Pam R

Nope. Hannibal hasn't been posting much lately. Clue #2:

Our next eG Foodblogger won't be starting for another week, but here's your first look into their culinary world. Any guesses?

Thanks for a great week, Lisa! I hope you have some rest and relaxation scheduled for the rest of the week.

We're just finishing up a great week with abooja, but you may have noticed no teasers were posted last week. We're taking a week off but will return next week with a new blog. Teaser images to come. In the meantime, if you're interested in sharing a week with us, please send me a PM or email to preiss@egstaff.org.

The GF bread and cake look fabulous. Will you make the bread again? Sorry about the pastrami. I've never made one myself, but I'd put the blame on the missing fat. A lot of my customers ask for briskets with as little fat as possible .. we always shake our heads a little . . Now, the 7-layer cook also looks great! If you ever want to try something else, every year for Passover we order 7-layer cakes from a bakery in New York. They are made with potato starch only, no other starches or flours. And they are surprisingly good. I'm so impressed with your GF baking! Thanks for sharing.

Noooo, I did not! Wish I had one for myself, in fact. Her gift was considerably less expensive. Hmmm...she must have opened it by now. It was a FoodSaver, with extra bags and plastic rolls. Though not a Vitamix, I think a Foodsaver is a pretty darn good gift. I'd be happy to be given one.

Chanuka is closer to the end than the beginning -- any good latkes going on out there? I've had it up to my ears with traditional potato latkes and I made an excellent batch of mushroom wild rice latkes.

Wait. You gave her a Vitamix? And you think she'll want to return it?? I should be moving into my new condo next month .. you're more than welcome to come. (Or did I confused the mention of a gift with the mention of a Vitamix?) Was the food at the party catered or did your friend cook? Looks great. I've tried some of the gluten free pastas and have the same issues that you do. There's one made from quinoa that I haven't tried yet but keep meaning to - it seems to me it might be better than the ones that use a mix of rice, tapioca, etc.

There used to be a cream cheese available that my mother and all of her friends used for cheesecakes, but I think it's been at least 20 years since it's been available -- and they still bemoan the fact. But I don't remember gooey cheesecakes, more rich and creamy.

I can tell you that it's not me.

OK. Let's see if this picture helps:

By now you all know that Australia was correct, but the eG Blogger of the week is actually Snadra! Check it out. Here's a picture from the eG Foodblog set to begin next week. Any guesses?

For shame! I love macs. Do you ever cook with the ones off your tree or just eat them out of hand? (Do they have to be toasted first?)

I made it to the Big Banana but missed the Big Pineapple! But I do remember that some of the pineapple I had in Australia were the best I've ever had. Ever. I loved walking through the markets, finding fruits and veg we don't get here -- or really, really good versions of those we do. Do you have any good markets in your area? Love it.

Cake meal is basically the same thing, but it's a finer crumb. To me, matzo meal = breadcrumbs and cake meal = flour. Do you have any Jewish/kosher food stores in your area? Generally that's the best place to go year-round, though it can be hard to find outside of the Passover season. Closer to Passover it's usually available in any grocery store that sells Passover items. Matzo meal will give the cake a more gritty feel than cake meal. I haven't tried it (haven't had to), but I wonder if you could make the matzo meal finer by letting it go in a food processor for a while.

Hmm, I've never baked one, but there is a Passover recipe for it here. Recipe looks good. Personally, I would use cake meal over matzo meal. There are all sorts of formulas for converting flour to a combination of cake meal and potato starch but I always substitute straight cake meal for flour. A general rule of thumb I use is to use about 2/3 cup of cake meal to 1 cup of flour -- but that can vary on the recipe. Remember that matzo/cake meal has already been cooked and dried and it absorbs more liquid than flour. I hope you let us know how your tests turn out. I might try one myself.

Thanks for sharing your week (and holiday)with us, Kay!

As it continues to snow today (another 8-10cm expected) I'll happily live vicariously through you this week. Do you have a tool for husking/shelling the macadamias? I remember visiting the Macadamia Castle (no shame in that ) and they had big contraptions for shelling them. Is it easily done at home?

Nope. Wrong continent. Maybe these will help:

The next eG Foodblogger has given me a lot of great images to share. I'll start with a few now and add more tomorrow if nobody guesses.

Find any good deals on things for the kitchen?

Wow. That looks fantastic. American Thanksgiving seems like a much bigger deal than our Canadian version -- it's amazing to see all of the dishes. So, what time did you eat? Lots of leftovers?

Oh - and other than the turkey (oy!) what else are you planning for Thanksgiving dinner?

First pumpkin butter and now Reuben chowder? I need more info.

My favourite way to cook them. Tossed with olive oil and salt. Occasionally a little minced garlic. C'est tout. That sounds like a cultural mash-up. I've never had or seen tzimmes with marshmallows, but I can see how it could really a similar dish (assuming you don't include brisket in your tzimmes). They also make great chips. Slice then thin thin thin, pat dry and fry briefly. Dust lightly with salt.