Mottmott

Alas, I always get lost in Jersey, so it's the tomatoes from Virginia for me. They're really pretty good. I did get a couple Jersey's from Iovine's yesterday for comparison, but I haven't tried them yet. I do wonder sometimes, is it that so many foods are worse than they used to be or is it just nostalgia and a sign of passing years? I can remember as a child when a farmer used to bring corn in every day in the summer and I would walk a couple miles to bring some home in time for dinner, when it was safe for a child to walk those miles for a few ears of corn.

I just got a bunch of corn to make a soup with, only to discover my freezer empty of chicken stock. This will do the trick. Thanks.

Good tip, and it can be extended to other meats to advantage. This is not as sophisticated technically as chefdg's tips, but I find this makes cooking sooo much easier: When mixing ingredients together by hand, use a bowl that's big enough. Really really big. For some things you can quick toss them in the bowl, much as one does with food in a pan. For most things I like a bowl that's at least 2-3x the volume of whatever I'm mixing. It drives me crazy when I see people dibbydabbying food about trying to keep it from spilling over the rim as they poke it with a spoon, spatula. Ooops, sorry for the rant. You should see me shout at the TV chefs, "Get a bigger bowl!"

I understand that one can keep roux in the fridge almost indefinitely. Or is there a time limit. What about white sauce/veloute/bechamel? Once the milk or stock is in I would imagine there's a short time limit. How long?

We're all pulling for you. I was wondering about your blood sugar, and I'm glad to hear you've had a check up. But unless things have changed since I had it, hypoglycemia, unlike diabetes, needs a special (5-hour) test to find it. Edited to add: you may find it easier if you also eliminate caffeine, alcohol, and white starches which hit the blood just as if they were sugar itself. One good sidenote here, my Dr (FACE) says semolina pasta is ok.

I'm glad to see this thread revived now that it's summer. I just had my first true summer tomato of the year. . So I made a wonderful BLT. It's inspired me to make some scratch mayo for the next time. But what I really want to talk about is toast. I don't understand why people use "toasters" (which dries out the bread inside and out ). I make mine stovetop on a cast iron griddle to give a nice crisp browned exterior and a soft, sometimes even chewy texture inside and a more complex toasted taste. And I don't need to keep a toaster on the counter. -- Well, not really true. I do understand, yes, pop in the toaster and forget about it til it pops up again. But as with so many conveniences, it yields a less satisfactory result.

I believe no one has mentioned this site by one of our own. It's one of my favorites, both culinary and visual. a la carte

Personally, I find that any peach worth eating (uncooked)can be peeled without blanching. Of course if I'm making a pie...

Wonderful to have you back. I think we can trust you. Start where you will and end with as much detail as you have time for. All paths in your garden will fork to the dining table.

When I make candied peel I roll the peel in the sugar, then save the leftover sugar for flavoring. My DIL loves it in tea.

Beautiful Wendy,`time stress can bring out the best in artists. I like the way you merged the masks and domino diamonds.

Long ago I stopped the grapefruit ritual. I like the fruit as it is, without sugar or anything, so I peel it like an orange and section it. It is not as neat as a tangerine, but it is so much easier than cutting and sectioning. Also, unused sections will keep for a few days in the fridge. YES. Luscious.

Consider Wolfert's Catalan stew in her World of Food. It takes 3 days, but is possibly the best stew I've ever had.

Many meals can be made ahead, at least in part. When I'm cooking anything more complex than a steak and salad kind of meal, I find it is often helpful to stage out parts of it the day or days before. You sound like a more organized person than I am, so I'm sure in time you'll find your own rhythm. For example, pissaladiere is one of my favorites. Well, when I'm hungry - to make the dough, caramelize the onions, prep the salted anchovies, cut up the olives all at the same time is too annoying to deal with even if I have the time. So I keep dough on hand in the freezer, caramelized onions which I do in large batches and also freeze (flat ziplocks), and every now and then I clean up a batch of salted anchovies that I store in oil. Making a delicious fresh out of the oven pissaladiere only takes 35 minutes that way, including baking. Indeed the whole thing could be made the night before and stored in the fridge and the rest of the meal (salad, dessert, etc.) can be pulled together while it bakes. The same system will work with many dishes. Making a chicken? plan more than one meal around it, roasting 2 at the same time if you have family. Also, think about making stews or soups on weekends which will spend most of their time simmering while you do other things. Eat some of it, freeze some of it in flat ziplocks that will defrost quickly and you can have quick weeknight meals. Omelets and frittatas are also meals that will be quick middle of the week meals. (check the eGCI courses on eggs) Check out Italian veggie dishes meant for antipastos (roast peppers, for ex) that often are better when made a day ahead. Similarly, there are many pasta sauces that can be made in the time it takes to make the pasta. (eGCI course on that, too) Also, some of your slowness MAY come from your equipment, including less than sharp knives. Do you have the magic microplaner for garlic, ginger, nutmeg, cheese, chocolate, citrus zests, etc? a really good veggie peeler? light tongs (I like the flimsy light ones best) that can do everything from turning a steak to hauling spaghetti from the pot? a large convenient wooden cutting board? heavy bottom pots/pans that don't need hovering over? If you have a processor do you use it when slicing a LOT of onions or cucumbers, etc.? (The small processor is great for many things). Or a mandoline? (For 1 or 2 I just use the knife, but when caramelizing 8 lb of onions or potatoes, it's a time saver). Many of these are not expensive and the expensive items can often be found used.

You're probably right. But I'm not in the mood to hunt out the special pan and then bake bread at 90F for a kiddie tea party. If I can find the unsliced "square" loaf to speed up the sandwich making for my DIL, I'll get it for her. Otherwise, she can do them slice by slice with Pepperidge Farm thin slices. I can understand not wanting to bake in 90 degree F weather, but if you ever want to try it, you can use a loaf pan topped with a cookie sheet and a brick (as a weight). Good thinking. I do have a couple pans with straight sides. When my son and his family move (they're are living with me til they finish fixing up their new house, probably by next fall), I'll have my kitchen back, all to myself, and plan to do more bread baking. I did some years ago when my kids were young and more recently when the sour dough bread thread was first up on eGCI. But it's not much fun squeezing around the never ending cooking of a young family and all the stuff stuffed in the fridge. They're always in the kitchen.

You're probably right. But I'm not in the mood to hunt out the special pan and then bake bread at 90F for a kiddie tea party. If I can find the unsliced "square" loaf to speed up the sandwich making for my DIL, I'll get it for her. Otherwise, she can do them slice by slice with Pepperidge Farm thin slices.

The pullman loaf is a a square loaf intended for sandwiches. I believe it is baked in a pan that has a lid that prevents it from forming a dome. It's especially useful for making tea sandwiches. If you get an unsliced loaf, you can cut it horizontally into large slices which makes the process easier. (My 8 year old gd is having a "tea party' for her birthday.) Anyone with special recipes is invited to contribute.

Does anyone know where to find a pullman loaf? Preferably unsliced? Preferably not in Jersey where I always get lost. TIA

I'm not addicted, but I do like it on salted crackers. And one time I was making a cake and didn't have time to make 2 different buttercreams (chocolate and orange), so I put a layer of nutella on in place chocolate buttercream. Everyone loved the cake.

Part of the pleasure of blue crabs, pomegranates, grapefruit, etc. is the process itself that requires a slow, sensual savoring of the food, fingering it and taking it bit by bit to the mouth with great anticipation of the tiny nugget of flavor. You all are missing out. edited to add: artichokes, the little legs on lobsters, pistachios in shells

Ingrid, my children will be glad to confirm that I am available with opinions and, hopefully, solutions all the time.

This is such a perfect example of what I find stressful sometimes -- the sense that solutions sometimes beget their own complications. Gain the space for the scooter but lose the ready help reaching stuff. Oh my god, I just realized my real problem -- I think I'm supposed to be able to figure everything out. Eek! I have an imperfect solution. Keep a piece of paper with you and as you find something out of reach, add it to the list. When finished with all your other shopping, get the store manager to find someone to get those items for you. Don't be bashful about it. They have an obligation to help. Catch 22 gets everyone, so try not to stress out if your solutions beget yet more problems.

Oh, be familiar, please. Mott, or Mottmott, is the pet name for my Motley cat, or, my familiar. You may even call me Barbara to be very very familiar.

I've been able to do more shopping and cooking lately as I've found yoga has made a big difference in the way I feel and how long I can stand in one place (though I still keep a stool near the counter). There are some yoga teachers that specialize in working with people who have arthritis, ms, etc., and I was able to find one where I live (my teacher gives a class specifically for people with ms which I believe is sponsered by the ms society) . After trying acupuncture and various medicines to no avail, I was only expecting to get some exercise from this. To my surprise, this has worked wonders for me, and I have been able to cut way back on meds which weren't doing much for me anyway. My online research on arthritis suggests that yoga might also be of use to others with fibermyalgia, chronic fatigue, etc., as well as arthritis, back or knee problems, etc. As this is OT (beyond reporting that it has freed me to do more cooking) I'll be glad to share more info if you PM me.

Truly Gifted.