Lisa Shock

I'd look at other western ingredients like agave syrup and prickly pear, sorry, both sweet. Santa Fe does everything with roasted green chile, and pine nuts are a local flavor there. I live in Phoenix now, my favorite paletas are cucumber with just a hint of sugar, coated in chile powder. They are kind of melon-like. My goofy, off the wall answer would be to incorporate beef jerky and cheap whiskey to match the wild west of the movies. Even though I just finished reading a book about the food of the westward expansion, and discovered that people ate a lot of gourmet foods and expensive wines back then. The most common of foods on restaurant menus were oysters, which had a well developed delivery route system by the mid-1800's from California to places like Denver and Santa Fe.

The lunchables always seemed like a huge waste because it's so easy to just buy crackers and some cold cuts and portion them out yourself for less than half the price. Also, I am not fond of cold bread/crackers.

Season 3 begins tomorrow, Tuesday January 5, on BBC America for those of us in the US. I can hardly wait!

You mean they sell it in bottles? Yes, indeedy!

Vintage or non-vintage? The vintage rose is considered a top shelf champagne without qualification. The non-vintage rose does tend to vary a bit, but, it is known traditionally as a very dry champagne. Other makers allow their rose products to be a bit sweet, something that has increased since the white zin craze in America of the 1980's created a market for sweeter, fruitier rose wines. I have been drinking these wines, both the vintage and non-vintage, since 1979. (served the vintage at my wedding) To the best of my recollection, the vintage has had minor variations but been consistently excellent. The non-vintage has seen some ups and downs, zigs and zags in the road, as it were. Perhaps you just got a bad bottle, perhaps one where volatile acidity had started to develop. I would say please try it again.

I just remembered another item: simple syrup I mean, really, honestly, it is so difficult to make??? It's one of the few things that I'd truly be ashamed to buy at the big liquor store.

You can improve the rice krispies treats by using brown butter, and I use the jarred marshmallow fluff because it contains no gelatin, but, I have found that treats made with is remain softer longer than those made with marshmallows. And so, it may be good to use it if you are prepping them a day in advance.

People who require their food to be halal (and who actually are strict about their dietary rules) will not eat anything from a kitchen that has pork cooked in it. If there are any strictly halal people at your function they will eat nothing at all - even if pork isn't on the menu because your kitchen isn't halal. Seeing as the kosher and halal dietary requirements are sooo similar, the same should be true of any strictly kosher diners. I knew that, and yes, it's true of kosher dining, but then again, I figured that anyone who was that strict might not even show up. I do know some muslims and some jews who eat in regular restaurants (olive garden, mcdonalds, pf changs) and simply don't order the pork, shellfish, etc.

I have a cutting board that I purchased in 1985 from a Delancy Street group that made them by hand. It has worked well over the years, it's an inch thick with alternating strips of cherry and maple woods. I never oiled it, and never had any issues. I always figured that one day, I'd just sand it down a bit. Anyway, my husband started chopping at thick, refrigerated chunks of chocolate by taking a cheap knife and holding the knife perpendicular to the board, tip in the chocolate, and hammering at the end of the handle with his fist until the chocolate split apart. Well, one day, the cutting board split apart. I was going to have a cutting board repair guy I know re-glue it, but, I noticed that it now has hundreds of tiny indentations in the surface from the knife being driven into it. Also, some of the other seams are iffy. So, the husband has offered to buy me a new board. (and he is relegated to hacking at things with his cheap knives on a bamboo board) I am looking around, and have decided against bamboo because of its hardness. I am seeing acacia wood a lot now, and I am not very familiar with it as a cutting board medium. (one site said it was sustainably harvested, which is good) Other woods I am seeing are maple, teak and cherry -as well as generic hardwood. I'd appreciate any insight into how these woods compare to each other, and how they hold up. I am thinking that end-grain is the way to go, other than that, I can't decide.

if you make the rice and beans without animal products you won't have to worry about vegetarians, kosher or halal diners.

In Japan, gomme syrup is provided in little plastic containers (kind of like creamer) to sweeten tea and other drinks. I saw it all over the place, as common as salt and pepper and sugar packets. It does add a nice texture to iced tea and lemonade. Gum Arabic is often used, mixted with water, to add shine to gumpaste leaves and certain flowers like antherium.

I recall that back in 1981, I visited an older woman's family home in Santa Fe, and she made salsa from canned tomatoes. I believe that she just drained the tomatoes, then added fresh garlic and onion, and used green chiles from her freezer. (people buy big sacks of green chiles in August, when sellers have big roasters outside, they then clean them and freeze in small bags for use year-round) It was an interesting item that was better than jarred salsa, and better than using the lame, pale pink tomatoes that were 'available' in the store at the time Also note that every grandmother I ever asked about salsa in Santa Fe informed me that the new generation wasn't making it right because they were leaving the skins on the tomatoes. The old-school method of salsa making involved cutting a tiny X in the tip, then a brief dip in boiling water, then peeling. And, nobody ever used lemons or limes in salsa. They were difficult to get and expensive.

My friend Ken, see my signature, is an American with a Japanese wife who lives near Tokyo and would be glad to show you around, he is fluent in Japanese, and he likes a wide variety of foods. He is also up for unusual sites and events -I've been to the red-light district with him, as well as other semi-questionable places. He's a very tall person and people do not mess with him. Anyway, he does tours as a sideline, he is an English teacher by trade and his website explains his rates and such.

mayonnaise pesto nut butters (immersion blender makes great peanut butter) roasted nuts (buy them raw roast right before eating) salsa

The pound plus chocolate bar is fairly decent stuff, and very useful when you just need to make a small amount of bonbons or something. The bagged nuts and dried fruits are reasonably priced, and the selection is pretty good. The house brand of organic dairy is reasonably priced (as is the non-organic) and a good deal if you can't buy from a local dairy co-op or something. The cheeses vary, and I have gotten some unusual ones there. The snacks are good, things like tortilla chips are decent and competitively priced. The wet cat food is very high quality, and, once again reasonably priced -about half of what you'd pay for premium food at a pet shop. They are a major retailer of wine and beer, and do have rock bottom prices. When I managed a wine store, there was a TJ's nearby and we avoided carrying anything they had because their retail price was lower than what the wholesalers wanted to charge us for a 5-case order. I have gotten some good craft beers there.

Roasted nibs are a bit like chopped nuts, but with chocolate flavor. People often add them to cookies (biscuits), brownies, etc. to add crunchy texture.

Each type of mixer and hook has to be evaluated in actual use to see what really happens. I found this Cook's Illustrated Article interesting because it mentions the twin hook action.

i wouldn't give up on the restaurant until you know what exactly they are buying from Sysco. It could be cleaning supplies, hair nets, paper napkins, spices, and brand-name ketchup for patrons who demand name-brand ketchup on everything.

Um, it comes in 12-packs of 12oz cans, and 20oz bottles, for the same price as the other Pepsi brand soft drinks in the store. I got much of my stash this past summer just before July 4th, when Safeway ran a sale on Pepsi products at 5 12-packs for $9.00.

Pepsi & Mountain Dew Throwback are in stores for another 6 week test period, so if you're interested grab some now!

You can always start by decorating the top with powdered sugar sprinkled over a stencil or doilie, tat will give the entire top surface a pattern.

Good luck! Give us a report on how they turn out!

If it happens after shaping, then yes. A proof-box-like setup will give you better rolls.

-When you wish that silverware/barware manufacturers made higher quality cocktail spoons, in sterling silver.

I know this is an older thread, but, I was wondering if someone can give me the name of a type of rice I had at a Persian restaurant. The grains were long, really long, maybe three times longer than 'long grain' -so long they sort of looked a bit like noodles.