John S.

Wow. Not much time to enjoy the drive but there are ways. From SFO it would take about 6.5 hours straight drive (through San Rafael and staying on 101 which is inland) to Crescent City. Going the coast route to Mendocino is the best option, due to lack of facilities on highway 1 below that, and to avoid slow travel between Fort Bragg and Rockport or Noyo, if you choose to cut over at either place. You can spend the night in scenic Mendocino on the coast. There are wineries there, but they might be closed by the time you get there (the road is windy up to Mendocino). That would take all day Tuesday. Get up early and drive up a bit to Noyo and go east to Willits, which is a slow drive due to the windy road. You could make it up to Crescent City by noon. Of course there are other places to stay, but none as beautiful as Mendocino. The town is a real treat to peruse. You will have to mostly bypass Avenue of the Giantss because of time. There are a number of turnoffs from highway 1 within the Ave. of the Giants area, and you could take some time to check maybe one of those to see the forest. Forget Pt. Reyes because it takes a real long time to get out there from highway 1. Since you only have a total 27 hours to get up there, your options are limited, but good luck and have fun! John S.

Chris, are there any health food stores around? One close to me lets you buy their roasted peanuts and grind them in the store. I never had luck with my VitaMix 5000, since it has a protection circuit that shuts the blender off when the motor temp reaches a preset point. It's just too thick. Therefore I think the only way to make peanut butter without adding even one ingredient, is to use a grinding machine. One Costco pb has no ingredients but roasted, shelled peanuts. The natural oil rises to the top, so you just mix it up real well when it's warm, then in the fridge for safe keeping. All nut butters need refrigerated against mold if they don't have preservatives. Those are the only 2 options I know. But either of them gives you pure peanut butter with a taste to match. John S.

I'm surprised. I thought (correct me if I'm wrong) that the crabs (Alaskan King or Russian King) were always frozen upon arrival back at the harbor from where the boats originate, and that they have to be kept frozen until end-user purchase. John S.

I ate at Solgel, the restaurant at Solage,last weekend and it was fantastic to say the least. A couple of standouts were the bacon and egg salad and the beef shortrib entree. Also the venison, 3-ways, special along with a truffle pasta appetizer were outstanding! There is a special Valentines chocolate dinner coming up that looks like it could be lots of fun. The chef, Brandon Sharp, was the sous at Danko. Highly recommend! ← It's Solbar. http://www.opentable.com/rest_profile.aspx?rid=13702 John S.

I usually use it as a stock for something, soups come to mind. I also save the leftover "liquor" from roasting chiles or bells and put it in the chile, soup or whatever has the veggie (or a similar one) in it. John S.

I'll buy tomatoes, as mentioned by most. I also use corn off-season and beans anytime. I enjoy making beans, but I can't tell the difference in taste! The only other thing I can think of is new potatoes. I stick a couple or 3 cans of them in very hot water to soak while I'm making garlic butter and cutting the bread. Then along with the meat and garlic bread I grill them outdoors with a vinegar and tomato-based BBQ sauce. John S.

Adding more chiles than is usually called for makes the sauce thicker for me. If I want to use it in the way you are wanting to I have to strain it first since it separates. John S.

That's a good question. I do know that capsaicin dissolves in milkfat/butterfat, so a creamy ice cream reduces the heat in the mouth (or wherever the stuff is -- I have a good story about my son when he was still in diapers). Trust me ice cream works -- as does alcohol. There may be other things that the chemical dissolves in, so what the chile is eaten with can affect the quality of the experience. It may dissolve 100% or only partially. Drying and cooking don't affect the heat in a chile, and the hotter the chile, the longer it burns. Good luck with your sauce. If you find a combination of ingredients that works well, let us know! I just finished a batch of bhut jolokia sauce. I found that the mash is so hot that I can use very little in a bottle. I have to put in other stuff like lime juice, vinegar, tropical fruits, mustard, etc, in significantly greater proportions than with habanero. Aside from all that, the answer to your question is still a mystery to me! John S.

I usually go with the following when I feel like a grilled sandwich. A couple slices of a good hearty bread, buttered on both sides. While one side is toasting (low-medium) I put a couple pre-roasted, skinned and seeded poblanos (erroneously called pasillas in most stores) on the up side. Some muenster slices and grilled red onions follow. Put the two halves together and finish grilling. I got the idea from Mark Miller. John S.

First, don't use the moldy ones. I always use them fried. I never see them sold ripe because I think they are always used pre-ripe. They will not be as sweet as a regular banana and they have more starch, so you don't eat them out of hand. Just a different application. Look at some South American recipes. Crema goes with them well. John S.

Lala's right. He died from anaphylaxis, the result of ingesting (or be bitten by, or rubbing up against) something you're allergic to. I know that all you guys know what an epi-pen is. In his case it came on rapidly. It was from something he ate but had few symptoms until near the end. When I have a significant overdose to my allergy shots, I begin with a productive cough. I never get to the itching point because I recognize it and they give me O2 and an injection of a lot of epinephrine. Any food can do it to someone. It sounds like he normally ate chiles, so this is probably not the cause. MomOfLittleFoodies, I've never seen peanut butter in chile sauce except for one origin: Africa. Morocco and other nations use "groundnut" in their recipes. DJyee100, I have never experienced that and know of no cases, after reading the article. Nibor -- your's sound much different than a systemic allergic reaction . . . can it be something like celiac disease is for wheat consumers? And prawncrackers, you're probably right on the dorset naga (AKA bhut jolokia, and Naga jolokia). That one has been found (by chromatography) to be WAY hotter than the Red Savina habanero, which is around 600,000 Scovilles, compared to the Naga a million or more. John S.

They are not Thai chiles -- too wide and not a bit curly. They are c. annuum but it's hard to tell exactly which variey. There are hundreds of varieties in all 5 species. They look like serrano, but it appears from the photo that these pods grow upright rather than pendant. Serranos are pendant. I would ask Jeannie at chileplants.com or Jim at wildpepper.com. John S.

No, I had no idea. I guess I missed out on that although I heard that Red Sage is (was) not one of his best places. Thanks HJS.

I found this: http://www.eastherb.com/orange-oil/now-foods/p24545.html, and this one too, http://www.greenfeet.com/itemdesc.asp?ic=8501%2D01051%2D0000 that has 4 different citrus oils plus a lemongrass oil. The recipes you mentioned, except the last one, didn't particularly sound Punjabi, but the article seems to be. John S.

I have looked in the merged thread and can't find much about Red Sage, a Mark Miller I have wanted to visit for years. We're going to have more time to spend out there this time because we have taken sufficient time off to attend my daughter's graduation from AU. My wife and I will host 4 different dinners (and some brunches) around DC and Sterling/Centreville. I want to go to Red Sage but can't find out much because they don't have a web site, and nothing much in the threads here. So, how do you DC eGulleteers view Red Sage? Next, I want a good traditional Southern place (Hitching Post?) for one night. Any help would be much appreciated (we're leaving on May 6). THANKS!