annecros

Perhaps the expression "as American as apple pie" was coined to proclaim independence from England? Surely now that you live in another colonized land you have developed a keener understanding of such a desire. As a concession to our shared debt, we do have chicken pot pies, often bought pre-made in individual servings at supermarkets. The larger, family-sized, home-made versions tend to be what might be called a casserole here, concessions made to British roots by sometimes placing a crust on top, whether crimped pastry or what, again, WE refer to as 'biscuit" like, spooned on rough for a savory cobbler. Then there's Shepherd's Pie, a nod to your northern origins, lass. We do that, too. However, we are muts and while for a long time, suspicious, picky, boring, boring eaters, many of us, we have emerged as generous, greedy paws who takes what we can from the savory, hand-held pies of Eastern Europe and Latin America and not just the stuff that D.H. Lawrence's miners brought down into the sooty earth. We love puffy stuffed Chinese buns and all those other Asian goodies that wrap rice or wheat-flour disks around seafood, vegetables and shredded pork...as is the case in Australia. As for what you might call puddings (pudding is usually our version of Bird's instant custard powder in different flavors), we like the Italian crostada as well as the French tart, but the Italy-France business is complicated. Let's just say, there's tremendous multiculturalism in the desserts we now serve, although the earliest ones with fruit might owe most to practical ingenuity. What do you do with all that fruit you canned and turned into jam over the summer? Pie!!! Of course, there's mincemeat pie, too, as pointed out before, a deep bow to medieval dishes, British or not. Still, put a pumpkin next to a mincemeat pie on the Thanksgiving table, the squash wins every time. In writing your book, you might check out something that was published recently in our land: Humble Pie (reviews were mixed). About some, if certainly not all the values ascribed to pie: Can She Bake a Cherry Pie?, the title a reference to an American folk song. ← Interesting. I just did that exactly last Thanksgiving, and the mince meat went through the roof. I still do not care for it personally. Was quite surprised when hubby and the next generation went nuts over it, but had to cook two more, and one whole pumpkin pie (that I normally cook 2 of just to cover the parade) went into the garbage. For the record, I still don't like mince meat. For the record, Chicken Pot Pie in my house is a big deal, made from scratch, not frozen in an individualized tin. Yeah, we are mutts, aren't we? Take the best, leave the rest. Anne Edited: I must add here, that pudding in my mother's house, and my house, consisted of a custard stirred and nursed upon the stove top. I know that puddings on the other side is generally anything sweet. Mutts we are.

Well, Mayhaw Man, you did say "well made" in your introductory post, so no going back on making a pie less than what it is. Pie. I hate it, but pie. Caramel Cake, Seven Layer Fudge, Sour Cream Pound Cakes, love them all. But do without a chicken pot pie, a quiche, a peach cobbler, and god forbid, living the rest of my life knowing that I will never taste a spoon full of fresh blackberry cobbler? Pie.

I agree that fondant is a nasty thing to put on a perfectly good cake. I agree it holds up well. But, fondant in the confectionary? Indespensible. Consider your latest chocolate covered cherry.

Oh joy! Yep, already planned dinner for tonight, but tomorrow its that for sure! Thanks, Anne

Oh wow! When my mother was really sick and I went to visit her, she was drinking instant tea and frozen dinners. I was heart broken for her. Seriously. I immediately creamed some corn, smothered some squash, fixed some green beans and new potatoes, fried up some streak o' lean, and baked some biscuits - to go along with the pitcher of sweet tea, fresh brewed. Her health improved dramatically over that week of fat and nutrient dense food. She had withered away to almost nothing. Who could blame her, sitting there without anything decent to eat! Anne

Interesting. Restaurants in the US have always paid servers next to nothing. There isn't anything new or unusual about that. As far as I know, tipping has always been customary in the US. And, honestly, it is always on a sliding scale. Even for generous tippers like myself. Outside of the US, I do understand that tipping is unheard of, if not offensive to the server. But the server's wage and the cost of the meal have to be adjusted against the economy, so it hurts my head too much to do the math. But the 15-20% that the meal is higher in one case, is spent at the discrection of the diner vs. the service actually received in the other. Pick your poison. These tipping threads always go over the edge! There will be no comfortable solution to the group tipping situation. Come on. Surely, you know that there are cheapskates, regular people, and generous people. The angles will all be worked one way or the other. In sent back food, complaints, whining, tantrums. There is always a way to get out of it. I loved your little story. That waitress is a real professional. She paid the same attention to her customer every time, regardless. I bet she average better than 15% at the end of the day overall.

A cup and a half. That is what you are dealing with. That is just a starter. It keeps very well. A tablespoon or two to start this, that or the other. It keeps incredibly well in the fridge, and even better (think forever) in the freezer. Dip in for anything that needs a kick. Yes, potatoes absotuley, but vegetable matter does very well with a bit of bacon fat. Congratulations upon a start upon having a larder handy.

a quick down-and-dirty definition might include the synonyms bona fide, genuine, real, true, undoubted, unquestionable .... used in the context in which I did in the food trends thread? Authentic Italian cuisine as opposed to American-Italian cuisine ... that was all I meant, chrisamirault ... nothing either fancy nor convoluted ... Mario and Lidia versus Chef Boyardee ... ← Hmm. And I suppose you will concede that there is an authentic Italian American Cusinine that does not encompass Chef Boyardee?

Teehee. Well, judging from her discussion of her heat source, I am guessing this is an other than professional kitchen. Just like mine. Cookware for home use is sort of a hobby of mine. I have 100+ year old cast iron pieces, some blue steel that dates to around the 70's I think, Stainless including one very large pressure cooker that I was finally able to replace the seal on, some aluminum, some copper clad, and some very fancy non stick caphalon that is modern. I have very old copper molds on display in my kitchen, that I pull down, wash off, and use when the need arises. They are pretty, old, and suitable for certain applications. Heck, I have a spatterware enamel roaster that is certainly older than I am, as my mother used it to cook cabbage rolls when I was a little bit of a thing, and by goodness, my cabbage rolls come out much better cooked in this piece than any other. I think matching the needs of the dish to the personality and traits of the cookware is the focus of the home cook. Following "trends" is not what the home kitchen is about to me. The home kitchen for me means using the knowledge, skills and techniques used by those who came before me, while also trying new things with new tools. Mom was cooking with Le Cru the first time it was trendy back in the 60s. It was cheap then as well. I am cooking with the same Le Cru now that it is trendy again. I never stopped, as she started handing it down to me as I started making my home. I also own a blue steel wok. I have never encountered anything that does the job better. Anne

Fry some bacon. Then fry some more bacon. Hey, who can't use prefried bacon, and rendered bacon fat? Staples in my fridge.

I have several of these. They impart quite of the heat quality and effects of cast iron, but are generally lighter. I would still prefer my cast iron for low and slow, and my cast iron chicken fryer has no rival, but for your purposes and the ways you intend to use it, it sounds ideal. Treat it just as you treat cast iron. Use it to maintain the season, once you have established one. Then respect the seasoning. If it DOES happen to rust, then scrub it all off and start over. Otherwise you have a very inexpensive alternative to cast iron, with quite a few of the benefits, and less weight. Anne

Will you eat cold cooked foods? Like, cold chicken? Pasta salad? That's one of my favorite summer things. One of my favorite anytime things, really. Judging by the inclusion of "bread" in your list, I'm guessing not, but I'm not sure... ← OH MAN! Cold Pasta Salad. All about summer. Just have to get up early enough in the morning to prepare and pop it into the fridge before it gets hot out. But Pasta Salad? Must eat. With anything grilled, but most especially smoked pork butt.

Well, the availability changes in the summer, and I think that influences a lot of my eating choices. My beloved bean soup and garlic cheese toast are banished. Just can't do it. But beans and rice, yeah, I can do those.

I had a great granmother and grandpa Griner, right there in South Georgia. We always willted the salad with a hot dressing of bacon grease, vinegar, sugar and salt and pepper. Crumbled bacon on top. Not too much sugar, just enough to cut the acid, and you did have to eat it right away or it got nasty. That cucumber salad says summer back home in the south to me. I was raised with it. But my German mother-in-law finds it very familiar, as well. There were too many cultural influences in the South to really run any down, I think. That's what makes the cusine so interesting, complex and unpredictable at times. Corn, tomatoes, peppers and potatoes from the Native Americans, who had been cooking with them for centuries. Peas and okra from Africa, not to mention some skills concerning preparing and preserving large hunks of meat. If you want to prepare a leafy green vegetable or a sausage, I can't think of a better person to consult with than a European. Interesting stuff.

Isn't it strange? I love all other root vegetables. Parsnips, rutabaga, carrots, radish, turnip, you name it. Give me more. But when the beets come out at the holidays, and hubby and son love them, they are so pretty and enticing I know that they MUST be good. They even smell good to me. Sadly for me, they are not a good thing. I try them once every three or four years, only to say to myself, "Self, you still hate beets."

Wow, I love this thread. Cheesecake is lovely, and I double the cream cheese on my bagle every time, and carrot cake is not the same without the cream cheese icing. Now, to my irrational dislikes: Raw onion has to be number one. Loved them so much, until I got pregnant with my first 21+ years ago. Haven't touched a raw onion since, but cook with onion constantly. Except (isn't there always an exception?) when they are in a decent chicken or tuna salad. Or potato salad. Or deviled eggs. Weird, huh? I guess they are stealthy like that. Fish - Funny. I am either enthralled or sickened, no in between, no grey areas. Either it is wonderful or lovely, or I cannot stand to smell it, and I have no way of predicting which way it will go. Overcooked Beef - Just can't do it, unless it is a pot roast or brisket, which is an entirely different thing. I can't eat a MW burger. It is like sawdust. No matter how skillfully overcooked it is. And if you put an overcooked Porterhouse in front of me, I will literally cry. Cannot eat Mayo. Never have, never will. I can tolerate Miracle Whip in salads, and homemade mayo works OK, but never ever ever ever on a hamburger! Mayo, or any other whitish salad dressing sort of thing on a burger, will send me screaming. Beets. I hate beets. They make me gag. Eggs must be scrambled hard, with one exception. I want a runny thick yellow yolk when they are poached, so I can sop my toast in it. Don't ask me why, I do not know. Cilantro = Soap No raw seafood. Period. It just keeps getting bigger in my mouth, triggering the socially unacceptable gag reflex. Canned biscuits and instant grits. I might throw something at you. Not big on lamb. Of course, you are hearing from a woman who cannot take the cotton wadding out of the top of the aspirin bottle. Skeeves me. When I get a bottle with it in there, I hand it over to my husband who proceeds to chase me around the house with it. I just cannot stand it. It makes my mouth dry up and pucker, and sets my teeth on edge. I don't know why.

It's my understanding that Grits and Polenta are actually different. True grits come from white hominy. Polenta is generally from yellow corn. ← http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polenta "Description Polenta is made with either coarsely, medium or finely ground dried yellow or white cornmeal (ground maize), depending on the region and the texture desired.[1] As it is known today, polenta derives from earlier forms of grain mush (known as puls or pulmentum in Latin) commonly eaten in Roman times and after. Early forms of polenta were made with such starches as the grain farro and chestnut flour, both of which are still used in small quantity today. When boiled, polenta has smooth creamy textures, caused by the presence of starch molecules dissolved into the water. [edit] Similarity with grits Polenta is very similar to corn grits, a common dish in the cuisine of the Southern United States, with the difference that grits are made from coarsely ground corn, hull and all. Most popularly grits are made from corn which has been processed into hominy (see nixtamalization), which originates in Mexican cuisine, making it grittier yet. Polenta's similarity to boiled maize dishes of Mexico, where maize originated, may be a coincidence, as polenta is not a part of Spanish cuisine." People boil their grains to make mush. All over the world. There just isn't that big a distinction, excepting that probably as a whole food being ground from the whole grain, grits probably have a higher nutritional value, or at least more dietary fiber. I have had plenty of yellow grits. Dad used to prefer them.

Thanks for the input. I think I will give grass fed beef a spin. We eat our beef medium rare anyway, so overcooking shouldn't be a problem. Will only purchase a small portion at this time though, and I do kind of like the guy at the SteakBurger site. After all, how can a man who loves Border Collies be a bad person? I have a freezer, but here in South Florida we have had two consecutive summers in which community BBQs were held so that we didn't have to waste the meat we had frozen because the electricity was down from anywhere from a week to two or three, because of hurricanes. Hurricane season begins June 1. My canning skills have become much better recently. I am looking forward to trying this. I am just hoping it is as tasty and satisfying as many are saying it is. A great burger is greeted with hosannas in my home. A mediocre burger is greeted with polite "That was good, Mom." statements.

Has anyone had an opportunity to try these? http://www.steakburger.com/ I have a sister-in-law raving about them, but I am not familiar with grass fed beef, and am wondering what the drawbacks are. I am concerned that the fat content may be too low to make a decent burger, but the hominess, the knowing where your meat comes from, the desire to eat an animal that is not artificially "inflated" has me intrigued. Also, we have a wide range of dietary concerns in the house right now, ranging from a hubby who has no health problems with diet and can eat what he wants, to a son that recently had a flare of Ulcerative Colitis who has to watch everything he eats, to everything in between. Thanks in advance. Anne

I do Mom's from time to time, and hubby absolutely loves the huge cloves. He remarks on them every time, and says "I really like these whole cloves!" He eats them straight up. And loves them. I am happy with the residual results in the sauce. I prefer Patsy's to Mom's personally.

I have eaten this regularly (IBS issues) and at first, yeah it will knock your tummy out of whack for a while. But anything you introduce into your gut tends to do so, settling down after a couple of weeks in my experience. I eat it about once every other day, and am doing fine with it. I like it better than the probiotic tablets that I was taking every day. Ironically, some things that make you "regular" can quite often work for both eds of the spectrum of irregularity. Fiber is one of those. My gastroenterologist explained it to me, but I am sure you don't want me to go into the graphic detail that he did. My IBS is of the split personality type, alternating from one extreme to another. I seem to be ablt to normalize by digestion by using a combination of probiotic and fibre supplements, but I still have those days.

Amazing. All this guilt and angst and diet obsessiveness, yet aren't we supposed to be the world leaders in obesity? Even among our poor? Somebody is eating.

That's a great story, FFB! As a fellow Yankee, I'm proud to be gluttonous...though my very Yankee grandparents have always frowned on gluttony. Hmmmm... As to your second point about foie gras/starving children induced guilt: I agree. However, I do think it's reasonable for someone whose health is in jeopardy to feel a little guilty about not taking good care of themselves, food-wise. Sort of like my mom, who always felt guilty about smoking (Until she quit - good work, Mom!) because it might have meant that she would be around and with us for a shorter period of time. But that's a guilt that has a genuine cause, rather than one that's manufactured just to make you feel bad about yourself or keep you "in line." But it doesn't follow, by any means, that folks who need to watch what they eat (which, really, is all of us, if to varying extents) can't still enjoy their food. ← Now that is very interesting. I always thoiught of yankees as in the stereotypical, frugal, humble, New England Yankee. Georgia was founded as a penal colony. I have just gotten used to yankees dissing me for fat in my vegetables and that extra stick of butter. Use it or it'll go bad, way of thinking. God forbid the mess at a BBQ. I thought of the New England Yankee as the canning, preserving, drying, squash eating, frugal woman dressed in black preparing boiled dinners. True puritans, proud of it as well, and well they should be. Waste is dispicable. Perhaps this southern family was out to make a good impression on the yankee that came to visit? We can put on airs, and compete with the most puritanical company we keep. Even if we have to raid the fridge later.

The medical profession has added to this. Although you cannot blame them. Patients lie to them about eating habits just like the respondants to this survey did. My stepdaughter is a nurse practitioner. Whenever they ask the cigarette or alcohol question, they automatically double the response in the clinical notes. I know all about the Southern Baptist Guilt, honey. But any woman who is a good church going member and still managed to give birth to seven children (my mother) probably had sex from time to time. She actually recently told me that "I can't say I didn't enjoy it." Funny.

Sorry. Existential philosophies are good for a giggle, but please. Hedonism makes the world go around. ETA: And I know for a fact that you are fond of a little fat in your food, and a certain lady named Becky rings your bells.