Soupcon

The chicken is bad. DO NOT EAT IT. Take it back and demand your money back. Fresh meat or poultry has no smell at all. As it rots ie putrifies, it starts to stink... bacteria are at work munching away. Well hung (aged) game ie fowl in England/Europe smells as it is partially rotten and is an aquired taste. Well aged beef also smells, but the rotten bits that smell are cut off well aged meat before you see it in the butchers case.

I have no idea what ratio I use. I coat the leaves lightly with evoo and then add lemon juice/vinegar to taste, toss, season with s & p, add what ever garnish I choose, toss again and serve. I never make "salad dressing" and find that the bottled mixes my children buy eventually are thrown out as I find them so sweet they detract from the flavours of the salad ingredients which is really what salad is all about.

Oops. Meant beer in cans. (not beef in cans... hard to drink that).

If the boat has a barbeque on the stern rail then one evening meal is cooked here. If not a hibachi or small gas barbeque on the dock might be an option. There is nothing like eating late into the evening sitting in the cockpit at the cockpit table under the light of a stern anchor light while on a hook (at anchor) in a pretty secluded bay; much wine (which can be cooled in the water in a net over the side) should be at hand for this meal. During the day while sailing I suggest soupcons of liquor on the rocks (with mix if you must) as a libation after the sun is over the yardarm (after 12 noon). or beef in cans (no glass on board a boat please). Breakfast should be brunch and consist of bread, cheeses, fruit, jams etc. Food for the remainder of the day may be sandwiches you make like those you make at home with cold cuts, lettuce (you did mention an icebox), mayonnaise (does not need to be refrigerated otherwise I would have died years ago) and anything else you care to bring. Enjoy.

"The New Best Recipe" (C.I.) has the best recipe for Key Lime pie I have found to date. I admit to adding more zest than called for and probably more lime juice as I dislike sweet pies and prefer a bit of bite. I never make pies with this recipe but prefer tarts and use in a pinch frozen tart shells. My 26 year old asked for these as his birthday cake this year. Mom obliged.

Absolutely... in a nanno second. I work 12 hour shifts (days and nights) 7 days in 14 and am absolutely wacked when I get home at 8 pm and am in no mood to cook as I need to jump into bed by 10pm or I'll end up watching test patterns as I have fallen asleep watching the news. My brain after 12 hours at work does not compute how to use stove. It barely figures out how to get food or foot in mouth before shut eye time.

When buying the roast ask the butcher for more suet/beef fat to put on top of the roast when roasting.... ergo more drippings, more gravy, better yorkshire pud, and even possibly enough for fried bread the next day perish the thought.

I love liver and onions. Why oh why can't my local diner figure out how to cook liver rare instead of well done ( which I detest)? I'm the only one at home who loves this dish and buying liver (calves or chicken) from my organic meat supplyer in small enough quantities for one is nearly impossible. Do chicken or calves livers freeze well enough to pan fry when thawed or is there a loss in texture and flavour?

I won't buy a KA large appliance again . I tried in Sept. to replace my 27 year old Kenmore electric side opening (oh why oh why don't N.A. manufactures provide side opening wall ovens - we are light years behind Europe) with a KA wall oven and it was a horror show that played itself out over 3 months. The oven was installed ok but proceeded to lock itself shut withing 5 minutes of the installer leaving and it took KA 6 weeks to get a repair man there who admitted that it needed new electronics. KA wanted to replace the nonfunctioning "board" with a repaired one and I declined wanting a new one. Replacing the oven with a new one would take over three months as there were none in N.A. - hard to belive that!!!. To date this had taken three months and they thought I should wait another three months for a new oven. I had already cooked on the bbq Oct. Nov. and most of Dec. In late Dec. they took it back and returned my money with which I bought a Bosch and I have never looked back. It's fabulous .... the Bosch that is.

Lashings of butter followed by tons of homemade thick cut Seville orange marmalade. Mmmmmmmmmmmm

I use beef shank, bone in when purchased if possible, as my preferred stewing/braising meat. As beef shank is not rich in fat, the lower the braising temperature and the longer the braise the better. The same goes for stewing, the closer the temp is kept to a simmer and not a slow boil the better (a good slow cooker here is probably ideal). Any liquid (water, stock, beer, wine, soy sauce, tomato, etc.) , and seasoning your heart's desire will do. With stews veg are added during the stew and with braising veg are added at the end as a garnish.

I have a 5 year old 32" side by side which I hate and can't wait for it to die so I can replace it. I admit it is my second side by side (the first I liked) even though it is dimensionally bigger than my first, the freezer is smaller both in capacity and width which just boggles my mind. Granted I now have an ice cube maker which is a godsend but frankly I wouldn't die if I didn't have it. I have been planning for my next fridge since I bought this one. I want a commercial fridge of approx same dimensions with glass doors (so the projected grandkids don't stand with the door open and ask "what's to eat" while air conditioning the house in the middle of winter ) and no freezer. I will just replace my present chest freezer with a bigger one and hope by then someone has enough brains to design ice cube makers in chest or upright freezers.

Thanks Geoff. I had not considered Spadina Chinatown as a source.

Does anyone know where I can find prepared Thai curry pastes such as May Ploy brand in Toronto?

I'll second the GBS of Hospitality. My experience there a few moons ago gave me the confidence to "wing it" in the kitchen. They taught then (not sure about now) method...eg sauces (white, brown, and emulsion) and that all others are variations of these; basic braises, basic stews, and the variations are variations of garnish, liquid, and/or aromatics. Etc. I now never use measuring spoons except for baking cakes and cookies. Such freedom!!!! However there is a caveat.... I now need a human dishwasher following me around and tons of pots and pans to use as well as a six burner stove.... etc, etc, etc......

The best book I have found to date is "Lord Krishna's Cuisine: The Art of Indian Vegitarian Cooking"; see http://www.amazon.com/Lord-Krishnas-Cuisin...g/dp/0525245642

Hi Liz Having just (in the past month anyway) installed and started to use my new blue star range top I would love to know how to clean the burners. Please detail for me.

I have just (in the past month) had a soapstone tile counter installed. I love it. Mind you I love the veining and picked out the tiles for the colour of the veins. I looks much better with a thin coat of mineral oil. And it is soft enough that we bevelled the tile edges with a bastard file. I had a ceramic tile counter before this and soapstone has now spoiled for me for life - I will never go back except under duress of course .

"The main thing to remember is that by the time most of you end up in a care facility you will most likely either be on a minced or pureed diet, Not true. Seniors are fed that kind of diet because it is cheap and in today's world the bottom line of the balance sheet is what determines what comes out of the kitchen or in most cases a huge commercial catering company such as Cara. "or somewhat affected by dementia." You have a some what narrow view of long term care. Many who can no longer manage a home - shopping, cleaning, cooking and or repair - on their reduced income in this era of low interest rates, opt for a home of some kind. Many opt for a "home" for companionship. There are many kinds of facilities, yours in only one. Not everyone in the "senior" catagory is in a home or facility. Many live in their own homes and I bet in Randi's case they are members of a seniors group in a church and the twice monthy meal serves a number of purposes such as fellowship and providing some companionship to others in their age group. These seniors will have a lot to share with Randi if she asks.

Before you or anyone else decides that something is too fancy for seniors to eat, perhaps you need to investigate the food habits of your seniors: survey is one method, or talking to them about food preferences is another. Probably all that is needed is for you to educate their palates. My mother, an unadventuresome eater at the best of times, started cooking with a wok at the age of 80 because she learned of the health benefits of wok cooking. Have some samples of the new dishes you wish to introduce at some of the meals and ask for feedback. Ask some of the women or men clients for their recipes and get them involved in meal planning....you might be surprised by what you learn.

Thank you Janet I have been searching for a copy of a cookbook for a recipe my mother used to make Christmas cake and I think it is among the listings. My family thanks you also.

I use my own version of Jacques Pepin's Gratin Dauphinois ... the difference being I use all whipping/heavy cream and no cheese. His method produces a fabulous potato dish that I use often. It is even good eaten cold ie at room temp with a salad for a dietetic meal. I have never had problems with under cooked potatoes probably because I test them for "doneness" before removing them from the oven. I have found that if this dish is cooked at a high temperature ie > than 350F the cream will curdle.

I can vouch for Sado Sushi on Englinton. I was there last week and had a fabulous meal. Very different to the usual sushi fare in Toronto. Yum yum!!!

I use shin beef off the bone adding the bones for flavour and the marrow as my stewing meat of choice. And after comparing the results of stewing vs. braising, braising wins hands down adding cooked veg as garnish at the end. Liquid can be wine, beer or stock depending what I have on hand and I sometimes add soy sauce, 5 star anise and ginger if I want to use noodles as the starch. Yum

Daniel (From someone who has been pregnant a few times)..... D'on't ask. She will eat and drink what she wants from what you have prepared. Pregnancy is not an illness and needs no special diet.