barbc

I think this all goes back to what we ate in our childhoods. Since mine was in the 70's and 80's artificial flavors win in the comfort food catagory. My mom had too large a family to feed we didn't eat boxed dinners so my artificial flavors are candies. Blow pops, Tootsie Rolls, Life Savers, and those (allowed) candies Hall's Mentho eucalyptus. I wonder what my children will find as comfort foods. ;-)

Here's an idea. Go to Cornell, take your classes, turn 18 and get a job nearby. No matter what a four year degree will serve you well. Barb C (who lives in Ithaca)

I do a simple hash with raw potatoes, meat, and onion. I use olive oil and a nonstick pan. I find the biggest secret to browning it nicely is to NOT stir it too much. I also keep it on a moderately low heat. My favorite hash lately is sausage, onion, and sweet potato. Mmmm love that balance between salty sausage and sweet potatoes. Barb

My favorite recipe for Dried Fava Beans is right from the Goya package. Basically you rinse and pick the beans. Use about half a pound. Then cover with water, boil and let sit for an hour. Take the husks (bean covers?) off. Saute a chopped up onion in extra virgin olive oil. Add beans, salt, broth, and rosemary. Maybe garlic too, I don't remember. Cook until the beans soak up the broth. If you want the complete recipe check the Goya package. I LOVE this dish, unfortunately I am the only person in the house who does. Someday my kids will get adventerous. Barb C.

I interpret the unspecified size (medium carrot) or unclear amount (like a cup of chiffonade spinich) as that the amount can be a varied a bit and the recipe will still taste good. When recipes call for half a cup of butter divided, it would be more clear to me if they said "1/2 cup butter -2 tbs plus 6 tbs" this way I could mentally seperate the butter and not use too much. Barb C (who confesses, she doesn't always read directions as well as ingredient lists)

I love my Kitchen Aid it will even chop ice! I have to be careful though because if I want to puree a bit of soup in a pot a couple seconds will puree plenty. I also love that the immersion part is removeable and can be cleaned easilly. Barb C (who blew though lesser models a bit too easilly)