JTravel

On the subject of flours.....I scored a great deal on 50 lbs. of pastry flour from the Star of the West Mill west of Rochester. It was on the "after auction-auction"of our local PBS station. I had never used pastry flour before but I have enjoyed using it. I bagged it in big zipper bags, let it spend a few days in the freezer, and stored it in a big tub in cool basement. All the family's Christmas cookies came from it, along with a lot of quick breads. Made me feel so rich with such a storehouse of good stuff. IF I'm getting low by April I'll bid again. I just got the book from the library, agree on the confusing layout. Why do SO many recipes start in middle of page? Why the wacky names? Reading it seems like a JOB. Love the lady, don't like the book, won't buy it. I will put my pastry flour on the case and try the biscuits, not self rising but I can fix that. Hopefully this is a good use for it.

Thanks, I have everything for that recipe......dinner tomorrow night. In further looking at Seductions of Rice I realize that it is Hot ,Sour etc. that I really loved. But they both, and this this new one too, provide the on the ground experiences I like to read about......and recipes.

Since I seem to have double posted anyway, I will add that a favorite recipe from Seductions of Rice is the Special Everyday Persian Rice. It has a crispy and creamy layer on the bottom, involving yogurt, which makes it unusual and interesting.

This thread inspired me to place a hold on the book at the library. For $.50 it will be delivered to my favorite branch. That Beef and Lettuce sounds wonderful. I have Seductions of Rice, which I will now re-read , and Hot and Sour. Love them both....it's the armchair travel thing....and the recipes. Hit the Asian market today, so have a big supply of green stuff in need of flavoring. I've been watching the used book sellers for a bargain on Flavors and Flatbreads too. Do love those breads.

137......at least.....they are sort of spread around. That includes the whole Time/Life World set which taught me about the world, and the world of food, and from which I still learn and cook. Also, lots of Asian cookbooks and a bunch of thick baking books. Latest purchase.....Paula Wolfert's Couscous from my new favorite site Half.com. Trying to clear out the stuff that really is not worth the storage space. Judy

Fabulous!!!!! It was an example of the best eGullet can offer.......food of far away places.....from an insider's view point. There is nothing like finding out about the REAL thing. I know very little of Indian food, but now I have names to follow up on and I will try to find and/or make some of those dishes. Thanks SO much. J

On an EVA (airline of Taiwan) they brought out trays of some kind of noodle cups, tossed them at us. After everyone had them they came down the aisle and poured the boiling water on them. I remember it as one of the more tasty airplane snacks......seemed somehow appropriate Funny part was, some Americans around us did not know what they were. They peeled back the top and started nibbling on all the crunchy bits.

We had this two nights in a row from a famous kebap restaurant in Istanbul. It was so good when we ate there one night we ordered in the next night. Crispy bits of the pastirma on top of the best hummus I'd ever had. I love the pine nuts and onions idea too and I think finely chopped beef or lamb cooked till crispy would be tasty with the spices mentioned.

Lightweight in comparison to a lot of those mentioned : The Language of Baklava by Diana Abu-Jaber. It suits me as it is the story of her life growing up near Syracuse, NY, in a family with an American mother and a Lebanese father. Father loves to cook, and to talk about food and life in Lebanon, they even live in Lebanon for a while. The story of stealing away her first boyfriend to teach him how to cook is just one of the glimpses into immigrant life. There are recipes that fit in well with the stories. Culture with food.....a great fit. As an aside, the author tells about going with the family to the King David's Restaurant near Syracuse University and feasting on their food. King David's has just opened a branch here in Rochester.....so now we have tasty Greek and Middle Eastern food.

My thoughts exactly on the Jolly Time, sometimes the white is hard to find though. We were in the Lancaster,PA area and got some of the Ladyfinger, TINY, tender little kernals. Works well in the air popper. I must try the stovepop method again. A source from the Amish country: http://www.amishcountrypopcorn.com/popcorn.html My family tradition was big Sunday "dinner" after church.....followed by "Popcorn and Milk" ....in a bowl like cereal, for evening snack. My parents said it came from having only bread and milk for supper on the farm. I still think Sunday nights are for popcorn.

We have not done "big" cruises, but we like the river boats (Russia, Christmas on the Danube). We mostly travel with Grand Circle/OAT. Please check out my blog on food on the Adriatic cruise last June. Only 50 passengers, one chef with two assistants and one utility person. Well done we thought. Chef was German and he was always around to answer questions about ingredients and deal with allergy issues. Hope it counts as "cruise food". http://foodontheboatadriatictrip.blogspot.com/.

This is our local favorite.....and success story.......http://onceagainnutbutter.com/ I think it is a very good product......and If you can buy the big tub it is an excellent price. I did not know you could freeze nut butter......but that's what it says on the webpage. Has anyone tried freezing any? It would make buying 9 pounds more attractive. Sometimes we can get Mystery Butter, a mix of whatever was left at the end of the day. It is identified on the label and some of the mixtures are really good! It's very reasonable, which means it sells out fast.

When I was growing up my parents would buy a gallon jug of maple syrup and when they opened it they would "boil it up good" and then can it. I don't know if they processed it after putting it in jars, but it was always sealed with the lid and ring. SO, IF, you decide to use it I'd recommend boiling it.....after all that's how it got to be syrup in the first place. When I've had syrup go bad it had a layer of "fuzz" on the top.....that's when I learned an important difference from honey.

Don't know the area, so probably this is too far away......but we went to Thailand with Kasma Loha Unchit and she does cooking lessons in Oakland. Seems she is well thought of for her books and her knowledge. Lots of good info on the website at the very least. http://www.thaifoodandtravel.com/classes/series.html

The gorgeous Chocolate Museum in Bruges, Belgium. I remember a Chocolate Princess, some history, some equipement, and a lot of chocolate pots. Well done and you could get a booklet with coupons to follow the chocolate trail and get samples at various shops.

We were in Marrakech, in the square where , like magic, resturants spring up in the late afternoon. Expected the grilled bits, the fried fish, the soup. But was surprised by the "Potato Sandwich". They took a round, flat bread/roll, cut up a big cooked potato, chopped a hard cooked egg (huges piles on counter), and stuffed those into the bread. The customer then seasoned it by pinching up some of the mixture of salt and cumin provided. May have been onions involved not sure. Looked really good and cheap and easy to make.

I wish I had seen their presentation on "pancake puffs"....they had lots of ideas I think. The set comes with a "squirter" to pump in filling after it is done. Also, they said they would make great round brownies.....and you could bake other things in the oven too. Though it would be slow going to make a batch.

After looking for an abelskiver pan for so long, and scoring my $2.50 find I then saw a cheap set with an aluminum pan in Big Lots the next day. THEN, today, on QVC I tuned in to see them making "Pancake Puffs" with this kit: http://www.qvc.com/qic/qvcapp.aspx/view.2/...ies-Recipe-Book An ABUNDANCE of round pancakey things. But one thing I learned, as I saw them flipping the "puffs" on t.v.......I was not cooking them enough before turning. They were flipping them with a skewer and they just flew out of the pan. Back to the learning curve......still happy with my find. J

Had a good day on Friday. In a different neighborhood because of getting a haircut I hit the Salvation Army store. AND.....there it was.....an abelskiver pan. The pan makes a kind of ball like Danish pancake. I have always wanted one of those things! For $2.50 I got a clean and conditioned cast iron pan with 7 deep depressions. I worked on making them last night, there was a sharp learning curve on the flipping but they improved as I went on. I want to try making the little Thai coconut cakes in it too. 2nd score was a George Foreman Lean Mean Grill .....almost certainly unused.....for $4. at a garage sale. Used it to grill a couple of Wegmans Greek Burgers (ground chicken, spinach, feta) tonight. The burgers came out well but the grill plates were a sticky mess. After I turned it off I put some very wet paper towels between the plates and that steamed it a bit. But then you have to hold it over the sink and scrub it clean. That is not so good. The new ones have removable plates which would be great....but for 4 bucks I still like it. I think I will enjoy each of my new additions.....Storage....that's another thing. J

I just did this the other day. I separated the parts, used the egg white (mixed with corn starch for coating chicken). Then I put the intact yolk into cold water to cover in a custard cup. Zapped in microwave but can't tell you the timing. For sure did not bring water to boil, just cooked it gently in the hot water. Texture was lovely.

For some reason BJ's Wholesale Club, which is usually considered less interesting than Costco and Sam's Club, has a large container of Marcona Almonds at a very good price. They are sort of flat, really crisp and wonderful for snacking. (They also make wonderful candy coated almonds, they are crisp without being as downright hard as the regular ones.) A homemade mix of almonds, pumpkin seeds, pistachios, cashews and perhaps some raisins or dried bananas is the travelers mix of choice. High energy and high fiber, always important on a trip. Love the so called yogurt coated raisins , but don't think they count as healthy.

It wasn't until I read this that I realized I should have put something in the pot for the 4 batches of peach jam I just did. I too gave away that monster in the cellar, and used my heavy soup pot. Guess I was lucky as they are fine. Mother always used a folded towel and I have done that or the wire rack. The tough part is getting the hot and wet jars out without the jar "corral/lifter". I removed the hot water with a scoop till I could get a good grip on top of jars. I know, I should buy one of those jar lifters.....but it's not a "multi-tasker" as Alton would say.

Exactly, he doesn't seem like the same person. Spain was fabulous, from the (very expensive) canned seafood as tapas, to the latest lab things, giant chocolate eggs, to the grilled and steamed onions.....good coverage but wishing for more. Along with BryanZ's blog we know a lot more about that area of Spain. J

Husband and I eat out very little when we are at home. But when we go to other countries I do take pictures of food that is different from what I see at home. How else will I remember the meals I had and how local dishes look. I take pictures, without flash, through bakery windows, of people making tortillas, of pizza places, outdoor cafes, and of food in public markets. I am more interested in basic local products and preparations than high end dining, which is a good thing...since the budget goes farther that way. I take quick pictures of dishes that interest me at the group meals that are included. Usually the table mates think it is a "cute" idea. The tours we take are mid-range and I think with congenial large group eating this is not a problem. I really enjoy other peoples' pictures/blogs etc. of places I will never eat. I have learned a great deal about food in other countries so I'm glad others took pictures. I just spent a lot of time with Holly Moore's entry on Isla Mujeres (HollyEats.com) or short version here Holly Moore Isla Mujeres Now that's great food eating of the type that interests me. J

A History of the World In 6 Glasses by Tom Standage I have only made it through Beer and Wine (the rest are Spirits, Coffee, Tea and Coca-Cola) but it has a lot of history from an interesting viewpoint.