Norm Matthews

The front let is the Picnic. The shoulder blade which is the joint above the Picnic is from the shoulder blade and is the butt end. That looks like the Picnic to me but both butt and shoulder can be cooked the same and taste alike. The difference is that the Picnic is usually harder to carve because of the bones.

I went to a church Thanksgiving dinner at my nephews invitation last night. Thanksgiving day will be at my sister's house. My daughter in law (first time I have called her that) has to work on both of those days so I am making a turkey dinner for her on Sat. It will not be a big dinner but of course there will be roast turkey. I am also planning on gravy cornbread dressing- not stuffing thinking about making wilted lettuce instead of any other salad (any thoughts about that?) cranberry chutney with apples, pears, onion, cinnamon and cloves green bean casserole but NOT made with mushroom soup and canned onion rings ( special request or I wouldn't do it) Sweet potatoes Mashed potatoes dinner rolls pumpkin pie with a pecan praline topping.

Whenever I top a stew with biscuits and bake uncovered until browned and crispy on top, I call that a pot pie. Moist drop-biscuits steamed in a covered pan make dumplings. edit, then there are also something others call dumplings that resemble plump noodles.

Mmmmpomps, Jambalaya is similiar to paella in that it is a rice dish while gumbo is a soup served with rice cooked separately and étouffée is a main course of one type of shellfish served with a rich sauce and is often served over rice. edit, here is a link that explains it better than I did. http://www.essence.com/2014/04/10/essence-eats-gumbo-vs-jambalaya-vs-etouffee/

Like Red Lobster which makes cheese biscuits, you could make chicken flavored biscuits but they won't taste like dumplings. They will be biscuits unless you cook them the same way and consistency as dumplings. For your experiment though, perhaps you should look up the recipe for cream biscuits and not use buttermilk. Then you could start your experiment by dissolving some Better Than Bouillon chicken bouillon, for example, in the cream and make a batch to see how close they come to your goal. BTW this recipe does not use any fat other than that which is in the cream. If you think schmaltz would help you might try using some in place of some of the cream but I think it will make the biscuit heavy.

Biscuit dumplings will disintegrate if you put them in boiling liquid. They should be put in a covered pot with the liquid simmering. PS for drop dumplings I use an extra 1/4 C. milk to the basic biscuit dough.

The last two weeks have been pretty busy with house guests, visitors and a brides party plus a ton of left over food from the reception but tonight it was just us and one guest and I made country ribs (boneless) baked potatoes and a salad. Dressing was a simple balsamic vinegar, salad mustard, olive oil and a little cream.

Cassie made soup with left over wedding beef. Charlie didn't want soup and asked for tacos. She said tomorrow. Charlie had to admit the soup was good and had seconds. I am making the tacos tonight.

Having a tool that helps slice a potato without it sticking is a solution to the original question but it does not really address why it sticks in the first place which is not really the question asked in the first place. I wonder if the same knife would work on soft cheese or butter or does air pressure cause the same thing or does the properties of the substance contribute to the problem? Why don't carrots or apples present the same problem?

What is also is a factor is that the knife is sharpened at a considerable angle on the side that faces away from the potato. That helps the potato slice peel away from the knife by pushing it away as the knife passes through.

Several years ago I saw chickens being processed in a commercial facility. They all went in a large water bath that just about assured that if one chicken was contaminated, they all would be. Chicken processed individually isn't a s susceptible to making you sick if it isn't thoroughly cooked. I suspect Japanese chicken isn't processed the same way as it is in the U.S.

I think the main reason it didn't stick is that it is sharpened on one side which allows the potato to peel away. The thin blade also helps but I think such a knife would make it difficult to get even slices on the potatoes because it is so thin that the blade is easier to twist during the cut. edit: oops. Didn't see Dcarch post until after I posted.

Cocktail. Does ice count as a mixer?

As of 12 or 13 hours ago, I now have a daughter-in-law. They are spending a few days in a hotel on the Country Club Plaza here in Kansas City. Images here (https://www.google.com/search?q=kansas+city+country+club+plaza+more+images&rlz=1C5CHFA_enUS503US504&espv=2&biw=1768&bih=962&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=fnVfVImbLoq6yQTTxoHQCA&ved=0CB0QsAQ) The last week has been tiring. We had house guests, including noisy toddlers, and visitors nearly non stop for the last week. I probably cooked four or five pounds of bacon, as much link sausage and a few dozen eggs. Made lots of toast and coffee and used about a gallon of Kansas (Lewisburg)Apple Cider. One morning I made Prairie Puffs ( very similar to Martha Steward Maine Pancakes) and served them with syrups made with maple, blueberry and raspberry plus served them with fresh blueberries, strawberries, apples sautéed with brown sugar and cinnamon, and bananas. Charlie made Kalbi for the bridal party. I made Korean spinach and we had a few other store bought sides. I made Killer Shrimp for one meal and I am drawing a blank on the rest. I made Korean beef bone soup for my son's mom to have ready for her as a late snack when she got in from the airport late the other night. She will go back to Las Vegas in a few hours and I can crash for a few hours after that.

That looks like a turntable that potters use for hand building/decoration. Oop. I see someone beat me to it.

I bet a potato would still stick to a knife in a vacuum.

Different cuts of meat can have a lot of different definitions. I think sometimes individual stores or restaurants can be pretty creative and invent names at will. Last year I ordered a London broil steak and they brought me what I'd call a cube steak. This whole thread is a good illustration of the many differences a cut can be called, but generally the differences between a steak and a roast is how thick it's cut. The whole short loin is a roast. A slice of it that is big enough for one person is a strip or shell steak. A steak can be pretty thick but if big enough to need cooking in the oven, it is a roast. Also a Porterhouse or T-bone has both the filet and shell connected by the bone.

I have always heard of shell steak as another name for strip steak.

The smooth and moist surface of the potato is such that it forms an adhesion to the blade. Knives with cullens or divots cut in the blade decrease the surface of the knife against the potato so there is less resistance but the potato will still stick above the dished out parts of the knife. The result makes the knife seem sharper but does not do much for your problem. When I cut a potato, I hold the potato in on both sides of the cut with one hand and pull the knife out after the cut. It is a little slower but keeps the potato together if you plan to cut it again in another direction as for fries.

Everyones meals looks great. That lamb especially. Since I had some sourdough that had been sleeping in the back or my refrigerator for 7 or 8 months, I decided to wake it up and make some Sourdough French bread dough. I was happy that it started bubbling right after the first feeding and it was all the way back in only 4 or 5 days. I made two pizzas with the dough.

I have an 8 cup one by Anchor Hocking http://www.anchorhocking.com/prod_23_measuring_cups.html

Burger's Smokehouse I believe is in Missouri but it's still a Country ham and shipping is included in the price. I have gotten several of them over the years. 13 to 15 lb country ham is $88.00 http://www.smokehouse.com/burgers.nsf/item/Ready-to-Cook-Country-Ham

I use an 8 cup measuring cup. It is big enough for a two loaf batch and you can see how much dough goes in and thereby tell when it has doubled. I saw one at Target that had a cover. Or you can cover it with plastic wrap, wax paper, damp cloth or whatever.

I'll think may be aa old as 70 or 80 . I love to make OJ with it whenever Valencia oranges are in season

We had meatloaf, new potatoes and leeks all baked together. We also had dill pickles, dinner rolls and sour cream.