Jaymes

Interesting; however, I wonder if this product in this form bears any resemblance to the refrigerated one; the heat process cooks the salmon, therefore creating a different product. Cold-smoked salmon is silky and delicate, and it seems this product could not be that. Also, if this was a "retort" product, why did Nan report such a strong odor? The kind of smoked salmon that Nan has bears no resemblance to the other kind of smoked salmon, with the exception that both are salmon, of course. The texture, aroma, and best methods of serving are completely different. The refrigerated one (often called 'lox') is, as you say, smooth and silky and commonly associated with Scandinavia. I have a friend, accustomed to the other type commonly associated with Alaska, that won't eat lox as she says that it "tastes raw." The smoked salmon that Nan was given has much more the texture that you might associate with canned fish, like tuna and salmon. It is cooked, and it flakes. Although they are completely different, I love them each, and would be hard-pressed to choose one over the other as a favorite.

I buy that kind of vacuum-packed smoked salmon all the time. Got three packages of it right now. It does keep for a very long time and does not need to be refrigerated until after it's opened. I serve it on crackers with an assortment of mustards, slices of sweet onion, squeezes of lemon, and a few capers scattered about. It's terrific, I think, although yes, the aroma is much stronger than it is with the other kind of smoked salmon, 'lox.' But if you're not wild about it, you can make wonderful spreads by mixing it into cream cheese, or salmon salad, using whatever are your favorite ingredients for tuna salad.

Not that I think they should, but they already do on the large 5 gallon plastic buckets, complete with a silhouette of small child with head in bucket containing water. Perhaps it's time to mandate that all buckets should contain several holes in order to be certain that they are safe. And I, too, first looked into this thread hoping to see a comparison among the various trendy kinds of salts. Would be far more enlightening.

You know, I've been thinking about this thread and have a little more to say on the subject. It just so happens that for the last four years, I've been doing almost all of the cooking for my elderly parents, both of whom are on salt-restricted diets. I have had absolutely NO TROUBLE WHATSOEVER navigating the supermarket aisles in search of low-salt items. I prefer selecting and preparing fresh items, but for those that don't care to (for whatever reason), there are entire low-salt sections in the grocery stores where I shop. And in addition to that, scattered throughout the stores, in almost every area, there are low-salt versions of the product line. There are low-salt canned soups, vegetables, juices, frozen dinners, catsup, mustard, mayonnaise and other sauces, salad dressings, crackers - you name it, a low-salt version exists. There are even 'low-salt' salts! It really frosts me that some people think that it's the government's business to continue to MANDATE policies that save us from ourselves, in virtually every aspect of our lives, including salt consumption. Perhaps it's time for the government to require (and of course oversee) bucket manufacturers to clearly label on the sides of their product: "CAUTION! FILLING THIS BUCKET WITH WATER AND STICKING YOUR HEAD INTO IT MAY BE HAZARDOUS FOR YOUR HEALTH."

Seeing this attitude so cavelierly tossed off irks me to no end. Do most supermarkets not have produce sections? Or sell raw ingredients? If people aren't cooking from scratch, it's not because they don't have the time/access. It's because they're not making it a priority. Let's lay the responsibility for making good food decisions where it belongs (squarely on individiuals), and not offload it onto regulations that restrict choices for the rest of us, ok?Not to mention that, in addition to having plenty of fresh ingredients in the produce section, as well as bags of rice, beans, pasta and many other items that have no added salt, there are many, many cans of processed food clearly labeled "LOW SALT." Jeez. Another government regulation. With more government rules and restrictions. Overseen by more government employees. That receive more government salaries, benefits and pensions. Paid for with more government money, which, since surprise surprise the government doesn't HAVE any money of its own, means more of MY money. Yep. Just exactly what we need.

Hope you bought some and tried it. It's my favorite simple dessert after a Mexican meal. Fold your heated crepes into quarters, and arrange attractively on your plate. Heat the cajeta. Spoon a little of the warmed caramel over the folded crepes. Serve with a nice scoop of vanilla ice cream alongside.

Hey, thanks for the compliment. And back atcha. A couple of thoughts... First, love the recommendation about if you're driving I-44 or "historic US-66..." Indeed, we see requests for appropriate stops along 66 all the time and this one is a dandy. And second, when I heard that the chili is served over spaghetti, I was afeared that it might be sweet, like Cincinnati chili, but it wasn't. Just good ol' chili, like I prefer. And it really is very good. The whole thing reminded me of St. Louis's popular breakfast dish, the 'slinger.' You order whatever you want for breakfast -- eggs whatever style, bacon or sausage, hash browns, toast, seriously whatever - and they put it on your plate and just when you think, "Yep, that's my favorite breakfast, okay," they ladle chili all over the whole thing - eggs and meat and potatoes and toast and everything - and then they sprinkle cheese and onions on top. These silly Missourians. But damn tasty.

More, including behind the scenes photos and inside info about how it got put together here.

Yep. There are so many things that improve when the impulse strikes to add just a touch of cream. And it's easy to keep around these days when that ultra pasturized stuff lasts in the fridge for what seems like decades.

I use evaporated milk often in place of cream when it doesn't have to be whipped. Even in ganache if I don't have cream.I even recall I recipe I used to make when I was a kid for something like a grasshopper pie, where you did whip a can of evaporated milk. You refrigerated everything well first I think.My mother often whipped evaporated milk. I think that was something that got started during the shortages and rationings of WWII.

And how about daiquiris? Remember them? And 'frozen daiquiri parties'? Daiquiris were everybody's favorite party drink until they got shoved aside by that sassy lass from Mexico, Margarita.

Fifi!! Cannot tell you how tickled I am to see you reappear. And I, too, will be watching for your recipes.

Thanks. I get to KC once a month or so, so I'll definitely start off with the first two, and report back.

And I can drive up to Kansas City to try out some of these restaurants, too. I'd love to see for myself what all this "smitting" is about. At which restaurant should I begin?

I must say that I'm surprised to see chicken and dumplings on a list of 'classic dishes due for a revival.' For one thing, I never knew it was 'fashionable,' in the manner of Beef Wellington, Lobster Thermidor, etc. Chicken and dumplings is more like a staple dish in the US south, rather than something that comes and goes. I'm over 60 and it was on my grandmother's table, I'm sure, before my ability to remember it there. Through my growing-up years, and then when I was doing the cooking for my own family, we had it often. And in the US south, anyway, it continues to be ubiquitous on home tables, especially for Sunday supper. And many 'comfort food' type restaurants also feature it. We still make it frequently in my house, and it's always slurped down very happily. Although I will say that I don't make the dumplings from scratch anymore. I now plop in balls of prepared biscuit dough. Not as good, perhaps, but when I'm cooking for just myself, it's so quick and easy that I can't resist.

I'd want some cajeta to make Mexican-style caramel crepes. There's a great recipe in one of Bayless's books, and a rather lengthy recipe here: Crepas con cajeta The recipe I linked to tells you how to make the cajeta. I sure wouldn't even consider doing that when you can buy wonderful cajeta at any Mexican grocery store. Crepas con cajeta (or crepes with caramel sauce) is a traditional Mexican dessert. It's basically a couple of crepes served with warm cajeta poured over, sometimes accompanied with sauteed plantains or bananas, and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. I'd suggest you research this simple dish and include it.

Okay, so it's kinda trite, but I really like a nice Tequila Sunrise. Especially at sunset.

Love this description. I live about an hour up the road from Branson, and know exactly what you mean. Too bad, too, because it used to be such a lovely little Ozark mountain/river/lake town. Haven't sought out any decent restaurants down there because I avoid the place. Although I do go to some of the shows when somebody I like swings through (like Delbert McClinton), I don't usually extend the visit any longer than necessary. Next time, though, I'll see if I can't throw a few bucks Danna's way.

That's a beauty, okay. Congratulations.

I take three cakes every year to my church bake sale. They are bundt cakes. They all have glazes, but not icing. They all feature booze quite prominently. They are a Spiced Rum Cake, a Sherry Cake, and a Blackberry Wine cake. I write the names of these cakes in large letters on cute labels that I attach to the top of the plastic wrapping. They are always sold before the bake sale even starts. I think it's all in the marketing. And it's been my experience, anyway, that booze sells.

For years, my special hamburger secret was to lightly toss one pound ground round with one beaten egg and 1/2 pkg onion soup mix.

Hey, cool. Thanks.

No expert, but I've always heard that the "corned" refers to peppercorns and other herbs and spices.

Or prepared and served as London Broil. Or scored and marinated and sliced and grilled as bulgogi. Or wrapped around something, then sliced into pinwheels and stuck upon skewers and marinated and barbecued. My personal favorite. ETA: - Upon further reflection, what I'd advise you to do is to go to the store and buy both a brisket and a flank steak, take them home, look them over to make note of the differences, and then have your wife prepare each according to her recipe and/or the advice given here. Should make it very clear which it is you're fondest of. And I could be wrong (often am), and I'm not Jewish, but I think I've read somewhere that in addition to the butchering, some cuts of beef are not kosher because they come from the hind end of the animal (like flank), rather than the front (like brisket). If that's the case (and I repeat I don't know and am just speculating), maybe there isn't such a thing as kosher flank steak? Here's more info: Beef