Carrot Top

Use like fresh mint...wash it, of course...and just pour boiling water over it, steep to desired strength, and strain. As with any herb that is fresh rather than dry, use 'approximately' three times the amount that you would use (dry tea leaves) per cup. I am not fussy about this sort of thing...I just grab a bunch of the stuff and drop it into the boiling water in the pot then when it's ready, pour through whatever strainer or colander is easiest to reach! Honey, sugar, Splenda, if you like, or 'straight up'. In herbal lore, methi/fenugreek is supposed to be good for uh, (slightly gross, sorry) clearing out any excess 'mucous' in the body's systems...stuffed up noses, post-nasal drip, sinus congestion, etc. I love the aroma of the stuff. Enjoy!

I wonder if the responses to this question for the most part will be determined by the age group of the respondants.... The tone and atmosphere of a restaurant setting are very much affected and determined by the criteria and style that management (hopefully) has clearly set forth for the service staff, and of course the final goal is to make the core group of customers happy and ready to come back soon. Most of my professional life was spent in an atmosphere that catered to very wealthy businesspeople intent on fine wine-ing and dining and doing billion dollar deals over the shared table. Tattoos and piercings and any other sort of 'look' that drew attention to the server were, well, taboo. For the attention was supposed to be on the food and quality of service, and on the guests's needs, and not ever to be focused specifically on the person that was providing the service. In many 'upscale' restaurants today, of course, there is more focus on the fun of the moment, and servers are participants and performers in hopefully providing this sense of fun. I still prefer to have excellent service provided by someone who is more intent on showing off the food and the hospitality rather than how fascinating they, personally, are...but as I say, it could be an age thing, for I'm 47, which is old enough to be of the age group when tattoos and piercings were considered sort of tacky socially, which they certainly are not now! This is an interesting subject...can't wait to see what the general consensus is!

Roast goat is also one of those things that takes well to an initial herb and spice rub and/or marinade, of any sort...a Spanish adobo, an Indian yogurt, or a Mediterranean olive oil/wine type. I think the toughness often depends on how large the goat has grown (how old it is) and where it has grazed and upon what. If the pieces are somewhere around three pounds each?, a 350 degree oven for two and a half to three hours (covered so it will not dry out) should do it, with either an initial browning to start or if needed a quick finish under the broiler. Or, as andiesenji said, even longer at a lower heat. It should not be rare or tough. Better to start early and allow plenty of time! It is truly a delicious meat.

It also makes a nice tea, which is very healthy...with a wonderful aroma.

Same here. Whenever we cook or order pizza, our anchovies are on the side. I'm sure there's been an anchovy thread on eG... I'm gonna search! Vermicelli Pescatora is a great and quick recipe if you like anchovies. Olive oil, minced garlic, crushed red pepper....saute. Tomatoes, nice and ripe, seeded and chopped or Italian whole in the can drained and broken up. A good amount of anchovies. Measuring by the little tins they are usually sold in, use an entire tin with the oil, for a 28 oz. size can of tomatoes or equivalent fresh. Add to pan, cook about five minutes till anchovies dissolve. Generous amount of minced flat-leaf parsley. Add, simmer five minutes. Toss with hot vermicelli and serve up! Yum. The anchovy flavor is 'there' but marvellously blended....

Fools and flummeries. No, I didn't mean anyone here, I meant for the blackberries.

Almost forgot one. Thin slices of black forest ham grilled slightly with slivers of onions in clarified butter. Put on toasted thick waffles, top with cream gravy made with pan drippings. Sunny side up egg on top of that and a tiny drizzle of maple syrup if you're in that sort of mood. Heaven.

Favorite sandwiches: The Cuban Sandwich handed out the window of the hole-in-the-wall tiny little restaurant on 14th Street and Sixth Avenue. Almost any sandwich from The Second Avenue Deli (but maybe most of all a corned beef, turkey and tongue with coleslaw and 'russian' dressing on that soft steamed rye bread...)(Don't forget the bowl of pickles...) A shish-kebob sandwich from the Greek place on Montague Street. A meatball hero topped with hot peppers and melted good mozzarella cheese with enough sauce to drip and ruin my shirt... A barbecue sandwich (pork with the vinegary sauce) from another dumpy little place with a ridiculous name in Lumberton, North Carolina. At home: A freshly made steak sandwich on a nice baguette with a sesame-soy mayonaisse and chopped scallions... A 'Thanksgiving' sandwich of thin sliced turkey breast (not from the deli, please), leftover sausage-apple stuffing, gravy, and cranberry sauce on a baguette. (Yeah, another really messy sandwich!) An 'Italian Tuna' sandwich...albacore tuna mixed with mayo, lemon juice, minced flat-leaf parsley, chopped garlic, salt and pepper, spread onto a roll or baguette, topped witha thin slice of tomato and a fatter slice of provolone, wrapped in aluminum foil and heated in 375 oven for 25 minutes or so till hot, melted, crusty (what great words, huh?!). Sigh. What can compare with great sandwiches? The ultimate comfort food. And the ultimate chow-down food!

And one more...drinking endless cups of coffee all day will keep you thin. I am going off now to try both of these. I'm not sure the coffee one is working....

Gosh, it is exhausting reading all the stuff about what I should and shouldn't eat. Here's my myth. Try it and see if it works. Taking a nice long bubblebath with a good glass of wine and a book nearby (NOT a book about food!) will make you forget about all these worries. At least till the next time you look in the fridge...

The only man for whom I have ever baked a pie is my Dad. It was a black bottom pie and took all damn day to bake. Don't know why this means something, but it does. Also, I would never feed my family out of a box. Must be something about pies. I remember baking a really nice apple one for the man I was married to. Started walking towards him with it and the thing literally flew up out of my hands all by itself and landed upside down on the floor. Should have realized the import of that and divorced him right then rather than too many years later!

Finally..... An answer that makes me feel good. (Nice sig, too.) Food and the act of preparing a meal for others can be many different things to different people. It can be an intellectual exercise, it can be an exposition of culture or of manners, it can be a scientific test, or, at its best as you say, it can be be emotional succor and the giving or showing of love or pride. Chacun sa gout! I have never been able to think of another subject besides food that is so widely extendable into different potential areas....

A 'ladies luncheon' with Queen Victoria. Serve a lot of wine, get her drunk, and see what would happen. Maybe invite Jane Austin and Emily Bronte too. Lots of just really scrumptious food. I can hear the corset hooks pinging and breaking....and the ladylike demeanor turning into silliness and guffaws. I would hope, anyway. Interesting to try and guess if food and wine could break down the sturdy decorum of Victorianism.... Wonder what they used to cure hangovers.

This is a tougher question that one would initially think! I would not choose a professional chef or famous gourmand, probably, for that would be very stressful. (I'd rather have them cook for me!) The first criteria that I would use to choose would be that it be someone from before the year 1550, to see how they would react to the lightness and freshness of the food available. Obviously it would have to be someone of the 'upper-class' or otherwise there would be no comparisons of foods to be had... Wow. What to make them? First thought was a three to five course meal, quite detailed, but now I rather think a Burger! Grilled, with all the 'toppings' available. With french fries, an average sort of salad with all sorts of dressings available, and three beverages for them to try. Beer, soda(s), and bottled water. Ice Cream, all sorts, and sorbets, and toppings, and cookies for dessert. Oreo cookies and chocolate chip. Would love to see how someone from the sixteenth century would react to this generalized 'All-American Meal'! How about you, who would you choose?

I don't have answers to this, but do have a suggestion (though possibly you have already tried it...) There are a number of websites that sell professional gelato machines (and lots of 'mixes' that go with them, too...). Some of these have 'help' sites or at least a contact e-mail. Surely they would have these answers... Good luck! Gelato, mmmm, yummy!

"Eggs of an hour, bread of a day, wine of a year, a friend of thirty years." Italian Proverb "Omelettes are not made without breaking eggs." Robespierre "The rule is jam tomorrow and jam yesterday, but never jam today." Lewis Carroll "Cauliflower is nothing but cabbage with a college education." Mark Twain and... "How long does getting thin take? Pooh asked anxiously. A. S. Milne

Blacksburg (about half an hour or forty-five minute drive from Roanoke depending on which end of it you start from) has some decent restaurants. Nerv, which is a somewhat upscale restaurant (has a website) is excellent, and does have 'nightlife' too.... There is a good Thai restaurant (small and usually busy) in the University Mall. In Roanoke, I am hoping to go to the little Cuban place soon. Please, let him be making Cuban coffee.... I have heard that the big Indian restaurant is very good also, in Roanoke. The one in Blacksburg, owned by the same people, is spotty...depends on who is cooking. Also heard of a Korean place that recently opened in Pembroke (of all places! If you want to take a country drive) where the woman does Korean home cooking along with the usual sausage and biscuits...

In some olive oil, saute chopped onions, chopped celery, chopped green peppers till softened. Add fresh or canned diced tomatoes and a generous amount of chopped Italian parsley and a bay leaf, simmer five minutes or so. Other herbs such as thyme, basil, oregano, can be added to taste... Meanwhile, trim and blanch green beans to the desired 'doneness'. Drain and cool under running cold water... Add green beans to the tomato-vegatable mixture, re-heat and salt and pepper to taste. This is almost a meal in itself...is good served with buttered orzo (mixed with parmesan and cream if you are so inspired) or a garlicky bruschetta....

There are quite a few recipes on the Food TV Network site if you search 'saltines', including a salad! based on them....

Yup, a memorable recipe for more reasons than one! Here's another...I used to have an old copy of The Settlement Cookbook, printed in 1947. It had many basic and useful recipes that you could not find anywhere else. I THINK there was a recipe for an adaptation of Milk Toast (something I have never indulged in) made with saltines crumbled into a bowl and topped with butter and hot milk. Under the 'Invalid Foods' section. Interesting subject, saltines. Who would have thought...can't wait to see what else comes up here.

There is a recipe similar to this but that is a cookie...with crumbled saltines, melted chocolate, brown sugar, raisins and goodness knows what else, similar to 'Preacher's Balls'. I've seen it several times in community cookbooks in the Southeast, but don't have a copy unfortunately...

Well, this is neither cool nor particularly creative, but Saltines have always been one of the few things that almost any child I've met is willing to eat. (And that is saying a mouthful nowadays, as many children seemingly have not been taught to politely 'try just one bite' even if they happen to be dining at a friend's house...they will only eat pizza or chicken nuggets or bologna sandwiches or of course potato chips!) Back to the subject! Saltines spread with peanut butter, with jelly, with slices of cheddar cheese, with marshmallow fluff! accompanied by apple wedges and carrot sticks have never been turned down yet by any of the many little visitors to our home. Sort of like a mini kids smorgasbord. Good things to have around, Saltines. And of course, I have to crunch them up in a bowl of Campbells Tomato Soup made with milk when I don't 'feel good', just like Mom did...

Absolutely.That same problem exists with any restaurant that serves breakfast, also. It is not quite as important, though, in a Patisserie, or Pastry Shop, or Bakery, that is focused on making cakes, pies, tortes, etc etc...rather than bread...as the bread of course needs rising time. Many pastry 'basics' can be made from scratch and held refrigerated overnight with little if any change in taste...and the ones that can not, do not need rising time with the exception of yeast-raised breakfast pastries. So the employees COULD (if of course there were ever a place where the rent was right, the customer demand was there, and all other stuff okay too...hah!) for this sort of bakery arrive to work perhaps 5:30 or 6:00' ish. Which is still not a great schedule, but what job is, nowadays?! All I know is I really want to eat a good linzertorte, a nice fresh fruit tart, an interesting cheesecake...that is not scooped out of a plastic bin to bake...I am hungry for these things and wish I didn't have to make them myself when I wanted them! (Or that I had to live in a big city to find the sort of places that do make them...) They do say that demand for desserts in fine restaurants has not gone down. People will still 'save room for dessert'! That reminds me of another story. I went out to eat at a local fairly upscale restaurant, a Cajun one. Had dinner, ready for the dessert menu, which had three offerings. I chose the 'chocolate volcano' or something like that. A warmed chocolate cake filled with a hot chocolate filling. Topped with whipped cream. Sounded good, though certainly not challenging or complicated. Well. It certainly was not challenging or complicated. I found the exact same dessert in the deli section at WAL-MART the next time I shopped there! So I had paid a good amount to have a dessert from Wal-Mart warmed up and plopped down in front of me! Aaaaargh. Note: It was not bad, at all, the taste....but PLEASE...

Ha, ha! A 'show me your scar' thread! First scar that has 'lasted': Sticking the tip of a clam knife right into the base of my thumb while opening clams. Seems like I still have a little piece of clamshell in there to remind me not to hurry at THAT job again! Second scar(s) are two that remain on my upper arm. Got them while trying to take out a sheetpan of filo-dough strudels from the uppershelf of a large convection oven in a restaurant kitchen. (I am 5'2" but no self-respecting female in a kitchen in those times would dare ask for help from one of the big guys that are always in a kitchen for fear of never ever ever hearing the end of it...) Stupid move. The sheetpan tilted and burning butter poured down my arm. Mpfh. Burned the freckles right off and they've never come back!

Lucy...I am in complete and utter agreement with you about the writing of the recipes and the so many odds and ends of things that could and should be added to make a cookbook a full and living thing! I guess if the recipes are the spirit of the cookbook, these other things, the stories, the unusual or different touches, the 'secrets' so to speak...they would be the soul of a cookbook. Of course it doesn't take a professional chef to write well of these either! The stories and knowledge are as satisfying, when found, as a good meal itself! Karen