ElsieD

I second puff pastry. You can buy a good quality 100% butter puff pastry here, so I don't bother making it.

Darienne, where did Ed buy those pails? They are a great idea.

http://www.costco.ca/Browse/Product.aspx?prodid=10342627&whse=BCCA&topnav=/&cat=22555&hierPath=20418*22568*22555*〈=en-CA Try this. It seems Costco sells it.

We have a large stand-up, a small chest freezer and a spare fridge with it's freezer downstairs. In the kitchen we have a side-by-side fridge. All of the freezers are crammed full. The last time we sorted them, I typed up a list of contents, per freezer so we could find stuff more quickly. That list quickly became outdated. Since that time, Costco decided to carry prime grade strip loins steaks. We got so excited we bought a bunch of them and they have been added to the freezer along with a Costco box of frozen croissants (272 of them - I counted, but they are the small ones), a box of their frozen apple turnovers and their ciabatta bread. All this for two people. I keep saying we should stop buying stuff but.... So, I think I will take up the challenge as well, but am not likely to start until the weekend. Can't wait to see what we unearth.

Just a note to say that Kenmore was the favorite of the bunch.

I bought some of these today at Costco. They are small round green squash. Only problem is, I've never had them and I don't know what they taste like or how to cook them. I also don't know if you eat them with the skin on or if you have to peel them. Any advice?

I rap the egg on a hard edge, pry apart using my thumbs, let whatever falls out fall out, and dump the shells in the trash. I seldom have any bits of shell in my egg(s).

Hi Darienne: We don't eat a lot of them but we have had a couple. I treat them as I would a smoked pork shoulder - I cover them with water and simmer them to a temperature of about 180. I don't add anything to them. They should be very tender when done. They are also quite tasty.

I'm wondering if anyone has a good recipe for blueberry-banana muffins, preferably one that also includes oat bran or wheat germ. I searched the muffin thread on this site, the internet and my cookbooks but haven't been able to find one. Thank you.

I don't buy out-of-season tomatoes either, with a couple of exceptions. One is the Compari tomato and the other is the Komatu. I'm quite happy with either of them. Other than that, I use canned and my brand of choice of canned tomato here in Canada is Aylmer. They actually taste like tomatoes.

So, Tomdarch, will you be posting your experience as well?

Something like this? http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?p=32568&cat=1,43513,43519

Wow, that is really something. I loved all the pictures showing how it all come together. Thank you for taking the time and making the effort to share this with us.

I really enjoyed your well-written, descriptive narrative. Best thing I've read all day. Are you a paid writer in your day job? I, too, was not allowed access to the photos which is unfortunate as I would have enjoyed seeing them.

I used to have electric stoves. Since that was all I ever had, I didn't think much about whether they were good or bad, they just were, except that the last one had a glass top, and I hated it. It was slow to heat up and slow to cool down. Then I switched to a gas stove with an electric oven. I much preferred cooking with gas. I now have an induction range and love it. Easy to clean, terrific heat control and, another bonus, my pot handles don't get hot.

This may be a dumb question but I'll ask it anyway - was each tray sprayed in half yellow and the other half pink? Or was one tray sprayed pink and the other tray yellow? Those chocolates are amazing. I've never worked with colours and I'm hoping to get some practice at the Chocolate & Confectionery Conference in May.

For what it's worth, I have three tongs - 2 are silicone tipped and are made by Cusipro and I have an OXO one which is metal. The Cusipro tongs are tiring to use - the springs are very tight. The springs on the OXO one is much looser and very easy to use. All this to say that before buying tongs, you should get a sense of how tight the springs are. I don't have any problems with my hands but I sure don't like using the Cusipro tongs as my hands get very tired.

The best meal I ever had was in Oslo in 1972. It was a dinner in a hotel restaurant and the service, the decor, everything about the place was top-notch. We had reindeer filet with all the trimmings. It was served table-side, and after we had mopped up our plates, out came fresh cutlery and china, and another helping was served. It was incredible.

Probably your pot retains more heat. Ever try taking the temperature of the water in each pan when you take the eggs out?

At this point I can only state with certainty that I will be arriving sometime on Friday. Since I don't know what time, please do not count on me for the Buffalo trip. This also means that I would not be attending the dinner in Buffalo. However, if dinner is on the Canadian side, I'm pretty sure I can make it and would be happy with Italian. I'll also happily partake of a roast beef dinner on Saturday. If you are looking at an alternate protein, fish is fine with me. I'm really looking forward to this...... Hope to learn lots!

I recently spotted a bottle of yuzu juice and on impulse, I bought it. Now I'm sitting here wondering what to do with it. It is a product of Japan and the label reads "All natural, not from concentrate, 100% pure juice". Elsewhere it says "Yakami Orchard 100% pure yuzu juice". Can I use it in place of other citrus juices in equal quantities in say, a custard? Salad dressings? Any help appreciated.

Thanks for the head's up. I'll have to check to see if my Costco has them. FWIW, I tried freezing whole lemons once - not a good idea. I should think the juice would freeze all right though - maybe in ice cube trays?

Here is one version - I'm sure there are others out there, but it will give you the general idea. FRIENDSHIP CAKE Day 1: In a gallon jar put 1 ½ cups starter, 2 cups sugar, 1 large tin of cubed peaches with juice. Stir daily for 10 days. Day 10: Add 2 cups sugar & a large tin of crushed or chunk pineapple with its juice. Stir daily for 10 days. Day 20 Add 2 cups sugar & 12 oz. Of maraschino cherries, halved and well drained. Do not add juice. Stir daily for 10 days. Per cake: 1 box yellow or white cake mix 1 box instant vanilla pudding mix 1 ½ cups drained fruit 1 cup chopped nuts or raisins 4 eggs Mix well and bake in greased & floured bundt pan in a 300 oven for about an hour. Note: The started is the liquid from the mixture after day 30.

Darienne, there is a Mexican store within walking distance of where I live. If there is anything i can pick up for you and bring with me, I'd be happy to do so.

Skor bits.