maggiethecat

(Great post, Jaymes. I think you nailed it.) I have this vision of collecting all the cookbooks we eGulleteers own and putting them all in one room. How large would that room have to be? The size of St. Peter's? The Pentagon? They would be laid out flat, not stacked.

Are you referring to "How to Cook Everything?" I have never been tempted to buy it...too dense. I was talking about "The Minimalist Cooks at Home", which provides some straightforward and interesting recipes from his N.Y. Times columns. Not a basic cookbook, but interesting from the Food Science point of view, is Shirley Corriher's "Foodwise." Excellent recipes, great info, charming voice, and terribly badly organized.

Apologia: I like my sweeties, but prefer high fat content (er...butter) to sweetness. That said, I hate how honey jars and bottles inevitably get all sticky, crystally and yucky. We always have some around because His Handsomeness likes it. Yes, I am of the school that uses it for Health Giving Toddies. Ascolta: Juice one lemon, big dab black currant jam, hot water and honey to taste. No honey? Sugar works fine. Sleep tight. I do take honey seriously as a food. Just don't like that sticky sweetness.

Ernest newlyweds that we were, we cooked our way through Julia's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking," volumes one and two. Sounds quaint now, but we really learned a lot. The book that was on my shelf, pre-marriage, was...guess what? "The Joy of Cooking." It's still the desert island cookbook. Anything by Pepin is reliable. We also like Mark Bittman's "The Minimalist Cooks at Home." Remember that old canard "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step?" Just wake up and say: Hmm...a cheese souffle would be good for lunch...or a Salad Nicoise, or whatever, look it up and give it a shot. Even if it isn't perfect it will probably be edible, and you will have learned lots. My dear, it ain't brain surgery. And the results of the experiment are much tastier! Good luck.

That's why I put in the "as recounted" bit. Accuracy and all that.

Okay. And thanks...at last I have a signature line!

Thanks, Miss Kit! These are now on my weekend agenda!

Back to this gem. Words fail me so I'll stop. Gawd.

Jaymes: Separated at birth? Possible. That's why (separation-wise) you hung with Peter Paul and (briefly) Mary, and I with John Mayles and various other Brit Blues folk. Isn't it great how the parents are holding up? See you in Ottawa at Christmastime!

Snowie: I love your cinnamon roll and bacon idea. That rocks! And your last sentence made me sniffle a little. You are so right, Lady!

Susie has a seriously awesome idea. Nickn: Not going the artisanal route does not mean Bah Humbug. I'm sure Susie, for example, wouldn't mind if you simply spent money! Something over a carat, say.

For the Love of God, STOP ME! I have Jaymes's caramel corn cooling on my counter, and taking up most of it...this recipe makes A LOT. Ladies and gents, it's kickass-good. Addictive. Fortunately, the ol' PC is in another area of the house, and I had enough strength of will not to have brought a dish with me. Great flavour, and not too sticky, which I like. This aspect makes it easier to inhale handfuls, and my crowns are still intact. Just a hint of molasses taste, and the nuts (I used almonds and pecans) are a treat all by themselves. It was really easy to make (the hardest part was rebuffing the overtures of Willow the Cat, who wanted to Help.) Cleanup not bad, and my wicket remains unsticky. I will make more(note to self: Buy some tins.) I like the flavour of the topping so much I might bump up its volume by a 1/4 next time. Thanks, Miss Jaymes. I think I know what the lucky brothers-in- law will get for Christmas this year. SO much better than the classic socksandunderwear. Most highly recommended.

Jaymes, ma'am: Do you bake the mixture in the stainless mixing bowl, or do you transfer it to a flat baking pan? (I too have the enormous stainless bowl, which makes its annual appearance from the top of the shelf during fruitcake season.) I have lots of stuff I *should* be doing today, but will find time for this and report back!

Jaymes: Thanks so much for this great sounding recipe....reminiscent on the about-mentioned Hermits, but richer. You go! Second recipe of your I've printed in the last 24 hours!

Jaymes: I never knew how much I needed this recipe until you posted it. I will Make Time in My Day tomorrow to make it. (What's another loose crown?)

Artisanal lighting equipment: LOL!

Thanks Stella! Your post made my dive bar memories seem squeaky clean! Montreal, early seventies (when women, by law, could still not enter taverns) Near McGill, where I was a sixteen year old freshman: The Swiss Hut (or Hutte Suisse) Reasonably clean, and absolute paradise for under-age drinkers. Drinking age was still 20, back then. My girlfriends and I *always* got served. Ah yes, the many pitchers of Molson Ex consumed! Only once had to slip out the back door in a hurry because of a police raid. Chicago: The Old Town Ale House on Wells. Handsome bartender, lots of smoke, "diverse" clientele, and Robert Merrill and Jan Pearce dueting on "Au Fond du Temple Sainte" on the jukebox. Fort McMurray, Alberta: The Peter Pond. Haven't been there myself, but my brother bounced there during the heyday of the Tar Sands. His stories can still make my hair curl.

Welcome, Allura!

Quite right. Sorry. And he does have that rancid oiled stone. Steels without number (one eighteenth century, I believe.) Diamond. Whatever. Nothing ever works as quickly as is hoped.

Ed: Thank you for your candid and thoughtful reply to this post. I learned a great deal. I think I "get it."

Glenn...haven't visited the shops, but thanks for the cool links!

And Hermits! How I love them! Does anyone have a recipe to share? And a theory on the etemology involved with the name?

I'm fairly sure that most veg can be grown from seed, but in many cases, why bother? Brussel sprouts, for one. I just give the garden center my buck fifty for three. BTW, even is you hate sprouts, grow them at least once. They are such a magic-looking sight. Unless you do have a greenhouse or a Gro-light setup, I'd buy my own tomato plants too. My Dad has one of those Gro-light cart thingmajigs and it's cool. He is the only person I know crazy(and patient!)enough to grow impatiens and geraniums (or pelargoniums, if you're semantically picky!) from seed.

Steve: Just excellent! Thanks for your detailed reports.