snowangel

Chris, I have great luck with starting the potatoes in the nuker and then moving them to the oven (or toaster oven).

As Mom of Heidi, it is important that I remind everyone that every piece of equipment has a purpose for folks-- be it a mango splitter, or pre-cut broc. But, what the kids at the apartment she's at one day a week really like, are rolls of paper towels and spray bottles of windex. They use these on everything, and I'm sure that all surfaces are clean. The other thing they really like is the wooden lemon/lime reamer that I gave to the apartment. All of the staff and parents have started donating lemons and limes, and I've contributed re-washable plastic glasses, and some sugar, and meauring cups, so they are making lemonade. (Note: they add a packet of no-sugar-added Koolaide for color).

There are a LOT of dinners I could make in 20 minutes: I'm looking for more like 2 minutes here. Baking time is irrelevant, I work while it cooks. There are days when every minute counts... ← Chris, pita pizza, even if the cheese is frozen, is about 1-2 minutes from pulling the pita and cheese from the freezer to the toaster oven. ETA: 2 minutes if you have an assistant (Peter) or two minutes if it is you alone.

Pita pizza. Get (or make) some decent pizza, freeze it. Take one round of pita (yes, frozen is just fine), and score an "X" on it through the top layer of the pita -- more on that later. Add toppings of choice (yes, pre-shredded and still frozen cheese works just fine. Pop in a toaster oven. But, should you not score the pita through the top layer, all of the cheese and toppings make for a mighty fine mess on the bottom of the toaster oven. Decent pizza in less than it would take to find the number of a pizza joint. Oh, and crank the toaster oven up and set a timer so you don't forget about the 'za.

Most times for me, it is not "is it a waste of money," but "is it a waste of space?" I have a gift certificate from Bed Bath and Beyond, and I looked at the gadgets. Geez. They take up a lot of space for a single task that parking and chef's knives, and perhaps a spoon can do. Post and pans; I have a mishmash of things I love, but I sure don't want to find space for a mango splitter.

Open the package and smell it. That will tell you what you should do. Me, my butt is still somewhat frozen, so I stuck in in the coldest part of the fridge, and since I'm smoking tomorrow, I'll report back on sticking a mostly frozen butt on the smoker.

It's hot here in MN. So, time to smoke me some pork, which is ready to go (I will score the skin before putting it on). I've got a mix of apple, hickory, and maple. I usually do only apple, but since Pipes is not home this summer, I will simply use what chunks I have. So, on the checklist: charcoal: got it thermometer: got it squishy buns: got it slaw: well, Peter's in charge of that beer: 24 pack of Miller It's hot, I'm going to smoke some pork and I've got beer = life is good. Best is, that we head to the cabin on Thursday evening with leftover butt. P. S. My butt is still sort of frozen.

Here in MN, we wait until August for peaches from Colorado. Seems they have less time to travel. But, another question: is a decent tomato too much to ask for? Me thinks that so much of this stuff is bred or picked to be tossed from a long ways away into a trailer. Not meant for eating, just meant to be shipped and to try and fool the shopper.

I'm inspired, PC, and have just pulled a butt from the freezer. I have a ton of applewood (friend owns an apple orchard). What kind of wood did you use?

I have a beautiful table, which you can see here. Because of the lazy susan, placemats (I have kids who are prone to spill, so absorbent place mats are the order of the day). When I entertain for sitdown meals, it almost always involves card tables, and I pull out The Linens. Back when my mom got married, a common bridal shower gift was an embroidered or appliqued card table set -- cloth and four napkins. One of the things I inherited from my great grandmother was a set of four (yes four) large rectangular damask tablecloths and a bazillion matching napkins. One of the things I'm working on is to take a couple of the tablecloths and make them into place mats for my round table. They will look so nice with the china and sterling, which I use regularly. Setting a nice table is important. Makes everyone feel more important (and inspires the kids to have better table manners).

Ahem. You forgot the anchovies, and season permitting, grilled ramps. I'm thinking I'll try a very small one, at first, with the cheese first, sauce second method tonight.

Grilling pizza tonight. I noted in "American Pie" that he recommends cheese UNDER sauce. Comments, please?

Glad your butt turned out so nicely, and glad I was able to of help, and prove that yet again, the Trusty Old Kettle can indeed provide a fabulous meal. Do, tell, however, about sides, sauce, buns, beverages, etc.

I have a feeling it just might be a recipe very similar (if not identical) to the recipe I just linked to in RecipeGullet. THere's something about the pop of the fresh berries, all glued together with a blueberry glaze that is, well, oh me, oh my, just beyond belief.

Chris, try my recipe (actually, from an ancestor). It will make a convert of any person who thinks a blueberry pie needs to be baked. I can only hope that the berries you have are half as succulent as those we swat (bugs), sweat (it's always hot), and swear (the kids want to pick a cup, eat them, and go back to the cabin) over. This pie works well with raspberries, too, but if using raspberries, it is helpful to cook the cooked ones in water first and strain our the seeds, or make sure and add dental floss to the table.

Is that true? Doesn't the bone conduct heat and make the interior meat cook more evenly? ← I'd think so, and I can't imagine going through the trouble to bone a bone-in uncooked. In our family, when I pull the pork, there's a fight over who gets to gnaw the meat off the bone. I don't think anyone would be all over gnawing off the bone if it was raw! Likewise, why bother taking the skin off in advance (smoked pork skin is our house is the smoker's reward)? And, the idea of removing the fat cap, well, it's heresy!

My kids are just like me. We'd rather have leftover curry, enchiladas, etc. for breakfast. Something savory, preferably spicy. Cold cereal (the stuff in the boxes) is advertised as breakfast food. We prefer it late at night, instead of dessert (brownies, pie, cake, etc.). Should it be topped with ice cream instead of milk, that's just fine. We, unless it's a chocolate variety like Coco Puffs, prefer an unsweetened cereal, with no added sugar. Perhaps some dried fruit, but again, sugar need not apply. Are we alone in that 10:00 pm cereal craving?

A gift from a dear friend, my mushroom: No longer made by AMCO. It smashes. Take a little bowl, and you have a mortar and pestle. Wash your stinky hands with this, and the smells disappear. Plus, it looks cool on the counter to boot. Then, there are these Edlund Tongs. If you click to enlarge, you'll notice that the locking mechanism is not a circle, but a squared-off one. Means that to open the tongs, you can just put that squared off part under the kitchen counter or deck rail to open. One-handed operation! Finally, Cuisinart. I still have the original that I received as a wedding gift in 1980. My old mini-prep has been a work-horse. Then, there are these Cuisinart Prep Boards. I love the upturned edges -- no more tomato juice all over the counter -- and the fact that they are attractive enough to serve as serving dishes.

I'm late to the party because I've been frolicking up at our cabin, but think about my Black Bean and Rice Salad. Popular at every gathering.

Well, up here in MN, I can report that one of my tomato plants actually has real blossoms, the others have buds. But, then again, we've been praying for rain and nighttime temps above 55 degrees (F). Oh, for the hole(s) in the bottom of pots, I just use rocks. They are cheap and abundant.

Runny-yolked egg sandwiches eaten by kids in a car are the reason that the yolk is "poked" and sort of stirred in and cooked hard. Especially if one has that velour upholstery on the car seats.

Dude, one of the things I've learned over the course of my life is you can't go home again. Some memories are best left as they are -- don't try and recreate them. In fact, I never, ever try and replicate the most special meals -- be they at a restaurant or at home. Some parts of the memory of what made that meal so special were the time and the place and the people -- the time in your life, the place at that time, and the other folks at that time. Oh, and the food! I'd just rather create new memories that leave one as breathless.

David, as you can see by from my post in an eGullet Tag Team Food Blog here, we figure that homemade pizzas generally look more like amoebae. But to address your concerns about crust and thickness, continue to read the post. Too thin is bad, and too thick is also bad. My last grilling pizza experiment (I'm about to try again) was during an ill-fated Smoking and Grilling blog that Marlene, Mike and I did some three years ago, during one of the windiest and wettests Mays ever. Big word of advice to everyone. Prep in advance. So this with a grill you trust, and make sure that there is a portion of the grill that doesn't have charcoal or gas ignited (you do need a "non-fire" spot), and don't do this when it is pouring rain or in a gale-force wind. Hmmm. I think that now that Diana is gone from home, Peter and I should tackle this job. He's definitely kitchen worthy. Better get some dough going.

Night temps predicted in the low to mid-40's for the next few days. Glad I planted 60-70 day tomatoes. Do the dance for the predicted rain, please. We're starting to look like the dust bowl.

Ahem. We're in zone 4a (some years, things perform more like 3b). We are in the midst of a serious drought, and to date, we haven't had a night-time temp above 60 -- if that. So, I've given up on many of the heirlooms -- let's face it, my growing season is so short that an 80-day tomato means they just might start ripening when we're on the lookout for the first frost. So, this year, I went with some tomatoes bred by Burpee. I'm curious about the Early Pick variety (I did plant a couple of them) because they are bred to be happier than most with low night-time temps. The other really smart thing I did, in terms of water, was to plant them in tires. Require much less water, and the soil warms up much earlier in the spring. Oh, and carrots? My neighbor's are about knee-high to a grasshopper as I type.