Jaymes

Boy, I wish I'd thought of that years ago. That would be the best! I think I'll get one now to use for my grandchildren!

Probably the best and most literal of all the choices of names. However, I can tell you that when I was a kid, calling it "Toad in the Hole" made it seem like a much more interesting dish, and therefore, much more fun to eat. Especially when we splashed hot sauce (blood) all over the toad.

I used a non sandwich bread as well, but I liked the dichotomy of the perfectly round hole (and egg) and the rough bread. I softened the butter quite a bit to avoid bread damage. ← Couldn't you butter it first and then make the hole? ← We indeed butter the bread first and then make the hole after we put the buttered bread slice into the skillet. That's because we fry the "hole," too. And it needs butter.

Us, too. Our tradition is an upside-down juice glass to cut the round hole to put the "toad" into.

Another absolute requirement for Toad in the Hole in the southwest is several good shakes of some sort of hot sauce or salsa, just before serving.

Toad in a Hole here, too. Hard to say where we're from. Everywhere, I guess. But mainly south and west US.

Over in the "soups" topic, there was some considerable discussion - here - about the Sweet Potato, Chile & Lime soup in the excellent cookbook, "Splendid Soups." Although the recipe intends it to be a hot soup, after making it several times, I served it cold as a starter. Wonderful either way.

Thanks, Randy. I've made a note of this recommendation. It sounds excellent!

Thank you, Chappie. It does sound good and I'm gonna try it right away. Nice of you to share. But don't worry, I'll keep your secret. I promise not to tell anyone else.

How about "Mock Mince Pie" Mock Mince Pie. Three soda crackers rolled fine, one cup of cold water, one cup of molasses, one-half cup of brown sugar, one-half cup of sour cider or vinegar, one-half cup of melted butter, one half-cup of raisins, one half-cup of currants, one egg beaten light, one teaspoonful of cinnamon, one-quarter teaspoonful each of cloves, allspice and nutmeg, five apples chopped fine.

Bags of whole fruits and vegetables that don't need refrigeration, like apples and potatoes, can go under the seats of your van.

Curried shrimp salad.

Lord. That sounds SO good. I'm going shopping for Splendid Soups, this afternoon. ← After reading this post, I, too, went shopping for Splendid Soups, came home and made the Sweet Potato, Lime & Chile Soup and am here to report that it is splendid, indeed. Also rich and unusual. It would make a great starter for a dinner party - especially one with a Latin American theme.

That's an excellent idea. God knows we all had a copy. And the dry mustard might be just the thing.

Do you recall any green flecks that might have been parsley or oregano or caraway seed or other herb? Maybe some other seasonings like celery salt or paprika? I guess you've already gone through her recipes and tried to think of someone else you could ask, like an aunt or uncle or dear friend or cousin... I'd also suggest that you sit her down in the kitchen and chat with her while you make it. Some little glint of memory might come through. That's how it often was with my mother when we were dealing with Alzheimer's and a stroke or two.

July 4th is just around the corner, so I'm bumping this to see if any of our newer members have some interesting additions to the thread.

Love molasses - and the stronger, darker, the better. I've seen it in jars and in the olden days, cans that had lids you had to pry up. As for the old-time sorghum. We find it at various home-style stores in the Ozarks. I think you can order it online. And for recipes - we love it on biscuits, or a little drizzled into wintertime hot cereals like oatmeal, cream of wheat, mush. It's wonderful in baked beans, or in squash and sweet potato recipes. And I add a little into the caramel corn recipe I've put on eG.

And it isn't just that you "catch your own." Your neighbors also catch their own. And shoot their own. And fill up their freezers with salmon and halibut and moose, but then feel compelled to go catch and shoot more of their own, and then want to give you more and more and more because their freezers are full of their own and their relatives' own and their neighbor's own. I tell you what. When the locals go out for dinner, fish is the last thing they want to order.

A huge 'retro' favorite that appeared at every single potluck I ever went to a couple of decades back is "Copper Pennies." Although you don't see it as much any more, it's still one of the first dishes eaten when it does appear. You can google "Copper Pennies" and find a couple hundred recipes, all pretty much the same.

I've been making Nigella's recipe which is basically all these, plus good olive oil, sliced Kalamatas and some chopped Italian parsley. We love, love, love it around our place. ← Jaymes I've heard of this salad and it sounds delicious but I haven't made it yet. Can you share what kind of feta cheese you use? I want to use the type of feta that doesn't crumble but that holds together when sliced or cut into cubes. Thanks. ← Well, that could be a problem. I'm not really a 'feta expert,' but all of the real fetas I've had do crumble at least some. I very much prefer a real feta from either Greece or Israel. I find that they have more flavor, more 'tang' than others. They are much more expensive than the US-made "Feta-style" cheeses, but I don't think there's any comparison in flavor. As far as the crumbling thing goes... I do cut them into squares. They hold up fairly well at least for a while. But I am unaware of any feta that won't crumble at all. I just don't think it's in the nature of that particular type of cheese.

I've been making Nigella's recipe which is basically all these, plus good olive oil, sliced Kalamatas and some chopped Italian parsley. We love, love, love it around our place.

I like surprising with something unexpected. My standard in a situation like this is a gazpacho, kept cold in thermoses, easily served in small plastic glasses with plastic spoons. In the same vein, Mexican shrimp cocktails are kind of like a gazpacho, only spicier and with shrimp.

We've had several threads on Panama - food & beverages & restaurants, etc. I suggest you do a search. In the "search for" window, put Panama* which will pull up everything that starts with Panama - including Panamanian. Then, select "all open forums" and "older than" and "titles only." When I do that, I get some six threads about the country and cuisine.

It's all in the technique. Just like any sandwich (or wrap, or taco, or pita, or gyro, etc.) with a sauce, you hold it so that the 'sauce' side is up. The beauty of this world is the diversity of opinions and preferences It would be boring if everyone looked at everything the same way. Exactly what I was trying to say.

Well, you're sure right about that. One very important factor regarding the "warm runny yolk sauce" variety of egg sandwich is that it certainly does have to be eaten right away.