Shel_B

I have an unlimited source of day old bread and, amongst other things, I want to make bread crumbs for meat balls, meat loaf, and gratins. What's the best way, and why, to make bread crumbs for these dishes: fresher crumbs or older, dried crumbs? Thanks, Shel

What's the difference between the French and the Canadian versions? Shel

Over the years I have encountered many techniques for roasting tomatoes, some using very low temperatures and long roasting times, others using higher temps and shorter times. Some recommend salting and seasoning, some suggest coating the tomatoes with olive oil, and some suggest just roasting the tomatoes plain. FWIW, I usually roast at lower temps and coat the tomatoes with EVOO. What I've not fully grasped is what the different techniques yield - so, which technique do you use and, most important, why? Is there a technique that give a deeper, richer flavor than the others? Shel

You've met the wrong Californians. California grows a lot of figs, and I don't know a single Californian who has not enjoyed the local varieties at least a few times. Shel

Has anyone tried the new All-Clad D5 cookware and compared the results and touted benefits to the standard All-Clad tri-ply cookware? Shel

Over the next year I'll be buying a few new pieces of cookware. In the past I've purchased multi-layered clad cookware with two exceptions. My question, mainly because of budgetary conerns, is this: when is clad cookware preferred to cookware with a disk bottom? Would results be better with a clad stockpot than with a disk-bottomed pot? What about with a sauté pan or a skillet, assuming that the disk was thick enough and extended close enough to the edge of the cooking surface, and that the clad cookware was also of good quality? Thanks for your opinions and input, Shel

The doctor wants me to cut way back on meat and the fat that goes along with some meats. Greens are a favorite of mine, and they are eaten frequently. How might I get a "meaty" taste in my greens, perhaps akin to using bacon or other animal fats, without using meat? The taste needn't be a duplicate of the taste of meat, but something that will give a more robust, smokey flavor to the leaves. I tried chipotle peppers and some smoked paprika - the chipotles were nice but I don't always want the heat from the pepper. Smoked paprika was only so-so for my taste. So, any other suggestions? Thanks! Shel

Recently I heard mention of "saba" vinegar, but have not been able tofind out much about it. Anyone know what it is or have some suggestions for its use? Has anyone used it? hanks! Shel

Well, gang, I'm gonna have to try that toasting technique. Thanks! Shel

There's no chance of mixing up grains - oats are the only grains in the house. Shel

As you may have surmised from my original post, I was thinking along the same lines as you, so I made the oatmeal by adding the butter at the end - a definite improvement! Thanks! Shel

When I make oatmeal, I add butter to the water and oartmeal, and then cook for awhile. Recently there have been some whitish clumps in the finished product, and I was wondering what they might be and what causes them. Perhaps they are clumps of milk fat ... maybe the heat is too high, or the cooking time too long? Any thoughts on what the clumps are and how to prevent them. Thanks! Shel

Thanks for all the replies. From what I read here and elsewhere, there are a few cocoa powders that I'll try, including Pernigotti and Sharffen Berger (sp?) Kind regards,

Hi, I am looking for a very high qualty, rich, cocoa powder to use for baking, sauce making, and hot chocolate drinks. Any tried and true suggestions? I really want to move up from Hersheys-Ghiradeli powders. I've tried Dagoba, and it was OK.

I was thinking of making a cheddar cheese sauce to drizzle over some broccoli, however, the recipes that I have for the sauce all include flour (to make the base) and milk. Any cooks out there that might have a suggestion or two to make the sauce low or no carb? Calories are not an issue. I was thinking of using heavy cream instead of milk, but was concerned that the sauce might be too thick or rich.

Hi, I've got some ground turkey in the fridge and will use it to make a turkey-bean chili. Plans have changed and I won't make the chili for a couple of days. Can I brown the turkey and then hold it until it's time to use it or would it be better to freeze the meat?

Hi, Our CSA delivered a big bunch of mizuma, and I've never used it before. Anybody have suggestions for using it?

I have a few wooden spoons, but the one I like best is the one I got in 1979. I've used it just about every day since it came to live with me. It's bamboo, and it has held up very well. It's visited the dishwasher a few times with no ill effects. It's worn down quite a bit, but that adds to the charm and its desireability.

What does "bougie" mean?

GRANDMA BESSIE'S WINTER VEGETABLE SOUP WITH DILL 2 1/2 TBS unsalted butter 2 medium leeks, trimmed and coarsely chopped (about 4 cups) 2 medium kohlrabi, trimmed, peeled and coarsely diced (about 4 cups) dice and reserve any small, tender leaves. 1 small turnip, well trimmed, peeled and coarsely diced (about 3/4 cup) 1 small carrot, quartered and diced 2 1/2 TBS all purpose flour 5 cups rich, home made chicken stock 1 small - med shallot clove, peeled and diced (optional) 1/4 cup chopped, fresh dill 3/4 tsp salt 1/8 tsp fresh ground black pepper 1 medium potato, peeled and diced (about 1 1/4 cups) 2/3 cup sour cream, room temperature fresh dill sprigs Additional sour cream Melt butter in 3 - 4 qt saucepan over medium high heat. Add leaks and optional shallot and saute~ until leeks are limp, 4 - 5 minutes. DO NOT BROWN. Add kohlrabi and turnip, reduce heat to med-low, and cook 1 minute stirring constantly. Sprinkle flour over vegetables and mix thoroughly. Gradually blend in chicken stock. Stir in chopped dill, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer 10 - 12 minutes. Add potato and carrot to soup. Cover and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 10 - 12 minutes. Combine sour cream with about 1/2 cup of soup broth in a small bowl, blend until smooth. Gradually add sour cream mixture back to soup, stirring constantly. Do not let soup return to boil. Add salt if desired (I don't use any salt in this recipe). Serve by ladling soup into heated bowls. Garnish with dill and sour cream.

The air around Oscar's smells great, however their meat burgers are, at best, of medium quality. There are far better places, IMO, in the East Bay.

Another vote for Val's ....

Just curious - what did you think of Bill's? I was very disappointed when I ate there recently. They used pre-formed burgers that were of mediocre quality meat. Nothing like I remembered their burgers to be when I lived in SF many years back.

I like the Hippy Gourmet as well.

Just curious - do you have a rheumatologist handling your case? Robyn ← I've got some good doctors on the case, and apart from a flare-up in May, I've been free of any serious gout problems. One of the problems I had resulted from the number of medications I'm taking for other issues, and it took a while to find the right balance so that all the meds would work together. It was, for example, determined that one of my blood pressure meds was a contributor to episodes of gout.