin in the center (where most of the wear occurs) were cut up and hemmed for dish towels or cut into strips which were braided together, then sewn into circles or ovals to protect the table from hot dishes. A big kitchen serving a very large family uses a lot of dish towels but I don't recall anyone in the family ever buying them as a specific item. There were fancy ones received as gifts and sometimes bought at church fund raising events - home made ones that had designs that had been stenciled onto the fabric or with embroidery, cross stitch or similar decoration. These were usually reserved for tea towels, to place on trays, etc. We did get flour in 50 pound sacks and those were always saved and washed, but usually kept intact as sacks for the cornmeal that was ground at the mill on the farm.

I don't know if any of you soCal folks are familiar with the Bicycle Shop Café on Wilshire. I haven't been there for a few years but always considered it a fun place with an interesting menu, including some of the best crab cakes outside of Louisiana. I took some friends, who were visiting from Australia, to the place quite a few years ago - long before the advent of digital cameras - and hauled out my old Nikon and explained to our server that my friends were from Oz and wanted to document all the places they visited on their trip and the foods they tried. He said there would be no problem, as long as I didn't take photos of the other patrons (a fair number of easily identifiable entertainment people frequented the place and wanted their privacy.) I said all we wanted was photos of the food and my friends. The manager came to the table a short time later with a couple of plates, one dark, one light, and asked on which one would be better to plate the food so my photos would come out best. I felt that was extremely thoughtful and showed they thought of the customer first. It was daytime, we were seated next to a window and I didn't require a flash and got beautiful pictures. I also got photos of many of the antique bicycles that hang from the ceiling and was invited by other patrons to take photos of dishes served at nearby tables after they learned that my friends were visitors from Oz. I also got photos of my friends with several of the staff and one of the staff took a photo of my friends and me. It was a delightful experience and I have recommended the place many times because I do feel that it is a fun place, their food is priced at very reasonable rates and the service has always been excellent. They will also prepare many of their menu items for takeout and I have taken advantage of this a few times over the years, usually when attending an event at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium and meeting out of town friends. I have never been disappointed. I don't understand why a chef would not want photos of their specialties in circulation. In my opinion, if the plating is attractive and the patron reports the food is good, that would seem to be as good as paid advertising, better, because it is unsolicited. I know that I have seen photos here on eG that have certainly made me want to visit the places where the particular food was served. Perhaps it is paranoia of some kind. I wonder if they never have Japanese tourists in the restaurant, because they take photos of everything!

You could also make a very nice bread pudding.

You could always make this which has been published all over the internet - RecipeLand, RecipeSource, several baking sites as well as in Diane Mott Davidson's book "Killer Pancake" It is very good. What to do with all the Egg Yolks Bread 2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast 1/4 cup sugar 1/4 cup warm water 3/4 cup skim milk 1/4 cup melted butter 1/2 cup canola oil 1 tablespoon chopped orange zest 1 teaspoon salt 4 egg yolks lightly beaten 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (to 4 cups) 3/4 cup sun-dried cranberries 1 cup chopped pecans Butter a 10-inch tube pan; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine the yeast, 1 tablespoon of the sugar and the warm water. Set aside for 10 minutes. Combine the milk, butter, oil, zest and remainder of the sugar, and the salt and stir into the yeast mixture. Add the egg yolks, stirring well. Add the flour 1/2 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition to incorporate the flour thoroughly. Knead 5 to 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth, elastic, and satiny. Knead in the cranberries and pecans. Put the dough back in the bowl, cover and let rise at room temperature until it is doubled in bulk. Using a wooden spoon, beat down the risen dough for about a minute. Place the dough into the buttered tube pan and allow to rise at room temperature until doubled in bulk. Preheat the oven to 375°. Bake the bread for 45 to 50 minutes until dark golden brown and sound hollow when tapped. Place on a rack to cool or serve warm. Once cooled the bread is also excellent sliced and toasted. Makes 1 large loaf. I should add that this is one of the bread recipes I use for making "Monkey-Bread" - After the first rise, I knead it down, form it into a long "rope" about 1 1/2 inches in diameter, cut it into pieces with a bench knife then dip each piece in melted butter, roll it in cinnamon and sugar (or for me, cinnamon and Splenda) then pack it into a tube pan, let rise and bake. I do it with or without the fruit and nuts.

I sometimes buy them at Smart & Final because they have the large ones, - I just measured one and it is 32 x 34 inches. Occasionally I buy the medium weight unbleached muslin, wash it, because it shrinks a lot, then cut it to the size I want. My sewing machine has a narrow hem attachemnt that makes a flat, double-stitched 1/4 inch hem and it takes little time to finish the cut edges. If I get the 40 inch width I only need to hem them on two sides - it shrinks to about 36 inches wide. Many years ago I used to buy the Curity brand diapers, which were about the same type of fabric, extremely absorbent. Woolworth's and Penney's used to carry them but I haven't seen them for years.

I suppose that if they have a notice "posted in a prominent area visible to the public" banning photography in their establishment, then they are probably within their rights. However, if they do not have such a notice posted, or they have at any time allowed TV cameras or any person other than an employee to take photos in their establishment and the photos were published in a newspaper or magazine, (or on line) then it would be my opinion that they do not have a leg on which to stand, in spite of the reputation of the attorney. However one does have to get a release if a person's face is in the photograph and that photo is published. I have often taken photos in restaurants - in fact at one place that offered a wonderful brunch, the chef at the service line had two bus boys come over and lift the covers of the chafers so I could more easily take photos, then two more chefs came out of the kitchen and posed so I could get them in the picture also. They were obviously very proud of their presentation and were happy to have me taking pictures. They even moved an ice sculpture so I could get a better angle on it. Some of the other patrons also pointed out some of the things I had missed.

2005 has been a wonderful year for learning about new methods of preparing foods, finding new sources for exotic (or mundane) foods or ingredients or spices and how to use them. My belief has been reinforced that a passion for food and cooking crosses all national, cultural and ethnic boundaries, promoting friendships between people that otherwise might never have met. No wonder that the breaking and sharing of bread and salt has been a sign of peace between strangers since prehistoric times. Thanks to eGullet, I have many new and interesting friends who have taught me so much. Thank you!

You will find a good selection of recipes at the Cat-Tea Corner, as well as an extensive list of links to tea shops, tea vendors, tea information and other interesting information. Cat-Tea Corner Afternoon teas are a more formal affair. You are not alone in thinking that "High Tea" would be a fancy tea. There are tea rooms here in the US that have the same mistaken idea. The term supposedly takes its name from being served at a "high" table, usually the kitchen table, sometimes a dining room table, rather than the lower and smaller parlor or drawing room tables and people would sit at the table as they would for any other meal. When I was a child tea was served at 4:00 in the afternoon and included an assortment of small "finger" sandwiches, tea cakes, scones, biscuits (cookies) and an assortment of jams, jellies, etc. Dinner was later in the evening and this was to fill the gap between lunch and dinner. This site has some excellent Afternoon Tea REcipes