annabelle

You're still going to have to brown and drain the meat before you put it in the slow cooker. And, most importantly, tell everyone to leave the lid on. No peeking allowed.

That's true, so save those bottles and empty the old, dead spices in the trash! No need to make labels then, either. I would write the date on the bottle or jar, though.

Capers. I always have a jar of them in the refrigerator. The one in there now isn't opened yet. I only use them in tartar sauce and chicken/veal piccata, neither of which I make very often. To add to that, by eldest son hates capers with the fire of a thousand suns and can track them down and pick them out no matter how finely they are chopped. Also, for some reason I have umpteen jars of black bean paste.

I didn't mean "you" in particular, I know what you meant. I meant "you" in a general manner. Sorry.

Nah, they sound like they are from the anywhere in the deep south. People here refer to Israel as "Isruhl" and Italians are Eye-talyuns.

It's only a matter of time before we'll be told that eating out of trenchers is the only authentic way to eat. And cutlery? Pfffft. Don't make me laugh.

That's a great suggestion, Jaymes. Elderly spices are like throwing dust into the pot. I like to buy spices in packets at the Hispanic markets where you can get just about anything for next to nothing. I don't feel too bad if something gets pushed to the back or goes unused too long if I only paid a dollar or two for it. Not only that, but many times, things that cost a fortune at the regular market can be bought for a song at the ethnic markets: whole spices, star anise, cinnamon sticks, zataar, &c. I even buy the cheapo saffron since I can't afford the other stuff and seldom use saffron for anything other than color.

Sheesh. I guess if you bought it at the market, it's dishonest food?

Kudos, Chris! Long gone are the days that I had patience (or time!) for fiddly stuff like this lovely plate.

I'm holding off on killing them since their college is already paid for. We'll see if my ROI was worth it or not.

Thanks Chris!

Fish cakes, in the English style, are popular here at our house. I get tired of frying fish and no one will eat lentils, the Phlistines.

Yea! Let's see some lamb.

My youngest son is getting Confirmed in April, so we are doing a lot of Church related activities to prepare. Like you, Andie, I haven't ever made much of a deal about Lent except when my other boys were getting Confirmed and that was a while back. Needless to say, linguine and clams are good. Fish sticks, not so much. Noodles and prunes? That sounds almost like a sweet kugel kind of thing. And tasty, too!

What the heck is a fricassee of green beans?

I'm making tuna casserole because it's easy and I have a busy day today. I would like some ideas. Thanks all!

I'd like to bump this topic since Lent is upon us.

So, the previews of the finale show the chopped chefs helping with prep. I hope Lindsay gets stuck with Keith. And that Paul gets Bev FTW!

Calipoutine could probably speak to the crockpot issue, as well. If I recall correctly, she used them quite a bit when she was cooking for the seniors, if fact, she had several in different sizes. I loved (still do!) my crockpot when I was working a lot and my kids were small. The newer ones have removable ceramics that allow you to prep everything the night before, refrigerate, then pop it into the warming unit before you zip out the door in the morning.

jrshaul, if I may, I suggest that you get your hands on a copy of a Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. It's the one with the gingham checked cover and three ring binder style. It's easy to use, covers a lot of different food ideas, is divided into sections devoted to different meal items, e.g., Meats, Vegetables, &c. I still use mine occasionally and it was purchased three decades ago. If you have a lot of used bookstores (and I would imagine you do), try looking for the old Time-Life series called The Good Cook. It has many volumes and each is devoted to a different topic: Poultry, Fruits, Classic Desserts, Beef and Veal, &c. It also has a lot of color photography in the first half and gives an overview of the topic with the recipes in the second half of the book. The recipes are collected from around the world and substitutions are given for hard to find items. Many of us collect cookbooks (I have hundreds) and the main difference I have found is that newer cookbooks do not value menu planning and the use of leftovers in creative ways. I have cookbooks from the '40s that tell you how to shop for newlyweds, families with small children, groups of up to 20, how to set a table, plan a menu and the order in which to cook various courses that involve multiple steps. Julia Child in her "Mastering" set, also gives useful tips for places where you may stop cooking the dish and hold it until later when it is finished with __________. Again, good luck!

I think a 40+ year old Mercedes qualifies as ancient anywhere, SA or no. I agree that it is Houssani.

Griddle or a flattop, Scotty. My mother used to make them on the flat sides of our waffle iron that had reversible irons, (one flat, one dimpled for waffles) like a panini.

That is one ancient Mercedes.

Tom has always been a picky jerk. I remember him going off about contestants using canned beans. Quelle horreur! I mean really, they have a half hour to shop and an hour to prep and cook. Who the hell is going to risk making proper beans in 40 minutes? Stir in the fact that he and the other judges have polar opposite tastes in some things and, well, what's a chef to do?

Tom is a chubby chaser, eh? I'm just glad the Sarah one is out and I still think Beverly was robbed. I have to agree with whoever it was who said upthread that they weren't going to let Beverly into the final three period. I agree with Jaymes that there was more going on that they let us know with the decision to let Beverly go last week. And last night, the first words out of Sarah's mouth were that she was so glad Beverly wasn't there (at the Asian venue) "because she would have killed it", meaning she would have waxed the floor with the rest of them. I feel cheated about not getting to see Beverly go the distance since I thought she was really starting to shine and her confidence was growing stronger and so were her dishes. The rest of the contestants are a bunch of whiners and I'm tired of them.