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"Baking with Julia" has exceptional photos too! SB (also uses the King Arthur Flour 200th Annniversary Cook Book quite often)

Why do people pay $250 for a bottle of wine? SB

WOW! About the only thing I ever bought to eat at a 7/11 here was a bag of Cheetos and a pack of peanut butter cups! SB (Must visit Japan some day)

I don't think the politicians and beauracrats neccessarily have an objection to whole milk. It's just that they're naturally attracted to any procurement, milk or otherwise, containing the word "skim". SB (makes perfect sense that way, no?)

I'm getting ready to "inherit" some kitchen heirlooms. One almost pleasant aspect of moving my parents into an assited living facility and putting their home on the market next month will be the chance to unearth family heirlooms. Since my mother and both of my grandmothers were avid cooks, a good percentage of these items will be kitchen related. Neither of my parents were ever great savers of "stuff", but I know there are some dishes and linens, etc, nearly one hundred years old. My sister will probably want to save those things. I'm more interested in the tools and little knick knacks that lurk in the back of the drawers and cupboards. Perhaps I'm blocking out some memories, (my father is afflicted with both Alzheimers and Parkinsons, so this has been a rather stressful period), but the only item I can think of at this moment is a wooden nutcracker my maternal granmother brought from the Old Country, (Serbia-Croatia). It was like a thick wooden cup, and a large wooden screw with a T-handle threaded through one side. You dropped the nut in and tightened the screw. As I recall, It worked especially well on walnuts. Every year at this itme, as Grandma Baich prepared to make potica and Christmas cookies, it got quite a workout. I'm sure there will be plenty of other interesting items evoking bittersweet memories as the process gets underway. I'll let you know. SB (unfortunately, photographicly challenged)

Did you dust before taking the picture? SB (seeing as dust and cats are the most common fridge top items so far)

Although I know a few guys who got a case of crabs for free in The Cities .... SB

I'm glad you enjoyed your dining experience in Minneapolis. I haven't been to 112 yet myself, although between what I've previously heard and read about it, and the comments on this thread, I'll have to put it on my list. Maybe I can offer a feeble excuse for the "crab" salad. If you look on a map you'll notice that Minneapolis is located just about as far from a source of crab meat as any city in the Country. Thus, we may tend to accept fairly liberal interpretations of anything involving fresh sea food? SB

It's great to see so many ideas for taking advantage of the organic refrigeration we're blessed with in the northern climes. I've considered using my attached but unheated garage for making croissants. I have a marble slab which I could set atop two saw horses for a work surface. With judicious adjustment of the doors on opposite ends of the garage, one leading outdoors and the other into the kitchen, I should be able to maintain the temperature at 23 degrees, which Bernard Clayton recommends in his recipe for the "feather-light (1 ounce) croissant" that was served on the SS France. In an interesting aside to the recipe, (from Bernard Clayton's Complete Book of Small Breads), he mentions that while the ship's bakery produced traditional crescent shaped croissants for the first-class dining room, the second-class passengers had to endure straight croissants because they took less time to shape and more would fit on a baking sheet! SB (hardly what I would deem "second-class" fare?)

If it even gets above 42 degrees you'd be asking for trouble. That's no problem around here where we probably won't see 42 again for months. In fact, I can even use my car's trunk as a freezer! SB (just don't forget about it!)(especially with frozen fish)

Perhaps there's a connection between the 38 and the jewelry? To say nothing of the "forgotten" cash. Perhaps you live next door to robbers! SB (Tell Mrs Obregon she's welcome. She can forward my normal 25% "finders fee" to the local Food Shelf) ← Not very likely they are robbers! Two of their sons are cops, one a Highway patrolman the other an L.A. Co. Sheriff. Mr. Obregon fills in as a security guard at the Palmdale airport when they are short-handed so his security check is pretty solid. ← But, "It is said that one cannot judge a book by its cover" That would, however, explain the 38 Special. And if this had been a contest for "Strangest Item Atop a Fridge", your neighbors would be in First Place!

Perhaps there's a connection between the 38 and the jewelry? To say nothing of the "forgotten" cash. Perhaps you live next door to robbers! SB (Tell Mrs Obregon she's welcome. She can forward my normal 25% "finders fee" to the local Food Shelf)

Now THAT is a great idea! SB

My refrigerator, like most I suppose, fits into a space beneath the kitchen cabinets which doesn't leave a lot of room on top, but since the cabinets are shallow, there is an available surface about 32" wide by 12" deep. Up there I keep an acrylic cookbook holder, which displays either a new book or an old favorite or two, and is also handy to hold single page recipes out of the way while I'm working. Behind the cookbook holder I stash re-useable pieces of foil. There's also an oval wicker basket with Easter Grass in the bottom where I store tomatos. The top of the refrigerator is also where I keep screws, bolts, knobs and other small pieces that come off kitchen equipment until I can get around to making repairs. Since I'm the only one in my household tall enough to see up there without artificail elevation, I know the parts will be safe until I need them. SB (Oh, and usually there's also a lot of rather grimey dust!)

That's gives me a great idea for a Thread! SB (check the General Food Topics Forum in just a bit)

That's one Great Toaster! Water-Genter Co was formed in 1921 to manufacture Strites toasters for restaurants. In 1926 they introduced the the first pop-up toater for home use, the Toastmaster 1-A-1. Starting in 1936 Toastmasters came with a pneumatic shock absorber for the bread carriage, and in 1939 they introduced the hinged crumb tray. Your 1-B-3 is probably from the early 1930's, since the 1-B-5 (which looks almost the same), was produced from 1934-36. www.toastercentral.com/toaster30s.htm SB (and a nice a-B-5 sells for $265 today!)

It wasn't a waste. It's just that I'd anticipated using the saffron to make something rather exotic. In retrospect, teaming the cheapest and most expensive ingredients in my kitchen was a great idea! Now, if it had been instant mashed potatoes? SB (should order some more saffron)

I did the same thing! I used some saffron I had saved for so long, waiting for that special recipe to come along, I was afraid it would go bad. SB (but at least the potatos were good)

I'm from the government, and I'm here to help you .... Government action would probably be to slap a hefty tax on "unhealthy" foods to fund "educational" programs for children. They would then become so vested in the success of the industry they couldn't let it fail. SB (It's so easy to watch someone else's ox being gored)

Thank you for the review. I'll print out your message and forward it to my cousins, who have made several voyages to our ancestoral homeland in the past couple of years, and see if they recognize any of the places you mention. SB (it sounds great!)

The drier the skin When You put it in, The crisper the crust When before you it's thrust. SB

Try powdered milk and water SB

Or, if you like Tony Bourdain's take on things: http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/show_tb/ep...6_21908,00.html SB (doesn't know any of these people)

Downtown Mpls? Price Range, personal tastes? Maybe looking through this will help you find a couple places that look interesting, and then Twin Cities eG members can help with their personal advice. http://www.citypages.com/restaurants/directory.asp SB Disclaimer: I have friends in the business and am therefore somewhat prejudiced