Katie Meadow

Aww, that's so sweet!

Yes, it's a wide ranging topic, especially for yakkety-yakkers like most of us here. I searched various topics and nothing quite fit. It's sort of about marmalade, sort of about canning, sort of about gadgets and hacks I didn't know existed; things I could have figured out myself but didn't, and things I could have invented if not for someone else getting there first. I considered naming the topic " @ShelbyStart Laughing Now," but that wasn't very inclusive. It is in fact about canning in general, but it's so much more. I could have posted in the marmalade thread, to which I have been a contributor. I've been making marmalade for about twenty years, ever since I discovered I was an addict. Also ever since I realized how expensive the habit could be if you purchased high end products. Also when I realized that I was really picky about the kind of marmalade I wanted. I share this addiction with my husband. So every Sevi(lle season (and in these parts that is typically mid January thru March) we collaborate on making enough jars to last for a year with extra to give away if possible. I am left-handed and many many years ago I purchased or was gifted a left handed ladle. We southpaws are flexible and have workarounds for almost every right handed gadget, but I though this was pretty great. The person who thought they were clever and about to cover a market by inventing a left handed ladle should have thought twice, really, twice. How about just adding one more spout to the right handed ladle? Of course a universal ladle exists now, but my right-handed husband is frugal and stubborn and believes in certain kinds of hardships. So he adapted. By which I mean he graciously let me do anything that involved ladling. As you probably know, marmalade is messy, sticky and very hot. Ladling the stuff into a canning jar with a tiny-spouted ladle is exacting work which needs to be done quickly and without drips or burning incidents. You have already guessed what this is about: the invention of the canning funnel, most likely centuries ago. Of course a typical little funnel isn't very effective for pouring marmalade into a jar, even a fairly fine peel marmalade. Had I ever imagined there was a canning funnel? No, not until two weeks ago. I discovered this life hack, and I'm probably the last person in the world to do so. There are plenty to chose from on Amazon. It came the next day and we made an extra batch just because we needed to prove to ourselves just how brilliant we are.

No one ever said eating scoops of raw cookie dough was good for you.

I made them because I always have saltines around and I had good chunk of sharp cheddar left over from making mac n cheese. Yes, GH always makes me laugh. I love her! Pre-pandemic I ate at her restaurant every time I was in NY. As far as I know her kitchen was all-women and the atmosphere of the place was always fun and cozy, The tables were very small and you were practically in your fellow diners' laps. But your fellow diners were always friendly and had good laps. In summer if you were lucky you could sit by a window that opened out onto the street and the village people would smile at you and even try to see what you were eating.

Whatever Gabrielle Hamilton puts on a cracker I'll try at least once. She has a knack. Recently I read her "recipe" if you can call it that for fried saltines with dijon mustard, cheddar and white onion. You briefly fry saltines in oil until golden, let them drain and cool, then spread a modest amount of mustard on, topped with a saltine sized slice of cheddar and a few wisps of thinly sliced white onion. Low-brow ingredients, high payoff! Of course she's absurdly fussy about all her combos, and in this case she instructs you how to cut the onion: in half-moons, not semi circles! We devoured them. Take note @Kim Shookand other saltine aficionados who never thought to fry them. Some of her other ideas for apps or snacks include sardines on Triskets (and Triskets only) also with mustard. Then there's her celery toasts with blue cheese (cambazola only, please) which are a little more elaborate, but very good.

Since mayo to me shouts "something quick" I don't make my own. Mayo is for BLT's, tuna salad, egg salad, deviled eggs and some potato saladsI 'm a dedicated user of Dukes. When dipping artichoke leaves we sometimes add a little squeezed garlic or smoked paprika, but just a touch. Homemade mayo is delicious, I admit.

I wish that were to case here. I don't know if most diners are embarrassed to ask for a "doggy bag" but just the fact that we call it that says something about how many Americans don't ask to take home their leftovers. I'm pretty sure it would be horrifying to see how much food gets tossed by a restaurant every day. Of course it isn't just food. The apparel industry has some really wasteful traditions.

The magic cake, also known in various guises as Lemon Pudding Cake is a fun bake. I went through a phase were I tried out lots of recipes. I like the ones that are very tart!

I gave up half way through the article, which I wouldn't have done had I had the magazine in hand, but that's just me; reading on line makes me impatient. The most telling line, among many telling lines, at least for me, was this: “There’s all these parameters around your creativity,” Carson said. “You just have to wipe your mind of certain facts.” Ain't it the truth. My nightmare: eating at Taco Bell in a state with open carry laws. When I lived in NM it amazed me that Taco Bell had a foothold there.

Most Likely I wouldn't be able to see the code, even if I knew how to interpret it, but I will try that. I pretty much go for any can of Italian whole plum tomatoes that say DOP; there's not always much choice at any given store. If I don't need a big can I go for the small 14 ounce cans of Mutti cherry tomatoes. They are more acidic, but good. Those are not so easy to find but can be ordered in 6-packs from Amazon. Odd leftover amounts from the larger 28 oz cans can be frozen with no discernible loss . Eventually they can be added to any big batch of sauce I'm cooking up, so they don't take up freezer space for long. I used to dice the whole tomatoes or simple squeeze them my hand, but now I've discovered that a stick blender can easily be used to turn them into chunky or smooth or in between. Obvious large pieces of skin I toss, but I don't worry if I miss some.

I always assumed I was the only person who didn't like Muir Glen tomatoes, since so many recipes seem to specify them. I can't swear I've tried their fire-roasted ones, but I know I've had a couple of different kinds. I guess I'm used to various Italian brands.

Surely poblanos are available in southern CA. Working with Anaheims would be harder, to say nothing of less flavorful. The poblanos we can get here in the Bay Area are not always hot, but every so often I strike gold. Even if not spicy I would chose them over Anaheims.

Wow I forgot all about that thread, including my own contributions to it; always a somewhat disconcerting occurrence. 2020 was a very bad year, although skewering hot dogs to char them over a gas flame while naked but for spike heels is something you can do whenever house-bound. Alone or not.

I assume a good home-made marshmallow uses pure cane sugar. Peeps have some sugar, but are mainly corn syrup, pork gelatin, yellow dye and wax.

Here's a somewhat more scientific experiment than the middle-school microwave test: "Emory University researchers tested the durability of the marshmallow candy. One of the tests demonstrated how dissolvable they were in water, acetone, sodium hydroxide and sulfuric acid. Peeps stood strong against those chemical foes. Then came phenol. After an hour in this protein-destroying chemical, toxic to even humans, the only thing left in the solution were the Peeps’ eyes." The peepers!

My experience is there's nothing easy about making good chile rellenos. I lived several years in NM and successfully learned how to make good enchiladas, chile verde and chile rojo, refried beans, chile sauce from dried chiles etc, but never mastered chile rellenos, and neither did anyone I knew. For that we went out. You have to start with structurally sturdy poblanos. They need to be roasted, but not over-roasted. Making a slit and stuffing with melty Mexican Oaxacan style cheese is a very slow operation, especially if you want to scrape out ribs and seeds. The batter should not be thick or too crunchy, but more delicate. And then you've got to fry them very carefully so as not to destroy them. It's an art I wish I had time and energy to practice, because I've never had goods ones outside of NM. When they are good they are great.

You see how raisins are insidious? Originally there were no raisins in @Pete Fred's recipe. But they just jumped in while he was looking the other way. And they travel in large groups. A pod of whales. A murder of crows. An insurrection of raisins.

The raisin dump truck is on permanent retainer to never even drive on my block.

That looks yummy. I've never made a baked rice pudding, only stove top. Do you have a good recipe? There don't appear to be any raisins in yours.That's very good. If a raisin so much as looks at my rice pudding I reach for my anti-anxiety meds.

Thanks for that link. Now I understand why cowboy's dusters had a flap over the shoulders!

Amazing menu! Chop Suey and Foie Gras, both for the same $2. The celery, on the other hand, seems a bit pricey.

Three plastic storage bowls for $59? And the Tupperware copy suggests you use them as serving bowls? That $59 would cover my portion of sushi at a restaurant and be a lot more fun! In with @MaryIsobel's daughters on this one.

Our Easter dinner is going to be Passover redux; mostly all leftover's from yesterday's seder: Sephardic charoset, fresh grated horseradish (extremely potent this year for unknown reasons), matzoh ball soup, lamb, roast potatoes. And a simple green salad that my husband wants to make. I don't have to lift a finger. Woke up this morning to lots of pix of my granddaughter twins on an egg hunt. One was super into it and commandeered her sister's basketful. They are going to be two years old!

Yes, the second one.

Indeed. All CA commercial salmon fishing has been canceled for this coming season. And I heard the same might be true for the Oregon coast.