Jmahl

Soup Roasted Red Pepper and Shrimp Bisque Main Course Whole Steamed Maine Lobster with drawn butter Coleslaw Corn on the Cob Dessert Bananas Foster sautéed bananas, flamed brandy caramel sauce, vanilla ice cream A Happy and Healthy New Year to all. Jmahl

For an early dinner we had osso buco although we substituted lamb shanks. We decided not to stain the sauce - just kept it rustic. Glad we did.

Happy New Year to all. For Dinner last night we invited these guys and gals. They came from Trenton Bridge Lobster Pound in Maine. They were great. Jmahl (NOTE FROM MANAGEMENT: This topic is a continuation of Dinner! 2009)

Last week we had our end of year office party this is the MENU and table setting Aperitif ProSecco First Course Retro Shrimp Cocktail With Heinz Original Cocktail Sauce Main Course Maine Mussels in Italian Marzano Tomato Sauce Zuppa Di Cozze Green Salad with vinaigrette Dessert Zabaione With Home baked bread Cecci Chianti Classico 2007 DOCG Perrier Wishing all seasons greetings and a Happy New Year. Now I think I will go and cook something. Jmahl

This is a 20% whole wheat loaf we baked today. I use Heartsurgeon's formula except I add about a tablespoon or two of honey and heat the oven to 550 and drop to 450 when the bread goes in onto the baking stone. This was almost half of the batch so the oven time was about 50 minutes. [Moderator note: This topic continues in Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day" Zoe Francois (2010–)]

If you are looking for wide assortment of edible essential oils try Young Living Essential Oils. The web site is youngliving.com. My wife is a distributor and her I.D. Number is 847277. The edible oils are tested and certified as safe. e-mail me if you have any questions. Jmahl

Tonight to celebrate the third night of Chanukah after the candles were lit we had minestrone soup, whole wheat bread (20%) right out of the oven, a bottle of Casa Silva Petit Verdot 2006 from Chile, for dessert babka baked by Chris and tea.

What about Sabayon? Eggs, sugar, some liquor and heat. Served warm it makes you crazy.

This is a sample of our whole wheat bread (47%) made with fresh ground whole wheat flour. The taste is nutty, wheaty and very flavorful. Great crust. What do you think?

Dinner tonight Moroccan Lamp Stew with couscous and flat bread (Tagine d'Aneau aux Pois Chiches) to drink a 2007 Fairview Petit Sirah from S. Africa - a good match. For dessert a zabaione flavored with Mexican Brandy.

First -- Heartsurgeon's weight based recipe has worked for me for over a year. My only change is I add about 2 Tbs. of honey to the 100 degree water and then I mix in the yeast. I alo heat the oven to 550 and drop it to 450 when the loaves go in. On the hot water issue. I keep an aluminum pan on the bottom shelf of the oven. When I put the loaves into the stove I add one cup of tap water. It hits the hot pan and steams. I think I get great crust. Hope this helps.

My late son Philip was working a fill-in job in NYC some five years ago and at the end of the week he was told by the "chef" that it was not working out and since it was a try-out he would not be paid. He checked out the web site for he NY State Department of Labor. Within one week of making a complaint he was paid. So - Don't allow yourself to be ripped off.

THANKSGIVING MENU 2009 on the Texas Mexican Border Soup Potage Saint-Germain (green pea with bacon and cream garnish) Main Course Martha Stewart (tee shirt) Turkey Claiborne’s giblet gravy w sage and cider Carving the Turkey Sides Scalloped Potatoes and Three Stop Fennel Green beans and pearl onions a la Frances Relishes Cranberry Mustard Chipotle Cranberry Beverages Wine Sparkling water Cider Bread Mona’s Cornbread with Bacon Crust Dessert Four Layer Pumpkin Cake Bourbon-Pecan Tart

Words fail. Beautiful will have to do. Jmahl

We seal our container and a batch has lasted for several weeks.

Habanera Chilis Estilo Esteban How to enjoy habanera chilis without burning alive and with no long term effects. 1. Toast a few habanera chilis on an open burner flame or on a comal. 2. Slice open the chili and remove the seeds and veins. 3. cut into a fine julian and fine dice. 4. Add lemon juice, olive oil and salt. 5. Mash chilis with a fork. Use sparingly and to taste on your tacos or anything else within two to three hours. Hot, sweet and wonderful. A technique explained to me by a friend who resides in Cancun Mexico

We have one that looks just like yours but with the handle. The handle is just a plain wood dowel with an eyelet screwed to the end. We purchased ours in New York's Chinatown over thirty years ago. I suggest just making your own handle out of a piece of wood dowel and glueing it in with some epoxy. It will be much more personal.

Oh what photos! Beautiful Beautiful. And for those cruel folks who just linked photos of their master pieces to flickr PLEASE, PLEASE post your photos here. It is so so easy now. Jmahl

Very nice. You have inspired me now that the weather here in South Texas is starting to cool off. Jmahl

I purchase mine in Mexico. It seems to be the big 100% brand priced at the low end. I keep the bottle in the freezer and drink it straight in canas. I think it is really good stuff and the price is right.

Tonight we had Zuccini squash with homemade pasta and grape tomatoes with garlic and olive oil with a salad of baby spinach and a bottle of Chalice Bridge Calamus, a blend from Australia. For dessert pears that are especially nice right now and some blue cheese.

Just made a margarita with El Jimador Blanco an inexpensive 100% agave, and Controy a Mexican orange liquor at 40% but I think the key was juice from the fruit of a lemon/lime tree growing behind the house with a touch of sugar and some salt on the rim. This is the first time in a long time that I have made a margarita but I'm back home again. It was super.

I would like to suggest the French film with the English title "The Secret of the Grain" by the director Abdelatif Kechiche. Its French title is "La graine et le mulet." Its about, food, family, love, betrayal and great belly dancing, what else do you need?

Craig Claiborne the New York Times Cookbook a very early serious cookbook for home cooks. Although I now have several shelves of books I often go back to Claiborne for reference and still use some of the recipes over and over. I own two different editions and use them both.

Sounds great - we will give your recipe a try. P.S. after seeing some of your work I have no doubts. Jmahl