patti

I grew up in South Louisiana and we had margarine, not butter, for daily use. We were neither poor nor rich, simply middle class. I have no idea why my mother preferred to serve us margarine because I never questioned it. (What did I know?) I would venture to guess that most of our friends and relatives also used margarine. I serve butter at my house, but it has not always been so.

Thank you, how sweet of you to say. Is your name a clever play on the old song title, Johnny B. Goode?

Yes, you can buy bags of individually frozen boneless chicken breasts with the skin still on. I don't recall the brand, except to say it's not Tyson. Are you Wal-Mart averse? I bought them there or Albertson's.

I agree. While it's a novelty, it's not a sublimely delicious novelty, and I'd rather spend my time and effort on something else. Not that I've made or even cooked one, but I watched my mother make herself a nervous wreck one Thanksgiving, and she was only concerned with the cooking, as she'd bought the thing from specialty meat shop. It was tasty, but not spectacular.

Mine is only 12 bean soup, but I use a ham hock, too. Divine. No crackers for this soup, but cornbread really hits the spot. BTW, what's billy bread? My homemade vegetable beef soup is another favorite, perfect for a cold and rainy day. Saltines will do just fine, thank you very much.

Yum, your dinner looks delicious! Is there anything more gorgeous than well roasted potatoes? And the tilapia and the cauliflower casserole? It all looks good. I'm enjoying your blog very much. Thanks for the effort.

Diana, George Stella, from Food Network's "Low Carb and Lovin' It" has developed a low carb pumpkin pie recipe (it uses canned pumpkin, though). I might give it a try for Thanksgiving. Here's the recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/re...6_27075,00.html Low Carb Praline Pumpkin Pie Recipe courtesy George Stella Show: Low Carb and Lovin' It Episode: Deceiving Desserts Praline Crust: 2 tablespoons hot melted butter 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans 1/2 cup sugar substitute (recommended: Splenda) 1/8 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon Pie Filling: 1 (15-ounce) can no sugar added pumpkin filling 3/4 cup sugar substitute (recommended: Splenda) 1 tablespoon plus a dash pumpkin pie spice 1 1/4 cups heavy cream 4 eggs Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Make the crust: Mix all crust ingredients together in a small bowl. While mixture is still warm from the butter, press it evenly into the bottom of a deep-dish pie pan. Bake for about 5 minutes, or until browned. Remove piecrust from oven. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Make the filling: Place all filling ingredients in a medium bowl and mix well with a wire whisk. Pour filling into prebaked piecrust. Bake for 15 minutes and then reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Continue to bake for an additional 50 to 55 minutes. To test for doneness, stick a toothpick in the center; if it comes out clean, the pie is done. Cool and then chill before serving. To serve, top each slice with a dollop of low carb whipped cream. Low Carb Fresh Whipped Cream: 1 cup heavy cream 1/3 cup sugar substitute (recommended: Splenda) 1 teaspoon no sugar added vanilla extract With an electric mixer on high, whip the heavy cream just until frothy. Then add in the sugar substitute and vanilla extract and continue to whip on high until peaks form. Be careful not to over-whip, or cream will break. Transfer to a pastry bag or just spoon onto pie.

Diana, yes, butter is okay on Atkins. How nice of you to make an Atkins friendly dessert for your guest. If you work out a good recipe in your trials, would you care to share it?

I don't drink coffee on a daily basis, but the coffee I always buy and have on hand at home is Community Coffee, Between Roast. In order to capitalize on the gourmet coffee market, Community has another line called CC's (which is the name of their coffee shop, as well). Have you tried Mello Joy? It's an old Louisiana brand that has recently been revived, amidst a bit of controversy.

I occasionally eat at a nearby Chinese buffet place, and follow these guidelines: No rice, noodles, or sweet 'n sour, and nothing batter fried. Even then, I'm sure I'm eating some things that have some added sugar, but I haven't had a bad result this way. I start with a small cup of the hot 'n sour soup and then follow up with a variety of tasty chicken, beef, and shrimp dishes. I try not to do it too often, but it's a nice occasional treat. For supper tonight I made meatloa(d) and roasted cauliflower. Mmm.

Carolyn, My sincerest condolences for the recent loss of your beloved mother. I was very touched by your poignant tribute, and like many of the others, I cried, too. I hope you find strength and inspiration in your wonderful memories of her. All the best.

I vote for red laminate counters and butcher block on the work station you're creating with your found piece. However, my opinion is suspect.

The pork medallions look very tasty, indeed. What kind of seasonings and spices did you use?

Mmm, the quesadillas look yummy. Rachel, you've already been offered great advice for cutting up a mango. In case you're like me, and like to see a picture, here's a link (scroll down about midpage): http://freshmangos.com/aboutmangos/

I baked an acorn squash, topped with butter, cinnamon and a sprinkling of Splenda. Yummy! Then I googled acorn squash and discovered that it's only summer squash that's low carb. Grrrrr! Maybe my husband will be interested in the other half of the squash, all tender and baked and sitting in the fridge.

Oooh, the price is right, the size is good, and there's storage, to boot. Great score! Do you have any changes in mind for the piece? The cabinet paint job sure did the trick for sprucing things up. The kitchen is really looking good.

Hi, Rachel. I look forward to seeing and reading your blog. I can relate to a lot of things you post on the cooking front. Oh, Malt-O-Meal! I haven't made it in a few years, but I used to make it daily for our handicapped son. I also added peanut butter to the chocolate malt-o-meal for added calories (and flavor) for him. I'd also add lots of butter and jam or jelly to the plain kind. He couldn't talk, but we knew he liked it by the way his tongue would come out for more, more, more. It's good stuff.

Hello, Kristin. I haven't previously commented on your blog, but it certainly wasn't due to lack of interest. More like slack jawed awe. Thanks for the commentary, the photographs (of food & family), the information, and the fun. It was all very enjoyable.

I was once an avid garage sale hound and I know you can find anything and everything you want, but it can take some time when you're looking for a specific item. In addition to yard sales, you might want to check out flea markets and antique shops. I find antique shops to be an excellent source for well-made old things that are useful to use, wonderful to look at, and often much less expensive than brand new. (I'm not talking about high-end, fine antiquities, which are a whole other story.) Down around these parts, the antique business is mighty slow right now, and there are bargains to be had and deals to be made. Long farm tables, old library tables, sideboards and buffets, as mentioned by Fat Guy, just a nice variety of things that you might be able to find at a much more reasonable price than you can imagine. Good luck with your endeavor!

LeSueur Early June Peas. At one time the can said 'petite pois' but no longer. This one is a holdover from my childhood.

Thanks for that, Fifi. It was struggle to remove the seeds without losing some pulp, and I was wondering what the best method might be. I'll do it your way next time.

Today I realize that I have never tasted real chili before, but now I have seen the light! Thanks to this thread (and to Penzeys Spices), I made an outstanding batch of chili. My ingredient list is directly based on the ingredients people listed in this thread, and they include the following: 2 lbs. cubed beef (seasoned w/ Tony Chachere's spice mix) Italian sausage (2 links, removed from casing, crumbled) chopped onions, bell pepper, garlic 2 dried ancho peppers 2 dried guajillo peppers 1 can chopped tomatoes beer (Shiner Bock was on hand) beef broth 2 T. medium hot chili powder 2 tsp. ground red chipotle pepper 1 T sweet paprika 1 tsp. ground cumin 1 tsp. Mexican oregano 1 tsp. cocoa 1/4 tsp. cinnamon Seared the beef and sausage in EVOO, tossed in and wilted the chopped veggies, added the dry ingredients, followed by the beef broth and beer. I've never used dried chiles before, so wasn't sure what the best method was. Ended up covering the peppers with water in a bot, bringing it to a boil and then removing it from the heat, allowing it to sit for a few minutes. Removed the seeds and stems and put the peppers in the blender to make a paste before adding it to the pot. (Further reading leads me to believe I didn't need to do it this way, any comments?) Simmered the chili on a low fire all afternoon, and damn! Very good stuff, I must say. I didn't even use any toppings yet because I wanted to taste nothing but the chili. Will use chopped raw onions and grated sharp cheddar later. Thanks to all who contributed to this thread for inspiring me to make real chili, instead of the stuff I previously called chili.

You're right, garlic would've been a good addition. For some reason, I forgot to mention that I'd seasoned the beef with a spice mix that has cayenne in it. The soup was very tasty, but I felt like there could've been another layer. (Prolly a carb layer, but what're you gonna do?)

You're a heretic! Actually, I shouldn't call it the trinity, because I rarely use celery. My trinity is onion, green bell pepper, and garlic. And really, as often as not, a bit of red bell pepper, too, so let's fuggedabout the trinity altogether. In my cooking, Tabasco and Tony Chachere's Creole Spice Mix might go without saying, but are almost always implied.

Me three with the rice and meat. The meat is usually an equal parts mixture of ground beef and pork, browned along with the trinity before mixing with the rice. Topped with breadcrumbs and parmesan. Mayhaw Man, using boudin is pure genius. Have you ever used seafood boudin?