christine007

I swear by the brining ala Martha Stewart, the chicken comes out so tender and juicy, it's really amazing what a difference it makes. I put them in salted ice water for an hour. Depending on what flavor you're looking to achieve, you can add all matter of spices/flavorings to the water, I've done vinegar, soy sauce and brown sugar for one!

Wow. I cannot abide to cook them, the smell alone sets up a reaction that I'm sure is from past unpleasant experience. I forgot to add, I can eat ocean fish, but not fresh water. This is the strangest allergy... I'm your opposite. I can't eat a teaspoon of crab or lobster. And, maybe because I have a "true" allergy, I would never, under any circumstance say I was allergic to something I'm not. I have no problem saying, "Thank you, but no, I don't care to eat that."

Melanger that's an excellent question, one I've been dealing with for years. Thankfully, my last experience was dealing with someone who didn't speak very good english , not his fault, and I wound up with a shrimp eggroll, which I ate because it was a very small amount and it was ground up with the vegetables..four hours later, I was saying oh no, he didn't understand me! I had a vendor at a fair laugh at me when I asked if the eggrolls were strictly vegetarian. He said, " You think you're getting seafood for a dollar?" I attempted to explain that seafood was exactly what I did NOT want. As a result of experiences that this, I'm very, very careful about where/what I eat. I have to be. Sadly, since I can't tolorate fish or oyster sauce, this means I get to sample very little asian food, something I do regret. Any culture that eats a lot of seafood would be something I have to avoid. Eating out is not that bad, I don't mean to sound crybaby, I have no problem with italian cusine, bar grub is ok, and indian vegetarian is very kind to me. Yes, I've refused dishes, especially if I find out the place has old oil that has had seafood fried in it. Once I had to leave a place that had had a mussel boil the day before. Before I bought my home, the woman who I shared a double with had a shrimp boil and I spent that night at my mom and dad's. and, no clambakes for me, of course. So yeah, it's kind of restrictive and kind of a pain, and I'll never be the foodie who is up for anything, you know? As far as a new place, yes, many, many times I've read the menu and left. And, the worst, (And this may be getting better) is a place that will have seafood in a dish and not disclose that in the menu. example, a place I ate on vacation in Maryland said they had Maryland sauce on a dish, which turned out to have crab meat in it. So, I've been actidentally poisioned not too often, but enough to be super careful, as I suffer horribly for hours after and usually end up in the hospital.

I'm ready! Garage sale junkie here. We once did street sales for three hours in the blistering heat. Finds? where to begin.. ok, complete woman's day enciclopdia of cooking, both the first and second additions. two forty dollar Jamie Oliver cookbooks that had never been opened. La Cruset two quart pot with lid. dish ware galore, some to use , some decorative. Tons of tupperware for pennies. ok, my hands are shaking, I want to go now!

That is a great idea, nothing like stock in the freezer. LOVE your avatar, lol!

then you'll have all those chicken carcass to make soup!

Sandy, yes I'm pretty sure that Bob Evans started up here in northeast Ohio. The Sandwich is not bad at all, I'd give it two thumbs up. I think because it's made of two things Bob Evans does really well, tender flaky biscuit and nicely spiced, not too fatty sausage. I don't buy a lot of "fast" food, but I do try to have a few things on hand for when I'm too sick to cook. And, they were under a dollar apiece which really helped! I'm thinking about having another one for lunch today.

Sandy, nice to cyber meet you. Both you and your sandwich are very handsome. I'm getting over being terribly sick. It's in the sixites here in Ohio, unheard of, the mildest winter in decades. I had some tomato soup and a breakfast sandwich from Bob Evans that was actually quite good, especially since I put extra cheese on it!

Clary Thank you again for the wonderful sharing of your food and life. I am making hutspot over the weekend, got my parsnips today.

oh, damn that looks devine. I want to load some bacon and fried egg up on it!

My allergy is so bad, it's listed in my medical records. The strangest part is I can eat ocean fish, any fish, but not fresh water. my dr. is perplexed by this. At one time I went to eat out at a pub that had a mussel boil the night before and I could not stay. The smell got to me.

Megan, it may be Ot but I agree with you. my husband is a nurse and he gets hand sores from latax and washing his hands all the time in the winter months.Something he never had until he started working.

Megan you can develop allergies to all kinds of things. Not as bad as my seafood allergy, but when I turned eighteen I noticed that I had to be careful how much acidic food I took in, or I'd get horrible cold sores. Tomatos were the worst, not that I can't eat them, just not in any large amount.

I think the most important issue is the difference between not liking something and being allergic. I have a violent seafood allergy, I mean a tablespoon of chopped shrimp in an eggroll will keep me sick all night, and I've had to go to the hospital to re-hydrate on an IV. So, that said, are you really going to try to sneak some food on someone? Not a good idea. Just my perspective from living with this problem my entire life. I don't like liver, but it's not sending me to the ER either.. you know.

these pictures are so beautiful, I'm inspired to get this cookbook now! Abra your picture of the wine and flowers belongs in a frame!

You could save it in the freezer to add to gravies or pasta sauces or you could add some milk and butter, maybe some parsley and fine minced onion, thicken with a little flour and call it soup! I've done that, it's good.

Wow, thanks for sharing about your son. My son Ross, has PDD, the mild end of the autisim spectrum, and we go through the same issues you do, in terms of what he will and will not eat. He eats a lot better at my sister's home and my mom. Does your son eat better for other people?

Put me down with the lick out the jar by the dogs. as you can see by my avatar, I have good help around the house! It keeps him busy for awhile, anyway. his favorite is peanut butter jars.

This long gone ice cream parlour from my youth made an amazing german chocolate cake ice cream. It was super creamy chocolate ice cream laced with honey, shredded coconut and pieces of chocolate fudge. Then again, maybe it's best they don't make it! I'd be a piggin out. It was sooo good.

tejon, I agree! I was thinking about making a strata that we could share with my mom who is vegetarian. To make up for the lack of meat, I might add some sauteed mushrooms and switch the cheese from cheddar to swiss. Tomatos being nasty this time of year, I am going for the canned, drained stewed tomatos. That should be good, no?

I love the Spam souffle, it's adorable! I was looking at my old cookbooks, and I'm thinking about making a strata. Remember them? It's basic- stale bread in a buttered dish, shredded cheese, finely chopped onion and tomato, and four eggs beat with a cup of millk poured over. Baked in a 325 degree oven till brown on top and set. I have one recipe that calls for a can of stewed tomatos with the liquid drained off. Does anyone still make these? It's been awhile since I cooked one, but I remember it was very good!

Jason, you hit that nail on the head. I didn't mention port, because I'm driving a car full of kids after a trip to mom's....

Daniel, I saw that wheel of blue cheese, did I mention the house across the street from me is for sale? I asked my mom, who's english about what to do with that cheese.. She said to tell you that you need to wrap it in a damp cheesecloth and store it in the vegetable drawer of your fridge, and to get some Jacob's water crackers to smear the cheese on, along with pear Slices and grapes. Beatiful cheese, enjoy!

Well, we're not as cold as some, but it is fourteen above zero, F and that's cold enough for me! Anyway, I had to share, I made cream of roasted cauliflower soup and it's amazing! I chopped up about a cup and a half of leftover cauliflower, a tablespoon of minced onion, and added the above to one cup of medium white sauce, to which I also needed to add a half cup of water, and for a little zip, a half a chicken boullion cube. Salt, pepper and some Parmesan cheese, let it simmer on a very low heat for about a half hour. So Good! I did this yesterday and it's even better today. I'm going to roast a whole head just for making a larger amount of this soup.

okay. This has been in my husband's family for thirty plus years. Take three cans of Campbell's baked beans, drain of the liquid. Fry five strips of bacon till crispy down. Remove bacon, add to the fat a cup of fine chopped onion. Fry till brown. Then in a buttered dish, add the beans, the fried onion, and the chopped bacon. Cook in a 350 degree oven for about thirty minutes, uncovered. serve with cornbread.