Terrasanct

A local discount food store here has whole prosciutto in their deli case right now. I didn't read the label very closely, but it was about $45 for the whole thing, under $3.00 a pound. I'm not sure what I'd DO with a whole one, but this is a really good price. Would you get it? And what would you do with it? I'm a sucker for buying way too much of something and having to find things to do with it. This same store had nice vine-ripened tomatoes for about 50 cents a pound last month, and I'm not sure how many I bought...but I made a lot of stuff. I just haven't really bought prosciutto before so I'm not even sure what to do with it.

I made yogurt yesterday using a slow cooker, which was really easy. I didn't read the whole thread so I don't know if anyone else mentioned this. You heat the milk for hours on low, cool down, and then stir in the yogurt and unplug/wrap in towel overnight. The yogurt isn't as sour as I'd like but I'm letting it sit longer and draining it. Next time I'll have to try with a better starter yogurt and some cream, too. It was just a really easy and unfussy method.

I have to admit I've never spent $70 on a ham! It sounds good, though. Tonight's dinner is beef-barley stew, cooked in the slow cooker. Might make some biscuits if I have time. My husband will be beside himself if I do. I love beef barley stew, and it is very inexpensive.

If it's actual licorice root powder, it's not a bad idea to be careful how much you use. Teas use licorice as a muscle relaxant, but too much of it can cause muscle weakness or heart problems.

I grew up in the country and was exposed to all kinds of pathogens, I'm sure. I was sick a lot as a kid. Still have a weak immune system. I hear that we're better off being exposed to everything; maybe so, but I am a lot more careful now. When you get food poisoning it makes you want to be a lot more careful. Sometimes there's nothing you can do about it--who knows what happened to your food before you got it? I got food poisoning in Egypt from eating one bite of a brussels sprout that was undercooked, from restaurants a few times, from a bad egg in an otherwise very good carton of eggs, from a major brand of smoked oysters, and once, the worst, from a jalapeno. I wash all my produce before I use it. I'm careful not to cross-contaminate. I got so sick I didn't know if I was going to recover, with joint pain that recurs every once in a while now. If I go into a place where they are not being careful about food handling, I leave. And I tell the manager. I watched a teenage boy making pizza once, scratch his head, go back to forming the dough, over and over. I don't even want to know what they do when I'm not watching. I HAVE asked people to wash their hands (including doctors) because I don't think I should have to share whatever germs they might happen to have.

If you're really broke, biscuits and gravy can make you feel okay about it. Or red beans and rice. I made both of those often while raising my kids on next to nothing. Recently, going through a bit of a frugal period, I was glad to discover a large ham in the freezer. I'd bought three of them when they were cheap. The first dinner was ham and mashed potatoes. The ham was used for several other dishes, and the leftover potatoes I turned into croquettes. I had dried pintos, so another night we had ham with beans and rice. Last night I realized I needed to use up the rest of the ham, and made it into char siu with noodles and veggies. I was out of town for a few weeks and came back to no fresh food in the house. Managed to go almost three weeks now only spending $30 on groceries. Not something I normally do, but it's nice to know I can if I have to.

I've never had any but nonfat Chobani, which was gritty and awful. My favorite Greek style is Greek Gods, the plain and the pomegranate. I mostly eat plain yogurt, as most of them are too sweet. TJ's is also good, and Nancy's is nice and tangy. The best yogurt I ever had was in Israel; thick and sour. It's hard for me to go a day without yogurt of some sort.

I love larb but I never realized how easy it is to make. Made it for the first time tonight with pork. Even though I had to sub lemon for lime, and didn't have fresh mint (I used dried), it was still just right. Even my picky husband liked it a lot. I just wish I'd made more, it's all gone. I served it with baby lettuce leaves and brown rice, which worked really well.

I mostly use the three knives mentioned, but I have a small tomato knife that I use for a lot of tasks. It's serrated finely, so it works well for slicing veggies and rolls, like if I'm making a sandwich or salad for myself.

Thanks, Rhonda--New Orleans is one of the places I'm most looking forward to visiting.

Jaymes, that was the original route, but I have a friend in Tulsa. We might change the route to see her on the way back, though. A year of planning can work the bugs out.

So...brisket in Texas, then. If I had more than two weeks I could see more of each state, but it will probably just be one or two meals in most states.

That's okay--I've been there in midsummer and it's crazy. Quiet is okay with me. On another topic, I want to try all of the distinct forms of barbecue in the states I'll be passing through. I'm somewhat ignorant on the topic, but I know there are various sauces, meats, and methods. I'm a barbecue fan, so I'd like to sample some of the best of each if I can. I'll have to make sure to be at my training weight before I start the trip.

Here is the map as we have it planned so far. I'm sure it will change in the next months to come, but this is the basic idea. There are a few places we want to see or are meeting people, but most of it is flexible. http://tinyurl.com/ylbdw6q

We'll try anything. We're most interested in the real food that people eat every day, not expensive restaurants or haute cuisine. What is Cleveland known for? We'll probably be having one dinner in Cleveland. I'm hoping to get the expertise of locals.

I used to love their books. I got my first one when I lived in Wyoming, where there was no cuisine to be had--the joke was that when you went into a restaurant, the waitress would ask how big you wanted your steak. Not far from the truth. I would read the book and want to travel to Maryland to eat a crab boil, or go to Carnegie Deli or try an egg cream, whatever that might be!

I don't have a map in front of me, but we'll be going through Shreveport and New Orleans, clipping the edge of Florida, and passing through DC. We lived in Villas NJ when my daughter was very young so we're going down there before heading up to NYC. Is it easy to take a train up? I realize we could spend a lot of time in the city, but it's only a two week trip for six thousand miles.

My daughter and I are planning a road trip in April of 2011. This gives us time to plan, save money, and schedule. We'll be meeting in Salt Lake City and taking a route through the Southwest and South, coming back a bit farther north. The states will include Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Georgia, South and North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio (Cleveland area), Indiana, and Missouri. If I haven't forgotten any. Utah isn't known for its cuisine, but we have to have scones, which in Utah are like frybread or doughnuts. I know the middle of the country is known for various types of barbecue, and I lived in New Jersey for a while and the food there is really good. So what would you suggest for all the other states? What are the best things to eat? We won't have too many meals in each state, of course. We'll just be going into NYC as far as I feel like driving--I'm a bit afraid of driving in a big city--but I know that's the food Mecca. If there's anything on the outskirts, it might be easier. I don't think Carnegie Deli will be on the agenda this time, but I'd like to say I've been to New York, anyway. As far as other cities are concerned, we're more interested in small towns and suburbs, but we just want to see interesting things and have good food and fun. All suggestions are welcome.

I'm not sure why I'm still watching this, maybe because there are so few good shows in the summer. I'm watching the episode where the dessert has purple sweet potatoes, the most recent one. One chef served a messy plate and I thought chef Guarnaschelli was going to vault over the chopping block and beat her senseless. What's with all the glaring? This woman is eating food for a living and she can't get the sour look off her face? I'm just hoping some competition will call for lemon and sauerkraut as ingredients to justify her expression. Do you think she's aware of how she comes off?

It sounds like I can put a little water to add tomato paste, or a lot to make sauce. I can't wait to see how it tastes. It would probably be good in salad dressings, or just sprinkled over a finished dish. Maybe in bread dough or pasta.

I could probably arrange a snooty plating. Too bad I don't have any canned, freeze-dried microgreens. I brought in the last four cans tonight--it made it above zero today so I was daring and went out to the car. I gave away about six cans to my daughter, and here is what is left: Tomato powder Potato flakes Turkey Beef Potato flakes Potato cheddar soup Nonfat milk powder Pancake mix Egg mix Cornstarch Mountain chili (whatever that is) Potato granules Potatoes diced Strawberry flavored apple flakes Butter powder Cornmeal Bear Creek Potato soup mix (like from Costco) Buttermilk I think I gave my daughter granola, egg noodles, soup mix, and I'm not sure what else was there. Some freeze-dried meals, I think. I had around 25 or so to begin with. I wanted to put some butter powder in my soup last night, but...you know...it was in the car, so I will try that in something else. I must have given her the baking soda too, come to think of it. I'll keep that in mind about the tomato powder--it's very dry here, but it would be in Arizona, too. I don't have a jar attachment for my sealer, but I can use vac packed bags, at any rate. Most of this stuff is pretty mundane, but I want to work it into my normal cooking. If anyone has cool ideas, I'd like to hear them.

I've never used tomato powder before, but it seems like a natural for a lot of applications. But at least I have a huge can of it! The foods were selling very quickly, and I was trying to get a variety so I could try them all. I'll post a list once I get them all out of the car...it's been snowy and very cold here since I got back from Seattle and I've not wanted to even go outside! As far as price, I've noticed most of these things must have cost a lot when they were originally purchased. Probably the only inexpensive ones would be things like baking soda and cornstarch. I'll be interested to see if the baking soda still works!

I forgot that I'd opened a can of egg noodles, too. They were also just fine. Tonight I made biscuits using buttermilk powder, and soup using dehydrated cubed potatoes. Both worked well and tasted fine.

I wonder if it makes a difference if you're a pro or an amateur? Pros have shared pots and personal knives. I'm an amateur, and as much as I love my knives (and my vintage Pyrex bowls, and my Kitchenaids) I'd grab the pots first. The Le Creuset in many colors and shapes that I've been collecting for years, and the All Clad as well. I would tuck my older Kitchenaid under my arm, for sure.

I opened the peanut butter powder tonight. It's pretty cool--you can add just water to it or also put in salt, oil, and sugar if you want. It tastes fine. I'll tell you tomorrow if I'm still alive.