andiesenji
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Posts posted by andiesenji
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Every once in a while I'll get this bizarre craving for peanut butter, but it has to be sweetened. I'm not choosey so I don't choose Jif. I choose cheapest. And I do like peanuts in Chinese food sometimes.
Are you anywhere close to a Trader Joe's? Try the Better'n Peanut Butter.
It is super yummy.
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Since my first post on May 1 when I said I had "well over a thousand" cookbooks, I have managed to find my list from the last time I catalogued my collection in 1999. The count of cookbooks, not counting the little paperbacks from companies such as Westinghouse, etc., was 1014. Since then I have bought a collection from a lady who was moving into a retirement home. (247) and 57 new books and 32 books at used book stores and 19 from a thrift store and received 5 as gifts in 2000.
In 2001 I bought 22 new books, 37 used books and 10 from the thrift store, received 2 as gifts. In 2002 I bought 41 new books, 104 used books and 16 books at the thrift store, 11 gifts. In 2003 I bought 35 new books, 54 used books and 22 from the thrift store, 8 gifts. So far this year I have bought 39 new books(3 today), 44 used books and 2 from the thrift store, 1 gift. This brings my grand total to 1822.
The center hall in my home is 52 feet long and has 4 doorways and a linen closet. All the free wall space has floor to ceiling bookcases attached to the walls. This room (family room) has two walls with floor to ceiling bookcases 18 feet on one wall, 12 on the other. One bedroom is a book room with 15 barrister's bookcases bought at auction 20 years ago very cheap. The remainder of my books are stored in metal footlockers in a storage facility. I bought 60 footlockers at a military surplus auction in 1988 for a buck each. They aren't pretty but they are certainly sturdy. And even better they can be stacked and a rod run down through the handles at each end which stabilizes the stack and makes it difficult to steal them.
The newest cookbooks and the ones to which I refer on a regular basis are in a smaller bookcase next to my desk which has at one end a swing out book rest that holds a book at a good angle for reading. I bought it at an auction, it was called a "librarian's bookcase" in the auction catalog. I would like to find another but have never seen one. I have run out of room in it and now have books stacked on the floor at each end of my desk. On the settee behind me and on top of my paper shredder. One stack is teetering a bit too close to one of the dog beds and poor Teafer keeps eyeing it with distrust. She has been "attacked" by books in the past, one falling off the arm of a chair, sliding off the end of the desk when something else was pushed into it. No wonder she doesn't trust them. She has been known to nap on top of books too.
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If I don't make my own I like Trader Joe's.
If I have a chance to get down to the Farmer's Market in L.A. I get freshly made peanut butter.
I have tried a couple of the so-called "natural" butters but they all tasted a bit rancid to me.
The one put out by Laura Scudders always have about an inch of oil on top and that turns me off.
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now, they even examine their chocolate mousse with deep suspicion, glancing furtively at me ...
That reminds me of a funny thing that happened years ago. My ex loved choc mousse and I made it fairly often.
One evening he came home from some event and delved into the fridge and came out with a dessert in a crystal goblet that I had prepared for a tea the next afternoon.
Without asking, he removed the cover and dug into it, thinking it was the choc mousse.
He made a face and said "What is this stuff??" I smiled and replied "Prune whip" - it was requested by the ladies at the bridge club that were having the tea the following day.
He continued eating then said it wasn't bad and wandered off into his den, leaving the goblet for me to pick up and take back to the kitchen.
I often wondered what he thought it was......... It looked like chocolate mousse in the dim light from the family room. If he had bothered to switch on the kitchen light he would have noted the difference.
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Looks great. How big/old was the boar, do you know?
I don't know. He was a fairly big one. I think the dressed weight was 200 pounds. Before I deboned it the leg weighed almost 40 pounds. I sawed the lower 2/3 into pieces which will probably go into a stew of some kind. the thigh portion had a massive femur bone, at least 3 times the size of a regular ham bone and the "H" bone, part of the pelvis was also much thicker and heavier than a comparable bone in a domestic pig. I prepared the "saddle" for a big party the hunter held for a large party of friends last Christmas, and each loin and the attached rib portion weighed over 35 pounds. I had to roast them separate then assemble after roasting on a huge platter.
I just thank God he didn't ask me to prepare the head. He decided to have it mounted. Ugly sucker....
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Both my daughter and husband have the audacity to dislike mushrooms and have been known to scream, in their most sonorous tones, "eek, fungus!!" to my neverending consternation... so I eschew the mushrooms and sneak them in under cover of night ...
Have you ever tried feeding them duxelles?
I have sneaked this into a dish and it was consumed with gusto by a person who wouldn't eat mushrooms that were recognizable (but eats Campbells cream of mushroom soup) gak....
I do understand about the bell peppers. I can eat all kinds of chiles and have no problem with ripe red peppers but when they are green I have a bit of a problem. I avoid them in big chunks, like stuffed peppers, etc. But if they are chopped up and part of a dish or a sauce I eat as much as I can tolerate and just leave the rest.
I have serious allergies to shellfish and other seafood from the ocean - freshwater is okay. I also have a severe allergy to raw alcohol. If it is cooked in a sauce or in a dish for long enough for the alcohol esthers to be eliminated it doesn't bother me. Otherwise I get laryngeal edema, my airway closes and it could be fatal. Simply flaming it doesn't remove enough to make it safe for me. I have to avoid desserts that might contain alcohol.
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Last year, my nephew got a feral hog at his deer lease. I don't know what exactly he did with it on the smoker but it really just tasted like pork to me. Which is an ok thing because the ranch owner will practically pay the hunters to shoot the damn things. They are very destructive and breed like fleas. A supply of "free" pork sounds good to me. We have bunches of them tearing up neighborhoods here in the Clear Lake City suburbs in Houston. I think they are going to get the bow hunters after them.
I have eaten javelina (peccary) many times. My neighbor brings them back from his ranch near Durango, Mexico. They are a pest because they tear up their crops and also compete with their goats for food on the open range. They are also dangerous to people. They aren't very big but are very aggressive.
They do make good eating.
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The flavor is pretty much the same as domestic pork. It has more color, the flesh is reddish pink, it looks more like the pork I knew as a child on the farm.
That was of course before pork became "the other white meat" and lost a lot of its flavor.
I used about a pound of pork belly fat in the meat otherwise I think it would have been pretty dry. You can see a strip of it in the close up picture.
I have never noticed any "gamy" flavor to wild boar. I think it is the way they feed. I have a note that this one was taken in Mendocino county.
It is probably the same way that elk is more like beef and also has no gamy flavor because they graze like cattle. Deer, on the other hand, eat a lot of tree leaves, bark and such and develop a stronger flavor. They are also a lot more active whereas elk tend to stand around or anble slowly around their range while deer do a lot of running.
Most of the venison I get is from mule deer because most of the hunters go up to Utah to hunt. Occasionally one will show up with a whitetail but that is pretty rare out here.
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After 7 hours cooking in foil I took the meat out, cut it into chunks and moved to a sheet pan. Roasted uncovered for 1 1/2 hours, turning twice so all sides nicely browned. Meat very moist and tender, shreds readily. It is delicious, rich and full of flavor.
Close up of piece that I pulled apart with two forks.
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Did you temper and dip with it or just dip into untempered? Also, would you mind listing the ingredients in order for us and telling us what you paid? Thanks andiesenji! The plot thickens...
About the price, I don't recall what I paid. I got it at Wal-Mart and the big bars were on sale for the holidays in a big display next to all the cookie cutters, pans, etc.
At the time I recall thinking it was a really good deal, compared with what I usually pay.
As I recall I bought 10 bars. I think I have 2 left.
I can't eat chocolate so I have to depend on someone else to taste for me.
One of my unfortunate allergies - the other is alcohol........
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Did you temper and dip with it or just dip into untempered? Also, would you mind listing the ingredients in order for us and telling us what you paid? Thanks andiesenji! The plot thickens...
I chopped it and measured out 10 oz. to which I added 2 oz heavy cream and two drops of almond oil. I melted it in a ceramic double boiler because it was not enough volume to put into the tempering machine. I brought it up to 105 degrees F, then removed the ceramic insert from the double boiler and placed it on a pre-heated heating pad, brought the temp down to 92 degrees and held it there.
I dipped the fruit and peel and it took about 20 minutes to set up. I didn't need to refrigerate it, it held nicely at room temp on a tray with a dome cover.
The chocolate could be touched briefly without leaving a fingerprint.
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In a 30 inch range, to get the most bang for your buck take a look at the Bosch.
http://www.us-appliance.com/hgbo30gasfrc1.html
Two of my neighbors bought this model, one last summer and the other in December (It was a Christmas present).
They both love it. I have cooked on it and the cooktop is every bit as good as mine and cost less... The 15000 btu burner is hot enough to adequately heat a wok and the continuous grate makes it easy to move large pots and pans.
The warming drawer is a great plus and one that is not found on every range.
If I had to furnish a kitchen with a small range this would be my choice.
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I trimmed out most of the inedible bits, ligaments, silverskin, veins, etc., seasoned it, rolled and tied it. Final weight 14 pounds.
The aroma is just beginning to escape from the oven - acutally it is stronger outside as the oven vents outdoors and the doors seal quite well (it has optional steam). It just passed the 4-hour mark so has 2 to go, however I expect it is going to take longer.
I hope it turns out well enough to serve to friends. My neighbors and I are getting together tomorrow and I plant to serve it. She is making chiles rellenos, for which she has a gift, the best I ever tasted. I am baking bread and her eldest daughter is making tortillas. Mr. Obregon is making the Pico de Gallo (salsa) and I am making a soup from a recipe sent by GiftedGourmet.
The son-in-law is making ceviche but I don't eat seafood so won't be able to comment on that.
I have plenty of ripe tomatoes and peppers ready to pick and had my gardener pull up a bunch of onions yesterday during his weekly visit. I will wait until tomorrow to cut the cilantro.
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andiesenji... You have fallen into KK's well constructed trap.
I understand they have several exhaust vents that blow the aroma-laden air into the surrounding area. At least I didn't go into the store and buy one.....
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I have used all types of premium chocolates over the years with varying results.
Last fall I began to hear mentions of Hersey's Special Dark as being a pretty good product.
I decided to try it for myself and found it was as good as many of the products I had used in the past. I used it in cakes and also for dipping glacé fruit and candied citrus peel.
The March 2004 issue of Cooks Illustrated also found it an acceptable substitute for premium chocolate.
The advantage is that for a beginner it is widely available and has a rapid turnover. I found it easy to work with and the price is certainly right.
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When I was in Albequerque last December I asked the maid that took care of my room at the hotel in which I stayed about stores that carried local foods. She sent me to Carniceria Cuauhtemoc and a market named All the Americas. Both had a good selection of southwest foods. I also found a Wild Oats Natural Marketplace on my own.
I don't have the addresses but probably have them with my receipts.
I agree that the local Farmer's market in Santa Fe is excellent.
Hopefully you can get the groceries back with no problems.
Califronia ag laws are so strict that it is next to impossible to get into the state with any fresh fruit or veg when driving.
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Another use is as a base for making fresh pickles similar to a gurkensalat.
Equal amounts of thinly sliced cucumbers and sweet onions, say a cup of each.
start with 1/4 cup of the orange zest syrup, add 1/2 cup seasoned rice wine vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon celery seed, 1 clove garlic, lightly bruised.
heat in the microwave about a minute, remove the garlic clove, allow to cool till just warm, then pour over the cukes and onions press down so they are covered with the liquid.
Refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
Before serving stir 1/2 cup of sourcream into the pickles.
This is a nice counterpoint to a rich meat terrine, paté, chopped liver, etc.
The orange zest syrup is also good drizzled over roasted onions.
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I spent over an hour boning out the leg of boar and just finished seasoning, wrapping and sealing it in foil and it is now in the oven.
It differs from domestic pig by having more massive bone and much bigger veins and tendons. I can understand why the geneticists are tucking human genes into hogs to grow transplants for humans. Those veins were the toughest I have ever seen. I can see one replacing an aorta and lasting a lifetime.
The meat is very dense and much darker than domestic pork. I had some frozen pork belly fat from the local abattoir and inserted strands of this into the meat using a larding needle.
I am cooking it at 250 F for 6 hours to start. I suspect it will take longer.
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Isn't there some affinity between tomatoes and oranges? I have made a tomato-orange soup over the years that always receives warm approval ...
now, if I could dig up that recipe once more ... That sounds wonderful. I make a carrot/sorrel/orange soup but hadn't thought of tomato/orange soup.
Is it a cream soup or ????
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I've been thinking of making some seed pictures to use in my kitchen. So far, I've settled on basswood for a background, drawing my designs, and gluing the seeds in sections. There's so many talented people here that I want youall's thoughts about the way to go about it. I don't really care for a hotglue gun, because I end up with those danged strings everywhere. And once they are finished, I wanted to fill the cracks and spaces as you would with a mosaic. Any thoughts, dear folks?
There is a spray-on clear adhesive that you can use - make a mask out of a sheet of acrilic (also available at the art store) so you limit the spray to the area of your design.
Seeds, paper and other lightweight things will stick to it and when you have your design finished you can fill in around it. Work in small sections, the adhesive stays tacky for some time so that you can reposition anything that is out of place.
There is also a paint-on acrilic gesso that can be used and which can be tinted to make the background color you want. Again, plan your design and work in small sections, adding the gesso to the background as you proceed. This is used by artists who make pictures using mixed media with photos, small items cemented onto a background painting.
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Recently I had an almost overwhelming urge for a doughnut. I stopped to get gas and the station was next door to a Krispy Kreme emporium and the aroma was incredible, I was salivating like one of Pavlov's dogs.
This may not seem too odd, but the fact is that I have not been able to look a doughnut in the eye for almost 50 years when I worked in my mother's bakery after I finished bakery school.
All I did for four hours every morning was fry doughnuts, both risen and the cake type. In fact I have scars from a grease burn when the handle of the cake doughnut machine fell into the vat of oil. I would go home at the end of my shift and shower and shampoo two or three times and still couldn't get the smell of hot oil out of my hair. (I worked from 7 p.m to 9 a.m with a break at midnight when most of the bread was in the proofer).
Every time I look at a doughnut that comes back to me and there is no way I could pick one up, let alone consume it.
I was able to resist the craving this time. That gas station will be avoided in the future.
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Make a simple syrup add the zest to the syrup and simmer it gently for 20 minutes. Store in a jar in the fridge, it will keep for about 2 months. For a cup of zest I would use a cup of sugar to 3/4 cup water.
Use it in dressings for fruit salads, over ice cream, whipped into a meringue, and use it to "paint" onto chicken or duck during roasting, or on chicken pieces during oven roasting. As a base for marinades.
Mix into scones or biscuits. Or if you use the ready-made, in a can biscuits or rolls, drizzle over the tops before baking. Whip into heavy cream for a dessert topping. Stir into plain yogurt.
Slice winter squash or pumpkin and brush with the syrup then bake in the oven. Slice sweet potatoes and layer then in a baking dish dotted with butter and drizzle some of the syrup over them before baking.
I keep a jar of the orange zest syrup and lemon zest syrup in my fridge all the time. You will think of other things in which to use it if you have it on hand.
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I have managed to resist posting on this topic up to now. Carnitas is one of my favorites. While I can buy the cooked meat at one of the local Mexican markets, I like to make my own, particularly when I have a chunk of pork in the freezer that needs to be used. I haven't tried boiling it in lard but I have cooked it in broth in the oven, then cut it into chunks, put it back into the oven with seasonings and allowed it to brown. Not bad..
At present I am thawing a leg of boar, (I have friends that hunt and in exchange for helping them prepare the wild game I get part of it) that has been in the freezer since November and it is time to cook it.
I am going to try something different, wrapping it in double layers of foil, sealing it well, then oven roasting it for a long time at low temperature. The boar meat is much leaner than domestic pork and fat has to be added.
My neighbors have a ranch in Durango, Mexico and when they come back after a trip to the ranch they sometimes bring back javelina and cook the meat for carnitas. They cook it in lard and it is delicious. Mr. Obregon cooks it outside in a big cast iron cauldron and the aroma that spreads around the neighborhood is fantastic.
Cookbooks – How Many Do You Own? (Part 2)
in Cookbooks & References
Posted
That is exactly how I feel. I come from a long line of book collectors and grew up in a house with a real library (my grandfather's) but books could be found throughout the house. No wonder I became a bookworm. Fortunately I am a rapid reader.
I have been questioned many times by people who ask why I have so many cookbooks because, "You couldn't possibly use recipes from all of them."
Perhaps not, but my philosophy is that if there comes a time that I need a particular recipe I will certainly have a source in which to look.