Darienne

I saw the name 'Dystopiandreamgirl' in the subject heading, and I knew, and I was right. Incredibly beautiful as always!

Thia was not an oil slick...this was a great pool. Over one cup. I really blew it. I did about four things incorrectly. Live and learn, learn, learn... There are a number of places to look for useful information. Kerry Beal's eG course, Confectionery 101, down in the "Toffee" section, Baking 911.com- about not having the butter separate out. There's another topic...English Toffee. They'll all give your tips on the butter aspect of the task and also so as the chocolate does not flake off the finished toffee.

Twice since returning home I have had troubles with the butter separating in my toffee. Now I have settled down and done the research properly I should have done after the first problem. Shame on me. However, I have over a cup of what looks like ghee from today's minor disaster. (The finished toffee tastes fine and I'll never tell.) What can I do with it? I have never used ghee before in non-Indian cooking. Can I use it in a non-exotic fashion, say substituting it completely or partly for butter in something or other? Thanks. And I hope I've learned my lesson.

Add 3 more from me. Hershey's 100 th Anniversary: 100 Years of Hershey's Favorites to add to my every growing collection of Hershey's and Nestle books although I have no idea why seeing as I never make anything from them, but then they are all 2nd hand and great fun to look through. Diana Kennedy. The Art of Mexican Cooking and Fany Gerson. My Sweet Mexico to add to my growing Hispanic/Latino/etc collection.

I ordered My Sweet Mexico the other day on a complete whim and then this morning found it listed on this thread and also on David Lebovitz's yearly round-up of cookbooks he thought were excellent. I was clever all round and didn't even know it.

I've been doing it for a long time now without problems...but then I am not the most sensitive palate in the place. Works for me.

It looks incredible. :wub: It just might be next on my list of things I must make.

OK. Ya got me. This I hate beyond reason. And this also my DH, Ed, hates beyond reason: Putting things away in the downstairs freezer in the compartments in which they belong. Hate, hate, hate. Just took a bunch of stuff down, and because this morning I was SOOO virtuous and did put stuff where it belonged, this afternoon I just shoved it in where I could get it to go easily. The best laid plans...

That's it for me. Time is everything. I resent it if I have left it too late. I love it when I have lots of time. Mostly my own doing. We eat dinner at noon and often I resent having to do any cooking in the morning when it seems that there are so many other things to do.

I finally have a system that works for us. Fifty years for us. Only three sizes of storage containers only. In a big drawer that is the bottom drawer beside the stove. (The drawer is not full at all because we have made Hot and Sour and Beef Barley soups and they are in the freezer. The containers are not Tupperware and they fit quite nicely into each other.) All other containers go ruthlessly into a Rubbermaid container in the garage marked: Miscellaneous and they go home with other folks, with contributions to Pot Lucks, etc. And I don't want them back. And other people must do this too, because that's how I amass most of them. All extraneous acquisitions of plastic containers go into the recycling bin. No more lids without containers nor containers without lids and all higgeldy-piggeldy sizes either.

Chef Eddy van Damme just did a tutorial on using the Buddha's Hand here on his blog.

Hmmm. Well put. We have a lot of apple trees on our property and we make apple juice each year. ...well, the DH does...

Reading Chris Amirault's post this morning, in Food Foolishness: Why Make it When You can Buy it, brings me back to this thread. I suppose there are some people who love to make their own pomegranate juice. I tried it once and thought...why bother? It didn't really taste any better than the store-bought stuff and was a lot of messy work.

I particularly like the drawers with the wooden dowel separators. Must show that photo to the DH.

My DH is dictating this as I type. My husband, who is a disorganized slob in every other part of his life, cleans up as he cooks, while I end up in the most awful mess you can imagine, cleaning nothing as I go along. So he says I hate it. I don't hate it: I just am incapable of doing it.

Not to mention all the specious ingredients and preservatives which are in the commercial varieties of much of anything.

Yes, it can be. But I (we) prefer to think of an Americano as a cocktail, so there's another one for you to try! Particularly great before dinner. 1 part Campari, 1 part Sweet Vermouth - build it on the rocks, top with club soda/seltzer/fizzy water and an orange slice for garnish. To DH and me, who stop at Starbucks across the North American continent on our way back and forth to Utah from east central Ontario, an Americano is the decaf coffee that Starbucks will make for you after 12pm when most of the outlets stop brewing decaf. Americanos are better and more expensive than plain decaf. (I can no longer drink regular caffeinated coffee past lunch or I'll be awake until about 2 am.)

If there is ONE thing you can find in the kitchen wares of a second-hand store, it is a mini-food processor! I must have picked up at least 3 over the past years. (Oh, and disposed of them here and there...to son, friend, etc.) This time, I am keeping mine.

What I would really like is a bigger kitchen but that is never going to happen. When we remodeled this end of the farm 15 years ago, I picked the size and space in the kitchen. Then I had zip interest in cooking...I had to do it...I did it. Now it's all changed and I am challenged greatly to store ingredients and utensils. The house absorbs all of I need and use, but in so many different locations. Oh well... In the meantime, I don't really want anything I guess. (No I don't own everything...I just couldn't possibly use much else at this beginning point in my cooking avocation.) Oh wait: access to fresh chiles and tomatillos and other Mexican ingredients that you can't buy in Canada. And that isn't going to happen either.

I would like to see a photo of this dessert for sure. Let me know how it turns out. Oops. That would be Christmas day. Never heard of a rockmelon and will look it up. Just what is a ginger jewel?

OMIGOSH!!!!!

OK. So I'll start. Today my DH cut orange peels for me to begin the candying process for chocolate-dipped orange peels. And I have begun the confection give-out to friends and folks who help us in various ways all year long. Folks like vets, computer guys, oil delivery guys, postal lady, etc, etc. I've had a huge...well, less huge every week it seems...bottle of rum-soaked fruits for a Black Cake which never got made last year and I guess it's really too late to make it this year either. Should add some more fruit to the mix. I have a list of cookies and cakes that I intend to make. Plus Pot Lucks we are invited to. Plus the Christmas Eve Party to which Ed always brings his French-Canadian Tortiere and I bring some confections. And, and, and... Who else has started on Christmas or holiday goodies? And what are you making?

G'day mate. (Do you really say that to each other?) Looking forward to reading about your week down under. I'm surprised you find any time to cook at all with your schedule. What do you do for three hours while traveling every day. (We in Canada would actually write 'travelling'. What about Australians?) BTW, Margaret Laurence lived for some years in Lakefield and I did get to know her a bit. Lovely woman. I do have a couple of funny Margaret Laurence stories which I can PM you some time.

Nothing exciting being made here...just the usual favorites of friends and so on: chocolate dipped candied ginger, chocolate-dipped candied orange peels, Chocolate covered toffee. Have to get the toffee out of the house before I eat anymore.

So grateful :wub: for ALL the replies.