andiesenji

When I first moved to California the Helms Bakery Home delivery was still in operation and the holidays always meant that the Helms Man would have Christmas cupcakes (white or chocolate) in the truck with chocolate mint icing and silver dragees and a cherry on top. The only doughnuts I ever liked were the cinnamon crumb delivered by the Helms Man!

I used to have an entire Stilton for a early holiday party every year but stopped a couple of years ago when it got to be too much for me. The best part was that I saved the Stilton rind (using care to keep it intact) in its wooden box and then would make potato soup and serve it in the Stilton rind - the flavor is incredible.

Oh my God, I LOVE that stuff. My grandparents always had it at Christmas, and now that they're no longer with us, I miss that stuff. I'm going to have to get some this year and just rot my teeth out. Yum! Thanks for reminding me of this stuff. ←

I know the holidays are near when I see the stacks of chocolate-covered cherries in every store, especially the drug stores. The Walgreens here has a mountain of them right next to the entrance to the checkout lane (form a single line, person in front goes to the next open checker.) I don't eat chocolate but for some reason, those always make my mouth water.

Down here we are lucky to have Star Restaurant Supply in Van Nuys. They will sell anything to anyone, have been open to the public since the day they opened (and I have been shopping there since the first week they opened in 1963). Now they are online at starkitchen.com And if you want something and they can find who makes it, they will order it. about 15 years ago I ordered a rolling bin as a gift for my best friend, to hold 2 big bags of dog food, with a sliding stainless steel top to hold her dog dishes. (She owns a kennel.) They got it and APOLOGIZED because it cost 110.00.... It was a super bargain, my friend still uses it and it is as good as the day it was new. Comparable bins, with domed plexiglass tops were much more costly and not at all useful. Their prices are excellent. The place is like Aladdin's treasure cave for a foodie!

I forgot to mention Special Teas and of course, Republic of Tea These can be found in many stores, Barnes & Noble usually carries almost all of their teas, both loose and bagged. I particularly like the Blackberry Sage (real dried fruits in the mix) and purchase of some of their teas include a donation to cancer research. They also carry Fair Trade teas which I think are very important. You can also ask questions here about various tea items.

There are many teapots available with infusers. However, for a true loose tea experience, the best way is to have two teapots, one for brewing the tea which is then strained into the serving pot. You want something that will hold the heat long enough for the tea to be served. Earthenware and cast iron hold heat the longest, however there are some insulated teapots that are excellent and are modern in style. The classic "Brown Betty" holds heat quite well. Glass, except for the very expensive double-walled insulated (and hard to find) item does not hold heat well unless you cover it with a cozy. I have a somewhat large collection of teapots that I have been adding to for more than 40 years. Amazon has a large selection. Note that the BonJour Classic insulated is now on sale (scroll down half-way on the page) On page 4 you can see an "Old Dutch" teapot with chrome cozy. I have several similar teapots made by Hall China which are often found on ebay. They are very nice and do keep tea at perfect serving temperature. I am sure this is more than you want to know, but I am somewhat fanatic about teapots.

I have some of the Colima salt. My next-door neighbors are from Mexico and when he goes down on a fishing trip (for tuna and dorado) he brings back various things, including the 5-kilo bags that are made of some kind of natural fiber that is sort of silky feeling. I save the bags. I have also used this salt for pickles and it is excellent. Have you seen those bags and do you know what they are made of? My neighbor asked and was told it was "banana fiber" but that doesn't sound feasible.

I have bought teas from many online vendors. Harney & Sons and Adagio teas are two of my favorites. The selection is first rate and the service is excellent.

You can get one that is placed in the meat or whatever, that has a remote device that you can even wear around your neck and it will beep them the correct temp is reached. Since you are not inserting and removing the probe, you do not have to worry about contamination. Maverick remote meat thermometer. Sharper Image version. Various ones available at Amazon When I was in Target last week, they had a sale on the Weber for 35.00.

The subtle sensation of violets can only be felt when the salt is newly collected. As the salt dries, it disappears. Fleur de sel is almost never commercialized while the violet smell is still in it. And this particularity is only for fleur de sel from the Atlantic coast. There is absolutely no violet smell in fleur de sel de Camargue, which is also a commercial gimmick but at least the Guérande fleur de sel could claim some authenticity in the days when you could get it directly from the producer. Fleur de sel de Camargue was developed when some people realized how much money they could make from it after seeing how well Guérande did. At any rate, whatever is left from the violet smell is reduced to nothing when fleur de sel is used on food. The "foodie" argument is not very pertinent when you figure how much some foodies will pay for overhyped gimmicks. Indeed fleur de sel, when it is sold quite dry and far away from the marsh, IS a sales gimmick, certainly not worth its price. However I will certainly not blame the paludiers from Guérande and Batz-sur-Mer for setting this up, for this gimmick very probably saved the marshes from destruction and development. About twenty years ago, the salt marshes were threatened because the grey salt was not profitable enough. If the paludiers have managed to save their jobs, their craft and their produce through overcharging for dried-up fleur de sel, so much the better for everybody. If they hadn't done that, maybe their wonderful grey salt would have disappeared and that would have been a dramatic loss. ← And don't forget, some of the proceeds are earmarked for protection and nurturing of the wild horses! Several years ago I bought a box (little wood box with a linen bag of salt inside), along with a linen bag of rice from Camarque. Inside was a little booklet explaining about the protectorate for the wild horses and how some of the proceeds of these sales protected the horses and their place in the wild. I thought it was a nice touch. I am a sucker for animal rights.

For future reference: You can dry any type of mushroom and it will actually concentrate the flavor. After they are completely dry (they crumble like a cracker at this point) you can store in an airtight container for up to 6 months - sometimes longer. They will dry at room temperature in about 10 days, more rapidly if there is just a little heat and moving air, for instance, if you have on open space on top of your refrigerator, you can spread them on paper towels on a sheet pan and there is just enough heat and air movement to dry them in 4 or 5 days. If you have a convection oven and can turn on just the fan without heat, they will dry even more rapidly. I never waste anything like this. A friend brought me a basket of black trumpets last year and I dried them and used the last of them, still very flavorful, in September.

Search no further than RecipeGullet for my great-grandmother's Grape Pie! Not only did I inherit her recipe box, each recipe written in spidery cursive with a fountain pen, I also have her wooden spoon and three-tined fork. I also have a big stash of embroidered and emblished linens from my grandmothers and their mothers. Some of these are so fragile that I am in the process of framing some of them. ← I have a treasured hand-embroidered and cutwork apron made by my great grandmother. I have her embroidery frame she brought from England. I also have her cushion, pins, bobbins and patterns for bobbin lace. She made the most exquisite lace, as delicate as a spider-web. My christening gown was covered with it. She always told me that she did needlework to keep her fingers nimble! A very Victorian lady! I wear the apron on very special occasions. It is not a "working" apron. It was meant to be worn just for show.

They are for measuring the surface temperature of a pan or skillet before the food is added. They will not measure internal temperature of meat or fowl.

Also check at Costco. They carry under their name, a heavy anodized aluminum which is comparable to Calphalon. It is an excellent buy and they do have occasional price cuts.

I actually found a few more varieties when my housekeeper and I were straightening the pantry. Well, one thing for sure, it will never go bad!

I have a Stir-Chef and I love it. I got it mainly for lemon curd. The way I make it, it takes a long time to set up but is very, very creamy.

The pod material is not at all like the teabag material I buy. It is a lot tougher - it should be, to stand up to the water/steam being forced through it. I think we will see more and more of this type of machine - the price on the Senseo has dropped - I believe they are now selling at Costco for less than $50.00. As I have mentioned before, they are ideal in places where appliances with exposed heat surfaces are not allowed - my usual example, dorm rooms. And in assisted senior living residences where regular coffee makers are forbidden in the rooms. We have them in my office - started with one, now have three. Three people I know who have motorhomes have gotten them because there is nothing worse to clean up than debris from a coffee maker that was not secured when the rig moved and a full carafe of coffee, plus the soggy grounds flew all over the place. And one other consideration is that each person can have the type of coffee they prefer, they don't have to settle for what has been brewed. The various types are instantly available, cup by cup.

One additional comment. Four or five years ago, here in soCalif., many of the smaller Mexican markets were selling "Natural Vanillin powder" - It was indeed, a "natural" product but it contained coumarin (a blood thinner) and was pulled from market shelves by FDA agents and the distributors were enjoined from continuing to distribute it in the US. It had been around for several years but apparently the FDA had just gotten around to testing it and found it had dangerous levels of the coumarin. It is possible to get good quality products made in Mexico but you have to deal with a reputable dealer. The true Mexican vanilla is very good - I prefer the Madagascar Bourbon but not by much. If I had my "druthers" - I would use Hawaiian vanilla exclusively but it is very, very expensive. A friend who lives on the Big Island and has an 'in" with the owners, sent me some and it is extraordinary, but not if one is on a tight budget.

Pretty nifty!!

I thought that was neat also. I may get it for one of the girls in the office who has just begun baking. She also loves hot chocolate. There were several very clever little things that would make great stocking stuffers. I also thought of ordering the "Coffee clock" for a friend who is an avid coffee collector, taster, drinker, etc. I also considered the "Perfect Apple slicer" for my own collection. And how about that 110.00 for the Armadillo Bread Bin?? A bit pricey, I would say. And of course, when you check that site you find a bunch more odd and quirky gadgets. Uncrate is an odd name in itself. It says it is for guys but who cares!

I can certainly tell the difference between real vanilla and artificial vanilla in some foods, particularly in delicate custards. The artificial stuff has a bitter tone to it that is not pleasant and one of the worst examples was when I was served a lovely peach dessert topped with whipped cream in which the person who made it had used artificial vanilla. I would rather spend the extra amount and have a flavor on which I can depend. Also, the imitation stuff can change over time, partidularly if exposed to prolonged heat. The chemicals can change to compounds that have really putrid flavors. Here is a good explanation of the differences.

I will post a favorite recipe for peanut (or almond, or ??) made in the microwave. Easy and pretty much foolproof.

And now, here is a whole slew of Kitchen Gadgets Some have been around for a while but some are new, some are unusual (wait till you see the "armadillo bread bin") --- some are totally impractical but some look like they might come in handy. I am ordering the "SqueezeMe" lemon squeezer, simply because it is unusual and cute. I am seriously considering the Solar Grill. I have a solar cooker (since 1979) but the thing is the size of the old type satellite dish. It works great in the desert but is big and heavy to haul around. This little thing looks really cool. I also am considering ordering a set of Knorks. We had a discussion a while back regarding sporks. This doesn't have the spoon component but for people who have lost the use of one hand, it looks like a winner. I have several friends who had had strokes and this should help them. Since my right hand is getting worse all the time, I may be in the same boat myself before very long. I also like their style of ring pull device for cans.

Alcohol and Gluten-free vanilla. This is an excellent product.