Darienne

Hi Daymia, True, it is expensive...but then you or your friends or neighbors can eat it all, mistakes or best pieces. And such a lot of friends you will have!

Our dining room table is very large and I don't think I could afford to buy a tablecloth to cover it and so I have made my own. And they are solid color only, a lighter color if you scaled terra cotta back. And something like this color range. Thus the napkins are from the same material and are solid. Mostly we don't use them except for special occasions, but use the dinner type commercial paper napkins. Not much help I fear.

Welcome to eGullet and to this family of food enthusiasts who, as you say, help each other so much. I have certainly been the recipient of much help over the years and trust that you will be too. I'd like to know more about herbs in desserts...

We absolutely love food from the Indian subcontinent and cook a few dishes at home. We have only two restaurants in our city with Indian food, both owned by the same man, quite expensive. We were devastated when the inexpensive restaurant closed down. We did come across in our travels, a truck-stop on the eastern edge of New Mexico on I 40 which carries Indian food ingredients and snack foods. Talk about in the middle of nowhere but we were glad. I should ask the family where in Indian they come from. There we were, eating samosas at 9:30 am.

We are just two old 'crocks' with our kids totally grown up, but I am very keen on watching this site. Food which can sit for a few hours without spoiling sounds interesting. What do YOU serve?

Love the reindeer. Is it milk chocolate? From a two piece mold?

Mantis shrimp? They're enormous. How do you eat them? Just Wikipedia'd them: " In captivity, some larger species are capable of breaking through aquarium glass with a single strike."

Cardamom. Love it!

This is simply a raspberry ganache which I have used for raspberry truffles for a long time now. Certainly not fancy, but we like it. I guess more cream could be added for a softer ganache. Sorry, it isn't tested for long time storage at all. Good luck. 9 ounces bittersweet chocolate 3/4 cup seedless raspberry jam 1/3 cup heavy cream 1 teaspoon vanilla

Ditto for me and I expect all the rest of us. (Well, I''m still not sure about fish heads, although you did a good job explaining them.)

Raspberry and orange.

Fish heads question: how much of this 'thing' do you eat? The entire, entire head? Eyes too? I guess I'm not ready for this dining experience. Ya got me at tripe... ps. I admit it. I'm a plebe.

Add my thanks to the others for this fascinating journey of yours through Chinese food. We live near a small provincial Ontario city and the Chinese food there is so bad..."all you can eat buffets" and nothing else. DH and I make our own Chinese dishes at home. No doubt, nothing authentic, but we like them. I still can't imagine eating some of the things you enjoy...

And if I could be embarrassed, I would be. Thanks so much, pbear, for your post. And now we've been married 54 1/2 years and I am even older than then. And evidently losing my steel-trap memory quite rapidly. Thanks again. And ditto here about eGullet being very important in making me the cook I have become as noted by scubadoo97.

The cookbook which greatly contributed to making me the cook I am today still sits in my bookcase devoted to cookbooks. It has no covers...but I seem to recall a darkish green cloth cover. It's missing the first 63 pages and I have no idea of how many pages at the back are gone, but the index is missing. My copy ends at p.724. It's been used and abused for over 50 years. It contains photos, but only a few in color. It's an ugly mess, stained and ripped, with burn marks, but I still make things out of it. I have no idea of its title, of who published it, of where I got it. I think at the time most, if not all, of it was available in chapter paperback series. I would never give it up.

I am not one of the 'so knowledgeable' persons, but here's my experience. Previously frozen heavy whipping cream can be used as an ingredient in cooking. I've used it in making ganaches. Previously frozen cream cheese can end up having its texture changed into a grainy sort of thing and I wouldn't use it in making a cheesecake at all.

Homemade seem cheap? Oh no. On the contrary, I find that our recipients are so touched that I would go to all that trouble on their behalf. If you made me some homemade zucchini bread, I would be over the moon.

What about adding a packet of fancy napkins. Or a Christmas plate (not too expensive.)

As far as giving is concerned...yesterday I went to the dentist and the receptionist did not even bother to 'hint'...she came right out and asked about my usual Christmas gift of chocolate-topped toffee which I give out at that time. She did laugh...but I knew she was serious. I always make the Enstrom-copycat toffee for folks who give us help throughout the year: mail ladies, veterinarian & staff, library, computer guys, car garage, friends and neighbors, pharmacist...let's see...doctor & office, guys at the transfer station (aka the Cavan Mall), chiropractor. I'm exhausted already... Forgot...if we end up being elsewhere...hope, hope...I've made toffee for the local Humane Society volunteers. Or the Multicultural organization. I loved being the "Candy Lady" one year.

Oh, mugs. We've been given baskets with two mugs in them. (And scarves for the dogs even.) And if your customers are of a mind, why not a Christmas ornament or two?

Some items occur to me: small jars of specialty jams and jellies. a stuff animal which is appropriate to your theme,candy canes. Oh beeswax candles. I'll think some more.

I'm no expert in the field but the first thing which occurred to me are Hatch chiles and pecans from the Los Cruces area.

My point exactly Jaymes. I've made this one and the amount of sugar works out just fine.

I have a question: recipes from casserole book, Bake Until Bubbly by Clifford A. Wright. All apples are Granny Smith. #1 (which I've made and it's wonderful) - Cranberry-Apple-Walnut Crisp calls for: 2 cups cranberries and 4 cups apples with 1/4 cup brown sugar and 1/3 cup orange juice with a sugary crisp topping calling for 1 cup of sugar which I personally found too sweet. #2 - Apple Cobbler call for 6 apples with 1 cup sugar with a topping with only 2 T of sugar in the biscuity-type topping. #3 - Apple Pandowdy calls for 6 apples and 1/2 cup sugar with a biscuity-type topping with no sugar. Why such changes in the amount of sugar? The first recipe with 2 cups of cranberries taste just fine with so little sugar...is it simply the topping? and the second recipe...would it not be sickeningly sweet? And the third calls for half the sugar of the second with no sugar in the topping. Would it not taste lacking in sweetness? Granted I can make them all but I am mystified by the unequal amounts of sugar called for. (As noted many times before, my cooking skills are very lately acquired and so I can't just 'know' about these things.) Any comments?

Sounds delicious Lindag. But pray tell me, is there much of anything that does not taste better with a couple of ounces of "booze"?