Huevos del Toro

You might consider "The Best Recipe: Grilling and Barbecue" by Cooks Illustrated. You'll get a lot of the "why", as well as the "what" of it. Amazon has it as well as the Cooks Illustrated site.

Pickled jalapeno’s stuffed with creamy JIF peanut butter.

How about a spinach and olive pie? www.recipesource.com/main-dishes/dinner-pies/04/rec0486.html

I finally installed a "Grid System" from The Container Store. I use two grids, butted against each other at the end of my tiny apartment kitchen. I hang virtually every tool, including many of my pots and pans from special hooks that snap onto the grid. It turned out to be one of the best investments I ever made for my kitchen. I've paid attention to other kitchens since I installed my system and found few with the blank wall space needed. If you have the space, SERIOUSLY consider this solution to the junk drawer. The grid is at: www.containerstore.com/browse/Product.jhtml?CATID=187&PRODID=60329 My knives are on magnetic bars as well as rotating wooden holder that swings from underneath a cabinet.

I've tried various ways to get the breading to stick and the best one (so far) is a double breading. The meat must be pretty dry before beginning. Seasoned flour (incl. cayenne!) Egg, buttermilk, baking powder, baking soda Back into the seasoned flour Fry in 375-degree peanut oil Into a 200-degree oven to drain while making the cream gravy: Onion Thyme Garlic Flour Milk Chicken stock Salt Pepper Cayenne Man, when it's done right it just can't be beat! And I just gotta have some mashers with it!

Shreddedd Wheat, the BIG one's! My father-in-law, an ex-rancher, said he used to feed that kind of "stuff" to his cattle. Wouldn't touch it. Don't care, I like it anyway!

Idaho Russets and Yukon Gold's. Red's are too waxy for my taste. I used to cube the Idaho's before cooking but after experimenting with "fully jacketed" I like that technique. The taters don't become waterlogged. And the jackets aren't a problem because I rice. I also began melting the butter beforehand. It doesn't cool the mashers so much and seems to incorporate better.

You might try this to hold the mashers until served: Add a little extra cream, then put the bowl over a pot of barely simmering water. Cover flush with plastic wrap and a tight lid. They will purportedly keep for up to 2 hours. I have my doubts but it may very well do for the 20 minutes or so you need to finish up the rest of the meal.

I've heard tell that freezing in a water bath will help protect the cellular structure. Is there any truth in this? What foods, in particular, might this apply to? Sorry, no answers, just more questions!

That's why I keep one of my Poulder thermometer/timers permanently attached to the side of my refrigerator. I couldn't guess how many times I forgot something in the freezer until I finally wised up.

A Cooks Wares has a mini-course on knives and knife metals. www.cookswares.com/discussions/equipment.asp

I too find FTV sliding downhill. I do like Alton for his explanations. Nobody's mentioned "America's Test Kitchen" on PBS TV. It's a product of Cooks Illustrated (Boston Common Press), and hosted by Christopher Kimball, founder and editor of Cooks Illustrated magazine. They are unbeholden' to advertisers so can call 'em as they see 'em. Refreshing, even if I don't always agree with their assessments. I've let all my other cooking magazine subscriptions lapse in favor of Cooks Illustrated. I just wish they could see their way to publish monthly, but without advertising revenue they can only publish bi-monthly.

No expensive meat pounder for me. Try a rubber mallet! Cheap and effective.

There's a good treatment on brining at: www.bbq-porch.org/brining00.asp

This is from the McCormic site: Pink Peppercorns Botanical Origins: Pink Peppercorns (Baies roses) are berries native to the Island of Reunion. They are not related to Piper nigrum, the plant which produces black and white pepper and green peppercorns. . Pink Peppercorns are the berries of the Brazilian pepper or Florida Holly tree. Pink Peppercorns are much like black pepper; but in addition to their lovely pink color, they also have a distinct, slightly sweet, and fragrant quality Hot, pungent, slightly sweet, and with a pleasant bite, Pink Peppercorns are the perfect garnish for a host of foods, including sauces, dressings, and dips. Pink peppercorns are excellent with steak or chicken and are especially delicious when added to melted butter for vegetables, rice, or pasta.

I buy my green beans from Sweet Maria's and roast only a few days worth at a time. I seal the freshly roasted beans in plastic bags which have an integral one-way valve to let the carbon dioxide gas out and keep the oxygen at bay. They peak about 36 hours after roasting. I use the vacuum pot/spirit lamp brewing method. Yum yum!

A Cooks Illustrated bread knife test is at: www.cooksillustrated.com/show_document.asp?iDocumentID=3647 I don't know if you have to subscribe. Some info is free, other is for subscribers only.

Forschner 10" Bread Knife - High Carbon Stainless SKU: WFV139 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Price: $31.50 I love mine and it didn't necessitate a second mortgage! Cooks Illustrated test led me to this one. I bought mine from Professional Cutlery Direct www.pcd.com

Early one morning I was in my tiny apartment kitchen assembling a nice lasagne. Since I didn't own a dedicated lasagne pan I used a rectangular Pyrex dish. Lasagne takes a lot of pots and pans to prepare so I had little room left to work. I sat the Pyrex on an unused burner on the stove. Just as I was adding the top layer of Mozzarella the dish EXPLODED! I had inadvertently left the burner on warm! I was cooking au natural so after the shock wore off I checked all the "equipment". Whew, everything was still there! But there was lasagne on the walls, ceiling, dripping into every crack and cranny, every drawer seam. My S.O., who had been asleep, rushed into the kitchen, fearing a bomb had exploded. I was covered in sauce and all she could do was laugh! The only recognizable glass that was left was a perfectly round disk. I think it came from the center of the dish. I cleaned everything up, showered and dressed, and went to the store to buy ANOTHER $35 worth of ingredients. I finished assembling the second one but had to work that day and didn't get to taste it. My S.O. and her mother ate it! My only explanation for the violent explosion is that Pyrex must be made with tremendous stresses built into the glass. I also don't cook au natural any more. I'd already learned this when frying bacon but I won't take any more chances!

I have several hundred cookbooks but have come to rely heavily on "The Best Recipe" series from Cooks Illustrated. I also refer to Harold McGees "On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen".

I'm a little burned out on FoodTV. I enjoy cooking and have become disappointed with all the "celebrity" status of TV chefs. For my money, "America's Test Kitchen" on PBS has valuable content. Some may argue with the personalities but Cooks Illustrated has been called the Consumer Reports of cooking. I tend to agree. I like knowing WHY things work the way they do. That's bankable information.

Nasturtium leaf sandwiches with mustard.

I just LOVE jalapeno's stuffed with peanut butter!