JTravel

Do you mean you ground them up dry/raw? Seems like I read about that somewhere. But maybe that was falafel (?) patties. Or did you just start with dry ones....soak and boil? I usually make my own, since I don't plan ahead on the soaking. I always have canned on hand. This week Goya garbanzos are 2 cans /$1. at Wegmans. Wegmans own brand is good too. Tahina is sometimes a problem, it does go rancid. I had the best ever hummus in Turkey, don't know the secret, but they did top it with shreds of crispy dried beef. I flavor mine with "6 pepper" mix. J

I'm usually very good. But this time I did bring a packet of Greek "salad " mix.....all kinds of dried herbs. My thought was it was commercially packed so OK. Not so sure about the home packed lavender. They sell tons of it to tourists, then does most of it get taken when you enter the U.S.? No beagles sniffing this time and people pouring through the agriculture lines at airport with no problem.

Thank you for mentioning this. I was in Corfu, from a cruise ship, no time to eat and did not know about it anyway. But now I've looked it up, and made a version that sounded good. I love the spices....nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves etc. I don't know how authentic the recipe was but it was very tasty. I like the idea of listing "prepared" dishes.....I would second soup dumplings in China and many kinds of dim sum.....names of which I do not know. Just bring them by and I'll point.

I think this calls for a demo video! Wonderful writing. But video would be really informative. Not sure why the plate is tipped...I guess the oil needs to roll down gently? I don't remember anyone in my family "making" mayo......always Hellman's and Whip. First introduction to real stuff was in the 60s in Europe. I had no idea it could be that good. Great topic.

Pille mentions these pancakes on her nami-nami blog. http://nami-nami.blogspot.com/search?q=pancakes......follow the link under Time for skiing for a nice discussion and recipe. I do hope you tried pig's knuckle....that might be as big as someone's head. Delicious. We actually had one of those in a beer hall in Tallinn, when we met Pille....connection there somehow.

Toss and burn. ←

I received a yogurt maker for Christmas......it was something I never, ever, wished for. But I used it so I could tell giver that I had. It was easy, and since I was on anti-biotics I was always eating/drinking yogurt. Now I make yogurt once a week or so. My student from Kazakhstan does it simpler, glass jar, milk, microwave.....stick in finger to test temp, add yogurt, set on counter. A bit too iffy for me but good result for her. I drain some, mix in honey or some vanilla sugar (vanilla thread/eBay vanilla)...and serve it with oven toasted, topped with vanilla sugar, pita pieces. Now I want to try the fruit salad dressing from the Recipes that Rock thread. Plus the mixing with cheese for grilled toast. Lots of uses and not like being deprived. I guess bread would be a place I draw the line.....I could never eat that cotton stuff DH eats. Now I am baking the CI recipe, with some added 8 grain cereal soaked a bit and added. Haven't priced it out with the rise in prices. Surely cheaper than artisan bread....don't know about just "bread".

I have never heard of m"jeddra.......where have I been? Your recipe sounds like the way I cook. Husband has learned to like red lentil soup ( a bit of ham helps) but I never cook the other colored ones. What kind do you suggest? I think I would love the fried onions. I sometimes buy the French's fried onions at the big box place, or the asian ones at an asian market. Both OK in their own way, but the fresh ones will be great. Thanks for sharing!!! J

New York has no official dessert, but the state fruit is the Apple and the state tree is the Sugar Maple, .....combine them with pastry and you get ......an Apple Dumpling? But the State Muffin is the Apple Muffin. New York Symbols

Just happened upon this in the library and it was a real find. The sub title is "From Ancient Rome to the 21st Century, the Incredible Journeys of the Food We Eat." While "food miles" (as in how far did our food travel to get to us) are discussed it is not a preachy book. At the end reasonable solutions are discussed. But the best parts of the book discuss in chapter form one product and its shipment. It starts with some archeology involving Amphoras of olive oil. There' s also the Berlin Airlift as a history changing event for feeding the people of the city and defeating Stalin. The Mongolian yogurt chapter was fascinating. Also included are tea clippers, barrels (with references to oak aged beer), salmon going from Norway to China and on to the U.S., the travels of tiffin lunches in Mumbai, strawberries, and grain elevators in Buffalo. A really good read, I think, for anyone interested in food subjects.

OHHHHHHHHH Magnum Bars. Wherever we have traveled we have enjoyed Magnum bars as our "energy is flagging.....need a pick me up" afternoon treat. The huge sign with all the choices shown just pulls us in. Have introduced fellow travelers to them in gas station stores from Thailand to Estonia. The BEST. Thanks for blogging about a place I know too little about. Anyone I know who has been there loved it. I know it will be a great week. J

From the home of Wegmans, Rochester, NY, and as a mother of a Penn State graduate (ChE) I just want to say thanks for a wonderful blog. Great photos and wonderful organization. I am always telling our foreign grad students that not everyone in the U.S. has a store as nice as Wegmans. They are certainly responsible for bringing us many products we could not get before. But the students consider Wegmans (as do I sometimes) high end and shop in the local ethnic markets. Nothing wrong with that either. I think this being home territory for Wegman's we will never get Whole Foods or Costco here.

This is a very timely discussion for me, seeing as I have had several months of various "head and throat" things. Took 3 kinds of antibiotics to clear up the acute things......and finally allergy meds to clear up underlying problem. At various times I lost sense of smell, but not taste, though it was a bit less. One interesting factor was the last antibiotic caused what the long paper of side effects called "bad taste in mouth". THAT is an understatement! Sucked a bag full of tic tacs, mentos, and other hard things for 10 days. Through all this with the the awful taste I could still taste everything I ate....having something in my mouth covered up the taste.....but only as long as it was there....no carryover. My sympathies to any without those senses.....what a loss. Second the Yeti pot, I actully use the Niel Med "squirter" which ENT recommended. Very easy and you can mix the salt/baking soda mix yourself. J

Potato chips with root beer floats.....my favorite teenage years thing. Guess I was ahead of the curve too! J

Well said! One after another they never fail to be interesting and new things are introduced every time. The last one was only 8 hours from where I live in western NYS.....but what a different life Lindacakes showed me. City, a neighborhood, two kitchens, a bird and veggies in a box. SO interesting. And now, a huge city in China, a maid who does the shopping, a new business having to do with wine, and eating out all the time. Great! J

When DH and I turned 65 this last year we received a very good benefit from our health insurance. We each got a free membership to the YMCA. Very wise program me thinks. They have a very active "Silver Sneakers" program for seniors . (This is where you younger ones can snicker at gray haired people doing water exercises and treadmills and yoga.) BUT we are there 2-5 days a week, we are moving, we are exerting ourselves, and we are socializing. I haven't lost much weight, but weighing in each time is an incentive. I think that any activity like this should contribute to better health. Apparently insurance company thinks so. Big surprise is the huge size of some of these (older than myself) women. Always having been one of the larger ones in my group I am amazed that swim suits, and people , who are out and about, come so large. Great discussion, don't think that it is only those over 300 that are ignoring the signs of ill health to come. Wish I had gotten smarter earlier. J

Love those Lock and Lock containers! When the Lock and Locks in the cupboard are getting low it's time to thaw something. Only thing I found they wouldn't contain was olive oil (son took it on a camping trip) ....that sort of oozed out around the gasket. And if you do drop it out of the freezer it may crack. I use the one with that hole in the corner for rising the no knead bread.....just stuff a piece of plastic wrap in it. Great thread.....no great one time cleaning out here.....but tonight is chicken noodle soup from freezer, and I ate some old 8 grain bread and homemade applesauce this week, and I now know a lot better what I have in there. No more buying of pork tenderloins for a while. J

Not by accident that the Beijing Olympics start on 08/08/08 ! Very lucky number in Chinese. Going looking for that book now. J

Seems to me that simple cakes go back to the Portuguese, who had the port of Nagasaki early on. "Nagasaki Sponge" cake was considered an "old time" recipe by my Japanese friends in the 80s. I think that was the beginning of the jelly rolls....????

Thanks to my fellow Rochesterian for reminding us of the work that came out of that Cornell lab. Funny now to think that chicken needed promoting. Just out on my own in the mid 60s I can remember trying the "State Fair" chicken at a picnic. The hand written recipe spread all around as people were intrigued by the taste. It was considered a sort of strange combination in those days....but very easy and very tasty. The recipe became a favorite of fire departments and other such groups in need of a fund raiser. Even now when traveling the side roads of western NYS in good weather you are apt to come upon a "Chicken Barbeque" sign , and you'll smell the unique aroma as the smoke blows across the road. http://counties.cce.cornell.edu/erie/cu-bbqsauce.html J

Thank you so much for blogging. It is wonderful to see everyday life, wherever it is from. But Japan is very special. I only was in Japan once, in 1986, but it was a wonderful 3 weeks. That led to "Japanese phase" of cooking. Now I have gotten away from it.....time to at least make some simple sushi and follow the Japan board. J

Great article, and thanks for the tip on saving in PDF...what a neat trick. Best of luck in your venture. This whole discussion has been fascinating to me.....and I'm not into chocolate making or a business. But if the public knew how much work goes into making such good things they would pay willingly.....maybe they do anyway. With all the regulations I can see why people buy franchises, they get lots of guidance on how things are done. J in Rochester

WXXI public T.V. in Rochester NY is sponsoring a series of (12?) shows about going around NYS on a culinary journey.......finding local foods and wines. Each episode will end up at the New York Wine and Culinary Center for a cooking demo. The show is supposed to be available on the other public t.v. stations in NY, at least they were given the opportunity to buy in. Preview in Rochester Sunday at 5......for three shows. Premiering in April across the state. Hope it lives up to its promise. J http://wxxi.org/tv/highlights/mar08/3-02_T...ml?station=WXXI

My first loaf of no knead bread. CI recipe, sat on counter 20 hours, kneaded just a tad (what a difference), shaped, rested on parchment, then into really hot, really big anodized aluminum soup pot. Crackling crust when hot, nice crumb, lovely flavor. Next loaf resting in fridge for the weekend.

On the other hand, Necco wafers can only be eaten one at a time. ←