Shel_B

http://www.costco.com/.product.100082950.html?cm_sp=RichRelevance-_-itempageVerticalRight-_-ClickEV&cm_vc=itempageVerticalRight

I never said anything about making peanut butter.

I put together what I called a Mid-America Salad. Maybe it's a little too fancy for what you're doing, but I'll include the recipe and technique here on the chance it might be "inspirational." I wrote this recipe up for a dear friend of mine, so the instructions and commentary were for her - and now they're for you. I also remember salads with Green Goddess dressing. Back around 1980, I made a dinner for some friends and the theme, such as it was, was to use as much canned food as possible - canned, condensed soup, canned ravioli, bottled salad dressing, etc. Shel’s Mid-America Salad with Chunky Blue Cheese Dressing Some iceberg lettuce wedges fresh tomato wedges rinsed, drained, and dried red kidney beans (optional) thin slices of red onion (optional) a few thick sliced bacon slices (optional) 1 Tbs best quality mayonnaise 1 Tbs good quality sour cream 1 Tbs fresh lemon juice or about 1 Tbs lemon zest, or combination About 1 cup or more rich buttermilk 4 ounces Maytag or similar blue cheese (Maytag Blue is a Mid-American blue cheese) ½ tsp Diamond Crystal Kosher salt dash or two of dry mustard (optional) Divide the blue cheese into three pieces. Take one piece and chop it very fine. Take another piece and chop it medium fine, and chop or crumble the third piece in larger chunks. If using bacon, lay the bacon strips on a roasting rack over a cookie sheet and bake in a 350-degree oven until crisp, about 20-25 minutes. Remove when cooked to your liking, and set on several layers of paper towels to compete draining and to cool further. Cover with a few more layers of paper towels, and pat bacon dry, letting the towels absorb as much grease as possible. You can also put the bacon into a cold oven, and the slower heating will render a little more fat. Put the mayo, sour cream, and the very fine pieces of blue cheese together, along with the salt, into an appropriately sized glass or stainless steel bowl (preferably one that comes with a tight fitting lid, but you can use plastic wrap to cover - try not to use plastic bowls as plastic can sometimes impart a taste to whatever has been stored in it, especially if you’re going to be storing the dressing overnight or for a couple of days) Using a fork or small whisk, mix together well. If you like you can put the mixture and about ½ cup of buttermilk in a blender or food processor for a few twirls or pulses to incorporate and smooth the mixture, but it’s not really necessary to do that, plus it makes more mess to clean up. When all of the above is nicely combined (don’t over mix) add the rest of the blue cheese and optional dry mustard (start with just a pinch or two) and gently mix together very well by hand. Add more buttermilk a little at a time, mixing well with each addition. When you get the taste and texture to your liking (you may want to add a little more salt, a pinch or two more of dry mustard) cover the bowl and refrigerate at least four hours or, better yet, over night or a couple of days to let the flavors meld. The mixture may thicken up a bit when refrigerated, especially over night, so don’t be afraid to make it a little thinner than you may ultimately prefer. Before using, let the dressing warm a little, stir the mixture, adjust seasoning, maybe add more buttermilk, mayo, or sour cream to adjust taste/texture, and dollop on the wedges of iceberg lettuce with nicely sized wedges of fresh tomatoes and the optional drained and dried canned kidney beans and a few slices of red onion. If using, break up and crumble some bacon over the salad. When eating the salad, close your eyes and it will be easy to imagine that you’re in a diner in Omaha, Nebraska <LOL> Notes: You might want to seed the tomato wedges depending on how moist and runny the tomatoes are. My preference is for thick sliced bacon. Niman Ranch bacon can be had in 1/8-inch or so slices. You can sometimes find slab bacon which you or the butcher can cut for you to whatever thickness you like. The Niman Ranch product is fine.

Based on what I've been playing around with in the kitchen these days, I think my next purchase will be a mini food processor. I'm mostly looking to make some sauces (like peanut sauce) and dressings using fruits and vegetables, maybe chopping and pureeing garlic .... essentially, simple little tasks. I understand that most of these are not very powerful, but for my purposes such a processor should be fine. What do the cognoscenti recommend?

I talked to the car owner yesterday evening and she gave me some apple slices that she dried. They were pretty good and quite flavorful. The apples came from a tree in her back yard. I didn't ask her what type they were, but they looked like Gravenstein to me. When I came to California in 1967, I discovered sun dried tomatoes on a ranch up in Napa. These tomatoes were dried in small flats on the roof of the barn and ranch house. Never having had (or heard of) sun dried tomatoes before, these were quite a treat, on several levels. We humans are pretty resiliant. Toots' early years were spent on her grandfather's plantation in the jungle of Paraguay, and to hear about what she ate and how she lived made me realize how strong we can be.

It has been suggested that I use a torch for some of my cooking, but I haven't been interested in adding another piece of kitchen gadgetry to my limited storage space, nor do I know what I might use it for, or how often I'd use it. However, in another thread here this morning http://forums.egullet.org/topic/149530-that-darn-skin-–-peppers-tomatoes-etc/ - post #5 - a new-to-me use for the torch was suggested. So, what do you use a torch for, and what torch do you use? How often do you use your torch? What should one look for if buying a torch for cooking purposes? Do you get a fuel taste on the food when using the torch? Thanks!

http://www.templeofthai.com/food/fresh_curry_paste/

I couldn't find the first recipe, however, the Steamed Lemon Chicken sounds great. I've saved that one. There is another of his recipes that sounds good - the Ma Po Tofu, which is a dish I like quite a bit when in the mood for it. Don't care much for deep fried fish dishes. Thanks! ETA: OK, I found the first recipe. Thanks!

I'll have to look into that. I love lemon juice on my baked potatoes, and Toots loves potatoes in most any form. This might be something that would work well for us. Thanks!

I'm not sure ...with a chicken stuffed with lots of lemon, the lemon might be a main ingredient, but a few slices of lemon placed on a chicken breast might be considered an enhancer. That's the only example I can think of off hand. Or think of 40 Garlic Chicken, where the bird is cooked surrounded with lots of garlic - enrobed in garlic the way I make it - the garlic would be a main ingredient as opposed to some garlic spread under the skin of a breast. Overall, however, the line might not be clear, so I imagine that it's as much opinion and preference as an absolute. As for your fish example, I suppose I could go either way with that one (which seems somewhat at odds with my stuffed chicken example, doesn't it?). ETA: Hmm, perhaps I could make a 40 Lemon Chicken ... ?

Obviously, this technique is used elsewhere, wino ...

While on a walk through Berkeley yesterday, I saw a tray of sliced apples drying on the package shelf behind the rear seat of a car parked in the sun. Seems like it might be a good way to dry fruit if the weather's right. Anyone ever try this? Any thoughts about a downside to this technique?

Lemon is a favorite flavor here, and it would be great if I could get some fresh ideas about how to use lemon in savory dishes. Apart from pasta dishes, and using lemons as an "enhancer" for many dishes, are there any dishes that might feature lemon as a main ingredient? Thanks!

I've been making a version of this for years, based on a recipe I obtained from Mario Batali. However, I never tried caramelizing the tomatoes. The next batch I make will be with made that way. Thanks!

Today I purchased 500ml of California extra virgin olive oil, the same mount of organic Italian evoo, a half-dozen bananas, two cans of Muir Glen fire roasted tomatoes, 2 1/2 lbs of locally grown raw, organic, unpasteurized almonds, and 1/4 lb of organic medjool dates.

Here's a crab and wild mushroom cheesecake that I found thanks to Heartsurgeon's post and suggestion, just in case you missed it and might be interested: http://emerils.com/123688/crab-and-wild-mushroom-cheesecake-green-onion-coulis

Shel's Tuna, Lemon, Caper and Tomato Sauce Ingredients 1 can (6 ounces) tuna (chunk or solid in olive oil), drained - I use Wild Planet or Ortiz 1 large garlic clove, Microplaned grated zest of 1 medium lemon 2 Tbs fresh lemon juice 1/3 cup fruity olive oil S&P to taste (15 grinds black pepper) 2 Tbs capers, drained or rinsed 1/4 - 1/2 tsp crumbled dried oregano 15 small cherry tomatoes, cut in half 1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped freshly grated Parmesan cheese Optional: add some dried black olives or red pepper flakes. You can try other herbs as well. Directions Place tuna in pasta serving bowl and break it into large bite-size pieces. Add garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, capers, and sliced tomatoes. Stir gently to combine. Set aside to warm to room temperature, or preferably, place the bowl (be sure it's heatproof) over the pasta pot to warm the ingredients while heating the water. Once the water comes to a boil, remove bowl and set aside. Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain pasta well and immediately add to sauce in bowl. Add a little of the pasta water to thin as desired. Sprinkle with parsley and toss. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese if you're so inclined. I use about 1/2 the sauce for a large serving of spaghetti - about 5-oz dry.

Last night I made one of my go to "pantry" sauces. This one is made with ingredients that are pretty much always on hand, it comes together quickly, and lends itself to a number of variations and improvisations. I put it into recipe form, although when I make it I just wing it. All measurements are approximate, but that really doesn't matter as you can readily adjust the ingredient amounts to suit your own taste. Shel's Tuna, Lemon, Caper and Tomato Sauce Ingredients 1 can (6 oz) tuna (chunk or solid in olive oil), drained (I usually use Wild Planet or an Ortiz tuna) 1 large garlic clove, Microplaned grated zest of 1 medium lemon 2 Tbs fresh lemon juice 1/3 cup fruity extra virgin olive oil S&P to taste 2 Tbs capers, drained or rinsed 1/4 - 1/2 tsp crumbled dried oregano 15 small cherry tomatoes, cut in half 1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped freshly grated Parmesan cheese Optional: add some dried black olives or red pepper flakes Directions Place tuna in pasta serving bowl and break it into large bite-size pieces. Add garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, capers, and sliced tomatoes. Stir gently to combine. Set aside to warm to room temperature, or preferably, place the bowl (be sure it's heatproof) over the pasta pot to warm the ingredients while heating the water. Once the water comes to a boil, remove bowl and set aside. Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain pasta well and immediately add to sauce in bowl. Add a little of the pasta water to thin as desired. Sprinkle with parsley and toss. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese. Other variants: fry the capers in a little olive oil before adding to the tuna mixture. Use other herbs as you choose (basil is nice)

I agree 100%. What are magazine and book designers thinking when, for example, they use dark type on a dark page?

I'm not going to run out and by Greweling's book, or seek out invertase at this point. I'll start with the Epicurious recipe and see if I want to explore the idea further. But thanks for the ideas. Seems like the book would be worth having should I decide to explore making candy in greater depth. And thanks, too, for the education on invertase.

Don't need a scientific answer ... you did good!

I have no idea what you are talking about. Don't even know what invertase is ...

Thanks for the pointers. The Epicurious recipe seems most interesting to me at this point.

Actually, I didn't think much about it. Making the block seemed like a simple, easy way to go, and I could then grate or shred it, slice it for sandwiches, use the slices to wrap other items. I've never really had much use for spreadable cheeses ... can't recall when I ever used the stuff in my own home. I like the grated cheese for use in a particular frittata I make, and I cannot imagine how I'd use a spread in that recipe (although I'm sure there are people here who could make some suggestions). Lastly, I wouldn't know, without some research, how to make a spread. My first question would be what needs to be done to the cheese to make it spreadable, and how might that effect the way the cheese behaves and tastes in my favorite frittata.

This morning fortune was kind enough to bless me with a small, bite-sized York peppermint patty http://www.hersheys.com/york/products/york-snack-size.aspx. Interesting concept, but one that can certainly be improved upon, (not as gummy, brighter, more peppermint flavor). I'd like to give it a try in a couple of weeks. So, how might I make the peppermint filling? Ingredients listed on the website: SUGAR; CORN SYRUP; SEMISWEET CHOCOLATE ( CHOCOLATE; SUGAR; COCOA; MILK FAT; COCOA BUTTER; SOY LECITHIN; PGPR, EMULSIFIER; VANILLIN, ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR) ; INVERT SUGAR; EGG WHITES; OIL OF PEPPERMINT; MI LK