andiesenji

I work quite often with slack doughs and my favorite way is to use a large dough trough. I can't do as much kneading by hand as I used to, because of arthritis in my hands. Working the softer slack doughs in a dough trough is much easier and turning or folding is integral to working dough in this type of container. The largest one I have, used most often, is shaped rather like a shallow canoe and it is simple to press the dough flat in the bottom then fold in each end, then tip the bowl so the mass of dough folds over on itself. I usually cover the trough with a piece of waxed linen as plastic wrap will not stick well to the wood surface. The linen is heavy enough to conform to the shape of the bowl and the waxed surface holds the moisture in and even rather wet dough will not stick to it. If anyone wants to know how to make waxed linen (or muslin) I can tell them in an email as it would probably be considered off topic. Dough troughs or bowls are getting difficult to find, however Lehman's still carries them at a rather modest price considering that many "antique" ones are selling for hundreds of dollars. this one is somewhat smaller than the one I use most of the time but it is still a respectable size and very workable. Another advantage is that you don't have to stand while working the dough in the bowl. I injured my back earlier this year and have had difficulty standing for long periods. I can sit with my feet up on a footstool with the dough trough on my lap and work the dough with no difficulty. It may seem a bit odd at first but if you routinely work with slack doughs, try one of these and I believe you will be plesantly surprised at how easy it is.

I have long been a dedicated tea drinker (all my life) and have been a staunch campaigner to get people to try 'good' tea, not the supermarket swill. Many times people are reluctant to spend the money on something with which they are unfamiliar so I give them a Tea of the Month gift from Adagio Teas. Along with it comes a nice teapot. Many times the recipients have told me that they in turn gave the same gift to others, always most appreciated. In the past I have given "Bread of the Month",from this place, Cheese of the month from igourmet, wine of the month from the California Wine club, but one of the doctors in my office owns a winery and he suggested it for someone who loves wine. I do not drink any alcohol so am in no position to pick one by taste. Cheesecake of the month was a popular gift to a friend who loves the stuff. Chocolate of the month was also popular with a couple of my friends who are rabid chocoholics! (I can't eat chocolate either.) One year when I had been ill and unable to do all the holiday things I usually make, I went armed with a list of addresses and visited Hickory Farms and Harry & David and ordered a bunch of their "of-the-month" gift packages, with them all starting in January, since I figured everyone would have a lot of stuff in December. One year I sent some of my Chile-Heads pals "Hot-Sauce-of-the-Month" gifts from a place that advertised in Chile Pepper Magazine. These were received with great anticipation. There is a site here with the "Best" of the month clubs listed. I personally have not received many gifts of this type. I make so many specialty food items myself that most of my friends give me gift certificates or now gift cards, to book stores, Williams-Sonoma, Bristol Farms markets, Chef's Catalog or Amazon. I did get one 'of the month' gifts a couple of years ago. It was not food, but a "Plate of the Month" with paintings of African animals on plates for display. Nice, but my housekeeper complains they are just something else to dust.... along with the hundreds of other plates I already had.

As will my resident squirrel who lives in one of the shade trees. They are not common in this area and I have never seen another. I don't know if this one is an old batchelor or a single lady but whatever, is very fat and very sassy. Sits just out of reach of my dogs and whistles at them. Makes a high pitched sound I have never heard from one of these creatures. Drives the dogs nuts. I have a large tin tray nailed to the top of a post within jumping distance of the tree and I put such things on the tray and watch from the deck while he or she comes down and neatly picks the seeds out of the fibers, fills both cheeks then leaps back onto the tree branch to tuck them away before coming back for more. I put all my "past the sell-by date" nuts that have begun to turn a bit rancid as the creature is not finicky about taking them. If the dogs become too boisterous it will throw things at them. Occasionally one will come in wearing some of the fibers from the melon or squash seeds. Before I had the gardener erect the post, I just would fling the stuff up into the lower tree branches. It was always cleaned up quickly, either by the squirrel or the ravens that hang around. However, with pumpkin seeds, if I am making pumpkin puree, I always cook the pumpkin with the seeds, then run the resulting pulp through a food mill. I have found that the resulting flavor is much better than cooking just the flesh of the pumpkin. The action of the food mill usually separates the seeds from the fibers and makes it easier to clean them then rinse them with hot water in a colander, put in a skillet with butter and salt and pepper, perhaps a bit of cayenne. Cooking till beginning to brown. I then put them on a sheet pan and roast in a 300 degree oven for about 35 to 45 minutes. They should puff up a bit and become crisp enough that they will break up when squeezed between thumb and fingers.

I was digging around in my storeroom last night and came across a box of pots and pans I had completely forgotten I had. They are "Oil-Core" skillets and a dutch oven. They are so old that I no longer have anything in my files about them so much be from the 70s prior to 78 when I moved from my house in Canoga Park. I don't think I have even opened the box since I moved up here to Lancaster in 1988. The box was taped up with some old cloth tape covered with blue vinyl and that stuff hasn't been manufactured for years. I have no idea why I would have bought these - its possible they were a gift - I can't even guess as to the Oil-Core, designation or why such a thing might be useful. They are stainless steel but the bottom looks like a slab of cast aluminum (dull light gray) about 3/8 inch thick fused onto the SS. Has anyone ever heard of this type of cookware. I can't a manufacture name on it, just a large block "S" in a circle on the bottom.

I have been awaiting it with great anticipation. My much-thumbed and dog-eared original, purchased at Brentano's book store long ago, is never very far out of reach. Many of the pages have been taped where little tears threatened to cause the loss of an important passage. One page that was torn out and into pieces has been pieced together and laminated and stuck back into the book. Highlighter pens of various colors have been used liberally throughout the book with colored tabs glued onto the edges of pages with significant information. I may be out of touch for a couple of days after I get my hands on the book as I plan to immerse myself in it to see if some of my favorite sections have been significantly altered.

There is a fast food stand in my city, Lancaster, Calif. that is owned by a "retired" couple, he is an African-American Korean war veteran and she is Japanese, ex school teacher, both in their late 60s. Their food is very diversified, from hamburgers and hot dogs to barbecue, tempura, shrimp, vegetable and tofu. They also make milk shakes and a combination of kefir and fruit soda which is blended like a milk shake. They don't have this last item on the menu, however regulars know about it and order it. I tried one and thought it was made with Kool-aid but Fumi showed me the soda cans which are entirely labeled in Japanese and I guess the color of the can indicates the flavor. I have tried the orange, the pineapple and cherry. It is very good and should be simple to make at home. Kefir is certainly available just about everywhere. It could probably be made with yogurt also but Fumi says that the kefir comes out more like something she could get at home. Could this be one of the drinks you are describing??

Here is the recipe for my green tomato chutney, which is a great condiment for all kinds of meats. Green Tomato Chutney 2 lbs green tomatoes 1 lb mango (or peaches, or apples, even melon will work) 1 large onion 1 large red sweet pepper 1 or 2 jalapeño peppers (or the hot pepper of your choice) 1 medium carrot 3 large cloves garlic Skin and chop fruit quite fine, by hand is best, looks nicer when finished. (Small Dice) 1 blade mace or 1/4 teaspoon ground mace 1 oz fresh ginger, cut into slivers 6 whole allspice 6 peppercorns 1 stick cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon celery seed 2 teaspoons mustard seed, black or brown if you can find it 1 oz kosher salt 3/4 lb brown sugar 1 teaspoon tamarind paste or you can use the pulp from Tamarind pods. (if you can’t find tamarind, you can use 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and the zest of the lemon, however tamarind is the flavor that really makes this special.) 25 fluid ozs malt vinegar. Tie spices in bag, put vinegar salt and sugar in pan and bring to a boil. Add fruit and reduce heat. Simmer for about 2 1/2 hours to 3 hours or until liquid has reduced and mixture has thickened. Remove from heat. Ladle into sterilized pint jars. Add lid and rings and process in boiling water bath for 15 minutes. Cool in the water then remove, wipe dry and tighten rings. The center of the lid should have dimpled, showing a good vacuum seal. Allow to mature for about 6 weeks to allow flavor to develop fully. This makes 3-4 pints of chutney, depending on how much the mixture reduces in cooking. I generally have a couple of extra jars prepared, just in case.

Here is the recipe for green tomato pie/marmalade. This was my great-aunt's recipe, the favorite in our family. She got it from a Shaker society in Kentucky when she visited them for a time in 1925 to exchange herb lore. She made it in big rectangular cake tins because there were so many of us to feed. I have cut it down to a manageable size for a single 9 inch pie. I sometimes add a bit of ginger, either candied or fresh, finely minced and crushed for a bit of a "bite". I have also added Sultanas, or golden raisins when I didn't have quite enough green tomatoes to fill the pie shell. Both variations are very good. You can double the batch and jar it up in 4 pint jars and use it later. It will keep well in the refrigerator for about 3-4 weeks or the freezer for 3-4 months, or longer. Aunt Hattie Anne's Green Tomato Pie 4 cups green tomatoes chopped in bite-sized pieces 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1 tablespoon grated lemon peel 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon, freshly ground 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly ground 3/4 cup sugar 2 tablespoons cornstarch Top & bottom pie crusts 1-1/2 tablespoons butter diced Directions First prepare dough for a double-crust 9 inch pie. Chill dough while you are preparing the filling, then roll out the dough while the filling is cooling. Cut aluminum foil in 2-inch wide lengths, enough to go around the circumference of a 9 inch pie pan. In a large saucepan combine the chopped tomatoes, lemon juice, lemon peel, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Cook over medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring often to keep from burning. Mix the sugar and cornstarch together and gradually add to tomato mix, stirring constantly. Continue cooking until liquid is clear. Immediately remove from heat and stir in the butter. Cool for 15 minutes Now roll out the dough, line the pan and prick it all over with a fork, sides too, to keep it from blistering. Preheat oven to 425F. Pour mixture into the 9-inch pie shell. Cover with top crust and seal the edges so juices will not leak out. Cut several slits in top to allow steam to escape. Fold aluminum foil strips in half lengthwise and crimp all around the edges of the pie to keep crust edges from burning. Place pie tin on a sheet pan on oven center rack or higher. Bake for 50 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream or topped with whipped cream CHEESE to which you have added a little sour cream. (You may wonder at this last, but wait until you taste the flavor combination.) YIELD: 8 servings (or less! - my neighbor's husband likes this so much he takes about a third of a pie for his serving. So I usually make two.) SUBMITTED BY: Andie Paysinger

Yes I have. I have combined it with maple flavoring. But not on purpose..... It was actually an accident, I was wearing my contact without my reading glasses. I had laser surgery in my left eye to correct severe myopia. My right eye is still extremely near sighted, 20x600 so I can read very well. However I had been shopping and I wear a contact lens in the right eye so I can drive and did not bother to remove the lens or put on my reading glasses because, of course I know where everything is in the kitchen. Unknown to me my housekeeper had cleaned and shifted things around just enough to throw me off. I picked up the bottle and measured and dumped it into the bowl before it registered on my nose that it was not vanilla. It was actually very good.

On several occasions (some years ago) I made, at the request of a client, a sort of banana trifle. I made a banana sponge cake in a tube pan and cut it into 3 layers. I put the bottom layer into the trifle bowl, drizzled it with banana liquor then added a layer of banana pudding into which I had folded sliced bananas, then some whipped cream flavored with the banana liquor. Repeated with the second layer and the third, then filled the center with sliced strawberries and more banana pudding. Piped whipped cream in rosettes over the top. My client loved it so much he would have me make two, one for his guests and one just for himself. This was the same guy who used to stroll around his house, out to the patio or pool and back into the kitchen totally starkers. The first time this happened I was a bit taken aback, however his maid said that he did it all the time. He never seemed to pay attention to what he was or wasn't wearing. I did advise him one time that he should not stand so close to the grill when I was firing it up. He asked why and I said either stand back or cover yourself because if these coals start popping you could get a burn. All he said was "righto, protect the goolies," then took an apron from a drawer and wrapped it around his waist. Up to that time I had always thought Brits were rather modest, however I suppose rockers are a breed apart. It is a very nice presentation for banana pudding, takes it to an entire new level.

I mentioned Cuisine at Home in my earlier post. I just got around to reading the October issue Thursday morning. This issue is enough to hook anyone. Wonderful reading recipes which inspired me to get busy and make two so far. Another is in the works for this evening. I have so far made the Ropa Viejo on pages 10 & 11, absolutely delicious!. To go with I made the Rissolé potatoes (using Finnish yellows purchased at Trader Joes) which turned out much better than earlier efforts to make them using a different recipe/method. Wait, I have made three so far because I also made the Corn salad with Basil-Buttermilk dressing on page 29. For tonight I am making the Butternut Tortilla Soup on pages 32 & 33. The photo made me salivate. This recipe combines butternut squash with fresh corn, also onion, Roma tomatoes and baby spinach, things I have never added to a squash soup. Quite different in appearance, as all of the soup is not pureed, only a portion, and it looks more like a vegetable stew but has ground turkey in it or one can substitute ground beef, pork or kielbasa. The soup is garnished with lime cream. Mmmmmmm. I like this magazine better and better with each issue.

More IKEA lid racks listed on ebay

I'm with Steven on the need for a pot rack. I've been living without one for several months and it makes me crazy. The question is where to put it to that makes the most of the space without compromising utility more than absolutely necessary, and that's what drove the rack solution. Of course, mouting the rack against the wall would have pretty much the same effect. The other question is where to put the lids. One idea I had was to use these wall-mounted vertical wire racks. Comments? Unless you have really lightweight lids, they will deform. We have similar things at my office and they will not hold very thick or heavy patient folders without bending a bit. There are lid racks that can be mounted on a wall or inside a cabinet door, under a shelf or set on a shelf or inside a cabinet, that are sturdy vinyl coated heavy wire. I have several which are graduated from small at one end to large at the other. And they are inexpensive. here I also have a couple of these lid racks from IKEA - I can't find them on the IKEA site but here is one that is on ebay for the next hour or so. ikea lid rack.

I grew up in my grandfather's home, on a farm in western Kentucky. However my grandfather, born in 1875 and his mother, born in 1844, emigrated from England in 1919. Things were done the way my great grandmother wanted them done and that included a typical "country" breakfast. "Breakfast is the foundation of the day." was her motto. There were few late sleepers in the family because the food was set out for a certain period of time and if one did not make it downstairs to the breakfast room before it was taken away, too bad. This was a huge extended family and a lot of food was served because there were so many. If you were late, the sausages were usually gone. Only a few liked kippers, but except for during the war, my grandfather used to get regular shipments (in an odoriforus wood box) of real kippers from England. I remember that they had to be soaked for some time before cooking. I did not get to have breakfast downstairs until I was about 6 and was considered old enough to behave myself in company. I loved getting to look into the serving dishes ranged along the sideboard to see the differnt things I could choose. I wasn't allowed to serve myself because I tended to take more than I could eat, but it was fun to be able to pick. One of the grownups would serve us kids but we had to clean our plates, even if we chose something we found we didn't care for. Otherwise we got the standard lecture about the starving children in Europe.... There was a lot of food consumed but for some reason no one was ever overweight.

It was written in 1987 but Leroy Woodson's Roadside Food, Good Homestyle Cooking Across America is still a helpful book. Some of the places are no longer there, but you can get an update by cross referencing with the Auto Club's travel books. Several years ago Sunset produced a book which listed by freeway, all the services available at each off ramp of every feeway in the western states. It was very helpful to me as I was still going to a lot of dog shows, however it apparently did not sell well and it was not updated, as far as I know. Reading through it I discovered several places which were just far enough off the freeway so they couldn't be seen but were great places to stop for a meal.

And thrift stores. The Goodwill store here in Lancaster has a large Mission style table in the window right now. I have purchased several things at the store, including two old 2-drawer oak file cabinets ($15.00 each) onto which I placed a slab of marble which I used as a desk in my old kitchen with a draftsman's pad on top, but it also doubled as a pastry work top when needed. Those old oak or maple file cabinets are heavy and will hold a lot of weight. The deep drawers were just the right size for holding a lot of my baking pans. It is amazing what some people discard.

I had to go to Lowe's early this morning for a couple of electrical outlets and took a few minutes to look at the kitchen "carts" which is how they describe the work tables. There is one with a thick butcherblock top and two good-sized drawers, that is 24 x 40 overall, with one deep and one shallow heavy wire shelves underneath and the deep one on the bottom is deep enough to hold baking pans, 1/2 sheet size on edge, It wouldn't be difficult to make criss/cross heavy picture wire dividers for part of it to hold baking pans and leave part of it for deep pots. You could get two of these and when they were parked together next to the wall they wouldn't take up that much room and when needed for work area you could pull them into various configurations, L-shaped or end to end or side by side or with an aisle in between. You could drill into the butcher block top on the back side of the table top and put in heavy duty hooks for hanging two or three skillets. One end has a towel bar but the other end is also free. They have an industrial look but are attractive enough to look good in just about any kitchen. I like the heavy wire shelves, they won't collect dust.

Do you have a Lowe's in Atlanta? If so, check out their kitchen work tables and accessories. They have several, different sizes, different storage configurations, some with an integral wine rack. They are very reasonably priced and very sturdy. They even have one with a granite top that is perfect for baking prep. see them here. My store has several additional ones, including a large butcher block topped table for which you can get unfinished stools that will slide right under it.

I have been asked to repost my recipe for mustard from scratch (or rather from seed) by someone who emailed me directly because they couldn't locate the topic or post in which it appeared. Here it is: MASTER MUSTARD RECIPE an Original Recipe by Andie First let me say that I grow my own mustard because I like to, however it is not necessary. You can find whole black and brown and white or yellow mustard seed in any Indian market and there are plenty around so you should have no difficulty finding a source. This is the basic mustard recipe I use - it is easy to adjust it for your taste and add various spices, herbs, condiments that make it to your taste. I use mostly black and brown mustard, however a yellow or white variety has crept into my mustard patch in the last few years and it now makes up about 5% of the total. (I am not going to pick them out one by one.) I do not use honey because one my friends has a severe allergy to honey or something in honey - so I use apple jelly for the basic sweetener in sweet/hot mustard, or half apple jelly and half orange marmalade, or whatever. This is for a coarse, homestyle type mustard which will not be creamy. Measure out 2/3 cup of the mustard seeds, dump them into a fairly fine wire strainer and shake to get rid of any bits of stem or hull that has not been removed in the threshing. Rinse with cold water and leave to drain in the strainer. In a glass jar with tight fitting lid place the following 1/2 cup apple cider or rice vinegar (seasoned or unseasoned). 1/2 cup sweet mirin or any sweet white wine. 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1 teaspoon sugar - brown or white Add the mustard seed, close tightly and shake briefly Set aside and allow to soak overnight or at least for 8 hours, (you can leave it for days or even weeks, the seeds will not spoil, they will just get softer) If you are around, shake the jar a couple of times in the interval or stir it with a long handled spoon but if you don’t think of it don’t worry it is not absolutely necessary. Pour into blender and start on low speed, gradually increasing speed as the seeds break up. The mustard will begin to thicken, stop after a few minutes and stir to check on consistency, you may have to add a bit of water if it becomes too thick. (If the seeds have taken up all the moisture then you will have to add some liquid.) When the mixture just begins to hold its shape, stop blending and add 1 cup of either apple jelly, orange marmalade, red currant jelly, apricot jam - or a mixture of any or all. Continue blending until you can no longer see any whole seeds in the mix. Pour into a glass jar, cap tightly and refrigerate for a day or so the mustard can mature and mellow a bit. At this point this is going to be a fairly hot, sinus-clearing mustard. The mixture will thicken a little but should still be somewhat runny and will have a sharp bite. (tastes a bit "raw") THE NEXT STEP IS IMPORTANT! At this point it has to be cooked a bit to modify the flavor, reduce the "bite". You can cook it in the top of a double boiler over barely simmering water until it thickens to spreadable consistency. OR You can do it in the microwave in just a minute or two. In a wide bowl or casserole dish, which will allow the mustard to foam up 3 times its depth without going over the sides, pour the mustard so it is about 3/4 inch deep. At 50% power, nuke it for 20 seconds- stir, repeat the 20 second cook, stir again and repeat....... This should take a total of perhaps 2 minutes (at most) cooking time. As you stir the mustard back down after it has foamed up, you will begin to notice that it is thicker and has begun to look slightly translucent and shiny. At this point let it cool and taste it. Some of the harsh bite should be gone but you should still be able to taste the spiciness. MOST IMPORTANT! This is the way to adjust the taste of the mustard. If you cook it too long the flavor will be gone. If you plan to add anything to it, such as mayonnaise, or mix it into sour cream or cream cheese or ??? leave it a bit spicer than you would if using it straight. The additive will lessen the pungency of the mustard and you will lose the "bite" of the mustard. Put the finished mustard back in the (washed and scalded) jar, cap tightly and store in fridge. Now you have a basic mustard to which you can add green peppercorns or horseradish, or cranberry relish, or chutney, hot peppers, carmelized onion, roasted garlic, etc., the only limit is your imagination. If you have an Asian market buy some of the sweet chile sauce (Mae Ploy is my favorite brand), which is not too hot, and add some of this for a little different flavor, absolutely fantastic with pork or sausages such as bratwurst. You can mix it half and half with sour cream, mayonnaise or Miracle Whip for a mustard dip. Try it with veggies, with fried or grilled chicken strips. If you mix it with tartar sauce it makes a great dip for deep-fried crab balls.

I am sorry that there is an error in my cocoa fruitcake recipe as posted. It should say 1 1/2 cups CHERRIES There should also be an additional sentence which states other dried fruits may be substituted as long as the proportions remain the same. I have made the cake with dried cranberries and blueberries or a combinaton of all types of berries and with home dried Red Flame grapes which are very plump and sweet. I have even made it with REAL dried black currants a friend sent me from England. If you have a Trader Joe's nearby, you can get an assortment of very good dried fruits. Making glacé pineapple is easy, just buy some dried pineapple, steam it until it plumps and softens then immerse it in simple syrup and gently simmer until it has become translucent. If you have a small crockpot you can do this without watching it. King Arthur flour catalog sells very good candied fruit. Any commercial candied fruit will benefit from the addition of some type of liquor. Brandy is usually the most common, but the sweet fortified white wines by Kedem, often labeled "Sacrametal Wine" is fine too. Put the fruit in a glass jar, add the liquor to cover and close tightly. Shake the jar every day or so, let it soak for a week, drain and save the liquor for using in recipes as it will now be much sweeter or use it to soak more fruit.

I looked back in my old files and found the chinois receipt and the little hang tag that came with it. It is not made in France, it came from Belgium and I bought it at Surfas in 1984, and I recall that the traffic was absolutely awful that day because the L.A. Olympics were going on and there were several venues in that general area. Where it usually took me less than an hour to get to the store from Reseda (my then home) mid day on a weekday, it took us nearly two hours. I was so worried about getting my perishables home safely that I went down the street to the Alpha Beta market and bought a styro cooler and some ice. I had a lovely fois gras and some quail eggs that needed to be kept cool and my friend had bought a roll of pancetta and a couple of pounds of chicken livers. Funny how looking at that receipt brought that day back to me as if it were yesterday. I couldn't even remember where I bought it prior to finding the receipt. It strains out even the tiniest particles but it is a bitch to clean. There are three layers of very fine mesh that are at different angles to each other. When you look at it straight on and rotate it back and forth, it looks like silk because of the optical effect of the mesh alignment. I often take it out in the yard and use the high pressure hose nozzle on it. I always dip it in water to which I have added some bleach prior to final rinse with boiling water. I have never put it in the dishwasher because the strap around it is tinned steel, not stainless and it would be ruined in the dishwasher. Because of the stand, which is fairly tall, I can dump stuff into it and let it drain on its own which is less likely to force tiny bits into the space between the mesh layers. I use it for straining jellies as it catches strawberry seeds, tiny as they are. The price in 1984 was 69.50. I wonder what it would be today.

I don't know why I didn't think of this before. I have used my electric griddles for keeping foods warm when the hot trays were not enough. The lowest temp is usually just right for keeping things like rumaki warm. Go to Amazon (through the eG link if possible) Presto 07039 professional griddle Price: $34.95 Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Quantity: This is an 11 x 22 inch griddle (cooking surface) at a very reasonable price. You can set pyrex casseroles or baking dishes directly on the griddle. They are dark so will be unobtrusive. Two should give you plenty of space and they can be put to good use later. They are sturdy enough that they don't have to be handled with kid gloves and cheap enough that you can lend them out if needed by friends and family, without worrying about them. You also don't have to worry about fire, which can be a problem with sterno heated chafers. I know I always worried about it which is one reason I got the hot trays and similar things. When my kids were small, one of them took the sterno pot out from under one of the servers and was running around with it, chasing the other kids. I almost had a heart attack when I saw him. His dad took the thing away from him and he was sent to his room to think about what he had done. If you have a lot of kids around and they can't be watched every second, it is better to not have something that is so fascinating as a little fire in a pot. West Bend made a larger one at one time but although occasionally I see one on ebay, they are pretty scarce. It was 15 inches wide and 30 inches long. A real monster, made for big families.

The most impressive rest room I have ever seen is in the Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo. They even have periodic tours of the men's facility for ladies who want to see it. It is simply amazing. One of the most memorable, now long gone, was in the restaurant at Marineland of the Pacific. The ladies restroom was like walking into a nautilus shell, with translucent walls with glowing lights behind them. It was the very first rest room I visited that had automatic faucets and automatic flushing toilets. They also had a real live restroom attendant who handed you a folded soft paper towel to dry your hands. One of the scariest I ever visited was the old Ton's on the Pier in Redondo Beach, It was destroyed many years ago when we had a rough rainy season - the same year that Cher's house at Malibu was half destroyed. At Tony's you actually had to go outside, up a flight of rickety stairs and into a restroom that hung out over the water. The floor was bare wood with not much under it and every time a wave came in one got a blast of damp air coming up between the floorboards. Scary. I was told the men's was even worse. I nearly fell several times because I never wanted to put my bare hand on that hand rail on the way back into the restaurant. I always thought that they must have paid off the building inspectors to get away with that. My favorite Thai restaurant in Lancaster has a clean toilet, but one has to tromp through the kitchen to get to it. Everybody smiles and nods but I just make sure everything I eat is very hot to kill off any transient bacteria. No salads for me............

I have been waiting also. My boss and his brothers went to Alba (their mother's birthplace) in 2001 and were there for the festival. He brought back several for me, bought the day they left, and they were wonderful. Apparently that was a good year but not as good as 1998.(I think that was the year he mentioned people were comparing to.) Last year I ordered online from a shipper whose site is no longer active, one day express, left Italy 1:00 a.m. Pacific time and were delivered at 2: p.m. Pacific time. I thought it was excellent service and would like to find them again. Vittorio del Ponte is the name on the box I saved... Search turns up nothing except references to a bridge in Florence. If anyone can recommend a good supplier, please do so.

Jo Fluke just emailed me a few days ago to remind me about her new book and that she will be at The Bookhouse, a book store at 17048 Devonshire in Northridge, for the launch party. It is close to home for her and she has had her prior books launched there. I met her a few years ago, for launch of her second book and took her some of my candied ginger and a jar of pickles. I had already picked up the new title as soon as I saw it. I like the way the stories are written, I can't figure out who dunnit till the end.... I love to visit The Bookhouse anyway, they have a lot of old cookbooks, my kind of store.... I like all the culinary mysteries. There are a couple of others besides the ones on your list but I can't recall the names offhand......