KarenDW

It might be nice to include new tea towels or kitchen towels as "insulation" for whatever you decide to send.

Homemade granola is lightweight and can travel well, packed in ziplock bags and into a shoebox or fed-ex pack. Best part about homemade is that the recipe can accommodate the no-coconut/gluten-free/"I don't like raisins"/no-nut requests We sent 5 lbs of frozen cabbage rolls across the country once. Packed with freezer packs and wrapped in newsprint paper and bubble-wrap. Overnight, of course.

added bonus of braising the day before... can remove excess fat

I'm intrigued... Are we discussing a kit which is stored in the car at all times, just in case? To be honest, I can't imagine not being able to pull something together in a host's kitchen, using what is there. It seems strange to me, upon being asked to "help out with this salad", to waltz out to my car, and come back with a rucksack of ingredients and tools. Clearly, if the host is satisfied with the ingredients in his/her own kitchen, who am I to say... your pepper/sage/french thyme is not fresh fresh enough; use mine? Now, on the other hand, if one is requested, ahead of time, to please cook at the site, then I heartily agree: pack some compact tools which are familiar, and few extra bar towels; maybe an apron. Maybe I'm spoilt. Other than in a working context (as a personal chef, I cook in others' homes frequently), I rarely feel the need to carry a "kit". The desire for better tools, yes. But rarely a "need". Things will be what they can be, in the circumstance in which they are created.

I really enjoyed Two Chefs & a Table. We went for lunch. Very casual. Slightly crowded, but in a nice way. Food was excellent.

I'd probably just have a couple of knives, flexible cutting boards, and a wine opener Liquid soap and a sponge to be "fancy"; the same soap could be used for fruit and veg. Foil - good suggestion. I might add a sheet or two of parchment. I wouldn't bother w/ any pans. My car isn't big enough. Besides, sometimes I am inspired by the lack of tools in someone's kitchen, and marvel at what we are actually able to make. My car is currently stocked with a flashlight, Swiss army knife, and wine opener.

I heartily agree! One restaurant I worked in was very bad about documentation. Finding out ALL the ingredients in a dish usually required tracking down the Sous to inquire. PITA for Front of House people! But really... how hard is it to make a Manual of recipes? Jeez Louise. I'd like to know what is in the food, too.

Chop finely and use as a coating for chicken breasts. Marinate paillards in a mix of orange, marmalade and soy or hoisin... coat, roast in hot oven Use in a veggie burger with hummus and brown rice. Add to pesto... with arugula?

Lingerie washing bags for drying herbs. Our apartment is on the 26th floor, and it's quite windy up here! Nothing can be left "loose".

Carrot, pear & ginger chutney or marmalade?

I might make one display cake, and a few sheet cakes for serving... but then, I'm usually the caterer, and trying to cut & serve 150 pcs of cake in, oh, 20 minutes. If you have sheet cakes for serving, then at least some of the desserts could be plated beforehand.

When is the wedding, and now many guests? If you have some time to explore with your niece, you may be able to discern what particular aspects of *that* cake are most important to her. Is it the flowers? or the tiers? or, the particular way that the flowers drape/cascade? Or, does she like the "veil" effect of the flowers suspended away from the cake surface? Not to be glib, but how much "real" cake do you actually need to have?

Goat cheese! DH doesn't like the "earthy" taste. Fine then. More for us. And, Daughter#1 also commented about Mushrooms tasting of dirt. Daughter#2 does not like celery, but has evolved enough to accept that it exists in most combination foods.

recipe looks like it would be ok to double. I might not quadruple. But, you could weigh out multiple batches of ingredients, then "dump and stir" as they say in TV world... and bake. Just build large layers out of sections of cake. Much easier than trying to bake a huge slab!

duct tape? Or medical tape?

I'm surprised you can keep them outdoors in Vancouver over the winter - are you going to cover them in some way so you keep harvesting them? Because we have a southeast exposure, we have good light for a major part of the day. Also, our building is concrete and glass construction, so a good heat moderator. Will likely move all the "bearing" containers closer to the apartment wall, for best heat, and better protection from the weather. I have an overhang on part of the balcony.

Do you have any sort of butcher shop in your neighborhood? Here, in Vancouver, many butchers are happy to cut "to spec", given appropriate timeline. When I can call ahead, it's much easier to have stir-fry strips and diced chicken breast ready to pick up Saves lots of time!

Living the in the Pacific Northwest, in an apartment, with a southeast-facing balcony... it's pretty easy for me to maintain a small winter "garden". We are blessed to have a protected space with good airflow, and cluster the pots together to maintain good temperatures in the root mass. We currently have several pots of herbs: chives, bay laurel, thyme x 3, rosemary x 2, mint(s), oregano(s); these will all stay out for the winter. A potted meyer lemon is due to be moved indoors soon. The pot of shiso (both red and green) has self-seeded, so I expect will be happily producing again in the spring. The lettuces did not do well this season, as they bolted twice before I could harvest properly. DH has "recycled" the soil, so there may be surprise lettuces next year, all over! Tomatoes were very prolific, and I was set to move one of the pots indoors to ripen. Alas, DH decided to "clean up": picked all the green fruit and disposed of the vines while I was at work yesterday. There go my plans for vine-ripened toms in November! Last year I used some heavy plastic bags, and wire coat-hangers, to make "row" covers for the planter boxes. This extended the season somewhat, to nearly Christmas, at which time the covers were removed, dried, and stowed away. IIRC, the chard was happy through our mild winter, and was harvest-ready through to February. I also made use of those plastic boxes from purchased salad greens, as mini-greenhouses for starting new plants in February/March. The same boxes might also work as covers on small pots to "pre-warm" the soil before planting.

sometimes, when I am planning to freeze sautes of protein & veg, I blanch and shock the veg, rather than cooking w/ the protein. Then, toss together before stowing. wrt cooling... metal pans/bowls work the best for water/ice bath cooling. If you're concerned about plastic bottles... what about using your SIG water bottle as an ice wand? Also, remember to transfer the cooked food OUT of the hot pan, to a cool bowl. For any soups which require the addition of frozen peas... stir in at the end, rather than cooking. Or, if you are using stock... have a concentrated stock prepared, using 1/2 the amount called for in the recipe. Then, chill the soup by adding ice cubes to make up the remaining liquid volume.

English Lit, to provide context to one's menu pairings Chemistry 100, provides basis for baking Creative Writing, hello... menus? Math, because math is everywhere Business Courses Botany, Viticulture, Land Husbandry, to learn how the food we work with is grown Psychology Environmental Science, since as cooks and chefs we have more influence over consumers than we realize etc...

We have had some success using a food processor with slicing blade: the 11 or 12 cup ka works really well. As for the lemon tarts: can you contact your local food service distributor, or a local bakery, to order tart shells? Then you can concentrate on the other stuff.

Sunday, October 3 benefit for Richmond Sharing Farm and Terra Nova Schoolyard projects 11am-4pm South end of Gilbert Road, Richmond; near the City of Richmond Nursery Apple tastings Apple sales (gala, spartan, winter banana, mitsu) BBQ lunch (by donation, suggested donation $5+) Crafts and games for kids Pre-orders for apple trees (spring availability)

The quoted article in the OP cites two different studies, one in which the 26% figure appears, and a second, in which the 23% figure appears.

I've been known to keep a box of pre-washed arugula or other greens in the fridge for quick addition to scrambled eggs in the morning, or to noodle soup.

Please use a pressure canner for your soup. There are some basic instructions at homecanning.com Also, keep in mind that a pressure cooker is different from a pressure canner.