Darienne

Twinkies came into the USA in 1930. I don't know when they reached Canada. I've never had one. Nor a Ding Dong. DH can't recall ever eating one either. Life will go on I guess. Actually I've never had a Tastykake either and until gfweb's post had never heard of them either. I've led a very sheltered life.

Sounds like a good time. Eat a few for the rest of us.

Oooh. Lovely copper pan.

Kim, your cake looks delicious. No photos but I've made Morning Glory Muffins and Orange Muffins (my very favorite). And I've made Chocolate Salami, and also Enstrom Copy-cat toffee and chocolate dipped-glace ginger for giveaways to folks who have helped us get settled in our rented condo away from home. Still have to make more toffee. It is such a hit with everyone. Oh right, and a Capirotada. Nothing special but I have been busy.

Found interesting information on gula jawa. Probably not something you can find in East Central Ontario... As for my piloncillo adventures. Finished until we return home to the far frozen north where I can buy incredibly good panela. I'll take home the three different kinds and see what I can find at home and report back. This morning we did a taste test on three varieties of piloncillo. DH scored them from highest to blandest: City Market's Frieda, GJ Mexican Mercado, Moab Village Market no name. I found them all lacking, but also agreed that the Frieda brand was deepest in flavor. Left to right: Grand Junction mercado (darkest); City Market Frieda brand; Village Market no name (The Frieda brand has an interesting background. The founder of the distributing company, Frieda Rappaport Caplan is responsible for introducing to North America a number of exotic fruits, most notably the Chinese Gooseberry (Kiwi Fruit).)

The important question for many of us is: did it taste good?

Hi Tracy, Sunday at Wabi Sabi is a longstanding tradition with us. The year we actually lived for 7 months in Moab, we had to furnish an empty house. It was an incredible experience...and then we had our first ever 'yard' sale and sold it all for what we paid for it and turned the rest back in. I do make a 'Zucotto' type cake for birthdays, a chocolate cake filled with two chocolate mousses, then covered with another chocolate ganache and garnished with white chocolate curls. Fie kinds of chocolate with whipped cream and booze...what's not to like. I make the cake on a cookie sheet and then cut it up and line a bowl. Will this new pan make it easier? Or will it hit the Value Village back home? Have fun with your copper pan.

Sunday once more at Wabi Sabi and the oldsters get 50% off. http://www.amazon.co..._product_top A dome cake/Zuccotto cake mold. $1.50. I don't know why. Picked it up because I didn't know what it was. Very well constructed. I'll have to try it out. A local friend has a birthday on Wednesday. BTW, the Capirotada, made from my (last week's Wabi Sabi prize) bread machine-produced Challah, is delicious. I'll never figure out how such a tiny and impecunious town has so much good second-hand items for sale. Lots of wealthy tourists, no doubt, but tourists don't leave Zuccotto molds behind when they leave.

I've never seen unwrapped piloncillo for sale in the US or Canada. Not a big problem. I have still to check it out in the local groceries to see what they carry. The Capirotada turned out beautifully anyway.

Really no need to ask. Of course I am interested. Beautiful goodies, as usual, sir.

But that's it! This stuff is very, very dark, and quite nothing. I'll check in the local supermarket and see what they have. Two supermarkets, a City Market (Kroger) and a Village Market (Western Family). Neither one of them very pleasing really. Our FreshCo (Sobey's) at home has a wonderful brand. But then it's cold at home and probably snowing.

This is probably a foolish question, but here goes. Are there various qualities of piloncillo out there? I bought some a couple of weeks ago at a well-known Mexican carniceria in Colorado, usual shape, dark brown, in plastic bags with no name on them. This market sells home made tortilla chips and tortillas and pastries which are wonderful! Used the piloncillo today. Making the syrup for Capirotada. Tasted the sugar...of course...and was stunned. Where was that wonderful taste? Sure, it was sweet, but the special tastes which had captured me forever on my first real taste of piloncillo were missing. Back home, brown sugar always tastes like brown sugar and there's no home made brown sugar to be purchased that I know of. So what is happening here, please?

Quick reply: I know little about eggs per se, but I do recall and earlier eG topic in which it was established that European egg sources do not wash the egg shells before sale, and that's why they can be kept sitting out. North American sources wash the protective coating off the egg, thus leaving it open, so to speak, to problems and we must keep them in the fridge.

Thanks RobertCollins. I am confused though. Google doesn't list a Penzey's in Albuquerque. (We should be passing through in a couple of weeks.) Or must I order it online? ANd are you sure it's pure vanilla? I am now under the impression that you can't buy pure Mexican vanilla in the USA? We stopped in Grand Junction at a Mexican mercado and bought the imitation stuff again this year.

Thanks to all who have put up such good suggestions. All of you. Thanks Beth for the idea of keeping certain things in a container/bag which is easily grabbed/found/etc. Our things are a bit too spread out for emergencies. We have just finished adding a room to our cellar...long story...and we were thinking of storing food in there. On shelves so that it could easily be used correctly as to date, etc. But the new room is the furthest from easy egress...Have to rethink that one. Not that we get much in the way of earthquakes. Our main problem is no power in the dead of winter. We don't have the oil/wood furnace anymore and I'm not too happy about that. (propane now) But we are surrounded by wood. I'm going to push for a wood stove in the new living room. After Sandy, Ed is back planning our survival in earnest.

This sounds pretty much like what I do. Liquids into the hot cream, then add chopped chocolate, whichever kind I am using. Of course, some special ganaches do take butter, corn syrup, and other ingredients and then I would probably just follow the instructions, at least once.

And it's Sunday again which means the old guys go to Wabi Sabi. Got a Waring Ice crusher for $1.50 for next summer's Dog Weekend's Margaritas. One use but not much of a footprint. The silliest chip and dip plate I've ever seen. Won't embarrass myself by posting a photo, also for the Dog Weekend.. Four more Bon Appetit hardbacks for my friend back home who is collecting them. At 50 cents a piece, I didn't bother checking whether she had these ones or not. Small muffin pan to give me 18 at a time. Bought another breadmaker, Regal Ware, and am about to test it. It goes back when we leave. But in the meantime I make David Goldfarb's recipe for Challah to use in a Capirotada. Yeah, I know...

Those ribs look excellent. Mouth is watering.

My omission: We have only a very small freezing unit in the condo fridge and won't be here long enough probably to eat all the sauce. The freezer has also pulled pork, Hot & Sour soup, enchilada makings, frozen meat for the dogs, etc, etc. And TOO much spaghetti sauce. Thanks for the ideas, eGulleters.

DH, Ed, has made his 'signature' spaghetti sauce. Enough for 28 meals for 2 people. We won't even live long enough for eat it all. A friend came for lunch today. And we ate it yesterday. That's a bit off the top. Should add that because we are in a condo we don't have all the necessary ingredients and thus he added only a bit of oregano and no basil at all. It has mushrooms and onions and celery. Tomatoes. So I'm thinking a sort of Lasagna? or Moussaka? Something with tortillas? Other ideas please. (no seafood please, we don't eat it.) Thanks .

I'd love to try pulling sugar. My confectionery partner, Barbara, and I have talked about doing that for a couple of years now, but somehow never get around to it. Possibly a bit of cowardice here. Ya think?

Made a large pot of Hot and Sour Soup last night. Can't get a lot of the ingredients where we are so I brought them from home. We like a bowl of the soup for supper. (We eat our big meal at noon.)

Sunday at Wabi Sabi. 50% off for over 55-year olds. And boy, are we over 55. Bought a Breadman breadmaker for $6, just to use here for fun and then return when we leave. But back it goes tomorrow. Never had a loaf of bread stick in the container and have a thick, almost burnt crust. Used a never-fail recipe. Maybe that’s why it was turned in. Picked up a few cookbooks, including three on Chinese Cooking. One by Ken Hom, Also Mrs. Chiang’s Szechwan Cookbook. A small El Paso Chile cookbook on tortillas, a Bon Appetit Special Occasion Desserts, and one called Garden Harvest Cookbook which has pages and pages on growing vegetables and herbs.

Go rest, my child. You deserve to after this tour de force.

Well done, Baselerd. Looks delicious.