lmarshal1

Thanks for comments on the steeping tablet. How do you serve/season/use marrowfat peas? lkm

When we have traveled in the UK, Ireland, and New Zealand, we have been served a variety of mushy peas, which I hate to admit, I rather like. In Dublin in November we had some large peas, not mushy really, just served with butter and salt, tasty enough that I went to a nearby grocery store and purchased two boxes of Batchelor's Marrowfat Peas. I'm just getting around to fixing them. A couple questions: What is the purpose of the steeping tablet in the box with the dried peas? To cut down on starch or maybe flatulence? Shortly, I will drain the peas after soaking them all day, rinse again and cook. I'm planning to add fresh-ground pepper, butter, and a bit of minced ham. Any other ideas? Will these be anything like soup beans? Or just mushy peas? Thanks. lkmarshal

I use my slow cooker on low heat, spray the inside with cooking spray, add one cup steel-cut oats to 3 1/2 cups water, add one apple cut up in small bits, and two tablespoons of brown sugar. I start it about 11 PM and it's ready by 6 AM. It's also good with raisins and cut-up dried apricots or dried cranberries or chopped nuts. lkm

I made a tasty salad just yesterday using sweet peppers instead of greens since I had an overabundance of peppers: an apple cut up in bite-sized pieces a large sweet pepper cut up in bite-sized pieces a couple tablespoons of raisins a tablespoon of sunflower seeds poppyseed dressing Very tasty and pretty to look at. lkm

I'm interested in the method for making lo mein. Will leftover spaghetti (thin or regular) work? Angel hair? Cooked just beyond al dente? Saute the spaghetti? Common vegetables to add? Shredded pork or chicken or vegetarian? Thanks. LKM

I love rice when it's cooked correctly. My little cheapo rice cooker (so small it won't do more than 1 1/2 cups of raw rice) does a great job of brown or white rice...as long as I use a little less water than called for. I keep brown rice in the freezer after letting a whole bag go rancid on the shelf. I'm also a fan of sauteing rices before cooking them in liquid...seems to keep the grains separate. I've begun to cook a number of pasta products the same way I cook rice: saute, add a little less than twice the amount of water to rice/pasta. Works wonderfully, especially for orzo. Off topic, I guess, but where can you buy whole-grain orzo? LKMarshall

Thank you all for replies. I especially like the idea of using broth as if I were using brown rice for a risotto-type dish. Perhaps adding chopped onion, bell peppers, celery, ground pepper? Sounds pretty tasty. Thanks again for replies. lkm

I kept hearing about the great taste of steel-cut oats...supposedly better than old-fashioned oats. I bought a box, didn't read the instructions till I got them out to fix for the first time, and discovered the 35-minute cook time. Ooops! Not enough time in the morning around here. So...I found a recipe for slow-cooking them overnight. Quite tasty, nice and creamy, with chopped apples, brown sugar, and nuts. And...ready in the morning. Now, I'd like to know how else to use them--other than for breakfast--and I knew someone here would know! Thanks. LKM

This may be an odd one...and some of you may gag...but I think that canned spinach is highly undervalued. I have loved it since childhood! lkm

Thanks for a lovely little memory. I've printed your recipe and will make it Saturday morning. I have some little clear-glass plates from the 40's that my mother-in-law gave me and a goodly collection of mugs. Alas, my milk-glass snack sets from the 60's are long gone. lkm

mrsadm: Thanks for the site on freezing foods. We have quite a lot of asparagus this year and I looked that up you the site you mentioned. SuziSushi: I think you're right about the rice. I haven't found anything about freezing it. I do kind of figure it will dry out and get brittle frozen. lkm

BarbaraY: I got a kick out of your story. Thanks. I especially like a cold vegetable salad in hot weather. Onrushpam: I like the idea of using fresh peas. I'll try that. CKatCook: I've always been an olive hater until the last few years, and your addition of chopped black olives to the corn sounds tasty. lkm

Thanks for ideas for corn relish. I asked about it nearly a year ago and then lost it in the shuffle! I'm going in to the kitchen and make some right now! lkm

Thanks for the variety of tips and links for making better doughs. I appreciate your taking the time, all of you, to aim me in the right direction. Jay Frances, I enjoyed your market and restaurant trip movies and the sound of the Spanish coming so comfortably off your tongue. Thanks for the YouTube movies and the tips on breadmaking! Lora: Thanks for your words ("I became a better and happier bread baker when I stopped obsessing over the details and just baked away.") Makes me want to head to the kitchen for a baking session! lkm

Thanks for comments. I've had good luck with freezing nuts too. I'm always careful to make sure I package my freezables well. I'm wondering if freezing rice would dry it out and make it brittle?? lkm

My daughter gave me a bread machine for Christmas several years ago. I used it several times with general success but didn't like the big blob of bread that resulted. I put the machine away to gather dust and only recently started using it again, but just to make dough for items to bake in the oven instead of in the machine. Now I'm gung ho to go beyond cinnamon rolls, focaccia, and pizza dough (all of which turn out very well). Can you aim me in the direction of good recipes for breads especially? Are there any tips that make for better products? What about using gluten to allow me to use a higher percentage of whole wheat flour? Is there a flour that will make more "relaxed" dough for pizza and focaccia? Thanks. lkm

I have considerable freezer space and am cheap at heart. I've thought of buying large bags of rice and flour (sold at prices quite a lot lower per pound than the smaller bags), repackaging them in large plastic bags placed in new plastic buckets with lids, and scooping out what I need. What keeps well and for how long? Is the savings worth it? Does the quality suffer, etc? Thanks. lkm

I love the corn relish sometimes served with a chicken breast or a chop at restaurants. I'm experimenting with my own recipe for it: a can of whole-kernal corn (drained), a can of black (or small red) beans (drained, rinsed), a couple teaspoons of pimiento, a quarter cup of chopped onion, a half cup of chopped sweet green or red or yellow peppers, ground black pepper, some parsley and basil, and a vinegar/sugar/oil dressing (just a quarter cup total) or even bottled Italian. Does anyone have a recipe? I love this sort of thing...any marinated bean and/or corn salad/relish. Thanks. LKM

Steve: Thank you for a lovely trip through the museum exhibit. Wow! I'm really impressed. lkm

I either drink it or put in in the "for soup" container in the freezer. If you have enough, you can use it for the liquid for rice. lkm

Portia: I'm eager to hear how your evening turns out! I love pickled beets. How do you make beet relish? I keep good-sized jars of pickled beets in my refrigerator all the time. So easy to prepare and Yum! But I've never made beet relish or seen a recipe for it. Hoping that your evening is fine! lkm

I tried some canned hummus...ugh...awful...with a fake lemon taste overpowering the rest. Time to make some of my own. I liked the consistency of the canned stuff and the chickpea taste, but the lemon...yuk. My daughter-in-law suggested trying hummus in the refrigerated section of the grocery before making my own. lkm

I can't tell much difference in it after it has been frozen either. lkm

I'd say, invite her, fix what you wish, and let her go hungry, if that's what she wishes. I truly can't bear people like this. When we accommodate their childishness, we allow them to control us in an unhealthy way. lkm

bleachboy: Sounds "real" to me! That's one thing I like about such recipes: The possibilities for invention! Sounds very tasty! lkm