snowangel

Linda, that sounds great. I think one reason that there probably aren't more broccoli gratin recipes is that broc can get mushy so much faster than something like cauliflower. I like the idea of guyere with broc, Marlene.

I just ate a bar of some dark organic chocolate. I don't even eat sweets before evening! A nap and then the drug store. Thanks for the support, pal.

Morning. And, not a particulary good one at that. It's very grey, snowy and the roads are slicker than snot. As I mentioned, I've been having trouble sleeping. So, last night, it must have been 3:00 am. I was thirsty. So, off I trotted to get a glass of water. And, noticed those cigarettes on Paul's dresser. Yep. You got it. Not just one, but two! Following this lapse, I brushed my teeth and went back to bed and felt even worse. I gave myself a pretty good beating up, which made it so I couldn't fall back to sleep. Then I started fretting because I wasn't getting back to sleep which just made everything worse. I did so well day number 1. The novelty of that sure wore off in a hurry, didn't it? I think I need to curl up on the couch with the remote control; watch The Rockford Files, and hope for a nap. Then, it's time to get on-line with my health insurance company (who keeps advertising all sorts of help for quitting smoking). And contemplate the patch. Like Marlene, I have no trouble not smoking if I can't (restaurants, bars, airplanes, etc.) and maybe that will help.

That's another thing. I really want bacon. Really want it. I was near the meat market to day that sells my favorite bacon. I kept telling myself to stop and get it. Did I stop and get The Bacon? No..... I know I'm in trouble when I forget the bacon.

If the strips aren't too long, I usually put a foil covered insulated cookie sheet on the bottom-most shelf and using coathangar "S" hooks, hang the pork from the top rack at the highest position. I leave the "goop" on and although about half of it slithers off to hit the foil--- what remains is a great crust. I prefer to do this in a low slow oven for a long time, rather than jet thru it an have a chance of burning it. Besides, what's better than char-shu sliced with fresh veggies in steamed rice paper wraps? Or left over and crepe-ed in the morning with a bowl of jook? ← I forgot I had this stuff marinating in the fridge. And, I don't have any S hooks that aren't in use. Should I go to the hardware store? Is there a way that requires less equipment (and less chance of the cook impaling herself on someting)?

If you want spicy food, I just started this thread: Some Like It Hot by Clifford Wright: spicy foods worldwide. I took a cooking demo earlier this week and it was great! The author himself was right there cooking these spicy dishes. I found two venison recipes in a German cookbook I have: Venison casserole (Rehschmortopf) & Venison party rolls (Rebfleisch-Partyrolle). The first recipe needs 3 lbs. venison, cut into bite-size pieces. The second , 2-2 1/2 lbs. lean venison steak (1/2 inch thick). Are you still interested? I have some packages of chewy ginger candy (Ting Ting Jahe) and some Chinese preserved plums (Chan Pei Mui). The plums are preserved with salt. Will this help? ← Thanks for the spicy cookbook recommendation! And, yes, can you give me some more general information on the venison recipes? I think I've decided on burgers tomorrow night (to cut down risk of cook injuring herself), but venison will be featured next week, as well.

I recommend home-made venison chili. You can make it nice and spicy, and it won't seem too similar to Saturday's roast venison. April ← I'd do chili, but I just made chili. But as to venison chili. Just before Xmas, I made a killer batch of venison chili in preparation for going away for Xmas. What made this batch so killer, which is something I picked up on at the Chili Cook-Off topic was to combine ground and cubed venison. The cubes were small -- 1/4" to 1/2" dice. This was outstanding. I made 2 gallons of the stuff. Sure made for a great, easy to put on the table meal when we arrived at our Xmas destination, and like chili, it just got better with age.

I was all set for venison tomorrow night. Then, I had thoughts that perhaps I am dangerous to my health in the kitchen (no trips to the ER for stitches this week, please). But, I have ground venison. I have ground elk. I think elk burgers on the grill tomorrow night. Marlene, listen to Matt. Steak. Or, you and I could both do burgers...

All I found in my car and the garage today was a bunch of empty cigarette packages. I don't smoke in the car, but there were a bunch of empty packages. Go figure.

Ahem, Linda. Mention the mushroom.

Way to go, Brooks! Matt, Maggie and Dave, how are you doing? I, quite frankly, am a wreck. I was so spacey today that I didn't really forget to buy the damned noodles, rather I forgot a whole bag of groceries at the market. Fortunately, I paid by check, so they called me. Since I'm going back on Sunday (kids were coming home, so I couldn't just up and leave), they put everything away, made a list, and I can pick the stuff up on Sunday. They know me there. Not only am I spacey, I have been somewhat clumsy. I can't recall the last time I cut myself while working in the kitchen. Well, my left index finger is sporting two cuts and one burn. Right index finger a cut on the tip. Inside of right thumb has a nice slice from a piece of paper. I should have spent a lot of time today working on a drywalling project but I don't want to wreck it. I'm not even sleeping well. Tomorrow night just might be take-out or delivery. I've decided I can't even allow myself to think I might want a cigarette.

Thursday, February 2, 2006 In the Strib's Eat+Drink section: An absolutely delightful review of Duplex. I just love seeing a little, affordable restaurant get such a glowing review. Counter Intelligence reports on new airport offerings and the changing of the restaurant guard at the Calhoun Beach Club. In their Taste section: Part 2 of the two-part series on Fish Soup. All about Avocados. Also there is some fun Trivia about Avocados. Not much else to report. I can't seem to find Liquid Assets in the on-line edition, but have noticed the last couple of weeks that what is in the paper edition is syndicated Wall Street Journal articles. In my weekly whine about the Strib's on-line edition, they have those banner ads at the top of most of the pages that preclude using the drop down menus. Over at the Pioneer Press's Restaurant section: Kathy Jenkins visits Chico Chica, over by the Xcel Energy Center. According to Kathy, go for the apperizers. There's some Restaurant News, including news of more steak on Wabasha St. I just noticed this article called Opening Soon which lists, month by month, what's in the works. Small Bites of Peninsula (Malaysian food on Eat Street) and the Clicquot Club Café in the Seward neighborhood of Minneapolis. Finally, over at the City Pages, Jessica Armbruster has Fond Memories -- confessions of a sugar junkie, documenting two classes she took at Sweet Celebrations. Sweet Celebrations was formerly Maid of Scandinavia. Took me back to the days when there were Mail of Scandinavia stores peppered throughout the Twin Cities. A friend and I took a class once, and on the odd occasion I want to make candy, it's the littlel mimeographed (yes, mimeographed) pamphlet I turned to. I continue to be amazed at the variety of subjects that City Pages covers. They don't offer the number of articles that the two other papers cover, but the variety is outstanding. <><><><><> 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.

Here's my dinner, plated. This was absolutely wonderful. The only thing I would have done differently was added a few more chili peppers to the Ma Po Tofu, along with more of the chili bean sauce. But, as I mentioned above, I'm way into spicy right now. My only warning with these two recipes is that it makes enough for an army. I have more than 1/2 of each dish left over, but I'm seeing my cousin tomorrow, and he loves my leftovers. I'll keep some and share some! So, I think you can plan on seeing the Ma Po Tofu on my breakfast plate.

Whew. That was exhausting, but fun, and good. Lots of little prep. First, I toasted the schezuan peppercorns. Then, into my trusty mortar and pestle for pulverizing. It felt really good to smash away. Our cook gave that mortar and pestle to me when we left Thailand. Please also note that I have put it on the floor which I mopped and waxed just for you! I hate this floor, but we are waiting to replace it until we tear up the carpet in the living room, since it is an open area. There are hardwood floors under the carpet and I want to see them before I choose a kitchen floor. Next, I put the ground peppercorns through a sieve. There was a lot of debris (twigs primarily). The house was beautifully perfumed after the toasting and grinding. This really is a wonderful spice. These are the greens I used for the Hong Kong noodles (which I served over rice, as noted above topic). Aren't they beautiful? What are they? Peter thought the flowers were cute. Prep is done. I'm ready for a drink and then to cook. I just love custard cups. I saw them in a store recently marked as prep bowls. I'm old enough that they are custard cups. As soon as my camera is charged up, I'll post about dinner!

Another question. When I was digging in the freezer, I spotted some pork. Then, when I was rummaging in the cupboard, I found some char sui sauce. So, the pork strips are marinating. How long should they marinate? I know I bake the strips. Should I wipe of the marinate (it's pretty "gloppy" stuff). Did I read somewhere about baking these strips on racks? Temp?

Thanks for the link to the venison recipe; it looks like something my family would like! Edited to add: You'll see a lot of venison at my house over the next few days.

Abra, I'll look for the black beans when I'm at the market this weekend. I'll just wander around until I find them. And, I have to have something around for the rest of the family that won't set their faces flaming. In an ideal world, I fix stuff that makes them happy, and stuff that is enhanced with hot sauce. Yes, Marlene, I'm going to roast venison on Saturday, but that doesn't preclude venison tomorrow night also! OK, gang, let's all help Marlene with a broccoli gratin recipe!

Like Marlene, I need advice on what to cook on Friday evening. I need to fix venison. I have almost 2 deers (cut up) in the freezer and I need to make a dent in it. I did check out every venison cookbook my library has, but suggested are gratefully accepted.

I'm doing two dishes for dinner -- Ma Po Tofu and Hong Kong Pan-Fried Noodles. Except that the stuff that you put on the noodles will be on rice since I forgot the damned noodles. At least I didn't forget to get Heidi off the bus. It's a good thing that the dryer has a buzzer or the clothes would probably sit in their for hours. I wonder how long before this fuzzy-brain gets reengaged?

I'm awaiting reports on the patch. I certainly hope I'm not as crabby tonight as I was last night, or you might be reading about me in the paper.

I am home from the Asian market, and absolutely starving. So, I'm eating a bahn mi. The bahn mi at the deli counter of this place is absolutely outstanding. The rolls are crusty on the outside and soft on the inside, as they should be. Lots of little goodies on them, too. I've thought about making bahn mi myself, but when I can get them for $1.75 each, why bother? When the lady sees me coming, she always pulls one out and adds a few more peppers and more cilantro for me. Their deli also had things like a noodle soup, a noodle salad, steamed buns (that's what they call them, they are a Thai food that is tapioca something formed around ground meat and steamed), summer rolls, etc. This is a very nice Asian market with lots of variety. I forgot to take my camera, but will be back there on Sunday, so will take pics then. The one thing I couldn't find was fermented black beans. I should have thought to ask, but didn't. Do they come in jars or bags? I'm still debating what to fix tonight. I know I'm making ma pu tofu, which no one will eat but me (well, Diana and Paul might have some). I'd better look at the pictoral again with an eye to what I purchased. So far, so good. I've been avoiding stores that sell cigarettes. I haven't had that many urges, but they come at strange times. Like when I got up at 3:00 am to pee. I figure that I need to take this one hour, or one minute, at a time. I'm also feeling spacey and disorganized. Although I had a list at the Asian market, I forgot a couple of things on the list, and just sort of wandered around. Wow, this sandwich is great. The cuke and carrot strips are nicely marinated. Marlene, Dave, Brooks, Maggie, how are you doing?

Chilli again for late breakfast. With tons of hot sauce. I'm really craving spicy food. So far, so good. I'm finding that keeping busy is the best thing.

Good morning! I didn't sleep particularly well, but did get up earlier than normal and spent 20 minutes doing yoga, something that always puts me in a good mood. Reminder to self: I have missed my morning yoga routine. Yoga was followed by three glasses of water, and now I'm laying into lots of hot, strong black coffee. Not hungry yet. I think my lack of breakfasting early is a holdover from when I worked outside the house.

Dave, your sandwiches look great, but would have looked better with Bacon

Absolutely. Dinner was lovely, but...food just doesn't seem right. I needed lots of lime and hot stuff. I think Linda mentioned up thread about spicy. She's right. But, I did get the dishtowel done: . Now, before I blow a gasket, I need advice on photo taking. The towel really is white. I'm off to bed with a cookbook. To sleep, perhaps (not to) dream. Shit. It's trash night. Gotta get the recycling and trash out. Crabby moment. Forgive me. Trash and recycling out, sleep, and perhaps I will get my sea legs.