BarbaraY

Count me in. Since I live in a very rural area of California, things are inclined to be a bit higher in price. (Hoping I got the location right.

You may consider it nit picking if you like but I don't. Proper table setting is proper table setting in any culture. Just as I set my table properly for American food, I try to set it properly for Japanese food. I'm still learning. I'm inclined to wave my chopstick while talking but I'm getting better. Just have to remind myself now and then.

For hot smoking my preferred wood is apple lopped of the apple tree near the patio. No need to soak in water to keep from flaring since it's green.

When I see cookbooks that call for cinnamon in their recipes for Mexican dishes I automatically use canela which I buy in the supermarket. Nice thing about living in CA is that a lot of Mexican ingredients are readily avilable even in small rural towns. 30 miles away is a town with a large Mexican population that has almost everything one would want.

In my opinion the Sumeet Grinder is the ultimate of blender/grinders. The only reason I haven't bought one myself is because my 35 year old Osterizer refuses to die. If you will notice the lever on the top. It can be turned to scrape the container while the product is being ground. This is what makes it so much more efficient than a standard grinder. Wet ingredients can't be ground in a regular spice grinder. They will destroy it.

I say b and d but I'm not a big fan of Krispy Kreme anyway. Don't eat Monte Cristos either.

I have yet to eat city squirrel and IMHO, the only way to kill a squirrel is a .22 rifle, no shot to bite into. I think I must have gotten soft in my advancing years because now I let the little buggers strip my walnut trees so I'm sure they would be very tasty.

I love the smell of almost any food cooking, fresh ground coffee (even though I no longer drink it), fresh, ripe strawberries from the farm stands in the Central Valley. I really detest the smell of that stuff used in inexpensive (and some times expensive restaurants) Called things like Pan and Grill oil. Fakie butter taste. (Gag) No longer a problem because it's illegal here, but the sulphur dioxide that used to be used to keep lettuce from turning brown. Nasty!

Also check this thread in Chinese Cooking forum. Lots of good tips and discussion of Cantonese Chow Mein.

I dropped my subscription after the first year. It is OK for some people but doesn't exactly suit us. Usually I can figure out how to do simple stuff myself.

My own favorite Port invention was Chicken Paillards with Port, Stilton, and Walnuts. I sauteed chicken paillards in butter and olive oil, set them aside and softened some shallots in the pan, add a good splash of port and let it reduce and then crumbled in Stilton. Poured the resulting sauce ofer the chicken and topped with toasted walnuts. Heaven! Have used Gorgonzola, too.

All I have to say is "Hang in there." Keep telling yourself that you are a non-smoker and mean it. Last cigarette I smoked, Nov. 1, 1975. Easy? No! It took a long time for the knee jerk reaction to go away but it does. I often said, "If I were a smoker, I'd have a cigarette right now". About 10 years ago my mother, who has essential tremors, was trying to light her cigarette but her hands were shaking too much. I offered to light it for her and nearly upchucked on the spot! Cigarettes really do taste nasty after a while.

I love a plate of chilaquiles for breakfast, lunch or dinner. It truly is a comfort food. My favorite is made with freshly fried tortilla strips and green sauce. I may have to go make some for my breakfast if I have any sauce in the freezer.

I think you may have the same recipe that I have. It is iin a booklet that I got from Quaker in the 60's. I prefer Old-fashioned oats rather than the quick cooking type. As I recall, we liked it so I don't know why I haven't made it recently.

We had takoyaki at the street fair in San Francisco last Spring. I'm not sure what the meat was but it tasted like ground beef to me. Just didn't have the chewiness of octopus. It was really good anyway.

Those do look and sound delicious! You did a good job.

Most points have been covered but I say "No Lasagna!" It has been soooo overdone that there's nothing special about it anymore. No paper plates unless it's a very casual Barbecue. I use paper plates for a Pig Pickin' because I don't want my good China falling on the patio floor. Know your audience. I had some friends that I wasted several bottles of good wine on before I realized that it was a waste of time because they put ice in it! Learn a few really good dishes before you get carried away and overdo.

One of our Chinese restaurants had a waitress who did that (the others didn't). She never missed even with large parties. When I was young I worked in a busy family restaurant where the chef couln't read. All orders were called in by waitstaff and I learned to get the orders out correctly. Once they were out they were forgotten unless there was something unusual about them.

In an effort to control cholesterol, I bought my SO I Can't Believe it's Not Butter. He used a marking pen to mark out "not". I think it went into the trash. I absolutely detest the fake butter taste of margarine or Pan and Grill Oil, used in cheap restaurants.

Yesterday I woke craving Mexican flavors so I made Hevos Revueltos con Papas y Chorizo (Scrambled eggs with potatoes and Mexican Sausage). Chorizo, Potato, onion, all sauteeing together until the potato is soft. The finished breakfast, topped with a sprinkle of Cilantro with whole wheat tortilla. edited to correct spelling and a screwed up photo

For some reason, it doesn't work that way. I haven't seen anything drop in price even though the formerly inexpensive cuts have gone up in price. Pork is the only meat that I find to be relatively expensive in this area. I want some beef shanks but can't bring myself to pay the price now being asked for them. These, I used to get for .19 per pound when I first learned to cook them.

As a child, I lived in a town with a large Mexican population. No one ever soaked their beans so I have rarely soaked. I have used the pressure cooker and one of my daughters uses nothing else but I prefer the long stove time over the pressure cooker. Just seems to have a better texture.

I keep Dijon mustard in the door shelf of my fridge with all the other mustards. Not because I think it will spoil but so I can find it easily. Kikkoman stays in a cupboard because I use it often. All other soy sauces; light, sweet, black, Pearl River, and tamari stay in the pantry along with fish sauce and Golden Mountain sauce.

That certainly looks better than the bean sprout hockey pucks I was served last time I had "Egg Foo Yung" in a restaurant over ten years ago.

Have you started reading Chinese Gastronomy yet? I bought it way before internet from some obscure mail order place. I find it absolutely fascinating and you can hear their voices as you read.