zoe b

Can I save it? It's the simple almond crunch-- 1 cup butter, 1 cup sugar, 3 tbls water. Top with melted chocolate, sprinkle with nuts. I didn't even bother to hunt for the candy thermometer as i've made this so often I can time it by appearance. What hubris! I was rolling along with it when the phone rang--I took it off the burner to answer--when i put it back on it separated--tried whisking it, no good. If I reheat at very low temp--water bath even--will it emulse (?) Or can I add something like saving mayo?

I see at least two every time I go to a thrift store--don't despair. I just scored a vintage (20 year old?) KitchenAid 5 qt. heavy duty stand mixer for $25. I've been looking for one for years to no avail--never saw one at a thrift or a garage sale, & they are way too pricey on ebay. And this was gotten from craigslist, which i absolutely recommend--we have gotten some great things from there. After using it I understand why people love the KA so much--it's so sturdy, & no splashing or worry about the bowl tilting or slipping.

I stay away from onion rings as they are the ONE food that makes me sick to the stomach. But i love them dearly--and would love to try oven baked ones--so what is your batter? Cornmeal, milk & egg? I would think that a dip or soak in buttermilk, then a dip in seasoned cornmeal, then a bake in a very well oiled pan at about 415 might work--but am interested in the batter ( I am always interested in batter.....)

The beans were a success. Maybe a just little too saucy--I put liquid up to just below top of beans--could go a bit lower. But they looked & tasted like baked beans--not like hard pellets or a mass of goo--both of which I have produced in the past. The crock pot is an excellent choice for making these--especially on a 90 plus degrees day....

yes, of course..... the beans are cooking away--they smell wonderful--I don't have any tomato juice, so just using bean water, and i threw a little soy sauce in to darken em a bit, but otherwise using your recipe.

I am, & thanks--looks good--I wonder, could the one pound of meat in the beans have anything to do with the deliciousness???? off to quick soak now.

Kerry said-- thanks, Kerry--I like concrete advice like that--will do this. Peter the Eater said-- ha! I'd love to do this--maybe the next time we want beans--it sounds fun. I haven't really done any pit cooking, but I bet it's fabulous for breakfast. We're having a family gathering dinner & making pulled pork with the pork shoulder from our pig in the freezer--so the smoking will be the star attraction--don't want to take attention away from the pig--the beans must play second banana. Zoe

Any foolproof recipes/techniques? I've been surfing & found a whole range--from cooking beans completely, then finishing in the crockpot, to totally cooking them in the crockpot. I'm leaning to cooking soaked beans on high for 3-4 hours,watching the liquid carefully, then cooking for 6-8 hours after that. what works for you?

I hate to admit to having been in a wal-mart, but i bought a clear unscented house brand dish detergent there not too long ago.

Chettie's Exotic Mushrooms at the Stockton Market has them. They are foraged by a local mushroom hunter. I believe they are $32 a pound.

Owowcow in Ottsville has some really delicious ice cream--they were at the Stockton Market last winter where I am a vendor, and I loved their flavors--one week they had two vanillas, made with very different vanilla, so you could compare & contrast the flavors--I thought that was a clever idea.

success--didn't just pop out, but after i loosened the edges it slid out--and it's purty.

to return to this topic--I finally managed to thrift an anodised saucepan with a teflon lining--the teflon is a little worn, so we'll see if it works ( I know you aren't supposed to use teflon after it starts to flake off, but i do anyway--there are so many things you shouldn't do, I have to ignore some of them). off to bake, at last.

fascinating! I did not know about cannabutter--what a great idea! Have you thought about using a vaporizer? This is something that a lot of people are using...

Just picked up an English book on preserving at the thrift store--and one of the recipes is for salting green beans in layers to preserve them--has anyone done this? It sounds as though it might be a good thing to do--I'm thinking of Szechuan green beans--all wrinkly & crispy-- & with concentrated flavor

Sad to say, we never got to eat anywhere at all--hit some dive for Happy Hour before the performance, by the time it was over everyone just needed to get home... Luckily I'd brought some cheese & crackers & apples in the car (the cheese was fabulous-- from Bobolink-Bobolink-Foret, ale-washed cheese--Bobolink is a vendor at the market i do--Stockton Farmer's Market))so we didn't starve to death. Thanks anyway for the tips.

hah--funny you should mention Arturo's--it was tops on my list--as much as i think it would be fun to go to Otto's, i don't think the fam know who Batali is. But Otto's is still there just in case.. I also have Rice N Beans (ate at the 9th Ave one a few years ago & thought it was decent, and a noodle shop/Chinese, can't remember the name right now. Thanks for the input--will post back tomorrow. My Hub's grandson is competing in a Ballet competition so we're going to see his performance tonight.

it's today--a later dinner--around nine, so maybe not Otto--I'll put it on my list, though, thanks!

I sell at Farmers' Markets (non edible--handmade soap) and I've noticed that for the bakers it's true, the small single serving items seem to sell well. Another good seller is a small pie--maybe a size for two servings. Also tea breads are nice, and don't laugh, but pet treats are huge--people treat their pets like children. Vegan & organic is big--if you switch to organic flour you can definitely up your prices. What about adding jams & marmAlades, and flavored butters. Fresh pasta--unusual colors/flavors. Marshmallows might need more selling--I've found over time, that having items that you have to explain in detail about over & over can be tiring--it's nice to have things that people notice & understand & buy.....

Washington Square--West Village area--we have to take some family--including kids-- out--not for a relaxing dinner with some wine, etc--a hurried dinner with impatient people. So I'm thinking pizza--but someplace decent, or a noodle bar, they'll eat chinese, but it will have to be fairly unadventurous as they are chain restaurant people. We'd like to show them something they couldn't get at home, but it needs to be something they'll enjoy. Any thoughts?

A few years ago, selling on Amazon was much more profitable--but there truly is a glut of used books, and as FatGuy said, many dealers selling books for 1 cent. Cookbooks & textbooks, any technical kind of book, these are the only books worth selling these days. I tend to only list if i can make five bucks--if course that is not including my time--worthless, naturally. I'll share a few things i learned--I only list books as "good". I found that when i described as "like new" or "giftable" I had many more complaints--there was always a nit someone could pick-- listing as good doesn't seem to cut down on sales, but almost completely cuts complaints. I think if you use the online USPS shipping site you get your tracking number for free, also a little bit off the cost--but it's a big pain in the butt. PayPal shipping is the most convenient, but only works from ebay, unfortunately. There are always the lost or "lost" items--I think this will increase as the economy stays bad--i just had an ebay sale (for shoes)where the buyer claimed the box arrived, but with a book in it, not the shoes she bought.I'm 99% sure that she was scamming me--nothing I could do but refund the total amount of money.

We went out to the local old style Italian place last night--Ernie & Dom's --it's not fancy, but the ingredients are honest. They serve garlic bread with the salad. I don't usually even taste it, since I'm trying to limit simple carbs, but i was hungry, and scarfed some down--it was so delicious--just made from a split Italian roll, but with butter and garlic galore, I think it had a little parmesan on top. I could have just eaten that for dinner. It was crispy on the outside, melty and buttery & garlicky in the center--heavenly. I used to make garlic bread pretty often when the kids were around--had a great, quick, method--slice the loaf vertically, leaving the bottom crust attached. Melt almost a stick of butter with a lot of chopped garlic , sprinkle a little salt, and pour over the bread, which is cradled in tin foil, which you then wrap it with. Pop it into a hot oven for 5-10 minutes--then serve it up with a big bowl of spaghetti with red sauce. Well, my eating habits have changed--the thought of pouring a stick of butter over anything--except for baking--makes me pause, but that garlic bread is haunting me--I know i'm going to have to make some again, and soon...

I think people don't tend to use chicken fat the way the Ancestors did--maybe it will come back into fashion the way lard has. I can't think of any reason to not use the fat mixture for part of the fat in the crust. Although chicken fat may not have qualities that render (pun) it desirable for pastry--duck & goose fat tend to only be used in frying/sauteeing, not pastry. I say, try it, what the hay--unless someone comes along who knows a lot more than I do about chicken fat.

wow, thanks for the recipes, emmalish-- That's so funny--I guess in my head there was only one--since that is what i always make--the oatmeal muffins--they are reslly wonderful--very dense, but moist--the molasses makes them nice & sweet--they really taste different from any other muffin recipe. I've played a lot with the recipe--adding banana, apples, almost any fruit that you like in muffins--I also use oil rather than butter--and you can cut out one tbls of the oil and they are still good--Thomas was writing her books just before the age of fat reduction after all, so she spares no thought for low fat.... you can use different flours, even leftover rice works. They keep really well, too--I've always made them for trips--packed some fruit, cheese, hard boiled eggs--no need to eat crap on the road. off to the storeto get the ingredients--hate to admit it, but there's a huge Wal-mart a 10 minute walk from my Mom's --I truly do not like Wal-Mart, but I love being able to walk over & pick up food--I live in the country, and in the country you only walk for your exercise, you can't actually go anywhere walking. Zoe

I'm in Houston visiting my Mom--had to delay my flight back to NJ due to storms coming--and I'm getting antsy--have to bake something--the muffins seem like the simplest, least disruptive thing to make in my Mom's kitchen (immaculate & carefully organized--feel like a giant messy clod in it) I can't remember whether it's in 1 or 2--and I know the Hub could never find the recipe due to the mountain of disor ganized cookbooks in the bookshelves. email me if you don't want to post it here--I almost have it memorized, but not quite. thanks! Zoe (zoebleck@gmail.com