BeeZee

Bagels. I've never made bread, but bagels seem a bit more approachable. Heck, the ingredients are cheap and I'm paying $1 a bagel, so if one batch turns out edible I'm ahead. And I've seen some gorgeous homemade ones posted recently by Ann_T, which rekindled my resolve.

David Leibovitz tested cloves with and without the green sprout and found that he only tasted a difference when the garlic was used raw. Roasting whole garlic makes it sweeter, perhaps if you'd like to use garlic you could pre-roast it?

probably gorge on chocolates my husband buys them for me so he can shamelessly indulge

I just got a new gas range last month and it's definitely higher BTU's than the old one (there is one burner that 16,000 BTU) and I'm still adjusting to it. I don't look at the level of the flames, I just try to get a feel for each burner what the dial relates to relative to "high" "med" and "low". For example, on the higher output burner, on the very lowest setting, it won't allow a gentle simmer. And yes, when you set the dials to "low", you'll have a very short flame, not touching the bottom of the pan. People with touchy smoke detectors have advocated using a freestanding fan and having it near the detector to blow air thru it while cooking. Or in your case, heating the oven.

my Mom made them very occasionally, and she used canned salmon. I didn't watch the prep too closely as a kid...however I'd venture a guess that she would have pulled out any large bones. Had a comfort food yen a couple of weeks ago and ordered "fish cakes" at the local diner, which were probably half bread crumbs. Crispy, fish flavored bread crumb cakes. Kind of disappointing.

similarly...I purchased furikake recently (rice seasoning)...which is great sprinkled on plain rice or broiled fish. I think it will next be sprinkled on popcorn.

seems sort of like a fetish thing, hence the attractive women

Creamy curried cauliflower soup. Recipe from Whole Foods Market, tweaked per suggestions, roasted the cauliflower, onion, and garlic first. It is creamy from cooking in almond milk, then when soft you puree everything. I added some salt, white pepper, and a tiny bit of sugar to offset a slight bitterness (poor quality curry powder). You serve it with sunflower kernels that are toasted in curry. I think a dollop of chutney might be nice.

that is more or less the default threesome when I put cheese/crackers out for company...for plain eating Triscuits.

I'll check it but seeing as I use it every day in a pre-breakfast and not yummy drink, I don't think it could be. I didn't keep a list of the nuts I used but sometimes the walnuts are a bit off. I'll check those too. OTOH, DH liked them and now with chocolate coating, he's eating them with relish. (little joke here ) Sounds like your hubby is willing to eat most varieties...as long as chocolate enhanced! I was poking around the supermarket today, one which has a large section of imported Israeli products and they had date paste...which was noted on the tub as being good for baking...so I thought maybe it would be useful for a softer date to more easily mix in, but it had sugar added, which kind of defeats the purpose.

must have been the chickpeas. Unless the flax seed meal was rancid?

Chickpea in bars doesn't appeal...but I made roasted chickpeas the other day and yum. That's a good, healthy, savory snack.

inquiring minds wonder... how do you leave the iron clean enough that the unfortunate guest who next uses it to press their nice white shirt...doesn't get a stain?

Darienne, on the #1 bar you made with oatmeal and dried fruit, do you think the amount of honey was the culprit? Because generally I'd like a breakfast bar with oats and dried fruit and almonds (not a fan of chocolate chips for breakfast). I checked out the web site and I think I'd like the date-sweetened quinoa bars.

One thought is that many 3 year olds are picky about seeds, so maybe the raspberry part could be mousse layer? Unless you use seedless jam...

I will be interested to hear about the "winners". I like the convenience of the nutrition bars but agree that too many of them are formulated to resemble sweet cookies. Lara Bar is just dried fruit and nuts, but I prefer something with grains in the mix to lighten the texture.

I agree, I've never had an actual stem as fibrous as what I've had in the slaw mix at times...and I did try using it for stir fry, which was reasonably successful. Except the wood chips, which were never going to soften up.

I have used the freezer trick in the past when I wanted to make a "crumbled" texture tofu, might try that next time to see how it bakes. I like being able to season the cubes to my taste (prepared products tend to lean hard on soy sauce and can be salty), but will check out the Asian Supermarket near my office next time I have time.

I enjoy the firm texture of baked tofu, both hot and cold. I purchase extra firm tofu and if time allows, press to remove more liquid with a weighted plate on top. However, the last time I baked it (cut into reasonably small cubes) it probably took an hour to firm up and develop a nice "crust". Am I just not pressing enough liquid out of the block, or does it really just take that long to bake the moisture out?

Only if cooked on the bbq, so it gets crispy and caramelized...and I probably only eat half of it, its a bit tougher than the typical russet and I get bored with chewing.

Having just remodeled the kitchen and therefore spending some time researching and going to retail showrooms...the basic answer is no. I looked at the higher end products in envy/lust, but my financial reality was mainstream products, so I bought based on Consumer Reports ratings and found the model (Frigidaire Gallery series) that met my basic needs without looking too "cheap" while being within budget and having good reliability ratings.

Hunkered down from snow storm "Hercules" and made a batch of non-traditional chili. Leftover turkey from Thanksgiving, small white beans, posole, and a little diced sweet potato. Didn't have any chiles in adobo, so used smoked paprika.

I believe I saw this in my local Whole Foods, did you check there? I remember being really surprised because it was specifically Hatch green chiles.

I third the idea of the salad. Nice transition between the rich and complex flavors. If you want to incorporate cheese, you could garnish with a cheese crostini.

6 qt is definitely a handy size, I have 8 qt and often wish for something just a little smaller...will check that one out!