Norm Matthews

A few years ago when I was still watching the Food Network, I noticed Bobby Flay did some sauces which I would consider vinaigrette based. He used oil and acid when cooking meat dishes and would add other ingredients too, like tomatoes. Someone told me what this kind of approach was called but I don't remember. The result were sauces for meat that were lighter than some of the more traditional heavy sauces. BTW, I consider Sauce Veloute a mother sauce too. In the James Beard Fish Cookery, he has a chapter on sauces and one if them is Sauce Mayonnaise. It is the 'mother' of quite a number of other - sauces, all cold or room temp. edit, my bad. The first time I looked, I didn't see that he does have sauce veloute.

We had gumbo and a salad for dinner tonight.

That sounds good judiu. I will save the recipe for another time. I have already made the dip for NYD and have decided to make chicken, sausage and seafood gumbo for the dinner. Everything is done except last minute cooking of the shellfish and scallops.

Eating black eyed peas is supposed to be good luck. I guess it follows that not eating them on NYD is bad luck. I had black eyed peas on New Years EVE last year and didn't have any the next day, (along with ham hocks and collard greens). The day after that I slipped on some ice and broke three bones in my ankle. I was not planning to cook this year but will make my sisters recipe for black eyed pea dip to have with some chips.... just to be on the safe side. Her recipe uses some mashed peas, jalapeno and green chilies, garlic, butter and Olde English cheese. Served hot.

Lower the bowl and take it offf. Look at the stalk/stem of the mixer under the motor. If yours has this screw, you can adjust the clearance with it. Turning the screw located there will increase the clearance between the bowl and beater or decrease it depending on which way you turn it.

The three I had before this one all needed adjusting. They were all too high too. I was surprised that this one was ok from the factory.

This 7qt was the first KA I've had that didn't need any adjustment. It was just right from the get-go. I have heard that they also sometimes need an adjustment so the start-up isn't so fast.

I had planned a similar meal as basquecook . I was going to make the rib roast, popovers, broccoli salad and baked potatoes but a few hours after I got the roast, my nephew called and invited us along with the whole family to his house for Christmas dinner. He had crab and smoked turkey. I took my roast along as my contribution. Here is how I roasted mine. It was a 4 bone, 7 1/2 lb. roast. First I took it out of the refrigerator a couple hours before putting in the oven. I preheated the oven to 500 and crusted the top of the roast with salt and pepper. In the oven for 30 minutes @ 500º, 45 minutes @ 325º then finished at 450º. I took it out at 130º, wrapped it in heavy duty foil and sliced it about 45 minutes later. ps the sauce was a mixture of Mayo, dijon mustard, grainy mustard, horseradish, sour cream, and salt.

The most likely place to find different kinds of rice is in Asian Markets. The Japanese Kitchen cookbook talks about a lot of different kinds, some of which are different because they are more newly harvested, etc. For the most general part white rice is divided into long, medium and short grain rice. Like Jayt90, I only use medium grain rice for everyday cooking. My former Korean in-laws did not like long grain rice, to put it mildly. They and Japanese people I know use short grain rice for kim bob, sushi and rice candy type dishes. I also use a Japanese made Tiger rice cooker.

The marinated pork chops were too thin to stuff so I put the stuffing on the bottom of the chops. Stuffing was pineapple, greens, green onions, garlic, salt and pepper and sesame oil. Also had stuffed mushrooms, asparagus with buttered bread crumbs from leftover brioche bread and potatoes.

After thinking about it for a while, I am pretty sure that clay formed under high pressure would have to be dry. Water would resist pressure but that does not mean it couldn't be fired afterward.

Yes, it was not clear whether it was fired or not, but I have heard of some new space age ceramic materials that are formed under very high pressure. I don't really know much about them. Early space capsules had a ceramic heat shield that looked to me like shredded fiberglass. It's become quite technical. I don't think Kyocera knives are made from wet clay either.

These were described as formed under pressure and no mention of firing. If that is correct, and dry formed, it is different from any pottery than with which I am familiar They are supposed to heat evenly and have a very smooth surface and be pretty stick resistant. The mention of collaboration with Alfred University lends some credence to the efficacy of these pieces. Alfred has a long and illustrious history with ceramics. The kind of pottery that is soaked in water is for covered earthenware and is a different kind of pottery than these seem to be.

The article made a mistake in one instance calling them terracotta and in another sentence referring to them as stoneware. One isn't the same as the other. The picture showed unglazed terracotta. Perhaps its characteristics of being porous and heat retention ability both of which are unique from any other material will make a desirable difference.

Something I forgot to mention before if you are having difficulty starting a yeast culture: Chlorine inhibits yeast growth. If your water is chlorinated, draw it and let it set overnight so the chlorine can dissipate- or- use bottled or filtered water. Warm, not hot water also helps yeast grow faster than cold water.

If these directions need further explanation, just ask. I hope you can use the original list of ingredients along with the directions I provided. The recipe I used is based on one of the two brioche recipes from the 1969 Farm Journal Homemade Bread book edited by Nell B. Nichols except I used a cup of sourdough starter and one package of rapid rise yeast instead of two packages of yeast and I used about half the amount of zest and used lime zest instead of lemon zest. I prefer just a hint of the zest flavor. I put the milk, butter salt and sugar in a saucepan and heated until the butter is melted and the sugar is dissolved. Do not boil. When cooled to lukewarm, add beaten eggs and 1 cup of room temperature sourdough starter to mixer bowl. When using the sourdough starter do not add the 1/4 C. water. Add 1 package of yeast to 1 cup of flour ( I used King Arthur AP flour) and mix into the mixer bowl with wire whisk until foamy. Switch to dough hook and mix on speed 2, adding enough flour-1 cup at a time- until dough just barely stops sticking to bottom of bowl. Turn out and knead with additional flour if needed until smooth and elastic. Put in oiled bowl, cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour. The book says to put 2-inch balls into muffin tins and top with a smaller ball rolled into a tear-drop shape with the pointed end down into a depression made with your finger- this makes about 2 dozen rolls- but this time I shaped it into 8 mini loaves. Cover, brushed with cooled melted butter, let rise until doubled The directions says to bake @ 425º for ten minutes. Since I used bigger loaves, I put a digital thermometer probe into one of the loaves as soon as the crust has set and remove from oven at 190º. It took these larger loaves around 25 minutes to bake until done. . BRIOCHE 1 C. milk 1/2C. butter or margarine 1 tsp. salt 1/2C. sugar 2 pkg. active dry yeast 1/4 C. warm water (110•to 115•) 4 eggs, beaten 1 tsp. grated lemon peel 5 C. sifted all-purpose flour (about) melted butter for brushing on tops.

Previous comments are all good ones. This may sound like heresy to some but you can use commercial cultured yeast to make a starter. Cultured yeast, kept growing in a batter of water and flour, after a few days will revert back to it's original 'wild' state and become like any other yeast starter you would develop/ grow in your home. If pizza places will sell you some dough, I see no reason why a baker would not sell or give you some yeast starter. You could even develop a starter using raw bakery dough. If you really want to try to grow some wild yeast, the milky film on grapes and on cabbage is yeast. If you feed it with flour and water, you can encourage it to grow into a starter but getting truly wild yeast like that is hit or miss whether it will make good yeast for bread making. ps you can grow starter at room temperature, inhibit and preserve it in the refrigerator or even freeze it without very much fear of killing it but excessive heat will kill it. BTW if it dies, don't feel bad. It isn't a pet, it's just yeast.

Thanks for the comments and the likes.

My son said that he and his fiance wanted to make dinner for me today and I was not allowed in the kitchen. Too late. I already had a batch of brioche dough rising. It's finished now and the kitchen is clear for the kids. I don't know what they plan but at least there will be some bread to go with it. URL=http://s262.photobucket.com/user/matthewsno/media/DSCN1063_zpsc8557a52.jpg.html]

Made a simple pot roast with mushrooms and au jus with canned green beans and potatoes with sour cream.

Here is my recipe. I have changed some of ingredients to cater to the tastes of my family. We prefer bratwurst instead of any other kind of sausage. The "kids" don't like Italian sausage. I often use just bratwurst and no plain ground pork. MEATLOAF 4 slices white bread, crusts removed 2-3 Tbs. milk 2 tblsp. olive oil 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped 1 rib celery, finely chopped Cassie does not like celery so I used chopped water chestnuts and ground black pepper. 2 cloves garlic, minced ( or 3 or 4) 1/2 large red bell pepper, finely chopped 1 lb. ground sirloin 2 bratwurst, skinned + 1/2 lb ground pork 2 large eggs 1/4 c. roughly chopped parsley 2 tbsp. Dijon mustard 1 tbsp. coarse salt & more to taste 1/2 tbsp. freshly ground pepper & more to taste 1/2 lb. sliced smoked bacon 1 lb. of potatoes cut in 2-inch pieces, oiled, salted and peppered or small sized whole potatoes. Glaze to put on top of meatloaf and under bacon 1/2 c. brown sugar, packed 1 tbsp. Coleman's yellow ground mustard 1 tsp. tomato paste Or catsup, mix in enough to make a paste, brush over meatloaf. After adding bacon, you may brush on a light layer of the glaze over the bacon... optional Heat the oven to 375F. Cut the bread into 1 inch cubes and place in a large bowl. Pour milk over it & set aside for 5 minutes. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, celery & garlic; cook until soft and translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. remove from heat; let cool 5 minutes. To bread mixture, add meat, eggs, parsley, Dijon, salt, & pepper,onion mixture. Combine well. Place mixture in a large ungreased, foil lined baking dish or roasting pan. Shape into a 5 X 12 inch loaf. Overlap bacon across the top, covering meat. Place potatoes around loaf. Season with salt & pepper. In a small bowl, combine sugar, ground mustard & tomato paste to make a glaze. Brush meatloaf all over with glaze. Bake, until juices run clear when loaf is pierced with a 2 pronged fork & the bacon is crisp, 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Let cool 10 minutes before slicing. Serve with potatoes or mash them coarsely and serve with peas and gravy.

Thanks. I sent you a copy of my recipe.

Cassie asked for meatloaf so that is what is for dinner tonight. L

Here is an asian style orange marinade I like to use sometimes with game hens. I make two batches and marinade for over night with one and thicken the other with cornstarch to serve over the finished roasted hens. 3/4 cup fresh orange juice 1/2 cup honey 1/4 cup soy sauce 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce 2 tablespoons minced orange rind 3 cloves garlic minced 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root add to the batch to be thickened and used as a sauce 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

The meat along the spine from below the shoulder blade to the rise of the rump are called prime cuts. This is where the best steaks come and if cut in large enough pieces, the most storied roasts. This is the area of the cow that gets the least exercise so these are tender and are delicious when cooked no higher than medium. They are the rib roasts, the loin, tenderloin and sirloin. They are cooked in the oven to just below the desired temperature and removed to finish cooking outside the oven. The parts of the cow that get a lot of exercise are tougher cuts. They have a lot of flavor but if dry roasted to medium or above are very tough. Tasty but tough. These roasts benefit from long slow cooking like in a slow cooker or in a dutch oven so not only temperature but time needs to be included in the process so that the collagen can break down and and the meat becomes fall apart tender and juicy. For roasts like chuck, 7 bone, brisket, rump, round, and flank look for a good looking slow cooker recipe and follow that for great traditional cooking.