[Western Tablecloth Standards]

In case you are interested in springing for a custom option - I worked with this linen company for years and they are located near York, PA.  Claudia, the owner, is fabulous.

 

Oops...just realized they mainly do custom for commercial.  However, I do know they have a sale once or twice a year that is open to the public.

[Alcohol Infused Cough Drops]

I saw a recipe on facebook today for making your own cough drops.  It was a basic hard candy recipe of sugar (and water) with a little honey, lemon, ground ginger & clove - cooked to hard crack, made into droplets on a silpat or parchment and left to cool/harden, then tossed in powdered sugar.  I'd like to doctor it up a bit and could use a little help.  Would it be possible to add a little whiskey into the mix?  Also, if I wanted to steep fresh ginger / clove / etc, what would be the best way to do so?  I was thinking using the water - even though it will all boil off I could steep the flavorings in that before adding it to the sugar.  Finally, what would be the best way to store them so they don't start to soften?  

[Help With Pod Coffee Machine]

I personally hate Keurigs because as someone else said up-thread, you can't get a strong cup of coffee with them, even filling your own pods.  I drink either cafe au lait if drinking brewed coffee, or flat whites if drinking espresso and I received a super-automatic style espresso machine for Christmas, which my brother bought through Coffee Geek.  I love it and it can make an Americano if I have guests who don't want espresso drinks.  I've also used a French press in the past when I wanted a small amount of brewed coffee.

[Food-Safe Plastic Table Covers]

What about just laying down plastic wrap? You may have to tape down the edges, but it should semi- adhere to the counter easily and not slide around like some other option potentially could. This works best if you can get your hands on large, restaurant-size rolls of plastic wrap. 18" wide by 2000'.

[Frothing/Foaming Milk]

I'm considering whether to invest in an espresso machine right now but my main interest is in the milk rather than the espresso itself. Sacrilege, I know, but it is what it is.  Does anyone have the aeroccino that goes with the Nespresso systems and can you tell me how the froth is with those systems?  Ultimately, the drink I prefer is a flat white, which means microfoam and I'm wondering if that is at all possible with anything other than a steam wand.

[Thanksgiving 2015....One thing old, one thing new]

Old: Mashed Potatoes (although we might do scalloped)

 

New: No turkey this year.  Either a standing rib roast or maybe a roast pork loin.  

[Grocery Stores/Food Shops in the Providence Area]

Bumping this up as I just moved to Wareham and it looks like Providence is the closest source for any Asian or Indian specialties.

[Dumplings/Potstickers/etc. in Stores]

Why are Asian dumplings not available in regular grocery stores? Well that isn't strictly true...in my local Stop in Shop I saw a small package of maybe 10 pieces. But go to an Asian market and there are tons of varieties, usually in bags of 30-50 I think. It's not like dumplings are "out there" as far as Asian food goes. And they are easy to prepare and certainly not expensive. So why haven't they made the leap?

I'm mostly frustrated because I just moved to an area where the closest Asian food market seems to be an hour away. I'm realizing how spoiled I was to have access to not only good Asian, Indian and Mexican restaurants, but also markets in my previous hometown. I can make dumplings, along with all the other specialties I want, but it's going to take a lot more planning just to get the ingredients.

[Tired of the options? Generate your own Brooklyn menu.]

Hilarious.  this is what I got:

 

THE STARR

seaweed spread with water    11

sunflower toast with arugula bruschetta & pepper    16

bluefish with blistered peach    13

artichoke    11

stubbed salt & turned monkfish skewers    18

shell bean jam & fig    14

rubbed sungold tartare & rye bowl    17

frightened gravlax tacos    12

bison discs with miniature marrow sliders    11

seasonal rice with cider eggplant croquettes & oyster    11

[Your Cooking, and How You Began]

My Mom is a good cook of solid, homey foods. My favorites growing up were shepard's (cottage) pie, tourtiere, salmon pie and New England boiled diners (corned beef, turnips, carrots, potatoes - no cabbage).  But she was also one of the few of her brothers and sisters (oldest of 8) that branched out into more "creative" things...like Ortega taco kits and "Chinese" food based on LaChoy canned Chinese vegetables, lol.  But they were delicious to me and my family.  And she had a big garden that I had to help in as a kid, she canned her own produce, we raised a few animals for meat and I had to help out in the kitchen as well.  Usually making salad was my job so I learned at least a little about using a knife as a kid.  Then I went to hospitality school and intended to work front of house, but I really enjoyed the basic cooking classes we all had to take so they gave me a foundation for eventually getting more creative on my own.  Now I will cook all sorts of cuisines, grow and can my own tomatoes, bake, etc., even though I am mostly just cooking for myself.  But my style is similar to what we had growing up, no matter the cuisine - hearty and homey, not fancy.

[eG Foodblog: Shelby--The Everlasting Garden...Canning...Canning...Canning...]

I just will have to make that sauce.  Period.

 

Oh yeah, I have about 30 quarts of tomatoes already put up.  And six quarts of juice.

 

I'm probably going to make you guys leave me forever, but I don't add any acid or lemon juice to my canned tomatoes.  Haven't ever and I've canned for twenty years.  Never ever had a problem.  A google showed me that in 1994 the experts changed and started to recommend adding acid.  I didn't learn that way, and for me, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.  But, don't think of me as an expert and you guys should do what you want to do.  

 

*Shelby ducks and runs from the canning experts*

How long do you process them?  I saw times ranging from 35 minutes to 85 minutes.  I consulted my mom who has done a lot of canning and she agreed that 85 seemed far too long so I went with 45-50 just to split the difference somewhat.  

[eG Foodblog: Shelby--The Everlasting Garden...Canning...Canning...Canning...]

P8100344.JPG

 

Got the cherry 'maters all cleaned up.  If I had one of those really cool, old wooden farm house tables, I'd use this as the centerpiece.  I think they are cheerful

 

 

Now I gotta nail down what to make for dinner.  We eat around 8 so, I have some time if I want to make something that takes time....we'll see.

 

Oh, and it's happy hour....time for wine.

I've been making this "recipe" from Smitten Kitchen with all my cherry tomatoes:  http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2008/08/slow-roasted-tomatoes/ They are so delicious I haven't gotten any further than using them on toasted bread with ricotta for breakfast.  

 

Edited to add that your very next post mentioned that same technique, lol.

[eG Foodblog: Shelby--The Everlasting Garden...Canning...Canning...Canning...]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Maybe we will be canning together 

 

Nice!!  20 lbs!  You were a busy person!

 

I'd love to hear more about the green tomato and pepper jam.  Jalapeño peppers?

 The recipe called for jalapenos, but I just used a literal mixed bag that my friend had given me.  There were long skinny red ones, a banana pepper, a couple that I think were habeneros...I didn't use as many as the recipe called for either since I know some were hotter.  I also doubled the original recipe but reduced the sugar to 4 cups overall.  Recipe here: http://www.closetcooking.com/2009/09/green-tomato-and-jalapeno-jam.html  

[eG Foodblog: Shelby--The Everlasting Garden...Canning...Canning...Canning...]

Oh I want to hear more about canning.  I just canned about 20# diced tomatoes yesterday, along with 5 cups green tomato and pepper jam.  I would have frozen some but I am moving soon and don't want to move too much frozen stuff.  I do have a couple of batches of pesto that I made earlier in the summer which will be moving with me.  

[Hot chocolate for outdoor events - any experience?]

These are the products I've used at several hotels for hot chocolate.

 

http://www.cambro.com/Insulated_Beverage_Servers/

 

They work great, but 8 hours is a really long time. Maybe someone could bring a second batch half way through?

 

Good luck!

Yep, those were the kind of things I was thinking of, but yet, 8 hours is a very long time.  It would still be warm, but not really hot enough for drinking.

[Hot chocolate for outdoor events - any experience?]

Air pots like you see in most coffee shops will keep hot coffee and hot chocolate at servable temps for several hours. What kind of volume are you looking at? Most of them hold about a liter and a half and can be bought through just about any restaurant supply company. For very large batches you might look at Cambro drink dispensers. They also hold hot beverages pretty well.

[South Shore - Plymouth to New Bedford]

I'm moving to the area around September 1st and I'll be commuting from Wareham to my job in Plymouth.  Plymouth has a lot of cute little restaurants and I'm eager to explore that area some more, but I am also hoping to find some gems in the Wareham / Onset area and really in the area as a whole.  I'm looking for recommendations for everything from coffee shops to dinner, farm stands, good grocery stores, etc.  Where do people go for ethnic groceries (Indian and Asian, perhaps Mexican/Latin America)? I'm assuming that is a trip to Providence, but even then, I have no idea where to start.

 

 

[Time To Eat]

Oh yes, dessert for dinner rings a bell with me.  This is the time of year that we often  make a meal of nothing but strawberry shortcake.  Took more than once for our SIL to discover the joys of it but he now considers it one of the things that makes his in-laws the best in the world.  I made that last part up

 

I actually like dessert for breakfast myself.  But then, that is one of the reasons I don't keep ice cream around - when I do I could eat it three meals a day!

[Time To Eat]

My current job allows for a full hour long lunch most weekdays, which is also a social time, so those days I have a pretty regulated breakfast at around 7:30ish (somewhat small, typical North American breakfast food, but not too sugary), lunch at noon and I tend to eat dinner by 6pm in the winter, but in the summer I can wait much later until around 8pm.  All typical NA habits.  But weekends vary quite a bit based on what is going on at work or outside of work.  A lot more snacking vs. large meals and much longer between meals too, especially in summer.

[Cookbook cooking project ideas needed]

I second Indian, but lean towards Madhur Jaffrey. I also love Suvir Saran's first book, Indian Home Cooking which simplifies but doesn't dumb down a lot of classic recipes.

[Dark and Stormy]

Resurrecting this to report my recent batch of Dark & Stormy popsicles.  Very refreshing with a spicy little aftertaste.

DnS_pop.jpg

 

One 12 oz bottle of ginger beer (Trader Joe's)

3 oz Gosling's Black Seal

~ 1oz homemade lime cordial

 

Yield = 7 small popsicles

 

I filtered the mixture to remove sediment in the ginger beer that I thought might settle in the molds and give an unpleasant texture.  I might dial back the lime cordial and use straight lime juice instead but they were good as is.

That looks great! The D&S is my favorite cocktail, and I think I may have to try this version.

[Updating the Kitchen Essentials]

I no longer have it, but I only upgraded about a year or two ago, after 20 years on my own, but my most-used pan was a 3.5 quart Revere Ware copper-bottom pot that I took from my Mom's kitchen. It was just big enough for pasta for one or a couple of servings of rice. I finally upgraded to a 4qt All Clad when I found one on sale in TJ Maxx, but it still find it a little heavy to drain with one hand. However, the All Clad is superior for things like making caramel.

[Saving egg yolks for ice cream]

I put them in a small ziploc bag and gently pressed the air out of the bag. As of the time i put the bag in the fridge none of the yolks had broken yet.  I guess I'll see on Sunday how it turns out.

[Using and storing a variety of flour]

I have some glass ones from Ikea that I like because the tops are wide open and it is easy to measure right over the top of the jar.  It also holds an entire bag of flour or sugar: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/40112543/ I have a deep window opening with shelves that holds grains, flour & sugar in glass jars of various types.  There is a shade behind the shelves so they aren't in the light.

[Updating the Kitchen Essentials]

After living on my own for 20 years I realize I have way more things that I actually really need on a daily basis.  Start with the basics and build your way up.  No need for everything to match or for every gadget right away.  If you really want All Clad, go to TJ Maxx or Marshalls and look for better versions of cookware on discount.