Jaymes

Thanks. But I always thought that chili powder for use in chili con carne was more complex than just ground chiles. Is there not some oregano and some cumin in there usually? Or am I completely off-base? Commerically prepared "Chili Powder" is kinda like curry powder in that regard. You can buy "chili powder" which is a blend of lots of things... The number-one brand we Southwesterners buy is Gebhardt's. On the label it says that it contains: ground chile pepper, natural flavor, spices, garlic powder, silicon dioxide. I am sure it has cumin and oregano as at least two of the "natural flavor and spices." So, to sum up, you can either start with pure chile powder (which I do, 100% New Mexico Red Chile Powder) and add your own additional spices and flavorings... Or, you can buy a commercially-prepared "chili powder" like Gebhardt's, and either use it "as is" or "doctor it up." It's really exactly like what people say about commercially-prepared curry powder. So it's your choice.

I believe that even in the "isolationist, ignorant" U.S., most people knew that French food was good. Even people that had never actually eaten any had certainly heard plenty about its wonders. But I also believe that we were unfamiliar with the names, the ingredients, the "advanced" techniques. It was intimidating. Maybe it was even too good, too "fancy" for plain old everyday us. When Julia came along she first demystified the cuisine. She translated into English those unusual and unknowable French words for specific preparations, techniques and ingredients. Then, she told us where we could purchase the ingredients, or in the cases where they were not available, what substitutions we could make. She demonstrated these magical techniques, whipping up delicious foods while she slugged down the wine and laughed her ass off. We watched her. She was having a great time and the food looked fabulous. It didn't seem to be so difficult, so hard, so intimidating, so daunting after all. If she could do it, she told us, we could. And we believed her. What Julia really did was to introduce us to a strange, foreign, unapproachable new neighbor. And in so doing, she turned that stranger into our friend.

Mini Reubens (open-faced, bitesized, made on party rye slices and broiled - but you use Dijon mustard rather than the traditional Thousand Island Dressing) and beer Bratwurst, cold cuts, beer Selection of mustards, olives, pickles, crunchy scallions Crackers, breads, pot o' butter Cold roasted peppers, cheeses Vinegary coleslaw, potato salad And did I mention beer?

Rumaki

Bacon, tomato, avocado sandwich. JB - I see you're here. Need help cooking your bacon?

Well, perhaps I put it badly, but what I was trying to say is that now, with kids grown and gone, I live alone, so when I cook bacon for myself, I usually only have four or five slices and it's not worth it to heat up the oven for that. So, I just fry it up in a skillet, or on paper towels in the microwave. BUT, when the family is all here, or I've guests over, I, like my granny and daddy before me, cook a pound or two of it in the oven. No other way of preparing bacon for a crowd even comes close.

Doesn't really seem worth it to heat up the oven for just a few slices, but I can tell you that in my family (starting with my granny, years and years ago) there is simply no better way to cook it for a crowd. My grandmother would be busy cooking on top of the stove whatever else we were having for breakfast, while in the oven, big pans of bacon would be sizzling away.

Well, I can only tell you that I've been making my recipe for years, and it usually comes out pretty good. But, given the handicap you were working under, wouldn't guarantee it there! If you do decide to try it sometime soon, please be sure to let me know!

Well, it's an easy mistake to make. I mean it's not like he brought his 386 pieces of luggage with him when he came to our eGullet dinners or anything.

Not for everyone. I am commenting on your statement that fewer restrictions would seem to encourage conversions. All I'm saying is that there are a considerable number of people who intentionally join spartan groups because for some reason they are searching for a lack of freedom. For them, self-denial provides comfortable and easy to discern boundries. I am not one of those people, I hasten to add.

That depends entirely upon what they're looking for. Some people equate sacrifice and restriction and discipline with piety. They are looking for structure.

You put your left foot in.... Oh shit, you are totally right. I had too much wine tonight. Well - I didn't want to be left out of posting my own relevant thoughts and deep insights on these "serious" topics. Lest I be thought a "redneck."

Not to criticize, or call your opinion into question, or negate or trivialize your point of view, but.... Isn't "it" really "all about" the "Hokey Pokey"?

Perhaps if you are really poor, and live in a region that is inhospitable for growing food, and only the wealthy have access to such luxuries as meat, and someone tells you that doing without those things is better for you anyway because it makes you pious and holy and "good," and the people who are doing something that you cannot afford to even if you wanted to are "bad," you believe it. A great many political movements have begun and succeeded by exploiting that same theory.

Made Split Pea Soup with the ham left over from Christmas. Did most of the stuff that others in this thread have recommended: carrots, onion, celery. I also always add some flat-leaf parsley, garlic, bay leaf, thyme, pinch of nutmeg, ground black pepper & white pepper, dried red pepper flakes. But, because of the recent "cookbook" thread, decided to consult Joy of Cooking to see if they suggest anything else that I don't usually add. And sure enough, there was something: a tsp of sugar, in order to enhance and bring out the natural sweetness of the peas. So I did, and it did. And to finish, I'll do my usual dollop of olive oil in each bowl, and dust with light sprinkle of P.Reg. Veeeery nice.

I happened to have lived in the Philippines in the late 60's. Some might argue that it was, time-wise, pretty-far removed from WWII. But during the three years I was there, several enterprising folks tried to open Japanese restaurants. Not only did none of them succeed, there was indeed considerable vandalism done. Turned out some people didn't easily forget having their infants impaled on bayonets or watching their loved ones' guts ripped out.

I thought this was taken out as a result of Vatican II, along with saying Mass in Latin. Maybe that would explain why the food service in our cafeteria at work serves fish on Fridays. (The food service is run by Marriott, a corporation that's backed by Mormons, so go figure.) I could be wrong however... SA Indeed you are correct. In fact, there were quite a few things that were "taken out" as being hopelessly old-fashioned and not germane to current-day situations. It was determined that these items were primarily a result of ritual, habit, and tradition and had nothing to do with the core beliefs and practice of Catholicism. Among them: refraining from meat on Friday; fasting all night before communion; women required to wear hats (or otherwise cover their heads) in church; mass in Latin, etc. And it's also interesting to note that, although no longer required tenets of the church, a great many Catholics continued to practice them anyway. Especially the "fish on Fridays" thing. It had become a tradition in Catholic families and many wanted to continue it because it just felt "right." Not only are the Marriott Mormons still serving fish on Friday, check the "soup of the day" in restaurants. On Friday?? Why, it's clam chowder. Of course.

kimchi, sliced raw garlic, spicy bean paste. Did you make the kimchi yourselves or buy it?

Tommy - What is that you're serving with your bulgogi? Those little dishes of something, I mean.

Yes, Basildog. We will be thinking of you. In fact, in order to properly honour the occasion, I have even fashioned an actual Basil Dog - a dog of basil - in much the same manner and appearance as a Chia Pet, although to be sure, a particularly lush, classy and aromatic Chia Pet. And, we plan to celebrate the stroke of midnight twice. The first will be at Zulu, or Greenwich Mean Time, when we assume you will also be celebrating. We will hoist high our glasses of pale amber sparkling bubbly, at the exact time you will also be hoisting, in order to demonstrate the intermingling of our hearts, minds, souls and spirits across the cosmos. At which point, I will disassemble the Basil Dog and, along with some EVOO, pepper, pine nuts, cheese, etc., will whip up a Basildog Pesto, which we will consume in your honour, in further symbolism of our communion with you at this portentous moment in the universe. And then, when the clock strikes midnight Texas Time, we will celebrate again, with our own tradition of black-eyed peas and cornbread and greens and pot likker, and twelve grapes fed to our beloved, one with each chime of the clock. But, Sweet BasilD, you will not be forgotten during this second celebration. Because it will have been approximately six hours since the ingestion of the symbolic Basil Dog, we will now each be able to offer up yet another basil-laden gift, although discretion (and local ordinances) demands we produce this in the privacy of our own bathrooms, rather than in the more common dog fashion - out on the lawn.

Well, I guess I'll repeat here my favorite hot chocolate recipe. I like the Mexican brands. And just like in candy, sometimes I'm in the mood for milk chocolate, and sometimes not. So, sometimes I prepare the Mexican chocolate with milk, and sometimes water. But my very favorite is the Mexican chocolate, prepared with water, with real whipped cream on top. So, as you sip, you draw the regular chocolate up through the milk, winding up with both flavors - regular chocolate and milk chocolate intermingling. Yum.

Luggage - am I correct - you ARE Fitz's SO??? Right???

Excellent question, L (if I may be so bold). Didn't there used to be one out on the Lake somewhere? And, how about Walburg for German? Not exactly middle-European, I know, but still darn tasty.

Wow. Un-lurking! That's high praise, indeed. You know, there are just always a few recipes that are such great fun to make, and fun to eat - kind of sets a festive mood as soon as you see it. This recipe has always been that for my family. I am really pleased that it is working out that way for others as well. And, I agree with Suvir - Suzycooks - won't you make at least a few more posts about other recipes you make and enjoy?? And, Nightscotsman - I'm mystified. It's not supposed to be grainy at all. And mine has never come out that way. I just checked in my cabinet and I currently have C&H brown sugar, but as I've already said, I've been making this recipe for decades, and never had that problem. I have lived places where the only brand of brown sugar I could get was some peculiar brand that I'd never heard of, with names I couldn't even pronounce. So, I don't know. Maybe you cooked the caramel too long or at too high heat before you poured it over the corn. It shouldn't be crystalizing, exactly. I don't know what to tell you. I've never had that problem.

Well, they're wonderful for melting chocolate and butter. Not in my hotel room, really, don't have a need for it there. But when I'm cooking in my kitchen and need something melted, I often sit the cup or small pan with the item that needs melting on the coffee pot burner. They melt slowly, and don't burn. Works great.