SuzySushi

Both my husband and our daughter have Type 1 diabetes, so I do a fair amount of substituting sugar-free sweeteners in cooking and baking. My sweetener of choice is Splenda (sucralose). Splenda granular (in the large zip-top bags) can be measured cup-for-cup like sugar in cooking and baking*; the small paper packets are concentrated and meant largely for sweetening beverages at the table, though I've also sprinkled them over fruit and cereal, etc. * Splenda does not behave exactly like sugar in baking. It doesn't brown, for instance, and baked goods may not rise as well. As Andiesenji indicates, Splenda also puts out Splenda/sugar and Splenda/brown sugar blends for baking, and they perform better in baked goods, though they contain some carbs from sugar. For baking, I would suggest referring to Splenda's website for recipes, or Googling for other Splenda-specific recipes (if you PM me, I have a handful). For browning foods to create a lacquered surface such as on pork roasts, etc. I suggest using a minimal amount of a sugar product that caramelizes rapidly (such as dark brown sugar or molasses), or try the trick of browning onions in a pan without oil (saute with a splash of water until the water evaporates, repeating three or four times until the onions are tender and browned), then sauteing the meat in the fond left by the onions. Splenda has worked nicely in the Asian recipes I've tried. Splenda can also be used, BTW, to make mock "confectioners' sugar" and mock "sweetened condensed milk" for recipes -- PM me. I have not detected any aftertaste, although I will say that some foods cooked/baked with Splenda taste "flat" -- they need a bit of something else (a dash of salt? a squirt of lemon juice or additional vanilla?) to perk up the flavor. *** Cyclamates are still banned in the USA, although they're for sale in Canada. Products that contain cyclamates in Canada (such as Sweet 'n Low and Sugar Twin) substitute saccharin in the USA. *** Saccharin has a distinctive aftertaste and I would not advise it for cooking. *** Stevia is not approved by the FDA. I read something very interesting about it on a diabetes message board this past week -- don't have the link any more -- one guy who did research into it for personal use found that most stevia products in health food stores also contain some form of sugar (sucrose, glucose, etc.) if you read the labels carefully. He bought the one product that was pure stevia and said it tasted horrible, with a distinctive licorice-like undertaste. Also, he said the reason the FDA has not approved stevia is that although it's been used for hundreds of years in South American culture, that use is as a (beverage?) occasionally consumed at a religious ceremony/festival and not on a day-to-day basis. There are no conclusive tests as to its ongoing safety. Manufacturers were able to get around that by marketing it as an unregulated "supplement" rather than for food use, which requires stricter safety criteria. *** I haven't read anything about how Sunett (acesulfame potassium) reacts in cooking and have not personally tried using it. I see it mostly in soft drinks. I've read that it does have an aftertaste.

Because gas stations change their prices periodically (around here, usually once a week), and you must've passed by at just the right time... Pipian sauce is a Mexican sauce that contains pumpkin seeds as a key ingredient.

No wonder we couldn't guess this week's blogger from the tantalizing preview: there are three of you! Even though it's a lot warmer here in Hawaii than it is up in "snow country," it's still winter, and last week I made a big pot of this soup from Sunset magazine's January 2007 issue: Split Pea, Beef, and Barley Soup. A nice change from the smoky flavor of ham. The leeks and parsnips gave it wonderful flavor. I substituted reduced-sodium chicken broth for half the water, and left out the lima beans, which no one in the family really likes. Enough for two more meals is in the freezer.

← I'm not ready to criticize Michael Pollan's essay since I haven't digested it yet... but I did want to note that the association in Robin Fox's essay Food and Eating: An Anthropological Perspective is a misconclusion. The high rate of stomach cancer in Japan is not from eating sushi or raw fish. It is associated with a high consumption of heavily salted foods (such as pickled vegetables and dried salted/preserved fish), low consumption of vitamin C, and heavy smoking. As the Japanese diet has become increasingly westernized, the rate of stomach cancer has decreased notably. Source: British Journal of Cancer, Volume 90, Issue 1

Haven't made it yet. . . Probably not till next weekend (we're going out for brunch today). But I'll post back to let you know!

Aren't those pastele sausages something!?! Ho Farms is now selling its tomatoes through Foodland and they told me Costco will begin carrying them as well.

The narrator says that fish don't have pain spots and do not feel the pain. The fish in the video is a snapper (tai) called ishi dai. ← I still say it's cruel. That, to me, is like experimenting on animals for the fun of it. Not much fun for the animals!

That really is cruel, and I'm a sushi lover.

Thank you, thank you!!!

I could go for this... occasionally! Okay, originally being a Notherner... exactly what is in the recipe for chicken-fried batter?? (Quantities, please.) My husband lurvs chicken-fried steak. (Think this'll take off and become the next Buffalo wings?)

Tarte Flambée is also known as Flammeküeche. Here's an Americanized recipe that can be prepared at home. The ricotta cheese and yogurt substitute for fromage frais and crème fraîche, respectively. If you can get the real ingredients, use those. I don't have a baking stone, but if you do, feel free to experiment with baking directly on the stone at higher heat for a shorter time. My husband has a distant cousin who is French and lives in Alsace. I didn't get this particular recipe from her, but we've eaten Tarte Flambée/Flammeküeche out when we've visited her. Tarte Flambée or Flammeküeche (Alsace, France) 1 cup ricotta cheese or fromage frais 1/2 cup yogurt or crème fraîche 1 cup lukewarm water 1 package active dry yeast about 2-1/4 cups flour 3/4 teaspoon salt 2 onions, sliced in thin rings 12 ounces slab bacon, cut in to small cubes (lardons) pepper Place ricotta cheese and yogurt in a blender. Blend until smooth. Transfer to a bowwl and cover; chill at least 8 hours. Combine water, yeast, and 1 cup flour in a large bowl. Let stand 5 minutes until foamy. Add salt, then gradually add remaining flour, until dough is too stiff to stir. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and satiny, about 10 minutes. Form into a ball. Place in a bowl, cover, and let rise at room temperature until double in bulk, about 1 hour. Punch down and let rise again, covered, until double in bulk, about 1 hour. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 450°F. Combine cheese mixture with onions. Let stand 15 minutes to soften the onions. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a rectangle to fit a large baking sheet, about 12 x 15". Spread onion mixture over the dough to the edge. Sprinkle lardons evenly on top, then sprinkle generously with pepper. Bake 15-20 minutes, or until crust is crisp. Serve hot, cut into smaller rectangles.

Tarte Flambée or Flammeküeche (Alsace, France) Tarte Flambée, also known as Flammeküeche, is a kind of "white pizza" that is very popular in Alsace, France. Traditionally, It's baked in woodburning ovens at very high heat, but here's an Americanized recipe that can be prepared at home. The ricotta cheese and yogurt substitute for fromage frais and crème fraîche, respectively. If you can get the real ingredients, use those. I don't have a baking stone, but if you do, feel free to experiment with baking directly on the stone at higher heat for a shorter time. My husband has a distant cousin who is French and lives in Alsace. I didn't get this particular recipe from her, but we've eaten Tarte Flambée/Flammeküeche out when we've visited her. Tarte Flambée or Flammeküeche (Alsace, France) 1 cup ricotta cheese or fromage frais 1/2 cup yogurt or crème fraîche 1 cup lukewarm water 1 package active dry yeast about 2-1/4 cups flour 3/4 teaspoon salt 2 onions, sliced in thin rings 12 ounces slab bacon, cut in to small cubes (lardons) pepper Place ricotta cheese and yogurt in a blender. Blend until smooth. Transfer to a bowwl and cover; chill at least 8 hours. Combine water, yeast, and 1 cup flour in a large bowl. Let stand 5 minutes until foamy. Add salt, then gradually add remaining flour, until dough is too stiff to stir. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and satiny, about 10 minutes. Form into a ball. Place in a bowl, cover, and let rise at room temperature until double in bulk, about 1 hour. Punch down and let rise again, covered, until double in bulk, about 1 hour. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 450°F. Combine cheese mixture with onions. Let stand 15 minutes to soften the onions. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a rectangle to fit a large baking sheet, about 12 x 15". Spread onion mixture over the dough to the edge. Sprinkle lardons evenly on top, then sprinkle generously with pepper. Bake 15-20 minutes, or until crust is crisp. Serve hot, cut into smaller rectangles. Keywords: Hors d'oeuvre, Main Dish, Intermediate, French ( RG1928 )

I've always wondered about Gypsy's Arm. I've seen the name used both for a roast piece of meat and for a rolled cake.

I'm another Bisquick-for-waffles fan. I use the low-fat formula and add a fair dose of vanilla. Have never used it for anything else, but now maybe with the eGullet seal of approval, I'll have to try some of those "impossible" pies!

Googling brought up a couple of curious links: One is to an archived (pay to read) article in the Biloxi, MS Sun-Herald called "On the Trail of Jezebel Sauce" -- the sauce's origin apparently has been traced to the Mississippi Gulf Coast, around Gulfport. Another is to a paper published by the Society of Bible Literature called "From Queen to Cuisine: Food Imagery in the Jezabel Narrative", which notes, "There is a preoccupation with eating and food in this narrative: the narrative reads like a meal. In fact, it reads like a banquet fit for royalty or, better yet, for Ahab and Jezebel's starving Israel." It could be that Jezebel's name is invoked to describe the sumptuousness of the sauce.

Hmmm... I noticed the quiet, too but I'd been too busy with my blog to check out other threads! One new (opened in November) place we visited and liked is Souvaly, a Thai-Laotian place on Kam Highway in Pearl City (near Flamingo, where the old Pearl City Chinese Restaurant used to be). Elegant atmosphere and delicious dishes. We went for the crisp roasted quail and the waiter's recommendation of Laotian-style pork chops; our daughter (age 10) had a satay appetizer as her meal. Those three dishes, plus sticky rice, several non-alcoholic bevs (they don't yet have a liquor license), and a sorbet and a fried banana dessert set us back $52 -- and we had enough left over for another meal! Veggies are fresh, fresh, fresh! We'll be back to try the seafood hotpot.

The figure 8 is traditional for Swiss fondues, and it does make sense because it helps keep the cheese from glopping onto the spoon. I recently learned another stirring method from a Japanese "hints" website that works very well: stir back and forth in a zig-zag. This seems to incorporate ingredients faster and more smoothly than stirring in traditional circular fashion.

Oh, yum!!!! Since I can buy these pretty easily here, I'll skip all the work. . . but any time you want to send some over, let me know and I'll PM my address!

The city runs a whole bunch of People's Open Markets. Are those the ones you're talking about in Manoa and downtown? I sometimes go to the one in Wahiawa (the closest one to me). Years ago, when we lived in Waikiki, I used to frequent the twice-weekly (Tuesdays and Thursdays) farmers' market at the Waikiki Community Center for nearly all my fresh produce. Kaiser has also been hosting farmers' markets at some of its clinic locations. I haven't been able to make them on a regular basis, but have always bought items when I've gone. No, we're not involved in Slow Foods. Are you?

Wonderful blog! Your kitchen makes me jealous! Also the fact that your boys will eat vegetables.

Isn't it great? Some of the same vendors show up at the Mililani Farmers' Market on Sundays (much smaller, but less than 10 minutes away from me). I wrote that up and showed pictures in my eGullet Foodblog a few weeks ago. . . http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...dpost&p=1330013

I'm not sure that the shape of the cup affects the taste, but the material sure does. Taste the difference between coffee sipped from a pottery mug, a thin-rimmed porcelain teacup, a styrofoam cup, and a paper cup, and you'll agree!

My dad would be 94 if he were still alive. I have a vague recollection of him once or twice cooking scrambled eggs (not salami & eggs, which I never heard of as a combination!). But he never cooked otherwise, and once, when my mother was out for some reason, even managed to burn a can of Campbell's soup he was heating for us kids.

Your Asian market looks fabulous! What a lot of diversified products in a small space!

That's one I hadn't come across! Ordered through Amazon.com. Thanks for the recommendation!