scrat68

We use cloth napkins 99% of the time and cotton dish towels for messy meals (bbq, etc.). I believe that it is much more environmentally friendly than paper. I just throw them in with my regular laundry - I don't bother pre-treating for stains. I have to confess, though, that I am an owner of a linen rental company. What I use at home on a regular basis, are napkins that can no longer be rented due to stains, holes, etc. Same thing for the cotton towels - those you would see in a restaurant kitchen. I used the "unrentable" ones, and when they are done, they end up in my rag bag. We are not fussy about the condition of the napkin - and it's ok if it gets ruined further by our kids. When we have company, I pull nice stock from my warehouse. Renting napkins is a pretty inexpensive way of dressing up the party and not having to worry about the laundry. If you live in a city with a party/linen rental company - I would suggest giving them a call and asking them about their ruined napkins and towels. We actually give ours away to friends and family - other places may charge a small fee. If you live in Boston or Seattle, pm me and I can hook you up!

My husband loves this one - we have had this for years! Wooden oyster holder

Naan and Curry in Renton is great!

I'll see your Kitchen Bouquet and raise you a bottle of Gravy Master.

Have you considered building a raised bed (or having someone build it for you)? We built 3 of them a few years ago - wooden box frame finished with Trex. They stand about 3 feet high and 4 feet long. I can weed and harvest without having to bend down. They are brilliant!

You can get the seeds here: Espazote seeds I grew some last year here in Seattle - it grew like crazy!

Right, like I need a new excuse to each more candy corn and peanuts. I am afraid to try this.

The PETA video was pretty gruesome. But the article and pics about Hudson Valley seemed pretty well informed. I think that it is interesting that many/most of the protesters in the article (and their leaders) haven't visited Hudson. Perhaps if the only thing that I had to go on was the PETA video, I might have some serious concerns and may stop eating it. I guess the point I would take from this is to find out where your foie gras is coming from, and to support farmers like Hudson Valley or the guy in Spain who doesn't force feed his geese.

If I was going to waste foie gras on these people, I would probably slap them with it.

I used to work in Catering sales at a waterfront hotel. The purchasing guy was nice enough, but not the brightest bulb. The kitchen crew really had it out for him after he screwed up an order. They took 5-6 loaves of bread outside and spread the slices out over this guy's new Red Jeep Cherokee. It was simultaneously horrific and hysterical to see the havoc wreaked by the seagulls. The Jeep was nearly white with droppings. I thought that the purchasing guy's head was going to explode. Save this one for your worst enemies!

How do they work? I know that this is probably a stupid question but do they control the temp or just monitor it?

Does anyone have an All Clad Deluxe Slow Cooker? All Clad Slow Cooker - WS Any feedback on how well it works? Is it worth the money? How well does it clean up? I like the idea of being able to go from stovetop to cooker in the same pan. As fall approaches, I would like to be ready for some braising! Sorry if this is a repeat but didn't see anything when I searched! Pat

Amen.

I must make the tuna sandwich myself. Hellman's or Best Foods only. Nothing else. Must be eaten with potato chips. No chips, no tuna sandwich. This is only the beginning...and I do not consider myself a fussy eater.

Tighe makes a great colcannon based on this recipe: Colcannon Recipe Very Irish!

Short rib pot pie??? YUM!

Here's a link to the thread: Keeping the Cost Down

The list as it stands now. I moved some things around a bit - now all the pork items are listed together, etc. 238 ingredients, 26 duplicates. Ahi Tuna Almonds Apples Apricot Arugula Pesto (see also Rocket Pesto) Asparagus Avocado x2 Bacon x2 Baked Beans Bamboo shoots Banana x3 Barbeque Sauce Basil Bavarian Creme Bean Sprouts Bearnaise Sauce Beef Beef (grilled) Beetroot Beurre Noisette Black Beans x2 Blintzes Blood Sausage Blue Cheese Blueberries Boston Baked Beans Brie Brown Sugar Brussel Sprouts Butter Butter (salted) Buttermilk Cacaha Caramel x2 Cardamom Carrots Cashews x2 Catfish Cauliflower Celery or blue cheese dressing Chai Cheddar Cheese Cherries Cherry tomato Chevre Chicken Chicken Soup Chicken Soup (Green Chile) Chicken wings Chickpeas Chili x2 Chimichurri Sauce Chocolate Cilantro Cinnamon Cinnamon sticks Cloves Club Soda Coconut Coconut Cream Coconut milk x2 Cod Coffee Coleslaw Coriander Seed Corn on the Cob Cornbread Cornish Hens (grilled) Crab Cranberries Cream Cream Cheese Crouton Cucumber Cumin x2 Demi-glace Duck (crispy barbequed) Dulce de Leche Eggnog Eggplant x2 Eggs (poached) Feta Figs Flan Foie Gras French Fries Freshly baked bread and butter Garlic x2 Ginger Ginger Snaps Glass noodles Golden Raisins Grand Marnier Grapefruit Grapes Green Curry Guacamole Hazelnuts Hoisin Sauce Honey x2 Horseradish sauce Hot bean paste Hot chocolate Hot Dog Hush Puppies Italian San Marzano tomatoes Jicama Juniper Kalamata Olives Kirsch Lamb Lemon Pilaff Lettuce Limes Lobster Long beans Louisiana Hot sauce Mace Mango Maple Syrup Maple Syrup Grade B Amber Marmalade Marmite Mead Mignonnette Sauce Mint Miso Molasses Moo Shu Pancakes Mushrooms Mustard Nuoc Cham Nutmeg Oatmeal Olive Oil Onions Onions (sweet, caramelized) Oranges x2 Oysters Pancakes x2 Parmigiano-Reggiano x2 Passionfruit Pasta Peaches x2 Peanut Butter Peanuts Pears x2 Pecans Peppermint stick Pesto x2 Pineapple Pinenuts Pink peppermint candy icecream Pomegranate Seeds Popcorn Pork Pork (ground) Pork (pulled) Pork Loin (boneless) Pork Loin Chops Potato Chips Potato Gnocchi Potatoes x2 Powdered sugar Prawns x2 Prickly Pear Fruit Proscuitto Puff Pastry Pumpkin Pie Pumpkin x2 Quail Quail (roasted) Red Onions (pickled) Red Wine Remoulade Rice Rice pudding Ricotta Risotto Rocket Pesto (see also Argula Pesto) Rose Rose Geranium cake Rose water infused Kulfi Rum Saffron Salad Salmon (grilled) Salt Salt (black) Salt (Seasoned) Scallops Sesame Oil Sherry Vinegar Shiitake Mushrooms Shortbread Shrimp Smoke Smoked Albacore Tuna Sour Cream x2 Soy Sauce Spinach Strawberries x2 Sweet potato Sweetened condensed milk Tamarind Tapioca Pearls Tarragon Thai hot and sour soup Thai Sweet Chilli Sauce Thyme Toast Toffee Tofu Tomato Tortilla Chips Trout Truffle Truffles (white) Tuna Fish Salad x2 Turnips (baby) Tzatziki Udon Noodles Vanilla Veal (ground) Venison Vermicelli Noodles Vidallia Onions Vinegar x2 Walnuts Wasabi Water Chestnuts Whipped Cream x2 Whisky White Rice Wonton Wrappers/Strips Yogurt Yuca Zucchini

Seasoned salt is always nice on Popcorn.

I use sherry vinegar in my Mignonnette Sauce

I eat my guacamole with Tortilla Chips

Vinegar is a key ingredient in Nuoc Cham (Vietnamese Dipping Sauce)

mint is a key ingredient in tzatziki

Flan

At Café Campagne in Seattle: Oeufs en meurette Two poached eggs served on garlic croutons with pearl onions, bacon and champignons in a red wine and foie gras sauce served with pommes frîtes The sauce is veal demi base finished with a fois gras butter. It has an incredible mouthfeel - sexy and velvety. Sigh