snowangel

If you want ethnic, there's Eat Street -- Nicollet Mall between 20th and 30th. These would be in the south central part of Minneapolis. The other area with great, cheap ethnic is Central Ave. NE -- Holy Land Deli and Bakery, Chiapas (these are both at about Central and 20th), and a fab vegetarian Indian restaurant -- Udapi -- at about 50th and Central. Stuff in the Mall of America area tends to be pretty spendy for the quality -- lots of chains with mediocre food. Uptown area is trendy and spendy, outside of Sri Lanka curry house. You can eat well here.

Because cilantro does better when it's cooler (bolts in heat) and tomatos and hot peppers require hot weather to grow, bloom and ripen. Try planting your cilantro later, and on the north side of the garden so it doesn't get so much heat and sun.

Yes, it is as easy as tossing them in the freezer, provided that they don't have any nicks in the skin and you haven't cored them. I have done this for years, on the advice of my grandmother. I do put them in a bag (usually paper) so that they aren't rolling around the freezer. When I want to use them, I just run them under water to remove the skin, put them in whatever I'm going to make, and when they have thawed, it's pretty easy to mush them up and fish the core out with tongs. Keep in mind that a tomato, once frozen, will never have the texture of a fresh one; it's more like the texture of a canned one.

Try giving the carrots a start in the microwave, and then move them to the oven. I do it all the time.

You can still get them at the Candyland's on 8th and 7th Streets in minneapolis. As well as the freshest gummie bears around. I won't even mention the hand-made to-die-for cashew "turtles." They are the size of a saucer. They make a mighty fine lunch.

Tomorrow we will go to my favorite Thai restaurant in the Twin Cities. It doesn't hurt that the owner is the husband of the nanny I had for 10 years in Bangkok. We have called ahead and let them know that we will come, and to please cook an appropriate menu. I would be willing to bet that none of the items will be on the menu. As I have discovered over the years, the average Thai restaurant features items that the average American is somewhat familiar with, or at least won't be disgusted by (I wouldn't think of eating a fish that didn't still have the head on it, but most Minnesotan's would disagree). For those of you that are dissatisfied with your local Thai restaurants, have you ever spoken with the chef and asked her/him to suggest some things that aren't on the menu? We regularly do, even when we aren't at our favorite spot, and often get dishes that closely approximate some of my Bangkok favorites. It really helps if you have a guest with you that speaks fluent Thai and has great taste in food... Although many posts on this thread have referred to "authentic Thai Food," I have noticed over the years (10+ years living in Thailand and many subsequent visits) that Thai food can be very regional and very personal. Just as it is hard to describe to someone what "traditional American potato salad" consists of (mayo or miracle whip -- a midwestern attrocity, I think; pickle relish; celery; what kind of mustard, any vinegar? -- I think you get the idea), I never recall having Pad Thai in Thailand from two different vendors that was the same -- the combinations of "saucing ingredients" varied so much. I think the only given was rice noodles and the garnishes. And, yes, I do tend to avoid noodles in a Thai restaurant in the U. S. Nothing compares to the baa me off a cart in Bangkok.

Surprised that no one has mentioned Maid-Rites on this thread...

Forgot to mention a postscript on the last recipe I included: If you want a white cake, separate the eggs, and add the yolks to whole eggs for a custard pie. Be sure to beat the "bejesus" (sic) out of the whites for the cake, add the sugar and fold in the other things. I just love old recipes. None of the precision that this century seems to require. Great grandmother also noted that "Charles (her husband) finds white cake somewhat dry for his taste. Be sure and frost heavily with choc. frosting to please the men." Maybe I won't pass this one along to my daughters.

In our house, kids do the plating. We have a beautiful arts and crafts round table, with beautiful (refinished by me) antique (inherited from great grandparents) table. Since I have kids, we have plain, white Correlle (sp?) dishes. They are lightweight, and unadorned. I almost always use wine glasses (cheap red wine ones) because it makes the table look nice and everyone feel special). Even for milk. Diana is in charge of figuring our which garnishes look appropriate. While I plate, Peter garnishes. Heidi (our daughter with disabilities) looks approvingly. Paul makes sure everything else is in order -- including music. I insist on family dinner every night, and want to make it something that everyone can look forward to -- the food may be simple, but presentation can compensate. After all, shouldn't we all put the most effort into those we love the most? On a good day, everyone but me clears the table and loads the dishwasher while I finish a glass of wine (or milk).

I have two favorite recipes, both cultivated from the recipe box I inherited from my great grandmother. Although neither suggests pan size or temperature, I usually use two round cake pans (again, inherited from my grandmother, both with metal things that move around to help loosen the cake from the pan -- techno talk): Cream Cake: 2 eggs, beaten light 1 cup cream 1 cup sugar 1-1/2 cup flour 1 t. baking powder pinch of salt 1 t. whatever flavoring (vanilla, lemon extract, etc.). No, it does not call for butter or shorteneing or any other fat. Although it doesn't specify, I mix eggs, cream and sugar, then add sifted flour, bp and salt. Sunshine cake: 7 eggs 1 cup flour 1 cup flour 1 t cream of tartar 1 t vanilla Beat eggs whites and cream of tartar; when partially bean add sugar. Fold in beaten yolks, vanilla and flour. Whoops. Make that three: Yellow Cake: 2 Cups flour 1-1/2 cups flour 3-1/2 t. baking powder big pinch salt 1/2 cup buter 1 c. milk 1 t. vanilla 3 eggs Beat all of it together Per great grandma: If you are making cupcakes, fill then quite full, so that you have those nice crispy overhangs to eat first. If you want chocolate frosting: 1 cup cream 1 cup sugar enough cocoa so it looks right Cook until when you stir you can sort of see the bottom of the pan. My grandmother says it was soft-ball stage (which I think is about 220? on a candy thermometer). It boils pretty high in the pan and then the bubbles sort of roil. In all of the cake recipes, you can split the layers to make four layers, and if you use the above frosting, make a double batch because you will eat a lot while frosting. It is candy. It is heavenly. It is manna.

To date, there are only two things that I will not eat: undercooked chicken and runny egg-whites. Don't know why. I have eaten all sorts of things (bugs, odd animal parts, raw stuff, etc.) that most would consider "yuck," but these two put the gag reflex at my lips. This would have nothing to do with safety; perhaps I need a good sensory program (special ed specialist coming out in me?).

As I understand it, most ground beef is very lean beef ground with fat, which is how they can tell you what percentage the meat is to the fat. Is is the fat, the meat, or the method of processing that makes ground beef such a harbor for nasties?

In Julia Child's Kitchen, she suggests (in many recipes), deep frying in an electric skillet. I got one at the Salvation Army for about $2.00 and it works great. Not as deep as a deep fat fryer, but it doesn't take up a ton of space. You could probably use a stock pot (or whatever), but I do think that having an idea of how hot the oil is and how much it cools down when one adds the "fryee" is important? If you purchase an "over the counter" deep fat fryer (or waffle iron, for that matter), pay attention to how hot it will get. The price of the electric skillet was just right, considering how seldom I "deep" fry. Unless i'm wrong, the biggest thing is to make sure there's enough oil to cover the thing you're frying -- it doesn't have to be several inches deep, but I could be wrong? (I make great wings)

If anyone's stomach can handle it, I can describe how your average supermarket chicken is raised. It's grim; really grim. Enough that our "chicken-eating" vegetarian aide for Heidi decided that your average supermarket chicken is the most inhumanely-raised animal out there.

My hispanic neighbors often serve a wonderful salsa that I believe is just a tomato (maybe 2?) with a ton of peppers. I think it is run through the blender, but what really makes it is that they "fry" it in a bit of oil. If Jaymes is out there, perhaps she can describe the process better? While I don't think this is exactly what you are talking about, it could be a more-than-acceptable substitute.

They're pretty easy to make with those little Dixie bathroom cups (or real popsicle holder thingies), popsicle sticks and jello instant pudding. http://www.kraftfoods.com/jello/index.jhtml Problem is you have to think ahead, but it's sure safer than those trips we used to make to the grocery in anticipation of the morning after...

I am truely living in a cultural wasteland. I didn't have a clue that there was anything other than the milk chocolate kit kats; I even looked for in an ultimate Super America after reading initial post. We may have tuna in the vaccuum packed foil packages, and Old Golds, but we are seriously lacking in diversity in Kit Kats (the only candy bar I will eat). Yikes. Should I sue for discrimination?

Insipid dating shows work, too.

I learned early on that hunger is a powerful motivator.

I know that the British expats living in Thailand, where the temps hover around the 90's with great regularity, would still prefer their hot tea to anything.

1. When a co-diner (be it at the lunchroom at work or at a restaurant) looks at your meal and says something like "Yuck. You mean you are going to eat that?" or "that's disgusting." 2. When we go to friends' houses with the kids and they feed the kids first, and feed them something like kraft macaroni and cheese and generic hot dogs or those frozen "chicken" thingies. Saving the good stuff for adults, of course, while the hostess complains that she always has to cook two separate meals. 3. Wait staff not refilling empty water glasses.

Since tomatoes are in their prime, how about sliced tomatoes, plain, or layered with very thin slices of red onions, drizzled with EVOO and balsamic vinegar? Artifully place a few basil leaves on top?

I can't blame her. Any idea of just how heavy iron cauldrons and planks are? Not to mention cutting, splitting and hauling wood? Sort of like my grandmother said about hand-sewn quilts. Think they would have done them that way back then if they had decent, heavy-duty sewing machines? These women embraced modern conveniences.

I'm an iced coffee afficiando, and use the Toddy cold drip thing. They say "Cold water brewing extracts the desirable flavor elements, but eliminates many of the undesirable oils and acids found in hot brewed coffee that are not soluble at low temperatures. " Basically, you come up with a concentrate, and although I've never tried it, they recommend adding water to the concentrate and nuking it for hot coffee. I don't know if anyone else has tried a Toddy thing. As I recall, when the coffee guys go and buy coffee beans, they test them with the cold method, but I could be wrong. http://www.toddyproducts.com

My grocery is running a similar special. And, I love London Broil, and my kids like the leftovers on a good sourdough roll for lunch (brown bag idea!). Meat prices are so puzzling. The London Broil is cheaper than hamburger. Along the same lines, my grocery also has pork tenderloins (the whole ones, not marinated or injected with a concoction) for $1.88 a pound. Yet they are charging $4.29 for boneless pork chops. The tenderloins are great, and I usually cut them up into chops, stuff for stir fry, and smaller tenderloins (sorry to digress from London Broil). Do you grill or broil the London Broil? Season it before cooking?