Darienne

Well........you are no doubt correct. I just thought I'd float it by. I personally don't even cook on the B-B-Q. Not my thing. As far as I'm concerned it's a guy thing. Silly, I know, but that's how I feel. Our youngest is a total barbecue knowledgeable cook and even gives advice to his old man. But thanks for the tips.

Will do. Thanks.

Thanks Geoff. To get it straight: The fresh chiles you mention are available at the El Salvadorean places in Kensington, and also some Mexican-type cheeses. What is the K-W area of Ontario???

If I understand you correctly, there is a Mexican grocery that carries fresh poblanos. I have friends in Ottawa who come here regularly. Do give me the name and address and I can get poblanos that way. Thanks.

I know nothing about this controversy. Went to the gold standard: Snopes and it appears that much, if not all, of the negative issues attributed to Canola are incorrect. Maybe others will check this out more carefully. http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/canola.asp

Finally bought one of the things...wanted one for years...sit outside when it's cold, in front of a little wood fire, a cup of something hot...preferably spiked... So, our comes with a cooking grid which swings into and out of the fire area. Besides marshmallows, which would make an awful mess and I don't like them cooked anyway, what on earth can I cook over a wood fire? Or if the hot drink as far as we should go? (You wouldn't believe the pre- and pro-scriptions for using this little furnace in the countryside. But still, a fire in the country without a source of water is a terrible thing.)

Mexican cooking is my latest obsession and am I having fun! Now planned is a Mexican feast for the Dog Weekend folks at the end of August with much practice beforehand. From a couple of the eG Mexican cooking threads I have compiled a list of ingredients needed for the most modest of Mexican or even Tex/Mex cooking. I'll list some of them and then ask, where O where in Ontario...I'll even go right into Toronto...can I find them? (I am keeping in mind that I'll be able to pick some up in Ann Arbor in early August if the good lord is willin' and the crick don't rise and I can actually make it to the Heartland Gathering. A visit to a Mexican market is part of the festivities. Plus, friends are coming from NJ at the end of August and can bring stuff. There is no doubt a Mexican market in NJ...although I still have to ask.) Fresh chiles: anjo, pasilla, poblano, arbol, cascabel, etc, etc. Cajeta Cheeses achiote/anatto piloncillo canela vanilla Mostly it's the chiles and cheeses... I think I can get some dried chiles in Peterpatch even.

If I can get up on my 'Stove Guard' soapbox for a minute. It is amazing the lack of advertising or credit, of any kind, that this product is receiving. True to its tremendous credit, Consumer Reports did a write up in the last year or so...that's how we found it. (No, I don't work for either company) Many older persons could remain in their houses with such a device. I have passed on the word to a number of admin folks in our senior sector...no idea of any results. If I were younger and still wanting to be in business, I would take on a distributor for certain. Also to their credit, the Americans are typically picking up on this item much faster than the Canadians. Must warn you that it DOES have some drawbacks which have been discussed here in an earlier topic. Although you can set the timer part of the unit to up to 99 minutes (if I recall correctly...we have never used that aspect of it), you can also disarm the unit for long term cooking, like roasts...or just plain old cooking on the stove top when you are in and out of the room. Ed is not allowed to do that unless he tells me. So, if you disarm it...as someone pointed out in the earlier thread...what's to make you rearm it? Good question. Answer: NOTHING. So it still needs someone with a 'memory'. Good luck.

Thanks for all the information. I was looking for Horlicks and found it.

There is a device on the market now called the Stove Guard. You can set it for a number of minutes and then it will shut off...however it will shut off the entire stove and oven. It can work by time and by sensor. It is a very good safety device for the senior mind, forgetful people, institutions, etc. You can buy one for regular electric and glass top stoves and they are working on one for gas ranges. Made in Saskatchewan. http://stoveguard.ca/ My DH, while wonderful in so many ways, has the mind of the proverbial sieve and it has saved our bacon, both literally and figuratively many times already.

No, no...I did not make myself clear. Yes, the ingredient list is there, and I did find it, but where are the instructions? Especially for the one with gelatin.

You could be right, Ruth, but we have always eaten in the Moab Diner which is about as regular folks as you can get and nope, no Utah Scones. I'll email my various friends and see what I come up with. I did look up some recipes. OMG, there is NOTHING like fried dough!!! Thanks, Ruth. Next time...

I'm stunned! Utah scones? Never even heard of them and we have been going to Utah once a year (almost) for years now. Moab. No one ever told me about Utah scones. Maybe they don't sell them in Moab. Yes, tell.

Kim, you are definitely the cupcake queen. I love the 'junky' cupcakes.

Ha! I do what you do, but never gave it any thought before.

I did mine in the slow cooker and they were nice and crunchy. But too much fat remained in the result. So I cooked them some more in water...which I should have done from the start. Then the pork rinds were soggy and yucky. Then I simply put them in the frying pan for an additional period, and voila, they were crunchy again. The dogs think they have died and gone to heaven with this new treat!

One new cookbook for me: The Ultimate Italian Cookbook by Carla Capalbo retrieved at the Cavan Mall, Dump, Transfer Station.

Thanks, ElsieD. Am I missing something or is there an actual recipe somewhere with the list of ingredients?

Made some incredible malted ganache at Kerry Beal's Chocolate Class on Monday and now am going to make some Malted Milk Ice Cream. Yes I made an absolute pig of myself. The ice cream will start with DL's book with changes to be made. I didn't really note the inclusion of the malted milk balls on the first read...arrghhh...and they won't be present. I did make DL's Buttercrunch Toffee inclusions in my last vanilla batch. DH and the neighbor kids loved it! This no-sugar war baby did not like the sweetness level. So after reading all the 'malt' entries in this topic, particularly those of Kerry, I'll cut the sugar also. And there's no way I am using 6 large egg yolks in 1 1/2 quarts of ice cream. Too rich. For me. DL is naturally thin. I am not. Not naturally thin. Nor thin. No fair. Then I am going to shoot for a savory ice cream. A simple, non-threatening flavor.

Longo's #2 in Burlington after Chocolate Class with Kerry Beal in her new playhouse...oops, chocolate lab. Bigger than the one in Markham, but I didn't like it as much. No special bread counter. This time, however, I bought lots of stuff. And so did confectionery partner, Barbara, who was with me at Kerry's (plus her sister, Mary). The first down note comes next. Basing my decision upon what I had experienced in Longo's by then, I bought some Chocolate Mini-croissants. They looked delicious. Now 'we' don't buy pastries in public without thinking about it first...they are usually a disappointment. These were not just a disappointment: they were dreadful. :angry: (Well, I wasn't 'angry' but this is the closest emoticon to 'yucky') Gave one to each of the dogs and threw the package into the bin. Next down note. I wrote to Longo's two days ago and so far, no answer. Now, maybe the woman who usually writes back to the consumer is on vacation or ill...but maybe this is par for the course? I'll get back...

I'm following this topic closely, but I must admit that my mouth is puckering not with delight, but with the lack thereof. I've never had a savory ice cream and am having such trouble wrapping my head around the subject. Perhaps it is time to make and try a 'gentle' one. What would you start with? Now I've made Orange-Szechwan Pepper ice cream and love it. But then I love pepper on everything. So...maybe it's not such a leap to cold savory ice creams. So, someone please tell me a good one to start with. Thanks.

I do hope that you can make it next year. There was a certain solidifying effect from the things we learned. Extra small tips...which way to scrape and which way to stand molds...stuff like that. I felt very good about it all. We've been doing it long enough, although not often enough, that we could assimilate most, if not all, of the information. The lab is great. Wonderful floor. Sort of gray rubber with flattish bumps in a squared pattern. The sort of floor you could see yourself standing on for hours. (don't know what it's called and forgot to ask). Lots of sink space. Molds labeled and stored like VHS tapes on a high shelf near the ceiling. You can see that when Kerry has additional space and time, she'll organize it like the head nurse's medicine cabinet. A place for everything and everything in its place. It's what one needs for teaching such a complicated subject. I was mightily impressed (and jealous as hell!)

Ditto for me. Our local chain market carries a local farmer's eggs. And this is over the dead body of the chain administration. The local folks refused to shop there if Scully's eggs were barred...as the admin tried to do. We eat sunny side up fried eggs twice a week and boy can I tell a good egg from a ho-hum egg after years of practice.

Monday we had a playdate in Kerry Beal's new chocolate lab. The Three Chocolateers, Barbara, my confectionery partner, Mary her sister, and I all met in Kerry's lab to play and learn. Much learning. Kerry is as excellent a teacher as you would imagine and we went over some splendid techniques for molding, piping, dipping, mold finishing, use of the guitar and Thermomix. Learned some new ganaches...Malt ganache...oh boy! Worked like dogs (Chocolate labs, I guess) solidly. The well-stocked lab Kerry and the Thermomix Confectionery partner, Barbara, who has the best hands of the students by far An excellent set up for dipping flat pieces Learning to make molds (me) Me again, needing lots of practice A good time was had by all with well-filled containers going home to family and friends. Next year...panning? air brushing? transfers?

Hi Randy, Could you please tell me where you buy the malt powder. Our small gang of chocolateers were taking a class yesterday at Kerry Beal's and made the most delicious Malt Meltaways. I don't seem to be able to get malt powder in Peterpatch and thought perhaps, if all else fails, I'll stop by the 'small border town in MI' and pick some up on the way to the Heartland. Thanks. Or...has anyone found it or Horlick's elsewhere in Ontario???? Cancel, cancel...just found Horlick's at our local bulk store.