Shel_B

I live in the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area. We don't do 110-degrees. I'm not sure if we even hit 90 this year .

I make a pretty good Three Sisters Stew, which, for those who are not familiar with it, is a vegetable stew with its basis in corn, beans, and squash, the "three sisters" that the native Americans planted together. For centuries, native cultures in the Western Hemisphere survived on the interdependent cultivation of corn and beans. In the Iroquois tradition of upstate New York, corn, beans, and squash, known as the "three sisters," were a staple source of food. Grown together, the beans wound their vines around the sturdy corn stalks and the squash leaves shaded the ground, keeping it cool, moist, and free of weeds. I usually make the stew a few times a year, and this year I want to add acorns to the recipe, perhaps just for something different or, perhaps, to add to the "authenticity." I've decided that what I want are White Oak acorns, with the caps on, or, a somewhat distant second choice, would be White Oak acorn flour. I've not been able to find a reliable source for these items, and the White Oak is not local to California. Does anyone, perhaps in the Midwest or along the east coast, know of a source for these items? Thanks!

We shop mostly in El Cerrito, and sometimes in Berkeley. There are a number of staples we get there, although Toots and I each have our own preference. She gets eggs, various crackers, a special lactose free milk, and a few produce items that satisfy here desires. I like(d) their packaged leeks, get their carbonated water, sometimes, for convenience, I'll grab a bagged salad mix, and I used to by my Greek yogurt there. Even that seems to have changed with their new package, so now I buy Straus Greek yogurt. The items I mentioned in my original post are not things I usually buy. Generally my fruit and produce comes from the local farmers' markets, Monterey Market, or Berkeley Bowl.

My store doesn't do such things. Pity. Never had a problem getting money back for anything, for any reason. Usually no one asks for a reason. Perhaps they should - might learn something useful, eh?

What kind of peaches have you been eating that those picked so far from ripe can be some of the best you've had? You need to try some fresh picked, tree ripened, "Bend Over" peaches, so ripe, fresh, and juicy that you have to bend over when taking that first bite lest the juice run down your arm and run down your face and neck.

I've been a big fan of TJ's for many years. Between Toots and me, we're in our local store three times a week. The last few times I've shopped, I've been very disappointed. It's fall, and it's apple season, yet the bag of organic apples I picked up from TJ's were a big disappointment. The apples were not crisp and fresh tasting, rather, they tasted old, and were somewhat mushy for the type of apples they were. I purchased a package of leaks, and the leeks turned out to be slimy. I bought a jar of organic, crunchy almond butter, and it tasted rancid. I picked up a package of frozen mushroom ravioli, and when I opened the package observed that several of the raviolis were broken, and a few were torn so that the filling could be seen. The non fat sour cream I purchased for use in a potato salad last week, was topped with a small lake. The product was separating. I looked at some arugula for my sweetie, and it was past the pull date. Has anyone else noticed similar problems? Did I just run into a streak of bad luck?

I'm about ready to buy the toaster oven - in fact, I may slide on down to the local BBB later this morning - and I'm inclined towards the small Breville, BOV450XL. A couple of the reviews mentioned that the oven doesn't have a broiler pan. Is that the small, jelly roll like pan that some toaster ovens have? Thanks!

I agree that it's a matter of finding the right stopper. You may need to do a bit of trial and error. but you're learning enough here to at least know the direction in which to search. That said, this evening I looked at my stopper. Turns out, it's not an Insinkerator, but some hardware store generic unit. It still works beautifully, so that bodes well for your chances. Good luck ... let us know what works for you.

I have a stainless sink with an Insinkerator disposal. The stopper that I have, and I believe it's an Insinkerator stopper, works perfectly. Last week I filled the sink to soak a few pots,left for most of the day, and when I returned some five hours later, the water hadn't dropped one bit. So, maybe the manufacturer of your disposal has a stopper, and may be it will do a better job that what you're now using. If you're using an Insinkerator disposal, you can check out their stoppers here: http://www.build.com/insinkerator-accessories/c111494 I am not recommending this supplier, having never used them, but mentioned it to show you the options.

Any thoughts on this system? I'm not familiar with the benefits/drawbacks of oil. http://www.sharpeningsupplies.com/Norton-3-Stone-IM313-System-P48C18.aspx

I like that idea!

OK, you just took delivery of you favorite pizza, or maybe you went to pick it up. In any case, it arrived at your place in the ubiquitous cardboard box. Now, how do you store the leftover slices? Do you just leave 'em in the box; do you put the box in the fridge; do you leave the slices in the box sitting on a counter or table; do you wrap the slices in foil? What works for you?

I'm the kind of guy who keeps things until they are no longer useful, and then I try to recycle. If it were my griddle, I'd continue to use it until it broke in pieces. I'll second dcarch.

Don't have a place to store or use it.

Oops. That is unfortunate. But the clearance prices might be attractive. And as to recourse, has anyone ever had a problem with a Falk pot? I use copper for sauces and risotto, such as hollandaise this past weekend. The clearance prices are, indeed, attractive. Very good!

I don't recall if I specifically checked Mauville, but I did check a couple-three other brands of stainless lined copper pots, and while they did say the thickness was 2.5, closer examination of the specs indicated that the copper was 2.3mm and the stainless was .2mm. One site said that all stainless/copper comes from the same source, and that it all meets the same specs. FWIW ...

Well, I've only made one batch, and it didn't turn out quite as I hoped. It was OK, but I was looking for a somewhat different texture, and these came out too crisp, more like a chip. Here's what I did: I stemmed the kale leaves and gave 'em a nice dice with pieces about 1 1/2 inches square - more or less. I made sure the pieces were very dry. Then I put some good olive oil on my hands and lightly oiled the kale. I had to do this a couple-three times. I suppose you could just put the kale in a bowl and pour the olive oil over, and then mix, but I wanted a very light coating on the leaves, and felt that I could get more even distribution by oiling my hands. Then, when the leaves seemed about right, I put them on a jelly roll pan lined with parchment paper and spread them evenly, after which I added a very light dusting of salt and fresh ground black pepper. I put the pan into a preheated 250-degree oven and roasted for about 10 minutes - I'm just estimating the time as I watched the kale closely and took out the pan when the leaves looked done. Unfortunately, for what I wanted, they were a bit overdone, I need to better understand what the leaves will look like at the texture I want, and then I should pay close attention to the time rather than just estimating it. I also wonder if it might not be better to add S&P after the leaves come out of the oven. I'll be harvesting more leaves tomorrow and will try again. I hope this has been of some help to you.

I don't have one, and haven't given it the slightest thought. I believe that I'd not use it. A friend took a pressure cooking class, and mentioned a couple of cookers to me. The next time I'm at her place she said she'd give me a lesson. Maybe that would pique my interest.

Copper bowls are of no interest. We don't eat eggs very much - I still have one egg left from a half-dozen I bought more than a month ago. Toots likes an occasional fried or boiled egg with fried potatoes, but I can't recall the last time we made that. Most of her eggs go into her flan or brownies, usually for potlucks - oh, and for her unique style of deviled eggs. As for stock pots, well, I've got all that I need, but a nice 8-quart copper stock pot might do the trick. I'd not use a 12-quart size, that's for sure. I do have a decent 8-quart, disk bottom pot which has a pasta insert and a steamer insert. Rarely use either, much preferring to dump the pasta into a colander or a strainer. Frankly, I'd get more use out of a nice 6-quart pan or pot. Ad I'm concerned that an 8-quart copper pot would be too heavy when full to move around comfortably. Boy, I sure am fussy ... <LOL>

Already have two Le Creuset. Have no need or desire for a mixer, but, if I did have to use one, I could borrow Toots' KA.

From the company's web site: I regret to report that after 17 years of establishing the Falk brand in the North America (and substantial financial investment) that Falk has signed a new distributor for the US. The legality of this new distribution arrangement will be a matter for the courts to decide, nonetheless, we will no longer be distributing their fine cookware. Please take advantage of our clearance prices while they last! So, where's my recourse if there's a problem?

Toots has just given me some good news. For Christmas I can, more or less, pick my gift. She's given me a mid-three figure budget and told me to have fun. Well, I've been on a roll with kitchen and cooking things lately, and if I decide to continue in that way, I'd like to get something I wouldn't get for myself. One thing I've always wanted was a great copper pot, and that's certainly something I'd never buy for myself. I.ve given some, but not very much, thought to this. The items I use most in my kitchen are a 4-quart All-Clad saucepan, a 3-quart All-Clad sauté pan, and a 10-inch skillet. They all date to the late 1970s, and are the heavier Master Chef series. If I were to go for a saucepan, I'd look for either a 6-quart or an 8-quart pot. A copper skillet, perhaps a scosh bigger than the 10-inch might be my second choice, with a similar sized sauté as the last choice. I think I'd want a SS lined pot. So, what would you suggest with these choices in mind? Any other types of cookware I should consider? Brands? Quality concerns I should look out for? Pointers to great deals, good sources? Thanks!

Shel, does the bottle HAVE to be glass? Pretty heavy to tote, seems like! Why not just buy a jug of water and reuse the plastic jug? Or, as noted before, mix up a smaller amount... The bottles needn't be glass. Why not buy a jug of water? Well, embarrassed to say, it never occurred to me. Maybe because I never buy jugs of water. Thanks for the suggestion.

Yes, traditional meddle eastern hummus is made with raw, not toasted, sesame tahini. Usually the choice is between shelled and unshelled sesame seeds for making the tahini. That said, hummus, even traditional hummus, lends itself to numerous personal and regional interpretations, so why not try it with toasted sesame seeds? How about an "Asian-style" hummus? Could be interesting. Over the years I've made various types of hummus. A favorite is "Southwestern" style hummus, made with black garbanzo beans and chipotle peppers, or an Asian style made with black soy beans, roasted sesame seeds, and some plum vinegar. These are far from traditional, but very interesting and make a surprising appetizer or side dish.

I've been enjoying Delicata for years. It's showing up in the local farmers' markets, and Toots and I are very happy. Of course, we both like a variety of squash, and this is the season for our biggest "squash smiles." HeidiH, I like your technique for prep. Will try that this week. That cookbook looks pretty good, too.