snowangel

I find cilantro goes slimy faster than most other herbs, so be sure and wrap it in a paper towel and store it in a plastic bag. I have have also gotten to the point where I just rip it up with my hands!

So, my crepes still aren't crepes, and the batter is still in the fridge (I chose to play today with the kids -- we made an awesome fort, and got two soccer balls stuck in a tree). Will it h old until tomorrow, or should I get at it in a few minutes?

Well, let's hope tomorrow's making of the crepes is easier than the making of the batter. The POS blender I have that I have been looking for an exuce to toss exploded on me. Good thing I had taken my contacts out and put my glasses on. Well, at least my counter, cupboards and floor are freshly cleaned! Ably assisted by a martini and lots of swearing. BTW, the immersioon blender worked quite well, and I have savory and sweet crepe batters resting in the fridge. Wish me and the neighborhood boys luck tomorrow as we have part two of the crepe adventure.

Marcia, I agree. Deconstructed sounds so elegant and complicated. And, thanks for the hint on the Penzey's Sandwich Sprinke. My kids love grilled zucchini. Reminds me that I really should plant some zucchini.

I'd like to second this. Or you could end up with an 18 lb block of ice that used to be a turkey three years ago sitting at the bottom. Don't ask how I know. Marcia. ← Just ask me what a top for one's wedding cake looks like after almost 20 years!

I spent most of my growing up years in Thailand, and after a few first bouts with Dehli Belly (what we called it), never suffered any other ill effects. Interesting thing (although a bit personal) is that to this day, I have an iron clast intestinal system, am very regular and never have gas (a fact which my kids brag about). I can eat or drink anything with no ill effects. I must have developed the right kind of karma or bacteria or something in my system.

No one should forget about the deep freezer. It is not a safe deposit box, and the stuff should be used. NOW.

Peter, two friends and I went berry picking this morning (we came away with two flats), so you can guess what we had for lunch.

Reminder to all -- if your recipes are not copyrighted, please, oh, please, put them in RecipeGullet. It makes finding them so much easier a year from now...

Susan, how did you store the leftover crepes?

Wendy, I asked my BIL about this, and he says they are like pot stickers -- cook them frozen. He said last time he thawed them in the fridge, he had a nasty mess.

Yeah I do remember reading that the batter has to rest to allow the gluten to relax...wouldn't it be better to use cake and pastry flour to make crepes then? Less gluten. Or even cake and pastry flour plus a little bit of cornstarch...that would lower the gluten content even more. (I usually use whatever flour I have on hand, and let the batter relax overnight in the fridge.) ← Julia recommends letting all batter rest -- with AP at least 2 hours, with softer flours (she actually recommends using Wondra in one of her books) for 1/2 hour or so.

My avatar is Oreo, and he's 17 lbs of pure doofus . I had planned to post some cat pictures this evening, but in the grand tradition of the unexpected happening during one's foodblog, my digital camera died tonight. Fortunately, it died after the dinner photography, but in plenty of time to get a replacement. Now I just have to get comfortable with the new one....and of course I'm going to be testing it out on cat pictures! Marcia. ← Good luck with the new camera! Same thing happened to me during one of my blogs. Turned out to be a blessing as the new camera is so far superior to the old one...

So, what kind of tea for sun tea? I do it regularly, even in the winter, on a sill in our sunroom. Currently, I have a batch of Georgia Sunrise in the fridge; brewed in brillian sunshine yesterday. It's my kids favorite.

So, should Peter and I make a mess of these tomorrow (double entrenre indended), when we freezer them, does one put parchment paper or something between each crepe? Peter and I will pick berries in the morning, buy a few plants, and then he said to me "let's cook sometthing new!" Is it a problem if the batter rests for a few hours? Edited to add: Peter has seen The Cake. He thinks it looks "unhealty" but thinks that unhealty periodically might be a good idea, and if we eat a mess of berries, we will have undone what we have done.

OK. First the tomatoes. Then the corn. Another hard hit. But, I bet the strawberries I pick tomorrow are better than yours!

Now that school's out, my house is rather popular with the little boys in the 'hood because they know that I'll cook breakfast at least a couple of times a week! And, now that the local strawberries are ripe, I just had to pull out my stove-top waffle maker.

Oh, my, this is an enticing topic, isn't it? I do urge you, to break in the KA stuffer, to try either the chicken/basin/tomato or pork/poblano sausages. These two are real crown pleasers -- whether the crowds be sausage-naive kids or sophisticated adults. And, thanks for the compliments on my Weber one-touch abilities. If you need any help, just PM me. My first foray wasn't as pretty as the ones that have ensued, but all have pleased everyone. I keep trying to justify a Bradley, but can't. The trusty old Kettle just serves so many purposes....

Oh. Do not presume to touch the backs and organs of chickens. The penalty is high; I love them that much. I don't think my kids even know that chickens have backs, livers, hearts and gizzards.

About the only thing I won't eat are fish bones (and Anna, I'm not talking about canned salmon bones!) and egg shells. My teen would consider me a freak of nature.

Absolutely correct. As a child of the late 60's/early 70's, I was into nothing. Give me tie-died. I registered for a very few things, including a cheap set of Farberware that has long since gone by the wayside. Having recently moved into a house that is idea for entertaining, and now almost 50, I love setting a beatufiul table. I just hosted a big do-dah for my folks 50th, and when my mom said to my sister "just what should I do for Susan," my sister replied "give her your sterling." A set for 24, complete with everything. Iced tea spoons, fish forks, the whole nine yards. Nothing has been more special. I just wish my mom hadn't sold her china, or had given it to me. The cookware? I have collected just what I have wanted over the years, and has served me well. Unless you are very specific, and have pretended to cook with the stuff, don't register for it. And, do not register for a set of cookware -- be it pots/pans or knives. Select very carefully. I adore the mishmash of stuff that I have acquired over the years. I wish I'd registered for beautiful stuff that would have done these tables I set with vintage linens (thanks to my grandparents and great aunt). The little stuff that I need -- the microplanes, the dutch ovens, just the right pan, I've bought for myself. Tastes do change over the years. Back when I got married, I was never going to have kids, I was never going to be a stay-at-home mom, I was never going to cook, other than the occasional thing. Was going to be big and powerful and have a big-a-- career. I do -- it's a non-paying career and beyond rewarding. It's just way different than I thought. I could, however, use another wedding shower some 25 years later for new sheets, new towels, etc. Oh, and a Bullet and a cold-smoker would be good gifts, too (as would be copious amounts of cherry and pecan chunks).

OK. So you just want me to have heart palpatations. At least you didn't include sweet corn, which would have resulted in a trip to the ER... The taco night sounds just like what I do here, and it is very, very popular. Do tell more about the rice. Do you cook it in water or chicken stock?

The fish guts eclipse my experiences at Bird's Eye in Faribault, MN during corn pack and my experience at Processed Potatoes in Mpls. preparing potatoes to be made into frozen french fries. I haven't eaten a single french fry that hasn't been hand cut since. I think it was the digging the bad spots out of the potatoes that were slimy and disgusting just following a chemical bath to remove the skins. I was in college at the time, and believe me, that $10.00/hour (back in the late 70's was enticing until I did it. Hangovers saved me.

Not well. Trust Diana and I. Pasta is tough to do unless you do a casserole-type thing. Do you have any ideas of what other people are providing? Last time we did this for a church member, we all gave the coordinator roughly what we'd do. I like the fried chicken idea (if you make sure it's totally cool and don't put it in an airtight container, it does fairly well, but I also like the roast chicken platter idea, along with a loaf of good bread, and some salads. Another thought is a quiche. And, don't forget to take things over in containers that don't need to be returned! Edited to add: rare beef tenderloin, sliced, with bread and salads would be very popular in my house!

I recall a review of Foodsmart in the Strib a couple (maybe three) years ago in which they said that not only did they have a grocery store, but that the "restaurant" in the back was very good. No idea if this is still the case. I'll ask around. Edited to add: Strib link here.