Emily_R

Linda -- does MC say to cook chicken stock for 90 minutes? At what pressure level? The other PC books I've consulted said 30 minutes, and so that's what I've been doing (in fact, just made some with the carcass of a chicken I roasted on Friday)... I think a few times I've gone to 40 minutes, but never thought to push it that long...

Well if extruded potato paste counts, then I feel like Pringles have to win. Deeply addictive. I remember going out and buying a bag of Munchos after reading about them here and thinking that they just didn't hold a candle to Pringles...

JAZ, I'm with you on the Pop Chips, specifically the BBQ. To me, part of what makes a great snack crisp is that I can gorge myself on them without a) feeling guilty or b) feeling gross. BBQ pop chips achieve that, while still being delicious enough that I *want* to eat the whole bag...

Wow -- I guess I just don't see what the big deal is here. I absolutely put my veggies in the sink if need be -- so I'll fill the sink with water to rinse off a particularly sandy batch of spinach, or to revive a tired bunch of cilantro.If I use any kind of contamination threat (like chicken) in the sink, I make sure to scrub it down with antibacterial soap afterwards. I mean, the sink is constantly bathed in a supply of dishwashing soap and water as I do dishes throughout the day...

I don't see why not. In terms of order of operations, I'd do eggs first, then cornstarch -- so I'd combine the eggs with the milk/cream first (heating the cream, pouring some in slowly to temper the eggs, then adding that tempered mix back to the full batch of cream)... And then would let that thicken just a smidge with the eggs in it, and pull out a cup or so, whisk in the cornstarch, and then blend that back into the full pot.... Let us know how it goes -- I've often felt similarly about the tradeoffs of each thickening method...

Oh lord, that pork roast! Intense drooling! Shelby -- what are the herbs it looks like are crusted on there?

Its funny this thread popped up today, as I'm making mashed potatoes in the crockpot. So long as I have the time, its my favorite way to do them -- foolproof and delicious, not to mention allowing me to keep them warm so it doesn't require perfect timing with the rest of the meal.

Had a serious chocolate cake craving yesterday, along with a lengthy writing project that was going to require a sugar rush. And hence, Hershey's perfectly chocolate bundt cake and frosting (made with Penzey's cocoa) -- a ridiculously simple recipe, which is a nice bonus. Serious yum. In fact, I had a slice for breakfast today. Next time I'm thinking I'll add kahlua to the frosting, and orange zest to the cake...

SERIOUS YUM. I would eat that meal in a heartbeat!

Ok, dinner tonight was so good I had to take a photo of it. Locally raised lamb chops, with a mint-arugula puree. Arugula salad with avocado, feta, and scallions and grilled potato wedges. Lick your plate good.

I've heard that they're absolutely fantastic deep fried tempura-style... Which reminds me that I should try that with the colossal amount of chive blossoms in my own garden!

Thanks Andie -- Thats a big help! I've been looking on ebay, and sometimes they come with the instructions and sometimes not... Though I'd imagine I could find a scan of the instructions online somewhere. I must say that I love the old-timey soda-shop look of the stainless steel...

andiesnj -- I'm considering buying an old Vitamix 3600 -- similar to the stainless steel one you have in your photo -- since I can't afford a new one. Just wondering whether it fits on a counter under cabinets? And also how it is to clean -- I've never used a blender with a spigot before. Did you often use the spigot or just pour it out of the container. And was it difficult not being able to see through the container to see the status of what you're blending?

Most recently I've been making artichokes -- 12 minutes at high pressure, quick release = perfectly cooked and ready for butter, lemon, and salt! I've struggled with beans in the PC, and have ultimately concluded that they're not worth it for me - I'll just make beans in the oven when I have time at home to monitor them...

Pierogi - I've had that cake, and I think that frosting is the best frosting I've ever tasted! And Mette -- meant to say earlier that your orange cake is just beautiful! Love the idea of marzipan with orange -- serious yum.

Just made the most amazing ice cream tonight, as well as one of the easiest. Strawberry ice cream with a strawberry-rhubarb swirl. The ice cream was based on a technique from David Lebovitz that he uses in his Chocolate Raspberry ice cream. I brought a cup of heavy cream to a boil, and put it in the blender with 1/2 a cup of sugar, blending to combine them. I then added 10 ounces of frozen strawberries -- really good ones that I froze from our garden last summer. Blend until smooth, and voila -- ice cream base! I'm someone who doesn't even usually like fruit and dairy, and I still think this stuff is incredible. I froze it in the ice cream maker, and then as I was packing it into a quart container swirled in some basic strawberry-rhubarb sauce I had cooked up the day before. Out of this world.

Honestly, having grown and eaten both, I prefer the golden beets to the Chiogga ones. I also found what Matthew did, that cooked they tended to just bleed into pink. And to my taste the golden ones are sweeeter....

Hi all -- Ok, so its pie season, and I wanted to try a leaf-lard crust. My local butcher gave me ALOT (6.8 pounds!) of leaf lard to render. This stuff is nearly pure white -- long pieces with zero meat on them. I did the first batch using andiesenj's method (in the crockpot). Crockpot worked great, and I pulled off the first batch of melted stuff -- which had been cooking for the least amount of time -- to use for pastry. Now it is in the fridge and is snow white. But here's the question. When I smell it? Definitely porky. Will my pie taste porky? Its hard for me to believe it won't... I used the hydrodgenated lard from the store for a pie crust once, and while it made an amazingly flaky pie, it still tasted porky to my husband and I. I had hoped that home-rendered leaf lard wouldn't, but now I fear it will? Any thoughts? Emily

I'm so glad you guys liked the chicken! And I'm really glad this thread got bumped, because I have another recipe to add. This is almost so simple its hardly a recipe, but its the type of thing where when I read it -- at 10pm -- I thought 'this is genius! I have to try this right now! And then I went to the kitchen, made the recipe in all of about 3 minutes, tasted it, and screamed to my husband 'this is genius!' What is it? Its Heidi Swanson's quesadilla, but that doesn't really describe it. I prefer to call it a Huevos Rancheros taco. Basically You part-cook a scrambled egg, place a corn tortilla down on the top of it and continue cooking so the two fuse. Then flip to the other side, top the egg with a little shredded cheese, and cook until cheese is melted and tortilla is browned and crispy. Add a little salsa, or sour cream, fold in half and eat like a taco! This has revolutionized my thoughts about what to make when I'm just a little peckish and want a snack. Sometimes its the simplest recipes that are totally home runs... http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/quesadillas-recipe.html.

Now that I'm being inundated with asparagus from the garden, thought I'd revive this thread. Am planning on making what was one of my best new asparagus recipes last year -- Asparagus Pesto, from Elise at Simply Recipes. Here's a link to it -- http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/asparagus_pesto_with_pasta/ -- I use almonds rather than pine nuts, and when I add it to pasta often add a scoop of ricotta as well. Totally amazing, and even better -- it froze really well! So that I had a hit of asparagus in the dead of winter this year! Anyone else making anything new and exciting with asparagus? Tonight I'm finally going to make djyee's Pasta with Eggs, Asparagus, and Mushrooms -- a recipe that's been in my to-try file since last year!

Cheese is a regular snacking staple for me... But lately it has been matzah with butter and salt. Dangerous. I can plow through a box of matzah in nothing flat.

Deensiebat -- that looks fantastic! I love roasted rhubarb myself, though I don't mind if it goes a little mushy on me. My favorite recipe is this one from Orangette, where she roasts it with some white wine and a vanilla bean. HEAVEN. http://orangette.blogspot.com/2010/03/lot-of-rhubarb.html

I disagree with JBailey -- I think Mise en Place is overrated for most kinds of home cooking. Imagine a soup recipe that first asks me to saute an onion until translucent, then add a chopped red bell pepper for a few minutes, then add some spices and toast in the pan, add some tomato paste and caramelize a little, then add a can of tomatoes and stock. It would be a colossal waste of time for me to prep all these things first, and then stand there waiting around for each bit to cook. In the time the onion takes to sweat, I can chop the pepper. In the time the pepper cooks, I can measure out the spices and open the can of tomato paste... While those toast I open the can of tomatoes... Etc. Ditto for most dishes involving meat. Browning meat takes time, and requires that I not stand there and fuss over it. While meat for beef stew browns, I have plenty of time to chop mushrooms and onions, etc. For Chinese food I agree with the notes above about prepping everything ahead of time. But for *most* of the meals I cook -- including baking -- I think it is unnecessary. Even for baking -- why on earth would I measure flour into one bowl, baking powder into a ramekin, baking soda into a second ramekin, and cocoa powder into another prep bowl? Assuming I'm not sifting, to me it makes so much more sense to take out one big bowl for the dry ingredients and measure each ingredient into it.

Ok, any suggestions for two cups worth of very pungent garlic scape pesto I've got in the freezer? Trying to figure out something that will showcase it but not leave us with garlicky-breath-of-fire...

How about a nice omelet for one, with a little goat cheese and fresh peas in it?