andiesenji

It also depends on the source of your chickens. I buy some of mine from a local grower who takes the order then scalds, plucks the chickens and immediately chills them so they can be picked up within the hour. It is then my responsibility to eviscerate the chicken, remove the head and feet and rinse off the bits of feathers still sticking to the skin, then singe the remaining little hair-like feathers. Chickens from the store that are in those plastic bags that usually have some liquid (from freezing and thawing) need to have that gunk washed off just before cooking. If you buy from a kosher butcher you don't need to wash it.

Broken saltines, tossed in a bowl with a tomato cut into chunks. Pepper only, the salt on the crackers is enough.......

There is this sweet/sour "thing" I do with green beans. It involves using the pickling syrup I make in gallon batches for bread and butter or watermelon pickles. Or you can use one of the "hot" spinach dressings, such as Marie's, found in the produce section of most markets out here. I snap off the stem ends of the beans, then break into 2 inch pieces. In a large skillet I bring about two cups of salted water to a boil, throw in the beans, stir them around until the water is boiling again and keep cooking until the liquid has reduced about a third. (Time depends on how hot is your burner.) Then I add about 1/2 cup of the pickling syrup (or the sweet/sour spinach dressing) about 1/2 teaspoon of pepper, and continue cooking until they look about right. Spear one with a fork and taste to see if the beans are tender and taste o.k. If they still squeak when you bite on one, keep cooking a few more minutes. crumbled bacon sprinkled over the beans gives this a nice finish.

I can just about taste them. They sound sooooo good. With cornbread.... a complete meal.

Everyone seemed to have one of these back in the 40s and 50s. They even had them in restaurants. Silex was the brand of choice but they were made by several other companies. Then the electric percolator came along and they seemed to go out of fashion. I still have the bottom part of a stainless steel one made by Nicro, Model 510. The top vanished a long time ago but the bottom part has been in constant use for at least 40 years. I still have the little hot plate base that is cupped to fit the bottom of the pot and won't fit anything else.

Chipotles are very versatile, just a small amount will flavor an entire dish. I smoke and dry my own because the jals are very prolific producers and I can only give away so many. The flavor of the jal changes as it ripens and though it doensn't lose any of its "heat", the flavor mellows and becomes sweeter. I remove the seeds from the dried chipotles and from equal amounts of ancho, and pimento (Apple Heart variety)peppers, also dried. Grind them coarsly and mix with a little freshly toasted and ground cumin and coriander plus a small amount of ground star anise. The combination of flavors from the sweet and mild peppers, the spices, and the heat from the chipotles, is excellent.

I just made this for lunch. I have to say, this is the best mac and cheese I have ever made. I used the Nacho Cheese soup. I have to admit to adding a couple of spoons of Cheese Whiz. I topped it with aseinto because that is what I had. Wowser. For heartier appetites who want meat, you can brown some hamburger, add onions and tomato sauce (or stewed tomatoes) and mix it in with the mac 'n cheese. My stepson, who would never touch a "casserole" of any kind, loved this and it was the first thing he learned to cook for himself while he was still in high school. His being able to cook something besides hot dogs, that looked like a "real" dish, was astounding to his friends whom he would invite for a dinner of his own making. I used to eavesdrop and listen to them ask him what he was doing as he prepared the food, then when they tasted it would say. "Wow, this is really good!" As Rich became more comfortable with cooking, he would add little touches, such as a small can of diced green chiles or sliced black olives.

I use wood boards, I have different ones for differnt uses. I do have one for poultry and meat, another just for vegetables that I take with me when I am going to be cooking at another person's house. Rather than color coding I just drilled holes in one edge near the corner so I can see them when the boards are standing on edge. One hole for the vegetable board, Two holes for the poultry board. The heavier blocks I have in my kitchen at home are in two different places. One is where I cut meats, the other, close to the sink is where I cut vegetables.

I have my grandmother's recipe for hickory nut cake but haven't been able to get the nuts for years. We had the shagbark variety, besides gathering the nuts, we used to collect the bark for mulch in the kitchen garden.

This is absolutely the most perfect way to prepare these little gems. I also split them in half and put them on the sheet pan under the broiler grid when I make Sara Moulton's "Blasted Chicken".

Fruited cocoa cake Here is a very old family recipe. The earliest mention of the cake is in one of my ancestor's journals ca. 1690. My great-grandmother found the "receipt" and deciphered the recipe in about 1880. Although it was prepared at other times of the year, it was always called Christmas Cake. I brought it up to date about 20 years ago when I was allowed access to my great grandmama's journals. I have continued to refine it right up to the present. Like many cakes of that era it contains dried fruits and is fairly heavy. You can use a combination of dried fruits, but the larger ones have to be chopped so all pieces are about the same size. I have used cherries, cranberries, blueberries, black currants, Zante currants, sultanas and my home-dried extra sweet seedless red grapes, dried plums, dried persimmons, peaches and pears. As long as the total amount is as listed in the recipe, it doesn't matter about the combination. I often make this for parties and most people love it. Technically it is a "fruit" cake but even people who do not care for fruitcake will eat this. Also like most of the English cakes that are served at tea, it keeps very well, as I have noted in the recipe. FRUITED COCOA CAKE original recipe ca. 1690 Notes: It is important to use Dutch process cocoa. If you can't find it you have to use baking POWDER instead of baking SODA. I use King Arthur Flour's Double Dutch Cocoa and Black Cocoa Half and Half. When glazed with the glaze at the end of the recipe, this cake will keep for several days at room temp and will stay incredibly moist. I have in the past made this cake ahead of time and wrapped it well in aluminum foil and kept it in a cool place for 6 weeks. However I now live alone. When my family was still all together, I could not keep it more than a couple of days......to give you an idea of the way things used to be, the original "receipt" called for 6 pounds of twice-boulted flour and 3 full pound loaves of sugar well beaten..... 2 pounds of butter and 3 dozen eggs. ****** 1 cup BUTTER unsalted 1-1/2 tsp SALT 1 tsp CINNAMON, ground Any of these spices are better if freshly ground. 1 tsp CLOVES, ground 1 tsp NUTMEG, ground 1 tsp ALLSPICE, ground 1/3 cup COCOA, Dutch process 3 cups superfine SUGAR 4 extra-large EGGS 3 tsp BAKING SODA 4 cups unbleached FLOUR 1-1/2 cups CURRANTS or raisins, any color. 1-1/2 cups DRIED CHERRIES or dried cranberries, dried blueberries. 1-1/2 cups WALNUTS, chopped or pecans or macadamia nuts, etc. I've used pistachios and even used pine nuts one time. 3 cups APPLESAUCE, unsweetened chunky style if you can find it, even better is homemade. ***** Preheat oven to 350 F Grease and flour a deep 11" x 15" pan or 2 10-inch square pans or 2 holiday mold pans. This will fill a large Bundt pan with enough batter left for a mini loaf or 2-3 muffins. ***** METHOD In a large mixing bowl (or mixer bowl) cream together butter, salt, spices, cocoa and sugar. beat until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after adding each one. Mix baking soda with flour and sift, reserve 2 heaping tablespoons. Instead of sifting the flour you can simply put it in a large bowl and run a wire whisk through it which does the same as sifting, i.e. fluffing it up a bit. Add flour to batter alternately with applesauce. Sprinkle the fruit and nuts with the reserved flour, toss to coat well and fold into cake batter. Pour batter into pan and bake for about 1 hour or until cake tests done. (deeper pans will require longer baking) ***** Turn cake out onto cooling rack and allow to cool completely if simply dusting with confectioner's sugar for presentation. If using glaze, it can be applied while cake is still slightly warm. ***** ORANGE GLAZE GRATED PEEL OF 2 ORANGES 1/3 CUP SUGAR 1/4 CUP WATER 1 CUP ORANGE JUICE 3 TABLESPOONS GRAND MARNIER LIQUOR OR BRANDY Combine ingredients in saucepan, bring to simmer, stirring constantly, continue cooking until liquid is reduced by 1/2. Drizzle over cake ( I use a turkey baster and a perforated spoon as the glaze is too hot to dip my fingers into which is usually the way I drizzle icing). After the glaze has set, decorate edges of the cake and the plate edges with powdered sugar sifted thru a fine sieve or use a cut-out pattern or paper "lace" doily. You can also drape the cake with rolled fondant or decorate with cutouts of the fondant and brightly colored candied fruits. For dedicated chocoholics, melted chocolate can be drizzled or poured over the cake. Some people like the fluffy white "7-minute" frosting similar to that used on "Black cakes" from Jamaica. ( RG1120 )

Fruited cocoa cake Here is a very old family recipe. The earliest mention of the cake is in one of my ancestor's journals ca. 1690. My great-grandmother found the "receipt" and deciphered the recipe in about 1880. Although it was prepared at other times of the year, it was always called Christmas Cake. I brought it up to date about 20 years ago when I was allowed access to my great grandmama's journals. I have continued to refine it right up to the present. Like many cakes of that era it contains dried fruits and is fairly heavy. You can use a combination of dried fruits, but the larger ones have to be chopped so all pieces are about the same size. I have used cherries, cranberries, blueberries, black currants, Zante currants, sultanas and my home-dried extra sweet seedless red grapes, dried plums, dried persimmons, peaches and pears. As long as the total amount is as listed in the recipe, it doesn't matter about the combination. I often make this for parties and most people love it. Technically it is a "fruit" cake but even people who do not care for fruitcake will eat this. Also like most of the English cakes that are served at tea, it keeps very well, as I have noted in the recipe. FRUITED COCOA CAKE original recipe ca. 1690 Notes: It is important to use Dutch process cocoa. If you can't find it you have to use baking POWDER instead of baking SODA. I use King Arthur Flour's Double Dutch Cocoa and Black Cocoa Half and Half. When glazed with the glaze at the end of the recipe, this cake will keep for several days at room temp and will stay incredibly moist. I have in the past made this cake ahead of time and wrapped it well in aluminum foil and kept it in a cool place for 6 weeks. However I now live alone. When my family was still all together, I could not keep it more than a couple of days......to give you an idea of the way things used to be, the original "receipt" called for 6 pounds of twice-boulted flour and 3 full pound loaves of sugar well beaten..... 2 pounds of butter and 3 dozen eggs. ****** 1 cup BUTTER unsalted 1-1/2 tsp SALT 1 tsp CINNAMON, ground Any of these spices are better if freshly ground. 1 tsp CLOVES, ground 1 tsp NUTMEG, ground 1 tsp ALLSPICE, ground 1/3 cup COCOA, Dutch process 3 cups superfine SUGAR 4 extra-large EGGS 3 tsp BAKING SODA 4 cups unbleached FLOUR 1-1/2 cups CURRANTS or raisins, any color. 1-1/2 cups DRIED CHERRIES or dried cranberries, dried blueberries. 1-1/2 cups WALNUTS, chopped or pecans or macadamia nuts, etc. I've used pistachios and even used pine nuts one time. 3 cups APPLESAUCE, unsweetened chunky style if you can find it, even better is homemade. ***** Preheat oven to 350 F Grease and flour a deep 11" x 15" pan or 2 10-inch square pans or 2 holiday mold pans. This will fill a large Bundt pan with enough batter left for a mini loaf or 2-3 muffins. ***** METHOD In a large mixing bowl (or mixer bowl) cream together butter, salt, spices, cocoa and sugar. beat until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after adding each one. Mix baking soda with flour and sift, reserve 2 heaping tablespoons. Instead of sifting the flour you can simply put it in a large bowl and run a wire whisk through it which does the same as sifting, i.e. fluffing it up a bit. Add flour to batter alternately with applesauce. Sprinkle the fruit and nuts with the reserved flour, toss to coat well and fold into cake batter. Pour batter into pan and bake for about 1 hour or until cake tests done. (deeper pans will require longer baking) ***** Turn cake out onto cooling rack and allow to cool completely if simply dusting with confectioner's sugar for presentation. If using glaze, it can be applied while cake is still slightly warm. ***** ORANGE GLAZE GRATED PEEL OF 2 ORANGES 1/3 CUP SUGAR 1/4 CUP WATER 1 CUP ORANGE JUICE 3 TABLESPOONS GRAND MARNIER LIQUOR OR BRANDY Combine ingredients in saucepan, bring to simmer, stirring constantly, continue cooking until liquid is reduced by 1/2. Drizzle over cake ( I use a turkey baster and a perforated spoon as the glaze is too hot to dip my fingers into which is usually the way I drizzle icing). After the glaze has set, decorate edges of the cake and the plate edges with powdered sugar sifted thru a fine sieve or use a cut-out pattern or paper "lace" doily. You can also drape the cake with rolled fondant or decorate with cutouts of the fondant and brightly colored candied fruits. For dedicated chocoholics, melted chocolate can be drizzled or poured over the cake. Some people like the fluffy white "7-minute" frosting similar to that used on "Black cakes" from Jamaica. ( RG1120 )

wow! And how exactly did you come across this combination??? No Brown sauce left in the pantry, only sweet chili sauce left, lived without fear and was not completely sober. There are few things of this type that are not improved with the addition of sweet chile sauce. I buy it in the large bottles, 6 at a time so I won't run out. I have used it as a dip for all kinds of things Kufta or kefta, falafel, dolmas, fritters of all kinds, bean cakes, used it as a topping on grits, barley, kasha, cheese blintzes, potato blintzes, potato pancakes, hoppin' John. and of course all kinds of Mexican foods. Chimichanges especially. And an avocado split in half and the hollow filled with sweet chile sauce is a symphony of flavors.

I forgot to mention that I have one set of the exfoliating, abrasive gloves in a different color that I use just for handling fish. Much easier to hold onto the slippery fish. Of course if you have fish gloves you wouldn't need these, but these are much cheaper. They go in the wash and when dry just seal them up in ziplock bags to keep them clean until you need them. I also use them for cleaning peeled bananas when I am going to sauté them or cook them whole. You know how you always miss some of those little strings that then turn an unattractive dark brown when cooked? One stroke of these gloves will take all those little bits of string right off and also makes it easier to hold onto the banana. I was on the phone late last night with a friend who is a baker in Alhambra and she said that since I told her about this she has used them constantly and all the other bakers in the place have started using them for similar chores. You all may invent even more uses for them.

I wish someone would RE-INVENT the home use large batch potato peeler. We had one when I was a child, one of my aunts has it and will not part with it, says she will will it to me but the way she is going, she may outlive me. It just looks like a large pot, rounded top and bottom has a fitted lid with a couple of thick rubber paddles. The inside walls of the pot have an abrasive surface. One filled the pot with potatoes, then with water and cranked the thing, checking through a sliding door in the top to see how the potatoes were comign along. I mean, you could do 10 pounds of potatoes in a very short period of time, they always had a few stray bits of skin here and there, where the eyes were, but it was quick. I think they disappeared becaue of smaller families. I have been haunting ebay, hoping to see one come up, but apparently everyone who has one is hanging onto them for dear life.

No, my latex gloves don't do the job. However I do wear them UNDER the raspy gloves when handling blanced almonds that are fresh from the boiling water. Save scalding...

Add to the list the single dose "pods" or multiple dose "pods" pressure brewing such as the Senseo or the Home Café system by Black and Decker.

This is my favorite online merchant. They have great service and great products.

Yes indeed. I have passed this hint on to a lot of bakers who all love it. First you have to make a shopping expedition to Pier 1, where I found them, or some similar place, I have seen them in other stores. They are the gloves that you are supposed to use to exfoliate your skin while bathing. Dry, they have just enough raspy surface to make short work of the skin on toasted (or blanched) hazelnuts or filberts, they also take the skins off blanched almonds that don't want to cooperate. I also use them for rubbing the prickles off of cucumbers and similar items however their most helpful use is skinning those darn hazelnuts.

check this thread duck

Have you looked at Taste of Home? I get just about every food magazine that is published, mainly because people keep giving me subscriptions as gifts. It does depend on your tastes and how willing you are to try new things, as to which magazines will serve you best. I like Fine Cooking as they combine traditional cooking with a little "out there" content, but the recipes are easy to follow and there are seldom any exotic ingredients. Other favorites are BBC Good Food from the UK, Cuisine At Home, as well as Saveur. Barnes & Nobel has a great selection of cooking magazines. I suggest you buy a couple every month before you jump in with a subscription. And if possible, see if you can find a "deal" on subscription prices. I recently received an offer from Bon Appetite for a year's subscription, 12 issues for 12.00. Often when you visit certain web sites, vendors and such, they will have offers at a fraction of the regular subscription cost.

Last night and this morning I made plum butter from the last of the Isabella plums. (These are a plum with nearly black skin when fully ripe but with a rose pink flesh, an heirloom variety that does not travel well and ripens after picking. They are picked when they are a ruby red, then allowed to ripen on a tray until the skins are a deep purple, almost black.) These have an intense flavor and I sweetened them with Splenda. After putting the cooked pulp through a food mill to remove the skins, which give the finished product a lovely color, I added some of the strained bread and butter pickle syrup that I made up for pickling last weekend. This little piquant flavor addition did wonders for the flavor of the plum butter. It also makes a great flavor enhancer for peach butter, often rather 'blah' to my taste.

I eat something similar, andiesenji .. pretzels with sour cream and cottage cheese mixed ... crunchy yet creamy! mmmm.. I also have a somewhat similar snack: Sour cream and onion potato chips dipped in lemon yogurt. It's the salty and the tart which I love. Plus you get the crunchy/creamy thing going on. :licks lips: I must confess that I am a cream addict, the thicker the better. One of the reasons I began making my own cheese/cream cheese, etc., was so I could have a legitimate excuse for buying cream in large quantities. People would look in my fridge and see two gallons of cream and look at me as if I had horns growing out of my forehead. I can say, "oh yes, I make my own cheese, cream cheese, ricotta, butter, sour cream, yogurt," and so on and they would nod and say "I see." The truth is that I do make all these things but I can also take cream straight into a bowl, add enough fruit for flavor and that is a snack. Or, I can mix it with fresh cheese curds and have the best "creamed" cottage cheese ever. The flavor and texture of the barbecue potato chips, dipped into this creamy, lumpy stuff is heavenly. Spicy corn chips are dipped into plain sour cream. Another flavor combination I happend upon by accident is grilled bratwurst, cut into chunks (no buns in the house) and accidentally inundated with lemon curd. (I was talking on the phone, not paying attention and grabbed a quart jar of lemon curd from the fridge, instead of the applesauce.) Wow, was that good!

Herb who?

I can only tell you what works for me. I have a voice activated microrecorder made by Sony that has a very good microphone for picking up at a distance. I set it nearby but out of harms way and turn it on. Because there is a lag time, I always say ah or something similar before dictating ingredients or directions. I usually weigh ingredients as I add them because using a scale with a tare feature is easier than volume measurements. I can always convert to volume measurements later if I wish. The first thing I do is list the date, the title of the recipe and/or principle ingredient. I gather all my ingredients onto a tray and list them in the order they will be added to the recipe. Then I recheck the list of ingredients and the amounts. (If I made a mistake the first time, the second time will correct it.) If one or more ingredients are unusual, hard to find, or need special preparation I will include the source or the directions at that place in the dictation. As I put everything together, I dictate what I am doing and what utensils I am using. If the recipe needs special attention, chilling, resting, etc., I describe what, how and where. As I work I note the time so I can determine how much time will be required for various steps in the process all the way until it is completed. If I want to speed things up, I will do two or three versions at the same time, A., B., and C., varying the amount of ingredients in each or changing the times required to reach a certain point in the recipe and describing in detail the variations in the different versions. I then transcribe this into Word, put it into the format that works best for me, print it out to proofread it, make any corrections and proofread again until I am sure there are no errors. I wait a few days, then make the recipe from the printed page to make sure that I have included all the ingredients, all the steps and have the same result I obtained earlier.