Navin Johnson

A very good resource for home pizza making are the forums at www.pizzamaking.com. There are recipes for all types of pizzas and a lot of discussion on technique as well. I do not know the particular recipe that you are using, but it sounds like you are not letting the dough rise long enough. The quickest I have used is about a 2 hour rise, and most are much longer. Also, I've had better luck stretching and pulling pizza by hand as I think it usually provides a better result than rolling (although some pizzas, such as thin cracker crust and Chicago deep dish, usually have to be rolled). If you use a stone you really need to let it preheat, probably for at least an hour. -Eric

I am often in the same situation with a large pork loin, and with similar family size (2 adults, and 3 hungry boys aged 1, 2, and 4). It's an economical and versatile choice for a family -- and tasty. What I've found best is to cut it into roasts of about 2-3 lbs and freeze them individually sealed. That way you can eat them as a roast if you choose, or else you can cut into whatever size chops suits you, chop smaller for stir fries, or even grind. If you cut it up into chops or grind ahead of time, you've lost the option to do a roast, etc. I think this leaves the most options while still not having to contend with the whole 8-15lb loin. And congratulations on your recovery. -Eric

I've mostly solved the problem with my plunger stuffer by stuffing some waxed paper between the meat and the plunger in such a way that the paper creates a tighter seal between the plunger and the tube (if that makes sense). Now it works quite well, especially for a 5lbs stuffer that was less than $30 delivered. Still, the crank models are almost certainly better (although I wouldn't know from experience) Eric

I've mostly solved the problem with my plunger stuffer by stuffing some waxed paper between the meat and the plunger in such a way that the paper creates a tighter seal between the plunger and the tube (if that makes sense). Now it works quite well, especially for a 5lbs stuffer that was less than $30 delivered. Eric I bought one of those curved cast-iron things from one of the Amazon affiliates. It works OK, but the sausage "stuff" tends to squeeze out around the plunger, and it seems impossible to get the last bit of stuff out of the press and into the casings. I wind up having to wash a significant amount of stuffing out of the press when I'm done. (It's wedged way down inside the press and is really hard to get out of there). ←

I'd say you got a lazy (or ignorant) waiter. If you get the fried calamari one of the condiments is a salt and pepper mix. In partial defense of the waiter, I think I've heard about soy being the chinese salt every time I've gone to PF Changs, so it may be part of their schtick that gets drummed into the waiters' heads.

I'm too young to have been part of the 80s and 90s trend but I'm currently getting into homebrewing and it seems like it is still going strong, if not, perhaps, as strong as I perceive it had been in the 80s/90s. My guess is that part of the recent decline stems from the increased availability of better beers at the store, which of course was influenced by the homebrewing impulse of earlier decades. Still, I am also in Mid-Michigan (Lansing/East Lansing) and I've found a nice homebrewing shop in Grand Ledge called the Red Salamander. It has a personable and knowledgeable owner and a good selection. I believe there is a homebrewing club loosely affiliated with the store. So far I've only brewed one batch this summer. I enjoyed it and the beer was very good. If my son didn't have some health problems in the late summer I'd be drinking follow-up batches right now. Seeing this thread reminds me that I've got to make it back over to the Red Salamander pretty soon! Eric