Huevos del Toro

And how about a hand cranked/solar powered/battery powered radio that receives AM, FM, SW, TV, Weather? That seems like a prudent investment. Does anyone have one and can give a report?

Caldwell, TX has the reputation for being the Kolache capital of Texas, although you’ll probably get some arguments from other locales. This site has a few recipes. There are plenty of other Kolache sites. A Google will bring up quite a few. All Recipes has 7. Most of what I find are sweet fillings but the savory appeals much more to me. I'm anxious to see what is contributed here.

U-No Especially when frozen.

It seems like Ms. Wu also thinks it smells like Elizabeth! The Exotic Durian Fruit

The classic method of dicing an onion is shown in the tutorial but the horizontal cuts have always left me uneasy. I use the technique when necessary but don’t particularly like it because of the potential for disaster. Lo and behold, DaveFaris made a video demonstrating a technique that’s safe (no horizontal cuts) and yields the same dice. It’s amazingly simple, one of those “why didn’t I think of that” things. Thanks Dave. You might have saved me a finger or hand! And a hearty thank you Zilla for a great tutorial. The quality of the material is outstanding and the presentation is so clear as to undoubtedly produce many "Ah Hah's".

It was delicious and very very runny. In fact, I had baked the fruit by itself for 25 minutes (10 minutes) extra. And yet, the end product was rather too runny. Should I correct something??? Or is that part of the parcel? I have eaten cobblers in the South, and they were not so runny. That is what makes me wonder. The taste was very good. The biscuit was superb. Thanks Varmint! Suvir, I agree with Varmint re the juices. I don't mind eating a fruit pie with a spoon! But if you're also concerned with presentation, such as a get together, Instant ClearJel® is popular. It's relatively inexpensive ($3) and does half a dozen pies.

I've run into exactly that. I was given an identical explanation, too. Why, you can't even buy a decently priced cabrito anymore! Wild hogs are overrunning this part of the country but it's an iffy proposition whether they'll cook up right. But there's no season, so I suppose you could just keep "harvesting" and cooking until you got a good one. At least the price is right.

Curious being that I am I checked out the Cookshack seafood forum and found a post addressing this very issue. "Redneck Almost Trained" pre-cooked the lobsters, removing them when still slightly underdone. He then split them and cracked the claws to allow a maximum amount of smoke in. Then put in the Cookshack smoker for about 20 minutes. Tried two different woods in two batches, hickory for one, alder for the second. Surprisingly the hickory was the taste favorite. You can read about it here. Think I’ll try it in my own Cookshack smoker. Sounds delicious. Besides, I have numerous woods I’d like to compare. Apple might be nice. Something as pungent as mesquite is not a candidate.

Done

Sherried Meatloaf A meatloaf that I've changed often over the years. It has a fine texture, unlike most other loaves and the tang of the olives, coupled with the sweetness of the raisins and the fire of the red pepper flakes provides a contrast I find appealing. 1 c Fresh bread crumbs 1/3 c Dry Sherry 1 Large egg, gently beaten 1 lb Ground chuck (80% lean) 1/2 lb Ground pork 1/2 lb Ground veal 1/3 c chopped pimento stuffed green olives 1/3 c pine nuts 1/4 c raisins or currants 1-1/2 tsp Kosher salt 1/2 tsp Ground cinnamon 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper 1/4 tsp Hot red pepper flakes (to taste) 8 Thin-sliced bacon Preheat oven to 375-degrees F. Soak bread crumbs in sherry until absorbed. Add egg to bread crumb/sherry mixture and incorporate. Add rest of ingredients and mix until well blended (but don't "overwork" it). Pack into a plastic lined loaf pan to shape. Smartly bounce pan to remove air pockets. Remove loaf using plastic liner and transfer, sans plastic, to a foil lined shallow baking sheet. Brush with a glaze if you desire. Cover loaf with strips of bacon, tucking ends under. Bake approximately 1 hour or until the center of the loaf reads 160-degrees F. Let stand at least 20 or 30 minutes before cutting. Keywords: Beef, Pork, Veal ( RG479 )

Although this isn’t exactly “traditional”, I love the flavour and texture. I’ve been making this for the last 15 or 20 years and never get tired of it. Like most meatloaves it makes heavenly sandwiches. Bread crumbs, dry sherry, egg, chuck, pork, veal, chopped green olives, pine nuts, raisins, cinnamon, red pepper flakes, S & P. You can top it with anything that strikes your fancy…tomatoes, bacon, glaze, etc.

Yet another bacon treatise from Food and Wine magazine. Makes me want to take a tour through the deep south. Bacon isn't simply pork, it's a lifestyle, a reason to get out of bed in the morning, an excuse to not go to bed early.

I tried to find a source for Block & Guggenheim but was unsuccessful. However, the Mt. Horeb Mustard Museum may have an acceptible substitute. You may even find others that appeal to you. Yikes, Xanthippe outpaced me. Now I'm stuck with a worthless post! Sorry!

Red cow (Reggiana) is a breed of cow nearing extinction. A small "blurb" can be found here. In 1999 they numbered less than 1200!

Jeniac; "The Cooks Thesaurus" has a pretty clear explanation, with pictures.

I did a "pepper" search and this is the closest thread I found. I love stuffed jalapeño peppers. I began with cheese (natch), then graduated to peanut butter (don’t chuckle, it’s good), tuna salad, or battered and deep fried with a sausage stuffing. It seems to me that the fat in the stuffing moderates the heat and compliments the flavor of the pepper. I automatically discounted seafood because I think the delicate flavors would be overwhelmed. What do you stuff yours with? Looking for ideas, particularly unconventional!

Klink; I LOVE beef tongue but the only way I've ever cooked it is a braise with spices. I have a Cookshack electric smoker that I really enjoy (set it and forget it) and would like to try my hand at smoking a tongue. Google and other resources didn't turn up anything that would help. Since you've smoked a tongue, did you peel it before smoking or after? I was concerned that the smoke wouldn't penetrate that leathery outer layer. And because the thickness varies so dramatically I assume you might end up with a full range of "doneness". But, since tongue is an inherently tough piece of meat, it should be slow cooked. Won't the tip end dry out by the time the "root" is finished? I'll use my Polder probe to monitor the thick part. Set to what alarm temp? Smoke at about 225 to 250-degrees F? I plan on using Pecan as my smoke wood. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I use a magnetic strip for my most used knives. For those that see less use I store them in a ballistic nylon knife roll which I also use to transport my cutlery when I’m cooking in someone else’s kitchen. I also have a rotating holder that I’ve mounted under one of my kitchen cabinets. Between the magnetic strip, the rotating holder and the roll I have safe and convenient storage for almost all my cutlery. The big advantage to the magnetic strip, for me, is the fact all the blades are completely visible. It used to bug me that some of my knives have identical handles so blocks don’t work so well. I’m also careful when putting a knife back on the strip to lay the spine on first, then gently lower the edge so as not to deform it. My 12-inch chefs knife just barely fits the roll and won't fit the rotating holder but is just fine on the magnetic strip. And the strip is mounted about 6 feet above the floor level, over the sink so it's out of the way of little children. Important!

Although not city specific, the "Best of the Best" series is state specific. They cull from organizational cookbooks, picking the very best. I have several and the recipes work. I just wish there were more background to go along with the recipes.

Thanks to FG on a thread about velveting, I stumbled across this, concerning food TV programming. I must put myself in EJR's camp. I enjoy Good Eats so much that I tape it so I can watch at my leisure. The rest leaves me pretty cold. PBS has more interesting fare.

Saffron Fondant Potatoes?

Same for me...welts of sorts on my tongue but only from cantalope and walnuts. I suspect it's the acidity because if I get a really ripe cantalope I'm ok. Walnuts do it every time so I changed to pecans as a substitute years ago. We grew walnuts at home (ages ago!) and when drying them and removing the outer covering I'd get my hands stained brown from the juice. I've always wondered if that sensitized me. It's only an inconvenience, not like the extreme reaction some people have from peanuts.

Stone; I use a Smokette II (electirc) from Cookshack. It's the lazy man's smoker. Set it and forget it (Now where have I heard THAT before?) I buy my wood from them. They have Hickory, Apple, Cherry and Mesquite. They come 10 or 20 pounds. The smoker uses a maximum of 8 ounces for 21 pounds of product. The chunks are about 2x2x3 inches. Maybe these would do you. They also have a "sample" pack of all four, 5 pounds of each, for about $25.00. From their web site: "If you want wood chips, contact American Wood Products in Overland, Kansas, at 1-800-223-9046, fax 913-648-8019. They also sell 14" to 16" logs, charcoal, and lump mesquite. Click Great pics. And there ain't nuttin' wrong with a little "mouthwash" in the morning!

It looks like you should be wary of toasting them, at least the strawberry one's. edited by Jason Perlow: Please do not post images without permission from the source.

Non-stick? No. Stainless? Yes. For reasons I don't comprehend, non-stick somewhat inhibits the development of those tasty brown bits. If you want the best basis for a sauce, you're supposed to stay away from non-stick. I haven't run side-by-side tests. That's just the general wisdom. If someone would ship me All-Clad Roti's in non-stick and stainless steel, I'd be happy to do a comparison test and report the results! Well? Ok, just be that way!