snowangel

How "withered" should my roasted tomatoes be? They've been in a 250 oven for about 2 hours.

So, as I headed off to the store today (I also stopped at the grocery for some squishy white bread for Peter), I had what I thought was a full and complete list. I bought everything on the list. As I pull into the garage when I get home, smack hand on forehead. All the way to the grocery, after going to Costco, I repeated the mantra "buy parsley. buy parsley." I came home with no parsley. I also started my next list the minute I started putting things away. Please tell me I'm not the only person who does this.

Why is rabbit always included in the poultry chapters in cookbooks?

Yes to cole slaw. One of the premises of pulled pork is to cook it very low and slow, which the crockpot would do well. I think it was Paula Wolfert who mentioned in one of her cookbooks that it is best cooked at the same temperature (oven, crockpot or grill) as the internal temp of the meat when it is done. Anyway, I'm curious if the style of pulled pork to which you refer is cooked with the mustard and vinegar, or whether it is usually pulled and then mixed with the sauce. Me, I prefer to do my butts "naked" -- no rub, no nothing (other than an olive oil mop if need be) and offer sauce on the side. One advantage of this is that it makes the leftovers much more versatile. A pulled pork taco is a thing of beauty.

Brrr. The temp is dropping fast. 15 degrees since I got up this morning. Fall has arrived, I think. Anyway, since it was nice out this morning, I sent Heidi off to school in jeans and a t-shirt, so I needed to run a sweatshirt up to her. And, we needed milk and eggs. So, Costco was my next stop. I love Costco. I go frequently, because the savings are huge for me on staple items, and it is very close (my local supermarket is a mile and a half away, Costco barely another file further. So, I'm often one of those people in line with just milk and eggs! So, today, I got Tortilla chips for our party on Saturday, milk, eggs, some sharp cheddar cheese (for dinner prep tomorrow night), some grated "mexican cheese blend" and flour tortillas. The latter two items are for quesidillas for the kids. If I don't get the pre-grated cheese, there is cheese all over the counter when they are done, and for some reason, the grater never seems to make it into the dishwasher! I also got toilet paper. As a point of comparison, a gallon of milk at the local supermarket is about $3.68, and a carton of 18 eggs is $1.50 something. At Costco, the milk is $2.24/gallon (up from $1.99/gallon a week ago; I think we can blame rising fuel costs). Regular butter at the supermarket is running about $2.50/pound on special; at Costco, 4 pounds is running about a $1.70/lb. The grated cheese is $5.40 for 2 pounds and about $2.50 for 1/2 a pound at the supermarket. Whole chickens are $.69/lb (I did notice that bone in-skin on breasts were $1.59/lb). The two pound block of Cabot cheese was just over $6.00, whereas a pound of it is about the same price at the supermarket. I also get gas at Costco as it is almost always cheaper. Today it was $2.69/gallon and at most of the gas stations in the area is running about $2.77/gallon. I should mention that the Hope Butter I got yesterday is $3.59/pound. Kris, what are you paying for stuff like milk, butter and eggs? The disappointment of my trip to Costco was that usually when I am there over that noon period, the are lots of people offering samples of food. Today, there were only three samples offered: grim turkey burgers, some sort of breakfast bar and some kind of yogurt juice. So, when I got home, I had a chicken leg leftover from last night, a mess of those great pretzels and almost polished off the rest of the salsa and corn. Washed down with a glass of iced coffee and two glasses of water. Then, I got busy with that sack of sorry tomatoes. I had quite a bit of trimming to do on some of them, but they are very tasty. Garlic and olive oil. Rochelle, next time I'll try butter. Don't they look pretty? They are currently sitting in a 250 degree (F) oven. I laid down parchment paper to make clean up easier. Off to finish laundry and do some dinner prep. Yikes! Only an hour before the kids start rolling in!

For breakfast, I had two more of those apples and a lot of coffee. I was still hungry, so had a bowl of Frosted Mini Wheats. I love shredded wheat type cereals, but this stuff was way, way too sweet and got mushy too fast. Kashi makes a cereal like this that I much prefer; not as sweet and sturdier. Better get a box.

How is the beef cooked? Is this dish a candidate for leftover meat?

Good morning! It is yet another dreary day here in Minnesota. We had about 7" of rain yesterday and last night, and it is raining again (or still). So, it's coffee in the sun room again today. Hopefully, we will have some sunny days so I can show you where I usually have my coffee. As soon as the boys have gone to school, I think I'll wash those sad tomatoes I bought yesterday and roast them. High heat or slow heat?

No, we didn't have any rice. My rice cooker seems to be missing in action! Mine was an old National, which I got almost 25 years ago as a wedding present, and was not functioning occasionally, so my list for the trip to the Asian market tomorrow includes a rice cooker. (I know I could have made rice on the stove, but I was using all four burners)

It's interesting about ramen noodles. At least with the Mama brand, the ones with rice noodles are far lower in fat than the ones with the "other kind" of noodles. The "other kind" are apparently deep fried before they are put in the package.

Kris, do the Korean ramen noodles have a packet of grease included? I swear that's what makes the Mama brand so wonderful.

One of the things about a Growing Boy (Peter, age 9) is that they are either hungry or not. And, when they are hungry, they eat all of the time. So, it wasn't just an hour after devouring three chicken legs, one thigh, a mess of broccoli, a mess of red bell peppers that I received the announcement. "Mom, I'm hungry. I need Mama." Now, in our house, Mama has a different meaning. Growing up in Thailand, every day after school for several years, my friend Nancy and I would ride our bikes to her apartment building and go swimming in the outdoor pool. When we got out of the pool, we'd wrap our sarongs around our waists. We'd trot back to her apartment, and sit on the veranda and eat Mama noodles. We always ate them in these pottery bowls with handles that had lids. We got them at the Dirty Dish Factory. I should dig around and find mine and post a photo. Anyway, we would sit and eat our MAMA noodles. We both liked having bean sprouts in them (started in the beginning when we added the water). And, we always had a typically Thai condiment of vinegar with hot peppers. Nancy and I liked to sweat. So, Peter loves his Mama noodles. I'm sure that Korean brands are just fine. But, these have special memories. Here is the package after he's dumped the ramen noodles into the pot with water. The packet on the left side has some grease with some bits of "something" in it. The packet on the right is a two-part packet. One with chili powder (Thai style) and the right side has some sort of broth powder with dried scallion tops. Peter favors the artificial pork flavor. I quite frankly, am not sure what all is in them. All I know is that if I need to pull out my reading glasses (yes, I'm old!) to read the ingredient list, I probably don't want to know! I get these at my Asian market for $5.59 for a case of 30 packets. Mama makes many different types of ramen-style noodles. Diana's favorite is their pad thai (which aren't great, but aren't bad). They have rice noodles that you boil, drain and mix with a couple of packets of stuff. Their creamy tom yum flavor (which is an extra large packet, listed at two servings and in in a foily packet) is just the key if you have a cold or sinus thing. The latter needs no peppery accoutrements. I used to be able to get a Som Tam flavor, which didn't really taste like som tam, but when doused with a squirt of lemon, were very good in their own right. I can't seem to find those locally. Kris, I'll have to try those Korean noodles and see if they hold a candle to Mama noodles. Chances are they won't in the memory department.

Waiting for photos of your dinner on the Dinner! topic in Cooking, Susan. My kids said, after looking at my dinner picture (believe me, they've seen enough of the food porm photos on the Dinner! topic) "Mom, don't be mad when we say this. But, your photos suck." Ah, the confidence of youth! I reminded them gently that many of the Dinner! posters don't have kids! And, they are glad this time around that I am serving family style, and once they have served themselves, I plate mine and then photo my plate. Last blog around, they got pretty tired of sitting quietly and waiting until I photoed everything!

This stuff conducts heat so well, I don't think you'll notice that it's oval on a round burner. Quite frankly, for me, the only time the LC spends on the stove top is during the browning and deglazing process. The rest of the time, it is in the oven!

So, without much of a lag, here is dinner. This worked out very well since Diana and I got home at 5:45 and I wanted dinner on the table by 6:30. I was ably assisted by my mother, who was watching Heidi when my dad and I watched Diana play. So I made A simple broccoli stirfry. Susan, I had intended to get Chinese broccoli, but this head of broccoli that I espied was positively the most beautiful head I've ever seen and it "spoke" to me. Some very roughly chopped garlic, the broccoli (stems peeled and chunked up), tossed with some hot oil in a hot pan, a bit of chicken stock and some nam pla. The pepper dish was a new one for me. I've been cooking out of Barbara Tropp's Modern Art of Chinese Cooking for years, and continue to find recipes I've never tried. Case in point was tonight when I got home. I realized that I had these red bell peppers (8 for $1.00!) and they were screaming "use me." Somewhere, I dug out of my feeble memory that she had a dish. Red Bell Pepper with Garlic and Coriander. Minced garlic, in a hot pan with hot oil. Add the peppers (1" dice). A splash of soy sauce, and one of rice vinegar. Cover for a minute, uncover and add a handful of chopped cilantro. Finish with a splash of sesame oil. This dish was outstanding. I only fixed 1/2 of the peppers (an experimental dish, you know!), and I could easily have eaten it all myself. Huge hit. I marked this recipe in the book as "one of the best in the book." So simple, so easy, so fast. Chicken thighs and legs. Another Bittman recipe from his Minimalist column. One which has made an appearnce on our table before -- Vietnamese Chicken Two Ways. Marinated in some soy, garlic, chili flakes and ginger. Pan cooked. At the end, you can either take the chix and serve with cilantro and lime, or remove, add sugar, water, more garlic, more ginger, more chili flakes. Chicken returned and "carmelized." Although my plate looks more than half empty, I did have another plate! We are not regular dessert eaters in the house (I don't have much of a sweet tooth), but I'm sure I'll dig into the apples and pretzels before bed!

It's been a very busy afternoon. I opted to spend some time this afternoon before Diana's volleyball game doing some furthe demo in the basement (we recently had a flood down there, and removing the ugliest wall paper and paneling has revealed some nasty sheet rock problems), so I've been negligent. I will be around more tomorrow and the rest of the week because the trash can is full. Anyway, as I suspected, those pretzels would sort of be my lunch. I'm not much of a chip person, but I have a real weakness for pretzels, and most of all these salt and pepper pretzels. I never should have bought two bags. But, when I realized that woman can not live on coffee and pretzels (with an occasional apple tossed in), I went to the fridge and retrieved some leftovers from last night: I had gotten some sweet corn on Sunday that was not great. Wasn't bad, just clearly the end of the season. So, yesterday, I recalled a recent Bittman Minimalist colum in the Wed. NY Times where he pan-grilled corn kernels. So, off the cobs those kernels went into the cast iron skillet, with a smidge of oil and two mined jalapeno peppers with some cilantro added at the end. And, I had a mess of tomatoes that were on their way to being going, going, gone. More japalenos, a couple of onions (very finely minced), some cilantro, juice of one lime. THis made a perfect Monday night dinner for tacos, using almost the last of the smoked butt from the freezer. And, since I had these two items leftover, when I had a hankering for something mid-afternoon besides pretzels, I filled a large custard cup with the pan-grilled corn and salsa. Side by side they sat, so I could either eat them separately or mixed together. Yum. The pan-grilled corn is an outstanding use for corn that isn't just right for the boil and butter!

I've never used ginger as young as that I bought today. What a joy. Took my mushroom-shaped garlic smasher to a knob of it and voila! I'm wondering if I could plant part of it and get it to root and grow? This ginger is a revelation.

The first photo here shows an awesome display of cilantro roots.

What a difference a day makes. Yesterday was sunny and 85 degrees (F). Had I not had to finish some outdoor painting, I would have gone to the farmer's market then. So, after breakfast today, I went to the Minneapolis Farmer's Market. It is much "sleepier" on the weekdays, and there are usually only about three dozen vendors, but there is no traffic and the shopping is much easier. The missing elements on weekdays are craft items, cheese, bread, meats. We have had a remarkable summer and fall. By this time, we almost always had a hard freeze, which eliminates many of the things I saw today. Summer, spring and fall vegetables were all present. I really should have taken more pictures! I plan to return on Thursday because I'll be nearby and stock up for the weekend. Knock on weekend, we won't have a hard freeze on Wednesday night. Anyway, I did take some pictures: There is a topic on this forum about cilantro roots, and so I took a picture of what's pretty typical at the farmer's market. They also sell dill with the roots attached. Pepppers and little eggplants , anyone? The big bushels of little red peppers are $10.00. Brooks, this one is for you! Green and purple okra. They were also selling them by the gunny-sack full. So, this is what I came back with: Sorry the picture is a bit blurry. Red bell peppers, romaine lettuce, little Yukon Golds, broccoli, tiny shallots, long beans, white onions and what I think is young ginger (in the front on the left side). If this is young ginger, what should I do with it? I also got a peck of sort of sad looking tomatoes which I think I will roast with olive oil. My next stop was The Wedge, the largest and "fanciest" of the coops in the Twin Cities. The Twin Cities, as I recall, has the largest number of coops per capita in the U. S. I really prefer some of the other coops; the Wedge is no longer a funky coop, but looks pretty corporate. But, I was in the area. So, I bought: A baguette for dinner tomorrow night (what's the best way to store it today?), some dried beans, sea salt, Hope Butter, Newman's Own salt and pepper pretzels (a favorite of mine, and hard to find here) and some flour that was called "Duram Seminola Flour for Pasta." I'll have more questions about that before Monday. So, what should I fix for supper? I have chicken thighs and legs. One thought I had was to cook the chicken and do a sort of Vietnamese-inspired garlicky, gingery, slightly spicy sweet sauce with fish sauce in it. Stir fry broccoli? Suggestions solicited, please! I will be gone to Diana's volleyball game between 4:00-5:15 pm and would like to have dinner on the table not long after 6:30 pm. I'm off to take care of some laundry and forage in the fridge for lunch so I don't eat all of the pretzels!

Good morning! It is a dark, dreary and drizzley day here in Minnesota. Heidi and Diana are both on their ways to school, and Peter and a friend are eating toast with butter. I'm having Coffee and a couple of Chestnut Crab apples. Minnesota has a rich apple tradition, and the University of Minnesota has been instrumental in developing different varieties. You can thank the U of M for Honeycrisp apples. Chestnut Crabs are not often available for sale; many orchards have a very few trees which are generally planted for polination purposes. I don't really care for sweet apples that much, and the chestnut crab is nice and tart, with a hint of sweetness. And, they are just the right size for a bite or two; no half-eaten apples for kids with these! Peter has been packing two in his backpack every day for a snack. We are at the end of the chestnut crab season. My other favorite apple is the Haralson. This is a tart apple, which is great for eating. The Haralson is also very popular among Minnesota bakers. There are a couple of orchards that have restaurants and a large bakery business, and they keep all of the Haralsons for their own baking purposes. As soon as Peter and his friend have left for school, I'm off to the farmer's market.

So, please tell us what you got from the coop! Edited to add: And, what you will do with these things.

Could you elaborate a bit more (or point me to a post) about the 1/2 and 1/2 and cream cheese method for eggs? Many a breakfast of yours has inspired a lunch or dinner here.

Although I will not start blogging officially until tomorrow am, I want to introduce myself. Susan, living in a northern suburb of the Twin Cities, Minnesota. Born in Floriday, early childhood spent moving around -- Lincoln, NE; E. Lansing, MI; Nigeria; and College Station, TX before moving to Thailand in 1966. I left Thailand in 1980 to go to St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN. Married almost 25 years to Paul. Three kids. Diana (15), Heidi (11) and Peter (9). Heidi presents the biggest challenges in terms of food, as she is disabled, so I often appease her with a different meal. The other two kids are hearty and adventurous eaters, and Diana is a most capable sous chef (or chef with me as the sous). Peter is learning to cook. Yes, all good wishes to both of us on pasta. And best wishes to both of us with cameras. It's rather intimidating to follow the food born of Percy and Susan!

At my asian market (largely Thai/Hmong), they sell either with roots on or roots off. The stuff with roots off is usually about a dime cheaper. And, at the farmer's market, some vendors trim the roots, others sell it root on. I'd bet they are hording those roots for themselves! I like mincing up some roots to add to larb.

I reported on my really yummy Bisteces Rancheros (from Braising with Molly) Here. But, here is the photo: OK. so the quality of the photo, and the sheen doesn't help. But, this looked like one mighty unappealing dish. Peter and a couple of this buddies (they are all 9) took one look at it and tried to decide whether it looked like worms on top, dead fish that had gone bad. Most braised meat dishes just don't photo well. At least at my house.