Athena1963

Nam sod with much fresh ginger. I kept tasting and getting no heat from the ginger or red pepper but once it sat for a few minutes it got really hot! I was crying as I ate it and my lips were burning but it was sooo good!

I can't dispute the results but for my own palate, I've noticed that American Coke leaves an aftertaste that I don't get with Mexican Coke. I grew up on the pre-1980 sugar-sweetened Coke.

Dairy, Sigh. I am allergic to it. I get hives and wheezing, congestion and itchy eyes. I absolutely love it and crave a big glass of cold milk though, so I pick and choose what I am not willing to breathe for. Why can't I be allergic to, say, lima beans?

I use anti-fatigue mats from office supply stores or Sears, in the hardware/tools section. They work well and are cheaper than Gel-Pro mats. Can be cut to fit and will work under rugs. Just watch out for the red ones at Sears, they will transfer the color to your floor.

I have a pint of Trader Joe's heavy whipping cream in the fridge right now and the ingredients are: cream. I live in Maryland and bought it at the Trader Joe's in Annapolis. I have been looking at the various brands a lot this winter trying to find creams without the modifiers and thickeners also and have only found this and one other which I cannot remember the brand right now but was not as easily obtained as TJ's.

OK. Sorry it took awhile to get back. Add 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano to the tomato sauce mixture when you are simmering the pork. You can use this to stuff soft or hard taco shells. I don't see why you can't use it for nachos or enchiladas also. I haven't done it yet but you could substitute chicken for the pork and it would be just as good. Sub ancho or cayenne for chipotle, italian oregano for mexican, chicken broth for the pork broth, etc. Slice a few fresh peppers and saute them with the pork then simmer with the tomato broth for a fresher pepper flavor. Try it with beef, too. In fact, we are having tinga again for dinner tonight. The brand of tostada shell I use is Guerrero. It has less sodium than the other brands I saw.

Getting in late on this but...tostadas are one of my favorite dishes. I use a meat topping called TINGA. It is shredded pork, lightly fried and then cooked in a tomato sauce with a bay leaf, oregano, garlic, pork broth and chipotle chile powder. Found the recipe in Cooks magazine this spring and have since found variations in a few Mexican cookbooks. Basically, I cook a pork roast, (shoulder is suggested but I use a leaner cut), in the crockpot overnight with a couple of chunked onions and two garlic cloves. Throw in some dried thyme, about a teaspoon or so. After cooking for 8 hours or so, pull the pork out of the crock, let it cool some and then shred it. Save the broth. Put the pork in a hot skillet with some vegetable oil. Fry until the ends are slightly crispy. Stir in a 14 ounce can of tomato puree, a bay leaf, 1 TBSP to start of chipotle chile powder, two cloves chopped garlic and 1 cup of pork broth. Simmer until hot and slightly thickened, about 10-15 minutes. Heat tostadas in the oven at 250 to 300 degrees for a few minutes. Top hot tostadas with refried beans, tinga, shredded lettuce, shredded cheese, sliced jalapenos, sour cream, chopped onion, salsa and whatever else sounds good. We use small spreaders for the beans and sour cream. The tinga is not piled on, rather it is generously dotted on top of the tostada. If you top them too generously you will not be able to pick them up to eat them. We just slide our hand under them and pick them up. I know that at least three of our local Mexican restaurants serve these. They might be listed on the menu under chalupas. Tostada shells are also what Taco Bell uses to make Mexican Pizzas. Heat tostada shells. Top one with refried beans and taco-seasoned ground beef. Top with another tostada shell, enchilada sauce and shredded cheese. Heat in oven til cheese melts. Sprinkle with chopped tomato.

Thanks guys! Baroness, you got it in one. Now I just have to locate them. Thanks again!

Hey guys, several years ago I bought several small glass storage jars at Ikea. They hold 2 and 3 cups or so and are clear glass with straight, faceted sides and plastic snap-on lids. On the lid is the logo of an archer, kneeling on one knee and under the archer is the word 'French'. The lids were red or white, they had both. I have not seen these at Ikea in a long time but did see them at another store a few years ago but cannot find them now. Does anyone possibly know who the manufacturer might be so I can hunt more of these jars down? They had a 1-cup size that would be perfect for me but I do not know who makes them. Thanks for any help!

Leftover pancake, toast it. Smear with jelly and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Roll up or not to eat. Take those mini-marshmallows and put on a small pan or piece of foil and run under the broiler. Canned frosting kept in the fridge. Have a dad who makes taste-alike Russel Stover candy-have him send you just the filling (sugar, coconut, pecans,vanilla, etc) and keep it in the freezer or fridge-eat by the spoon as needed. I used to be able to whip up a 4-cookie batch of no-bake oatmeal cookies to eat while I did homework. Mix sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla and enough water or milk to make a thin paste, spread it over those left-over graham crackers, bake until glaze is bubbly, cool enough to eat.

In West Virginia there is a chain called Tudor's Biscuit World. All kinds of breakfast biscuits. They have several with hash brown rounds included on them. The bacon, egg and hash brown was pretty good.

I have a question on an ingredient if anyone can help. I have looked through several Thai food threads and haven't seen this yet. When we get Pad Thai at restaurants, it has a red-rind tofu in it that is chewy and good. I have been told that it is simply bean curd tofu but I have yet to find it any any markets. Does it have another name? I would really like to find it.

So what happens if the snack I have brought aboard with me contains nuts? I can't eat it? Will I get sued if someone with a nut allergy has a reaction? I have no problem with warnings on labels or asking the chef but if your allergies are so severe that you cannot even be in the same room then maybe you need to figure something out.

Some other names/things that always contain MSG are: glutamate, glutamic acid, calcuim caseinate, sodium caseinate, yeast nutrient, yeast extract, yeast food, autolyzed yeast, hydrolyzed protein, hydrolyzed corn gluten. Things that OFTEN contain MSG: carrageenan, natural pork/beef/chicken flavoring, bouillon and broth, stock, whey protein, maltodextrin, barley malt, malt extract and flavoring, soy protein isolate, soy sauce, soy protein concentrate, teh word 'seasonings', anything enzyme modified, enzymes anything. Go to www.truthinlabeling.org/hiddensources for more in depth info.

I've seen this before and it was really quite good. Very good flavor. Saw it again today as western griller. Asked at the meat dept and was told that it was bottom round, cut sideways.