Jaymes

My mother, father, and grandmother all (probably like many of you) saved the paper that wraps the sticks of butter. They saved these to use for greasing pans. But when they had none, they all used a little wad of crumpled up wax paper, which is basically the same thing. As they explained to me, wax paper absorbs none of the fat/grease from the butter. So it's a much better choice than, say, paper towels. And it takes a lot less butter to get the pan greased, since the paper towel isn't absorbing half of it. Of course, like others, we use a lot of wax paper to drop out cookies and candies onto, flatten chicken breasts, steaks, chops, lay steaks onto to to be seasoned before cooking, etc. The other thing I do routinely is to line the bottom of a baking pan with it when I'm making cakes, brownies, etc. I do grease and dust the pan, but I find that with anything that I want to be particularly smooth, or look particularly good, it works better with wax paper. And it certainly comes out of the baking pan more easily. I never bake a pound cake without a little sheet of wax paper on the bottom of the loaf pan.

I never did any sort of a definitive fact-finding investigation, but was always told (in the olden days) that you should only eat oysters in months that have an 'r' in their name due not to spoilage so much as having something to do with their reproductive life cycle. Whether or not that was ever true, and I don't know, the result was that I think of oyster stew as a cold-weather dish. I don't crave it much when the temperatures are hitting the 90's. But when the weather cools, I find myself longing for a nice hot bowl of oysters submerged in cream, a light dusting of white pepper and a puddle of butter floating on the surface. ________________________

Yes, I've often done a pound cake. With a few side bottles of a couple of different tasty sauces - raspberry or blueberry, chocolate, praline, etc. Maybe not a "custom" anywhere, at least not that I know of, but always well-received. And seems a bit more imaginative than the ubiquitous plate of cookies. One of the least-gracious 'welcome to the neighborhood we're glad you're here' gifts I ever heard of was given to my friend Sandy and her family. The lady across the street brought over a half of a peach pie. The pie was still in the glass baking pan. Pretty unsightly with half of the pie scooped out. "I thought I'd bring you over a peach pie," the lady said. "But peach is my husband's favorite, so I thought you wouldn't mind if I kept half for him." Needless to say, Sandy and the neighborhood lady never became close friends. But the rest of us all got a good laugh, which in the end, was probably far better than a peach pie. Even a whole one.

Revisited this thread tonight. The weather is cold and the months all have an 'r' so have had oyster stew on my mind. Followed some of the suggestions, and made a most excellent pot. Just went with the basics. But I'm definitely going to be trying some of the variations. I forget how good this stuff is until I make a batch. Now I'm all about it.

Here's the list: Chinese Restaurant Awards

I have a friend that loves eating those tails with fried shrimp. I tried it once, just because she insisted. To me, it was just as though I fear it might if I were eating a cockroach. I didn't like it.

I've never heard of giving a pineapple. I think the tradition of the pineapple is the other way around. It's a symbol of hospitality and welcome. I think it started in the Caribbean, or in seafaring communities. Not sure exactly when or how, but if you have a pineapple out, say on your front porch or a pillar by the front gate or something, that means you are home and welcoming guests. Someone once told me (although I don't know that it has any bearing in fact) that in the olden days, sailors often brought pineapples back from tropical locations, and they'd impale one on a nail on the post by their front gate to let everyone in the neighborhood know they were home from sea and that it would be a good time to drop by. Whatever the origin, you often see pineapples carved into various front door decorations in the south. And at Christmastime, many people use a pineapple as the centerpiece of a wreath near their entrance-way, or on a garland framing the front door. It means you are welcome here, friend. Come on in.

For me, The French Laundry Cookbook certainly fits that description. I do love looking through it, and reading it, but most of the recipes seem quite complicated and expensive. I was thinking, however, maybe the croutons...

I was always told that the original "Hot Toddy" was a Scottish drink and therefore made, of course, with Scotch. I had both Irish and Scots ancestors, all of whom eventually landed in the American South, bourbon country. So the Hot Toddy argument could get lively in our family. But the Scottish side of the family maintained that a proper Hot Toddy was Scotch, boiling water, lemon, honey, cloves and cinnamon.

In my house, we kids always got "Vitamin C Tea" when we felt a cold coming on. You crush a bunch of Vitamin C tabs, then add hot water to whatever strength you wish, and honey to taste. Yes, there were also "Hot Toddies" in the house - bourbon, lemon juice and honey - but the grownups took those, primarily to help them deal with a bunch of sick kids.

More votes for Herdez canned salsas - casera & verde. Not only are they tasty, they're a perfect size to keep around for emergencies when we're out of our homemade salsa, and an even better size to ship to salsa-missin' friends, family, troops, etc., overseas.

Like most, I think the sweet mild onions are not particularly good for most cooking applications. They don't impart a strong onion flavor, and their special qualities seem to be lost after cooking. And although I think they're tasty on a shish-k-bob, I'd never use something like Vidalias or Maui or Texas sweet onions in, say, a soup or stew. I use yellow for most cooking applications; white for Mexican dishes. Don't know if it's true, but I read once that white onions have more water in them. Beats me, but since I know they're standard in Mexican recipes, that's what I use. That said, it does seem to me that the typical red onions available in the supermarkets today are nowhere nearly so sweet as the red/purple onions that we used to get. I remember being told when I was young that the flatter the red/purple onion was, the sweeter. Now, for the most part, they don't seem flat and they don't seem sweet. I'm not sure what happened. I will say that a few weeks back, I bought a bag of purple onions labeled "Spanish Sweets." They were flat and they were sweet. But before I saw those, I'd say it's been years since I've seen flat, sweet purple onions in the stores. __________________

On cold winter days, we often put a chuck roast into the crockpot first thing in the morning, along with a couple of cups of homemade salsa (or Herdez salsa casera if we don't have any homemade in the fridge). By dinner time, it's ready to be ladled into tortillas and served with all the taco fixin's alongside. And a couple of Shiners. 'Cause this is Texas.

I don't think this will make much difference at all. I'd bet that the vast majority of folks won't even have heard about this, much less care. The ones that have, and do, likely will give the place a try so that they know what all the fuss is about and can comment; as in: "Well, we went last weekend and we think...blahblahblah." But the bottom line, I feel pretty sure, is that if the restaurant is putting out great food, they'll succeed. And if they're not, they won't.

It was served at a very nice luncheon I once attended. I meant to try to replicate the recipe, but never gave it a go, so I'm not sure. Guess I'd probably start with a google or two.

I have, from time to time through the years, had left-over champagne. I've found you can sub it for white wine in pretty-much any recipe. And it makes a great vinaigrette salad dressing. I've also seen it used (although I've not done it) in a congealed fruit salad. Like joesan said, the bubbles had been preserved in the gelatin. It was lovely, and quite tasty.

That is just beautiful. Beautiful. Did you follow a specific recipe, or just wing it? I'd love to know how you did it.

Big pot of chili. And I mean a big one. Smells so good and warm and comforting. And it will be nice to have it in the fridge for impromptu snacking, chili dogs, chili & eggs. Everything, really. Nothing better on cold winter days.

Some years back, I had a good friend named Gayle. She and her husband, Bo, were from the deep south - Mississippi, I think. Our husbands worked together in the same organization, so we often saw one another at various social gatherings. One year, at one such gathering, just before Thanksgiving, it was announced that the sign-up sheet was coming around and that everyone should write down what they would bring to the upcoming Thanksgiving potluck. Gayle and I were sitting down chatting, across the room from where the sheet was being started. She stopped in mid-sentence, said loudly, "I'll bring the pumpkin pie," dashed across the room, grabbed the list, and wrote "pumpkin pie" beside her name. Several weeks passed, and now it was time to plan the Christmas party. This time, when the sign-up sheet reached her, someone else had already volunteered to bring the pumpkin pie. Gayle immediately went to find the other woman. "If you don't mind, I'd really like to bring the pumpkin pie," she said. "I've got a recipe I just really like. Is there something else you could bring?" And the adjustment was made. Honestly, I didn't think all that much about it. Just that Gayle must have had, as she said, a recipe she really liked. But after a year went by, and plans were being made for the next holiday potluck, when the same thing happened again, it piqued my curiosity. "I can't help but wonder," I asked her, "what is it with you and pumpkin pie." "Well," she said, "I'll tell you, but you have to promise me you won't tell anyone else. The truth is that I really hate pumpkin pie. I don't know exactly why. Maybe it's the texture. And it gives me heartburn. I'm not sure what it is, but I really can't stand it. And I learned years ago that I can just take sweet potato pie, which I like a whole lot better, and nobody ever knows the difference." _________________

Well, I'm certainly glad you came to your senses and posted this. I've never tried adding cardamom and coconut, and I'll bet the rum is terrific. I've had several sweet potato dishes in the Caribbean that include rum, but never thought of it with the traditional sweet potato holiday casserole. So, thanks!

You know, several people have talked about that traditional sweet potato dish redolent with spices (some or all - white pepper, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, allspice), several pats of butter, a hint of fruit (pineapple, orange, lemon), a splash of bourbon, something sweet (brown sugar, molasses, sorghum, maple syrup), and topped with marshmallows and baked until they are brown and crunchy. Many here say it's "too cloyingly sweet." I can't help but wonder... Y'all do know that you add sugar or other sweeteners to your taste, don't you? My mom didn't think sweets were good for us, so she added just a small sprinkle of brown sugar, and usually not even that. Sure, they were sweeter than the mashed potatoes or the cornbread dressing. But "cloying" they were certainly not. __________________

Not gonna pretend that I don't find this discouraging. I was hopeful that they were a fairly standard produce item in NJ. Now I suspect it may have been just one farmer with just one stand and maybe he just got lucky in a produce sorta way just that one summer. I would doubt my own memory, but there were several of us, and we stayed several weeks, and we went back there and bought those potatoes several times and we all agreed they were among the best sweet potatoes we had ever tasted. Ah well, life moves on.

Andie - have you tried the white ones? Do you know where they're from? The New Jersey ones were a first for me, but boy were they good. I guess that's why they call it the Garden State, eh? I've even asked at the produce departments here in Texas, but no luck. eta--satsumaimo flesh isn't really white, but is more yellowish. It's just whiter than the orange sweet potato. Have you tried your local Asian supermarkets? It might be different, but when I think of "white sweet potatoes" I think of satsumaimo (purple-ish skin, white flesh). Even if they're not the same, it might be worth a try to get the Asian ones. They might suit your needs or cravings until you can find the ones you're looking for. I have not tried the Asian supermarkets, but Houston has an enormous Asian population, and many large Asian supermarkets, including 99 Ranch among others. I do buy produce from them from time to time but, for some reason, hadn't thought about looking for those white sweet potatoes there. I guess because I keep thinking about them being a New Jersey thing. And Andie, I don't think the ones we had are the same variety you're getting. You said that the white sweet potatoes you buy are not as sweet as the orange. We were camping down in Cape May, and bought those white sweet potatoes from a roadside stand several times. We all agreed that we thought they were considerably sweeter than the orange and yellow varieties that we had had in the past. Maybe I should post my query in the New Jersey forum.

Andie - have you tried the white ones? Do you know where they're from? The New Jersey ones were a first for me, but boy were they good. I guess that's why they call it the Garden State, eh? I've even asked at the produce departments here in Texas, but no luck. ________________