Jaymes

Dang. I did a search - Dang. Well, at least I know StefanyB is following along.... What's that they say about "great minds"? Guess the lesson here is that I should learn how to operate the "Search" mechanism more efficiently. ATTENTION MODS: STUPID ALERT. REQUESTING MERGE. REQUESTING MERGE.

Julie Powell, a former Austinite now living in New York, decided to tackle the entire 'Mastering the Art of French Cooking' in one year. So, she started at the beginning of the book with a goal to prepare EVERY SINGLE RECIPE within one year's time. In addition, she holds down a fulltime job in Manhattan, leaving her little time for shopping and cooking. She is chronicling her efforts on Salon.com (blogs.salon.com/0001399/) and they are funny and entertaining to read. It's particularly interesting (to me anyway) when she arrives at a recipe that is a personal favorite of my own. Anyone else following along??

Well - if you read my initial post - I got that short-cut, sling-it-together recipe from a friend that lives in Mexico. She has a big family, and EVERY MORNING, they want and expect chilaquiles. So, she developed this system for throwing things into a microwavable dish and getting it on the table in a flash! In other words, something that is about as much trouble as instant oatmeal, only with a Mexican twist. And, I too, am accustomed to chilaquiles as a breakfast food, sans eggs, although you are often asked if you'd like a friend egg on top. And you can get really fancy with chicken or meat in them (as Barb says), but just plain, with salsa verde, cheese & sour cream - that's my favorite. It is ubiquitous on breakfast buffets there - just so good. Also like "molletes," - kind of a quesadilla on bread, rather than a tortilla. Is that what you're talking about??

Barb - must redeem myself here. Of course chilaquiles are much better with fried corn tortillas, but in a pinch, mi amiga in Quéretaro said that she uses Fritos in her "quicky" version, and I was skeptical, but I tried it and for a speedy version, it works. Often when I'm driving home and I'm tired, and it's late, I DO stop at the store and pick up a bag of Fritos and a jar of Herdez Salsa Verde and some Mexican cheese and go home and literally five minutes after I walk in the door, I'm eating pretty good. But I hope I didn't give the impression anywhere that I think Fritos are as good as the real thing. Just tasty for a quick shortcut. And I do think that's true. And I hope you'll give us some instructions as to how to make your chipotle pepper sauce.

That is one (of many) things I really love about Mexican cuisine - the best soups in the world. And I don't say that lightly. I just love Mexican soups. Funny, I think, that they come from such a warm (for the most part) country, but are famous for their soups.

Barb - that looks fabulous. Especially love the thought of the Poblano Vichyssoise... A great deal of thought and imagination.... What's your most popular dish, do you think??? You said you're going to be changing some things... which ones? What will you add?

Queso Fundido con Chorizo y Hongos... Jaymes Queso Oaxaca (a Mexican mozarella-type cheese), sliced Chorizo Mushrooms - brushed & thickly sliced Fresh flour tortillas pico de Gallo Guacamole In skillet, brown loose chorizo, crumbling to break apart any large pieces. When browned, remove chorizo and place into shallow, flameproof ramekin (I have the small, two-handled Calphalon paella dish that I use for this). Push the chorizo over to one side of the ramekin. Put the mushrooms into the skillet, and saute in the chorizo juices until they are soft and tender. Now put the cooked mushrooms into your ramekin, making a pile on the opposite side from the chorizo. Layer the cheese into the ramekin with the mushrooms and chorizo. Keep the cheese primarily in the center, so that you can see the chorizo on one side, and the mushrooms on the other. Run ramekin under broiler until cheese is hot and bubbly. Serve immediately: set sizzling oven pan on trivet on table. Have tortillas slightly grilled and hot and ready to go; ditto a bowl of pico, some sliced jalapenos, and a bowl of guacamole. Provide a serving fork. The deal is that you hold a warm tortilla in your hand and with the fork, dig into the melted cheese and chorizo and mushrooms and scoop some of it up and onto your tortilla, which you then fold over and eat like a soft taco (which, of course, it is). Add as much pico, jalapenos, and/or guacamole as you like. Wash down with a cold beer. Keywords: Appetizer, Mexican, Easy ( RG120 )

CocaCola! What a great idea. Of course it'd be good, with the sugar and the caramel flavor... Thanks for that tip. Have books by Diana Kennedy & Bayless, but am not familiar with Patricia Quintana. I think I'll look for hers, both here and on my next trip to Mexico. So glad to have you here. Hope you post early and often. What part of Mexico did you live in???

You have a point. Many a martini drinker will say just show the bottle of vermouth to the gin. I face Italy and salute.

I am sure that's correct. I wish I could find my original instructions (hahahah). It may even say something about not turning it up that high when the crock is in - I don't know. But I never do anyway. Kinda defeats the purpose, seems to me. Excellent info about the spices, BTW. Thanks... I'm really not much of a "scientific" cook and that sort of information is terrifically helpful and interesting to me. And frequently a revelation as well.

Maggie - Ah, you're a helpful lass to be sure. Actually, that was a humerous reference to the old OTC boards and "pet peeves," I think it was. So: What did you eat for breakfast? Well, Darlin', you've unmasked my secret. Too much time spent in breakfast buffet lines at European hotels, I guess... I had one of MY favorite things for breakfast - braunsweiger sandwich. Bites of cheese & tomatoes.

Maggie - Ah, you're a helpful lass to be sure. Actually, that was a humerous reference to the old OTC boards and "pet peeves," I think it was. Those obnoxious "get the Sunday NYT delivered at home" TV ads ("I read the magazine and she goes straight for Arts & Leisure") were as annoyingly ubiquitous here as anywhere. I'm sure there are few places on the planet where one CANNOT get the Sunday NYT delivered at home. They have arrangements with local newspapers whereby they electronically transmit (I'm sure via the internet somehow)the entire NYT to the local paper, which then prints it out and delivers it.

Oh - I'm jealous. Not so much about the BLT - which I had yesterday for lunch - but about the Sunday New York Times. Hummmm. I wonder if I could get that delivered at home.

You do not need to cut things into smaller pieces. In fact, my favorite "quickie" thing to throw together on hectic mornings (when I was racing to get myself and my family out the door) was a pork shoulder roast (but do put these large pieces of meat in first), an onion or two (usually just quartered), and then dump in a jar of prepared salsa. Got home - pork was ready to be pulled into strips for quesadillas, or tacos, or whatever. As for your other question. I've had the same Sunbeam Crockpot for some 25 years or so. It's still going strong, and I've never felt the need to upgrade, so I don't know much about the newer models. (Besides, you simply cannot FIND that attractive avocado-green color anymore. )

And the only OTHER difference in the U.S. is that half of the U.S. (the southern half) refers to a "praline" as a sugary patty candy, light to medium brown in color, either chewy or creamy, most often made with pecan halves. And for which, New Orleans is famous.

Yuck. I've had Ensalata Caprese many times aboard those trains. I sure hope that wasn't where they got the tomatoes.

Thank you very, very much for the recipe, and congratulations on the book!! Here's how I do my mushrooms. I have a big wad of paper towels handy by the sink, and then turn the water on. I quickly wash each mushroom, getting off as much dirt as I can under the running water. Then I immediately dry each one off after I wash them. They don't really have time to absorb much water that way. Of course, I never let them sit in water, either. I had mushrooms at a friend's house last night on her crudite platter. She had clearly let the mushrooms sit in water because they tasted just like you were trying to chew your way through little round gray sponges. Actually, I had quite a row with myself over this. I mean, should I tell her or not. Hurt feelings vs soggy mushrooms...hurt feelings vs soggy mushrooms...hurt feelings vs soggy mushrooms. I decided to tell her, although not then, not at the time, not in the middle of the party. I'm going to tell her later, when it's just the two of us.

I think this sounds absolutely wonderful. Do you have an actual recipe for it, or is it just something you "do"? If you know what I mean.

I often (okay usually) have a bottle of gin at the ready when cooking Asian dishes. I'm talking stir-fry kind of stuff - chicken w/nuts, pepper beef, that sort of thing. And I splash in a little gin toward the end. This isn't "recipe" kind of cooking. But frequently I will have an actual "formal recipe" - maybe something I've not made before - and it might call for a dash of rice wine or sake or other alcohol in the stir-fry and I DO use gin instead. Sometimes I reduce it, if I think it needs it. Sorry I can't be more specific - I'm pretty slapidaisical in my cooking - especially Asian stuff. Also, I often put it in my Asian/Pacific, etc., marinades - like for bulgogi. I just think the slight sweetness and juniper flavor of gin gives a great lift to some Asian dishes. Edit: Forgot to answer the last part of your question. I never have used it in non-Asian dishes, like to reduce - don't know why - it just doesn't seem to "go" somehow. It might be terrific.

Let's make that three of us. Actually, I cook with it quite a bit - thereby using it to add flavor to the food as well as spice to the cook. Especially in Asian dishes - like pepper beef, etc., a little gin is very, very nice.

Queso Fundido con Chorizo y Hongos... Queso Oaxaca (a Mexican mozarella-type cheese), sliced Chorizo Mushrooms - brushed & thickly sliced Fresh flour tortillas Pico de Gallo Guacamole In skillet, brown loose chorizo, crumbling to break apart any large pieces. When fairly brown, add mushrooms, trying to keep mushrooms on one half of pan and chorizo on other. Saute until mushrooms are cooked in the chorizo juices. Into shallow flameproof ramekin (I have the small, two-handled Calphalon paella dish that I use for this) put chorizo, pushing it to one side. Then, put mushrooms in a pile on the other side of the dish leaving a kind of empty spot in the middle. Layer the cheese on, primarily in the middle of the dish. Run dish under broiler until cheese is hot and bubbly. Serve immediately: set sizzling oven pan on trivet on table. Have tortillas slightly grilled and hot and ready to go; ditto a bowl of pico and a bowl of guacamole. Provide a serving fork. The deal is that you hold a warm tortilla in your hand and with the fork, dig into the melted cheese and chorizo and mushrooms and scoop some of it up and onto your tortilla, which you then fold over and eat like a soft taco (which, of course, it is). Add as much pico and/or guacamole as you like. Wash down with a cold beer.

Actually, I'm not looking at mine and can't recall exactly, but now that I think about it, it is a Sunbeam, that has a large removable crock. And without the crock, you can use it as a deep fryer - so I'm positive it gets really hot - most likely considerably more than 400º.

Well, my crockpot has a thermostat on it that goes considerably higher than 212 (actually, I think up to 400) And in fact, I always sort of worried about setting it too low unless I was making stock or something. I rarely set it below 250-300. So, maybe that's the difference.

I love this idea. My family and friends are used to my experiments and fooling around with food, but I never thought of diagnosing my sanity/insanity this way. Thanks. And if it turns out that there IS a discernable difference, you can take steps to correct it... Like employing some of msp's brilliant suggestions. Which I plan to hardcopy and put in my Crockery Cookery cookbook. Thanks msp.

Yeah, I mean it's not like they're in the "realism theater" business - providing a glimpse of the vastly cool and hip set so that the rest of us poor schmucks can visit it from time to time... Like a Disneyesque "Artsyland" or something.