Pierogi

Yes. This one. Circa late 1940's to mid-1950's. It was in my Mom's kitchen and now it's in mine. It doesn't doesn't necessarily match anthing else in the kitchen, but it is THE clock, even though there's a clock on the microwave, the coffe maker, the range and the kitchen timer. This is the one I watch when I need "30 seconds" or "1 minute" because it's got a second hand. Its on the wall over my breakfast bar, and I will cry very hard when it dies.

A cheap-@ss "carpet" from K-Mart. Mostly to absorb drips so I'm not looking at too scuzzy a floor all the time. I covet a Gel-Pro by the prep area (which, since my kitchen is so small, would by default cover the sink area), but I use a portable dishwasher which has to roll over to the sink when in use. Nixes the Gel-Pro, I'm afraid....

WAY cool Heidi ! Thank you again. I need to make a Cookin' Stuff pilgrimage soon. It's been too long since I've dropped significant coin there, and I *have* dropped significant coin there. More than once And oh, that Red Onion ! If I only had a nickle for every Margarita I've had there over the years (and at the El Torito on Hawthorne & Lomita....). Yikes...what memories. Thanks for a glance at your life, and your kitchen. And of course the scissors. It's been great fun.

As just about everyone else has said, so long as the child is under control, and YOU as the parent are not OUT of control at home due to alcohol consumption, I don't see it as an issue. Are you going to keep them from seeing beer/wine and even hard booze ads on TV? I doubt it. Best to be exposed "in the wild" as it were, with a loving, protective guide such as a parent. But then, I sat on the bar of my Grandfather's saloon when I was still in diapers and proclaimed loudly to all gathered that "My Mommy likes Scotch whiskey !", so I may not be the best role model..... Edit---Miss Spelling is me.

I actually use them wherever and whenever I'm using the celery. In soups, in salads, in stews, whatever. I never, ever throw away celery leaves. They're magic.

Heidi, where did you find those Messermeister scissors? I have an el-cheapo pair of Chicago Cutlery ones that I can't remember where I got....maybe Tar-jay several eons ago?? It was a set of 2, and the last pair finally wants to give up the ghost. I noticed the other day the handle has split from one too many trips through the dishwasher. They come apart like yours, and that's what I want to replace them with. But I can't find anything comparable. And I know both Alton Brown and America's Test Kitchen liked the Messermeister. They seem to be the only current option that pulls apart for cleaning. But no one local to me has them !

For normal, low test cooking....I use the back/flat of my chef's knife (10-inch), and scoop with that. I have a bench scraper I use religiously when I make bread, but never think about it for the scoop & drop action when I'm chopping. And it's out, on the counter, tucked in back of the sugar bowl & shallot basket, all the time. Just don't think of it. If it's a meal with a LOT of mise....Cajun/Creole with the trinity, and tomatoes, and garlic, and herbs all going in at different times, or a stir-fry with similar, differently timed additions to the pot...I do have 2 cutting boards, and will group by when the ingredients get added. So the aromatics, let's say in the stir-fry, garlic, ginger and onion, get chopped on one board and set aside, then the actual veg gets chopped on a second board and set aside. When it's time to add, then I do the lift-the-board-to-the-pan-and-swipe action. If it's REALLY intense, I'll use prep bowls/plates. But that's rare, because that usually means it's a real production. The knife-scoop action just seems most natural to me, and doesn't break the flow of what I'm doing.

I have one *WITH* a removable crock, and I don't get bubbles on low either. Significant steam on the underside of the lid, yes, but no bubbles. Not until I put it on high. I'd guess mine's about 10 years old. On low the liquid is plenty hot, but not simmering. No, mine is not one of those fancy-shmancy ones with the digital controllers. It's got HIGH, LOW and OFF. I've never used it for beans, but I have for stews, soups, pulled pork, briskets, etc. and never had an issue.

David, seriously. The "budget" shopper as you call them, who buy their staples at Wal-Mart can simply NOT afford the extra 4 bucks for the "spendy, fancy" chicken, no matter how much they may appreciate the fact it's better. For a whole lot of people in this country, four dollars is a LOT of money, when you're trying to stretch a budget to make sure your kids go to bed with a full tummy. Quality sometimes has to go by the wayside. Believe me, even *I'VE* made those choices, and I don't have kids. But if it's between the dogs getting good stuff and me, well, they win, hands down. If I DID have kids, it would be even more of a no-brainer. Do I buy the $8 chicken and get one meal for my family, or do I buy the cheap-o, factory farmed one for $0.99 a pound and and then use the extra money to get some beans, or rice, or potatoes, or vegetables, so I can stretch it for 2 or even 3 meals? Not a hard decision, really, no matter how good your intentions are. edit to---clarification

If it were me, I'd heat them in some of the olive oil on the stove top to "bloom" them. That's what I see usually in Indian recipes....the seeds are briefly sauteed until they pop (have a lid for the pan handy !). Then I'd toss with the cauliflower and salt and roast. I'd use either the black or the brown, you'll get more flavor. Or, if you don't want to do stove top, put the oil on your sheet pan, toss in the mustard seeds, and put in the 425 oven for a few minutes. You should get the same effect. You'll heighten the flavor of the seeds as well as flavor the oil.

For various reasons, including trash marauding dogs (lookin' at you Rosie-avatar-dog),and the fact my house seems to have been built on the largest ant hill in the greater Los Angeles metropolitan area, and the fact I have no cabinet space to spare to stash the darn thing, the only thing that works for me is a small, open trash can that gets taken out every night as part of the kitchen clean-up. It's the size of one of the plastic grocery bags, and that's what I use as liners. Evening routine....load dishwasher, do hand wash dishes, change doggie water, take trash out, put on hand lotion. The recycling bin is larger, and gets changed out about once a week, but those things are clean, or rinsed enough that critters, either furry or insect-oid, leave it alone. Unfortunately, it's also out in the open, but tucked in a corner, so I don't really have to stare at it. In my 60-plus year old house, with holes knocked into the plaster under all the sinks to access pipes for various plumbing repairs, I'd be hesitant, even if I had the cabinet space, to store trash there for any period of time. I really don't want any other critters in my house.....

If I've only used it for cooked foods, or to chop veggies or fruit, then I wipe the blade down with a damp dishrag, and dry with a towel, and put away in the block. If it were at all sticky, I may run it under hot water to loosen up the stickies. However. If I use one for raw animal protein, then I use soap and hot water, wiped down with the dishrag, then rinsed under hot water and dried, then back into the block. They never sit in water or in the sink. As soon as I'm finished boning the fish, slicing the beef, or de-fatting the pork shoulder, they get cleaned and put away, before I move onto the next step of the recipe. For the veg/cooked foods, they usually wait, not in water, but on the counter, until there's a break in the action for me to clean them up.

YAY !!!!!! A South Bay blog ! In some ways, I know that area even better than Long Beach, since I actually spent more TIME there when I was working in Torrance ! I have been at that feed store a million times....they were my regular source for wild bird seed when I was still feeding the birds (before the thug pigeons took over). The first Thai food I ever ate was at Thai Tiffany on Lomita Blvd. This is going to be so sweet ! There is such a marvelous selection of food outlets in that area, and influences from all over. Go Heidi, I'll be watching with GREAT interest and GREAT nostalgia.

No problem ! It's a journey, and some loaves will work way (WAY) better than others. But dont' be discouraged by the not-so-good ones. It still blow *MY* mind every time I see the dough double, and then smell the finished loaf. It's like....."wow...*I* did THIS !" And of course, nothing beats the taste of a fresh-from the oven, homebaked loaf. Just the best. Have fun !

But that's my point. How much parsley do you have to buy before your shopping eats up your whole paycheck at Whole Foods vs. Tom Thumb? I, for one, buy Italian (flat leaf) parsley pretty much every time I shop, unless its come in the CSA share. Same for cilantro. They're refrigerator staples for me, I use them so much. On my budget, those $0.50's here and $0.50's there (DAMN that there's no "cents" symbol on a modern keyboard....) add up. Quickly. Whole Foods, in suburban Southern California, is SIGNIFICANTLY higher on staple products than the chains and OUTRAGEOUSLY higher than Trader Joe's. Unless they are the sole source for something I desperately need, I will not patronize them. I have other alternatives. But I do see how, in a tight, metro area like NYC, SF, or DC, they could be comparable to other outlets. Just not in my neck of the woods.

In my experience, which is vast by any means, but I've been at it now for almost 5 years, you let the dough rise initially immediately after mixing. Then you shape the loaf and let it rise a second time. Some people (and recipes) refer to that second rise as a "bench proof". When I want to retard it by refrigerating, I do it between the first and second rises. Or, if I've made a preferment, THAT goes into the fridge over night, then the next day you make the balance of the dough, mix in the preferment, and take it through the two rises. You'll see preferments called various things in recipes; bigas, sponges, preferments, and I think there's a couple of other variations as well. And again, with the instant yeast, you will not see wild bubbling when you add it to liquid/sugar to "proof" it.

Further to what Mark said above....when life (or your CSA) gives you Rainbow chard, make stuffed chard leaves. Stuffed with ground beef (I've used a mix of turkey and pork, all pork, and I think they'd be dynamite with ground lamb), egg, garlic, parsley, toasted pine nuts, some milk and spices/herbs, then braised in chicken broth, lemon juice, sauteed onion, garlic and the chopped chard stems, drizzled over with e.v. olive oil. Pull the chard packets, reduce the sauce and swirl in some sour cream or thick yogurt. Served with couscous pilaf and quartered cherry tomatoes. Very, very good use for chard leaves.

Why....I just *happened* to have posted it over here.... It's a long step-by-step, but the results are well worth it.

A million years ago in SoCal, there used to be a grocery store line of baked goods, similar to Entenmann's, called Van de Kamp. The name still exists, but the product line is greatly reduced to I think just cinammon rolls and Danish. One of the best things of the old offerings was a coffee cake called a "Swedish Twist". It was a yeast-dough sweet bread, braided like a challah, and glazed with a brown sugar/cinnamon glaze, then sprinkled with coarse sugar. I miss those things, as does a very good friend of mine. A couple of years back, I found a supposed copy cat recipe on the Web, and thought I'd give it a try. Since my friend's birthday is tomorrow, I made it for her as a present over the weekend. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the absolute wonder that is a Van de Kamp's Swedish Twist: And close up to the glaze: It was absolutely dead, spot-on ! Talk about a taste memory. It's a sweet bread with sour cream in the dough. The texture is right, the taste is right, and the look is right. What a find ! The friend got one. *I* kept the other. I'm a good friend, but there's a limit !

She knew buzzwords, that's all. Her explanations were just circular....."It's healthy". "What does that mean?" "It's good for you !" "In what way?" "Well, it's *HEALTHY* !" I seriously have no idea how she made it as long as she did. She should've been gone somewhere in the middle of the pack.

I wouldn't change one iota about that curd. It looks FABULOUS and inviting sort of sliding down over the other layer. Nice job !

Yep. Everyone else got it. Stick blender in a narrow vessel (and sort of splay your hand and fingers around the shaft of the stick to keep the schmutz from flying too far) or a mini-processor. For a one or two person household, that to me is MUCH more useful than a big Cuisinart. I have a KA Chef's Series 3 cup model, and use it 2 or 3 times a week. The Cuisinart....maybe once a month. For a small volume, the Cuisinart is just too big, and I have the smallest *standard* model available (I think it's a 7 cup). And the blender.......maybe I use that 3 or 4 times a year. But you'd have to pry the stick blender and the KA mini from my cold, dead hands.

If you are using "instant" (aka "bread machine or "rapid rise" yeast) you will not see much action if you put it in with the liquid before adding it to the flour and other dry ingredients. The addition of yeast to a liquid (milk, water, etc., possibly sometimes with added sugar, oil or melted butter, depending upon the final product) is called "proofing" and is not technically needed for "instant" yeast. "Active dry yeast" should be proofed before adding to dry ingredients by dissolving in the warm liquid and any added "food" (sugar, oil, melted butter). Let sit for about 5-15 minutes, and you should see some active (and I mean ACTIVE) bubbling and frothing. You won't see that with "instant" yeast. Most people, myself included, sometimes still dissolve the "instant" yeast in liquid before adding it, but you will not see much (if any) bubbling or frothing, nor will it form a spongey-type thing without any flour. It's processed differently than the "active dry" and so is more available to do it's yeasty thing in the dough. "Active dry" yeast needs to sort of "awakened" before it's ready to do it's yeasty thing. Both types work well, and are fairly interchangeable I've found. I think there may be a slight quantity adjustment between the two (there are conversion tables all over the web, Google "yeast conversion"), but I usually do one to one, and don't have a problem. It won't kill your recipe to "proof" instant yeast, but you won't see the results the recipe describes. Yeast is not scary, it's actually pretty forgiving. It's almost counter-intuitive, you'd think the "active dry" yeast wouldn't need to be proofed, but it does. Good luck. Yeasted bread making is so much fun, and SO fulfilling. Once you try it, you'll be hooked !

Andie.....*ADOHR* Oh I loved them ! And MISS them. How cool that you know someone who worked for them. And thanks for explaining why the TJ's cream no long "plugs" of the top of the bottle. I had noticed that, but never thought to check the label. Still the best mega-commercial cream out there, though.. jsmeeker, the TJ's "heavy" cream is *just* pasturized. I hate ultra-pasturized cream, and will not buy it. That was why I initially started to buy the TJ's. Out here it comes in a pint bottle, plastic, with a pink screw cap, that looks like an old-time milk bottle. They do sell another "whipping" cream in a carton, but I think that one may be ultra-pasturized. The "heavy" cream with the pink cap in my fridge does have the carrageenan, but still performs well (made creme brulees today with it) and tastes great.

Hrrrrrmmmm.....maybe I should've posted my answer to FG's post over here ...seem's more appropriate here. *MENTAL NOTE*...scan the entire first page of eG before you jump in and post... Anywhooo, as I was saying OVER THERE, the plumbing is always going to be the weakest link in the set-up. If you've got new construction, hell, go for it. Run celery down there, it'll probably be OK. For a few years, at least. And for your plumbing, at least. Ecologically, maybe not so much. And, if you're like most of us, with, ummmmm, *vintage* pipes, there's already a huge build-up of crud in there for all those little bits and pieces to catch on and adhere to. And clog. Disposers do NOT liquify....they grind. You still get parts and pieces. I'm not so sure that's so great. And as noted, they're death to a septic system. At least in a landfill, the stuff does eventually decompose. Not sure what happens to the sludge from the waste water.