onrushpam
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Posts posted by onrushpam
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Panda/Prawny,
I have a very similar wok bought 20 years ago from a market vendor in Hong Kong. I actually bought 4 or 5 of them and brought them home in the bottom of my suitcase (used them as Christmas gifts). I think they cost less than $5 US each. It's been used at least once a week for 20 years and looks somewhat grungy, but it works a charm!
I've had others ask where I got it. Now, I can point them to the WS website.The lady I bought the wok from was SO cute! When I told her I wanted 5 woks, she gestured at me to wait. She scuttled up a ladder into a loft (really just a big shelf) above her stall and then called to me to take the woks she was handing down. I also bought 2 metal stirring implements from her. I don't know what they are called. One is like a big, round, flat spoon. The other is more like a shovel, with a sharpish, flat end. I use them all the time for lots of purposes besides wok cooking. I bought a lot of other stuff from her (I made her day lucky, as it was early in the morning when I visited her). But, most of the other items have been lost in moves or are buried in the bottom of a drawer. I remember some very cut cutters, like are used for bentos in Japan. But, they are gone.
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When DH and I were first married, many years ago, we lived in a neighborhood where we had 100s of kids knocking on our door each Halloween. DH always bought the goodies, mostly Reese Cups, because those are his favorite. Then, we moved to the country, where we never had trick-or-treaters. But, DH continued to buy the big bags of Reese Cups. Every year I would get annoyed with him for leaving the little brown paper cups lying about the house.
In those days, I was nearly blind without my glasses (I've since had eye surgery).
One weekend morning after Halloween, as I stumbled through the house to get my coffee without my glasses, I grumbled as I picked up a little brown paper cup... But, this one was warm, fuzzy and moving! It wasn't a paper Reese cup wrapper, it was a baby mouse!
I sent the poor critter flying! DH scooped it up and deposited it outside. And, he ceased leaving the Reese Cup wrappers lying about.
We now live even further out in the country, at the end of a dark, narrow, rutted lane. No kids are coming to our house. But, DH still buys the Reese Cups!
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I live in the heart of pecan land. I buy a big ol' bag of pecan halves at the farmers market and throw it in the freezer (or, if I'm really lucky, my sis brings me a bag from her tree). I grind 'em up to use in breading on fish/chicken. I toast 'em and throw them on salads (one of my Fall favorites is to slice up a pear and brown on a griddle, toss with pecans, thin sliced Vidalia onions and some Parmigiano with a little vinaigrette). Toast and top ice cream (Blue Bell Butter Pecan topped with some freshly toasted pecans is awesome!)
I often just throw some in a little bowl and nuke for a bit to "toast"...
Sauteed green beans with bleu or feta cheese and pecans is the bomb!
Just plain ol' roasted/salted pecans go great with a glass of wine or a beer!
I do love pecans!
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I'm a big fan of the Mary-Helene's Apple cake from Around My French Table (the new Dorie Greenspan book) .
A couple of weeks ago, we did a home visit with a potential greyhound adopter (took some dogs for her to meet). She insisted on making lunch for us, which included this cake and she sent us home with half of it! It was heavenly. My husband nearly swooned over it and she's promised to make another for him when we go this weekend to deliver her new dog. Those who prefer pie over cake will love this cake, because it has big, moist slices of apple.
I also love the Lewis/Peacock cake. I plan to make the Mary-Helene cake for T'giving, but drizzle it with some of the caramel sauce from the Lewis/Peacock one... why not gild the lilly a bit?
BTW, our new greyhound adopter is a fit and sassy 87 years young! She walks and swims every day, is about to have a lap pool installed in her yard and drives a honkin' humongous Merceds wagon. She's also a wonderful cook/hostess! How cool is that?
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I always do pumpkins in the microwave...
Just stab them a few times with a big knife, then nuke until it starts to collapse. Whack open, scoops out the guts, then scrape out the flesh and puree. I usually let it drain in a seive for quite awhile before refrigertaing or freezing.
Or, if I really want some roasted taste, nuke just until it's easier to cut in half, scoop out the guts and roast in the oven.
Or, you can do the whole deal in the oven.
The main thing is to leave it whole until it softens enough to be manageable.
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I think my Hamilton Beach runs a little hotter than the Rival when it's on low. The first time I used it, the liquid cooked away before I got home and caused a bit of a mess. I've learned to add a little more liquid than I used to. However, I cooked chuck roast for French Dips yesterday. Because I was running short on time, I put it on High. It took forever to get up to a simmer.
The 3-in-1 cooker took a bit of getting used to. The heating elements are only around the sides of the base. With the small (2 qt) bowl, it's pretty much the same as a more typical slow cooker. But, when you scale up to the largest bowl, quite a lot of it is above the heating elements. So, it's more akin to cooking something at a slow simmer on your stove top. The entire bowl is not wrapped with heat.
Still, I like it for it's flexibility. My very small kitchen doesn't really have room for multiple appliances.
Hope that makes sense.
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A couple of years ago, I was using my 2 slow cookers to make up a batch of "stew" for a sick dog. DH was recovering from back surgery and a little "loopy". He somehow managed to bring both cookers crashing to the floor, along with all their greasy, chickeny contents mushed in with the broken glass lids! It was the 2nd biggest mess I've ever had to clean up in my kitchen. (You don't want to know about the biggest mess!)
So, I bought this Hamilton Beach slow cooker with 3 interchangeable bowls/liners. I love it! Just this week I used the big bowl for dog stew, the medium bowl for pork fingers and kraut and tonight I'm doing French Dips from half a chuck roast in the small one.
The bowls all nest together and one lid fits all, so it doesn't take up any more cabinet space than my old large Rival one did.
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Lyle's Golden Syrup... measure out what goes into the mix and then another little spoonful for the cook's mouf!
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Blackgarlic.com tells all about it and has a bunch of recipes. I'll be interested to hear what you two ladies think of it!
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Years ago, back in the Ozarks, we had an old pear tree that produced hard "cooking pears". They never really ripened/softened enough to eat without cooking. My husband's aunt used to make pear butter from them and always gave us a few jars. But, I really loved making this Pear Chutney, from the old Jackson, MS Junior League Southern Sideboards
It's so good with Indian food, or just along side roasts of all sorts.
I haven't made any for years, because I don't have access to pears like that.
1 qt cider vinegar
1/2 lb brown sugar
1.5 lb white sugar
30-35 firm, unripe pears, peeled, cored, sliced
7 onions coarsley chopped
7 cloves garlic sliced
1 lb seedless golden raisins
1 lb currants (I could never find these)
2.5 T salt
1 t cayenne
2 t paprika
2 2.5 ounce cans mustard seed
1 C orange marmalade
Grated rind of an orange
2 lemons thinly sliced
2 T curry powder
3 T crystallized ginger chopped (I think I used fresh ginger)
1 t each cinnamon, cloves, allspice, nutmeg (all ground)
1/2 lb dried apples (slices or coarsely chopped)
1/2 lb dried apricots (halved)
1 C dry sherry
Simmer sugars and vingear until sugar is dissolved. Dump in everything else except dried apples and apricots. Simmer 1 hour. Dump in apples and apricots. Simmer another 30 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat. Add sherry. Place in sterilized jars and seal. Yields 25 half pints.
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Tonight I did a sorta quick dinner that is the ultimate in comfort for me... it's a childhood favorite, as cooked by my grandma. I don't know if you can really call it "stew"... maybe meat/veg in broth?
Anyway, 7-bone chuck roasts are on sale for $2.99 lb. I grabbed a small one on my way home from work. I hacked it into chunks (maybe 2"?), seasoned, dredged in flour and browned in olive oil in a deep cast iron pan. After browning, poured in about 1.5 cups of "broth" made with hot water and Better Than Boullion beef base. I let that bubble away while I prepped 3 carrots, 3 celery stalks, 3 smallish onions, 8 small new potatoes and a box of cremini mushrooms. Dumped in all the veg and cooked until tender. All told, it was maybe 90 minutes from start to finish. The beef was perfectly tender and melty. Just good comfort food that made me happy.
I don't buy "stew beef", because I never know what it is. When chuck roasts are on sale, I buy them and hack into chunks. I didn't actually use the entire roast tonight... froze the unused part, along with the bone and will use that for soup soon.
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This Marcella recipe is extremely simple, but oh-so-good. I actually like it better with thyme than rosemary, but you could use whatever herb appelas to you.
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The best steaks I've ever eaten were at Doe's Eat Place in Greenville, MS. There, you never know what sort of platter will be used to plate your steak. It's usually some vintage Corelle or Melamine thing. But, with steak that good, who cares? Doe's may not be a quentissential steak house, but it's rightfully semi-famous. Our typical meal there was a sirloin for 4 with garlic, preceded by tamales and chopped salad, with fries on the side. I loved walking into the place through the kitchen and seeing those steaks under those flaming broilers. Good times... haven't been there for many years.
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Another little wonder that I haven't seen for a while is the 2-tablespoon measuring cup. I bought these for friends and then when I went back for more...there were none. And it remains that way.
I have a little stainless 2T measuring cup. I have no idea where it came from... maybe as a coffee measure from some long-gone drip machine? I use it nearly every day.
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I was SO excited when our little local market (part of a smallish chain) started stocking fresh (well, maybe one day old) tortillas and really good chips made from same tortillas. I bought a pack of the fresh ones and two little bags of the chips every week... for about a month, before they discountinued them.
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Publix puts their weekly ad online and you can even build a printable shopping list from it. I check it out before leaving work, choosing a protein and some produce, so I'm set to buzz in and out of the store quickly. Sometimes I grab a rotisserie chicken or pork loin and something for a side, then use the leftovers for fried rice or tacos/quesadillas a day or two later.
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We are blessed to live just North of Apalachiacola Bay and have a local fish house where most of what they sell comes from very local waters. (Yes, they have wild-caught salmon flown in.)
I can't say I have a "top 5". My most frequent purchases are local hopper shrimp and blue crab meat or soft shells. But, I usually get some sort of fish... scamp, pompano, mahi-mahi, wahoo, gag grouper, tile fish, trigger fish, sea bass of various types (the local stuff), amberjack, etc. I just pick what looks good and/or try something I've not had before. I don't like mackeral or salmon.
We get good locally farmed clams, in addition to all the nice fishies out of the Gulf.
So far, we've not seen a huge impact from the oil spill, other than oysters.
I want to do what's right with regard to sustainability. But, I also want to support our local fishermen... not the huge factory ships, but our local guys. So, I don't buy fish at Publix. I buy it at our local fish market, where I know they buy most of their fish from local fishermen.
I'd rather buy a piece of scamp, caught by a local guy in shallow waters, than a piece of Pacific halibut that's on the list of "acceptable" fish, but had to be processed by some factory and then fly 1000 miles to get to me.
I really love getting that piece of scamp that was swimming yesterday and the guy just cut and laid on the ice.
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Perhaps you could do part of it and they could have part of it catered? Years ago, I helped with the wedding of a good friend's daughter. Another friend owned an antique shop/"ladies who lunch" place, with access to food wholesalers, and had fridge space in her shop. We got a couple of good hams from an excellent smoke house (it was on our route from home to the wedding). The other friend's DH smoked some turkeys. Once there, I roasted a couple of tenderloins and made a couple big bowls of shrimp/olives/grape tomatoes/cheese (I've posted the recipe here before). The other friend sourced little rolls and biscuits (I think she made the biscuits). There was a gorgeous arrangement of crudites and fruit. I made some of my friend's favorite curry dip,horseradish sauce and a few other things. The cake came from a good local cake shop. We just sat down several months in advance and planned it all out. Day before and day of the wedding, we sliced the ham and turkeys, put together the shrimp/antipasta bowls, etc. They hired people to serve and cleanup. There was somebody to oversee them, but I don't remember those arrangements. Between us, we were able to save the bride's parents a HUGE chunk of the bill for the reception, yet we were still able to enjoy the wedding and reception. This was all done in their home, so there were no worries about regulations.
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Bananna puddin'
Peach or blackberry cobbler
A big chocolate sheet cake (CocaCola Cake?)
Watermelon
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I shop at a local seafood market almost every weekend. Saturday, the place was jammed! Prior to Saturday, I've never waited on line that long except for New Year's Eve! I can't tell that their prices have risen (don't know about oysters). All their fish and shellfish, except for items like salmon and Northern lobsters, come out of Apalachiacola Bay.
I got a piece of scamp right after the fish cutter laid it on the ice. I paid $14.50 for a pound. That's the same price as gag grouper and hasn't risen of late. (This is the first time I've ever seen scamp! It usually all goes to the restaurants.) It was the BEST piece of fish I've ever put in my mouth. So far, our blessed Apalach has been spared the effects of this mess. I hope that continues!
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robirdstx, please post the details on making that sandwich! I have a pork tenderloin in the freezer in need of attention and that looks wonderful.
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I grew up picking/eating gooseberries. I haven't tasted one in years.
But, I just liked to eat them raw. I probably ate half when assigned to gooseberry picking duty!
My grandma made "stewed gooseberries"... just cooked in a pan with sugar and water and served in a little bowl with some vanilla ice cream. She did the same with rhubarb.
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I just like their drinks... limeade or iced tea are my usuals.
Chicken Pot Pie: The Topic
in Cooking
Posted
I make a quick pot pie type dish that we like a lot. The original recipe,from the Hallcrest Inn, in North Carolina, calls for cream-of soup. I do use that, when I'm in a hurry and am out of frozen gravy. (When I make turkey or chicken gravy, I usually make a bunch extra and freeze, specifically for making pot pies or chicken/biscuits. Pouring a liquid batter over the top of the filling may sound strange. But, it works... turning into a biscuit-like topping.
I've made it with leftover chicken, rotisserie chicken, poached chicken breasts, etc. And, I always add some mixed veg (sometimes frozen, sometimes whatever I have on hand).
Mix cooked cubed, cooked chicken breast with 1 C chicken stock and 1 can cream of celery (or other) soup, or 2 cups left over gravy. Add a cup or so of frozen mixed veg or fresh veg that's been lightly cooked. Pour into a 9" deep dish pie pan.
Mix 1C self-rising flour, 1/4C melted butter, 1C buttermilk.
Pour batter over filling (it's best if the filling is warm).
Bake @ 350 ~ 1 hour