Susie Q

Breakfast he day after Thanksgiving was Raspberry Trifle. Elevenses was Pecan Pie.

Hi Chappie, Just got back from traveling last night or I would have responded earlier. When I first started making it I burned it a few times. Every stove is different (mediun high works for me) so try it again at it at a medium heat. Shaking is very important. It has to be constant and you have to keep the mixture "swimmy" in the pan. This is when a glass lid is nice as you can see where it's starting to stick and shake more in that direction. Also when you are hearing the popping slow down to about 2-3 pops per second thats when you dump it out. I hope you try it again.

Yesterday it was Italian licorice- no sugar. So far today it was the two Hobnobs I had at lunch. That will change when I dive into the leftover layer of pumpkin cake for dessert tonight.

I lost my recipe sometime ago so now I just "eyeball" it when I measure. I use a big 12" wide 4"deep saute pan with a glass lid. The glass lid makes it easier to monitor. Got mine at Costco- $30. I pour in 1/3- 1/2 cup of oil and add a good rounded 1/3 cup of popcorn. When the first two kernels pop I toss in 1/4-1/3 cup of sugar and a good pinch of salt then give it a good stir with a wooden spoon. The sugar cools down the oil and kernels to allow this. Then put the lid back on and start shaking it vigorously and constantly to keep the mixture "swimmy" in the pan. Keep shaking until popping slows and most of the kernels are popped. Don't wait until it's quiet or it will be burned. Then carefully dump out into a very large bowl. If you like it lightly sweet use about 1/3 c oil and 1/4 c sugar. If you like it sweeter use about 1/2 c oil and 1/3 cup sugar. The heaping 1/3 cup of kernels fits my pan. I will confess to adding crumbled crisp bacon and broken pecans to the bowl at times. It's all there for me.

Not so much a char but I do like popcorn with a good tan. I also like the popcorn nuts. The ones that just opened but didn't explode. Can't stand the smell of microwave popcorn. I became a stove top only popper once again after I turned my hot air popper into a dedicated coffee roaster.

mmmm.....buttered popcorn! It seemed to be all I wanted last week. Made small stovetop batches several nights in a row. On Saturday I added extra oil then threw in some sugar and salt after the first one or two kernals popped and shook like crazy to make Kettle Corn or as I call it Sugar Pop.

I love potato salad sandwiches. They rank right up there with bakedbean sandwiches. Leftover potato salad (mama's recipe).... white baloon bread.....carb lovers bliss. Mine aren't as goopy as the one in Hiroyuki's hyperlink in the second page.

I have HATED licorice all my life and decided to give it another try. I still can't stand the sweet stuff. I found one brand I liked and today I bought the last tin of Liquiriza Due Sicilie by Leone at Cost Plus World Market which have since told me it is a discontinued item for them. I love it because it isn't sweet. Are there any other brands out there that aren't sweet? Anybody know of any Southern California stores that carry it?

I've been snatching up old formula Campari bottles as I find them and squirrelling them away. I also found and bought one "OLDER" bottle with the Italy label around the shoulder and the apertivo style label. When I started enjoying Camapri they had already made the switch to the bottle labeled Bitter and without the "Italy" label around the shoulder. Wouldn't mind knowing when they made that change. Gives me a way to ball park the age of the older bottle.

Many of these cocktails have been yummy to sip. Thanks for posting them. I also like St. Germain just on it's own.

Thanks for posting this link.

I'd have to wait and see what my tongue desired to taste that particular day.

Thanks for the tasting report! I saw an article about this a few months ago in the L.A. Times and was curious about how it would taste. Don't think I would attempt it though given an opportunity.

Another storage question..... What's the best way to store green coffee beans and how long will they keep before going off? I've been keeping them in opaque airtight containers with a gasket/latch tops. When the quantity of beans goes down I transfer to a smaller container. I buy 5 pounds at a time and roast what I need for the week on the weekend. I can get a better deal if I buy at 10+ pounds.

I appreciate you posting this. It brings back memories. My Uncle raised sheep for wool, I remember seeing the harvested lambs hanging in the trees before being broken down to cook and also store. Nothing went to waste. Thank you.

Yup! It's been two weeks since I started this latest batch.

Forget everything Yearn, yearn, yearn Bacon's sizzling Turn, turn, turn There's bacon for every puropse under heaven A rind to deep fry A slice just to brown Crumbled to toss One to wrap around Fresh side, yes please Streak-o-lean in my beans God bless porcine It's my very favorite thing. Sung to "Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season)"

Thanks everyone for your help. I appreciate it. I tried a turnip pickle from each jar yesterday. They were fine and boy were they tasty! Just like the ones I love to munch on at Grapevines; a Middle Eastern restaurant I love. The lemons are still bubbling away on the counter. Maybe I should borrow one of my dad's fermentation air locks he uses for home brewing. I'm curious as to how they turn out. I don't know how they would be in a tagine but splash or two of the brine might be good in a cocktail. I'll give them a test in another week or two. Next time I won't sterilize the jars.

I've got a question. I made a jar of preserved lemons last year and they were so good. I wanted to take advantage of my trees and make bigger batches. I sterilized two bigger fliptop/rubber gasket jars. This time I cut the lemons in quarters, salted them down with kosher salt and topped them off with extra juice, to one jar I also added corriander, pepper corns, bay, and cinnamon..... ...both jars are the gassiest things. The jars are really burping and I'm seeing little bubbles. Are they safe? Off topic but also seeing the same thing... I also made some pickled turnips. Two jars. One with just salt, water, and beet root. The other I added vinegar to the solution to also try the variation. They are off gassing too. Are these safe? I also sterilized these jars before using them. The recipe didn't call for boiling the pickling solution nor putting them in a hot water bath. It said to just leave them on the counter for a couple of weeks then store in the icebox. I burped all the jars a few times as I didn't want them to possibly explode. I've had a jar of sourdough starter do that. I'd sure appreciate some help.

Something I've been craving for a month or better. Chicken fried steak, cream gravy, mashed potatoes, steamed carrots, wilted lettuce salad. Dessert was some shortbread cookies I made this weekend and Earl Grey tea.

Anyone remember the candy fizzy tablets you could drop into water. My brother was crazy about those. Ne not so much; I hate carbonation.

Ribbon Candy - We always had it at Christmas time. It had to be the thin kind not the thick. I haven't had any for over 15 years. Anyone know if they still make it? My brother used to like Seven-Up Bars - 7 different bites of candy in a row all stuck together with chocolate. There was caramel, fudge, coconut, and others.

Sugar Babies and Sugar Daddys were always in my Easter basket. I didn't and still don't care for chocolate. Sugar Daddys were all caramel, Sugar Mamas had the chocolate coating (yuck). Beemans gum....When they do a re-issue every three years or so I buy several 20 pack boxes to last me till the next re-issue. I still eat it when it's brittle and hard. Love that pepsin flavor. One guy used to give out coconut flavored hard candy every year on halloween. I bartered my chocolate to get my hands on those. Chico Sticks (sp?) - Buterfinger like but without the chocolate.

Just the way I like my ribeyes!

Good one!