snowangel

Over on the Braising with Molly thread, I think we all came to the conclusion that for meat, lower and longer is better. Even at 250, that connective tissue will break down.

Please. We are what seems like an age away from fresh sweet corn (early August). I've been craving it lately anyway, and this idea is going to make me a crazy woman.

Deviled eggs are a mainstay at Midwestern potlucks. They are usually the first thing to go. I serve them at home often. They are easy. I do the cold water, bring to a boil, remove from heat, let set 10 minutes, then put in cold water method, and never have green rings around the yolks. I prefer mayo, mustard, s & p, and often add some very finely minced shallots. I'll have to try some of the other ones on the links referenced again. I don't think I've ever seen left-over deviled eggs!

April 15, 2005 Today's Star Tribune's Taste section was mostly devoted to Mexican, some local, some not. For those not living here, the Hispanic population in the Twin Cities has exploded, giving us lots of wonderful options. First off, Jon Tevlin goes Mexican in Mexico in his article titled South of the Border with an inteview with Patricia Quintana, including some recipes. In the Restaurant department, real joy. A sampling of the Mexican alternatives in the Twin Cities. none of them of the chain variety. Read about the move from more on Concord in St. Paul to East Lake Street here. Iggers says that "The epicenter of the local Mexican food scene has shifted from St. Paul's west side to the Mercado Central at 15th Av. and E. Lake St., which houses a tortilla factory, a panaderia, a carniceria, a grocery store, a juice and fruit stand, and several food stalls selling tacos, tortas (sandwiches), burritos and Salvadoran pupusas, all under one roof. I haven't had a bad meal in the Mercado Central yet, but the burrito al pastor at Taqueria La Hacienda stands out in my mind as the best I have ever eaten. " I agree. Equally important to us Twin Citians is Tevlins article on Authentic Mexican Ingredients in the Twin Cities. Following this article is a list of a list of Mexican Grocers in the Twin Cities. Time for a trip to East Lake Street. By Tim Teichgraeber, a blind taste testing of popular Mexican beers in Many Hoppy Returns. Finally, Counter Intelligence. This week focuses on departures. From Dakota, La Belle Vue, and A Rebours. Many changes. In the Pioneer Press's Restaurant section: In Small Bites, a mini "review" of Sawatdee in St. Paul, which is now owned by Supatra Johnson. As an aside, Supatra also offers several cooking classes. I know own her cookbook, "Crying Tiger," which is noteworthy because she actually features photos of all of the odd vegetables and herbs which are so often only described by looks in Thai cookbooks. Restaurant News. Interview with Howie Walters, owner and operator of Hometown Creamery in St. Paul. And, in City Pages Restaurant area, Tricia Cornell searches for Hot Pockets -- savory breakfast pastries. <><><><><> 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.

My rhubarb has sprouted leaves! Happy dance! Joy! My sister lives in CA and says that year-round gardening is "not all it's cracked up to be." I want to know that first hand!

For those of you that have made these before, question. Although I can easily get all sorts of skins, they are frozen, and even when thawed just seem a little too "stiff." Tip? Make my own? I often make potstickers, and for these, one wants a thicker skin, IMHO. Holds up better to the frying, and if the skins are too thin, you can't separate the dumplings easily. But, I think for the siu mai, I want really thin skins, corrrect?

What's 2 dough pastry? Think it's time I dug out my Wei Chuan and Pei Mei cookbooks (I own full collection).

I love being in the kitchen while at home alone, chopping, dicing, sauteeing, whatever. Labor intenstive. Especially when I'm feeling down or overwhelmed. I remember well when my best friend's mom died. Prior to the visitation, I was invited to share a private time with the family. When it came to the time to share some memories, everyone was silent, except me. I started talking about her sticky buns. So, as soon as we got home, we got busy in the kitchen. Pulled out that recipe card, unmistakable because of the stains, smudges. It was ripply from having gotten wet and dried so many times. So, we made rolls. Feasted on them at dawn. My friend and all of her siblings wrote me notes later to thank me for suggesting cooking something of their mom's to honor her memory. My friend's brother said that knowing his belly was full of legacy of his mom at her funeral sustained him. On another note, when I worked outside the home, I often did some dinner prep with Diana (the oldest) after the babies were asleep. It was, and remains wonderful time. We talk, we share, we laugh, and she feels good about what she's doing, and I love spending this time with her. Different kind of therapy.

Cookie cutters from grandmother and great grandmother, check. I scored big on that one. There must be 70 of them. Linens. 4 sets of those "days of the week" embroidered flour sack dish clothes, to augment the two sets I received when I got married -- one set from each grandmother. As well as other tea towels that she embroidered and appliqued. My great grandmother's wooden spoon. My great grandmother's 11" pie pan for Her Custard Pie. But, in a weak moment, when we were cleaning out my grandmother's house, I said to my sister "sure, you can have the three cast iron skillets." Foolish. My grandmother's cake carrier that has a pie holder on the top of it. Plus my great grandmother's recipe box. I have actually laminated each card as I use it since they were written in that easily water smudged fountain pen in that spidery cursive. Better take some pictures tomorrow and post them. One of the tea towels is priceless. But, most of all, I have memories. Of waking in the middle of an August night, to find my grandmother in the kitchen canning tomatoes and making tomoto juice. Racing with her to the field to pick sweet corn to shuck and stick in the already-boiling water. Taking lunch to the men in the field as they combined. Learning how to kill a chicken and how to cut it up in no time flat. I also came into a set of china, but I never use that. It is all about the stuff I use on an almost daily basis.

Add one more. Bread Baker's Apprentice. I'd only checked it out of the library a bazillion times, renewing it the max number of times

We put our house on the market in January of 2004. The week following, it went unbelievably below zero, and then snowed a month. It took another two weeks for showings to start happening. I was getting desperate. So, on that fateful Friday, I was bound and determined to make a lovely meal for the family (not thinking there would be a showing). So, I did the braised bacon from the Zuni Cafe cookbook. It was done when the Call came that there was to be a showing. So, I turned off the oven, removed it, foiled it, stuck it outside (colder than the fridge, remember). This was sort of a nightmare because the showing was in 15 minutes, and the kids had just gotten home from school, and were having their snack, so I had to clean up after that, and get the muddy boot prints off the floor. But, the house smelled divine, and we had three offers. One was absolutely outstanding. So, the kids and I decended on friends once again and the deed was done. We did wear out our welcome at several places while we were trying to sell the place. But, when we returned home about 4 hours later, the house still smelled wonderful. Bacony goodness.

Perhaps if Dean had had one of those dry aged strips sizzling away when the inspector was there, the inspection might have been a different story!

Not sure what time of evening this is, but I'd serve the gravlax. Bet some of the people won't have had dinner yet...

So, Marlene, when are you going to get to that missing piece? Somewhere way upthread, I remember someone talked about double dipping, and the need to let each coat dry before dipping again so that things have time to absorb. Perhaps Brooks should go on tour and cook fried chicken for us?

But, did the bunnies get eaten? I'm exhausted reading your blog, Wendy. Beautiful. I'll never order a dessert and think of it the same was as before.

Oh, how wonderful to cook in a new kitchen! Nice work. BTW, my logic says that since some of the plumbing had to be done because of a reason other than the kitchen, and since the electrical was bad to begin with and needed to be done anyway, you shouldn't tack those on to your budget. More money for cookware and gadgets! You did, however, neglect to report on range performance. Shame!

I even have a couple of cans of the Muir Glen fire roasted tomatoes in the pantry. Duh! I'm really thinking of making this dish the day before we make our first trip to The Cabin, and hauling it up for that First Dinner. It is usually fairly cold in The Cabin on that first night, and heating up the oven would be good. Plus, we're always too busy opening the place up and rediscovering just how wonderful it is that I don't want to be tied to the kitchen. And, forget what I said about putting this book away for a while. I hate radishes. But, as soon as those first bunches appear at the farmer's market, I'll snap up a couple and try the butter braised radishes. I keep forgetting about the vegetable section of that book. And, I just realized that I really should do the braised leeks and bacon. I love leeks. And, my family loves quiche, which is a natural. A natural for the leftovers before I even turned the page on that one!

Thanks for the report, Bella. All I have access to right now is pretty crumby supermarket tomatoes, but I think the roma's tend to be better. So, I think it's on the menu soon. I do have some beautiful bone-in country ribs in the freezer... And, thanks for the report on the potatoes. They are a hot item in our house!

Gedney (a MN company; don't know if they are available elsewhere) does a jalapeno baby dill that is mighty addicting.

So, plans for the First Meal in the New Kitchen?

Molly called for two poblanos. I sure wish I'd upped it to five. My kids were fighting over them! I had actually purchased more poblanos than I used, so I roasted them and have added them to the leftovers.

Oh, fried chicken backs . The best part of the whole darned thing. All of those nooks and crannies for the crusty, crispy bits. My family is forbidden to eat them. They are mine. My reward for frying the chickens. In fact, there's a woman in my church who saves odd chicken parts for me when she dismantles on, sticks them in the freezer for my stock stash. I pulled those backs out last time I fried chicken. I'm afraid that my stock may never see another back again.

Did this one tonight. It was a huge hit. I did the full recipe, and next time, I would up the poblanos. Mr. "Eeww, it's a green pepper thing, I'm not touching it, and what do you mean there are onions in this" was informed that he would have a bit of everything, and even he was won over. Yes, the universal opinion of the family was that more peppers would be better (she recommends about 8 oz. pre roasting, and I used 11 oz pre roasting). One of the things that has amazed me about this book is that I have been able to coerce Peter (my current picky eater) into tasting a bite, and he has liked it. I did the chicken/prune/lemon/olive one. He proclaimed that no way was he going to eat a prune. Well, push come to shove, we have a "you have to try it before you hate it rule" in our house. He loved it. Best of all, it has reminded me that even Heidi is able to masticate food. Braised food is very kind to those with oral motor disorders, and those with fine motor issues that make cutting difficult. Add the sweet of prunes, or the unexpected of onions cooked to sugary goodness, or the pungent salty of olives and even this little girl is devouring what I've made from this book. Yes, Molly. I may have one more in me, from your book, this season. Depends on weather. If not, I bid you a fond farewell until the weather cools and I once again reach for wool.

Thanks for the report. I don't have duck fat on hand now, but bet that would be mighty tasty. I think the buttermilk is about the acid, but someone more scientific than moi might have a better answer. And, welcome! Glad to have you here and chiming in.

Treading on dangerous ground here, I think. The one thing about bacon is all you have to do is get the bacon and fry it. And, without that bacon, you wouldn't have bacon grease to augment the other grease for chicken frying.