Darienne

Have you found that IR thermometers are reasonably accurate (with fresh batteries)? I have been wondering. Yesterday I tested, and both IR and non-IR gave approximately the same reading. Other times they have been too far apart for comfort. I am new to using IR and am still not confident enough in the accuracy. But they certainly are convenient, especially when testing two different mixtures at the same time and when one of them is tempered chocolate (it's difficult to remember that I mustn't dip a regular thermometer into some liquid and then into tempered chocolate). First low battery/low inaccurate reading for me, so I can't really comment.

As for the accuracy of IR thermometers... Confectionery partner Barbara and I were making toffee last week and using my IR thermometer. Strangely the batch was beginning to burn but didn't register the required temperature on my thermometer. Barbara brought out her thermometer and it registered much hotter than mine...which would explain the slight burning smell. (The toffee was scrumptious anyway.) Then Barbara noticed that my battery was signaling 'low'. Aha! So that was the reason. New battery in. Thermometer back in the running...

An early Christmas gift...totally unexpected. Today confectionery partner, Barbara, and I got together to make Copy-cat Enstrom toffee, covered in chocolate, sprinkled with almonds (both sides. Yum) for holiday gifts to give away. This is the first time we have both been well, without family complications, etc, etc for months now. Barbara gave me this wonderful cake plate and server.

Ingredients in the Ziplock bags sounds good. Monday is Toffee day and I think I'll measure out the ingredients before partner Barbara gets here. We have quite a lot to accomplish and I could do this tomorrow. Laughed when I found an old eG topic which I started on whether I could double or triple my toffee recipe. Had completely forgotten about that one.

Made the Orange Cookies Dipped in Chocolate for the neighbors up the road. Beauties. And yummy too. Made the glace orange bits first (thanks to first eG mentor Andiesenji)

Our Christmas meal is very simple: traditional roasted turkey with stuffing and gravy, cranberry sauce (for me only), Brussels Sprouts (for me only), mashed potatoes, peas and carrots. Salad, rolls. And for dessert which only Ed and I will eat, Margarita Pie, a departure from the norm. I do the Christmas dessert and DH takes primary care of the rest with me working as sous-chef. Oh, Tortiere too made by DH. Then daughter's BF, from Grenada, will cook us some wonderful Grenadian dishes which we'll have. He always cooks when he comes. He's a born cook. And amazing to watch. He cooks every day for the homeless Caribbean men where he lives. Then on the 27th, friends from South Africa will come for a meal. Daughter and Dad. He's 98 and loves to come to the farm. There will be 4 people and 4 dogs. (Oops.) Margarita pie for sure...she adores it and gets to take home the rest of it, supposedly sharing it with Dad (although I know for a fact, she ate it all last time). Dinner will probably be lasagna and Tortiere.

So, this is nothing to brag about, but it is sort of funny. The second half of the can of canned chicken breast, opened three nights ago, got put by DH into the fridge straight in the bowl, uncovered, in which it sat. He took the chicken out last night and remarked that somewhat dried out, it tasted better and more like chicken than it had when freshly opened. It gets added to tonight's salad supper.

Mostly Enstrom copycat toffee coated in bittersweet chocolate. Confectionery partner and Barbara will begin next week. Also two new recipes I found on this Toronto site, www.closetcooking.com/‎ , shortbreads, one based on orange and the other on lime. Oh, and chocolate-dipped ginger slices. That should do it.

Worked up my courage. Looks like canned tuna chunks. Has the texture of canned tuna chunks. Tastes very reminiscent of chicken. Going to put it into tonight's salad.

Found Kirkland canned chicken breast packed in water in our local Costco. 354 grams per can, with recipes taped to the top of the pile. Product of the USA, prepared for the Canadian market. Haven't worked up the courage to open a can yet.

Thanks Judiu, The DH is going to Costco this afternoon and I have him prepped to look for canned meats and suchlike.

Suddenly Dejah, I have this vague memory of a can...no, wait it was a ham maybe... As for the weather, Liuzhou...we lose our power quite often out here in the country in the winter especially. Trees across the road loaded with ice pull all the wires down with them. And it can be up to 5 days or so to have it restored. Ice Storm '98, some folks in Ontario and Quebec were weeks without power. The devastation was incredible and if you didn't have stored food, you would have been lost. We were very lucky and missed it all in our area. ps. I loathe canned meat except for Hereford Corned Beef, a leftover from childhood.

I admit it is mostly curiosity on my part, having worked as a researcher for many years. OTOH, a can is something you can keep for long periods on the shelf to make something in just a few minutes when you are tired, preoccupied, out of ingredients, with downed power lines (and a generator), etc. We are starting an emergency food storage and so canned meat is of some interest to me.

Yes, we have Costco (and Walmarts and now Target and no doubt a few others), but these Canadian stores don't carry all the same stock as in the USA. I'll look for canned chicken next time in. Thanks, Lindag

Thanks for the head's-up on the kitchen table topic, Heidi. Went there and re-read the posts. (Obviously not a morning to accomplish much.) We now have a dining room but not a real dining room table...DH is planning to build one...I hope we live that long. Our make-shift table is an old workshop table, will seat 10 easily...DH has big ideas ...and has 8 chairs around it (10 chairs second hand from St. V d P). Often has some current bumpf on it like food shopping flyers or suchlike, but basically has a table cloth (long piece of hemmed material) covered at one end with a piece of some coordinating material so that I don't have to wash that honking big piece of cloth every meal we do eat there. Centerpiece is Southwest terra cotta dancing dogs?/jackals?/bears?/? with large chunk of turquoise hanging around the neck of one of the critters, sitting on a terra-cotta tile. I love it.

Host Note: This post and the 10 following were moved here from the Soup Topic Just spent Sunday am re-reading this soup from page 1. Wonderful recipes and have saved several of them to try. We are great Soup for Supper eaters (alternating mostly with Salad for Supper) and one cannot have too many soups to enjoy. A question from the Eight Can Taco Soup: 1 (12.5 oz.) can white chicken breast, drainedI don't think I've ever seen such a thing in Canada. Is it a regular item in most USA grocery stores?

My Mother's take on Thousand Island Dressing was to mix Miracle Whip with Heinz Chili sauce.

What about visiting the restaurant, The Curious Kumquat, of former eGullet member Ron in Silver City? We'd love to be able to do that. Say hello from all of us who remember gfron.

Kerry said it faster than I could. I have a lot of recycled Pyrex and it all works well.

Cardamom. That and Thyme are my go-to favorites. Well, not together...

Oster 2609 250-Watt Variable Speed Hand Blender, White with Sterling Silver This is my stick blender. Has only two speeds. Is the cheapest in their line. It has the detachable shaft which is wonderful...just toss it over into the sink. It has done yeoman service for years now. But the reviews on Amazon.com are very mixed. There seems to be that luck factor with small appliances. We'd had a mixture of very good...and very bad over the last 53 years.

Rose Levy Barenbaum's Pie and Pastry Bible, Cranberry Galette. Delicious. Perfect.

I know nothing of the Cuisinart processors, but my DH bought me a 7-cup Kitchen-aid which I would gladly toss for a better one.

I have an Oster stick blender. In fact, I had owned it for several years and never used it. Also have a blender, hand and stand mixer and food processor all this time all of which I did use. Then, one day, I used the stick blender to do some eggs for scrambled...and as they say...the rest was history. Of course, it won't work for large quantities, but I find myself using it regularly now. Can't speak for any other stick blender and this one is quite old.

Love Onion Bhajia so much and the local Indian restaurants do not serve them. (And the restaurants are v-e-r-y expensive.)