Marlene

My second cuisinart grind and brew is having problems with the grinder sticking in the machine. A crowbar won't pry this thing out. That's it. I'm getting a regular cuisinart brew central and a separate grinder.

My brother had reflux but had a prescription that kept it well under control so he could eat a lot of that stuff. My mother is now on a soft foods, bland diet due to reflux and a hiatus hernia so I'm having to learn to cook this way for her. Things that work for her include, egg salad salmon or other fish minced meats (not pureed!) of turkey, chicken and the occassional beef. Braises could work well for you here. Shepherd pie of all things seems to be ok yogurts, smoothies, puddings, most fruits are out, but peaches and bananas seem to be ok. Can tolerate strawberries in a smoothie. Decafinated coffee And she still has one drink before dinner. As long as she keeps it to one, she's ok. Rice and mashed potatoes ( you can do some interesting things with mashed potatoes. I've got a mashed potato muffin recipe that she adores) most gravies seem to be ok in moderation. Just about any soup seems to be fine and there are lots of great soups out there to make. Breads don't seem to work or anything that will "clump" in the stomach. Heavy cream sauces Get a crockpot if you don't have one. You can do lots of "braises" that can cook while you're working and will still meet your restrictions.

I usually roast my potatoes in duck fat, but I've always done them from a raw state. This looks really good Kim. I'll have to try it!

Me too, but I don't actually like turkey soup for some reason so I make stock and it's into the freezer for the next batch of turkey gravy. ← Well it's not my favourite, but my son loves it. I don't make turkey all that often, so I'll make stock then use some for soup and I'll keep a small bit back as stock.

After Thanksgiving dinner tonight, it will be turkey soup on the simmer tomorrow!

That's why I have an electric knife sharpener. I don't get it either. President's Choice knives

The shrimp! Try the shrimp! I'll be in NY in a couple of weeks and Pegu is definately on my list of places to visit again while I'm there. Besides, I need more of Gary's bitters.

Woods is a pretty popular brand in Canada. I have the basket and door storage and nothing ever melts in them. The basket gets used to lay frozen bags of stock in, and the doors get used for boxed frozen stuff that my son likes (pizza pops etc, ice cream bars, frozen concentrate for pink lemonade and such.

Excellent. Thanks Andie. I'll let you know if I fare any better this time!

Definately russets. Did you soak the potatoes in cold water for a while? I find that helps a lot. I also let the potatoes cool right down before putting them back in oil

Last year I bought a Wood's upright freezer. Very large. It's similar to this one. It's frost free and I love it. I can see everything that's in the freezer without having to dig around and move a lot of stuff.

Andie, I'd like to make your cornbread recipe to use for a cornbread and sausage stuffing. The last time I tried cornbread stuffing, I failed miserably. Should I make this tonight and let it dry out, or make it tomorrow and just let it cool and proceed from there? Edit to clarify timeframe.

Anna, someone I know recently bought these and swears by them. I haven't seen them yet myself, but I trust her opinion.

This is how I tend to glaze pecans: 1 1/2 - 2 cups pecan halves 3 T butter, melted 3 T brown sugar 1 t kosher salt 1/4 t cayanne pepper Toss the pecans with the butter, sugar salt and cayanne. Bake at 350 for 6 or 7 minutes until bubbly. cool then separate, chop if desired.

I'd love to have cheese picks for this sort of thing! I always like glazed walnuts or pecans plus grapes to help decorate my cheese platters. To hold your pics, how about some pieces of apple, brushed with lemon to stop them turning brown of course. Although I have to admit, I rather like Pat's idea!

I am still waiting for my herb kit to arrive. My supplier lists the Italian herb kit, but it's out of stock and I don't even see it on Aerogrow's website. With any luck, I'll get the pods in time for winter braising.

Oh dear. Trifle maybe?

Prime rib is my first choice, closely followed by rib eye steaks. Then Roast pork with lovely cracklin's. Then there are lovely braises, and ribs, and smoked pork shoulders. Really, how can a carnivore choose between meats?

Are you using salted butter? That makes a difference. I use mashed garlic in salted butter. Sometimes I add some finely grated parmesan. Slice a french loaf in half then spread with the garlic butter and wrap each half in foil. Wrapping it in foil first allows the butter to permeate the bread. Stick it in the oven at 200 for 10 or 15 minutes then unwrap and broil for a few minutes till the top browns. Slice and serve.

Thanks! I do have a biscuit cutter and that's what I used. I am freezing the raw dough first but I should perhaps try them fresh. One thing about biscuits is that they aren't terribly labour or ingredient intensive, so I can practice every day! I think they are mishappen because I'm not very good at patting the dough out evenly, trying as I am to not work the dough too much. Given the differences that I'm hearing about with Canadian flour, it seems like I do need a little more liquid, especially if I'm going to use some cake flour as well. I've also been using my fingers to mix the butter into the dough, but I don't seem to get that "pebbly" effect everyone talks about. Maybe I should try a pastry cutter. Why do I think biscuits are on the menu again tonight?

My second attempt at Dorie's biscuits tonight. This time I used the 1 3/4 cup flour and 1/3 cup cake flour. I also used buttermilk again and added the baking soda. I cut them a little thicker than last time. They certainly rose higher, but I found them somewhat drier than the first batch. My first clue should have been the dough. I felt the dough was drier this time when I was bringing it together, but kept going anyway:

Prime is good, Delmonico's is simply outstanding. I've been to both and Delmonico's is always our go to place for steak in Vegas. Ask for the parmesan truflle chips to nibble on to start.

It could be. I wonder if it would make a difference if I used some Canadian flour and some cake flour. I had intended to use cake flour in these but completely forgot and ended up using all AP.

A stainless steel pan is a good investment, particularly for searing meat and then making pan sauces with the drippings. However, if you'd rather not spend money on a pan, then definately use the cast iron pan. If your cast iron pan is seasoned properly, you won't get a lot of sticking, but you will still get the good fond that Grub is talking about, which is essential to enhance the flavour of the pepper sauce.

I guess I have one of those dream divorces. Not only do my ex and I get along, but we've both remarried and all attend school events etc together. Anyway, my ex married a japanese lady and she has introduced my son to a whole other type of cuisine. She and I often share recipes and ideas. I never worry about what my son eats when he's at his fathers's. I think some of my influence may have rubbed off from when we were still married as there are very few processed foods in his house and they are very much into fresh produce and balanced meals, maybe even more so than I am.