Jaymes

I always get ALL the appetizers. That's where the big money is, so they offer you good food, fresh food, but just a little bit of it. So you get caviar, smoked salmon, carpaccio, pates, prosciutto and melon, lobster salad....and on and on. So I get all the appetizers, and then a soup and dessert. Unless there's something on the entrees that really floats my boat. So to speak.

Tongo....if you read the first post on this thread, I give a typical recipe for New Mexico-style stacked enchiladas. They, too, are just assembled...not baked.

I'll admit that one problem I have is that several of my favorite-flavored cakes start with mixes. I have always thought that I'd take the time to figure out how to convert those particular recipes to scratch. I know that as good as they are from mixes, they'd be truly awesome from scratch. But then, the time comes, and I feel that craving for sherry cake, or chocolate flan cake, and the thought process goes something like this: "Boy, am I in the mood for sherry cake. And I need to make a chocolate flan cake for the party tomorrow night. I really need to sit down and figure out how to make them from scratch. I know they'd be so much better. At first, I'll probably have a few failures, sure, but it'll be worth it in the long run. Of course I've got tons of errands to run today and a deadline to meet and then shopping to do and the house to clean and....oh what the hell....I'll pick up the box mixes just one more time." Perhaps I should enlist a baker friend to do the conversions for me, eh?

You won't have to worry about 'high end' in any of those places. And they're really small, so it's unlikely you'll get a lot of response, although we did have a member that is from Sitka and one that lives in Petersburg who might show up. I've been to all those places more than once and will say that nothing in particular sticks out as far as the food goes. The beauty is overwhelming, though, and that's what haunts the heart. For lunches and dinner, stick to fish -- most locals seem to prefer fresh halibut over salmon. And so do I. For breakfast, get the blueberry sourdough pancakes, which are everywhere. In Juneau, be sure to have a drink or two or four at the bar in the Alaska Hotel.

I have not moved to Cleveland, but my son has, and I am anticipating several upcoming visits. I, too, would like to encourage any closet Clevelandites (is that what they call them?) to bravely post where few have posted before. I'm sure I'll be there sometime over the summer, probably staying downtown. I did ask this question on another thread, and got some answers, but, Chef Ben, sounds like your hotel is downtown, so I'm hoping you've got some great recommendations. In addition to your place, of course.

As I think I said back on this thread somewhere, traditional Mexican enchiladas are usually made with ingredients that are already cooked, and often already hot. When they do go into the oven, it's just for a few minutes, to be sure they're heated throughout. They're not really baked for a long time...like they required it in order to cook something. The recipes that call for baking 30-45 minutes are usually gringo versions with a lot of heavy, gloppy sauce.

Things may have changed, but for the four years I lived in Panama, the ceviche was generally served in some sort of small "seafood cocktail" type bowl, with saltines alongside, and an extra slice or two of lime. I don't recall seeing any sort of pastry shell, but I ate a LOT of ceviche over four years and easily may have been served something like that and forgotten it. And we used to buy ceviche by the gallon from our favorite restaurant....Las Americas...and I know it had been marinating longer than an hour or two. We'd keep the ceviche in our fridge and eat it up over a period of several days. As far as oranges go, there were sour oranges available (nothing like the US oranges from which we derive our ubiquitous breakfast juice), and the small orange-like citrus fruits that I've seen called Calamansi and Calamandron (among other spellings), here and in the Philippines and in the rest of the Americas. I don't think our US sweet oranges are strong enough to properly 'cook' the fish for ceviche.

You went to a deviled egg "taste off"? Which recipe won? Which were your own personal two or three favorites? I had no idea we had such an experienced expert in our midst!

I'd like more information about what our own eG'ers put in their deviled eggs. Me....oh, it does change drastically according to mood....butter, grated onions, dijon with caviar on top; mayo, pickle relish, yellow mustard for homestyle church suppers. And other toppings I favor are smoked oysters, pimentoes, olives, green onion, bacon, anchovy. How 'bout y'all? Any favorites?

I got some wild rice from our own RanchoGordo.com. First, let me just compliment Sr. Gordo on the quality of his merchandise. This was the best wild rice I've ever experienced. I don't know where it grows, or where he gets it, but it was wonderful. It didn't look like it needed washing but I did anyway (old habits die hard) and put it in a saucepan with 2 cups chicken stock and a bay leaf. Brought the whole thing to a boil and then turned to low, sealed tightly and let it cook until it 'bloomed.' When it was ready, I tossed it with several tablespoons of butter and a handful of chopped flat parsley. I served it with broiled, butterflied leg of lamb for our Easter dinner. This method for cooking the wild rice came from Bittman's "How to Cook Everything." Bittman suggests chopping up some pecans or other nuts, sauteing them in 2 T butter along with 1T curry powder until the nuts are browning. Then stirring them into the cooked wild rice just before serving. I actually planned to do that, but by the time the rice and lamb and creamed peas and mushrooms and deviled eggs and everything else was ready, forgot about it. But still, that wild rice turned out just wonderfully. Thanks, Ranchismo.

It is sad that everyone can't pitch in together to work out a solution. It seems to me that there is a sort of industrial area right there, as you dip down to the entrance. And isn't there a kind of large parking space off to the left immediately at the entrance? Or did I imagine it. I certainly can see that folks in a residential neighborhood would be strongly opposed to large buses parking there. I wouldn't like that either. And also businesses wouldn't like those buses on the street directly in front of them. But still, it seems that there could be a solution found if everyone agrees that one is needed, and then works towards that goal.

If anyone is interested in presenting this thought to the Merchant's Association, or whomever makes those decisions, consider this. The buses pull up. They drop off their load of tourists. Those tourists UNDOUBTEDLY are going to be at the Island for several hours. They are going to walk that loop. They are going to see the sights, dip into this store, that market, the other gallery. Grab a snack at the cafe. Eat lunch out on that deck overlooking the water. They are on a sightseeing outing. Wherever their bus stops, the tourists are going to circle back around to it on foot. If the bus parked just off the island, or if they made a bus 'drop-off and pickup only' place right at the entrance, those tourists would still be on the Island for hours, strolling and meandering and sightseeing. And walking. That's a far different experience from a local that wants to run down there, grab some fresh produce and maybe a fish and bottle of wine for tonight's dinner, and then get the heck home. The tourists don't mind walking. That's what they're there for. Hey....they've got the time. They're on vacation. They want to see "Granville Island." And they've come a long way to do it. So if I'm a tourist and if I want to see Granville Island (and if I'm on a bus touring Vancouver then I certainly do want to see Granville Island), then I want to see Granville Island dammit. And Granville Island is the only place I can do that. And if the tour companies want my money, they'll do what it takes to get me there. But the locals, on the other hand, are in search of a far different commodity. In addition to a quality product (of course), the locals are in search of convenience. So if I'm a local and if I want to buy a bag of cherries and if you make it too much of a hassle for me to buy my bag of cherries at Granville Island...well...fine....I'll go somewhere else.

It probably will frighten them. But they'd be wrong. I was a travel agent for 18 years and owned my own agency for eight of those years. I've escorted LOTS of groups and know what I'm talking about. Think about it....have YOU ever traveled? Have YOU ever toured? Did you do any walking? They could set up golf carts or something to take the really handicapped tourists. But those big buses? There are many, many places where they are not allowed to go. And it doesn't slow down the tourists one bit. Tourists are a determined lot.

Well, don't forget to get back to us and let us know how it was. And if you want more recipes using cajeta, pm me.

I'd say just the opposite. Allow cars but NOT tour buses. Have a turnaround place right off the island....the buses stop there. The tourists walk. But if you're planning on encouraging locals to shop, you have to be sure it's easy to pack your heavy bags of fruit, etc., right into your vehicle.

A chunk of French bread, a generous smear of butter, then a large hunk of Brie or Camenbert or other soft cheese. The butter makes the cheese even butteryer. You know how you eat your piece of pizza and when you're finished you have that slightly crescent-shaped piece of crust left over? Well, I used to date an Italian guy and he always ordered butter with his pizza. The first time he did that, I thought it was quite odd. Until I saw him take that crunchy, crusty bit of bread and smear it with butter and eat it. Man is that good. Kind of like the best bread stick you ever ate.

My favorite dessert crepes are Mexican caramel crepes. They are made with cajeta, which is a Mexican dulce de leche, and can be found at most good Mexican grocery stores. Be sure to buy a Mexican brand, like Coronado, rather than the lame US imitations. Mexican Caramel Crepes 24 crepes 3 cups cajeta 3/4 cup whole milk 3 T unsalted butter 3 T Cognac or brandy 2 C pecans, toasted and chopped Heat oven to 350º. Combine cajeta, milk and butter in heavy saucepan. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered until reduced to about 2 3/4 cups -- about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in Cognac. Place 1 crepe on work surface. Spread with 1 T of sauce and sprinkle with 1 T pecans. Fold crepe in half over filling, then in half again, forming a triangle. Repeat for all 24 crepes. Arrange crepes in two 13x9x2 glass dishes. Warm remaining sauce and pour over crepes. Bake until heated through -- about 15 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining pecans. Plate 2 crepes with scoop of vanilla ice cream alongside and serve immediately. Serves 12 at 2 crepes each.

Barbecue and banana pudding Steak on the backyard grill Strawberry shortcake

Actually, I too will be in Patzcuaro shortly and now I will know what to order. Can hardly wait. Thanks for that list!

Just wanted to tell folks that I've been buying my avocados at Sam's....five in a bag for $3.88. And they're excellent quality.

"Rat cheese..." Now there's a term I haven't heard in years. I wonder if the young'uns even know what it means.

Here's another family favorite. Especially in the summer when we grill a lot of foods, I make extra cornbread so we can have this tasty salad. It's also fun to take to 'covered dish suppers.' It's quite a popular dish in some areas of the US. Cornbread Salad 1 box Jiffy Cornbread, baked, cooled & crumbled, or 1 pan cornbread made with your own favorite recipe 1 C chopped tomatoes 1 C chopped celery ½ C chopped green bell peppers 1 bunch green onions w/tops, chopped 1 C mayo or Miracle Whip Combine all ingredients thoroughly, cover and chill overnight. And that's how we usually do it. But...I've seen a great many recipes for this: There's a Southwestern version where you use Mexican cornbread mix and to the above list of ingredients, you add some chiles and a well-drained can of kidney, pinto, Ranch Style, or chili beans. Some recipes call for a drained can of corn kernals. Some use 1 Pkg Hidden Valley Dressing mix (prepared) instead of the Miracle Whip or Mayo. Also, ½ cup chopped sweet pickles or pickle relish and ¼ cup sweet pickle juice is popular. And you can top with grated cheese (either Cheddar or Parmesan). One friend adds pimentos and pecans. Many folks include bacon, anywhere from 4 strips up to 1 pound, fried crisp, chopped, and stirred into the salad, often with some reserved to sprinkle over for garnish. It's really very versatile -- you can add whatever you want -- and an excellent way to use up cornbread.

Crumble it up in a bowl, top with sugar and milk. Cornbread cereal. A family favorite in our house. You can add berries or fruit if you'd like. Just like other cereals. In the winter, you can heat the cornbread and make hot cereal out of it.

I imagine most guac fanciers have tried it at one time or another, and discarded the notion upon discovering that it doesn't work. The pit does keep the guac from browning right where the pit is, but that's because contact with air causes the browning so the pit seals off the guacamole right under it. The remainder of the guacamole browns as usual. The secret is to seal the top of the guac so it has no contact with air. There are various methods of doing this but the one that has garnered the most favor is to take plastic wrap, lay it directly on the surface of the guacamole, and then press the wrap down and run your fingers over it to remove all air bubbles. A similar method is to put the finished guacamole into a plastic ziplock bag and then flatten it to remove as much air as possible. Some people put a thin layer of something over the guac when it's finished...like a schmeer of mayo, or sour cream, or lime juice, and then stir it into the guac right before serving. Of course, that means you have to add mayo or sour cream, which a lot of folks prefer not to do, or extra lime juice, which a lot of folks do like. A very common thing in the Sonoran Desert areas of northern Mexico and southern Arizona is to add cottage cheese to guacamole. And if they're not going to be serving it right away, many folks spread the cottage cheese over the guacamole and stir it in just before serving. I never got used to the cottage cheese in guacamole thing, but it's pretty typical of that region, even in restaurants. But at any rate, the seed thing doesn't work.

Miss Mabel....you NEVER cease to amaze me. Never.