SuzySushi

This has been a very stressful week for our family. My daughter has just been diagnosed with Type 1 (insulin dependent) diabetes. She'll be 9 years old next month. My husband has Type 1 diabetes, so we knew there was always a risk, but his didn't develop until he was 38 years old. No one else in his or my family ever had it. It's been a whirlwind of intense activity, learning experiences, and emotional ups and downs ever since. She was in the hospital for 2 days so they could do more tests and bring her blood sugar under control. We were sent home yesterday with 2 shopping bags of supplies and a 3/4" thick "bible" on diabetes management in children. Met with the dietician/diabetes educator, her school nurse & counselor, and even her school bus driver (in case she gets hypoglycemia while riding home). I'm still a novice about how to test blood and mix & give insulin shots (she actually caught on faster than I did, but is scared of doing the needle pricks herself so needs someone to steady her hand). I stopped at the supermarket to pick up sugar-free versions of sugary foods she likes -- like sugar-free pancake syrup, strawberry jam, yogurt -- and cracker and juice packs to use in school for low blood sugars. It means a complete change in our lifestyles/eating patterns. Since my husband has had diabetes for so long, he can manage it himself and adjust his insulin intake meal-by-meal to compensate for what he eats. But she's initially been placed on an 1,800 calorie exchange plan (3 meals + 2 snacks) with 2 shots a day (before breakfast and before dinner), so if she doesn't eat the correct amount of carbs and protein at specified times, her blood sugars are likely to seesaw. AAAAAAAAAAAAACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sorry if this is TMI for some people! I'm not looking for sympathy, but if anyone has had similar experiences, please clue me in on what to expect and the easiest way to do things!!!! TIA

But... but... that takes all the fun out of standing naked over the kitchen sink with the mango juice running down my chin and arms!

Yup! That's the place all right.

Harold's New York Deli in Edison, NJ is famous (infamous?) for its outrageous portions. A Jerseyite friend took us there during our last trip back East. Near the restaurant's entrance is a glass display case filled with cakes, each the size of a hatbox. The sandwiches are equally enormous, filled with more than one pound of meat apiece. We wanted to order matzoh ball soup and our friend warned us to order only one portion for the three of us. We didn't believe her -- but then the soup arrived bearing one huge matzoh ball the size of two fists.

I'll PM you my mailing address... Those look wonderful!!! :Sigh:

I have a set of heavy stainless steel nesting bowls with covers that I bought on eBay, and a set of Pyrex bowls with straighter sides; use both for various applications. I've never liked plastic bowls because they nick and scratch easily, and seem to transfer flavors. Haven't tried melamine. I'm sorry that when I moved to Hawaii, I didn't take my Pyrex batter bowl (with lid). It was the single most useful bowl I've ever owned, and I haven't found an equal replacement.

Thai green curry (frozen from when I made a batch a few weeks ago) over fragrant brown rice. Fresh mango for dessert.

Not available near me. Intersting, because SmartMeat is an engineered frozen steak product that's been trimmed of all fat and "enhanced" by being injected with up to 15% of a cholesterol-free vegetable oil marbling solution. The antithesis of an all-natural product!

There's another local ice cream company in Hawaii (actually, there are several of them) that I like more than Lappert's: Dave's Ice Cream. More exotic flavors, like green tea ice cream and lychee sorbet. Bubbies is an ice cream shop that's locally famous for its outrageously named treats and its "mochi ice cream" (bonbons wrapped in mochi dough). Then there's Roselani Ice Cream from Maui... And a couple of local sorbet producers... And "shave ice," but that's a whole different ball game.

Hmmn... and I've switched them the other way around, using pomegranate syrup as a sub for tamarind liquid!

The recipe I have on file sounds a lot like yours, only the measurements are more precise. I've had it for years but have never been brave enough to try it -- I'm notoriously all thumbs making pie crust and am afraid this would be the same... 1 cup wheat starch 2 tablespoons potato starch 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons boiling water Combine first 3 ingredients in a small bowl. Add boiling water all at once, stirring. Knead dough until smooth, adding more water or wheat starch as necessary. Cover and let rest 5 minutes. With hands dusted with wheat starch, shape dough into two 11” long rolls. Cut into 1” pieces. A few at a time, roll each piece out into a 3” circle. Keep remaining dough covered.

4 more arrived in the mail for me yesterday: A Cook's Tour of Italy by Joe Famularo, bought on closeout Steam Cooking by Kim Chung Lee The Cook's Guide to Asian Ingredients, which (darn!) duplicates the ingredients section of a book I already have -- I'll probably give this one to my sister Italian Cooking Class Cookbook (Australian Women's Weekly) Where to put them? I have two 6' tall bookcases in the bedroom devoted to cookbooks: they're my bedtime reading!

Pie crust or cut-out cookies. I have warm hands. OTOH, I make great cakes, brownies, and other cookies.

Oh, I am so glad you posted this link! (sitting here still chuckling, with tears streaming from my eyes)

I buy bagged spinach and mixed greens, Kraft macaroni & cheese for my daughter (she doesn't like mac & cheese made from scratch with real cheese!), and the occasional box of Rice-a-Roni (which reminds me of my childhood). I also use Krusteaz Oat Bran Pancake Mix, which is delicious and I haven't been able to duplicate from scratch (it has apples in it.) I've never tasted Hamburger Helper or Shake & Bake!

What I wanna know is, what does puffin taste like? (And don't tell me it tastes like chicken... it looks more like tuna sashimi.)

That looks fantastic, Elie! I've downloaded the recipe and will give it a try, probably with trout as we have 2 whole ones in the freezer.

Ah, my dear, the glass is always completely full. Some of it is filled with air, and some of it is filled with liquid, but it is always full. It just depends on which part you wish to see. ← That's a beautiful thought!

I agree that a lot of the changes regarding French cheeses are due to EU regulations over raw milk. It's not the French dairy industry that's encouraging the changes.

Huh? Godiva was never owned by Hershey. It's been owned by Campbell Soup since the 1960s. Hershey has never owned a gourmet chocolate brand before, so we don't know what will happen.

← Re: your second quote, the article's author obviously has never heard of the American artisan & farmstead cheese movement. A recent study by the California Milk Advisory Board, “U.S. Cheese Consumption Trends, 1994-2003,” identified more than 350 specialty, artisan, and farmstead cheesemakers across the country. The number of such plants in 1994 could not be established, but an analysis indicated that many of the current cheesemakers had been in business for less than 10 years. In California alone, the number of varieties of specialty cheese being produced has gone from about 70 in 1995 to more than 250 today. And, while many of these artisan cheeses are based on European styles, certainly other American-made cheeses, such as Monterey Jack, are "genuine, traditional cheese."

Sounds like taro to me. Don't eat it raw, though -- too high in oxalic acid.

The long pink thing that looks sort of like a scallion? It's probably a young ginger shoot.

Monoprix 70% Noir. Last time we went to France, we brought back an attaché case full (more than 100 bars). Barring availability of those, Valrhona, which is 3 to 4 times the price and also difficult to find here. El Rey, which I can't seem to find any more here at all. Dagoba and Chocolove flavored chocolate bars, for variety. Ghirardelli dark chocolate raspberry, which I don't know if they're making any more because they closed the Ghirardelli store here (poor location -- I could've told them if they'd consulted me before opening!!!) But for "everyday" nibbling, Ghirardelli Double Chocolate (now rebranded as "60% chocolate") chocolate chips. We always have a bag in the freezer.

Hahaha!!! When I'm cooking for the family, I'll pour spices into the palm of my hand and think, "That looks like enough for four portions...."