hummingbirdkiss

I use flour tortillas to make samosas I know it is cheating and not what you want to hear and I can make the more complex ones ...but I just love these and let me tell you they are very easy ...hightlight the filling beautifully and often used by my Indian friends so what the heck..just fold them exactly like you would a samosa or make a cone with a fold over lid fill and seal with cornstarch and water slurry deep fry until crispy and golden .. I buy (or make my own) thick flour tortillas and size them according to if I want appetizers or a big hearty one for lunch!

heat a jar of red current jam (jelly if you can not find the jam is ok) add a half cup of gin ...bring to a bit of a boil just to get the edge off the gin ..then add 1/4 cup of dijon some fresh cracked pepper and a bit of salt that is it... use sparingly this is very intense..and very nice

yes yes yes yes yes!!! this is the way to enhance them ... anything else just hides them I think!!! this is it for me and razor clams they are absolutely fantastic eating!!!

why not make an old fashioned banana pudding ..you know the kind on hte Nilla wafer box...(people stop rolling eyes) you add a bit of rum to those wafers and make many layers and it is a very nice triffley dessert ..as long as you keep it cold the longer it sits the better!!! I think the box has eggwhite topping..I just replace that with whipping cream at the last min ..top with fresh strawberries (any berries) at the very last min (I did not see that anyone else mentioned it but am at work so sorry if this is a repeat)

good grief I am hungry!!! I call those prawns ..well giant prawns!...but I am so confused about this subject and swear one day I will figure it all out myself!. when I moved out to the Seattle area I realized what I called a "shrimp" was a "prawn" here a "shrimp" here would be the tiny <1 inch sized ones... way off topic of course what I grew up thinking was a "steamer" clam...grows here sometimes over 5lbs and is called a geoduck! so what do I know anyway?

when I am invited to someone's house for a home cooked meal and they pull a box out of the freezer ..heat it in the oven and add parsley to it for a garnish honestly I do not find anything people do in their homes worth my being upset over it is there home after all and I am invited for a meal .. I am just so happy to be sharing food with friends I can not imagine being upset about what they do! It is not up to me to choose for other people correct kitchen behavior.. besides if you came to my house I am sure you could find plenty to put on this list..I have impeccable hygiene in the kitchen (as far as cross contaminating) but I am a very messy cook!!!... I do toss garbage across the room into the lidless trash can ..if it had a lid how could I toss garbage in ? and I have good aim so very little ever gets on the floor and if it does ..oh well unless I can slip on it ..it can wait until I am done cooking! ...toss dishes into the sink that is already brimming (but no water in it that is gross to me and I leave a clean side for washing hands and dishes) ..until I am done there is no clean up!!! I clean before I cook and when I am done that is it ..not as I go it is too distracting I thaw meat on the counter ...yes I do wash my hands all the time ..use one cutting board for meat and one for veggies and another for bread .. all in all I am a very messy cook!!! I wonder if my guests talk about me behind my back? ...nah they do it to my face and keep coming over so it is all good!!!

no the "live" did not enhance the taste (except as Fatguy mentioned with clams and oysters I love those raw and alive so yes on that no on the crabs I ate) and yes I could have told they were alive..the crabs ... with a blindfold...because they moved in my mouth!

There is a terrible bias against lamb and I just can not understand it! it the most wonderful meat I know ..my favorite is actually mutton but lamb is right up there I have found that I can find it in some regular markets but as this thread states it is very pricey!..at Easter I always buy a couple of legs on sale but that is the only bargain time for most places.. I dont mind NZ lamb but it is very mild and I love the flavor of the meat and the NZ is so mild is not always what I am looking for... unless I just want to sear it on the grill or something I have found that at Somali or Ethiopian or any HALAL market you can either find lamb or you can ask them about a local butcher who sells it. Many Muslim families enjoy this wonderful meat buying it from a Halal butcher.. who does it specially for them (both lamb and goat) I have purchased a half lamb cut and wrapped (not one bit missing) for a very decent price that way. my problem is I dont currently have a freezer other than the one on my fridge so I can not do that this year so my suggestion to cut cost and obtain wonderful meat ...check in the Middle Eastern/Muslim/Somali or Ethiopean communities (both in the US and Canada for sure) it is the best place to locate local fresh lamb meat for a very decent price good luck

my boys when they were little hamburgers = hanga burrs pea soup=poop soup if they saw breastfeeding babies= "look that baby's got some mommy munchies!!"

I ate tiny baby crabs one time that were still alive with hot sauce..that was a very unusual kind of gaggy sensation..they tasted very good actually..but..I had a lot of trouble with the first mouthful and swallowing them was a great effort..more because they felt so funny poking into the inside of my mouth .....so really ....I prefer to have things stop twitching before they go in my mouth ...however if someone invited me to this place and offered to buy it for me to try ..I would not say no! I am pretty bold about food

I am yearning for a brand new kitchen in my "potential 1000 square foot of space" in the basement.... right now it is concrete room with no floors no walls, no ceiling ..14 electrical outlets in a row on one wall....a huge fireplace and a view that is to die for .. Santa I am very good, very broke and very tired of remodeling this house!!!! so please just make this kitchen just appear!!!!

Linda I am with you I love when black cake is mentioned any place!!! Alan I can not wait to hear about your cake! ...my cakes do not taste boozy at all they are very mellow ..very moist and nearly perfect...each year I think .."this is the one the best of the best" and each year they taste better that the year before!..I think because I always add some of last years fruit to this years fruit batch that kind of "mothers" it along!! black cake ..yummmmm!!!! I do not really believe there is a "recipe" for this cake..I think it is an art and very personal adventure! good black cake tastes like you want it to..not like it is "supposed" to...

I would always prefer to buy farm raised local meat..but that is not an option sometimes .. I grind my own meat because I am so suspect of what is ground up in there and have seen first hand that it can be things I do not want to eat...(and pretty much I will eat anything!) so i buy my pork at a local Southeast Asian market where they do buy whole farm raised pigs..the pork still has plenty of fat on it ..and they do all the cutting on the premises I buy my beef cuts at the Korean or Mexican Market (same thing they do their own cutting) Lamb is hard sometimes because for some strange reason people here are not "into" it that I can see ..I will usually order half or whole lamb from a local butcher ..same with goat ..although I have found really nice goat at the Somali or Halal markets here I find grocery store meat to be tastelss and expensive actually and if you want anything special it is hard to get there because a lot of markets do not even cut their own meat anymore Chicken is an issue finding nice fresh locally raised healthy chickens is such a treat ..but an expensive chore... almost impossible to find on a regular basis in my area ..

I have been living in a hole! I never knew there were this many options to put salt in!!! .. .I keep it in the box/container it comes in on the counter and pour it out into my hand when I need it ... or put it in a tiny dish to serve it on the table and we pinch it out or use a tiny spoon with company.. I think I need to buy a cellar/container or something of some kind now! so I dont feel like a such kitchen heathen!

I don't think luck has much to do with it-maybe we can figure out what the problem is? First, don't get discouraged yet...tomatoes around here often don't really start growing until July (have you been seeing any progress these last couple weeks?). Second, you say they are on your deck...are you using varieties adapted for container gardening, and are you fertilizing? Some varieties do well in large pots but others do not. Third, are they getting at least 6 hours sun per day? Fourth, and very important, are you choosing varieties adapted for the PNW (most heirloom types are pretty iffy here since they take so long to ripen)? And if you live in a particularly cool part of the PNW (north of Seattle, on the islands), you should be even more careful when choosing types. ← thanks for addressing this ..I live in the South Sound between Oly and Tacoma .. right on the water ...we have a pretty mild climate .....this is the first year I have really given the containers a try and I went and got those big black pots the nurseries give away and put them in a protected very sunny (yes they get sun all day actually) west facing.spot on the deck....I used good soil that is supposed to be for veggies in pots...I picked one of each type they had at Lowes ..very heaithy looking and nicely established plants in pots that dissolve ..and there are three cherry tomatoes a couple of "early" varieties and I can not remember the other three I think I got one heirloom .. ..in the past I used my raised beds and the regular garden I did put food in the soil when I potted it is probably time to add some more I have no idea if these are ok for containers I thought you could put any tomatoes in containers guess I should have looked more closely at the label..they are growing look healthy enough have buds on them ..but do not look all vigorous like tomatoes should ..

OMG my garden is in full bloom ..again!!! this has been a real labor of love ..you see I was given the gift of four distinct gardens that had nothing in them! ...I was not prepared to deal with this ..I work and am trying to remodel this house and the garden keeps pulling on me to come and play in it..very distracting and the wonderful weather is not helping my focus! ..for three years I have beg borrowed and cooked for perennials to fill the huge areas so I have with less grass and more blooming/fruiting plants and trees. This will be my first year that one of the gardens will have perpetual blooms going on!!! I am just beside myself .. I am still struggling with the tomatoes ..I just do not have the luck some people have and this year I am trying them on my west facing deck along with some various peppers...every year I say this is the LAST YEAR! and every year I am determined to do this ...when I finally get a good harvest they will be some very expensive tomatoes!!! my figs are looking really good ..but the tree suddenly looks lanky so maybe a prune this winter? does anyone prune their figs? and if so any advice? apple tree is loaded! and I just realized on my 5 way Asian pear tree one of the pears is actually a miniature bartlet ..dont know how I missed that but I have a loaded branch of them and they are perfectly adorable!!! all the baby plums on my 5 way plum tree fell off ...I dont know they seemed to really set well the tree looks healthy ...any ideas on that anyone ? a momma robin on her second nest thinks I planted the mullberries just for her ..it is so fun watching her shake the branches to find the ripe ones ...honestly as lack luster as mullberries are to me I am happy she is really enjoying them ... This time of year I have to be so careful about the doors and windows being wide open because I have a fresh crop of baby hummingbirds who are kind of idiotic when it comes to flying into the house and garage...they just get so freaked out and smash into the windows ...my dog goes nuts they go nuts and when I try to catch them I am so afraid of hurting these little guys... I have to go to work today and leave my beautiful garden and it is very derpressing to have to go inside when you want to be outside..I love my work ..but really I want to retire and just live in this beautiful place! we are so lucky to live in the Northwest dont you think? just do not tell anymore people k?

perfectly roasted cabrito (baby goat) with Chimayo red chile colorado and home made tortillas I love all types of meat ..but there is nothing at all on the planet you could get me to eat if that was offered as well ...I am completely undistractable when I have a plate of this in front of me

fried won ton skins dipped in whipped cream flavored with vanilla cinnamon and sugar

I say get it!!! I am sorry you can say I sided with you!!! but really ...I would buy it! and use it I am sure!

I abosutely love Corazon Reposado tastes like you are sipping butterscotch I think it is better than Don Julio by far but that is my opinion ... it is so smooth ..and the aroma is just lovely! and it is very nice with sweet things ..even some chocolate .. as well as mild savory foods...nothing too heavy I think ...go with light flavored small bites with good tequilla...so you dont loose the character ...

Eating corn for me is a huge messy process that I can just become so engrossed in nothing else matters!!! I roll my corn first in mayo...and then parmesan cheese ..squeeze a lime on top then sprinkle New Mexican chile...I eat it randomnly in a very unseemly manner leaving big chunks of kernals still intact...and of course getting it all over my face...then I reroll in mayo..cheese ...lime juice and more chile!!! you would think all those toppings would bury the corn ..but good sweet roasted corn gets better and better to me with each layer of toppings!!! we do not get good corn until the end of summer here ...sigh...

I used to go to the bakery as a kid ..buy a huge italian roll for like a 5 cents ..on the way home poke a tiny hole in the crust and use my fingers to wedge all the guts out ..buy the time I got home I had a perfectly hollow cruse with a hole in it..so I took mustartd and poured it in there ..squished it flat and ate that! ok I still do this when I need nurturing

sigh the thought of egg salad makes me want to twirl my hair! talk about the ultimate childhood comfort food for me! I like it with a little olive oil sizzled garlic, parsley and red chile tossed into the store bought mayo ..chopped green olives and some celery or water chestnuts for crunch I love it on any kind of bread... but I also roll it in a giant curly lettuce leaf..use it as a dip for red peppers...or celery...or even jicama.. great with ice cold radishes ok I am making some for lunch thanks for this idea!!!

almost forgot you can do a pecan or walnut crust with ground walnutss some sweetener and melted butter just bake a little lower than you usually do to avoid burning the nuts...obvious but I did it

do a spicy pumpkin cheesecake and top it with vanilla scented heavy whipping cream with vanilla ...mix sweeteners I use half cyclamates half splenda and a pinch of stevia this is totally low carb and does not trigger even the worst sugar junky as far as I know