Badiane

I kept one layer of mine, in the freezer, for our first anniversary. We forgot about it, so didn't eat it until six months after that....it wasn't that great. I looked at it this way...it was a cute thing to do, but really, when all was said and done, I doubt I would bother again. I kept the dress, I kept the tiara, I kept the leaves and greens off the bouquet and I have the cake topper. I have pictures. I have an amazing wonderful husband. Life is good. I don't need a dried out, dessicated cake hogging room in my freezer for the rest of my life. I can use that space for things I really want to eat. Like pie. If you feel duty bound, dry out a slice - some people are really sentimental that way and more power to them. Me, I'd rather gaze at my husband and cherish the memories. Have a little party to celebrate your union. Serve the cake and remember the happiness of the day, watch your wedding video, look at the pictures. Then carry on and make more great memories and share other happy days. And fill the space in the freezer with pie

You can purchase rennet from Danlac at http://www.danlac.com/ or you might try contacting a local cheesemaker and asking if you can buy some...McClennan's, Happy Goats, Farmhouse Natural Cheeses might be places to start. I believe it is against some kind of health regulations or ridiculous law somewhere for farmers to sell unpasturized milk, so you will need to employ nefarious methods, but it's all in the name of cheese, so it's okay. First you need to locate a cow pasture with milk cows in it. There is one at the end of the street where my parents live...call me for directions....then you need some equipment...a good bucket and a low stool should do you fine. Approach the cow from the right...make sure the cow sees you. Make eye contact. But not for too long. This will annoy the cow. Give the cow a reassuring pat on the back, and slide your bucket under the udder. Keep up the reassuring pats on the side (tummy area) of the cow. Position your stool slightly to the right of the bucket, not quite mid-cow, but closer to the head than to the butt. Lean over and grasp one teat in each hand. Alternating hands, use a squeeze/pull motion to get the milk out of the cow...aim for the bucket. Watch out for the flicking tail. Once your bucket is full, move it out of the way. This is important because cows kick. Pat the cow a few more times, give her udder a scratch and make eye contact one more time. But again, not for too long, because that really pisses them off. You will need to strain the milk. If you have a milk strainer, great. You could buy one at the Co-op if you are so inclined. If not, a fine sieve and a coffee filter will do. Pour the milk slowly through whichever device you have. Once you have done that, you can let it sit so you can later skim off the cream, or you can chill it as is and proceed with the cheese. If that sounds too problematic, I can direct you to some fine cheesemakers

Dunno where it came from, but out here in the Valley, the answer would be no...peaches and cream is actually almost over and Jubilee should be ready by the end of the week. We had peaches and cream on the weekend and it was just as good as it was the first week it was out. We snagged some early Jubilee from a nearby field and even though it's not quite filled out, it was pretty darn tasty. Hate to say it, but generally when it's starchy like that, it's because it's old...either past it's prime on the stalk or picked a day or two before. And any time in the fridge will just make it worse.

I am a diabetic. For me, a cake is a cake, icing, no icing, it's all good. Flour, sugar, any carb at all, it's all the same to my body, so hey, I might as well go with the sugar, because it doesn't affect me any differently than flour. I have had worse reactions to watermelon than to pecan pie. I can pretty much eat whatever I want within reason, as long as I keep taking the Avandamet. I'm clearly some kind of freak, but there ya go... I should have phrased that as so I (me personally) am no further ahead by cutting the sugar in a flour based recipe and that it makes no sense for me personally to make the substitution. I mostly stick to the nut flours...with the splenda...just because I do want to keep my eyesight and my feet for around another 50 years But you explained it beautifully...thank you

Holy hostility, Batman.

I think espresso powder would be better, actually...more concentrated flavour. I would call them shortbread-ish...sort of but not really - but you can't duplicate the texture of shortbread without the sugar, so this is an pretty good facsimile. Oh...I just noticed the coffee reacts badly thing...hmmm....that is a good post and probably full of sound advice... But I'm going to try it anyway...I like a little bitter.

While I personally have never understood the reasoning behind subbing Splenda for sugar in flour based baked goods - the flour converts to sugar anyway so you are no further ahead by cutting the sugar from a blood sugar point of view - I do have a low carb recipe that is shortbread-ish that might work for you. I don't see why you couldn't use some espresso flavouring instead of the almond extract. Probably be pretty tasty. And people that use Splenda regularly aren't going to notice the taste of it...you get used to it and after a while it is just normal. I can't even tell anymore and often have to get my husband to taste things just to be sure. Almond cookies 2 cups almond flour 1/2 cup Splenda 1 stick (1/2 cup) sofened butter 1/2 tsp salt (if using salted butter, omit salt here) 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 tsp almond extract Preheat oven to 300 F. Combine all ingredients. Form dough into walnut sized balls and place onto greased cookie sheet. Bake for 5 minutes. Press down lightly with fork, then continue to bake another 15 minutes. Let cool. Approximately 2.7 carbs per cookie Hope that helps You might like to look at this website: http://www.lowcarb.ca/low-carb-recipes.html and have a look - there are some excellent low carb and sugar free desserts in the reader recipes section as well as on the main page.

Would you be willing to share the recipe?

We thought that the whole atmosphere were wonderful...the service was top notch and we felt welcome, exactly like we were visiting someone's home...that was the very best part of the experience and for that alone, I can see why people might line up. I did not feel that it was schtick in any way shape or form. Vikram is a marvelous host, and his staff are all very good. Even the woman at Rangoli was wonderful to me and all I bought was some take away chutney and a glass of bottled water, which she rustled up from somewhere and put in a cup for me because I asked for something sugar free. So top marks there. Really wonderful and gracious. Much of the food we had was very good. The little 'freebies' were a great touch, and I personally enjoyed the chai as well. Merridale cider is a favorite and that was wonderful with the food. We had a nice daal to start, and some chick peas, I believe. Enjoyed that very much. For mains, we had a braised beef dish, which was the best dish of the night. We also had the duck and the lamb. To be honest, I got the impression that the meat had been cooked earlier and reheated. But perhaps that was just me. The sauce with the duck was fine, but the texture of the meat was a bit off for me. I did not care for the lamb at all, I found the sauce a bit sour for my taste. I'm not saying it was bad food, just food I did not like. When I said I felt ripped off, I didn't mean it in the 'you took my money and gave me nothing' sense. I meant it in the 'everyone is saying that this is the most amazing thing in the world and I didn't think so' sense. Part of that may be because I am a fairly accomplished Indian cook myself, and it may be that I like home cooking too much. Perhaps just a case of an amritsari daal girl in a lamb popsicle setting, if you see what I mean. I did like the all female brigade, but I wondered why they had so much time to stand around watching the room...I know you run a well oiled machine, but I've never worked on a line and had time like that to spare.

I get them from an elderly couple on Keith Wilson Road...if you head east toward Yarrow, they are just a few houses before the bridge over the canal on the left hand side. They always have a hand written sign on a pole out front. Sometimes he's a little crusty - last year he wasn't going to sell me any figs at all because I was greedy and wanted to many :-) He has an astonishing array of fruit on the yard, and even grows quince, which I had a lot of fun with - house made quince paste would be a nice addition to a cheese plate. Where are you getting the hazelnuts? I get mine from the Hammer Family...they are kind of freaky but grow good organic hazelnuts. What other local sources are you using? Cheese? Chickens? Bread? I have some excellent sources if you are interested.

Yes yes...that's the guy! I had to rifle the recycling bin to try and find his name. We drove by yesterday and peered in the windows...nice white tablecloth atmosphere. Unfortunately they didn't have a menu posted, but I am going to try and stop in for lunch this week. The Mill Street Cafe had sunk to a very sad level prior to changing hands...the cheese list was actually funny...Gruyere, Emmental and Havarti - regular AND Jalepeno!! I understand that Jean-Pierre has considerably 'Le Croc'd' the place, including the Alsatian Onion Tart. VERY excited about that. Not that I don't have the recipe, but still, someone else cooking for me is a nice change. Big Daddy, I have only been in a couple of times and it's been good. Of course I knew all about you long before you opened - Lynn at Chilies is a friend, and the guys from Objekts (sp?) have good things to say as well. We will be back and of course will make a point of saying hi. And of trying to scam a tour of the rooftop garden.

Ahhh shameless shilling Can I come and see your rooftop garden? Please? I will bring you a jar of fresh fig and tamarind chutney

Produce is at it's peak, and this is a great time to come out and do the various Farm tours. Corn corn and more corn...Jubilee is just starting up. Got the biggest head of romaine I have ever seen in my life - at the Little Farmhouse in Yarrow. Practically giving away local produce. 59 cents for lettuce, a huge bunch of herbs for 50 cents....it's been a good year. Out shopping the area farmers and markets yesterday. At one retail 'farm style' market here they had fresh local figs, $1 each. Oy vey. A buck a fig. Pass. Drove up the road to my 'dealer' and low and behold he not only has figs, he's not too grumpy about selling them this year. A bargain at $1.75 per pound. I got exaclty 41 figs for $10.50. Chutney is simmering as I type! Couple of new additions to the local restaurant scene...a new Indian - actually our only Indian restaurant called the Shandhar Hut. Good home cooking, mostly pakistani. They have a tandoor and the bread is great, as are all the other things we have tried. Good prices too. The Mill Street Cafe has reopened under the ownership of a man who most recently, and for the past 18 years, has been the maitre d' at Le Crocodile. I hate to admit that his name escapes me, but it does...anyway, new decor, new menu, looks good. Haven't tried it yet, but I am guessing he knows a thing or two about running a restaurant. Back to the chutney...which has done that crazy surface tension explosion thing and splashed all over the floor and walls. Great.

Hey BigDaddy...nice to see you here...we are neighbours! Not to encourage people to pass over Bravo or anything , but new additions to Chilliwack include a family style indian restaurant and the reopening of The Mill Street Cafe, by a guy whose name I cannot recall but he was the maitre d' at Le Crocodile for nearly 20 years. Both well worth a visit. What are you doing with corn at Bravo, BD?

Larding is quite simple...you either need a larding needle or a sharp paring knife. Here's some tips for you, from some throwback notes from cooking school - I haven't larded anything in a long time! A larding needle—a special tool with a pointed tip and hollow cavity—can be found in gourmet stores. • The fat used for larding is typically pork fat (known as “lardons”), which many butchers sell precut. • Add flavor by soaking the lardons in wine or brandy, then rolling them in salt, pepper or herbs before insertion in the meat. • No larding needle? Pierce the meat with a long, thin knife, then force the fat strips through the holes. When you do it this way, any seasoning on the lardon’s surface will come off at the opening as you’re forcing it through. • Insert the lardons across the meat’s grain. • Slice cooked larded meat cuts on the diagonal so the fat strips look like a scattering of small white dots. Good Luck!

I don't think it's a matter if discipline, it's a matter of control. Just who is in charge, anyway? Most of the time it appears to be the kids. It is a rare thing, the well controlled child. I dunno if anyone else's mom had 'the look', but mine had it down to a science. A twitch of that eyebrow and boy oh boy you better knock it off. It worked like a charm. There were never any concrete threats, you just knew that if you didn't behave, 'something bad' would happen. Never found out what that was, I was too chicken to disobey...I had older siblings with horror stories, all fictional but very effective. Going to restaurants was a rare treat. Always prefaced with 'You will not order the most expensive thing on the menu' and 'we will have dessert at home'. My mom still says that to me when we go out...and I am 40 years old. Come to think of it, she still has 'the look', too. And oddly, even though I am paying most of the time these days, I never order what I really want, I get something I think she would find acceptable. And we always have dessert at home.

This is my husband's recipe, from his days as a patissiere. Instead of buying pistachio paste, I just grind up some pistachios, or, if I'm in a mood, beat them in a mortar and pestle. I use regular sugar, and Creamo (half and half) or Cereal Cream if I can get it, since that is what is closest to British milk. 6 egg yolks 120g caster sugar 500ml full cream milk 30g pistachio paste 30g shelled pistachio nuts, roughly chopped 1. In a large bowl whisk the yolks with 60g of caster sugar until thick and creamy. 2. Bring the milk and remaining caster sugar to the boil. Remove from the heat and mix in the pistachio paste, stirring until dissolved. Pour the hot milk into the whisked yolks and stir well. 3. Return the pistachio mixture to the pan and cook over a very low heat stirring constantly with a spatula until the mixture thickens enough to coat the spatula. 4. Cool the pistachio custard, then refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Strain the mixture into an ice cream maker and churn until frozen, following manufacturer’s instructions. 5.Mix in the chopped pistachios and freeze until required. And where is this diner? How do I get there? We LOVE diners!

Oh Lord...Andrew's website...must control the laughter.... 8) Nonna’s Cod Calabrese Sauteed in a quasi potato, onion, and tomato stew. Quasi stew and a southern Italian delight. 13) ** Porterhouse Botticelli Porterhouse steak topped with caramelized burnt crispy onions and a Sherry/Madeira demy-glace. Absolutely amazing. Oh my...and then there is Tuna Tartare Tostitos! Hysterical.

Being a small town dweller, I am all to familiar with the pitfalls....A few months ago, we went to one of the three 'nice' restaurants here in town...heard the menu had changed, so we thought what the heck. Oh it had changed...they added a cheese list! And here it is! Emmenthal Gruyere Cheddar (mild or Old Nippy) Havarti (regular or jalepeno) Be still my beating heart. Supermarket cheese. They closed about 6 weeks later...completely puzzled as to why the new menu didn't boost sales.

I live in a small city...mostly a farming community that grew - it's not exactly a bastion of fine food, never mind ethnic specialties. We were driving up to the lake last night and stumbled upon: Hot Dogs Ice Cream Popsicles Gas Propane Bulgogi BULGOGI?! At a gas station? In Chilliwack? The horror. I am going to go there for lunch, just to see what the deal is.

I worked at McDonald's...my very first real job...when I was 15. That was, let's see....1980. Gawd. Minimum wage was $2.85. As I recall, it was very clean, because 'if you've got time to lean, you've got time to clean'. I was still working there when they introduced the McChicken - they were really good back then. We got one half price meal per shift, and the guys in the back would make pretty much anything you wanted. At that time, all the burgers were held in long rows under the heat lamps, and the shift manager wrapped them. I can still hear him yelling 'Give me 6 Macs on the turn'. Grill orders were hand written, and the cash registers were manual. My mom taught me to make change the night before I started. I lasted a full year, and then a friend was assaulted in the crew room and I quit. I had my driver's liscence by then and drove myself home in our powder blue Hornet. My mom was so mad at me for quitting until I told her what happened...then she went down there and yelled at the manager for 20 minutes. Best day of my young life! I got a job the next day at KFC, which here in Canada is a union job. Paid 7 dollars an hour with benefits! All the salads and everything were trucked in, and I worked the front counter and made fries. I worked there when they invented the chicken burger (what is it with me and chicken burgers?) and we were among the first to sell it. I remember one night having a cold biscuit fight and beaning a customer as she came into the store...we had to give her a free barrel pack so she wouldn't tell the manager. The colonel was still alive, and every year we would have a birthday sale - two pieces of chicken and fries for 87 cents or however old he was that year. Worst day of the year. Then he passed away and we all cried, until we realized No more Birthday Sales! Cold hearted teenagers that we were. We also traded food with the pizza place and Dairy Queen...I wonder if the manager ever knew that... Good topic...lots of memories!

Baskin Robbins does a Pistachio Almond...but of course it depends on the store whether they have it or not...They serve Pistachio ice cream at West - maybe they would sell you some...or you could make it - I have a good recipe that I can share. I've never seen it at the grocery store tho...doesn't seem to be a popular flavour out here.

I haven't had anything like that...but I did google 'breakfast custard' and came up with several things that sound similar...you might try that.

The Pit was there on it's own for years...and then when they decided to open the second place, they held a contest to name it and someone came up with 'the Pendulum'...ergo the Poe reference...quite clever. I was working there at the time and got to help read all the entries...that was a long time ago and now I feel old. My personal favorite was a place in a small town in Northern BC somewhere...Kispiox or close to it...it was called Ho Lee Chow.

I use this recipe for my Ham Biscuits with Peach Chutney.... 2 cups all purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt 4 teaspoons baking powder Stir together to combine. Stir in heavy cream to make a stiff dough. Pat out on floured board and cut to desired shape/size. Bake in a 400 degree oven until done - time will depend on size of biscuit, of course. No substitutions for the heavy cream, btw! Otherwise you just end up with hardtack.