andiesenji

I like it made with Creamettes elbow macaroni. Barilla is okay, Ronzoni is fair American Beauty-NO! Or, if you have a local Italian store that carries the San Giorgio in bulk (and they have a rapid turnover so it is fairly fresh) that is the best. Cook till al dente, drain, return to cooking pot and stir in 3 or 4 tablespoons of butter. Then add (depending on the amount of macaroni) one or two cans of undiluted Campbells Cheddar Cheese Soup, stir until melted from the heat of the pasta and distributed evenly throughout the pasta. Meanwhile - while the pasta is cooking, you have made some buttered bread crumbs and grated some hard cheese, Asiago is good! About 1/3 cup. Pour the mac and cheese into a casserole, sprinkle the buttered bread crumbs on top along with the grated cheese. Now run it under the broiler for 2 minutes or until the topping is slightly browned.

You could, if you want to do something "REALLY" different, make the following: Here is my original recipe for a very fancy "bread" pudding. Marzipan filled brioche bread pudding. an original recipe by Andie Read all directions first. This recipe takes 2 days to do it correctly Easy Brioche Rolls Must start day before serving this dessert. 1/2 cup milk 1/2 cup butter or margarine 1/3 cup sugar 1 tsp. salt 1 pkg. dry yeast 1/4 cup lukewarm water 1 egg, separated 3 whole eggs, beaten 3 1/4 cup flour Scald milk and while hot add butter (margarine), sugar, and salt. COOL TO LUKEWARM. Soften yeast in the water. Add to LUKEWARM milk mixture. Add egg yolk and beaten eggs and stir. Add flour and beat with wooden spoon for 2 minutes. Cover and let rise in a warm place (80-85 degrees) until more than double in bulk, about 2 hours or less. Stir down and beat (stir) thoroughly. Cover tightly with foil and refrigerate overnight. Remove from fridge and allow to come to room temp. Take plain brioche dough and form into small buns (golf ball size works nicely), cover and let them rest for 10 minutes. Filling You can use store bought marzipan or make your own. Make a rope of marzipan about the size of a tootsie roll and cut into pieces about the same width. (You don't have to shape them.) Put one of the marzipan pieces on each bun, draw the dough up around it and pinch and twist to seal. Place in a buttered pan with seam side down. Cover and allow to rise about 30 minutes or until nearly doubled in size. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brush tops of rolls with melted butter. Place pan in center of oven. Bake till nicely browned. Remove from oven and place on a wire grid. When cool cover loosely with a cloth and let them set out several hours. We want them to be just a little stale. The next step which takes this into an entire new category Egg custard 4 eggs + 2 egg yolks, beaten till creamy 1 1/2 cups milk 1/2 cup cream 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 cup sugar 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg 1/4 cup sweet sherry (optional) Mix all these ingredients and beat until completely blended Preheat oven to 325 degrees Place the marzipan filled buns in a buttered baking dish sides touching. Pour the custard in and around the buns but do not cover the tops of the buns. Let this stand for a few minutes then add more of the custard mix as the rolls will have soaked up some. Place the pan in a bain marie and bake until the custard is set. (Time varies with the size of the baking dish and the amount of custard) For a 9 x 11 pan it should be done in about 25 minutes. Test with a thin knife blade BETWEEN THE ROLLS at about 20 minutes, then at 25 minutes. Test every 2 minutes after that until blade comes out clean.

I don't have a tree because I don't spend Christmas at home. Sunday or perhaps Monday, I will be going to Yorba Linda in Orange county (Calif) to spend the holidays with my long time friends. However, I do have quite a number of food-related ornaments. Several tiny teapots of various materials, including a sterling silver one that I have had for 40-some years. Tiny cups and saucers. Tiny flatware. I have several little whisks, an egg beater, two skillets, a coffee grinder, a coke bottle with the little guy with the coke cap cap, from the 40s. I have several tiny loaves of bread, a carrot, a red bell pepper, some chile peppers. Several beaded fruits, pear, apple, peach, lemon, lime, pineapple, banana. A hamburger on a plate with French fries, a hot dog on a bun with mustard. A drumstick. A ham, a wishbone with crochet, a dozen eggs in a little wire crate. A hen sitting on a nest, a duck in a little pond. A mama pig with a bunch of attached babies. A peanut in the shell with eyes, antlers and some holly leaves, pretending to be a reindeer. Then there are a whole bunch of painted nuts. Gold, silver and bronze. Also a bunch of celery, a head of garlic and an onion. Oh yes. A little tiny Kentucky Fried Chicken bucket. No pickle!

My head is spinning - the semantics exhibited in the various posts has confused me beyond reckoning. I think of "authentic" (except in certain, well-defined cases) as referring to something that isn't as variable as a recipe. Perhaps it would apply to an ingredient, i.e., authentic Spanish saffron or an authentic black truffle from the Luberon, meaning it is the true article and not something from who knows where. For the sake of clarity, perhaps dishes or recipes would be more aptly described as "traditional" from a certain area. This would cover the regional variations so a "traditional" cassoulet from Brittany would indeed be different than than a "traditional" cassoulet from Dauphine. (I only mention these because I happen to know a couple who come from these two areas of France and I have heard many arguments about what constitutes a "proper" cassoulet and it usually involves what sausage to include in it. Tinnie fixes it his way and Lucie fixes it her way as they take turns cooking. I like both versions and refuse to take sides....) In certain cases there are "authentic" versions of a particular food that is "traditionally" related to a particular place and named for that place. There can be other versions but when something has been made a particular way for a hundred years, people expect it to conform to that look and taste. "Classic" is another term that begs consideration. Consider the "Authentic" or "Classic" or "Traditional" Linzertorte. If you stray from the preparation or method with which people are familiar, you will hear about it....... I speak from experience.........

More choices: less money still end grain. but thinner. and a round one end grain also And here is a big one with the Wusthof name which looks really good Wusthof board And this one is a simply amazing value round with handles

You don't want to put a freshly broken piece into the ground as it can be attacked by fungus (although you should not have any in good potting soil which is usually "sterilized"). It take about a day for the broken or cut surface to heal, actually the open part of the exposed cut cells shrink to preserve moisture in the rhizome. Press a tissue wrapped around your finger against the cut or broken spot and if you can't see moisture on the tissue then it is okay to bury it again. Depending on how much light and heat the pot gets, after it puts up shoots, the rhizome will grow new "toes" (some people call them fingers but they look like toes to me.) The folks that came to the SoCal potluck can tell you that I grow some huge ginger - it really likes the sandy, alkaline soil here and the high temps of summer really accelerates it, even though this is desert. In this photo, you can see at the lower left a faint X on the ginger. We mark the piece we plant and the rest of this "hand" grew from that one piece in about 5 1/2 months as this was planted in April and harvested October 4 this year.

Is there a particular reason you want one that is not more than 2 inches thick? I speak only of end grain boards - or you might call them blocks. I have a couple of Boos boards and they are fine I have had them for some years and they have served me well. I do think that one has to pay extra for the name which does not necessarily add value to the item. My favorites are made by Michigan Maple however they are 3 1/2 inches thick. I have three of these, one round one which I took to the local high school so the wood shop could hollow one side of it for me so I can use my big mezaluna in it and still use the other side for cutting.The Knife Merchant is one vendor. Scroll to the bottom. I have two of the 15 x 20 inch blocks which I use constantly. One is strictly for vegetables and the other is for meats. A comparable Boos product is much more expensive and these are, in my opinion, worth every penny. That being said, I recently ordered two of these bamboo chopping blocks for friends (one for my neighbor with whom I do a lot of cooking). I received them Monday and have already wrapped them, otherwise I would take a photo. Yesterday I ordered another for myself because I was truly impressed by the quality. These are seriously fine cutting boards. The surface is like satin and water beads up on it without any oiling, which you have to do to the endgrain boards periodically. I noticed them because Kershaw recommends them for use with their Shun knives and since I recently bought one of the knives I decided the boards must be pretty good. I did not test my knives on the boards because I wanted to wrap them as our Christmas party here in the neighborhood is this weekend and then I will be away for two weeks.

Ginger will live quite happily in a pot of a mixture of potting soil, sand and vermiculite or even sand, potting soil and shredded paper - like the stuff offices produce so much of....... Get a pot about 8-10 inches in diameter and 6-8 inches deep. Fill the pot 2/3 with the soil mixture and pat it firm, lay the corms or rhizomes (if they are quite large, break them into sections) flat on the soil, cover with additional soil so it is just under the surface. You don't want to keep the soil damp, but you don't want it to dry out completely either. Give it a little water, about once a week, keep it in a window and turn it every so often. It will put up shoots and the rhizome will grow new "toes" -- When you need some just pull up the entire piece, break off what you need, let it set on top of the soil overnight for the broken place to "heal" then re-plant it. I grow a lot of ginger both in ground and in large pots (actually half barrels) and some is left in the ground all winter, with a deep layer of straw and a tarp over it. Even with the cold temps it will still send up some shoots during the cold months.

One of the things I can no longer do, because of arthritis in my right hand, is fine airbrush painting. The joint where my index finger meets my hand is always swollen and painful and operating an airbrush is agony. I have an ancient Pasche AB which can draw a very fine line for extremely fine detail and of course costs a lot more than other airbrushes. I didn't buy it for culinary work, I used it for regular art work for many years and bought it when I took a class where the instructor insisted that we get this type of airbrush. I have several others for different type of work but this was the one I used when I did cake decorating and sugar work. It will draw a line as fine as a cat's whisker. It is also easier to clean as the color container is entirely open, this is particularly helpful when using certain types of paste colors that need to be carefully diluted and you can use minimal amounts of the color. I often used glycerin, 100% food grade, which kept bleed and creep to a minimum and did not resist the chocolate or cause graining or slumping.

This is another place that has videos in addition to tranfer sheets and instruction on how to use them.

I got the video from this place. I know the price may seem a bit steep, but you may be able to go in on it with some other people and share it. It is worth the price.

You can "paint" freehand, multiple layer designs with different colored chocolate onto acetate, sliding the sheet onto a chilled surface between applications to allow each layer to firm up, then coating the entire thing with either dark or white chocolate and smoothing it down with another acetate sheet, flipping that onto the chilled surface. Then peel off the sheet on the backing, cut into shapes, using a mat knife, a rolling cutting wheel or multiple wheel cutter, if you can afford one. you can peel them off the sheet one at a time and place them on a chocolate, or you can dip the choloate onto melted chocolate that you have also spread thinly on a sheet of acetate, then place it sticky side down on the cut piece and it should firm up quickly and you can peel the entire thing off the acetate. The acetate will leave it with a nice, shiny surface. I used to have a video of the process. If I can find it I will dig it out and see who made it. I know there are others now available on CD and probably on DVD that have very detailed instructions of the various processes. You can even do a freehand design with contrasting colors on the inside of small molds, then with the mold on a chilled surface, press your still workable ganache into the mold, then finish the bottom with a thin layer of melted chocolate.

I respectfully disagree. They were knowledgeable, likable and had a great rapport. I really miss that show even though I didn't always agree with what was said on it and I dined at only a fraction of the restaurants they reviewed. I just received Richman's new book, Fork It Over, but I haven't had a chance to read it yet. I do miss the old days of FN, but from what I've read, their numbers are WAY up, so it's hard to argue with their overall business scheme. It's just that we hardcore food lovers aren't a big enough group to swing the numbers in a profitable direction. =R= ← Their numbers are up because they are in a lot more markets. The cable companies that at one time wouldn't carry them - Orange County, or at least Yorba Linda did not have them for a long time after I did. I liked Taste, I also loved John Ash. Curtis Aikens show was another favorite. Mary Jo Esposto's show was way better than Rachel Ray's and had the same premise. And I can't stand the anorexic-appearing Giada with the head too big for her body. Every time I see her I have horrible visions of what she has to do the maintain that body..... I also loved the shows that had a guest chef every day, ones that actually cooked something instead of just posturing and promoting a new book. I remember one show where Marion Cunningham and Alice Waters were talking about teas and foods that go with tea and had some terrific suggestions for sandwiches and etc. I like Alton Brown and Sara Moulton otherwise I don't bother to watch.

There is a source for the dasher or dash pourer (for bitters) From Rist, an Austrian company. these are the tops. The only problem is that they require ordering a certain amount, money wise.

No, I know the difference between an oil bottle and the little bottles I use for hot sauce and for flavorings. I would not place vanilla that I have spent time and trouble making in a bottle with a large opening. The ones I described are similar to these these with the orifice reducer so they dispense one drop at a time. The 5 ounce ones I get for hot sauce are like these That now also have an orifice reducer. The ones I found at Cost Plus are a bit different but they are apparently made in Europe and I don't know the name of the maker. They have a cap similar to that on a Tabasco bottle but with a slightly smaller aperture. I should add that some health food stores that cater to people who mix aromatherapy liquids may carry the bottles or will special order them in quantity.

Depending on how large your roast is, if it is more than 4 bones, have it cut into 2 sections, one smaller, one larger. Assuming that the ones who don't like rare are fewer than those that do, start that roast 12 minutes earlier than the other, then place the second piece in the pan. In any event, the end parts of the roast will always be well done while the center is rare. When I do a large prime rib in one piece, after roasting and being allowed to stand for 30 minutes after removing from the oven (to allow the juices to migrate back into the center of the meat) I cut the roast in half and stand one half with the center side up and the other with the outside end up and slice horizontally. This way I can easily slice a rare or a well done piece. However before I begin slicing I take a boning knife, insert it straight down next to the bone and cut the bone away from the meat part way down. I leave it for presentation but it can be removed completely if you prefer. This tactic just makes slicing much easier.

You could win $50,000.00 if you follow the direction in this sweepstakes entry. Chex & Lea & Perrins Party Mix Sweepstakes at this site. The contest runs until 10/31/05.

I should add that I have all three kinds and have noticed no difference. When one company went out of business and had a close-out sale I bought all the full-sized ones and just cut them down to fit the half-sheet pans. They work just fine. I just used a high-temp soldering iron to seal the raw edge so the sharp fiberglass fibers would not shed out.

Silpat, Exopat and Fiberlux are all manufactured by the same company in France, they just use different names and they are colored differently and Silpat has corners that are cut diagonally, Fiberlux are rounded, etc. This site culinary direct has the story. Whichever one is cheapest, go with it.

I have the big Sharp Convection/Microwave oven that has a 15-inch diameter round metal pan in the bottom. A round pizza stone just fits and I have used it many times to bake pizza with the convection, however I often leave it in the oven and heat things such a breads, rolls, etc., directly on it using the microwave function. I haven't noticed that it makes much difference but it hasn't had any bad effects on anything.

a 1:1 ratio is a fair substitute for some applications but it is not good for puff pastry. You really need a medium gluten pastry flour for anything that has a high amount of fat incorporated into the dough so the dough will maintain its shape. This site lists the technical details of various flours. I either order my pastry flour from one of the places that carries Progressive products or I also like Hodgson Mill whole wheat pastry flour (available at a local store) and Bob's Red Mill unbleached pastry flour which is available at just about every health food store around the country. I have also ordered from Fairhaven in Washington state that has several excellent products, including the best semolina flour I have ever found. And of course from King Arthur, however the shipping costs at KA are somewhat excessive in my opinion. You can check to see if there is a Progressive source near you by chekcing their web site. Progressive distributor info. Also check Amazon: use one of the links at the bottom of the page and type in pastry flour.

One vegetable casserole that I have had some success with is braised artichoke hearts, topped with a mixture of buttered toasted bread crumbs and grated Asiago cheese and run under the broiler just to lightly brown the top. The thing is that this tastes as good cold as it does hot. All I do is melt butter add some thinly sliced shallots and cook until the butter is browned. I then toss in the artichoke hearts and sauté them briefly then add about 1/4 cup of stock, duck or chicken, cover tightly, lower the heat and cook for only about 2-3 minutes. I then arrange them attractively cut side up in a casserole and add the other stuff.

I just noticed this topic. I don't know how I missed it earlier. Gee, you guys have re-invented melba toast. I have a (circa 1925) melba toast cutter that sandwiches a (regular thickness) slice of bread between two metal plates that are perforated with points that stick into the bread but have a stopper so that they allow enough room for a thin-bladed knife to pass between them, slicing the regular slice into two equal thickness slices. These very thin slizes are then rolled with a small, hand-held rolling pin something like a brayer, smooth, on one end and a docker, roller with pins on the other. The rolled slice is rolled with the docker prior to baking so it WON'T puff up but remain flat, often being weighted with a second pan on top of the first to keep it from curling. In the late 1930s melba toast was made commercially at a reasonable price and making it at home became a thing of the past.

So, after all this time, I am going to reveal the well-kept secret of the go-to guy for those needing copper cookware retinned in the Los Angeles/Orange county area. There is no web site, but you can call the place and find out when the shop will be open. The owner often makes personal deliveries of items so sometimes the shop is not open during what would be considered "normal" working hours. Be patient, the work is exceptional and worth waiting for........ F. Nicholas Retinning Re-lining with tin your worn French copper pots and pans. 4641 Telegraph Road Los Angeles, CA 323/263-0028

One of the Thai restaurants in Lancaster makes it for the holiday season and puts a little dish on the table for snacking. They make it with the fermented fish sauce and some kind of hot sauce. It has quite a kick. Not to my taste but a lot of their patrons seem to like it.