Jaymes

I don't understand the assertion that "cold cheese" is a bad thing. If I got a cracker and topped it with a slice of cheese and pepperoni, I'd be pretty happy with it, and not feel the need to heat it up. Basically, that's just what a cold pizza is. Some sort of bread topped with cheese, pepperoni, etc.

Many nursing moms are determined that their babies never drink formula. Breast milk freezes well. If you freeze any extra, you can have it on hand so that when Mom's not around, the babysitter/daddy/granny can feed the baby.

I find candy corn too sweet and one-dimensional. But, mixed with lots of salty roasted peanuts, candy corn is dangerous! Oh great. Figure out a way to make the one thing I don't like into yet another thing I can't resist. Anyone else have the problem of eating up all the Halloween candy before Halloween? Or am I the only one with the willpower of your average two-year-old.

Funny about candy corn. It's what I always buy to give out to the little ones. And that's because I can't stand it. Everything else I buy, I wind up eating myself before Halloween. And then just have to go buy more. But candy corn does the trick.

Me, too. What RRO said. And honestly, if you find this fairly innocuous thread too hot to handle, you're better off to not risk exposing yourself further to the wide range of experiences, opinions, etc., routinely expressed on eG (and most online forums, for that matter). You seem to be suggesting that unless everyone agrees with you and cheers you on, we should just shut up. That ain't gonna happen.

I can see how the owner/chef of a struggling restaurant in a competitive market (like New York) could decide that, instead of relying on the things that usually ensure success (excellent food, service, etc.), what he needs is a controversial and attention-getting promotional stunt, like serving ice cream, cheese, etc., made from his wife's breast milk. Not only would it get everyone talking about the restaurant, it even might bring in paying customers - curiosity seekers, voyeurs interested in knowing what his wife's breast milk tastes like, and so forth. But then you'd run into quality control issues. Commercial food producers rely on consistent ingredients to ensure consistent results. And everyone knows that the diet of a lactating female affects the fat content, flavor, etc., of the milk. So then what...? "Honey, I don't mean to hurt your feelings, but the last batch of your milk just wasn't as good as before. Would you mind if tonight I put a half-stick of butter into your mashed potatoes? And a couple handfuls of clover into your salad?"

I’ve been thinking about this and trying to define exactly what it is that I find so off-putting. I think it’s the level of unwanted intimacy. Breast-feeding a child is among the most intimate acts a human being can undertake. That level of intimacy is natural and normal between mother and child. It’s even crucial, according to most experts in the field, for human babies to develop the ability to form healthy, loving and close bonds with other humans. I personally find that level of intimacy to be something I’m not interested in with other humans. Yes, when I was breast-feeding my own children, had my husband expressed an interest in giving it a go for some reason, I probably would have indulged him. But I would have hoped that it wouldn’t turn into a habit. Not because I would have been squeamish about it (I wouldn’t), but because I would have felt ridiculous sitting there suckling a grown man and considering the possibility that perhaps my mother had been right, and I should have married someone more mature. This discomfit with this level of unwanted intimacy only extends to humans. And not just with humans that I already know. In fact, that has nothing to do with it. As I said above, for many years, my father was in the cattle business and lived in the country. Most everyone had livestock. If I had been invited to the home of a neighboring farmer for dinner and remarked upon how delicious was the ice cream, I would have felt far more comfortable had the farmer said, “Yeah, this morning I milked the cow” than had he said, “Yeah, this morning I milked the wife.” Even if I knew the cow well. But had just met the wife.

I think it's important to remember that she has a family. I'd really make an effort to include something fun as well.

Good idea. Ice cream out of cat's milk. Maybe that's where these people should start.

I think the "needlessly provocative" and weird and shocking and attention-getting thing is the ONLY reason why anyone would want to do it. And, sitting across the table from your sister that, you've just been told, provided the milk for the ice cream, and staring at her breasts while you "digested" that thought, would undoubtedly be an image that you never would be able to completely get out of your mind. You'd never be able to look at her the same way again. Or think of her, without remembering the taste of her breast milk in your mouth. But no, not weird at all.

Weirder than keeping a cow or goat in an artificial state of lactation and drinking that? I don't have a personal relationship with cows or goats. Even if I kept said cow or goat in my back yard (which, in fact, my father, who was in the cattle business has done), it's not the same. I don't think human breast milk in and of itself is "yucky." I'm a grandmother. I nursed my three children. Right now, I'm living with my daughter and her husband and their three children, one of whom is a 2-mo-old. My daughter works full-time and I mind the babies. My daughter is breast-feeding, but since she's gone at work all day, she pumps milk at work, and puts it into the fridge each evening for me to feed the baby the next day. So we have a lot of it around - in the fridge and in the freezer. I handle it every single day. I don't have any "sexual" issues with my daughter, I can assure you. But I have no interest in how her milk tastes. I recall tasting my own back 30 years ago, just out of curiosity, but didn't feel the need to make ice cream out of it and serve it at a dinner party. For those of you that don't think it's weird to want to do that, imagine that you're sitting at the dinner table of, say, your sister, or sister-in-law, "Caitlyn," and you're polishing off the last of the ice cream, which has a bit of an unusual taste you can't quite place, and your brother or brother-in-law says, "How did you like that ice cream? I made it this morning from Caitlyn's milk. We've been saving up, and she just expressed enough last night to make a nice supply of ice cream. Surprise!" So now imagine looking across the table at sis, Caitlyn (and her breasts, of course, because you wouldn't be able to stop yourself), knowing you've just had some of her breast milk. Not weird?

Yes, add just a little more oil, it makes it very soft in the freezer. The peeled garlic comes in a squarish container with a mouth big enough for the blender, and the shape is very compact for the freezer. No clean up, no work. Garlic paste also maximizes garlic flavor, and shortens cooking time. With chopped garlic for many recipes, I often have to caramelize the garlic first. Great for making quick garlic bread. dcarch I'm also in the crowd that thinks garlic presses are a huge waste of time, space, money, etc. I've always done the 'side of the chef's knife and salt' mash up. If I had a large amount, then get out the mortar and pestle. I've looked longingly at those big plastic jars of peeled garlic cloves, but figured they wouldn't hold the flavor long enough or well enough to be as good as fresh, so I've never bought them. But this sounds promising. Next time I see one of those jars, instead of just gazing longingly, I'm giving it a try. Thanks.

Yes, it is weird. That's the whole point, isn't it? Weird for weird's sake alone?

Interesting. I've never heard of doing that to French toast, but my grandmother often coated fish in crushed corn flakes before frying. And then there's fried ice cream... So I can see how it could be really tasty.

Well, Fat Guy... Have you given it another go?

I'd consider some sort of bars. Lemon bars would be my personal first choice, but any of the good cookie-type squares or bars would work. You wouldn't have to keep them warm, like cobbler (which can be served cold or room temp of course, but it's better warm, with ice cream), easy to serve and eat, everybody loves them, and people can take some home if they wish.

No slice of Vidalia onion?

Many folks in Alaska smoke and can various meats - salmon in particular, but also moose and reindeer. There's a "get it when you can and put it up for when you can't" attitude there that is still pervasive, especially among the old-timers. I've been to many a party where someone's home-smoked-and-canned salmon was served, and fabulous isn't too strong a word for what that tasted like. I also keep canned white chicken meat on hand for impromptu salads. Like others, I had Underwood Deviled Ham sandwiches when I was a kid, but we never had white bread in the house. We always had an assortment of other sorts of breads available - various nuts and grains type breads, whole wheat, rye, etc. Our kid lunch sandwich of routine was made with Roman Meal. I still eat deviled ham sandwiches occasionally, on wheat, made with Duke's mayo and a big slice of sweet onion and beefsteak tomato, but no longer crave it. When I was really young, back in the '50's, my mother would sometimes fry Spam slices in butter, adding a can of pineapple or fruit salad (we kids loved those bright red cherries and would fight over who got the most) to the skillet. But, aside from the cherries, nobody much liked it. If my dad got to the pan before Mom finished it and turned it out, my dad (the real cook in our family) would sprinkle it with a bit of curry powder, so the taste was akin to that hot curried fruit salad that was ubiquitous several decades later. That did make it better, but Mom wasn't a fan of curry, so invariably that would be the dinner-table argument discussion. Eventually Mom gave up on Spam entirely, a choice we all appreciated.

One thing folks in the know advise you to do in advance of an impending storm is to put a cupful of water into your freezer and freeze it. When frozen, place a small object (like a coin) on top of the ice. When the power comes back on and you check your cup, if the coin has dropped and there is ice over it, you know that things in the freezer have thawed at least to some degree and may not be safe to consume. Too late for this advice this time perhaps. But next time....

Not a lot of things much better to put over a steak than chopped shallots briefly sauteed in a little butter.

Interesting thought... I wonder if there's evidence to support that. I feel like the US has pretty diverse eating habits. We're a wealthy nation with much available in our markets and representation in our country from other cultures all over the world. Do other cultures have considerably fewer allergy issues? The first thought that came to my mind when I read that was that most of the Asians I know have lactose intolerance. According to our pediatrician (and that WSJ article to which Daisy linked), you can do a blood test to determine susceptibility and likelihood, but a definitive diagnosis requires an intestinal biopsy. I'm not knowledgeable enough to know the procedure involved in performing an intestinal biopsy upon an intelligent and cooperative adult, but I do know that it requires general anesthetic with a child.

My stand-by in this sort of thing (depending upon the family and dietary restrictions, of course) is one of these Honey-Baked Hams. Ham is the most versatile meat, or so it seems to me anyway, as it's good for breakfast, lunch or dinner, and even light snacking with cheese and crackers. And you can use the leftovers to cook with beans or any other veggie, or to make soup.

Very interesting. Sounds sort of Latin/Caribbean with the lime juice. But I'm definitely going to give it a try.

As a base, our constants are eggs, dairy, cinnamon, vanilla, pinch of salt (we're an 'unsalted butter' household), little sugar (or syrup or other sweetener). Always. Back when I began my "french toast" journey, some four decades ago, didn't add sugar to the eggs - just the vanilla, cinnamon, cream, salt, like my granny taught me. But when my children were small, they ate it with their hands. When I was a kid, we always poured maple syrup over the French toast, or dusted it with powdered sugar and strawberries, but that's really messy for little kids to eat with their hands. So I started putting sugar into the egg mixture to encourage my children to eat it without adding some sort of sweet topping, and noted that it really helped to crisp it up. And as I usually make French toast for a crowd, I almost always put it into the oven to hold while I finish making as much as I think we're going to eat. Even with only a pinch of sugar in the batter, it crisps nicely in the oven even if you add no more sugar on top of the toast while it's grilling. We do like maple flavor, so if we're not going to be pouring maple syrup over the toast as we serve it, I often work in a little maple somewhere. In lieu of adding regular granulated sugar to the egg mixture, will add maple syrup. Or maple sugar to the cooking toast. When we get really fancy, like for houseguests, I'll whip up some cream for a whipped topping. I'll add maple sugar to that cream. And/or a little dark rum. Again, regarding spices and flavorings, as I said above, at Christmastime, make it with eggnog, which has nutmeg (but don't add nutmeg as a matter of routine). And booze. Often add liqueur, such as an orange-based one, but any favorite liqueur can add a nice flavor. There's a Cream of Tequila that I love. As I'm thinking back over the years and the many options I've tried, I'm kind of smiling in appreciation of this wonderful and versatile dish. And have decided there's no "right" or "wrong" way. Just a delicious preparation that you can fiddle with and adapt any way you like. Hard to ask more than that.

Steve and Gayle Henson of Hidden Valley Ranch invested the stuff. His friends called it 'Ranch" dressing and Viola......name stuck. Check an earlier post in this topic for the link which take you to the story. Hidden Valley Ranch in California opened as a dude ranch in the 1950's The owners invented their creamy buttermilk dressing to serve in the restaurant. It was really popular, so they began producing it commercially and selling it as "Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing." The reason for calling it "ranch" might be a puzzle now, but then it was pretty obviously a no-brainer. And although I posted this over in the "odd pizza habits" thread, this link (to a story about a pizza restaurant that prominently bans ranch dressing) is appropriate here, too. Pizza & Ranch Dressing Rebellion