emilyr

I pop in (not EV) olive oil or a combo of olive and corn oil. I just like the flavor. Salt or butter, but not both. Almost always black pepper now, too.

My grandmother makes a salad all summer called, conveniently enough, Summer Salad. It has Spam, shell pasta, baked beans (rinsed of sauce), cheddar cheese, mayo, dill, and a whole host of veggies. I love it, but it's really the only way I've eaten Spam other than a kind of leftover camping hash (eggs, potatoes, onions, Spam and whatever meat or veggies were leftover from dinner the night before).

My improvised lunch sandwich today was sooooo yummy. Lightly toasted sourdough bread, a smear of mayo, warm rotisserie chicken, and some leftover mashed sweet potatoes.

I've had some "vegetarian" sandwiches around here that have roasted potatoes on them with roasted bell peppers, onions, zucchini, etc. I tend to think of it as a "leftover sandwich" because it seems like they've got all the leftover roasted veggies from dinner the night before.

I always assumed that it was because it made sure the heat was evenly distributed around the whole cake evenly. You probably didn't crack your non-waterbath cakes because ovens are now much more reliable and even, especially if you're using convection.

I always do chocolate whipped cream with cocoa. Beat til soft peaks, add sugar, vanilla and cocoa powder. I don't know measurements, I just do it by eye. It only takes about a tablespoon of cocoa for a pint of whipping cream, I think, and that makes it really chocolatey.

I'm just goofing around at work (as usual!) and opened this thread with out really looking at the title. Had the pic open on my desktop but couldn't see the caption yet. I thought it was maggots. This might be a good thing to make for Halloween! How did you do it?

Last night my sister's assignment for school was to make a recipe for a food she knew, but with a recipe you don't usually use. We're a Toll House family and so tried the Joy of Cooking last night. They were great, thin CCC's with a great caramelized taste to them.

I think 20 minutes won't be too much of a problem, especially if it stays warm. You are going to lose some crispiness in the bacon, but the candying will help it some. Plus, if it's a cocktail party or people are going to be grazing rather than eating right away, you'd lose crispiness anyway when the food sits.

You can just peel and add the stems to the boiling water a minute or 2 before the florets to make sure they're done as well as the tops.

I'm going to start using both of these!

My plan for the year is limoncello and recycled t-shirt shopping bags. I say plan because each year I have a definite plan, but by December 15 I'm freaking out b/c nothing's done. I usually just end up making cookies for people I know I'm going to see and send cards to everyone else (albeit handmade cards, that I do do). ETA - Those picks are adorable!

I've never purposely done this, but I think if I did (I mean, when I will ) I would tend to go for 2 different ethnicities/genres of cooking. I'd be kinda worried about comparing the two Italian meals, but eating, say, BBQ early and Japanese later or Thai first then Italian would be great.

A couple of weeks ago at a pub crawl, I sampled a skewer at a Japanese restaurant that had beef shank or short ribs (I forgot to ask) braised in apple cider and soy, maybe rice wine, and then skewered with roasted apples. Last night I made a pot roast version of it. Ginger, garlic, hoisin, beef broth, soy, and apple cider with a lot of apples. It was really good, but I think I added too much garlic (though the rest of the family didn't). Served over mashed cauliflower. We finished all the meat and all of the cauliflower, but had a ton of apples (now very soft and simmered) and gravy, so I blended that all smooth and mom's using it as the base of a stew tonight. Potato or pasta, peas, carrots and maybe more beef.

I think, in a GE episode, Alton Brown said it was illegal to even allow roe off the boats in America. It had to be cleaned and disposed of before sale. Now that I'm thinking, I'm not sure where I heard that, but GE sounds likely. The rule sounds harsh, but knowing sometimes ridiculous USDA rules, not unlikely.

Hmmm...I've been thinking of this one. I really like espresso with a little twist of lemon peel, so I think I kinda get the flavors. Plus on Thursday night I had a beer that was infused with coffee and lemon (I think it was called Giddy Up), so I'm all set to hear what you find out. I, too, am having trouble thinking of other flavors to go with it. If you really want to "cocktail-ize" it, especially for a party, maybe just vodka? The lemon and coffee might already be too strong of flavors. Although...Maybe something fruity like a blueberry or smoky to finish the whole breakfast idea of your drink. A new Liquid Breakfast?

I think this is the point of things for me. I live at home with my parents, so most of my entertaining cooking was done in my tiny college apartment kitchen with very few things and most of them really cheap. I never really have a problem using other people's stuff or dealing with the lack of it, so my biggest problem is with where they put that stuff. I know it's different for every household so thing for me are just like, "duh." I mean, who wouldn't want to keep the silverware in the drawer closest to the dishwasher or sink? WHy in the world would you put the cutting board in the teeny, tiny, impossible to reach cabinet above the fridge? Timing's my worst kitchen skill, so not being able to find things at hand is the most frustrating thing for me in other people's kitchens.

I was actually out at a Pub Crawl the night of the debates (and I think that helped a lot. Drinking numbs the headaches.), but before I left, I made a big pot of chili for my family. Easy to eat on the couch in the living room and pretty cheap, too.

My best friend swears by her Rival roaster. She, admittedly, isn't much of a cook, but the one meal she does cook every year is Thanksgiving, and, since she lives in a small apartment, she says she wouldn't do it without the Rival. I asked her about the skin, and she said she's done a couple of things to help keep it from being too flabby. First, baste consistently with butter; second, make sure the turkey is up off the bottom (she uses carrots as a "rack"); and third, she sticks a wooden spoon in to lift the lid off the roaster for the last 35 minutes or so to let steam out.

I made a bunch of different cookies for friends for Christmas last year, and my brown sugar short bread got the most compliments. I have made recipes with all kinds of add-ins and had planned on doing lemon zest or candied ginger with these, but just ran out of time to get to the store before I had to bake. I also don't really use a recipe, but a loose formula like tmriga's above. It's about the same, but I generally don't add vanilla and do add a little salt. I used about 2 parts brown sugar and one part white for this batch last year. Plus, I like shortbread because you can make it so pretty. I have a couple of shortbread round forms that are great, but have also just spread it out on a cookie sheet and decorated/scored it to suit the occasion. Once I made a baby quilt for a shower. Just scallopped the edges and used the score marks to make the patches. Decorated with different colors of sugar, it was adorable.

Here are some links I found: AZCentral: with a non-traditional display. Olvera-Street: with a list of traditional food offerings. Another AZCentral page: article about DDLM food. About.com: Mexican and DDLM food. The candied pumpkin looks good. I may try it. This is like a really beautiful tradition. I hope it helps. I'll be thinking of you! (PS - Ray Bradbury wrote some really great short stories about his stay in Mexico and DDLM; you might look them up to get you in the mood.)

Try looking for the round replacement grills for the mini/tailgating BBQ grills.

They're still $1 here in small town mid-Missouri.

I have found that if you use higher fat milk or cream instead of water makes the eggs smoother. I seem to see more puff with water. I always assumed it was a steam thing. I think they stay moister longer in the pan, so if you're eggs are too cold or your pan is too hot, you have a bit of wiggle room. (PS - Did you go to Marquette, too? There was a guy who made the best omeletes in Cobeen Hall when I was there! It was the only reason to get up before noon on Sunday !)

The story says that the local hospital had seen similar reactions in the last few days. I wonder what it was in the drink that was so bad, allergen-wise. The chili?