Ann_T

Rachel, I want to add my thanks. I've enjoyed your blog so much. You shared so much with us. Even my husband got hooked on reading it. Ann

Oh Rachel, to think I almost missed your Blog. What a tragedy that would have been. I've enjoyed my morning spent with you getting caught up. You have a way with words that paint a picture and now that you are posting photos , well that is just a bonus. The shared grandmother stories are so special. No one was more important to me than my beloved grandmother. We, my parents and my older brother lived in my grandparents home for the first 5 years of my life and when I was two months old my mom was in the hospital for a couple of months. So it was my grandmother that I bonded with. My great grandmother also lived with us. When I was 5 we moved to the house next door so my grandparents continued to be a daily part of my life. I spent more time there then I did my own home. I know that I got my love of food from my grandmother. She has been gone now for 23 years and I still have moments when I feel the need to talk to her . Your poem and the story behind it brought me to tears. The relationship you share with Gracie is something very special. I wish your blog could go on indefinitely. Ann

Mottmott, it really does take up a lot of space on the counter. Since there are just two of us for most meals, I don't use it a lot for slicing either. Although I used it the other day to slice onions for french onion soup and again on Friday night to cut potatoes into almost julienned sticks for shoestring fries. Really did a great job. I love the microplanes and agree with you that they take care of most of my grating needs as well. Although if I need fresh bread crumbs or lots of grated parmesan cheese I get out the mini kitchenaid or use the processor bowl with the Braun stick blender. Both do a really good job. I have to tell you that the KA blender is amazing. Not only is it powerful but it cleans up easier than any blender I have ever owned. I don't even use a blender all that often and yet I have gone through both a KA and a Cuisinart and wasn't over impressed. Neither of them lasted more than 2 years. . I had replaced my last blender with a Breville and had no intention of replacing it, until KA sent me the new blender. My son was happy to take the Breville off my hands. Ann

I probably use it at least 4 times a week, sometimes more. I make bread 2 to 3 times a week and the KA does a great job. It is quite powerful with 1000 watts. Making bread was the main reason I upgraded to this model. There are three bowls. The chef's bowl is the medium size bowl and only works with the grater/slicer blades. And it rests inside the large bowl. It can't be used independently. I have only used it a couple of times. When I use the grating/slicing blades I use them in the large bowl. And I haven't been that impressed with the mini bowl and blade either. All the parts fit in the dishwasher so I haven't found the clean up a big problem. But the plastic blade would be a pain in the ass to clean if it couldn't go in the dishwasher. I find that when I am making a soft dough that some if gets up inside the blade. Ann

MottMott I know someone that had the same thing happen to her. Her mistake though was to try and use the regular blade in the smaller Chefs bowl. You can only use the grating/slicing blades with that bowl. I bought a new food processor earlier this year. I gave my perfectly good Cuisinart to my son, and initially bought a Kitchenaid Model KFPM770. I only had it a couple of weeks, when grating cheese the grater blade stuck to the shaft and I couldn't remove it. I dropped it off at a authorized dealer in Victoria and to make a long story short, three months later I ended up upgrading to their Pro Line Model #KPFP850. And because of all the problems that occured Kitchenaid Canada (Whirlpool) sent me the matching Pro Line blender as a gift. I've been using it now for about 4 or 5 months and I'm really pleased with it. Ann

I use a Greek EVOO as my regular everyday oil. I buy the three litre tin of Horio. Mild Bill I've tried a number of different Greek olive oils and like most of them. When I am out of my current supply of Horio I'll give the one you recommend a try. Thanks Ann

Parmhero What could be better than fried potatoes on the side and potatoes in the omelette. I made Moe poached eggs on fried potatoes and myself an egg salad sandwich. I had a couple of Pide breads leftover from last nights dinner. It made wonderful toast and sandwich bread. Ann

OOOH Ling, that looks amazing. I haven't looked at this thread recently and have missed out on some great breakfasts. Shalmanese Your skillet breakfast would last me all day. Love your combination. Made Moe a Pancake Breakfast this morning with a side of Canadian Back Bacon.

Abra, it is really easy to bone out whole chickens or turkeys or just the legs. You just hold the thigh bone and take the knife and cut the meat away from the bone, kind of cutting and pushing the meat down and away from the bone. Boneless chicken legs with Kalamata Olive/ lemon stuffing

I almost always roast chickens and turkeys at 500°F. A couple of Christmas's ago I roasted the turkey in pieces following Julia Child's instructions. The legs were partially boned and stuffed. Pictures aren't great but this will give you the idea. Roast Turkey

I have had my KA (Hobart) since 1979 and it has never been serviced or had the cord replaced. Still going strong. The only thing I have had to replace was both the whip beater and the paddle beater. Not bad for 27 years. I also have a Magic Mill which I use basically only to knead bread when using more than 6 cups of flour. For less than 6 cups I've been using the Food Processor. Ann

Great minds think alike Wendy. Moe requested Biscuits this morning so I made Bacon, Cheddar and Chive Buttermilk Biscuits. Used a white cheddar too.

Pork Chile Verde Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table Pork Chile Verde ================ 1 to 2 tablespoons oil 1 cup coarsely chopped onions 1 to 2 pounds lean pork cut into 1/2 inch cubes 1 to 2 tablespoons flour 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 2 cloves of garlic 2 cans roasted chopped chile peppers 1 can/bottle of Tomatillos or Salsa Verde chicken broth cilantro Heat oil in heavy pot. Toss pork with flour, and brown. When all the meat has been browned, add the onions and garlic and saute for a few minutes. Add the cumin, the chile peppers, and the tomatillo sauce. Add some chicken broth. Simmer until meat is tender. Sprinkle with cilantro. Serve with flour or corn tortillas and sides of beans, guacamole, salsa, cheese,etc.. Keywords: Main Dish, Dinner, Tex-Mex, Easy, Pork ( RG1838 )

Meredith, ooooh , the perfect egg. Cornbread Muffins this morning.

Marlene Great looking Steak au povire. Marlene if you are in the market for a new grinder you might also want to check out a Unicorn Magnum. I'm a pepper addict and have a number of different pepper mills. I even carry one in my purse. I retired my Atlas (gave it to my son) a couple of years ago when I bought the Unicorn. Although not as attractive as some other grinders it is by far the best grinder I have ever used. Ann

No problem Rich. I understand where the confusion comes from. I usually think of Boeuf bourguignon as a stew as well. The recipe is in Volume I of Mastering the Art of French Cooking - " Saute de boeuf a' la Bourguignonne". Page 326. I've made this from start to finish and served it immediately, and I've made it earlier in the day, as per Julia Child's instructions and it doesn't suffer from being prepared in advance. Because it can be prepared ahead of time, it is a great recipe for a dinner party. Ann

Just to clarify the Beef Bourgignon that I make is not a stew. It is thick slices of beef tenderloin, browned and then served in a wine sauce. It is actually one of Julia Child's recipes and I have followed her advice on preparing the dish up to the point of browning the tenderloin and making the sauce in advance and then just reheating the meat in the sauce over a low heat for three or four minutes. As long as you don't over cook the meat to begin with you will have lovely rare beef. Ann

Percy, My husband would be happy with every one of your breakfasts. He loves eggs and would have them every day if he could. His and her breakfasts this morning. Moe had scrambled eggs over caramelized onions with a side of side pork (Pork Belly) and toasted homemade french baguette . and I still had a few homemade perogies in the freezer that I cooked and had with the onions and the side pork. Ann

I make a Beef Bourguignon using thick slices of beef tenderloin. I brown the meat quickly, leaving it very rare and then heat it up in the sauce just just before serving. I don't see why you couldn't do the same thing with the New York Strips and the peppercorn sauce. Just be careful not to overcook. YOu are still going to want your steaks on the rare to medium rare side. I also like Iriee's suggestion of roasting a whole strip loin. The strip loin is one of my favourite "roast' cuts. Ann

Lots of Lobster - what a wonderful problem to have. Someone I know on another forum posted this recipe for Lobster in Phyllo last year and I made it at Christmas. It is wonderful. And they freeze well too.

Mano, I have a couple of escargot recipes that I love. One in particular I have been making for over 20 years. I'd have to rewrite the recipes in order to post them to recipe gullet so I will email them to you. The first , Escargot in Toast Cups is an appetizer that can be made cocktail size or can be made a little bit bigger and served as a first course. And the second is little purses made with puff pastry and filled with Escargot and Stilton. Ann

I'm guessing that it is possible for the can to explode since Eagle Brand recommends not heating an unopened can. They provide a couple of other methods on their website. Eagle Brand Condensed Milk Ann

Not just the US. Don't forget Canada. It flourishes here too. And I agree with you Nina, they are sooo good. I've had more than my share of BLT's this summer/fall while tomatoes are at their best. Grew up eating them but have no idea where they originated. Homemade French bread Ann

I bake bread two or three times a week but I'm probably the worst person to answer this question because I actually add more salt than what is normally called for in bread because I think it really does contribute to the flavour. And I find that a lot of breads are very bland because they are missing enough salt. But that said, I think that you could just reduce the salt and still make your FIL happy and healthy. And maybe you could do it in stages so that he gradually gets use to the less salt flavour. When I was little my grandfather was on a salt restricted diet and my grandmother would order a special bread from a bakery that was salt free. I use to butter it and sprinkle salt on it. I actually liked that bread. Ann

I love goat too. I bought a baby goat from a local farmer in the spring. And I still have some in the freezer. I cook it pretty much the way I would do lamb. Ann