Shel_B

I forgot to mention that the microwave is used to dry and sanitize my dishwashing sponges. Works great, helps keep the sponges looking like new. A few minutes on high and the job's done.

Very cool! Thanks for the tip.

My microwave heating device is a small, low-end model that I bought used from some guy in a parking lot. He was asking $10.00 for it, couldn't break a twenty, and ended up giving the thing to me. It's used for warming or heating liquids, warming leftovers, and it's a great way to quickly brown garlic and warm or melt butter. I can't think of much more that it's used for except occasionally cooking broccoli and pre-cooking Kabocha squash, making it easier to cut through the tough rind. Oh, yeah, I sometimes partially pre-cook potatoes that will be fried. It's also good for warming the Microwaveable Heating Pad that Toots has - something like this: http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0242/5165/files/HP-Collection-Page_grande.jpg?7502 and also for her microwaveable slippers http://www.amazon.com/Carex-Bed-Buddy-Warming-Footies/dp/B000KBLKTO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1405800881&sr=8-1&keywords=microwavable+foot+warmers that warm her feet in the cold weather. Toots also makes oatmeal in her microwave heating device.

The grater ( http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/312Sz19u%2BtL._SY450_.jpg) seems almost to be a ubiquitous item in the kitchens of every friend I know who cooks. Even Toots, who cares very little for cooking, has and uses one. So, my questions are, if you don't use one, why, and what do you use in its stead?

A friend of ours has more than fifty BBB coupons in her car, just in case she has to do major shopping (which in all the years I've known her, she's never done). Toots has a few in her car, and I always have a couple in each of my shopping bags, plus eight or ten in my "coupon drawer." I thought Linens 'n' Things was part of the BBB empire, both owned by the same company. There have been a few times when I've gotten the 20% off without having a coupon ... just asked for it.

I would think that all the expert cooks here would know enough to adjust the time according to the power of their microwave oven and their preferences. What wattage is your high powered oven?

ROTF,LMAO ... Tried it a few minutes ago with two ears of "expensive" (25¢ apiece) corn. Cut off two rows of kernels, which I ended up nibbling. Worked quite well, although there were a few silks remaining (five on one ear, six on the other), but far, far less than when the corn is prepared our usual way.

A friend sent me this link, and I may try it this evening. If you try it, let us know how it worked for you. Watch Ridiculously simple trick to cook corn on the cob without the mess @ Komando Video

There are numerous sweet Italian sausage varieties around here that include whole fennel seeds, and neither Toots nor I have found them to be an issue in any way. What do you mean by "unreliable?" Is the fennel, coriander, and cumin the only spices, with perhaps the addition of S&P, that you use in your sausage?

There was a sausage recipe in Bon Appetit (http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/sun-dried-tomato-and-fennel-sausage-patties-with-creamy-polenta) that suggested using fennel pollen or ground fennel seeds. Never having used the pollen, I was wondering about its flavor profile. I suppose my butcher would grind the meat for me ... never thought about it as we don't eat meat very much, and it's not too often I get to the butcher. Doing it myself may allow for better control over the texture - I'd have to talk to the butcher about that - and I certainly don't mind the extra work.

Never would have thought to use orange zest. Ancho is easy to come by, and I'm quite familiar with it. I might also play around with Aleppo pepper, as it's not too hot but has a nice flavor (to my taste). No meat grinder here. I'll be dicing by hand or with the food processor.

Toots has been after me to make her some sausage patties, you might call them breakfast sausage, but in reality, she'll probably want them for dinner with eggs and potatoes. Now, I've not made sausage patties before, at least not pork patties, which is her preference. She also likes the taste of fennel in her sausage, and she doesn't like her food too hot. So, a mild fennel flavored sausage is the starting point. How might fennel pollen work? I've never used it - does it taste like fennel seeds, or is it milder, stronger ... ? Beyond that, I'm sort of stumped. What other spices might work well for this type of sausage? Would mace be a nice addition? It doesn't seem to be used that often, so might it add an interesting flavor component? I think we'd both like to stay away from sage, or at least minimize it's use - too much like Thanksgiving turkey stuffing - but it seems to be a somewhat typical seasoning for sausage, so I'd certainly consider it. What else might make for an interesting and perhaps complex flavor profile?

I stopped in at the Natural Grocery earlier today, and the troublesome almonds were marked as organic and unpasteurized. There must be something strange going on with them because the local organic, unpasteurized almonds do not cloud up the water nearly as much, and there is no slime or scum on the surface. I certainly won't buy them ever again.

Has anyone mentioned a goulasch? Goulash? What's the correct spelling?

What about beer? I've made a wonderful beef stew a couple of times using Guiness.

And how about thickness? Would a heavy saucier, i.e., thicker material, be a better choice than a thinner one? I'd think that a pan that would slow down temperature changes, and maintain a more even temp, would be a better choice.

I know many places that carry it, but I may not have time to head across two towns to get it. Might be difficult to find in the stores along my regular route.

It might be easier and quicker to find pomegranate juice than the actual molasses. No need to go across town to the appropriate markets. Thanks!

Pomegranate ... Subject says it all. I have a couple of salad recipes that call for the ingredient and I may not have enough time track it down before the weekend, which is when I'd like to use it. If I have time to search for it, what's a good commercial brand?

I've not made the salad before, but do plan to toast the pita. I'll have to take a look at the Three Pepper Shakshuka Pita. ETA: Took a look - it looks like a nice recipe. Added it to my files. Thanks for the pointer!

This coming weekend I'll be preparing dinner for a few guests, and I want to make a fattoush salad using some of the sumac I recently got from Istanbul. Does anyone have some good dressing recipes using sumac?

Many of the recipes I looked at contained mayo as well as bread or bread crumbs and eggs. So mayo must be used for flavor and moisture in those recipes, as well as a binding agent, yes? Would a low fat mayo behave differently than a full fat mayo? I'll be using a full fat mayo in my next batch of salmon burgers, so I'm more curious than anything.

What is the purpose of adding mayonnaise to salmon croquette ingredients?

I am not 100% sure that the almonds I bought were labeled "organic." They were in a bulk bin, and I am certain that they were labeled as unpasteurized. I'll double check when I next visit the store, which may even be today, but definitely this week some time. The store does claim to carry 100% organic produce,however, I don't know if their bulk items are 100% organic.

The last two batches of almond milk were somewhat disappointing. The soaking almond produced a very cloudy and somewhat slimy soaking water, and I had to change the water about four times during the 16-hour soak. The current batch of almonds that have been soaking now for about six or seven hours produced a much cleaner, slime-free water. The two problem batches were from organic, unpasteurized, Spanish almonds. I purchased them from the local Natural Grocery, which gets much of their grocery items from corporate organics rather than local, small, independent vendors, although their produce items are generally locally sourced. Today's batch is from a nearby orchard, organic, and unpasteurized. I've used almonds from that orchard before with excellent results. So, any idea what causes the slimy, cloudy soaking water? I read that a lot of "raw" almonds have been pasteurized, some with a chemical called PPO (http://www.almondboard.com/Handlers/FoodQualitySafety/Pasteurization/Pages/Default.aspx) Could this be causing the slimy water?