Norm Matthews

This was part of an article in today's Kansas City Star: "The problem centers in Mexico.....Bad weather and disease cut production earlier this year. Meanwhild drug cartels in the state of Michoacan are demanding extortion payments from lime growers and have taken control of a distribution center where they sell their limes, ...

I don't think David Chang serves uncooked country ham.

Country ham takes some time to make. After soaking it, boiling it and baking it, It is still to salty so I slice it and simmer it water the pan fry it. This extra step removes the 'too salty' effect. It is very different from city ham with a much more intense flavor. I don't do one every year but the extra trouble is worth it. Picnic hams have bones that make slicing a problem.

Many years ago the wrestling coach at the high school had a farm that was once a dairy. He used one barn for his rodeo roping horses and the milking barn for hay storage. He rented the farm house to me and across the driveway was the old bottling plant which I turned into a pottery. The house was on the Smoky Hill River and there were grape vines down the hill by the river. I made about 20 to 30 gallons of wine a year. I used the basement because the cool temperature kept the secondary fermentation slow for better taste. Without fermentation locks on the carboys, the wine would spoil or oxidize before the wine finished fermenting. I had to measure sugar and acid content of the grape juice and balance it before primary fermentation or it would not produce enough alcohol to keep. After fermentation it had to be clarified and bottled. I have no idea what kind of advances have been made since then but I have trouble imagining how there could be a finished bottle in such a short time.

After some thought, I am thinking of a separate process using apple flavor as a sauce. Here is pork confit with a cider reduction http://food52.com/recipes/1832-pork-confit-with-cider-veal-reduction

I believe the kind of cherries lesliec is referring to are the kind used in fruitcake. In either case, dried or candied or even coarsely chopped and drained maraschino cherries would probably work. I imagine the one thing you should be wary of is getting the fruit too hydrated or juicy because that could dilute the batter and then affect the texture of the brownies. As long as the fruit you add does not interact with the brownie ingredients, you should be able to add them without problem. It would be similar to adding chocolate chips, raisins, nuts or other ingredients to cookies.

You might consider using cider instead of an apple.

The last time I had invited guests for dinner that was planned ahead of time we had a Shrimp a la Louis appetizer with beets and hard cooked eggs, Scandaninavian style cucumber salad, home made bread, Slottsteck Norwegian Pot Roast with gravy, squash and onions with brown sugar and Schwartzwalder Kirschtorte (black forest chocolate cherry cake) Everything was made from scratch. The appetizer was plated ahead of time, the rest of the meal was served family style where all the dishes are passed around The dishes were white and black decorated stoneware and the serving dishes were green white and gold decorated porcelain. Serving utensils matched eating utensils. Wine served in stemware and water in tumblers. ps OOPS forgot to add baked potatoes and the pot roast was braised and served with carrots, celery and onions. Guests were neighbors and dinner was casual.

Cassie, my son's fiancee had a half brother that she had never met. After they found each other he flew in from New York City. In the morning Cassie's other brother and sister who both live here in Kansas City met to all go out and see the sights together. I was expecting they would be gone all day and was not planning a meal but I had put a slab of spare ribs in the smoker. When they saw that they said they would be back for lunch. As soon as they left I ran to the store and got a couple slabs of baby back ribs because they cook faster, and added them to the smoker. We had ribs served cut up on a platter, homemade BBQ beans, grilled corn, store bought potato salad and hard rolls. Everything was served in bowls, on a platter and in a bread basket. Everyone helped themselves to whatever they wanted. Serving size spoons were used. In this instance, serving utensils matched the rest of the tableware. They were not used for aesthetic considerations, just used because that is what I grabbed. We ate off of paper plates. Cooking utensils were not on the table. Soft drinks, juice and water were served.

When it comes to making flavorful stock, the older the chicken the more flavor in the stock. The older, the longer it needs to be stewed to make the meat tender. I was in an asian market the other day and saw whole stewing hens for sale. It included the head and feet. I would think that old bird would make very flavorful stock. PS added to say I didn't read all of dcarch's post before I posted this.

despite all the discussion about what is and what isn't soy sauce and when it is used in different cultures, the original query was about take out packets that comes with Chinese restaurant food in the US. Here is a link you may find useful: http://kariout.com/product_list_details.php?id=13bb4c48d5c45b&productid=13bb4ca730e25b

I had that feeling for many years too. I'd say to myself "I have been cooking for xxx years and never needed one before, why should I get one now?" I was gifted an Oster Kitchen Center with a mixer and never used it either. But then I did get a KitchenAid and wondered how did I ever get along without it? There were things I'd think twice about making that I don't think twice about doing now with a stand mixer.

Besides the muffin method, there is the biscuit method where the fat is cut into the flour before adding the liquids. This in effect coats the flour to help prevent the formation of gluten when the liquid is added. Reduction of gluten formation in biscuits help keep them tender.

When I first started cooking I got the James Beard Cookbook and bought two more after each of the others started falling apart.. They were paperback. I got a first edition on line and then got another to keep the first edition in good shape. I had three copies of American Cookery. The first one had a tattered cover and dog eared pages. I keep the second one on a bookshelf with glass doors. It still has the dust jacket. I use the third one which replaced the first one. I have a first edition of BakeWise and a second copy that was given to me when I thought I'd lost the first one, then found it.

I like the stoneware bowl. (food looks great too) But is that hand thrown?

I'd be very happy to share the recipe for the game hens. I suggest covering wing tips and leg tips with foil to avoid over browning. Here it is: Honey Lacquered Game Hens RecipeYield: 6 whole hens Parade Magazine March 27, 1994 6 Cornish game hens, about 3/4 to 1 pound each (see note)4 Garlic cloves, peeled1 1" piece of ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped1/2 c Soy sauce1/2 c Light honey2 tb Peanut oil2 tb Fresh orange juice1 tb Finely minced orange zest Here's a new and exciting dish that's easily prepared. It's especially delicious served with sesame noodles or your favorite rice pilaf. For an ideal meal without much effort, simply steam up some fresh snow peas to serve on the side. 1. Rinse game hens and pat dry. Place in a bowl. Trim off wing tips, necks and any excess fat from the neck cavities. 2. Place garlic and ginger in the bowl of a food processor; process until nearly smooth. Reserve. 3. In another bowl, combine soy sauce, honey, peanut oil, orange juice and orange zest. Add the reserved garlic and ginger. Pour mixture over game hens to coat well. 4. Let rest at room temperature for 4 hours, or refrigerate overnight, turning game hens in marinade 3 or 4 times. 5. Preheat oven to 350°F. Place game hens in a shallow roasting pan to fit. Pour marinade on top. 6. Bake game hens 1 hour or until cooked through, basting every 15 minutes. 7. Remove hens to a serving platter. Pour cooking juices into a small, heavy saucepan and boil over high heat for 5 minutes or until sauce thickens slightly. Pour over the hens just before serving. NOTE: These birds can be served whole or, for smaller portions, are lovely split in half. Just be sure to remove the backbones and wing tips before preparing. Per serving: 185 calories, 7 grams fat, 12 milligrams cholesterol.

I was an art teacher with a major in ceramics and made these on the wheel. If I had not retired, I could make some for you but now that I don't have a kiln anymore I can't. The face mug would fit your requirements I think. They are stoneware, lead free and don't get hot in the microwave. I generally preferred to make smaller ones so the coffee didn't get cold before the cup was empty.

Everyones food looks delicious. When my ex-girl friend and I split several years ago on mutual agreement, she asked for some of my recipes which I gladly copied for her. A few days later my son, then about 11, told me when he got home from school his basketball goal and my BBQ smoker were loaded in the back of a pick-up truck and the two guys told him as they were driving away that they were getting these for the ex. A few days later I discovered one of my son's favorite recipes missing from my hand written cookbook. She must have taken that too. It was before computers and subsequent searches in food sites brought up nothing. Then last week, I found that Parade digitalized their magazines and I found it in a 1993 issue. It was Honey Lacquered Game Hens. We had it today. We decided I had changed the recipe and now need to experiment some more but I am very glad to have the original again. We remembered that I used Cointreau in the recipe and that was not part of it originally. I bought a new rice cooker today too. It is a Tiger made in Japan. Our old one - same brand and same size- is about 30 years old and still works but is wearing out and missing a part or two. Along with the chicken and rice, I grilled baby bok choy and stir fried Chinese eggplant with sugar peas, mushrooms and a few other vegetables and tossed in a dressing with pecans, peanut oil, tangerine vinegar, orange zest and honey.

There are some Ramen noodles that are air dried but the most common (and cheap) kind are deep-fried in oil. The air dried kind take a little longer to cook. There is also some fat in the flavor packet.

Ramen is made with noodles that have been fried. That is why the cook faster than other kinds of pasta.

Thanks Dejah. That looks like the one that got me interested and sounds a lot like the one I found with a search. I just used 4 boneless, skinless chicken half breasts for mine.

I can't find it but someone did a citrus marinated chicken recently and it looked good so I made some today. Along with the chicken was bok choy with water chestnuts and Korean marinated bean sprouts.

Quick supper tonight. Ham steaks with a sherry/cherry sauce, zucchini, mushrooms, broccoli and onions stir fried with a little Koran teriyaki sauce and honey. I made cake doughnuts with a doughnut pan I got from King Arthur. It was dark metal, non-stick and so the bottoms were darker and more well done than the tops. I expected better from King Arthur.

My mom used lunch and dinner interchangeably and supper for the later meal. Right or wrong, I tend to use dinner and supper interchangeably.

We had it around 3pm. It was our big meal of the day. I planned it for then because Cassie works in the evening on Sundays. We'll probably just have snacks or sandwiches later on.