BarbaraY

This goes way back. Cowboy bars. They were a coconut caramel bar. I have searched many sites but so far nothing. The other bar that I miss is the original Mars bar, chocolate with nougat center and toasted almonds on top. Just made myself drool thinking of Mars bars.

We had guests over the weekend so my daughter made Chicken, Peppers, and Peas en Papillote. Finding there were only a small amount of peas in the freezer, she cut a zucchini into small slices. The green color of the skin was beautiful and they were cooked to a perfect al dente. A very nice substitution.

It's not so common now but smoking while cooking is one of the worst offenses. I used to work with a chef who always had a cigarette stuck in the corner of his mouth. Loved him but hated his habit.

I'm truly enjoying your blog. I do envy you all those wonderful markets and stores. The nearest Asian and Indian markets are 50 miles away and the nearest Japanese store is almost 80. It would be so much fun to see them in real life.

Since I'm a fan of Biba Caggiono, I usually use dry Marsala in a tomato based sauce as she recommends in many of her recipes.

Noise! I can't bear loud music especially when I'm eating, one of my problems with many sushi places. So many of them make it impossible to carry on a conversation. Seems like many places in San Francisco are very noisy.

I have his very battered Gold Cook Book, copyright 1947, published 1960. I got it in 1961 or '62. It was my first "gourmet" cook book. Trying to remember what I cooked from it but that's a long time ago and I discovered Julia Child and that became my go to book. It is a book of all types of recipes. I find the description of the discovery of waffles hilarious.

14 7/8. It was built low so there could be another bank of cabinets over the top. Base cabinets are 35 1/2 from floor. One wall cabinet is 17 1/8 from the base cabinet to accommodate the Kitchen Aid.

When I was about 14 I found a recipe in the old American Weekly for Minestrone. It was made with a soup bone, beans, potatoes, carrots, onion, garlic, canned green beans, cabbage, canned tomatoes, and elbow macaroni. When finished it was garnished with minced parsley. Imagine my surprise when I tasted it and found it tasted just like the "soup" that my Italian neighbors had almost every day for lunch. She usually made it with what they had growing in their bounteous garden. That has been my base recipe ever since although I now almost always add basil or pesto. Almost any vegetable available goes into the pot.

I went out to the organic store today. Two lbs. of Bob's Mill rice bran at $4.97 each. It looks rather odd to me but I will give it a shot. It seems to be much more finely milled than what I have used in the past. At least there were no shipping charges and I got some other things too that I hadn't realized I needed. I will have to change what I will use for a pickle pot as I had planned on using my mom's pickle crock but it is too big for a two lb. batch.

I have made duck carnitas with legs and thought it was good. Used 1/2 orange as seasoning. Served with a cooked tomatillo sauce.

It's certainly a step up from the stupid pyramid. There appears to be a lot of information available although I didn't take time to read it all. The problem I see is that it probably won't get to the people who need educating the most or if it does may well be ignored. Kids will still be fed boxed mac and cheese with fish sticks because that's all their parents know. I don't know the answer but I truly wish I did.

I managed one of those meals just yesterday. Decided to have Quiche Lorraine. I guess it was the different brand of Gruyere that I bought but it was barely edible and this is one of those things that I have made forever. Still have 1/2 of it in the fridge even though I had a small slice that I shared with the dog today.

I have been stalking this recipe for several days. Very pleased to find it right here in Recipe Gullet where I should have looked in the first place. Loved this dish but haven't made it in some time.

Thanks to ScoopW, I now know why the Vegas water is so awful. As a person who usually wakes very early, I usually carry along an immersion heater so I can make tea when I wake without disturbing everyone else. Nearly gagged on that nasty soup. I now carry water everywhere I go. Our county seat runs a close second on noxious water. It is so bad that I can't even order tea, coffee, or soda because I can still taste it and a wedge of lemon does nothing to improve it.. I don't feel that I should be obliged to pay extra for a decent glass of water and the owners don't like it when you bring your own. Do I have to pay corkage for my own water out of my own well? (Steamed)

Having grown up in a neighborhood with a large Mexican population it's surprising that I never had tacos as a kid although there were plenty of enchiladas, tamales, flour tortillas, and heavenly salsas. I had kids of my own before I ever had tacos and they came from a shabby "Taco house". Ever after I patterned my tacos after Johnny's. Ground beef, McCormick's seasoning, yellow cheese, raw onion, lettuce, and salsa. A cold beer and the whole gang was happy.

Another Amen here, too. What Jaynes said, too. NO FROZEN MARGARITAS! If I wanted a snow cone that's what I'd order.

I think you may have been misinformed as I never saw a food pyramid as a child at the end of the depression. I recall the Basic Seven (six?) followed by the Basic four and then the Stupid Pyramid which got more stupid each time it was revised. Around 1996 the Citrus lobby got in and they recommended meals had orange juice or oranges in every meal although there was one meal that was so disgusting it hurt to read it. As i recall it was baked potato with a dab of margarine, white bread, and something equally white on the side. I think that was when I tossed the whole thing. If I'm mistaken, chalk it up to age.

It looks like the potato is starting to sprout. I'm surprised but happy. The mizuna is popping up like crazy and the turnips have sprouted a few. Happy!

$19.30 to ship $4.98 worth of goods is totally unacceptable to me. Even with the price of gas I could drive to my nearest (70 miles) Japanese market for that. I called my nearest and best natural foods place and the person who answered said that they had it. She did sound a bit puzzled so it may or may not happen. Another problem is my daughter, who is disabled, can't bear the smell of it so I have to figure out how to avoid that problem. Last batch I finally gave up but I still want rice bran pickles.

Having four grown daughters, all in their fifties except the youngest, 43. Each one has her own choices and they all differ. My eldest could write the script for Sandra Lee as she very frequently uses short cuts of ready made foods. To me she eats like a five year old, one of her favorite meals is fish sticks and packaged mac 'n' cheese. She does make a whale of a good Pork Romano for guests. She does love Japanese, Chinese, and Mexican food. The only one of these she cooks is, what I call, her pseudo Mexican food. Good but not authentic. Second daughter works as a cook. She, like her mother, does what she loves. She is always exploring and trying new dishes. Cooks Thai foods often as well as Chinese and Mexican but she doesn't really care for Japanese food except sushi. Third daughter was the one that ate 1/2 peanut butter sandwich, a cookie, and a piece of fruit for her school lunch from first grade to sixth. A very picky child. Now she has discovered Thomas Keller. She is in food heaven but still says, "I don't do lamb!" Fourth daughter is in Egypt right now and is eating her way across the country. Brains, liver, kidneys, raw clams, and anything else her friends serve her. She's in food heaven for sure. Four kids, four different appetites but it does make life interesting.

I neglected to mention yesterday that I'm trying to start a Japanese yam. Only the second time I have found them in my favorite store. I hope they haven't been treated to prevent sprouting. Will keep you all updated as to my success.

It has been very rainy and unseasonably cold in California so we are running late. We also have a cooler micro-climate at my house. Ordinarily I would have had this done at least two weeks ago or more but at least the garden is nearly done planting. Yesterday I planted Komatsuna, mizuna, shungiko, Japanese turnips, gobo, and Japanese leeks. Looking forward to the harvest. Of course we have the usual American vegetables, too. Tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, sugar snap and snow peas, carrots, beets, radish, many herbs, etc.

I can never decide which I like better so we grow both Chioggia and Golden. I find them both equally delicious. To my taste white beets are just boring but I have had them only once so I could be mistaken.

Yes to the Rubbermaid butter dishes. I have two so that when one is in the dishwasher I have a place to put the butter. I started using these as I like to have my butter at room temperature most of the time. Cats being the critters that they are can consume a whole cube/stick of butter in one sitting. The butter eating cat is long gone but I still use the seal-able dishes. If I want to be fancy I will pull out the china butter dish that matches the dinnerware.