maggiethecat

Brilliant -- made in no time.

Oh heavens! Why have I forgotten cinnamon toast? When I was a tween I made it every night after school. My method was different: I'd smush some soft butter, cinnamon and brown sugar together and spread it on toast. I'll try your way soon.Not only is this topic providing me with swell new ideas, but they're taking me into the way back machine. I'll try that mousse, Mz. Jaymes.

Got Brie, got crackers, got jam. Score!

Linda, we cross posted -- what terrific staples. Katie, I was the only kid on the block who hated both hot dogs and peanut butter, a real PIA in the sixties, but I usually have some peanut butter in the house because I like pb cookies. Hmmmm. Margaret, merci.

Not compared to me, sister! (I'm buying a bag of marshmallows tomorrow.)What I've learned is that I'm under stocked with basic stuff, like, say, ice cream, let alone pie filling and cake mix. (Sounds good, Jaymes.)So, help me assemble the basic pantry/fridge stuff for Desperation Desserts. I often have in stock: that huge TJs bittersweet chocolate bar, some fresh or frozen fruit, almonds, raisins, craisins, milk, butter, and maybe some Greek yog or sour cream. What are your can't do without items at 11:00 pm? Hmmm, if I bought graham crackers and marshmallows, instant S'mores.

I'm talkin' really desperate -- I should have made that clearer. I'm talkin'"If I don't get something in five minutes I'm going to drive to Dairy Queen in my nightie in February" desperate. All your ideas are terrific, but I need something that fits my crazed window of time. Keep'em coming!

Oh, just typing this post gave me an idea: late night French Toast.

I love to bake, and I'm good at it, but it's mostly something for a special occasion or because I'm itching to try out a new recipe. If I had a cookie jar, it would be empty 200 days of the year. Important point: although I'm not a chocolate lady, I always have some decent chocolate in the house. Twice a month, after eleven pm, I have a desperate desire for dessert. Trust me, that melted choc /shredded wheat concoction was a bad idea. The microwaved Brownie in a mug is only so-so unless you own a lot of whipped cream, which suggests you are phyched for desserts, not desperate. A couple of desperate days ago I threw a small handful of frozen TJ's blueberries, topped with some brown sugar into a cocotte in the microwave and nuked it until it was warm and juicy. I topped it with Greek Yog, and to me it was ambrosia. (Yeah with some nuts or coconut it would be better, but I was in desperation mode, not recipe writing mode.) In my teens, a mixture of walnuts and raisins was my idea of an anytime go-to dessert. Oh, I loved it, and I'll buy some walnuts and see if it still satisfies. Long preamble to my question: What's your Desperation Dessert?

I love a picture of a kitchen in use. Makes me feel fine about mine.

I'll check out my stack; if I have it I'll send it to you.

Since we bought the KA attachment we make pasta once a week. With the hand cranked Atlas, maybe once a quarter.

I had a couple of pork tenderloins and subzero inspiration, because I'm bored and wanted to try something different. The MSL website suggested this:it's a stone winner. You need a broiler, a pork tenderloin, apricot jam , Dijon mustard and twenty minutes That's it! The Three Sisters in frozen Ottawa loved it.

Wash them in cold water for both wash and rinse on your machine's longest cycle. Hang to dry. Repeat if necessary.

I'll give it a try, varway.

I'll find my Dad's calculator tomorrow. Merci all.

Depends on the vent engineering. Some vented lids have an open/close thingie, so one can close the vents. I prefer a plain ole solid lid that I can crack as needed.

Thanks! I've tested this many times since I first posted this topic -- it is consistent.

Glad you enjoyed it, Chris. The burger was so good, it almost surpassed the company. I've taken to ordering "rare" at O&E just to avoid the occasional possibility of having my burger cooked beyond my preference. Still, it's such a fatty unctuous portion of ground-on-site beef, that it doesn't suffer at medium. Here are a couple of pics of the burger I had at our lunch yesterday . . . Meyer Ranch Beef Burger Meyer Ranch Beef Burger This remains my favorite burger in Chicago. As for Kuma's, I'm not really a fan. The novelty of their distinctively over-the-top topping cominbations wore thin for me a while back and I don't think their beef comes close in quality to O&E, or other places around town. =R= Mon cher ronnie, that is one gorgeous burger.

The middle-aged discount beef at my local independent grocer (with Union butchers)is impeccable. They don't do discount ground beef, poultry or fish.

We bought a case of 100 Malpecques last week and I let three other people shuck them. I've decided that shelling oysters is a task I'll delegate. Forever.

I resolve to try enough cauliflower recipes that I can write the sacred text on cauliflower.

I pledge to cook kale eight ways to Saturday until I find a recipe that masks that litter box odor.

I agree that the water needn't be acidulated, but after a lifetime of suspense-filled egg poaching I'm superstitious. I use a cold egg straight from the fridge -- and I realized I'm working my way through a carton of Extra Larges, which would explain why others have found a shorter time is better. Yes, I like the cling film method and still use it on occasion, when I want to add fresh herbs, but I don't think of it as a "real"poached egg.

I adore poached eggs and I've bought every poached egg enabler for thirty years, including the adorable Eifflesque pierced metal thingie with the long handle, recommended by Julia. Because poached eggs on toast is my go-to lunch, believe me I've tried them all, including my esteemed colleague JAZ's method, available on the NPR website -- find it and read it. Brilliant. But all these methods pale beside a truc I found online, and, of course, I can't remember where! I suspect it was from Saveur It's so easy it makes me weep for all those wasted years sweating about the frizzy whites and discombobulated oviods. Here it is. Put on a pan of lightly acidulated water and bring it to a lite boil. Crack the egg into a saucer then slip it into the just bubbling water. Turn off the heat right quick, cover the pan and set the timer for four minutes. When you lift the egg into the slotted spoon the frizzy egg whites are minimal and the egg is perfectly -- I mean perfectly -- cooked. The idea is: never let them poach, even for a minute, in actively bubbling water. A perfect poached egg every, every time, no sweat, no appliances no cooking for the first minute over real heat. I'm stunned. So, my eG buddies, wanna try it out? I'm interested.

I didn't take a picture, but the humungo butternut squash stuffed with sage, Italian sausage and breadcrumbs was a hit-the-spot Sunday dinner for two.