Marlene

I have a waring pro slicer, and I have noticed this. The other thing I've noticed is that, since I've started making bacon, I cannot slice the whole belly on the Waring Pro, I have to cut it in half. I'll be looking at a new slicer in the next while.

Interestly, I rarely put non stick pans in the dishwasher. I have no idea why.

We have a Whole Foods in Oakville, and yes, it is the same chain. there is also one in Toronto, and 4 in Vancouver. pssst. Get the sour cream.

Not the ones that don't come apart apparently. The manufacturer suggest putting soap and water into the pitcher and turning the speed on low to medium to get it clean. I think I did that the first two times I used it, then into the dishwasher it went. I mean, the bottom was getting wet when I hand washed it, so I couldn't figure out the difference.

I sort of have to say, I rarely follow the manufacturer's instructions. Just about everything goes in my dishwasher, including my All Clad Copper Core, my good china and crystal, my Reidel stemware and most of my knives. The exception is my chef's knife, but that is mostly because I'm washing it to reuse it right away. I own a silipat, but I rarely if ever use it. My waring pro blender is not supposed to go in the dishwasher, but it does, and has done for 5 years now, no problems. Same with the bowl of my kitchen aid coffee grinder

The other thing I can say about Longo's, and I agree with Anna's assessment of their produce, is that I have used them for catering platters for several school events, when I didn't have time to make them, and I didn't want "grocery store" quality, or lack thereof. I've always been very impressed with their platters, particularly their smoked chicken (real, not processed). When I don't want to make the trip to Whole Foods, I will go to Longo's for produce whenever I can. They also have a very very good cheese selection.

Longos is sort of an upscale Sobey's. Depending on what other shopping options are available to you in Markham, I'd say go. And I have fallen in love with Western sour cream. No other Ontario brand comes even close to it.

I've done this more times than I care to count. Every time, I swear it will be the last.

For steaks, my favourite place is Delmonico's. It's a must for us anytime we are in Vegas.

Prime rib. I get asked for it over and over, even if I'd rather try to make something else since people have it so often at my place. I'd get killed if I tried to do anything other than Prime rib for Christmas dinner.

I use a small kitchen aid coffee grinder for spices. The base comes off and I put it in the dishwasher. Been doing it for years and haven't noticed any damage to the blade.

I have both a dedicated deep fryer and an enameled cast iron dutch oven. I have gravitated lately to using the dutch oven for deep frying, especially for chicken. It is a snap to clean up and I don't worry about breading sticking to the fry basket. I just fish the fried foods out with a spider.

The WS stores in Canada are not allowed to carry the demi glace. They used to, but not anymore. I'll have to try Cumbrae's if More than Gourmet isn't shipping here anymore. Rats.

I have a kitchenaid waffle maker. It has waffle irons on both sides, so you pour batter in one side, flip, and pour batter in the other side, then flip back over. I've never had any trouble cleaning the non stick interior and waffles don't stick to it. Plus I can make two batches at once. I believe the idea of the flippable machine is that when you flip it, the batter distributes evenly over the plates.

Marlene, this recipe sounds wonderful. I have a question, for sauteing the carrots & onions, is that is the released bacon fat or ? ← yes saute the carrots and onions in the released fat from both the bacon and the browned meat.

For me, it's not so much accumulating things as it is being excessive/obsessive about fresh ingredients, the best meat I can find, the best produce etc. I've been known to go to three or 4 stores at one go, to get all the food things I need. Plus making sure I always have proper stock on hand, and making more things from scratch than most of the people I know.

I braise all year. In fact, I braised short ribs yesterday for dinner, and there is no air conditioning at the cottage.

OK. I still don't have a decent pepper mill and I don't have a decent mandoline. I wonder if Unicorn is available in Canada...or is it just online? ← On the www.unicornmills.com FAQ site, it says that they will ship out of the US, and to contact them for shipping costs... ← the Unicorn is definitely available for shipping to Canada

Thanks! I always use leftover gravy if I have it as well. it does make a huge difference.

Best shepherds/cottage pie I have ever made 1 1/2 - 2 lbs ground hamburger or lamb 1 cup finely diced onions 3 cloves garlic, finely minced 1 1/2 cups beef stock 1/4 cup diced carrots 1/4 cup frozen peas 1/4 cup frozen corn 2 tsp worchestershire sauce salt and pepper to taste tsp demi glace (optional) 2 Tbs tomato paste 1/4 cup flour 1/2 cup red wine any other spices you desire Mashed potatoes 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (optional) Fry the ground beef until brown and crumbly. Drain the fat into a bowl and set the beef aside. Put two Tbsp of the fat back into the pan and saute the onions, carrots and garlic until starting to get soft. Add the tomato paste and cook another 5 minutes. Add the beef back into the pan, sprinkle with the flour and toss to combine. Add the stock and red wine and season with salt and pepper and any other spices you may want to use. Simmer for 20 minutes until thickened and the carrots are soft. Add in the worchestershire sauce and demi glace now if using. Stir in the corn and peas. Turn into a greased 9X13 baking dish and set aside to cool a bit. Boil 6 or 7 potatoes until soft. Drain, and put back on heat briefly to dry. Add 1/4 cup milk, a Tbs of butter and salt and pepper and mash. Reserving a tablespoon, stir in one beaten egg. Heat oven to 375. Spread mashed potatoes on top of the cooled meat mixture. Brush the top with the reserved beaten egg and sprinkle with cheese if desired. Place baking dish on a tray and bake for 45 minutes until bubbly. If desired, turn on broiler and broil for a couple of minutes until top is browned and crusty. Let stand 15 minutes before cutting.

It may be that the kids just hadn't seen a charcol grill. When people bbq today, most do so on a gas grill, so it wouldn't be uncommon for kids today to be unfamiliar with the glow of charcoal coals.

I just deep fried 68 pieces of chicken, so I guess I love fried chicken. But really, just about anything deep fried, rocks.

The difference between this and german potatoe salad as far as I know is that the potatoes are not fried, but tossed with a warm dressing in german potato salad while these slices are fried.

That's a first. I'm having a hard time envisioning this. Do they make little balls, crust with panko or something then deep-fry? Rhonda ← 2 lb. baby red potatoes 1 cup water 6 thick bacon slices, chopped 1 Tbs. brown mustard or dijon 1 Tbs. red wine vinegar or cider vinegar dash cayenne Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste 2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil 1/3 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley 1/3 cup sliced green onions, white and light green portions Directions Boil the potatoes, whole and skin on for approximately 15 minutes. They should be slightly underdone Drain the potatoes, cover and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, for at least 1 hour. Cut the potatoes into 1/4-inch slices. Set aside. In a large fry pan over medium-high heat, cook the bacon until crispy, 7 to 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper towel-lined plate; reserve the bacon fat in the pan. Transfer 1 Tbs. of the bacon fat to a small bowl and set aside. Reserve 3 Tbs. of the fat in the pan; discard the remaining fat. Set the pan over medium-high heat and arrange the potato slices in the pan in a single layer. Cook, turning once, until brown and crispy, about 2 minutes per side. Using tongs, transfer the potatoes to a large bowl. You may have to to this in batches Whisk the mustard, vinegar, salt and pepper into the bowl with the 1 Tbs. bacon fat. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil, whisking constantly. Pour the dressing over the potatoes. Add the bacon, parsley, green onions, salt and pepper and stir gently to combine. Add a dash of cayenne. Serve immediately. Serves 4.

Fried potato salad.