kayb

A purely theoretical suggestion, as I don't use either a stone or a steel in my oven, mostly because I don't make that much pizza: If you are going to get a steel cut to size at a machine shop (probably your cheapest alternative, should you have a machine shop within easy shouting distance), you might want to get a couple of hand-holds cut in the front side. I would expect a steel of that size, 1/4 to 1/2 inches thick, to be fairly heavy, and handholds would sure make it easier to handle when you took it out or put it in. It's been my experience that most folks who own/run small machine shops are generally open to you coming in and saying, "Hey, I need something this wide and this deep, shaped like this. My father made me a cutting board shaped like a pig, and wound up having a cottage industry of people who wanted one like it.

@Anna N -- would you share the recipe for Parmesan pudding? And if no tomato pesto, then what, if anything, would you recommend with it?

Hushpuppies should be firm enough you can essentially mold them in your hands before frying. They're good with some whole kernel corn mixed in, too. And I have had excellent hushpuppies made with beer. Don't have a recipe, because I don't deep-fry much of anything if I can help it.

My only thought not already mentioned would be that my personal preference would be to have the spices at eye level as opposed to a lower cabinet. Definitely convenient to the stove, though. YMMV. Will be interested to see photos of the in-progress!

You can use your favorite white/yellow cake recipe; I have typically used one from Dorie Greenspan, but this year, I think I'm going to use the one my mother always used that I re-discovered when going through her recipe box. See this blog entry for that one. Either bake it in three or four layers, or cut two layers in half crosswise. It's the frosting that makes this cake. Take a 12 oz of sour cream and mix in a cup to a cup and a half, depending on your sweet tooth, of granulated sugar and 1 1/2 packages of fresh-frozen coconut. (Reserve the other half-package; you'll need it.) Take 1/2 the filling and fill liberally between layers of cake. Use it all.. Take the remaining filling and mix it with a container of Cool Whip. I have tried this with whipped cream, and I can't figure out how to stabilize the whipped cream to make it hold for several days in the refrigerator. If you, or anyone else, knows how, I'd be MOST grateful for a tip. Use this to frost the top and sides of the cake. Sprinkle the remaining coconut on top and pat onto sides. Finally, the critical step: In an airtight cake container, refrigerate the cake for three days before serving. This allows the moisture from the filling and frosting to soak into the cake. For a proper Southern holiday dessert, serve with a side dish of ambrosia -- mandarin orange segments and pineapple tidbits, drained, mixed with another package of frozen coconut, and topped with a couple of maraschino cherries. This cake freezes quite well, which is what I always wind up doing with half of it.

The annual cook begins today. Cranberry salad, sweet potato casserole (to be compiled and into the freezer, to await baking Friday, as we are having our T'giving dinner a day late). Very possibly the coconut cake, which must sit in the fridge a minimum of three days prior to cutting, in order to soak in its juices. T-minus-7 and counting!

Having been on a (homemade) yogurt and (homemade) granola kick for the past two or three months, that's what I had today, too.

A big collection of quick breads is here. Unfortunately, it does not have Tom Hirschfield's recipe for Guinness Whole Wheat quick bread, which I used to make regularly, but had saved only the link and not the text of the recipe. I recall that it had wheat bran, oatmeal, Guinness and honey in it, and it was very dense, only mildly sweet, and very good. Tom's domain apparently is no more, which saddens me; loved his blog and recipes, several of which have become favorites of mine. If anyone has that recipe, I'd deeply appreciate you sending it along!

Saved that one, too. Loving the idea of sun-dried tomato/cheese bread. May do that tonight.

It freezes fairly well, vacuum sealed, or just plastic bagged with as much air as possible squeezed out. I typically do that with a good portion of mine. I like it in potato soup, as well. I tried Brunswick stew last year, and was underwhelmed. Great in tacos, on nachos or quesadillas. Put it in fried rice or use in egg roll filling. Use it as the meat in a "spaghetti gravy." Put it on a pizza. Leftover pulled pork is about the most versatile meat in the world, except for leftover roast chicken. @robirdstx, I believe your tacos may have inspired my dinner tonight. Lovely. Will be off to the store shortly to pick up avocados.....

Awwwww, yeah! That looks like the "real stuff," sure enough. (Coming from a long-time Memphis-area resident, that's high praise!) If you have any leftovers, cube and fry some sweet potatoes, adding some 'cue at the last minute, just long enough to heat it up. Sprinkle the resultant hash with a bit of the Dust, decorate with a squiggle of barbecue sauce, and top it with an over easy egg. Most excellent breakfast. Or lunch. Or dinner, for that matter.

I do a meat loaf similar to this. It's pretty dang good.

November 16. I am still picking tomatoes. We've had one, very light, frost. And Thanksgiving is next week. But there's no global warming.

I've never done mirepoix like this, but I do caramelized onions on a fairly regular basis.

Yep. They don't call it "spaghetti gravy" down here for nothin'.

You may have my share of all the collards in the world. Please don't ruin the okra by boiling it. Cut it up, dust it in cornmeal, and fry it!

I'm sure regular garlic, minced and gently sauteed, would work. I get the big four-pound bags of peeled garlic cloves at Sam's a couple of times a year and make a half-gallon of garlic confit, because I prefer the taste and texture of the confited garlic to either raw or sauteed. I also caramelize a huge batch of onions at a time in my slow cooker, then package and freeze. It's just easier.

YUM! Cinnamon toast sans cinnamon (just butter and sugar), made from oatmeal/whole wheat/flaxseed bread.

This morning's breakfast: Cinnamon toast, sans the cinnamon (just butter and sugar), from my oatmeal/whole wheat/flaxseed bread. I've noticed something about the toast function on the CSO. If I'm toasting plain grocery store white sandwich bread, which I keep on hand to make grilled cheese sandwiches for the youngsters, I need to go no darker than 4 on the toast setting. This bread was set to 7, and barely showed a hint of crispness around the edges. What makes the difference? This is a very moist, heavy, hearty bread, and it's my assumption the texture and density are the defining factors. Anyone?

Maiden voyage at using the IP to make chicken noodle soup. In a flash of serendipity, I discovered that the small colander that came with my recent set of mixing bowls fits perfectly in the IP. And it has little handles so it can be lifted out. I put it in the pot, filled with about half a roast chicken still on the bone, added water, and cooked it at low pressure for 20 minutes. Lifted the colander, with chicken carcass, out; added carrots and onion to the stock and let that cook for 10 minutes medium pressure while I pulled meat off the chicken bones. Seasoned the broth and veggies with some cumin, coriander and cinnamon; added the cut-up chicken and eight ounces of egg noodles. Cooked on the "soup" setting for four minutes. Noodles were perfect doneness; alas, the seasoning profile lacked something. Quite a bit, actually. I doctored it with hot sauce and some salt, which helped, but I would have been better served to have stayed with plain old salt and pepper. Live and learn.

Farm-raised catfish, being very mild in taste, lend themselves to all sorts of preps, too -- anything you'd do with tilapia, and as most tilapia is imported from China, whose food-farming conditions, so I've read, are a bit suspect, I prefer to stick with catfish. This recipe calls for bluefish, but I've done it with catfish filets to marvelous effect. In fact, should do that again soon.

A part of the world I've always wanted to see, particularly after hearing descriptions by several in this forum. Welcome, glad to have you, and hope to come visit someday!

Ah, the Redneck Riviera! I do love it. Haven't been to Gautier for a long time; I used to turn the other way when Highway 49 hit the coast, and go to Pass Christian, a similar town until Katrina made landfall. Haven't been back to see how it recovered. Glad you enjoyed the catfish. If it's cooked fresh, and hasn't been sitting under a heat lamp, and it's either farmed or cleaned by someone who knows what they're doing, there's not much bettter. If you should ever find yourself in the neighborhood of where the Tennessee River meets the Mississippi-Tennessee state line (and the only reason you'd be likely to do so would be if you were a Civil War buff and going to Shiloh, or an Elvis devotee going to Tupelo), I'd highly recommend you try Hagy's Catfish Hotel for the fiddlers (small, whole fish, sans head and skin). All you can eat. Marvelous.

Found a recipe when going through my Mama's recipe box, apparently one she'd clipped from the newspaper, and it sounded interesting: Grandmother's Oatmeal Bread. Grandmother apparently baked a lot of bread. I cut the recipe in half and still had enough for two 8 x 4 1/2 loaves. Had no wheat germ, but Mr. Google assured me I could substitute flaxseed meal, so I did. Here's the recipe: A good, hearty bread. Makes good toast. Sturdy enough for most sandwiches.

First real breakfast I've cooked in ages on Saturday: bacon, scrambled eggs, toast from an oatmeal loaf I baked Friday, and pear preserves. Baked blueberry muffins this morning. No photos, because I forgot. Back to yogurt tomorrow, as I made a batch today.