Dana

The chimney starter is truely a wonderful invention, one worth more than the price. I'll never use liquid starter again.

I have a wooden peel, but am going to get another so that I 'll have 2. When making pizza, it, to me, is much easier to assemble the pizza on the peel, then put it in the oven, rather than assembling it on the board, trying to get it on the peel, then into the oven. If you're assembling on the peel, you can't remove the one that's in the oven cooking, hence the need for a second peel. I hope that made sense. My little family can eat them faster than I can make them!!!

I stop what I'm doing the minute my Fine Cooking hits the mail box and read cover to cover, planning what I'm going to make from it this month. I take F&W and Bon Appetite as well, although they aren't as compelling to read as FC. I quit Gourmet last year. The articles seem to revolve around large cities I'll never visit and most of them are sooooo looonnnggg that I have trouble finishing them in one sitting. The articles get tedious and I get bored quickly. - I will often finish a book in 2 or 3 sittings, so I really don't think it's me, but the material. IMHO

My husband sharpens my knives with his Lansky Knife Sharpening Kit. He also uses it to sharpen his hunting knives. The kit has a little vise which holds the knife and holes on either side to keep the stone (they are mounted on a stick of sorts) at the angle you want. It works well for us and is almost foolproof for not messing up the angle-edge of your knives. There is nothing worse than a dull knife. I use my 8" chef knife for nearly everything.

My kitchen prep/cook area is very small and the dining area is very large with a nice big "cut-out" so see through. When someone asks "what can I do", I say 'put a chair over there and talk to me.' In the unlikely event I really need them to do something, I don't hesitate to ask for help (stirring risotto for 14 or making my sister peel 2 pints of cherry tomatoes )(big sister bossiness overcame me), but I have to oversee it all and make any corrections I feel necessary. Anyone invited to our home for a meal knows I'm pretty picky about the food. I think a lot of it is ego, too. I want all the glory for myself when the food is terrific.

I also get a lot of stuff from Penzeys - either mail order or I go the the store in Houston. In summer, I grow basil (it grows great from seeds, and I can't grow much of anything!!) and I have some chives, which survive our mild southern winters, that I've had for several years. Definitly - MORE IS BETTER. I try not to get more than I can use in a year, and I try to write the purchase date on the label, but I don't always.

This is going to be a lot of fun. I made notes all evening at work. The big problem will be narrowing down exactly what I want to do!!!

While passing through Sante Fe this summer, we had a super lunch at Coyote Cafe. The table salsa was terrific. Naturally, as we left , we stopped at the little store next door and purchased a jar each of the Fire-Roasted Salsa and the Roasted Red Chili Salsa, along with the habanera sause (husband LOVED it). We opened the Fire Roasted salsa, anticipating something similar to what we'd had in the resturant. My first comment was "Vinegar". Why would they ruin a perfectly good product with vinegar? Does anyone put vinegar in their homemade salsa? I haven't opened the second jar, but I'm not eager to, as the ingredient list also includes vinegar. Is is needed for porcessing? I was really disappionted.

My sympathies as well, Suvir. Grandmas are some of the most treasured and honored people on the planet, as well they should be. Nothing is warmer than a grandma's hug. I miss mine still, even 15 years after her passing. Those of us who knew our grandmas are the luckiest people on earth.

I'll try the beet suggestions as soon as I got to the store again. I've only had them pickled from Grandma's garden (and that's been a while!!!) My fav veg (right now) is eggplant. You can roast, bake, fry or braise it. Delish One question - is broccolinni worth the price? My store has it for 1.99 for a small bunch that might serve 2 who aren't too hungry. We love broccoli, and it's much cheaper. I'm always looking for something different, and if it's really good, I'd try it.

On this side of Texas, we serve our chili (and everything else for that matter)over rice. Never heard of eggs, although it sounds terrific. I use the Williams chili mix, and everybody at my house loves it. I will try the Cafe Annie one of these days. It looks great.

Me too, for Kosher, sea and "free-running table". I only use the table in the shaker for the table, although no one ever uses it. I have to keep rice in the shaker so it doesn't turn into the SALT ROCK FROM HELL.

The only ones we get here in SE TX are teeny tiny ones we put in seafood gumbo. They reconstitute in the stock and are delish.

The one I make is a little simpler as it uses no roux. Brown 2 lbs ground beef with 2 lbs beef sausage links, season with salt and pepper. Drain fat Dice 1 onion, 2 bell peppers, 1 bunch green onions, 3 stalks celery and 3 garlic cloves. Saute all the veggies in 1 stick butter. Add 1 can beef broth (or equivilent homemade, although with all the other stuff going on in here, I usually use canned) and the browned meats. Add 2 cups long grain rice and 2T cajun seasoning mix, 2 T soy sauce and 2 T worchestershire and 2 c. water. Cover. Bring to a simmer and cook for 30 min. Stir and taste seasoning. Simmer another 30 min. I usually serve this with BBQ. It makes quite a lot.

Chocolate chip cookies

In Kansas, the only liquour that can be purchased at the grocery is beer with a 3.2percent alcohol level. It's downright nasty.

We made SEVERAL ziplocs of venison jerky in the dehydrator early this fall (Oct) and have stored it in the pantry, with no ill effects (yet, anyway). I think the key is to get as much of the moisture out as you can without it getting too crispy. The recipe I use doesn't use the tender quick. Maybe we all have iron stomachs????

Besides gravies, which I talked about in the round steak thread, I also use it when I need just a little thickening. You can sprinkle it directly into your broth or whatever, and it won't lump up like AP flour. Just stir it in. I also have to second the fish coating. It's just enough coating to protect the fish flesh, but not enough to make it seem like a "coating". I'd never be without it.

I never thought about a gravy "recipe", but here's what I do: Pour out all but 2 or 3 TBLS from the frying pan (the one you fried the steaks in) and pour in maybe a cup of water and 'deglaze", scraping up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. In a small jar with a lid, shake up some (2-3 TBLS) of flour (Wondra is good) with some milk(1/2 cup) until it's lump-free. Pour flour/milk into the boiling water/oil mix slowly, stirring all the time. As it thickens, add more milk, or cream, till it gets to the thickness you like. Season with a heck of a lot of ground black pepper, and salt while it simmers. It will need to simmer 4 or 5 minutes to cook out the flour - less time if you use the Wondra.

Last night, we went to the neighbors and had limoncello and sparking wine, and it was terrific. Sorta like those hard lemonade thingys, but sooooo much better. Thanks for all the suggestions - we'll be trying them all sooner or later. I can hardly wait for ice tea weather (not far off, here in south Texas - I opened windows today)

Bacon fat is absolutly essential for green beans - makes canned ones edible. Of course, the pieces of bacon in the beans are pretty good, too. Seems to me that cheap bacon curls more than "good" bacon. IMHO

Here in SE TX get alligator mostly as appetizers - usually deep fried with a dipping sauce, although sometimes in gumbo or sausage. I've had some that was tender and delicious and some tough as rubber bands (on the same plate). I wonder if the tenderness has more to do with the care it was given after butchering, or maybe the age of the animal. Or amphibian. whatever Usually, it's pretty good.

I do. If I store it in the pantry, it sometimes gets little wigglies in it. uugghhh. Here in the south, we get it in ziplocs, but only in the 2 lb size.

A piece of bread also works well. Just leave it in there all the time.

The only thing I'd change from your method (aside fron the WHOLE bottle of ketchup) is tossing the meat in flour. I've always had better browning by just browning the raw meat without the flour. The MEAT browns, not the flour, and a better color is achieved. I'd use beef stock rather than chicken unless that's all I had on hand. Bless the person who invented those carrots!!!