snowangel

Chris, I'm hot to know what you ended up doing with the veg (as well as the entire meal) and how satisfied you were with the final product of the veg.

Just discovered. Three empty boxes that once held ice cream treats. How do I make my family realize that the freezer, cabinets and cupboards are not storage space for recyclables?

Yep, Mitch, I'd think the weight of the bone would be a big factor. But, to the brisket. When I braise meat and rest it overnight in the 'fridge, I follow Wolfert's guidelines -- remove meat from liquid and store the meat very tightly wrapped with the liquid stored separately. Further to the whole thing about smoked vs. braised meat (since they are often the same cuts), rarely do I serve the smoked meat the day I smoke it (it's a timing thing; you never know how long the darned thing will take to get past the stall). I wonder if we remove more fat once we've braised than after we've smoked the meat? I smoked a brisket recently (whole, with a nice fat cap) and the big part (deckle?) had a nice layer of fat in the middle. I didn't remove it. Would I have removed it had I braised it whole? Would it have just "bled out?"

These look more like lotus stems, given what the water lilies I've pulled from our N. MN lake (from being entangled on a canoe paddle). What did you end up doing with them?

Chris, would they stir-fry well?

Does anyone see any reason not to freeze a raw meatloaf?

Hudson is definitely close enough, and likely to be on the map for a Saturday fall/colours day trip. Thanks for the recommendation. Does R. J.'s also do bacon?

No eggs? How does that change the texture? It seems to make it lighter with the milk-soaked bread and no eggs. Try it. (I also like to add crumbled bacon to the mix.)

Here's another idea, food and not needlecraft related. Homemade tomato soup (and an especially good idea now that it's tomato bounty season in the N. Hemisphere): 14 quarts of cut up tomatoes (no need to seed or peel) 14 stalks celery 14 pieces parsley 14 bay leaves 1 large onion, roughly whacked up Simmer until everything is tender; run through the food mill and reserve. In another pot, make a rous: 14 T. butter 14 T. flour Then add reserved tomato mixture and: salt to taste (about 8 T) 4 T. paprika 1/2 c. sugar (or to taste. Can (I find that if the soup mixture is hot and the jars are hot, you probably won't need to do a water bath, but I usually do! When you reheat the soup, add milk or half and half (about 3/4 soup, 1/2 dairy). Give jars of this for gifts, along with a good loaf of bread and cheese for grilled cheese and tomato soup. A nice change from all of the sweet stuff people seem to give.

Do not freeze things with cukes in them! If I have lemons and limes I'm not going to get to before they shrivel and die, I freeze them. The zest and juice is just fine.

Marmish, thanks for the link. Sounds like a perfect idea for a quilter to make, since I don't know of a single quilter who doesn't have a large stash of fabric, and it would be a good way to use up odds and ends. Back to my pan handle idea. I'm thinking that for sewers, there's no reason not to sew these out of quilted fabric -- either purchased or cut up an old ratty quilt. Cut to size, stitch and finish the stitched edge with bias tape. Or, if you have an old ratty or ugly sweater that you want to get rid of, as long as it's wool (not superwash or synthetic), run it through the washer and dryer until it seems properly felted, cut to size and sew together. Properly felted wool will not ravel!

Calling all knitters. I read this post, and immediately thought felted skillet handle holders. I found some ugly wool, which would felt nicely (but would mix nicely with other wool). I'm wondering if folks thing it would his is a good idea, and if anyone has an idea for how much it shrinks. Think shrinking length and width. I'm thinking it would shrink more in length than width, but I could be wrong. I envision two sides, with a single (or perhaps double) crochet edge to hold the two pieces together, and then being felted in the washer. Strikes me as a good way to use up leftover wool that isn't enough for a Big Project. With perhaps a loop thingie so that you can hang it on the oven handle so you don't forget and leave a layer of your palm on the handle of the skillet?

Chris: Do not freeze a frittata. Big yuck. But, in the success department, I have frozen pre-cooked components. For example, I happened on a large (very large) bunch of leeks at the farmer's market. I had the time and inclination to clean and saute them, but not the inclination (nor the potatoes) to make potato leek soup, so I simply froze the sauteed "mise." Works like a charm if frozen in one-batch amounts. I've also done this with sauteed celery, carrots and onions. They take but a moment to thaw, and often make the difference between a home-cooked meal or take-out on a chock-full evening.

I browned the chix before I braised it. And, when I braised it, it was fairly submerged. But removing it from the liquid and then chilling the day before before grilling the night of worked perfectly. Plus, the braising liquid made for a luscious soup stock.

Over here, Chris mentions a dish from "Cradle of Flavour" in which the thighs are braised and then finished on the grill. Now, I'm not suggesting that you follow this recipe, but I've done the braise then grill technique a few times, and it is indeed wonderful. The chicken doesn't need much time on the grill. In none of the ways I've done this did I braise the chicken thighs until "falling off the bone," but I do think this technique renders a lot of the fat out, and the skin gets uber crispy. I've only done this with bone-in thighs, but I'd think you could use boneless (with skin) but you'd probably need to toothpick them so that they looked nice and plump.

I, too, swear by the bread soaked in milk technique. Oh, and I don't add eggs. As soon as I went this route, my kids would eat meatloaf!

Steven: Over here you mention a weight for eggs for your cornbread. In order to get the weight correct, you you beat (fork up) each egg and wiegh the beaten eggs. If you have more egg than you want, what do you do with the excess?

Erin, I have a few other comments about this book. While everything I've made from Revolutionary has been solid, there are a few other items lacking in terms of the cookbook editing (including better translations/transliterations). The index is horrid, and terribly incomplete. Several recipes call for "salted chiles." Well, there's a mention in the ingredient section, with a reference to a recipe for said salted chiles at toward the end of the cookbook. Nowhere in the index do I find an entry for "salted chiles." And, when she gives the recipe for this condiment, she merely says "1 lb. very fresh red chiles." What kind of chiles? How hot? I don't think she's talking red bells, nor is she talking about red Anaheims (and yes, they can turn red). You mentioned a coriander salad. You can't find this in the index under cilantro or coriander. You need to go to the "S's" for Spicy Coriander salad. Off my index and ingredient soapbox. The recipes I have done have been solid, and I do think many of the longer-cooking ones can be done in a crock pot. Oh, and if you're going to do the Tangerine Island Dry-Braised Fish, be warned. If you are serving it to kids, you will spend the entire meal picking out bones. But, this recipe also worked very well with chix thighs, and the beef recipes translated very well to venison.

As I've reported many times up-topic, anytime I put a pan with a handle in the oven, I wrap the handle in foil (and lest you think I'm wasteful, I reuse the foil). Why do I do this? The foil certainly won't prevent a burn, but will serve as a reminder to grab a potholder or kitchen towel to remove said "palm burner" from the oven. And, yes, Chris, unless you give yourself something like my foil reminder, you will do this again.

I'm sort of wondering, whether one braises or smokes these cuts of meat, how much loss is attributable to the "little bits that happen to fall off into the cook's or smoker's mouth?"

Chris, I could not have said this better myself. Were it not for other Society members, I never would have tackled smoked meat (add Brisket to the list, please!); on a Trusty Old Kettle, to boot. Butt (we prefer ours nekked -- not rubbed -- and insert male juvenile humor here) and brisket, smoked naturally, are my signatures. The sides vary, which surprises and delights guests and family. And, I can't think of more versatile leftovers.

My scale is used very regularly. Like on an almost daily basis. Especially useful when I'm breaking down a deer and packaging it. But, most important I've mentioned over here: "Just how big is a medium carrot, onion, shallot or garlic clove? A handful? Just how big are your hands?"

Details in your method of preparation and serving, please? BTW, good ideas, everyone.

My favorite vendor at the farmer's market gave me a peck (at least I think it was a peck-sized container) of Anaheims. It was late in the day, and he was tired. No guilt here, as I've bought plenty of stuff from him and gave him some recipes -- a very good way to make friends at the farmer's market. What should I do with them?

Sao Oi is one of my favorite sausages. I've made the version from Hot, Sour, Salty, Sweet -- this one does not use curry paste but birds instead, although it also has lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves. They are not smoked. I've also made the version from Thompson's Thai Food, which is also very good. His version calls for a curry paste which includes lemongrass. He calls for smoking them over coconut (I used the Trusty Old Weber with a foil packet of coconut). My local Asian market also makes these, and since they are only $1.79/lb, I tend to buy them rather than making my own. Their version has discernible bits of lemongrass and lime leaves. When I've made them, I used fatty butt.