srhcb

I guess I'd say, why bother? In some cases I use the Butter-Flavor Crisco for a little extra flavor boost. SB (saves the butter for fresh home-made bread!)

My Grandson Zack just turned two, and cookies would indeed be his first choice of food any time of the day. If he could be brought to understand that he could plan entire meals, he might be persuaded to broaden the choices somewhat. Since his vocabulary and syntax are somewhat limited, a lot of the choice process would literally be hands-on. I could exercise some control as "opener of the refrigerator and reacher into the cupboards", thus avoiding french fries for breakfast or "pizzi" for lunch. again! "Okay", "Mine" or "nummy" indicate positive response to a suggested menu item, while "no way" or "icka" can be taken as a rejection. Here are my predictions: Breakfast could be Cheerios or oatmeal with sliced banana accompanied by milk and either apple or orange juice. I'd have to sneak a cup of coffee We would eat this while watching "The Wiggles" on Disney Channel. There might be a cookie afterwards for good boys who ate their breakfast "all gone". For lunch, if Zack's Mommy was around he could probably talk her into "more pizzi" (a frozen mini-pizza is fine by his standards). Otherwise soup, chicken noodle, or mac & cheese might be acceptable. Ketchup on mac & cheese? No thank you. Chocolate milk would be the beverage of choice. Once again, good boys might get a cookie. [Note: Due to Zack's proximity to the floor, my dogs often end up with the good boy's cookies, either inadvertantly or due to a sudden burst of toddler generosity which is soon regretted and followed by plaintive crying.] For a snack, of course you already guessed it, along with water, juice or chocolate milk. Although he can be trusted to drink from a glass or cup at the table, as long as you keep a sponge and dish towel handy. liquids are served in "sippy" (sic) cups. [Note: Zack has several sippy's, mostly decorated with Disney licensed characters, which are used interchangably depending on what's clean, what's in the sink, and what's temporarily missing, either in whole or part. He used this circumstance to play his first prank by confusing me between which cup that required refillng contained water and which one juice. He laughed uproariously when I poured juice into the "water" cup.] Dinner time would involve a lot of picking and choosing. Zack would start with a cheese course. Plastic wrapped American slices, shredded mozeralla or cottage cheese are acceptable. He doesn't care for lettuce, but will eat carrots, black olives, cucumber and tomato, (which he refers to as "apple", along with everything else that's red and remotely edible looking) in place of a salad. For the entree, we will actually have home made "pizzi" once every couple weeks, but he's pretty good about eating most foods. Any Italian dish with lots of red sauce is fine, and is often referred to as "pizzi". the sponge and dish towel serve dual purpose. Zack isn't real carnivorous, probably due to having only recently grown the teeth required for meat eating, but he'll eat chicken, beef or pork if it's cut into small enough pieces. the small pieces are also easily smuggled to the dogs, who circle his chair like furry four-legged vultures whenever he eats. Potato, pasta or rice in almost any form is acceptable. although I hope the addition of ketchup to virtually everything proves to be a dis-aquired taste. Peas are the favored vegetable, although corn on the cob, in season, was a great hit, and the consumption was great fun to watch! His dessert preferences have been expanding not so much in actuality but by definition. Where nearly anything sweet used to be "cookie", Zack now recognizes cake and pie as a distinct items. although he's a traditionalist in insisting they be appropriately garnished with a cookie. Ice cream is fine, and both he and "Nana" enjoy pudding, especially tapioca. These should, of course .... These are only my predictions, which are no doubt overly optimistic. Since Zack enjoys being in the kitchen while I cook, I'll give him a little leaway tonite in picking menu items, but I don't think anybody could survive and prosper very long on repast 100% chosen by a two-year old? SB (although I do like cookies)

Cookies!

Wait Just One Minute Here! Your husband has hunted nearly 40 years and this is his first deer? While I have to admire his perseverance, he's no Natty Bumpo, that's for sure! Deer aren't exactly hard to find up hear in Northern MN. I know a guy who's killed 9 so far this year with his pickup truck. And you have a cabin with no mounted deer heads? Them's what we all call "City Folks".

Venison Sausage w/footgear Mice in Place: 1 Deer 1 Pig Spices Casing Skin Deer (reserve hide for mocassins) Grind Hog Mix Ground Hog with Spices Stuff Ground Hog into Casings Dispose of Deer Carcass SB (not real big on venison)

On weekdays GF is up before me, and I'll have one-half cup of Folgers while I check my email. On weekends I meet my racing buddies at a local cafe where the coffee is lousy but the bs is entertaining. In either case, when I get to my shop I'll make some real coffee. I prefer grinding my own French Roast beans, often from an internet source like Peet's, but if I'm busy I'll use a premium ground coffee I get at the local bakery/deli. I've never seen a coffee cart. Of course, around here one would be either stuck in the snow or frozen up for half the year! SB (-4 this morning)

I would say Elizabeth David had the ability to relay scholarly information without being pedantic. In a similar fashion, she could convey passion in a much subtler style than, let's say, MFK Fisher, who's my favorite food writer. I was surprised as anyone when Ms David held my interest for the entire length of "English Bread and Yeast Cookery", which I found myself reading straight through even though I'd only purchased it as a reference book.

Well, reportedly, my first word was "bite"? In retrospect, I guess that upon seeing the word "foodie" I supposed I had slowly become one over the years having read MFK Fisher in The New Yorker. SB

Hee hee! Or maybe they're too busy dealing with their offspring to cook! ← Touche! As a matter of fact, GF's two-year old grandson has been staying with us lately, but will spend tonite with his other grandparents, so I thougt I'd take advantage of the circumstances to bake bread since I won't be interupted by his plaintive pleas of "Poppa, Poppa. Up!" Although it's nice he likes to "help" in the kitchen. SB (may even have time for some .....

I wonder if the trend towards "lifestyle" stores .... for those consumers who don't have time to cook might not peak soon, and then begin to slowly decline over the next generation? After all, I would think people too busy to cook would have difficulty finding the time to reproduce? SB (maybe I'm just getting old?)

In Edina, the toniest section of Minneapolis, there's an establishment best described as a "deportment" store named "Alfred's grand petit magasin". www.alfredsgpm.com Alfreds' owner was inspired by Barney's New York and Los Angeles' Fred Segal. The store fearures designer furnishings, antiques, housewares, clothing and jewelry, and much more, dramaticly arranged throughout small rooms over three stories. It would take weeks to see everything they offer. The last time I was there I had a nice conversation with a stylish elderly woman about a reproduction 1830's brass French railway station clock. It was mounted high on the wall and she asked me to read the price tag for her. It was $325, but I'm sure had it been $1,325 or $3,250 it would hardly have mattered. There is also a indoor and outdoor cafe where such "ladies lunch". (I wouldn't be surprised to learn some of them even "have tea".) I haven't eaten there yet. The menu looks interesting, but I'm afraid I don't know any "ladies" to "lunch" with. SB

My Grandfather always used to finish off a meal of pancakes with a stack topped with sugar and poured whipping cream. SB

"dozens" of complaints! Wow! SB

That's about what mine looked like. I figured semolina is a hard wheat, so a rather more dense bread with a nice "bite" was fitting? If not, just tell everybody that's the way it's supposed to be. SB (that's what Julia would have done)

The book is one of my favorites. I've made the semolina bread, a Nick Malgieri recipe, and loved it. It makes really great toast, if you manage to save a piece! SB (and how about the photos in that book?)

I saw Martha Stewart's investment banker make this on Food Network. Supposedly she only cooks once a year, and this is what she makes! It was a funny show because she wasn't inhibited by Martha's presence in the least. In fact, she even got in a couple good verbal jabs. SB

If you're eating and driving at the same time you aren't paying appropriate attention to either activity. SB (serious eater and driver)

On a more serious note, a former employee of our engineering company who we called Uncle Ed was a Japanese POW for the entire duration of WWII, having been taken prisoner on Wake Island at the start of the war. Much of Ed's time in captivity was spent in camps in Japanese occupied mainland China. The stories of the hardship and suffering the prisoners endured were unimaginably horrid, especially concerning the food. They suffered from disease and malnutrition, and even those like Ed who survived had related health problems throughout the rest of their lives. Ed was very active in veterans organizations, and never passed up a chance to speak at schools and civic functions about his experience. One story he always told was about the annual Christmas gift the prisoners received from the Japanese. They were each given a fresh apple as proof of the beneficiance of the Emporer and people of Japan. Ed said that considering the food they were forced to eat all year it was very difficult, but he had always refused to eat "Hirohito's Apple". Uncle Ed passed away about ten years ago, but I try and tell some of his stories every year on Memorial and Veterans Days. Thanks Ed SB

My friend Yach was an army cook in Vietnam. One afternoon his outfit came under heavy enemy rocket fire. All the soldiers sought shelter except Yach, who proceeded to calmly and carefully cover up all the food being prepared and put lids on all the cooking vessels and turn down the burners. His CO was so impressed he put Yach in for a medal for courage under fire, or some such thing. Actually, Yach says, he had been partaking of copious quantities of some of SE Asia's native herbage via non-oral means, and was so stoned that when the shells started exploding around him all he could think of to do was "save the food". SB (Yach tells the story better because he stutters)

Not so good

I ain't offended. Just confused. SB (and still left-handed)

I can't even look at okra! SB (assuming emotional scars count?)

Well Tempis Fugit! I can't believe it's been a year and a half and I haven't tried to make palacinkas since! Well, today is GF's birthday, and despite being of Italian descent, she's always loved palacinkas. And since I have a jar of sour cherries from my cousins' trip to visit ancesteral homelands in Eastern Europe last year, I figured I'd give the recipe a try this evening. I'll let you know how things turn out. SB (even if they're less than perfect)

My butcher, Dave, retired this past year. He was the last butcher in my hometown who actually knew how to cut meat, plus, he always had a good joke to tell. Dave was a professional rodeo bull rider in his younger days, which I always thought was somewhat ironic. When I found out he was leaving I was almost tempted to become a vegetarian, (for about two minutes)

Believe it or not, the recipes given here make a damn fine version of a cobbler. (The definitions of cobbler, pan dowdy, crisp, etc are rather vague and overlap.) The batter rises up through the fruit as it bakes and makes a nice "biscuity topping". I spoon my fruit on carefully to give the batter plenty of room to get through and enough time to get crisp. SB (tryit!)