andiesenji

One of the reasons I have a Berkey water purifier is the possibility of contaminated water following an earthquake - the disasters we have here in California. They can't be sold in California but it is easy for me to get one shipped to a friend in Nevada and drive over to pick it up. I've had one for years, since the 1971 earthquake. A friend who was affected by the severe flooding in the Dakotas more than a decade ago had one and it was invaluable when there was no good water and they were isolated and couldn't get bottled water for several days. I've got propane tanks that I can use for a portable stovetop or a "turkey fryer" that doubles as a huge stockpot or a Dutch oven will fit on the burner. None of these things is very expensive but it is a relief to have them when needed.

I think you may be looking for Deco Dan or Phil's Appliance Service. You should also inquire at WACEM Often members are willing to sell mixers (usually so they can buy more).

The best way to fix a loaf that once was crusty - and it will not alter the interior of the bread at all. Heat your oven to 400° F. When the oven is hot, run cold water over the entire outside of the loaf and quickly stick it in the oven, directly on the shelf. Time it - 12 minutes for a standard baguette. add two minutes for the larger "Italian" loaves, reduce to 9 minutes for the smaller or thinner.

Most chile pepper plants do well in pots - they will need a minimum of 6 hours of sunlight or equivalent. Pinch back some of the growing tips so they don't get too "leggy" - many pepper plants double as "indoor ornamental" plants, especially those with great color. If you treat them carefully, they can live for two years or more - not too much watering, they need good drainage. I kept a Scotch Bonnet plant growing in a pot for three years. I pruned it into a globe shape and during the winter picked off half the blossoms so it wouldn't be too stressed.

Oh, it IS! I love it. It's even better than the stainless one I got several years ago, new. I think the design of the handle makes for a more secure hold against the pot. I have used it at least once a day since I got it. Andie, a while back, I got a brown bottle with a ground glass stopper. I was amazed that it sealed so well. I was very impressed. I don't have anything in it, now, but I'm wondering what it may have been used for, originally. I think it's an apothecary bottle. It's about 3-4 fl oz volume, I think (I don't have it in front of me). I'm thinking of just using it as a display piece, once the house is put back together. Bottles with ground glass stoppers have been used for chemicals, especially ones that would have held liquids that would have affected cork, rubber and other materials used for stopping bottles in the old days. Laboratories were still using ground glass stoppers in everything from tiny vials to big carboys as recently as fifteen years ago - the last time I was in a working lab. They may still be for all I know. Perfumers use them so that the essential oils and scents will not be affected by other materials. They seal so well that perfumes have kept for years without evaporating. They also look elegant. Here are some.

Heidi, It looks like a pickle or jam "caster" jar. These usually were in sets of two or three and were held in silver or pewter "hangers" .. Here's a page with a bunch, the style varied considerably, some open, many had lids. Castor jars usually had metal (silver plate, etc) lids and were not threaded. Threaded, in fact, is the operative descriptive word for this jar. I have seen them at French flea markets but have never asked their original use. That's true that many did have metal lids, but many also had glass lids with ground-glass "seals" - similar to apothecary jars - I have a set of three in a silver carrier (high Victorian) inherited from my great grandmother with this type of lid and some were threaded. Without looking at these and checking the type of glass, I can't say for certain but threaded jars were available in Victorian times, including jars for cosmetics - one of my aunt collected those and donated her collection to some museum. I used to get in trouble when little by playing with them - thankfully I never broke anything. I also have a glass caviar jar with threaded glass lid ca. 1920 - also inherited.

Xylitol is a sugar alcohol, also used as a sugar substitute. This the product I have. It keeps forever..

Chili on waffles. This was a "dish" that was served at a San Francisco restaurant famous for its waffles when I was stationed there in the late 1950s. The Roundhouse Restaurant was at the SF end of the Golden Gate Bridge in the Plaza - it's now a visitors center. Our barracks was close to the Lombard street entrance to the bridge approach so every Sunday morning we used to walk across the bridge and back and go to the Roundhouse for breakfast. On evenings when we had passes we would walk up the approach and have dinner, often chili on waffles. I've served chili with waffles for lunch, supper, cool weather parties. It's an interesting combo.

Nifty find, Darienne..

I've heard it referred to as a "random scaling effect" that is, forming scales, thick and thin, on the outer surface as the material is manipulated. "Ragged" is the term used in pastries.

I pasteurize eggs that I will be using in eggnog, in salad dressing, mayonnaise & etc. It's easy and I don't have to worry about feeding something possibly harmful to my friends.

Heidi, It looks like a pickle or jam "caster" jar. These usually were in sets of two or three and were held in silver or pewter "hangers" .. Here's a page with a bunch, the style varied considerably, some open, many had lids.

Goods From The Woods has them seasonally - it's not yet the season for them to be on offer - I got mine last December. They also sell shelled pine nuts that are better than others, comparable with the Italian imports but much fresher. Goods From the Woods. Hickory nuts, even in the shell will become rancid in just a few weeks - they have a high oil content. Freeze them if you aren't going to use them soon.

When I had access to the nuts in the shell - my cousins used to send me a 25-pound bag - I would boil a batch for about 30 minutes then dry them slightly in the oven to make them easier to crack. That way the shells don't shatter so much, break cleanly and it is a little easier to get the meats out.

Hickory nut cake is the standard use. My cousins used to send me hickory nuts but the California ag commission "outlawed" them about twenty years ago so I did without for a long time. Now I order the shelled nut meats. Here's the recipe I got from my grandparent's cook. Miz Lily Belle Gibson's Hickory Nut Cake 2 cups white sugar (can use half brown sugar if desired - use a bit less milk as it will be more moist) 1 cup butter - soft 6 egg yolks - big eggs (large) 4 cups flour - use half cake flour if you have it. 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice 1 teaspoon soda (bicarb) 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup bourbon 3/4 cup sweet milk 2 cups chopped hickory nuts dredged in 1/4 cup flour 1 cup sultanas also can use chopped dried apples, toss with nuts and flour. the egg whites from the 6 eggs beaten to soft peaks more bourbon for brushing on the baked cake Directions Pre-heat oven to 350° F. Line the bottom of three greased 9 inch cake pans with wax paper In a large mixing bowl put sugar and soft butter and cream until fluffy. Add egg yolks, 2, 2 and 2, beating well after each addition. In another bowl sift together the flour, spices, soda and salt. Combine the bourbon and milk. To the creamed mixture add the dry and wet ingredients alternately, blending well. Stir nuts and sultanas into the batter and blend until distributed evenly. Gently fold in the beaten egg whites. Carefully ladle the batter into the prepared pans no more than 2/3ds full. Bake on center rack in oven for 50 minutes. Open oven door gently and test cake with a straw. If not done, continue baking for 10 more minutes and test again. When done remove from oven, cool in pans for 20 minutes then turn out onto wire rack. Cool for at least three hours. Brush cakes with bourbon, wrap in wax paper and set in ice box overnight. Burnt sugar frosting Make some burnt sugar syrup. 2/3 cup sugar 1/2 cup boiling water 2 tablespoons butter In a heavy pan melt the sugar until just golden - use a light colored pan so it won't get too brown. reduce heat to low pour the boiling water down the side of the pan, stirring to dissolve the melted sugar add the butter and stir well to blend completely. Set aside to cool. 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar 1/2 cup burnt sugar syrup 6 tablespoons butter, softened 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 2 tablespoons light cream 3/4 cup hickory nuts (can omit if short of nuts) Combine the sugar, the cooled burnt sugar syrup, butter and vanilla in a mixing bowl (or mixer bowl) Beat until well blended (medium speed in a mixer). Add the cream and continue beating until thick and soft. If too stiff add a bit more cream. Put one cake layer on a plate, bottom up, spread with half a cup or so of frosting and sprinkle with 1/3 remaining nuts. Add the second layer and repeat with frosting and nuts. Add the third layer, cover the sides thinly, pile the remainder of the frosting on top of the cake and spread evenly over the top and down the sides. Sprinkle the top evenly with the rest of the hickory nuts.

How did you prepare the jelly bag? I've found the regular bags are a bit too dense for very pulpy fruits. I use butter muslin - extra fine muslin. I used to have to order it from a specialty store but now Amazon has it. You have to wash it in hot water (plain) twice, to remove the sizing. Wet it thoroughly and wring it out before using it to strain anything.

I use my steamer all the time. Steamed dumplings, to "refresh" dried fruits (including raisins, cranberries & etc) that have gotten a bit dry and tough. I steam all kinds of vegetables. There are numerous steamed puddings, both sweet and savory, which turn out perfect in a steamer. Thanks Andie great ideas! Yum I hadn't considered dumplings. I've got this cookbook. The pork and mango potstickers are alone worth the price of the book. No real exotic ingredients and the recipes are easy to read and follow. I can't eat ocean fish but I often steam catfish and trout. I've made spring rolls - a cinch with the store bought wrappers.

I use my steamer all the time. Steamed dumplings, to "refresh" dried fruits (including raisins, cranberries & etc) that have gotten a bit dry and tough. I steam all kinds of vegetables. There are numerous steamed puddings, both sweet and savory, which turn out perfect in a steamer.

When I used to grow my own potatoes I buried the harvested spuds in a large tub of dry coarse sand (also called "sharp" sand) in the coolest corner of my pantry. Now I have a canvas bag and store potatoes in the bag with an apple - which works for up to a month.

As far as cholesterol is concerned, I am convinced that it is genetic. I consume a diet that is rather high in the foods that are suspected of cholesterol loading but my cholesterol is 180 and my HDL is high compared to LDL. My doctor says he can't explain it. He suggested my cholesterol was "borderline" and wanted to prescribe one of the "statin" drugs - I refused.

My dad's oldest sister was 105 August 6 and has spent her entire life eating all the "wrong" things. My great grandmother (my mother's grandmother) was born in 1844 and died in 1949 when I was ten, just two months shy of turning 105... She was a Victorian lady who ate all the "wrong" things. I never trusted margarine and have always used butter and I make my own. I'm 73, and am not about to change things now.

Upside down. Stemmed hang, others on shelves with the waffle-padded lining stuff so the don't slide around and stay put in all but the most active earthquakes. Cups and mugs are all hung. Bowls are stored nested but with a jumbo bowl cover over the batch. Here in the desert a lot of dust/sand gets into the house no matter what I do and I want clean bowls when I start cooking or baking. The very large stainless steel bowls are upside down on one of the wire storage racks in the pantry.

The bladed one produced larger flakes and the pinhead much finer grated.

My baker friend recently got one of these (actually bought two, the bladed one also) And uses them on a variable-speed 1/2 inch drill that he can fasten to a bench with this drill mount. He wraps the drill with a plastic bag and cuts holes for the air slots. He demonstrated it for me and grated two large "brown" coconuts and one "green" coconut in less than five minutes.

I've been racking my brain about what to say, Chris. I'm so happy to know you will be staying on and contributing your usual informative and pithy posts to the various discussions. You have inspired many of us to branch out in new directions that would never have been attempted without your encouragement.