Lisa Shock

I have tried using silicone molds for chocolates and it has never been successful, except for solid pieces. I prefer rigid polycarbonate molds. The silicone ones are always too flexible and do not seem to have smooth enough surfaces. I only use them for moist baked goods like cheesecake.

I wonder what the shelf life of a chocolate dipped mini-butter tart is...

I'll drop THIS LINK because I think he'd like people to remember it.

You're still probably going to have to clean it every once in a while because of accumulated oils in the air. -The same crud that builds up on cabinets if they aren't regularly wiped down.

I always admired how he chose to call things as he saw them, without pulling any punches. He was refreshingly honest even when he could have probably earned a lot more money shilling for some food conglomerate. My favorite of his books is Typhoid Mary, it's surprisingly thoughtful not just about Mary herself but the social circles she was entwined in. He was always aware of the social context of our foods and wasn't afraid to talk about some ugly subjects.

Not much beyond what the website says.

I just remembered that I have made the pie with molasses (black treacle) and it was very good.

I toast them, then roll them between two side towels on the counter. No idea if that's the best way or not.

We already have a discussion on the topic HERE. The answer is: end grain. Best maker is probably: The BoardSmith.

Home Goods has good quality flatware at a discount price, the selection varies.

And, yes, I have made that recipe, it is very tasty.

THIS hazelnut pie is very good. It won a contest in 2009 from the US hazelnut grower's association.

I prefer to just drink water with a wedge of lemon or lime in it. Although, I too am a fan of drinking tonic water. It's very refreshing. I'm not too keen on most of the sweeteners on the market. (what ever happened to left-handed sugar???) Not to get into it too much, I have chosen not to consume some of them. Some of the natural brands of soda are sweetened with stevia, which I think tastes pretty good. (there hasn't been as much research done on it as other sweeteners, so, I'm still waiting for more evidence about any possible effects) Anyway, as a former Santa Fe resident, I still root for the home team in the soda wars and would recommend that you try Blue Sky sodas. They currently have a money-back guarantee on their zero calorie products, so, you can't really go wrong here.

The metal type might unless you used a light hand. I don't think a genuine quill pen would scratch. Also, once you know how to cut a quill, you can cut other things, like paper drinking straws, to write with.

Ok, I am just guessing here, but, if you use a calligraphy pen or a real quill, you sometimes get that empty line in the middle. (I've been practicing since the 1970s.) I think someone here used a split calligraphy nib with fairly liquid white cocoa butter. This would also explain the curvy-ness of the lines themselves and how, if you look at one line at a time, one end has glob of cocoa butter on the tip and the other end trails off with less. It just looks like messing around with a calligraphy pen and ink that was too thick. In particular, it looks like they were using a fairly fine cut tip like you'd use for uncials, not a pointed tip and not one of the thick writing tips that has a circle on the end.

I echo the warning to check with your local Dept. of Agriculture extension office -they have employees who will answer your questions. But, butter is not a problem. Canned butter exists.

Commercial ice makers have an average lifespan of approximately 11 years. That said, I'd be looking for a commercial model over a home type for durability. Sorry, I cannot recommend a particular brand.

I started putting the disposable gel packs into ziplock baggies after getting one with a tiny hole in it that leaked as it got warm. There's also a new type of disposable pack that is dry inside.

It could kind of go either way... Alfredo: Pros: same noodles, has Parmesan Cons: Alfredo is served hot, sauce contains butter and water in addition to cheese Pimento Cheese: Pros: both are served cold, mayo + cheese mixture as the base Cons: different cheese, little or no black pepper, not usually served on pasta, no onion or pimento

IMO, I'd put the cardboard in, it will make consistent cutting of slices much easier and prevent leaning. I mean, it kind of depends on the venue. Some wedding halls have staff that cuts big cakes 2-3 times a day every day and they could handle anything. A smaller place with a less experienced cutter might let extra tall slices get served. I tend to lean towards idiot-proofing it as much as possible.

I know, I know. And, places like the military purposefully break down a person's personality so they can rebuild it to be useful in service. But, of course, in the US, one signs away one's civil rights when entering the military. Flay dropped out of high school. Slowly got a GED, then attended and graduated from the French Culinary Institute in NYC. And he started cooking in restaurants while in school and got promoted to head chef by default one night when people quit. He got picked up early on by the FN because he worked close to the studio and it wasn't a big deal to get him to drop by. Anyway, most culinary schools require students to take management classes do you think the FCI taught this as a management technique? I'd argue that Thomas Keller has done well in training staff without a raised voice and fountain of negativity. Same with Raymond Blanc. And many other chefs. And, most anyone working in a chain restaurant since forever knows that it's not an optimal way to train people. I had no intention of equating Flay's behavior with Batali's crass and criminal activities, I was just pointing out that Mr 'disrespect for his tools' (I won't ever refer to him as a chef) isn't a pleasant person.

So, I just realized that the dressing for Souper Salad's fettuccine & corn salad is a riff on pimento cheese. There's no official recipe out there, but it's grated parmesan, mayonnaise, and black pepper mixed (to a very thick, almost spackle-like consistency) and then mixed with cooked and chilled fettuccine noodles and cooked and cooled corn kernels. The finished dish tends to stick together as one giant clump. Tasty, though.

It depends, the low vitamin K diet is for people taking Warfarin (coumadin) because high K foods can interfere with the drug and promote blood clots. If you're terminal and don't mind having a stroke or PE in a few days, then by all means, gorge yourself on broccoli. But, I know people in their 50s who'd like to live a while longer. Staff may also be wary of things like alcohol for personal liability reasons; for some people 'just one shot' results in them drinking the whole bottle then causing a public spectacle, and getting back into bed just in time to vomit and urinate all over themselves. (aka, a LOT more work for staff) Every time I have been in the hospital, I have witnessed elderly patients picking fistfights with strangers, hallucinating and trying to call 9/11 about the hallucination scenario as if it were real, shouting at other patients whom they mistook for relatives, trying to jump out of windows, and more. Once, a patient who was in quarantine for TB got a pocketknife from a visitor, left his room and started going from room to room in the orthopedic surgery recovery ward stabbing people: nurses and patients. So, I think that people who regularly interact with seniors learn to take everything with a grain of salt. There are a lot of trade offs in both following and not following the dietician's advice. I know of one fellow who lived alone and was supposed to be on a renal diet for a while and did not follow it much, so he wound up on dialysis. Every dialysis day he would 'cheat' on the diet right before leaving for the clinic. He figured that the machines would fix everything. In doing so, he never really adjusted himself to the proper diet. The cheating bled over into non-dialysis days, 'just this once' became a daily mantra of 'just a little more', and on clinic days he would binge eat forbidden items. He always acted like the dietician was exaggerating and diet wasn't a big deal. One day, he ate a whole bunch of bananas right before leaving the house for dialysis on top of two days of 'oh just a little' of this and that, and the clinic had him wait an unexpected hour before putting him on dialysis. He died that day. Maybe eating 8 bananas was worth it. If he had followed the diet, he might have lived 10+ more years. Not everyone in nursing care is terminal, and maintaining dietary needs is important for their long term quality of life.

Just in case I have a stroke or something where communication becomes difficult, I have written out a document about my food preferences and keep it in my filing cabinet along with my will and other directives. My friend who is the main beneficiary of the will and my designated 'person' knows about the document. (I also made one about my cat, just in case.) Hopefully, I will have assistance in my own home for as long as possible. There are some nursing homes with 'gourmet' food, I am not sure I'll be able to afford to go there, though. It has to be difficult for the staff cooking in nursing homes, most of the patients are probably on some sort of special diet: low sodium, low vitamin K, low phosphorus, low potassium, etc.

I just found the 60Minutes report (warning, some explicit content regarding criminal physical assaults), and it's far worse than I had previously thought. I cannot believe that he's trying to stage a comeback now. (or ever)