saskanuck

Pastry and cut out cookies are a challenge for me too because of the warm hands factor. My hands are downright hot most of the time, even in the dead of winter. I had one hell of a time trying to make chocolate truffles at Christmas because my hands would melt the chocolate when I tried to roll them in cocoa. Finally I let the mixture set in a pan, cut them into squares, and had square truffles.

I never seed or peel tomatoes. I always put my wooden/bamboo spoons and spatulas in the dishwasher. I never put salt in my pasta water (only because hubby has to watch his sodium intake).

Mmm, borscht. No one in my household likes it except me, so I don't make it often. This is my mom's recipe, tried and true. It's a meatless, potato-less version. 6-8 largish beets, peeled and diced as many of the beet greens and stems as you like - about 3 cups worth good handful of chopped dill 1/2 cup diced carrots 1/2 cup green peas 1/2 cup corn 1/4 cup diced onion 1 cup green beans, cut in 1 inch pieces. 1 clove chopped garlic salt and pepper You can vary the amount/type of vegetables in this; it's a very flexible, forgiving soup. Put the above mixture in a dutch oven and cover with water. Bring to boil and cook for 30-45 minutes, or until beets and carrots are tender. If you wish to add sour cream to the soup, let it cool to prevent curdling. A dash of vinegar is also good in this. This soup is good hot, cold or room temperature. we always made it on what seemed to be the hottest day of the year, and boy howdy, it would make you break a sweat. Another thing my mom used to do is to add a small handful of rice to the soup if she wanted it to be a bit thicker or if she didn't have enough fresh vegetables. Now I want borscht, that beautiful creamy fuchsia-colored nectar. It's good for your health too, although if you eat too much, you may get a surprise after visiting the bathroom later on.

I never buy any of the ready to cook mixes like the frozen crockpot dinners or Hamburger Helper, but I do keep Kraft Dinner on hand for my 7 year old. I'll even eat some of it with extra real cheese grated on top if I'm feeling lazy. I buy bagged salad mixes when I don't have fresh greens from my garden or the farmers' market, and also buy pre-grated cheddar/jack cheese so my 11 year old can make his own quesadillas and grilled sandwiches. Oh, and I always keep some good jarred pasta sauce on hand for a quick meal when we're rushed. That's about all we buy for pre-packaged stuff. I do buy frozen vegetables in the winter when our supply of fresh produce is sub-par/wildly expensive.

What about making a container of marinated vegetables that will keep for a couple of days? I do one that has celery, carrots, cauliflower, jicama, kohlrabi (any harder veg really). I add cherry/grape tomatoes if it'll be eaten within a couple of days. The vinaigrette is olive oil and any kind of vinegar, some smashed fresh garlic, a sliced onion, salt and pepper to taste. I sometimes throw some dried herbs in there, but not fresh ones because they get slimy and discolored after a day or so. This keeps well for a few days in the fridge and can be pulled out for quick snacks or as part of an appetizer tray. What about the corn/black bean/tex-mex type of salad/salsa? These keep well and can be used as a snack with tortilla chips or as a side dish. Mine has a can of kernel corn, can of black beans (both drained), chopped green or red pepper, chopped jalapeno if you like, chopped tomato. Cilantro is optional. Dressing is olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, cumin and S&P. Canned goods are easy to store in an RV and come in handy sometimes.

Looks like fun, Marlene, and brings back good memories of camping in our 27 ft. 5th wheel. It wasn't quite as fancy as your rig, though. We made lots of good food in that RV, and isn't it amazing how much food you can pack away in the fridge and cupboards? I never did like the gas oven in there because of the same problem you're having, and we didn't use it much. Now we have a cottage/summer home and it's fabulous, but one doesn't get to travel around like you do with an RV. It is nice to be able to leave a lot of food and goodies out there though. We have a "beer" fridge that is dedicated to wine, beer, soft drinks, pitchers of iced tea and the like which is in our porch for ready access. Have fun RVing!

I use my back burners all the time because I have two kids who like to be in the kitchen a lot. I have one large high-heat burner and a smaller regular one - it's a standard electric stove. I rarely, if ever, use the front burners. My 11 year old son uses them to make scrambled eggs, quesadillas and such because I don't like him reaching over the burners in case one gets turned on by accident.

2 more for me from Costco - one for appetizers and one for salads by no one I've ever heard of before. But it looks like there will be some great summer stuff in both of them. I now have a space on my bookshelf out at the cottage for cookbooks and other food-related books. Harold McGee's book is some interesting reading when the weather is lousy out there.

Your blog is great, and the food pictures are making me so very hungry right now. Cute kids, too! Mine also like to help in the kitchen, and my 11 year old son is getting to be a pretty decent prep chef. Looking forward to more.

What perfect timing. I need to bring a large quantity of coleslaw to our beach community's anniversary celebration, and I want to make something different from the usual slaw recipe. I think I'll try the SuperSlaw mentioned above, because the asian flavour will be different and I hate sweet coleslaw.

Beautiful work! I am constantly amazed at the artistry of the pastry chefs who post here. I only wish I could see the work in person.

How frightening, FFR. I hope your wife has a speedy recovery. May you both stay strong through this. God bless. You will be in my thoughts and prayers.

Around here, beer and tomato juice is called a "red eye". If you use Clamato juice, it's a "fishy red eye". I had a beer and clamato on the weekend, and damn it was good.

This is hard! Cheese Pasta Garden tomatoes

I remember watching the Galloping Gourmet with my mom when I was a little kid. I don't remember much about what he cooked, but I do remember loving the show, as did my mom. Haven't thought about that for many years.

I make a really good mediterranean-style pasta salad that is very tangy. None of that mayo-based dressing for me. I dislike most traditional types of pasta salads. And as noted above, cooking the pasta a little firmer than al dente works best. Also make sure to rinse your pasta in cold water until it's just barely warm. I cook some rotini (works best in this salad), add in some crumbled feta cheese, diced tomatoes, black olives, celery, sweet peppers, broccoli and whatever other vegetables rock your boat. Cucumber tends to make things watery, so I generally leave it out or put it on top of individual plates when serving. Dressing is s&p to taste, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar if you have it, some fresh garlic, a sprinkle of dried oregano and basil, and enough extra-virgin olive oil to make the dressing creamy when you whisk it. This salad is best eaten right away at room temperature, as it's not nearly as good if it's refrigerated for later. It is definitely not bland or boring, and is very colorful.

Any fresh vegetables straight from the garden, but my favourites are fresh tomatoes and asparagus. Also any fresh fruit, especially strawberries eaten warm right of the plant. Good cheese is the staff of life itself. A good bar of dark chocolate with just the right snap and texture is divine. All of the above with a good glass of wine would be the perfect meal. I'd probably throw in a few olives to round it out. Now I'm very hungry.

There are lots of "normal" foods that I don't like, namely white milk, eggs on their own or in quiches, etc., liver, raw onions and hamburgers. I can handle ground beef in chili if it's well cooked and broken up so there aren't any lumps, but that's it. I'm ok with eggs in baked goods, and onions are fine, even great, if they're well cooked. But bring on the coffee, olives and raw tomatoes!!

Here's one from my distant past: make sure the lid is on the food processor properly before you start shredding carrots. I picked carrot shreds off the kitchen cupboards and walls for days. I'd be willing to bet there are some still there in that apartment. And one from my cousin: do not try to take pizza out of the oven without hand protection. You will drop the pizza pan in pain and shock, and the whole mess will slide off the pan and onto the bottom of the oven, making your mother very angry. This happened when we were teenagers and at her place alone. We decided to make one of those packaged Chef Boyardee pizzas - what a mess that was to clean up. Yech. Another good thing to remember: if you store pasta salad in an old sour cream container, check your containers before you pack your child's lunch. He will not be pleased to open his lunch and be confronted with a container of sour cream instead of his salad. Poor guy. We still laugh like loons every time I think of this. My mother once put an unwashed pot that had held cabbage rolls back in the cupboard, thinking it had been washed and dried. When we started smelling something, we finally discovered the pot. Gawd almighty, that was horrible.

Oh, Lord, that corn looks delicious. I must try that when fresh corn is in season. Why cook? For so many reasons......... It's cheaper and healthier You can customize your meal however you like It's rewarding - you get to eat your creations and share them with family and friends It's become a big hobby and passion of mine and I'm expanding my horizons all the time You have a great excuse to buy and read many cookbooks I love to eat and try new things I can teach my kids the science and aesthetic aspects of cooking and food And, most importantly..............it's really a lot of fun seeing what you can make. I'm truly amazed at what I can do without any formal training at all. Also, I never would have found this place if I didn't cook. How terrible that would be.

Refrigeration, hands down, for all of the reasons already mentioned here. We also have refrigerated trucks that move goods all over the nation. Without refrigeration, this would not happen. And eGullet, of course!

My favorite was the time I sent my husband to buy a whole load of fresh vegetables, some packages of dried beans, metamucil wafers for my kid, and a plunger. I wonder what the cashier thought about that?

The parents of those kids should have made them stop what they were doing. My boys would never do something like that, as we've taught them that cruelty to animals or other living things is unacceptable. I really don't understand why the fish was hanging from a tree still alive. The fish should have been killed and kept cold until it was filleted. My husband and boys do a lot of fishing in the summer and they would never treat a fish in that manner. If my kids treated a fish or other animal in that manner for some stupid reason, they would be severely reprimanded.

We tried the Coke with Lime this weekend and weren't terribly impressed. It didn't taste like the Holiday Spice version IMO, but it was too sweet and rather bland, with a faint taste of lime lollipops. I would rather have a tangier taste of real lime juice and peel, not lime candy. Verdict: Vanilla Coke is much better, with Pepsi Twist a distant second. I haven't tasted the Coke with Lemon.

I'm pretty much a "mess en place" cook, but I do make sure I have all the ingredients I need before starting out. If it's a recipe I've not made before or very often, and it has many ingredients, then I'll do a mise. During the week, it's home from work, full steam ahead, because I have two hungry boys that will be underfoot until there's a meal on the table. Weekends are more relaxed, and this is when I cook nicer, more involved meals. I tend to be better organized then as well. But the food turns out great, even if there is a hell of a mess in the kitchen afterwards.