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The recipe you used looks proportionally the same as the one I used last weekend, (and several times previously), from Betsy Openmiers book, EXCEPT the 1st rising period would be about one hour, and the 2nd (in loaf pans) about 45 minutes. It's really rare to see a yeast bread recipe with such a short initial rising time. SB

I have to work quickly so that I'm forced to concentrate. That way I'll actually make fewer mistakes. It's the same thing at work. If I have 100 things to do in a day, I'll get 99 of them done. But if I only have 2 tasks, I'll inevitabley forget 1 of them! SB (ADD sufferer before it was invented)

Not quite the same thing, but I'm sure we all heard about the starving children in Armenia/Ethiopia/China etc who would be only too happy to eat he food we didn't finish? SB (wondrers what ploy mothers in Armenia/Ethiopia/China etc used to get their kids to eat?)

A lot of ingredients have the measure and/or weight of a "serving' on the package. Sometines it takes a little calculating to derive the quantity you need, so be sure to write it down. It's an especially good way to measure out things like peanut butter and shortening. SB (always has the scale and calaculator at hand in the kitchen)

Eating toast crust will make your hair curley! SB (likes crust anyway)(but not curley hair)

As the old saying goes, "What could be more American than hot dogs, baseball, apple pie and Chevrolet?" I suspect the hot dog owes quite a bit of it's reputation as "America's Food" to it's close historical relationship with baseball, the erstwhile "America's Past Time". As for the turkey, which Ben Franklin supported for our national symbol, I suspect the other Founding Fathers found the idea of an edible emblem distasteful? SB (now the Founding Mothers, on the other hand, might have approved?)

Wouldn't it be great if the "little girl in the long sweater" from the market read the story and contacted the author? SB (hopelessly romantic)(on all too rare an occasion)

My brother and I also used to walk home from grade school for lunch, and one of our favorites was elbow macaroni and cut up hot dogs in tomato soup. We named the dish "Mixed Getti Soup". When we were a bit older we had the option of adding some grated (Kraft) Parmesan Cheese. SB

I'd like to add my thanks too, and by way of showing my appreciation I'm posting a review of Sara's book, Sara Moulton Cooks at Home" that I'd written on Amazon in 2003, and which Melissa, aka "Gifted Gourmet", was perceptive enough to notice and remind me of. SARA MOULTON COOKS AT HOME, by Sara Moulton Sara Moulton is the Executive Chef for Gourmet Magazine and Food Editor for Good Morning America. She has hosted several shows on Food Network. She is a graduate of the CIA, has cooked in famous kitchens like La Tulipe, and worked on Julia Childs' televison show. The friends she acknowledges in the book's Introduction are a veritable "Who's Who in Food Today". Her husband is Bill Adler, a very prominent person in the recording industry, and her Mother, Elizabeth, is the former Editor of, ( I believe), Glamour Magazine, so Sara has not only an impressive resume, but very good connections. You might expect such a person to have quite a formidable presence. On television Sara Moulton comes across as one of the most down-to-earth people you would ever hope to meet, and her book seems to confirm this image. She begins one recipe with, "Whenever I have homemade chicken stock in the freezer, I feel happy". And, you have to believe she sincerly means just that. The recipes range from simple to elegant, but are all designed to be cooked and eaten at home. Sara is proud to label herself a "working Mom" to her two children, and her philosophy on food and eating might be summed up in the quote, "A home-cooked meal is always a great gift, as is sitting down to dine." The book is very straightforward in its compilation, with short personal comments to accompany most recipes. The instructions are concise and easy to follow, and the book is full of handy tips such as, "... the best way to store ginger?". There are a few pages of colored photos of dishes, and numerous black and white family album pictures throughout the book. Michael Green, Gourmet's Wine Consultant, provides a chapter on pairing food and wine as well as tips and suggestions throughout the book You could do a lot worse than to own this cookbook. SB (hopes maybe he helped sell a few copies)

Just an odd thought along these lines; but I wonder if the "Fusion Cooking" trend isn't somehow connected to our population becoming more heterogeneous? A modern manifestation of the old Brillat-Savarin/Tiny Tim "you are what you eat". SB (just musing)

I can understand where such a show wouldn't be of interest to The Food Network, (enough said?), but the concept might work on PBS. The format could be something like the CBC production mentioned combined with some straight documentary aspects. It wouldn't be about "old people", but about how our cooking and eating traditions are transmitted, maintained and adapted through human interaction. It's the kind of idea that would be easier to sell to an underwriter than an advertiser. SB (wants to offer his thanks to Sara for her participation here this week)

Alton Brown also handled this one on his show. He weighed mushrooms dry, rinsed and soaked, and concluded they will only absorb a slight amount of moisture no matter how long they set in water. SB (gives his a quick rinse before use)

My favorite bakery sells hot dog buns in eights. I bought a bag this morning, (and some kolaches), and had them earlier tonite with locally made Polish Sausages. (from an eight pack) As if the poor American consumer had it tough, I understand that in Holland, (and the rest of the EU?), tomatos are sold in fives and eggs in tens. makes menu planning a real mathematical exercise. SB (throw in a six pack of your favorite beverage ....

We used to have a local expression for somebody wolfing down their food that they "Ate (whatever) like Lyle Ginsel eats wieners!" Lyle, a 400 pound plus logging contractor whose fingers were virtually the same size as wieners, (but not as clean), used to down a whole pack, uncooked, by sucking them up one after another like strands of spaghetti. He almost appeared to inhale them. SB (rest his soul)(all of it!)

I was loath to participate in this discussion until I was sure what "semiotics" was. After consulting Merriam-Webster Online for a definition, I recalled a pertinent story. When we were in high school, what was probably my old friend Luke's singular lifetime semiotic musing dealt with hot dogs. He wondered why, "When we eat them boiled at home they're called wieners, at the ball park they're franks, and on a picnic we call them hot dogs?" I didn't know, and still don't. I do know that Americans probably eat as much pizza as hamburgers or hot dogs, but that doesn't make it the quintessential "American Food" any more than the fact that we have more pigeons than Bald Eagles makes the former the American Bird. SB (bemused)

I keep mine in the form of Vegeta, which I used to have smuggled from Croatia, but it's now available on Amazon! (what wonderful times we live in) SB (also likes Triscuits)

Bet your kids thought that was way cool! (or whatever they say) From Julia to Jimi .... Sara spans the spectrum of popular culture in the late 20th Century! SB

That's for sure! I wouldn't want anybody to find out I'd ever been a restaurant critic. SB (has already been a waiter)(enjoyed it too!)

Just for the fun of it, try the original recipe: 1 lb Eggs = 8 ex lg 1 lb Butter = 4 sticks 1 lb Sugar = 2.25 cups 1 lb Flour = 4 cups It's "moist, dense, and delicious" and "can be flavored many different ways" SB (but, as you may already have guessed, it ain't "light")

Lest I forget; although it would be uncustomary at my house, (in fact, it would be unprecedented), we would certainly have a round of toasts after dinner to commemorate such a special occasion! Here we hark back to my youth, when supplies for a night of festivities included a case a Baltz Beer, a few hits of Windowpane, and a bottle of Canadian Club Canadian Whisky, aka "The Queen", by virtue of it's label containing the Royal Seal and information that it's "By Appointment Supplier of Canadian Whiskey to H.M. The Queen". Althouth C.C. was a bit out of our price range, we kept a bottle on hand for use on those occasions when the urge for a round of toasting might strike us. SB (TO THE QUEEN!)

Julia and I had the same problem! I fell lots better now. SB (has used the procedure successfully many times since)(after cleaning the oven)

RE: History of Ideas I wish the U of MN had offered this program. I might have gotten a degree instead of kicked out? SB (assumes it was a BS?)

I believe the Queen is, if nothing else, extremely gratious. Therefore, I think she would appreciate just being served whatever we happened to be having anyway? Tonite, the Queen would be eating Sloppy Joes! SB (Hopes the Royal Launderer is traveling with her)

I think the whole food/porn thing has gotten a bit "lame". SB (as has Harpers)

I started off with a bread machine, which are nearly foolproof and make a damn fine loaf. After I wore that out I got a KitchenAid HD mixer and have never looked back. I used, (and still use), the King Arthur Flour 200th Anniversary Cookbook and the company's catalog as my instruction books, along with their products. SB (one of the smartest things I ever did!)