SuzySushi

I love it!!! You don't mind if I borrow your idea for my next kids' party....

My favorite way of roasting chicken is the way an Armenian friend brought up in Lebanon taught me: Place the chicken on a vertical roaster in a roasting pan. Rub the chicken generously with Aleppo pepper and za'atar. Pour about 1/2 cup of water into the roasting pan to prevent the fat from splattering. Roast at 375F until the chicken tests done.

Shiso sells for about $1.29 for a 10-leaf pack here. I hope this weekend to finally plant the shiso seeds I bought last month.

We've been doing a lot of leftovers lately.... our freezer was packed from the culinary experiments of the past couple of months! Shu Mai, Chicken Chakhokhbili, broiled salmon, even leftover brown rice. Tonight is grilled lamb steaks with Moroccan spices (a mix a friend fbrought back from France), Rice-a-Roni (hey, my daughter likes it and it reminds me of my childhood), and rotkohl (sweet-and-sour red cabbage simmered in wine and applesauce). There's still half a greasy duck in the freezer, cooked Spanish style with green olives. (That's the last time I'll stew duck.)

Looks & sounds delicious!!! I was alway told NOT to cover any pan to which coconut milk was added, or the coconut milk would curdle. You didn't have any problem?

If there's a 99 Ranch market near you, they sell black chickens fresh in the meat case. I've read that they're usually used to make a chicken soup that is given to new mothers. They're supposedly higher in iron than regular chickens, but I haven't seen any scientific studies.

Also check out restaurant supply houses. They tend to have reasonable prices.

I agree with the Chinese restaurant advice. Sounds like you want a kind of banquet menu. Most restaurants provide them, with a balanced selection of dishes and fancier foods than their regular menu offers.

Okay... a few more recipe ideas: For skinless, boneless chicken breasts or thighs -- Place on a large piece of foil on a baking sheet. Top with (your choice) ponzu sauce; chopped fresh herbs & butter; chopped mango chutney mixed with a little curry powder. Seal foil to contain chicken & juices. Bake until chicken is cooked through. Salmon with blue cheese -- Place fresh salmon steaks or fillets on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave on 70% power until barely cooked through. Sprinkle with crumbled blue cheese. Microwave 30 seconds to 1 minute longer, until blue cheese is melted.

Can you get hold of (buy/borrow) a kitchen stool or even a stepladder that you can sit on? Can you prop yourself on one crutch? Can you prep/chop on a small cutting board held across your lap into a bowl held between your knees while you sit? I had the same problem years ago when I broke my metatarsal and was not supposed to put any weight on my soft cast. A neighbor lent me a kitchen stool & I used that to sit at the counter. I don't remember specifically what I cooked, though. I do remember a friend brought over some casseroles placed in individual ramekins that I could just heat in the microwave as needed. Maybe you can assemble some casseroles and freeze them.

Thank YOU for blogging! A few years ago, we drove through the Jura region. I remember dining very well there indeed. It's nice to revisit it through your blog.

How big is the bag of glutinous rice flour? Here, Blue Star glutinous rice flour comes in boxes about the size of a cornstarch box (1 pound, I think).

How big is the bag of glutinous rice flour? Here, Blue Star glutinous rice flour comes in boxes about the size of a cornstarch box (1 pound, I think).

well, yes, I did. And no dishwasher... it took me 2 hours, not too bad!! ← {{{Klary}}} If I'd been there, I would've offered to do them...

Ohhhhhhh.... the food looks heavenly!!! I can't believe you did all the work for YOUR birthday!!! In my book, birthdays are when the birthday girl should be treated to a meal prepared by someone else!!! (I hope, at least, you didn't have to do the clean-up.) The mini-Yorkies with roast beef filling are an absolutely wonderful idea, BTW.

Around here, they're called Vietnamese summer rolls.

Now we all know why one spelling variation is "Darn Tarts"!!!

Oh, wow! I've been using henna on my hair for 15+ years and I never knew that! Must try next time!!! Back to topic... I gave in on school snacks because when I gave my daughter the "healthy stuff," she'd come home with it uneaten because she preferred to share her friends' junk food. I didn't want to make her the odd one out.

The French Government Tourist Office in New York puts out a 24-page publication called FranceGuide for Jewish Travelers. You can request it free through www.franceguide.com.

A few more.... Dim Sum - Fast and Festive Chinese Cooking, by Ruth Law (Contemporary Books, 1982) Asian Appetizers, by Joyce Jue (Harlow & Ratner, 1991) [Not strictly Chinese; includes dishes from other Asian countries as well.] [Edited for terrible typing!]

This is the original apricot-based duck sauce popular in the Northeast: Saucy Susan Duck Sauce (And no, I'm not the Susan in the picture and had nothing to do with it!) It contains apricots, high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, peaches, vinegar, water, corn starch, salt, modified corn starch, sodium benzoate, spices, and natural flavors. It's been around since I was a child.

Ugh!!! I have one in my files for a substitute condensed cream-of-mushroom soup (isn't real condensed cream-of-mushroom soup bad enough?) that calls for flour, evaporated skim milk, and nonfat yogurt.

This was a wonderful blog! I so enjoyed reading it & can't believe you undertook to blog during such a hectic week of preparations!!!

Here's one recipe link. I Googled "candied orange peel" recipes.

It is for me too, as a "light lunch"! P.S. There are actually some egg rolls I like. I view them entirely differently than spring rolls. Two completely different dishes and meal occasions. Egg rolls (to me) are meant to be eaten by themselves as a light meal or snack, or as a side dish to clearly Americanized Chinese food (especially take-out food) like chow mein. Spring rolls are meant to be served as part of an appetizer course for a formal meal, or as part of a dim-sum menu. Personally, I don't dip either of them in sauce, but that's just me!