deltadoc

What are my favorite Girl Scout Cookies? Answer: The ones they sold back in the 1950's. But your observation about which baker makes today's GSC's is right on. In the Twin Cities, St. Paul belongs to the Greater St. Croix GS "region" which uses the Little Brownie Bakers in Kansas. In Minneapolis, they come from the "other" baker. BIG difference. But all in all, they're still pretty much of a gut bomb. doc

Try de-boning it, trim it, pound it out flat and make Steak Diane. Recipes are everywhere, but basically some dijon mustard, worcestershire sauce, parsley, shallots, heavy cream, S&P, to make the sauce after browning quickly both sides of the flattened Dead Animal Flesh, etc. Goes well with mashed potatoes! doc

I find the smell and taste of fresh chopped cilantro difficult. I can take only a very small amount of it. Ground cumin is also a bit difficult. A little goes a long way. But fresh mint, rosemary, basil, thyme, Italian parsley, French Tarragon (capitalized for a reason!), and almost any other herb or spice I find to be just wonderful! doc

I made Brussel Sprouts for dinner just yesterday. These were super big and firm. Trim the outer leaves off, cut a "cross-cut" into the stem end, drop into steamer with water already boiling, cover, usually steam the regular size ones about 9-10 minutes, these went for 11. Drain, add some unsalted butter, some fresh lemon juice, some freshly grated parmesiagno reggiano, freshly grated nutmeg, a lilttle salt, a little freshly ground black pepper. Served with fresh garlic/rosemary mashed baked potatoes, pan roasted filet mignon, demi-glace with Maytag Iowa Blue Cheese. Served with a bottle of Shafer's Cabernet Sauvignon, vintage 2000. I was ready for the Super Bowl! doc

I used to make fries at this drive-in restaurant, and I cooked a lot of fries. I hated it whenever the lard was fresh, because you could fry those fries forever and they just never did get nicely brown. I also found that once the frozen fries thawed even a little bit before putting into the deep fry basket, they wouldn't come out as nice either. So I kept the tray 1/2 full, and went into the cooler more frequently to get truly frozen fries to work with. I didn't like to leave them drain in the basket very long as they would lose their crispness, so I strived to have fries ready as needed rather than too many ahead of time. I still do the same thing when using fresh potatoes at home. I use the mandoline to slice them (usually with skin on), then I put them in a colander and into the freezer until they're pretty much solid. Never have bothered to rinse them, so I can't comment on that. I set the frier at 375, and try not to put too many fries in the basket at once so that the fryer can "keep up" with the heat sink that frozen fries are to the hot oil. (The city won't allow me to put in a commercial fryer!) I tend to use freshly ground black pepper on my fries, not too much sea salt, and I use homemade ketchup to dunk them in. doc

I've been doing this for years, so here is my technique. I use the bread machine to make the dough, but then I take it out of the machine and flour dust the countertop (corian), and knead the dough adding more flour dusting to get just the right dough feel. I use a marble rolling pin and continue to dust lightly the dough if it seems to stick to the marble rolling pin. I constantly turn the dough over, and continue to roll it out, dusting it lightly as needed. I use a wooden peel which has been dusted with Quaker brand corn meal. I find if the meal is too "fine" it doesn't act like ball bearings as well. Anyway, once the dough is just right I lift it off the countertop and place it on the peel. Just the fact that I can lift it off the countertop reinforces that it has the right moisture content. I take the peel in my hands and rock it back and forth to ensure the dough is moving freely. I do this several times as I build the pizza. If it sticks anywhere, which is unusual, I gently lift up that part and sprinkle a bit more corn meal. Then, once it is resting on the corn meal dusted wooden peel, I use a boar brush to paint olive oil on the dough surface. This acts as a moisture barrier to protect the dough from the sauce which goes on next. Then I add usually Italian hot sausage that I was cooking on the stove. I usually drain it in a colander first to rid it of excess pork fat before putting it on the pizza. Then I sprinkle with parmesan that I processed in the food processor. Then on goes the low moisture part skim Stella brand mozzarella (about 1/2 lb) that was also processed in the food processor. It sprinkles on easier, leaving pathways for some of the moisture of the sauce to evaporate during baking better than whole slices which tend to act as a shroud trapping in excess moisture. The 1/2" thick stone has been in the oven at 550 for at least an hour. The whole pie slides easily off the peel onto the pre-heated stone. I don't turn the oven down, and it takes approximately 12 minutes to have what I consider a perfect pizza. Hope this helps. doc

Any older version of Joy of Cooking. doc

Wow! I must have been lucky. In about 1980-81, I met a Saudi princess named Ohoud. She talked me into going to Abdul's Afandy. Had the combination plate. I loved the taste of hummous, tabouli, baba ganoush, grape leaves, Jerusalem Salad, kibbie, kofta kabob, and tahini sauce right from the first taste. I'd have never ever thought of trying that kind of food, had she not convinced me that it really was good. That day, that moment, was what opened my previously narrow minded vision of food to the great joys of ethnic food all over the world. But I'll never get used to lutefisk, and I'm not about to try getting used to it either! Tabouli, while on the surface seems a simple dish, can be quite horrible if not prepared right. It must be fresh, and salted only just as it is being served. I'll grant you this, day old Tabouli is hard to swallow. And hummous without the tahini is equally disgusting imho. doc

I know what McDonald's does with chicken skins! They magically turn them into Chicken nuggets, for that High Cholesterol diet. doc

I was wondering about the pickle slices in Australia too. I distinctly remember them interviewing Crocodile and he was saying about McDonald's that they should just get rid of the "cucumber slice" as everybody takes them out of the hamburger and tosses them. I know, I'll ask my friend in Bowen and report back! doc

← Finally, a real scientist! I remember a friend giving me several lbs (read: elbows) of particulary yucky herb. I first performed the acetone extraction, and then proceeded to perform a secondary process on the extract which involved using NaHCO3 to produce "honey oil" which was a beautiful red oil. While I started with several lbs. of the yucky herb, I ended up with only several drops of the red oil. It was wonderful, but disappointing due to the fact there was so little of it. Yet, in retrospect, those few drops turned something that was completely unusable into a small, yet wonderful, few drops of heaven. Ah....the old days. Yes! doc

I've probably mentioned this in other posts but here goes: I make my own catsup, sweet relish, brown stock (veal, beef, turkey), Espagnole Sauce, demi-glace (ala Escoffier), mustard, worcestershire sauce, ice cream, creme fraiche, spaghetti sauce, pizza sauce, marinara sauce, french onion soup, cauliflower soup, tomato puree, bread, sourdough, pizza dough, whole wheat ground in my Vita-mix from wheat berries, clarified butter frozen in Foodsaver bags 250 g, everything I can. Pesto from fresh basil from the garden in the summer, pasta (noodles, spaghetti, lasagne, ravioli), grind my own hamburger, make Italian sausage and stuff into casings, the list goes on and on. And what can be canned gets canned, what needs to be frozen gets frozen, etc. etc. One of the few things I still buy besides the basics (flour, milk, butter, eggs, meat, etc.) is Shrimp Cocktail sauce. Never been able to do it better than Hoffman House. doc

While PBS TV was sporadic at best in the Quad Cities when I was young, what I remember most about her shows was she really enjoyed drinking wine. Sometimes she was downright tipsy by the end of the show. What she did for me was show me that food could be fun, and that the fun was enhanced by wine. Life actually could be enjoyable, was what I learned from her shows. Julia and Father Knows Best made me realize that my abusive childhood home was not how life really was. I survived because of those two shows. doc

Waz sup with sesame seed buns??? Anybody got hemorrhoids? Those sesame seeds are straight from hell. Fresh ground 1/2 chuck, 1/2 sirloin, charred and well done. Can't stand red meat hamburgers. For the true taste of a hamburger to come out, it must be well done, or at least medium well done. Thin sliced Ma Brown dill pickles (can't get them anymore). Homemade catsup. OK, here goes: Happy Hollow Hamburgers: Coarse ground mustard and big thick slice of Bermuda onion on the bottom bun. Well done hamburger patty in the middle. Sweet relish, Ma Brown thin sliced dill pickles, and catsup on top. Bun is buttered on both parts, griddled. Hamburger is seared at relatively high heat on one side, then flipped and the griddle is turned down low, while the hamburger cooks gently until done. You salt the side of the hamburger that was griddled after you flipped it, and pepper it too. When the other side is finally done, you s&p it too. Happy Hollow Bar on the corner of Washington Ave and 14th street in Davenport Iowa. However, Red the bartender is retired, and with him went the most wonderful hamburger ever made on this earth. It only lives in memory now. doc

My wife has two different stain removers. I don't remember the one, but the other one is SHOUT. doc

I start out the same removing the obviously papery/loose skin, spread some olive oil on thick aluminum foil, rub the whole bulbs in the OO, leave root side down, sprinkle with a bit of S&P, fold the foil over tightly, lay it on a cookie sheet at about 350 for up to an hour depending on size of bulbs, let cool, use a serrated tomato knife to saw off the tops, squeeze into a bowl, add a bit more olive oil, S&P, lemon juice, whip into a nice spreadable paste, transfer to a glass bowl, squeeze a bit more lemon juice on the top surface, cover, and it lasts quite a long time in the fridge. Love to use it on sourdough slices alone, or additionally add some goat cheese and maybe some raisin-apple chutney and make a real appetizer out of it. doc

Egad. Where have you been eating? ← Mostly in the Twin Cities, MN. In the '80's, I was a published food critic for ~ 4 years. I've seen all of the above. In fact, I still see the same things if I eat out whether it is in the Quad Cities, Twin Cities, or almost anywhere. I've eaten in 4 star restaurants and had lousy meals. That is why I don't eat out anymore, or hardly ever. Pay $100+ for a meal for two and wish I'd bought something at the grocery store instead and cooked it myself! And also why I grind my own hamburger, make my own Tabouli and other Middle Eastern favorites, make my own demi-glace, make my own stocks, even make my own ketchup, can everything I can, grow my own food when possible, buy mass quantities from the Farmer's market when in season, and many times wish somebody with a good restaurant would hire me so I can instill the same sense of perfection in food preparation and presentation that I instill in my own home and for my family and friends! :) doc

I agree with many of the previous posts but here are my particular un-favorites: Shrimp cocktail that: 1. Smells fishy 2. is limp and Rubbery 3. isn't cold Mushy stuffed grape leaves Cold Shawirma Undercooked Shawirma Hummous without Tahini Any rubbery, hard, yucky things in hamburger Any plated food where some of it is fresh and tasty, and some of it is definitely a day or two old: Don't like mixing old with fresh anything! Skim milk Any steak not cooked to order iceberg lettuce salads Bottled salad dressings Water without ice cubes Anything dried onto my unused eating utensils doc

No Doc - it was awesome. It really was and I will be back buggin you for more stuff.. ← You are too kind! :) I have a variation of that recipe which I call 7-up Tabouli. Try substituting half fresh lime juice for half of the lemon juice! doc

Monica, My Tabouli recipe I sent you pales in comparison to that food you pictured! doc

Good luck on that.... I read recently that Amsterdam is going to or already has passed legislation not allowing anyone but Hollanders to purchase in those "coffee shops" anymore because too many people (mostly Europeans) keep coming to Amsterdam for those same reasons you were looking forward to. doc

Next time you're here, try the Holyland Bakery and Lebanese Restaurant on Central Ave. They have expanded the eating area and added a very well stocked grocery store. Their buffet is hard to beat! doc

Grilled Crostini with Roasted Garlic, Montrachet Goat Cheese and Apple-Raisin Chutney Straighforward, here is the Apple-Raisin Chutney Recipe 1 C Brown sugar 3/4 C rice vinegar 2 minced garlic cloves 1 1/2 tsp minced fresh ginger 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper 1 cinnamon stick 1 1/2 lbs Granny Smith apples peeled, cored cut into small pieces 1 C golden raisins 1 C diced seeded plum tomatoes 1 TBSP chopped fresh spearmint Stir sugar and vinegar in heavy saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Add next 4 ingredients, simmer until syrupy and reduced about 1/2. Mix in apples and raisins, increase to high heat, boil until apples are tender stirring frequently (about 10 minutes). Cool, refrigerate up to 3 days ahead. Add tomatoes and mint just before serving. doc

I've got a commercial 350 watt KA mixer which is about 12 years old now. The difference between this model and the KA models sold at the time in other stores is the extra 25 watts of power, and the fact, a most important fact, that it has a reset button on it. As explained to me at the time, regular KA mixers have a paper gear in them that acts as the overload protection. Overload the mixer and the paper gear breaks. My model, on the other hand, when overloaded, shuts itself off, and you then can push the reset button to get it going again. It has a metal gear. I've never had a problem with it, and also I like the commercial lip on the mixing bowl, which is not curled under like home models. It cleans easier and in a more sanitary manner. doc

Sometimes the simpler things are better. Today at work we're having our Pot Luck, and I made macaroni and beef. 1 1/2 lbs ground chuck ~1/2 C chopped onion ~2 stalks of celery fine dice 2 Garlic cloves fine dice 2 TBSP Brown Sugar 2 TBSP Worcestershire Sauce 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper ~2 tsp sea salt 1 quart Tomato Sauce 1 can diced tomato 1 C water 2 TBSP tomato paste 2 C dry macaroni Bring to a boil, add macaroni. Cover and Simmer about 20 minutes, stirring occassionally. doc