snowangel

I had the same problem with the skinless chicken sticking to the pan and getting torn. I solved the browning the skinless thighs by first browning them with the skin on. When the flesh under the skin has turned white, I pulled the skin off and then browned them -- and they didn't stick. BTW, most of the braised dishes I've made are not very pretty either! Thanks for the report. I'll add it to my list of things to make.

One of the things I have noted at my local Asian and Hispanic markets is that they seem to be family affairs, in both cases run by an iron-clad tiny little grandma. I wonder how much of this affects the prices? Across the board, prices are less. Do other's think that their local "ethnic" markets are family owned and run?

I see the grocery carts the days just before da opener (opening of fishing season in Minnesota) and the start of the deer hunting season, and sometimes during the ice fishing season, all pushed by men, who are probably on their way up north for a guy's weekend. Hot dogs or brats. Cans of baked beans. Steaks. Bacon. Eggs. Loaf of squishy white bread. Occasional jar of peanut butter. Then they stop at the liquor store for cases of Bud, some bottle of cheap brown liquor, and during the ice fishing season, a flask of peppermint schnapps. My husband, on the other hand, goes on these momentous weekends with his family, and the grocery cart is much different.

Thanks Austin, for elaborating. The reason I stir fry the kwaan tung is that my kids love it that way, and give me the major "yuck" when they see the greens floating in soup. And, yes to the raw eggplant, but most farangs can't wrap themselves around it. Please keep participating in this topic! I didn't spend nearly as much time in the kitchen when I lived in Thailand.

You want Ultrathon. Trust me. A couple more things. It's fun to pull over on the side of the highway at the Frency River and hang over the railing -- it's a trout hatchery, and if you're lucky, you'll see them swimming upstream. For a meal between the Cities and Duluth, get off at the Barnum exit. There's a great restaurant (diner type food) on the west side of the highway. Ask for a window booth and you'll have a great view of the lake across the freeway. We stopped there on our way home from the North Shore at Xmas and watched people ice fishing. The burgers, sandwiches and hot meat loaf sandwich were great, and the waitresses were fab.

Thanks, Steve, for the link to the article. I passed by this place on my way to and fro Blue Fin Bay last Thanksgiving, and wondered. Nancy is spot on about the markets in Duluth, and thanks for mentioning Russ Kendall's! If you are heading north out of Duluth to Highway 1, there's no reason not to take the scenic highway, and every reason to stop at Kendall's. Should you choose to purchase produce and any groceries in the Twin Cities, the place to go would be The Wedge. And, yes, to what Nancy said about fish. Make sure you aren't going to mess with tradition and make people uncomfortable if you don't just flat fry the fish. My FIL would be horrified if I did anything with walleye other than dip in egg and crushed saltines and fry (although I'm much more adventurous when I'm with my hubby and kids). Crappies take very well to a deep fry) while whole, accompanied by a spicy sauce, which masks the muddy flavor they have.

Heather, we moved almost two years ago. In the former school district, the kids had 15 minutes for lunch. From time of standing in line until bussing trays. New school disctrict, a full 35 minutes. My kids don't eat as hastily at dinner now, which is a good thing. For kids, yes to lots of little meals. They need it. Now that I'm home days, I find myself slipping into the pattern of several small "meals" over the course of the day and I feel more energetic.

Diana and I have been fighting over the leftover kao soi. I put the extra cooked noodles in a plastic bag, and the kao soi sauce/soup in a container. We've been (horror or horrors) reheating a combo of the soup and noodles in the microwave on the defrost cycle. I've gotta make more of this soon. We've decided that Kao Soi is Breakfast of Champions.

Yum! At what temp do you roast it? To what temp? I've got a couple of small roasts, but no experience roasing venison.

I'm just now realizing that I forgot to report here on a great vension dish I did fairly recently. A braised dish which I discuss here.

Lori, I loosely followed this recipe. Knowing that venison doesn't have a lot of fat, and this piece seemed like it might be tough, I sliced it very thinly. The venison excuded quite a bit of fat and liquid (I suppose you could say I didn't brown it, but steamed it because the pan was quite crowded), I did lower the heat dramatically and put a lid on before I removed the venison and continued with the recipe. The venison emerged tender and succulent, without being overcooked. The only other mod I made to this recipe was to add some worchestershire sauce. Oh, and I didn't use as much meat as the recipe called for -- I think I used a pound and a half instead, but when I make stroganoff, I want it extra saucy because Heidi can't/won't eat the meat.

Susan, I think the stuff with the yellow flowers is called yu choy, and my favorite preparation is to stir fry ala HSSS. The little eggplants are traditionally used in curry. I particularly like this in green curry with some sort of poultry. If the basil is Thai or holy basil, add to the curry. Another great use for the basil would be the stir-fried chicken with holy basil (p. 202 in HSSS; also good with Thai basil). Have you made Tom Yum?

Venison stroganoff (forgot to take pictures) last night. My family pronounced it the best ever!

Austin, after reading your article, I'm thinking that the venison I foraged was not so far from the origins of the dish as seemed originally. Let'e not mention that it was extremely satisfying.

This is a really important point. Thanks for making it Melissa. This is exactly how I work. I need to design to get an idea of price, and to see what is possible in your kitchen, and what is not. Keep in mind too that the layout portion of the design process is the most important. I always start with the design, then work on the style afterwards. ← And our designer was very forceful about this point! We could hang our eyes off the drawings, but we could not lay a finger on them until we paid. And we didn't mind. MelissaH ← When my folks did a major remodel, they hired a designer, who was independent -- not associated with a place that sold stuff, which I think can be a real advantage. The designer followed the same procedure as Arne does, and Melissa's designer did. No money until you accept the plans. My folks designer also was able to take them to a few houses that had kitchen's she'd designed ahead of them embarking on the plan. Yes, on what Arne said about the budget. Wendy, are you thinking of rennovation or remodel? Are you going to move appliances, walls, etc., or just replace what you have in pretty much the same configuration (with differences in storage abilities of cupboards/cabinets?). I've done two kitchen rennos, but I can call them that because we didn't move anything like appliances or walls. THought about it in this house, but realized that it would make me a cook with by back to everyone. There are a bunch of topics here on kitchen re-dos, most notably the two topics by Varmint. And, I believe it was fifi that suggested keeping a kitchen diary of what you do, what you would find more helpful, etc.

I'd like to second her endorsement of the Kyocera ceramic slicer, which also comes in a julienne version. (I have one of each.) At $25, it's also inexpensive. Where did you find one in black? The slicers I picked up at Williams-Sonoma were yellow (regular) and green (julienne). Not that I don't like the colors, but I think black is cool. ← Hmmm. We don't have Sur La Table here, but my folks leave go soon to see my sister, and my mom always brings me a "trinket." I think this is just the trinket I want! Janet, as to barware. I have this set of four sterling silver shot glasses in a little leather case that look like gold inside. So we suppose they are safe to drink out of? The came from my great-aunt Laura, and they would be from the early 30's, I think.

Very great idea! Perhaps peanuts instead of cashews in keeping more with traditional larb?

Those damned 2-gallon zip locks were harder to find than I expected. Target. Today was flip day, so they have been consolidated!

I'd think it would work, but it you are really concerned, how about getting all of the wet ingredients, dry ingredients and pan ready -- it wouldn't take much to get them mixed together, in the pan and in the oven.

I'm using 2 gallon zip locks. I put each belly half in its own bag. Should they be together?

Melissa, have you read this topic on experiences with IKEA cabinets and cupboards?

Thanks. Fixed my mistake.

Since we have a fresh foot of snow on the ground, I'm thinking a summery meal of ribs and potato salad on Sunday might be just what the doctor ordered! (Not to mention that we're having venison 4 nights this week, so smokey pork will be a nice relief!)

Janet, thanks for reminding me to pull out A New Way to Cook. I've had a hard time wrapping myself around that book, so think it will be bedside reading, and as soon as I can find sherry vinegar (I can't seem to locate it anywhere, so it's on my list of things for my folks to bring back from Berkeley when they visit my sister later this month). Question. What do you do with your leftovers? Recycle them as is or morph them into something else? Make that two questions. Which are your most go-to cookbooks?

Venison Kao Soi tonight. Venison works well in Thai food! More venison tomorrow night.