Special K

I said: Maybe I'd better start putting a saltshaker on the table when I have guests - were they just too nice to tell me all this time? " And LPShanet replied: "And yes, you may want to take that into account with your guests in the future:) I've been caught in that trap and really didn't love eating at friends' houses who were on low sodium kicks for whatever reasons (medical or superstitious or other)." Oh, dear! They probably were rolling their eyes behind my back when I mentioned that I was worried that everything tasted "a little too salty!" (I cooked the meal, but I had help - now I'm thinking that things got salted when I wasn's looking!) When I had to cut back on salt (hypertension) I tossed all the saltshakers. Guess I'd better go buy a new one! LPShanet, thanks! K

Everything at Thanksgiving tasted too salty to me, but everyone else at the table swore it was fine. I've been on a low-sodium diet for about 15 years, so I think it must be that a "normal" amount of salt just tastes wrong to me, since I'm so used to undersalting. Maybe I'd better start putting a saltshaker on the table when I have guests - were they just too nice to tell me all this time?

I found Bacon Salt at the QFC on 85th yesterday. Got a bunch of 'em for stocking stuffers.

[ Finally found it (At Fred Meyer in Ballard).quote] [i spent an hour there and another 1/2 hr at the greenwood store; NO ONE has a clue what it is or where to look.] I found it at the newer Fred's on 45th Street in Ballard. The H-V and the bags were with the regular sandwich bags, foil wrap, etc. I went back a few days later and bought a couple more. I don't think Fred's is so bad. The only problem I have there is getting out, but lately I think there have been more open check-out lanes. But where else can you buy a turducken, a pair of jeans, a lamp, and a Christmas tree in one stop? Anyway, I've been very happy with the product.

Regarding the little Le Creuset stoneware cocottes for the bread: Umm, now you've got me wondering. I'm at work now - the notes I took on the recipe are at home. I'll check tonight. That doesn't sound right, does it? Probably I halved both times from the original recipe. ← Sorry this is so late - no computer access at home over the holidays. Yes, It was 20 minutes covered, and 30 minutes uncovered. And the cocottes are a cup and a half in volume.

Umm, now you've got me wondering. I'm at work now - the notes I took on the recipe are at home. I'll check tonight. That doesn't sound right, does it? Probably I halved both times from the original recipe.

I posted elsewhere (the Le Creuset thread) that I bought four little 8 oz covered cocottes (stoneware, not cast iron) halved the recipe, filled each cocotte with a quarter of the dough, and baked (30 min at 500 degrees covered, then 40 minutes uncovered). Perfect little miniature rosemary asiago loaves! Cute as the dickens. Not sticky in the center, as some of my larger loaves have been, so I'd say the smaller the loaf the better.

There's a funny chapter at the end of Pat Conroy's cookbook concerning a certain cash-only restaurant in New Orleans.

I bought four of the little 8 ounce covered cocottes the other day (so cute!) and tried out the no-knead bread recipe in them (rosemary parmesan). Perfect! 30 minutes covered at 450 degrees, 40 minutes uncovered. Cutest little loaves of bread you ever saw! These will be real hit for Thanksgiving.

An article in this morning's Seattle Times food section says it's sold at QFC here. It wasn't at my 24th Ave NW QFC, but that's closing soon (to make room for yet another huge condo building) and I guess they're not getting any new products there. So tomorrow I'll try the one on 85th. Mmmmmbacon!

I made a loaf the other day with about a quarter-cup of asiago cheese shaved right into the dough at the beginning. I never even bother to turn the dough - I just scrape the whole thing into my hot Romertopf after 18 hours of sitting there, top with a little salt or sesame seeds, and it does just fine. Next loaf will have rosemary added in as well. I've given this recipe to several friends who never in a million years would've seen themselves baking anything, much less a really good loaf of bread. They've reported fantastic sucess. Now, on to that skillet pizza!

Woo hoo! Finally found it (At Fred Meyer in Ballard). I think it was around $8 - I got one for Mom, too. There is a little tab to pull to make the batteries operable. I'm looking forward to playing with this new toy this weekend.

I found the Handi-Vac system on Amazon, but for some reason it's $23.75 for the same thing that supposedly sells for about $10 at Wal-Mart. My Wal-Mart is a long bus ride away, and I can't find this on their website, but to save $13+ bucks, I guess I'll go a-hunting. WHY isn't Reynolds advertising this thing and selling it at more stores?

Slow cookers abound at thrift shops. They come in really handy for keeping things hot and the oven available. They're also great for parties - soups, hot drinks, etc. Man, that menu looks good!

So it's not just me! I like the control I have over what happens here, after a day in which I seem to have very little control over things. For the same reason, I also like the clean-up - I love to walk into a nice, clean kitchen, chop, slice and dice and make a real mess, play with fire, eat a scrumptious meal, and then wash up and put everything away and walk away from a nice, clean kitchen. I usually plan something new and really complicated on days I know are going to be stressful. I've also done the "cooking in my head" thing - during a seemingly never-ending MRI. It really did help. And then I went home and did it again, for real. Better than Halcion!

The Pat Conroy Cookbook: Recipes of My Life. Wonderful reminiscenes, good recipes! The man truly loves food and cooking. Oh, how I wish I'd been able to give this one to my father.

Well, yeah, divalasvegas and Mayur, but the thing is, if you really just don't like vermouth, asking for "a Tanqueray gin martini, straight up and bone dry, no fruit, please" just sounds better than "gimme some gin!"

I have a collection of the smaller glasses. We don't really want or need a huge martini. As for ordering them when we go out - never. They're always too big and have too much vermouth, or they try to give us VODKA instead of gin!!!

Ooooooh! I'm doing the jealous stomp!

I was a bit disconcerted to see the Costco truck making a delivery at Top Banana yesterday, so I guess I might as well buy my fruits and vegs at Costco. Of course, Top Banana is right across the street from work, their prices are good, and I can buy fresh daily, so I guess I won't change my ways. When we do make the trek down to Costco, though, we buy Australian wines by the case, and small bottles of Perrier. I like the big packages of boneless, skinless chicken thighs - all the meats, really. I do like their olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and I load up on various cheeses. For a while they had an awesome artichoke dip, but it's gone now, along with a cheddar chipotle one I loved. And I used to be able to buy pre-cooked half-ducks, which were very good - so much wow for so little effort. Alas, gone now. My downfall are the books and DVDs! Edited to add: Oh, yes, and thick cut bacon! Just don't let it slip under the car seat and stay there for a week until you need to use that car again! Whoof!

I was about ten or eleven, babysitting my little sister, who was about five. We made flour and water "glue" for some project, and we had quite a lot left over. I "forgot" the rule about not going anywhere near the stove or oven while the folks were out, added some sugar and a bit of vanilla extract to the glue, and baked it. And it was good! (Must have been self-rising flour). It was so cool. Of course, we never told Mom, who woulda hadda cow. We probably left a huge mess in the kitchen, but I guess the glue-making explanation covered that.

The ones with the plastic lids? I love those! I use the middle mixing bowl to make the no-knead bread. I just mix everything together, slap on the lid, let it sit overnight, and then scrape it right into my pre-heated Romertopf. No muss, no fuss. But I digress . . . Yes, the little bowls are nice for prep bowls, but their lids aren't air-tight enough to use them for any long-term storage, darn it. I also have the little pinch bowls, which are great in a . . . pinch.

I shop at the restaurant supply stores nearby here in Seattle, and at Cash 'n Carry, and the deals are usually pretty good and/or I find unique items; but to tell you the truth, many of my favorite stuff has come from good old Value Village! This makes it very hard for me to go into Macy's or boutique kitchen stores and spend real money. I guess I'm just a hunter/gatherer by nature. And Mambwe, I think restaurant pots and pans look cool, too, and I am not a guy.

"Stroll outside, find a bench, and tear off a hunk of bread. Slather it with the soft Red Hawk cheese. Tear the top half of the paper cup off and pour in a little olive oil. Bread/cheese, bread/oil until the bread is gone. Sip tea. Watch boats. Nibble chocolate. Life is good. Seriously, go see the building, if nothing else. It's a true foodie's mecca, and is done on an awesome scale. The food-inspired mosaics that adorn each pillar are lovely—olives, grapes, cows, crabs, etc." This is exactly what we did a couple of months ago. It doesn't get any better.

I grew up with the weekly shopping trip, too. Even though Mom didn't have a job outside the home, we still went grocery shopping on Saturday mornings, with the crowds. I never figured out why she didn't just go during the week, but I'm glad she didn't, because I enjoy(ed) it. Now, it's the reverse. I volunteer full-time at the local high school (my husband's chemistry class). [Go Beavers!] During his prep period/lunch break, I walk, so I'm able to shop daily, and just pick up whatever looks good to me that day, and on Friday I pick up stuff for the weekend as well. There are several major grocery stores, each a convenient twenty blocks away. Perfect: a good reason to get a walk in, just enough time to get there, buy something for dinner, and get back before the next class. And if I choose to head north, I have my choice of Safeway or QFC, AND Value Village is right there! There's also Top Banana, for fresh fruits and vegs, right across the street, and of course the Farmers' Markets in the area.