snowangel

Other than a fairly traditional "cut out" cookie (a very rich one with lots of butter, which also has nutmeg, and is a real pain to roll out), the stuff I make for Christmas is pretty "untraditional" because everyone seems to serve the same stuff. I make a great coconut cookie (different because it uses fresh grated coconut, not that sweetened grated stuff in plastic bags), an oatmeal raisin cookie (recipe from my great grandmother; you run the oats and raising through a food mill or food processor), an almost brownie-like chocolate cookie that you roll in powdered sugar, a couple of "coin" cookie recipes from Barbara Tropp's second cookbook, and another one from my great grandmother that uses cut-up candy "orange slices." I tend to bake the "traditional" spritz, etc. at other times of the year. I think this year I'll add the Cooks Illustrated thin and crispy chocolate chip cookies (I make them much smaller than recipe suggests) to the list. I tend to make dough, bake not too many, and freeze dough to bake in a few days so the cookies are fresh. If you want any of these recipes, please let me know.

I grew up with Tiparos. I may try others, but always return to Tiparos.

Purchased at my Thai market today: Pretz Larb flavor Biscuit Sticks by Thai Glico, Inc. They are very skinny, ingredients listed as wheat flour, margarine, sugar, spices salt. They were somewhat hot and spicy, and had a definite taste, but not one that reminded of larb. The group consensus by Peter, Diana and I was that the after taste was nasty. The good news was that the package was only $.79. So, we came home and are making larb.

Me, too. I make great lime and cilantro cookies. Once people get past the idea of green leaves in their cookies, they can't get enough of them.

Don't forget that sticky rice is not only used ground in larb, but also cooked at a vehicle for this wonderful salad. The chances in Northern Thailand (or southern Thailand, for that matter) of serving romaine or any other lettuce we typically get, is not common. As I said earlier, I think the larb has traditionally been an accompaniment, not the primary. The other stuff flavors the rice -- the staple (sort of like butter or sour cream on a baked potato).

When our Vipa used to make it for me as a child, she would get a hunk of pork (no idea what cut; we'd go to the market, and they'd cut a piece off a hanging skinless pig) without much fat, and take the cleaver to it. So, it was not really ground, but pretty close. But very little fat. Fat, was reserved for other thing.

My friend Vipa, a Thai who I've known since I was about 7 (almost 40 years) is a wonderful cook, and she says it's not real larb unless you toast Kao neo (sticky rice, raw, not cooked). She also said that one must crush it in a mortar/pestal (or in a bowl with a glass) because the grinders "give it too much heat and make it too small."

My kids (olive freaks; they love them) say that old olives are slimy and gross. But, they still eat them. I just make sure there's enough of that liquid stuff they put in the containers (I buy then from Holy Land Deli counter, not in jars) to cover them.

Just finished Lovely Bones. Ironic that I was finishing the last few pages as I was monitoring my chicken stock. Diana is reading Emma for school, so I've picked it up (again). And, Helena, I am familiar with the Not So Big series. She's Minnesota based, so we knew about her long before she became popular. And, since we live in a Not So Big House, I have read both of her books.

My kids really like roasted cauliflower. So do I. If we have leftovers, I eat them the next day for lunch, at room temperature, with some sort of "relish" or salsa -- spicy indian pickles, sirichi sauce, Herdez salsa ranchera, sambal. An absolutely heavenly lunch.

We often ate this style of larb in small towns in northern Thailand. Rather than being mixed with what most people traditionally associate with larb (lime juice, peppers, cilantro, mint, shallots, etc.), this one is actually prepared with a paste that is somewhat akin to curry paste.

Larb is also very good when eaten with sticky rice, which is a traditional accompaniment in northern Thailand (where the larb is usually raw pork). Come to think of it, the larb is probably an accompaniment for the rice there. Thai salads -- be they the more well-known larb and som tam -- are absolutely wonderful. David Thompson's new Thai Food book has a fab section on salads.

Two questions: Did the cheese person present any Minnesota of Wisconsin cheese? In the past couple of years, there has been an explosion of wonderful, artisan cheesemakers on the scene here. There are a couple that are at the St. Paul Farmer's Market every weekend (this one rivals the Madison farmer's market), and I am impressed with what they are producing, and am impressed that I am more impressed this year than last with what they are doing. Your externship. Each has their pros and cons. What does your gut say? You are going to be working really hard. At which place do you "get the best vibes?" Just one more question to ask yourself, along with all of the practical ones.

When my sister and I were in college, we shared a 1971 volkswagon bug. Great car. The glove box was always well stocked with limes and salt. My dad once wondered about this, and my sister said that the salt was in case we ever got suck on the ice in the winter. This would have been our tequila days. She's now working on a vaccine for menengitis, and I am remodeling our house (after 20+ years in entertainment industry), so we did turn out OK.

These are great suggestions, and pretty much the same stuff I do almost every weekend all summer long. A couple of other hints. Keep a roll of paper towels, and a few plastic trash bags (I re-use the plastic shopping bags from Target, grocery, etc.), and a package of baby wipes (the ones for their bottoms) in the car for clean-up. The baby wipes are as good as those individually packaged wipe things you get from rib and lobster joints, and lots cheaper. And, even if you are not bringing a cooler, think about freezing bottles of water (open them first and pour a little out) so you have cold water to drink.

I have a great stainless steel teakettle purchased from the Pratunam (phoentic spelling) in Bangkok in 1969. We probably paid somewhere in the neighborhood of 20 baht for the thing. Looks fine, works great.

There are stores here in the Twin Cities that are selling a "brining mix" (sugar and salt) that you add to water for brining your turkey. $5.95 will get you 1/2 up each of salt and sugar, and probably some fancy (but unnecessary) packaging.

So what does it say about me? We go to my sister in laws. I have no idea what they serve for The Meal. We arrive at her house at 2:00 pm for appetizers; I leave at 3:00 pm to go to a post resort of on the North Shore of Lake Superior with three close college friends (I've known then all since 1975); and the family eats at 4:00 pm. The four of us that go "up north" take turns providing car fare. Last year, I provided steak sandwiches and had Maida Heatter pecan passion bars for the car ride. We fortified with martinis, cold poached salmon, great bread, and a caesar salad when we arrived at our destination.

Actually, my compost bins are just chicken wire, bent into round shapes. Very low tech. It took longer to cut the chicken wire into the right lengths than it did to set them up. So, yes, mine sit on the ground. Leggy -- lots of stem without lots of leaves; sort of the opposite of bushy. And you know that how much you can get done when you move in depends on the weather between now and then. If it continues to be mild, you'll be in luck. Get all the advice you can from your sister. Gardening in Northern Minnesota is challenging. I take it she does not live on Lake Superior.

The best way to remove the grass is to kill it. My prefered method is to anchor cut open black plastic lawn and leaf bags on it. In a few days, it is dead, and very easy to till in. You could also use round-up, but I tend to avoid chemicals in the garden and on the lawn. I actually plant herbs in with my flowers, not in a separate plot. They provide nice visual interest in a flower garden. Anything you plant that is a perennial should be noted on a "garden map" you should create. If someone needs a gift idea for you, suggest a gardening diary. You'd be surprised at how much you forget from year to you, and it's nice to have a record of what worked especially well, tasted great, was a disaster, was yucky, etc. Depending on how many of particular plants you want, it may be more economical to just buy a plant. If you want one tarragon plant, let's say, the packet of seeds may be more expensive than a single plant. And, you will need lights if you want to start plants indoors or else they (especially tomatos) become too leggy. Whatever you do with herbs, DO NOT (yes, I am shouting) plant anything in the mint family in your garden. It will take over. It will move out into the yard, taking over the grass, too. You will be sorry because the stuff is really, really, really hard to get rid of. Mint is best off in a pot.

Get some great compost now, spread it all over the garden, rent a roto-tiller, and till all of that good organic matter in. Whether you have sandy or clay-ey soil, it all needs regular augmentation with organic matter. Second, start your own compost bins. We have three, made out of chicken wire. One for the new clipping and stuff, which gets turned the following year into bin 2, and then finally into bin 3, at which point it is ready to use. You can put any kind of veggie scraps into the compost, and we also bag our lawn clippings (keeps them from being dragged into the house on wet feet) which go into compost, as do our leaves (we grind them up first). I use my very own compost for mulch. The price is certainly right. But, for this first year, many communities have compost which is free for the taking. Once this is done, get yourself to the library and check out all kinds of books on gardening, both veggies and flowers. Get books with different philosophies, and do your own comparison. For what you should actually plant, check with your neighbors and see what they have particular success with. Get every seed catalogue you can (Johnny's, burpee, gurney, seed savers exchange, etc.). A lot of what you have success with has more to do with the sun and your soil situation. If you only get a little bit of late afternoon sun, some things will be out for you. And, if your soil is really heavy and clay-like, you'll have trouble with any root crops that seek their way down. Some plants don't do a thing until the soil reaches a particular temperature, etc., etc. Remember you will have the best luck if you order from a company that's on roughly the same latitude as you are. Is there a horticultural society in Chicago or Illinois? We have a great hort. society in Minnesota that puts out an absolutely fabulous magazine geared just for gardeners in Minnesota. Good luck. Gardenening is unbelievably rewarding; even weeding can be meditative.

Now that I am no longer corporate, but stay-at-home, the thing I love the most is being able to shop daily or every other day and make sure everything is fresh, and that I can cook what I feel like cooking when I feel like cooking.

Malawry, given that there has been a recent thread on the Cooking forum, could you please elaborate on pasta making, how to get it really thin, what you are looking for before you run it through the rollers, etc? I have been having trouble making pasta (I have an Atlas). Assuming you make more pasta than you can run through the rollers at one time, do you run one portion through tinner and thinner and thinner and then move on to the next portion? Details, here, or on Pasta Machine thread, please!!!! P. S. You inspired Diana (12) and I to make mayo a couple of days ago. We are now wondering why we ever purchased the stuff? Thanks.

If I'm using raw chicken/bones, sometimes I roast bones, sometimes not. Roasting adds color, and seems to impart a little something different. But, we often do roast chicken ala Marcella Hazan, and the carcas always goes into the stock pot. If you get a pre-roasted chicken, there's no reason not to add that carcas to the stock, either. I believe, from different threads, that there are those who are pro-roasting bones and those that consider this bastardization. I just do whatever I feel like that day. Stopped at my local butcher's today to get some bacon and kielbasa, and he was glad to see me -- I now have 15 lbs. of assorted beef bones (shins, shanks, knuckles, etc.) in the freezer; I will make stock with these just as soon as I can use my kitchen again; these were freebies! He also had a nice bag of bacon ends which he let me have for $.49/lb. Pays to get to know your butcher.

So I'm not the only one...