snowangel

Another venison chili (I have a lot of venison). I should add that we needed a dinner tonight that could be eaten as people had time to eat. And, I have no car this week. So, it was what was available. Again, some in small cubes (1/4-1/2", some what irregular). Some cans of odd tomatoes, some beans I cooked up earlier, an odd blend that some would call chili powder (based on some odd bits off dried, ground peppers in the pantry). Onions. Garlic. There were also a couple of cans of Rotel tomatoes languising in the pantry. I also found a few roasted green peppers, and a couple of roasted poblanos in the freezer when I cleaned it just a week ago, that I was glad I didn't toss. Somehow, something seemed missing until I espeied that 1/3 of a jar of some chipotle salsa in the fridge. Now, I don't really like this salsa on it's own, but it makes a great ingredient, and made this chili just pop. On the side, cilantro, finely diced raw onion and cheese, for those who wanted. I opted for just cilantro and onion. Yum! I have 6 quarts left. Some parceled into single serving sizes for lunches for me, and a few meal sized containers for the family.

Thanks for the report, Rochelle. I have hardly done (or eaten) any tapas, and I'm excited to try them. I've already requested the Andres book from the library. Much of what you fixed sound like things my family would enjoy and I've been thinking that tapas would make a fun Saturday or Sunday evening dinner eaten in stages. But, I'm having a hell of a time finding sherry vinegar in my area. I've looked just about everywhere. Can I successfully sub another kind of vinegar in the Romesco?

Elementary schools in our district do not have kitchens, and I don't think the kids are permitted in the school cafeteria (for liability reasons, I'm sure), but the cool thing is Heidi's special ed classroom (middle school). They have a full kitchen, complete with range, oven, dishwasher and microwave, plus a bunch of equipment. Although kids in middle school do not typically have birthday parties, they do in the special ed room. What the parent does is either supply ingredients, or send some money to school. The last birthday, the kids walked to the grocery store (2 blocks away) and got yogurt and frozen fruit and made smoothies! They've also made waffles and topped them with fruit. I can't imagine that if you could corall a few blenders that a teacher wouldn't welcome the opportunity for a parent(s) to come in and help make a treat like smoothies. You could work in match, colors, nutrition, etc. and the kids would have a ton of fun. Rather than debate public policy, I'd like to see some creative ideas on what to send as a treat!

Let's not forget about bacon fat. I have a nifty little grease can that has a strainer insert and it sits nearby at all times.

Poultry. Whole turkeys, whole chickens, chicken wings, chicken thighs, chicken legs. I'll often add chicken pieces when I'm smoking something else. I figure if I'm going to all of that effort, I don't want to waste prime grill real estate.

I, too think it is sort of silly. However, I know my kitchen is clean, but how do I know that the other parents have the same standards? I've gotten around the purchased cakes and cookies by taking in fruit or frozen ice cream treats. This past year, Peter took in a box of clementines for his birthday, and everyone loved them!

Actually, it is usually not the mayo that is the problem. Purchased mayo is full of preservatives. It is more likely the other ingredients. Potato salad is especially suspect -- all that sugar and starch in potatos is a breeding ground for all sorts of nasty stuff.

Actually, Abra, this makes perfect sense, and would not be unlike Duchesse Potatoes! And, if you're as impaired with a pastry bag as I am, this would be a great solution. Yes, let us know how they turn out. And, do try freezing or fridging a couple and reheating so we know how that works.

How many teapots are going into cupboard or basement storage this afternoon? Mine just went.

Chris is right. But, it needs to be really heavy. It should also be able to go from stovetop to oven and back to stovetop. Don't let a dutch oven scare you! I think, for myself, that it would be far more work to braise something is a saucepan, which probably isn't nearly as heavy as the pans to which Chris linked. Do you do stovetop or in the oven braising and stews? With a really heavy pan, you greatly reduce the possibility of burning the braise or stew.

So, I was right when I guessed you were up next! Yes to the garlic soup if you have a cold (I have one, too). Would you please make me some madelines?

I was gifted with a whole mess of home grown (not in MN, but in AZ) oranges, and needed to use a bunch of them. I thought of this topic and thought of habaneros and oranges and marmalade. So, after more stirring than I thought possible: A close up: This stuff is divine. Just enough heat to not overwhelm, but be present. If the family didn't require dinner tonight, I'd be all over a toasted bagel with cream cheese and some of this stuff. I used a basic recipe from the Ball Blue Book. 2 cups of peel, 1 quart of pulp and 4 habaneros. One of the habarneros was on steroid, one was merely large, and the other two were merely average. All de-ribbed and deseeded. Nirvana!

JAZ's sweet, spicy, salty nuts. She posted about them here.

As the upstairs freezer started to thaw, we looked at all of those cooked chickpeas and thought hummus. It wasn't nearly as nice a hummus done with a potato masher. I also made potato leek soup that week, and we like it not toally pureed, but with some of it pureed. The potato masher just didn't do as nice a job. BTW, I still occasionally puree food for Heidi, depending on texture because of all of her sensory needs and oral motor issues.

I loved the Happy Baby Food Grinder because it went into the diaper bag and went everywhere with me. Easy to use, easy to clean and no electricity required. They are often available at consignment shops. I found it easy and convenient to use at restaurants, church functions, going to friend's houses, etc. I can honestly say I never bought a jar of baby food. And, you can wait on the car seat for a bit in case you still get one, or get some stuff you want to return! Have any friends who have one around that you can use or buy? Hubby have any co-workers that have one sitting around? Edited to add: When we were without power for 5 days recently, I was kicking myself for having given the Happy Baby away!

Rochelle, I also failed that taste testing at the baby shower for Diana. Had they had some larb-flavored baby food, I'm sure I would have won. Did you get a car seat so you can take Baby Jones on grocery outings with you? First and foremost, did you get a Happy Baby Food Gringer as a gift? If not, retrurn some of those way itty bitty and way cute little cothes (that they will outgrow in a hearbeat) for the food grinder, as it is sonething that was indespensible once my kids started eating. It goes everywere, requires no electricity, and goes into the dishwasher. Woe is me that I ever gave it away. It works for far more than grinding up stuff to spoon feed stuff to a little one.

Lori, what were some of the "'fixing" that the others brought?

I loved baked potatoes, and make them often. Scrub and prick. If I'm feeling lazy, that's it. If not, an olive oil rub and salt. One thing I've also been known to do, if I'm in a time bind, is to start them in the microwave and finish them in the oven. Works like a charm, and you'd never know that they hadn't spent the whole time in the oven. Edited to add this Baked Potato topic.

This is sad. The family decided it was time for take out pizza. However, delivery, or take out, when the temps are in the minus 10+ range (F), means cold pizza. Thankfully, I had not tossed, when I defrosted the deep freeze, the two frozen (Thanks, Jack!!!) pizzas. It's minus 15 and plumetting. Do you have any idea how fast an ice cube tray of stock freezes at way sub zero with a howling wind? I'm hungry. Time for an FEOT.

Rochelle, can you give me some Romesco pointers? I have three jars of piquillo peppers, which I understand are either essential or traditional. I see lots of recipes, but I'm not sure which way I should go! If you want to do a braised chicken thigh thing, check out a copy of Molly Steven's All Abour Braising and think about the Soy Braised Chicken with Orange and Star Anise. This dish met with the approval of a moody teen and 10-year old boy!

I was just going to mention Corelle. And, I didn't mess around with the sets, because I wanted to choose the pieces I wanted -- this is one dish that is readily available open-stock. I think I got mine at K-mart. One of the things I did get, in addition to dinner platess and bowls were the luncheon plates. Bigger than a bread plate, smaller than a dinner plate. Perfect for sandwiches and salads. This place has open stock, but I know that the prices at my local K-Mart are better.

Rochelle, are any of your students giving you any indication of whether they are using any of the new techniques and skills you are teaching? What's up for your class next week?

I often roast a whole mess of garlic and freeze it. Just squeeze the cloves out on a parchment lined baking pan, freeze and pop the clumps into a zip lock.

Finally, I had fun with a friend and didn't smoke. Although I didn't quite get to the pantry... And, I continue to be a cooking fiend. I'm not eating tons, but sure am cooking. Gotta fill that fridge and freezer that are now clean!

Thursday, February 16, 2006 Sorry to be absent. A nicotine deprived blog was more than I could handle. The blog is done, and I'm not feeling the absence of nicotine so severely. In today's Strib's Entertainment section: A delightful review of Yum! Kitchen and Bakery over on Minnetonka Blvd. I think that due to volleyball for Diana, I will be not too far from this place, and it's sounding like a trip over to Yum! might be a better bet than a cheap boiled hot dog. In Counter Intelligence, news of yet another bakery opening. Carbs must be in fashion. Over in the Taste section: Joyce White explores the move of rice from Africa to South Carolina, complete with links to savory and sweet rice dishes. I'm enjoying her columns more and more. Rick Nelson tells us all about Joey D's Chicago Style eatery. I'll leave it to those in the know as to whether this sounds like a Twin Cities interpretation of Chicago, or whether it is Chicago transplanted. There was an article in the print edition, which I can't find in the on-line edition about a kit that has pans and syringes so you can actually make your own Twinkies! Who knew! To backtrack, a week ago yesterday, Schneier and Cooper review Serum's, an Anoka joint featuring great wings, bar atmosphere. As they say, "Serum's is the kind of restaurant that has been endlessly reproduced in national chains. It's just that Serum's has no forced kitsch about it." And, it's in my neighborhood. Over at the Pioneer Press's Restaurant Section: Kathy Jenkins does some Small Bites incling news of "serious Chinese" on that rich food section (the Eat Street of St. Paul) on University just east of Lexington. Oh, and there's a new rib joint in Stillwater. Nancy Ngo does her version of small bites, with news about openings, closings, chain reactions. Over at City Pages Restaurant section, Tricia Cornell is all over fair trade coffee in Peaceable Kingdom. As a side note, Peace Coffee is a fun place to visit. I've been drinking coffee from this place since they opened. My dad and I share five pound bags of Bird Mountain. Until next week, stay warm. <><><><><> Media Digest Notes... Updates from some Twin Cities media outlets, which do not 'go to press' by Friday each week, may be edited into each week's post as they become available. Please do not reply on this thread. For discussion of any stories which are linked here, please feel free to start a new thread or contact the forum host or the "digester" who will be happy to do it for you.