Darcie B

The best coconut layer cake I have had is the Cook's Illustrated Coconut Layer Cake. What sets it apart from others is that it uses cream of coconut (the stuff in pina coladas) and coconut extract in the cake, while most other recipes just use a white or yellow cake with a little coconut thrown in. I don't use the buttercream recipe that CI uses, though, because I find it too rich. I make a "fake" buttercream with 1 lb. butter, 1 1/2 lbs. powdered sugar, 2-3 tablespoons rum, and 1/4 tsp. coconut extract. Then I put lightly toasted coconut over the whole thing. Coconutty!

I recall one snowy winter in North Dakota. Our chest freezer must have died or maybe we got extra beef that year (we always got half a steer from my grandparent's farm). For whatever reason, we ended up putting a bunch of the meat out in the snowbank on the north side of the house. As more snow piled up, we had to dig deeper and deeper to find the meat. I don't recall if we actually looked for specific cuts or if we just used whatever we dug up for dinner...no animal problems at all, probably because they couldn't smell the stuff buried under three feet of snow!

You volunteer to make your own birthday dinner and cake. When you travel, you take your knives and other kitchen equipment with you. [Edited to clear up stupidity...]

Yes, you can. Just omit the almonds in the recipe I provided, and don't coat with chocolate/nuts. I use the crumbs left after I break mine apart for ice cream topping but of course there is some chocolate and nuts. A friend made the recipe w/o nuts for her allergic husband and it was fine.

Sounds like a nice motorcycle ride to get some good vittles. Count me in. I'll try to get DH to go too. His best friend lives hear Durham so it's a definite possibility. Just tell me what to bring.

Why, yes, I can. A friend showed me how to make toffee last July and I made three batches for Christmas presents. They all turned out great. IMO, it's better than the stuff in Heath/Skor bars and doesn't stick in your teeth as much. Here's the recipe. English Toffee 1 lb unsalted butter ½ tsp. table salt 2 cups granulated sugar 3 tbsp. water 1 cup slivered almonds (do NOT use sliced almonds, they will scorch) 12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate 1½ -2 cups lightly toasted pecans (or walnuts), finely chopped Melt ¾ of chocolate over hot water or in a microwave oven at half power for 2-3 minutes. When melted, stir in remaining chocolate and set aside. Line a large jelly roll or half-sheet pan with heavy-duty foil and butter the foil. Melt the butter with the salt in a heavy 3 quart saucepan over medium heat. Slowly add the sugar, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Add the water about halfway through this process. After all the sugar is added, begin testing the mixture to see if the sugar is dissolved. Place a drop of mixture on wax paper; allow it to cool and rub it between your fingers to make sure it doesn’t feel grainy. If it does, continue to cook and test again. The mixture will probably be boiling at this point. When sugar is dissolved, add the almonds, and increase the heat to medium high. Cook to the hard-crack stage, or about 310-320 degrees on a candy thermometer, stirring often to keep the candy from burning on the bottom. When it’s done, it should be a medium-dark amber color and have a caramel aroma. The almonds should have a toasted color but they should not burn. This is the tricky part, as there’s a thin line between perfect and overdone, and to some extent it’s a matter of taste. Remove from heat and pour into the prepared pan, spreading as evenly as possible with an offset spatula. Be careful, this stuff is hot! Set the pan on a cooling rack. After 2-3 minutes, when toffee is just set, pour reserved chocolate on top and spread evenly. Sprinkle with chopped nuts, and press them in gently with a spatula or bottom of a glass to anchor them in the chocolate. Allow the toffee to harden at least 6-8 hours—overnight is better. Break into pieces using a sharp pointed knife with a rigid blade, or you can use your hands. Store in an airtight container in a cool place. Makes about 3 pounds.

Farmers would like know the answer to that question as well.

I think the fact that large companies are taking interest in organic products is, as Martha Stewart would say, "a good thing." It shows that there is enough market potential for these products for a big player to get involved. Since there are now national organic standards (albeit not as stringent I would like), I think organic will continue to mean something. I believe that a national grassroots effort in favor of national organic standards played a large part in the legislation being passed. I'm sure ADM and ConAgra weren't lobbying for them, although some large food corporations probably lobbied for weaker standards once they saw that they were going to be implemented. Overall, it's a good example of what people can do when they come together for a common cause. The internet has helped in that regard--much easier for common folk to get the word out.

I believe I can offer another perspective. My brothers have a small family farm in North Dakota, one that formerly belonged to my grandparents and on which I spent most summers of my youth. My brothers receive few government subsidies. My grandfather made a good living by farming. He planted about 600-800 acres small grains and ran 50 head of cattle (tasty old school Herefords. Angus ain't got nothin' on a well-raised Hereford). While not farming organically or being much of an environmentalist, he nonetheless kept the pesticide and fertilizer usage to a minimum, practiced crop rotation, etc. because it was the most cost effective way to run his farm. He understood that keeping the soil healthy was important to having a good harvest. He saved his own seeds but usually only for a few years before he bought new stock, since the saved seeds would revert to less productive versions of the plants. He retired with a modest but adequate residual income. It is a typical story of most of his generation. The price of wheat per bushel in the 1950s, 60s and 70s fluctuated around $2.00. It spiked in the 1980s at close to $4.00. (Source: 1999 Agricultural Census, published by USDA). Skip to the current generation. The price of wheat per bushel is now a little less than $3.00. (Source - Chicago Board of Trade). Adjusted for inflation, the value of wheat per bushel declined 82% from 1945 to 1999. The greatest decline in value has come recently, with the 1999 price of wheat falling to a 10-year low. (Source - Oklahoma Senate Review 2000) (It has since improved somewhat) What this means to a small family farm like the one my brothers are trying to build is that you would have to increase yield tremendously to achieve the same results my grandfather did. Hence the need/desire for greater applications of pesticides, fertilizers and new hybrid crops. Of course, increased yields push down prices, and I'm sure there are other contributing factors that keep the price down that I don't know or understand. My brothers both work outside the farm to make ends meet. This is neither a sob story nor a plea for sympathy. It is an example of a typical small farmer's struggle. You can see how this would make it nearly impossible to have a small family farm. The main reason small farms still exist in North Dakota is that state law prohibits large corporate farms. I think it also points to how agribusiness got to be so large. An important thing to note: while wheat prices have drastically declined since 1945, bread prices have not followed suit. The reasons for that probably tell a lot about food politics. Anyone care to follow up on that? FWIW, my brothers refuse to grow GMO foods because they like to save their seeds, even if for just a few years. Most of their expense is chemical and seed cost (about even), with fuel coming in third. My brothers spent three years farming organically (certified organic, so they spent the previous 3 years working toward organic certification). After investing all that time, and losing money while working toward certification, they ended up losing money again. Although they could get higher prices for organic grains and had fewer overhead costs, the cost of transporting to a grain elevator that would pay the premium for organic grains coupled with the diminished yield ate up the price differential. They just couldn't make it. (In addition I would add that conventional farming practices such as mono-cropping just don't work with organic methods). The land around my brother's farm is deteriorating rapidly due mainly to one cause: anhydrous ammonia (a nitrogen fertilizer). It turns the soil into compacted brick. You can't even stick your finger into it. Every year you need to apply more to achieve the same results. I wouldn't be surprised if it turned into a crisis in the near future. Food politics are so complex that I can't begin to understand them. I just know that the farmers aren't the ones calling the shots or making the money. I also know that however you view GMO products, pesticides or fertilizers, we are heading down a path that is not easily reversible but which may have unintended negative consequences down the road (probably not in our lifetime, though). That being said I don't think one can characterize corporations as evil. A corporation exists to bring returns to its stockholders. It will work to that end through whatever legal means it can, and probably whatever illegal means it can get away with. This is why I could never be a Libertarian--they would let the foxes guard the henhouse. It shouldn't be up to a corporation to police itself or even to care for the environment. It should have to follow the laws that govern it, and its up to us as citizens to encourage our lawmakers to write laws that keep corporations in bounds and keep our environment healthy. Of course, this becomes difficult when corporations are allowed to line the pockets of every politician. I think clear labeling laws and organic standards are important. I want to know what I am eating. The jury is still out on GMO, but I don't want to eat it even if it is safe. My personal politics: I buy what I can locally, but of course I eat oranges and drink coffee so I'm no zealot. I buy as many organic and minimally processed things as I can, and I have a small garden every year. I eat less meat than I used to. I write the occasional letter to Congresspersons in support of or against some agriculture bill. I worry that I probably don't know 1/1000th of what's going on. I hope that humans don't leave the planet in a mess that is impossible to resolve.

You can check out the restaurant here: General Lewis restaurant. You may drive by a quaint looking little restaurant called Julian's. AVOID IT. I got food poisoning there a few years back. To be fair, that could be an isolated incident. However, I still can't eat clams.

On the way to Snowshoe: I’m not sure what route you are taking, but you will probably pass through Lewisburg. It’s only about 45 minutes from Snowshoe, but there are some decent places to eat that are probably better priced that the resort restaurants. The downtown is very quaint, lots of little antique shops, etc. It’s a real arts town, with several galleries. General Lewis Inn I have eaten here several times. The General Lewis is pre-Civil War hotel, complete with ghosts. I really like their cream of celery soup. Serving three meals daily. Specialties include country ham, chicken, steaks and mountain trout. Homemade pecan pie and fruit cobblers. 301 E. Washington Street, Lewisburg, WV, (304) 645-2600. Del Sol Cafe & Market This is a pretty good deli for WV. It’s great for grabbing something on the go. Their hours are erratic, though. Deli sandwiches, specialty coffees & cappuccinos, and desserts. Outdoor dining and gift shop. 206 W. Washington St., Lewisburg, WV, (304) 645-5515 Food & Friends The food here is good but not exciting. It’s across the street from Del Sol. Casual dining, moderately priced American and Italian dishes. 213 W. Washington St., Lewisburg, West Virginia WV, (304) 645-4548 At Snowshoe: The list that Melissa provided is comprehensive. I have only eaten at the Foxfire Grille (I don't ski). It was noisy, cramped and the service was slow. The food was OK, but overpriced (like most resort food). I dug around and found some additional information about a few of the restaurants. Your best bet for fine dining is the Red Fox (several of my friends recommend it), for country cooking I think it is Brandi’s. Foxfire Grille (304-572-5555). Views, blues and barbecue co-exist at the laid back Foxfire Grille. Foxfire specializes in fruit-wood smoked meats with an extra kick for lunch and dinner. Brandi's at the Inn at Snowshoe (304-572-1000). Brandi's offers all kinds of favorites at reasonable prices. Mountain breakfasts and fulfilling dinners abound. Restaurant Critique: The Red Fox (from Ski Magazine) Snowshoe Mountain Resort, W. Va. If there's anything that Margaret Ann Ball loves more than cooking, it's being "up on the mountain," where, for the past 20 years, she and her family have run The Red Fox restaurant at Snowshoe Mountain Resort. "When I first came up here, it was May and it was snowing," she recalls. "I took one look and said, 'Why would anybody want to be here?' But I haven't left since." It was a natural fit for the West Virginia-born-and-raised chef, whose globetrotting grandfather encouraged her to push at the walls of her culinary world by eating exotic dishes, such as brains and tongue. "He'd say, 'Try it, and if you don't like it, you don't have to eat it,'" she remembers. "Well, I found out I did like it, and everything else, too." You're not likely to find brains or tongue at The Red Fox, where the most popular dishes on the menu are red meat and wild game. The restaurant's setting is well-suited. It features rustic brick archways, timber ceilings, hand-carved furnishings, country antiques and 18th-century prints. Guests enjoy dinner in the cozy tavern (Ball's favorite room), the greenhouse, which has a view of passing snowcats, or the convivial main dining room. To each, Ball sends plates of dynamic alpine cuisine prepared with classic European techniques. The "Huntsman's Grille"-venison, pheasant and wild boar sausage dressed with a maple sauce-is a favorite, as are noisettes of buffalo and barbecued quail. Ball also encourages trial of her favorite Chilean sea bass, halibut or the ahi she has flown in fresh from Hawaii. For dessert, it's tough to beat her miniature bundt cakes, filled with chocolate mousse and topped with homemade caramel ice cream and "wet walnut" syrup. The topper? The Red Fox wait staff is required to attend a 10-day "boot camp" to learn European-style service. "Our guests travel through little two-mail-pouch towns and up a mountain to get here," Ball says. "To find a restaurant with world-class food and service really shocks them." If you want to make a side trip to Charleston WV (2 hours away), I'd be happy to whip something up for you! (BTW - don't come to Charleston looking for a great restaurant--but there are several "country cookin" places). Edited to fix glaring errors.

I'm not sure the compound in Clorox wipes is Triclosan, but I know it isn't bleach. Of course, their website doesn't say what it is. It does tell you that your desk has 400 times more bacteria than your toilet seat, though. I thought it was different than Triclosan, but I better check to be sure. My husband likes antibacterial soap, and to humor him I bought some. I leave a small bottle under the sink but don't tell him I have been using a different bottle to fill up the soap dispenser. I do keep an alcohol-based hand sanitizer to use after I thoroughly wash my hands after cleaning out the litter boxes. Do you think an alcohol based sanitizer is a no-no too?n How about bleach? Can't....give....up.....sponges....

I microwave my Scotch Brite sponge just about daily for 3 minutes. Should be sufficient to kill germs, according to Cook's Illustrated. I also discard the sponge weekly. Since we have cats who ignore our missives to keep their stinky paws and butts off our counters, before any culinary undertaking I use a Clorox wipe on the counters, refrigerator handles, range knobs and any other surface I intend to use. Perhaps I am creating resistant bacteria, but the thought of fecal coliform in my food outweighs that sentiment. After the surface dries, I follow up with a wet paper towel so the food doesn't taste like Clorox wipes (even though they are lemony-fresh!). I agree that the sink harbors many nasties and I try to keep it scrubbed clean. Anyone who has seen my spice drawer understands that I am AR and one friend said that he would be comfortable having surgery on my kitchen floor. I have worked in restaurants and somehow ended up doing most of the cleaning each shift (hmmmm). I think I am just a little shy of obsessive, and I am getting better as years go by (I no longer mop the floor every night).

Back to the cabinets. When we remodeled last year, we went with cabinets from Lowe's (no cabinetmakers here that we could afford). We upgraded to plywood backs and sides, and the fronts and doors are solid wood. We live in a climate of varying humidity and have not noticed ANY warping. Our cabinets are made of hickory, which is quite hard (as we discovered when face screwing them together) but has pronounced differences in the colors and grain characteristics, which we like. You can see the cabinets here: kitchen remodel. The photos aren't the greatest but I can't locate the newest photos. Must have deleted them. Also, I agree with going with your gut instinct. We didn't trust our gut with the ONLY piece of the kitchen remodel we contracted out, the Corian countertop. (My husband is great. He used to do commercial HVAC, and he is a great plumber and electrician to boot. We saved a ton of money. The remodel above, including appliances and all materials, cost about $16k. I laid the tile floor, helped install cabinets, did all the woodwork, and did the painting. Hub did the rest.) We had the kitchen ready for the countertop in 3.5 weeks (working mainly evenings and weekends.) Anyway, it took that sumbitch countertop guy 9 WEEKS to install the Corian, and it was wrong the first time. He unscrewed the wall oven cabinet and pushed it over 1/4 inch because he cut the top wrong. I made him remove and reinstall it. It still isn't 100% right (goes slightly uphill at the sink) but I gave up. I needed my kitchen back! We didn't have any performance clause with the guy because we subcontracted through Lowe's. They were of no help in dealing with this delay. Get as much in writing as you can. My husband and I did have a written contract with each other about what we were going to do so we wouldn't fight about the project. It worked. Varmint, I have appliance envy. We went with electric cooktop b/c we have to tear out basement ceiling to run a gas line. Hopefully I can get one in a year or so. Good luck with your project; I'll be following this thread with interest. Sorry for the long post but I needed to vent about the countertop guy. Trust your gut.

I have the 5 qt. Kenwood (fka Rival Select) and I do not feel that any part of it is flimsy. I have no problems making as much stuff as in my friend's 5 qt. KA, and this machine is a workhorse. I knead lean dough in it and while I admit it is loud, it has never sounded like it was going to fly apart. I like it much better than the KA I use at my friend's, with its speeds that are never the speed I need (Kenwood has infinite speed control), plus the KA walks a lot more than the Kenwood. I've had mine for several years now (I think 6 or 7), and it has never given me a moment's trouble. My only complaint is that it is difficult to add ingredients because the paddle attachment is set low. But put the ingredients to be added on a piece of parchment and you're set. Perhaps the newer Kenwoods (DeLonghis) are not as sturdy as the older ones. I haven't seen any to compare with mine. I know that the newer KAs are a lot less sturdy than the old Hobart ones. Edit to add: my attachments are not nonstick. They are cast aluminum.

One more plug for the DeLonghi (Kenwood). Another feature that I feel is better than KA is that the speed control is infinite. I have trouble when I use my friend's KA because even the slowest speed is too fast for some applications, and there are times I would like a speed in between 2 and 3. With the DeLonghi you can achieve the precise speed you want (there is a minimum setting so you don't burn out the motor, but it is very slow).

Excellent tip. You can also use a Q-tip to remove the vaseline if the area is indented. I didn't do that because I didn't have any vaseline in the house...plus I'm pretty clumsy and usually end up getting the vaseline somewhere it shouldn't be, and then the paint won't stick. I bet you could also use shortening instead of vaseline.

Thanks for the positive comments! Here's what I did to paint the mixer. First, I removed the top black covers that hide the attachment ports. Then I carefully masked the rest of the parts that I did not want to paint. I used a red Scotch Brite pad (approximately 600 grit) to scuff up the factory finish. I wiped it off really good after scuffing with a damp no lint cloth (tack cloth) and let it dry thoroughly. I used spray paint (I think it was Rustoleum but it could have been just Lowe's store brand) and put on two thin coats. Then I used some spray polyurethane (satin finish) so the paint would stand up to my use and abuse. I actually sprayed the polyurethane a little dry, but it ended up looking like a commercial finish so I left it. The hardest part to mask was the hole where the cord goes into the body. There is a little overspray there but I doubt anyone will notice. I did disassemble the scale to paint it. It was a freebie and quite rusty. The finish is holding up very well on both pieces, and I did not use any poly on the scale. I did the painting about six months ago, so if it was going to flake off I believe it would have done so by now. I believe the key to any paint finish is surface prep. You want to make sure the surface isn't shiny and that there isn't any grease or dirt on it, but you don't want to have any deep scratches. I used a Scotch brite pad with a light hand, but you could use very fine sandpaper (I would say 1000 grit) instead. Scuff it in one direction (back and forth) as opposed to in circles, which will create visible swirl marks in the paint. (The same goes for waxing your car.)

Hopefully I can figure out how to post pics. Here is a pic of my painted Kenwood (aka Rival Select) next to the scale also painted to match some of the wall color:

I grew up on Malt-o-Meal, Cream of Wheat, and Quaker Instant Oatmeal. Great for cold North Dakota mornings. However, I lost my taste for it as a young adult when I cooked up a bowl of COW (that had been in the cupboard for only a very short time) and noticed some little dark spots on it...upon closer inspection I found it was full of BUGS! A couple of months ago my husband spotted COW in the store and had to have some. I warily opened the box and found no critters, so we ate up. MMMmmmm. I transferred the stuff to a plastic container and put it in the freezer. Please don't remind me that the eggs are probably there...

No negative connotations for organic for me. I would like to note that there is now a national organic standard and while it is not as strict as the California standard, at least one can know that the grower met certain criteria. You can read about the national organic standard <a href="http://www.ams.usda.gov/nop/Consumers/brochure.html">here. While I am not sure that eating organically grown foods will make me healthier, smarter and better-dressed, I do want to limit the amounts of man-made chemicals in my system. Maybe the air I breathe is polluted, but I figure eating "conventionally" grown produce with residues of pesticides and herbicides would just be compounding the problem. Organic foodstuffs are more expensive for a variety of reasons. One is supply vs. demand, one is that most organic farms are smaller and therefore have more overhead, another is that many organic growing principles require more labor, and yet another is the shipping costs. My brothers farm small grains in North Dakota (God bless them) and for several years they were certified organic. It cost them a lot because they had to take the grains farther (the local grain elevator did not process organic grains), and because their yield was lower. However, not by spending $6000 or more a year on chemicals (for a very small farm) they ended up making a little money. In the end, the cost of transport is what made them return to conventional farming methods (although they do keep chemical use to the bare minimum). Human and animal health issues aside, another thing to consider about conventional farming methods is the soil itself. Copious amounts of anyhdrous ammonia used as a fertilizing agent are making the soils of the Great Plains not so great. It seems that the anhydrous kills beneficial bacteria and other organisms in the soil. Without these buggers moving around to loosen the dirt, it compacts. Soils that have been farmed with anhydrous for many years are nearly hardpan. So, larger quantities of fertilizer are used to compensate for the poor soil quality. This cannot happen indefinitely. Monocropping, one of the standards of current conventional growing practices, also wreaks havoc on the environment. These and other problems can't be solved by farmers just all going organic. Large scale farming is not suited to organic growing principles. Major changes in thinking about growing methods, plot sizes, and a host of other issues are needed before organic methods can replace conventional ones. I am not sure that we can actually produce enough food at this point using totally organic methods. I just do what I can to support local growers and eat as much in-season produce as possible. (Luckily I don't live in N.D. anymore because what's in season right now is snow!)

I can vouch for the DeLonghi (AKA Kenwood, made in England, FKA Rival Select). I have the 5qt. It is loud but it's a workhorse, handling the stiffest bread and cookie doughs. Does a fine job on whipping too although I usually use a hand mixer because of the small quantities I whip. I have a friend who swears by the Bosch, but I think the DeLonghi is less expensive. I got mine on clearance when they were switching from Rival to DeLonghi for U.S. distribution and it was only $109. It's not pretty like a KA, but I painted mine to match my kitchen and it looks a lot better.

This is probably too late, but for a pretty free-form or muffin tin tart, roll out the pastry crust and cut with a flower-shaped (fluted edge) cookie cutter. You can use a size to fit in your muffin tin, or go larger for a free-form tart. Just pinch up the fluted edge a bit and voila! Lard rules for pastry crust! If you have a butcher nearby, you can get some leaf fat from a pig and render your own. Takes some time (mostly unattended pot bubbling away), but it's cheeep! I made enough lard for 40 pie crusts for about $2.00.

Grandparents are all from Germany via Ukraine, settled in North Dakota. Pumpkin pie (recipe from the Libby's can) and chocolate pie (jello cook'n'serve) with whipped cream. Maybe, just maybe, an apple pie once in awhile.

make that two votes for Sugar.