robirdstx

Wonderful blog so far! Please don't hold back. I don't have your pull out cabinet shelves or updated kitchen in general but I do have two sets of those measuring cups. Can't wait to be formally introduced to your furry friends. I think I caught a glimpse of a kitty and a black dog. And speaking of Hutchinson, I was there once over 25 years ago for a dog show - we were living in a small town south of Olathe at the time.

What do I like better than a poached egg on buttered toast? Two poached eggs on buttered toast!

Oh - that sounds really, really good. I have some cabbage to use up and I think it would go well with some pork tenderloin for dinner tomorrow night.

Here's hoping for lots of good luck for all in the new year! Black-eyed Pea and Lentil Soup with Andouille Sausage and Kale, Steamed Rice and Corn Bread

How about fajitas? Chicken or beef or both!

I just did my grocery shopping today and can not believe I forgot to get blackeyed peas! Fortunately, I have a Tuscan Bean Soup Mix (that came in a gift basket from my father) that lists the peas as the first ingredient, so we will have this soup with andouille on New Years Day. I also have a head of cabbage and some kale, so the greens are covered.

Interesting. Ratios? This is the recipe I use: Bacon and Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms 4 - 6 strips of bacon 25 large mushrooms, stems removed 8 mushroom stems, finely chopped 1 small onion, finely chopped 3 cloves garlic, minced 8 oz cream cheese, softened 1 cup parmesan cheese, finely grated (divided use) Heat skillet over medium heat and fry bacon until crisp. Drain on paper towels and crumble when cooled. Reserve bacon fat. Wipe mushrooms clean and remove stems by twisting gently. Reserve and finely chop about 8 stems for next step. Finely chop onion and mince garlic. Saute mushroom stems, onion and garlic in reserved bacon fat until tender. Drain off excess fat. Mix crumbled bacon and sauted vegetables with softened cream cheese and 3/4 cup grated cheese until the mixture is workable. Stuff each mushroom, sprinkle with remaining grated cheese and bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes. Turn the oven to broil and finish under broiler briefly, just until tops are golden.

Bacon and Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms (filling of sauteed finely chopped mushroom stems, onion, and garlic with crumbled bacon, cream cheese, and parmesan).

Get some well deserved rest. Thank you for a wonderful blog.

Thank you. I was not relying on the popper but it did pop up at about the four hour mark. When I checked the thigh it was at 180F and the stuffing was at 160F, so out it came to rest.

I don't have big plastic containers, but I do have four gallon size ziploc bags that hold smaller items: one for nuts, one for dried mushrooms, one for specialty flours and seeds, and one for misc. stuff and fresh produce like ginger, thyme, parsley, tomato paste and herb butters.

Chris, are you saying that you should have cut down through the radius instead of through the diameter?

Thanks Chris. I'll trade you some turkey for some of your potstickers. We like the crispier ones too.

The turkey came out really moist and tender. Lots of leftovers for sandwiches, pot pie, etc...

Our only tweak will be steamed asparagus, in place of the green peas. The turkey has been in the oven for two hours and I'm getting ready to start on the dinner rolls.

You won't be sorry! The default sound signal for when cooking begins and when the timer is set is "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" and when cooking has completed it signals by playing "Amaryllis". These sound signals can be changed to beeps but I think I'll leave the melodies for now.

One of Santa's helpers, aka the UPS man, deliverd my rice cooker yesterday. I was going to wait until after Christmas but what the heck, we made jasmine rice to go with our sausage and lentil soup last night. The rice was perfect and I love the songs the cooker plays!

And sometimes, even though you have and have read the User's Guide that comes with the machine, the information to solve your problem is not there. My User's Guide (Maytag) does not recommend any specific brand of detergent, says to use more detergent for harder water, does not address how to decalcify, does not mention salt, and does not say anything about cleaning filters or spray arms.

I had something similar to this happen to me last year. The repairman ran a special cleaner through it that cleared it out. No idea if this can be bought retail or not. I found that my grocery store carries three different products that are for this purpose. Two were liquid once time use items but the third was a granular product called Lemi Shine that has enough for up to 18 applications. This is the one I bought and with some elbow grease and half a dozen runs of the washer, my dishwasher now looks and runs like new. The build up was not only clogging the arm holes but had coated the sides and undersides of every interior part of the machine. I guess its not really surprizing as we have been using this machine for almost nine years and it may have been as much as five years old when we bought the house. Anyway, I am so glad to have found the solution, with many thanks to this forum.

Have you checked that the revolving "arms" are free of debris? When I end up with dirty dishes I usually find that the holes in the arms where the water spray emerges are plugged with bits of food or other debris. Bingo! We had stopped using our dishwasher about a month ago as it was no longer getting the dishes clean. We had talked about replacing it but I wasn't ready to spend the dollars yet and now I am so glad I had waited. I just checked the arm and all of the holes were clogged with build up from our very hard water. I took a small screwdriver and have cleaned them all out and am now running the washer through a normal cycle.

Andiesenji - Thanks for the tip. What setting do you use when you want to use the cooker as a steamer?

I will not tilt the cookie sheet that is holding newly proofed dinner rolls in a silicon cake pan in one hand while moving stuff around in the fridge with the other to make a place to hold the rolls until I am ready to bake them. The silicon cake pan slid right off the cookie sheet and landed upside down on the bottom rim of the fridge. Fortunately, the rolls were covered with plastic wrap and did not get contaminated, only deflated and mis-shapened. Back they went into the proofing box. They weren't as pretty when baked but at least not a total loss. This explains why I was never a waitperson and never should be!

I think so too. I have a small covered pot that I have been using for making rice and it works most of the time. When it doesn't, its due to operator error. I've read all of the rice cooker threads on this forum and decided this model is going to be just right for the two of us.

A Zojirushi Fuzzy Logic 3 cup Rice Cooker is destined to arrive under my tree. Can't wait to play with it!

The can is almost 13 YEARS past its expiration date. Why take a chance? I'd toss it.