IndyRob

I don't like it. I like competition. Not monopolies.

I'd be interested in any 'sage advice' myself. I have a lot of it on my kitchen counter right now. Along with a couple handfuls of parsley.

I do a 'cajun lasagna' that I'm starting to prefer over Italian versions... Make ricotta/paneer by boiling (stirring constantly) a gallon whole milk and adding some citric acid at the end (a gallon will make enough for two of these recipes unless you make a bigger one). Drain well (squeeze if needed) so you have a dry cheese (important). Use about 12oz mixed with two eggs and seasoned liberally with S&P. Chop an onion, a green pepper and a couple of stalks of celery (trinity). Sweat these with some salt. Let cool somewhat. Chop up a large andouille sausage into 1/4 inch dice (actually, I just roughly cut it up and pulse it in a food chopper a few times). Grate about 12oz mozzarella/provolone cheese. Grease a rectangular pan and place 4 wonton wrappers on the the bottom. Randomly dollop (roughly tablespoon sized dollops) each of the four mixtures side-by-side all over to make a layer. Add four more wontons and do a second layer. Then four more and a layer of the mozz/prov. Cover with foil and bake 40min at 350. Remove foil and go another 10-15 minutes until cheese is golden. Let cool somewhat before serving. The cheesiness and wontons makes for a lasagna that holds it shape and structural integrity. Each forkful should hold together and includes the cheeses, spicy sausage and veg.

I was wandering through a Goodwill store the other day and noticed two different bread machines for cheap. I've never owned one before so I don't know if they'd be worth a gamble. But seeing as how it appears we have a new bread machine topic, I wonder if there are certain ones we should keep an eye out for.

It looks like there's been some sort of editorial fiasco with the thickness measurements. The recipe specifies 2 X 500g steaks. A typical grocery store T-bone would be a match at slightly over 1 lb and those steaks, as well as the steaks in the pic, are clearly not 1/8". From there, the rest of the recipe seems reasonable (if unremarkable).

5) They note, with some interest, the distinct lack of 'Turkey Houses' to compete with 'Steak Houses', 'Fried Chicken Shacks' or 'Pork Palaces' 6) They just don't like turkey. Just like they don't really like venison.

I saw something elsewhere - unfortunately in a place I can't recall - that the whole 'we sold out' thing was sort of a set-up. They only stocked enough product to sell 70 sandwiches a day. A quote from the linked article seems to confirm... So they sold 250 sandwiches in 5 hours and are now out for the rest of the promotion. Hey wait, this article was from last year. Oh well, probably the same routine this year.

My family tends to stick to tradition even though we'd never think to eat turkey at any other time of year. But I discovered my in-laws didn't really care, so I was able to do a nice rib roast one year. Someday I'll do a big porchetta. It also strikes me that mushrooms could play a larger role than they generally do. Either sauteed or as a sauce.

Do a search for Lenora's Yeast Rolls. (from Bernard Clayton's New Complete Book of Breads)

IMHO, the SVE guys are okay. They're clearly not experts. But they have fun. It's frustrating that they don't do double blind, or even blind tests. Or use taste testers who aren't their friends. So they can't be viewed with any sort of authority, and really little credibility. But that's not to say what they do is completely useless. For instance, whether or not they used fresh garlic or not, they tested 'some things' and made it available on YouTube and didn't hide anything. So they have that going for them. Back to topic, I agree that the handle on this thing seems kind of useless. But we're going to see many more circulators on the market trying to differentiate themselves. I think that in a few years they'll all be selling for $24.95 or less. It's just a heating element, a thermocouple, an LED display and maybe a propeller.

the horse the trojans had did not leave but it came bearing gifts but they did not keep the real estate. it burned. useless to everyone because of the neighbors

Uh, yeah. I guess. Whatever that means.

Good God! Lordy man, thanks for warning us.

So where does the Yikes! come from? I don't understand what you're trying to say.

And you've not seen them together before?

You don't really need FB in any event, but....

I saw this vid on YouTube and noticed a glaring error... "So if your bagboy seems stressed out, don't worry, it's not your fault." Well, it might be a little bit your fault. You apparently missed the entrance to ALDI and wandered into a store with bagboys. But thanks for Googling up some facts about ALDI, Mashed.

When you change the way you cook something, you have to rethink everything. It's not just about smashing collagen. You have to manage what's left at the end. And those things will be different depending on how you applied your heat.

I measured mine with a tape measure (not the best way) and it seems to be just under 2.5 inches (maybe 6cm). A 2.5 inch diameter hole would probably work pretty well. You might want to wait for a second opinion though, just to be sure.

I don't think a raw potato is awful - just unappealing. The taste doesn't change much with cooking. It just needs softening and some help from salt and perhaps other things. Raw meat or fish can even be a preferred treatment. Both can also be dried similarly to chiles but not be awful. We don't really eat spices as a primary, or even secondary component. We put spices on things like potatoes.

I guess it's sort of the same thing as chocolate, which doesn't appear in it's best form naturally. But rather as a slimy bitter seed. How did they figure that out?

I did that. But that's not the point. My end result, as I said, was remarkably good. I just don't know how, from that early starting point, one figures out that it needs just a bit of some of those other things.

Very, very bitter.

Long story short - I decided to make some authenticish Mexican Red sauce from dried chiles. I watched various YouTube videos in Spanish and English and settled on what seemed a traditional approach. After toasting some of the chiles and adding some chicken broth, I simmered and tasted - awful. It wasn't done yet, but I'm accustomed to building flavors - not trying to (for lack of a better word) salvage them. But I continued on faith. After straining, reducing, adding the required cumin, oregano and salt, something started to work. It did take a bit of adjusting, but in the end the result was remarkably good. I thought about Mole, which seems similar. Is Mexican cuisine unique in this regard? I can't think of anything in American, British or French cuisine where you start out with something awful and somehow fix it to great effect.

What kind of heater?