andiesenji

What mizducky said! Ditto!

You can make a cutter that works like magic. You can make two and fasten them together so you make 2 parallel cuts at a time. It really works great with taffy and you can dial the temperature way down for cutting chocolate. Oh yeah, if you dial it up to high, it will even cut hard candy formed in sheets. You just need to put the stuff you are cutting on a base so the ends of the bow have room. hot wire cutter Translucent cutting mat - grid-marked The one I used was a class project by the boys in a high school shop class. A friend had it made to cut slabs of taffy into squares so they could be dipped in chocolate.

I would like to try your christmas cake recipe using some sour cherries which i pitted and preserved in brandy last summer. Since these cherries are already full of moisture, do you think I would need to reduce the amount of applesauce in the recipe? ← I am sorry I didn't see your post a few days ago. As long as you drain the cherries well, keep everything the same, test it and bake a little longer if necessary. This is a very forgiving recipe. I have from time to time added additional fruit or nuts, used apple butter instead of applesauce, used plum butter once - great flavor but it was too sweet for some.

Those are cute. I have very good friends who live on their boat in the marina at Oxnard. They have done several really big favors for me and I think this would be a great way to repay them. Since their space is limited I have not been able to decide on a suitable gift. They are both avid fishers so this is just perfect. I have the catalog but have not noticed these items. Thanks so much!!!

That is the best kind of story, Jaymes! always a story that involves family history and traditions, is the best to read.

There is a wide variety of nut crackers available at Amazon here. I have the "rocket" nutcracker which I use for shelling lots of nuts but it will not split the shell. You really need a blade type cracker - You might take a look at the Quackenbush nutcracker on page 2, or see if you can locate a nut cracker made specifically for splitting walnuts. They are usually a screw type and have a blade that splits the shell along the natural seam. You might be able to make one easier than finding one. Scroll down the bottom of this page where you can see one type of sheller that cuts walnut shells in half.

To my Yankee ear, red-eye gravy sounds like something served aboard a 3 A.M. airplane flight. Just what is it, exactly? ← See it here! Although there are many versions, depending on locality. There is often great argument about the exact procedure and ingredients, even in closely related families - especially in closely related families!!!and the recipe here.

Delicious!

It's not just grits, northerners are suspicious about many of the favorite foods of the south. Boiled peanuts, for instance. A neighbor down the street, who moved here from Woodstock, NY a few years ago, had never tried cracklins/ fried pork rind or skins/chicharrones.... At one of our block parties, he gingerly bit into one and had an epiphany. Just because something looks odd and has an odd name does not mean it is not tasty. I often seen him in line at the Mexican supermarket buying the big slabs of chicharrones, along with hot sauce in which to dip them. Both he and his wife have eagerly taken to the multi-ethnic foods in our neighborhood.

I also got a couple of these silicone food loops at the kitchen store in the factory outlet center. It has already come in very handy for holding a boned leg of pork rolled around a filling of apples and prunes. So much easier than tying. Since the arthritis in my right thumb has gotten much worse, I am having difficulty with things like this as even force with my index finger causes pressure at the base of the thumb.

This is not a gadget, but it is just so darn cute that I had to order one. I love the animated Christmas/holiday things but have never seen one like this. When I saw it I thought I would order it for a friend who collects bears but then decided I would get it for me.

That is a seriously cool gadget, and one that I want. I shall order post haste. Thank you. It reminds me of a 'flour mixer' that my mom had years ago...a stepped leveled lidded thing that you shook flour and water together to make a slurry for gravey. I haven't seen one of those in years. Looks like a milkshake glass with horizontal ribbs. did not collapse though. I don't think so at least. I need a funnel so badly, and this one folds flat. Yeah!! ← They are not collapsable but you can get these at Amazon. I found them at a 'Factory outlet' kitchen store here in Lancaster, plus a larger one that folds flat, the top edge has a grommet/snap on it that snaps the top together so it can hang up. I also got several silicone "pinch" bowls for holding small amounts of ingredients. Their ability to fold makes it easier to empty things into narrow openings without spilling. Pinch bowls

Extra rich bread pudding for mock French toast Make this bread pudding up to a day in advance, chill, then slice and cook on a griddle for French Toast, but without the mess. This is flavored with cinnamon, but one can vary the flavorings to suit your tastes. Dried fruits can be added to the mixture if desired, mixed in just before pouring into the loaf pan. Extra Rich Bread Pudding 8 extra large eggs 3 cups milk 1 cup cream (or half & half) 2/3 cup sugar (or Splenda to cut calories, it works just fine) 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract. 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg 4 to 5 cups rough bread cubes (Tear day old bread into pieces about 1 to 1 1/2 inch cubes.) Spray a large loaf pan with canola oil (or Pam) (can also use a Bundt pan) Combine eggs, milk and cream, sugar, vanilla, salt and spices in a large bowl. Beat until eggs are completely blended. Add the bread cubes and press down into the egg mixture with a spatula. Cover and set aside for about 20 to 30 minutes until the bread has soaked up most of the egg mixture. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour the mixture into the loaf pan to within 1/2 inch of the top. Set the loaf pan into a larger baking pan and place in the oven. Pour boiling water into the pan to about 1 to 1 1/2 inches deep. Bake for one hour. Test by inserting a thin knife blade into the pudding near the center. If it comes out wet continue baking for an additional 10 minutes. Test again until knife blade comes out clean. (It will take longer to bake in humid weather.) Remove from oven and immediately brush top with melted butter. This can be chilled overnight then sliced and the slices fried or grilled, using butter, and served with maple or other syrup, honey or jams and jellies. Sprinkle with powdered sugar if you must. This tastes exactly like French toast but is much easier for those who are not skilled in the kitchen. This makes a great Mother's Day or birthday breakfast for husbands who seldom cook and even for older kids who want to do something nice for Mom without a lot of mess in the kitchen. For an even more interesting taste, after the slice is on the griddle or in the pan, sprinkle the uncooked top side with granulated maple sugar. Brush the griddle with melted butter, turn the sugared side onto the griddle. The sugar will carmelize, forming a sweet crust which, when turned again is the presentation side. ( RG1518 )

I agree. I buy most of my vegetables at a local produce market where they leave the tops on everything. They know that if we don't use the tops ourselves, most of us have animals or neighbors who have animals that enjoy them. In fact, many of the markets, do trim the tops and sell them packed in big boxes to people who keep animals of one kind or another. I see one of the people who live on the road east of me loading stuff in their truck from the loading dock at the market. They have pygmy goats, a pot-bellied pig and an alpaca. (A really mean alpaca, he has gotten loose a few times and chased dogs and people - looks cute but bites and spits.) I grow my own mustard, mostly for the seed but when the plants are young, I pull off the basal leaves at the bottom of the plant but just until the stalks begin shooting up. After that the leaves have very little flavor, it all goes into seed production. However, if I keep cutting the seed stalk back, it will keep producing tasty leaves. I like to toast a teaspoon or two of the seeds, and toss them in with the greens. very tasty. I suppose to some people polenta sounds more sophisticated. During WWII we had some Italian POWs working on the farm and one of them said he like the polenta. Our cook was furious and stomped around in the kitchen muttering that she wasn't going to put up with someone calling her good grits by some "furrin" name!

Well, I know I have to get one, only because I get anything to do with tea. It is clever and looks to be much more efficient than the tea-ball-on-a-chain things. I have a round one on a stem but it doesn't close tightly and some of the fine bits escape. I saw a mini, one cup French press for some ungodly amount of money on one site while I was at the office but haven't been able to find it again. It was different than the ones that have been around for a while and made by a company I had never before heard of. My housekeeper just came back from a visit to Hungary and brought me some beautiful hand-carved wooden spoons. I will have to take photos, I am very impressed with them. First I have to find my camera.......

I have used agave nectar in dressings for fruit salads. I am a diabetic and this product is 28% sweeter than sugar so less is used. It has a very low glycemic index. The brand available in most stores around here is Cucamonga, a subsidiary of Western Commercial Corporation. Here is a list of their products. The page also contains the nutrient profile of agave nectar and functional properties. If you have tingling in your mouth from the agave, you may have an allergy. It should not cause numbness or tingling. Yucca is a totally differnt plant - the roots contain saponins and were used as a soap. Only the yucca flowers are edible, the "desert candlestick" that bloom in late winter, early spring. Yuca is yet a different plant and the tuber is edible. Agave nectar is kosher. Blue agave is the plant that is used to produce tequila.

Have you ever seen the movie "My Cousin Vinny?" When I first saw it I broke out laughing when they were in the cafe for breakfast. One other person in the theater was also laughing and I turned around and waved. When I walked out into the lobby, he came up to me and asked if I was from the south. I admitted that I was born and raised in Kentucky and he shook hands and reported that he was from West Virginia. My friend (from Wisconsin) and his wife (California native) simply did not get the joke. They thought the scene was funny but didn't get the joke about the grits. Later, in the courtroom scene, Vinny uses the way grits are cooked to make an important point.

Have you considerd almond paste flavored with rose water or orange flower water? It makes a delicious cookie filling. It isn't difficult to make your own. And here's a hint for when you discover you have almond paste or marzipan that has hardened. Simply cut it into slices about 1/2 inch thick and steam it for 5 to 8 minutes, check if it is soft, if not steam it a little longer then knead it until it is the consistence it is supposed to be. If you want to use dried fruit as a filling, steam it instead of soaking it in water. It will retain more of its flavor but be nice and soft as you are essentially rehydrating it with the steam.

Check this thread. When I buy the 10 pound chocolate slabs, I break it up with a chocolate chipper and a rubber mallet into chunks then chop the chunks with a big pizza knife(two handles) or a meat cleaver. I am not that worried about price so when I need smaller batches I simply order it from King Arthur flour in the "buttons" or chips. Currently on hand I have the Merckens, the Guittard mini chips, the sugarfree semi-sweet and the Schonkinag bittersweet extreme dark. Note that I do not eat chocolate but use it in gifts. I have to rely on others to evaluate the flavor. King Arthur flour I do have a chocolate temperer but for small batches I generally use a Pyrex bowl set on a wire grid in a crockpot with about 2 inches of water in the bottom, set on low. I tape a temp probe on a wire to the outside of the bowl so I know the temp of the water in which it is sitting. For very small batches I melt the chocolate in the microwave, stirring every few seconds to make sure I catch it as soon as it has melted, then transfer it to an insulated cup that I have pre-warmed for dipping. All you really need is a container that will maintain the low heat for the time you need for working with the melted chocolate.

I thought I would bump this up and add that my recipe for candied citrus peel made in the microwave (much quicker than any other way) is in Recipe gullet. Microwafe candied citrus peel, small batch. A very nice way to add a fillip to this is to dip half of each strip into bittersweet or semi-sweet melted chocolate. place on a sheet of baking parchment to cool. You could dip the entire piece but the folks I make them for prefer them half and half.

The first Christmas holidays I remember were in the early 1940s, most of the men in the family were away in the services but some managed to get home for the holidays. I can remember my dad and uncles sitting and the kitchen table and drinking huge amounts of milk and scarfing down equally large amounts of fresh eggs, bacon, ham, sausage and etc. My stocking always had an orange and a tangerine in the toe, candies and little toys, barretts for my hair and at least one of the Big Little Books. I wish these were still printed, they were a lot of fun for me. There was also always a small, decorated, tin of little mints that were ordered from someplace far away. I loved the minature paintings on the lids and stil have two (both with dogs) that I have managed to hold onto all these years. I think I was 11 the last year I put up a stocking, I felt I was a big girl then and no longer needed to do like the littler kids. However my grandpa and grandma still filled one and left it on my bed.

This site has the technical specifications and explanation of the effect of nitrite on meat. I have bought most of my cure supplies from this vendor.

I also ordered a couple of whisks to add to my collection of odd/different-shaped whisks. This one in two sizes also an angled sauce whisk.

I have been gadget shopping both in stores and online. It always amazes me how many things pop up every year at this time. Some ingenious, some stupid, some even hazardous, some simply mind-boggling. However, every once in a while someone comes out with something that is clever and useful. I have some "vintage" or antique gadgets that I think should be brought back. Something as simple as a folding wire egg basket, since I haven't been able to find a nice vintage one for a friend who wants one. I have just placed an order for several items from this place which is one of my favorite online sources for gadgets.

That is an extremely cool idea! I intend to steal it. ← Indeed a great idea. I had much the same problem but finally resorted to buying the big commercial rolls at Smart&Final that have a very, very sharp cutter and since the weight of the box holds it in place, I can shove a bowl or pan under the sheet before I cut it.