cyalexa

Several years ago I had caramelized beets at the restaurant at Long Meadow Ranch in St. Helena. I have been trying to find and/or reproduce the recipe ever since and every year as beets appear at the farmers' market I search again. This year for the first time I have found 2 hints as to preparation; one said heavily seared on a plancha, one said roasted then smashed and seared. My previous attempts involved roasting and while good, were not quite right. I'm going to try again using the newly found hints but if anyone has additional input I would be appreciative.

Just so happens I'm going to be in KC on a Weds in June. I'll be checking this out!

Re.cheese at TJs, Try Unexpected if you like cheddar. Re. decaf, it's not cheap and it's not convenient but my favorite decaf is Major Dickason's Blend from Peet's. I also like Dandy Blend Herbal Beverage as a coffee replacement. It doesn't really taste like coffee but it tastes good.

You may have visited this site already but, just in case: http://www.glutenfreeandmore.com/issues/4_16/power_flour-2653-1.html The Quinoa Sesame "Wonder Bread" recipe about 2/3 of the way down the page was given high praise by a someone whose knowledge I trust.

I hope others will comment as well. By trial and error I have learned that the 100% whole wheat bread I make in a loaf pan is best if slashed along its length and baked to an internal temp of 206F. I don't make white bread in a loaf pan as we generally use WW for sandwiches. For bread not baked in a loaf pan, I am kind of enamored with pbears cheater method. I usually bake white breads to about 202F.

Yes! I cut off and toss just a very thin slice of the bottom. I then bend and snap the stalks and put the bottom portions in a zip top bag in the freezer. When I have collected a pound I make the pesto. This is one sauce that I actually like with whole wheat pasta. It is also good on salmon.

Asparagus Pesto on Whole Wheat Pasta Cindy Alexander, an adaptation of a Michael Chiarello recipe This is a great way to use asparagus ends! 1 lb asparagus 20g (1 cup lightly packed) basil leaves 2 tablespoons pine nuts or slivered almonds 2 cloves garlic, sliced 1TB freshly squeezed lemon juice, or to taste Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste About 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil 80g (about 1 cup) freshly grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese 1 box (13.25 oz) dried whole wheat rotini or other pasta Boil the asparagus in salted water until very tender. Drain, reserving the water, and cool slightly. Put in a food processor with the all of the other ingredients except the oil, and puree well. With the machine running, slowly add the olive oil. Taste and adjust for seasonings and consistency. It should be about the thickness of mayonnaise. Return the water used for cooking the asparagus to a boil and cook pasta. Drain, reserving about 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water. Mix the pasta and pesto, thinning with the pasta cooking water as necessary. Taste and add salt, pepper, and additional lemon juice to taste.

The seeds seem slow to germinate. I generally sow them way too thickly. If you put them in the garden, only let one plant go to seed - they are very prolific.

However I make it (something with eggs most common), I collect the snapped off bottoms in the freezer. When I have about a pound I make asparagus pesto, one of my all-time favorite dishes.

I agree about the Aleppo pepper. I buy mine at a Mediterranean market in Dallas. It it very reasonably priced and seems nice and fresh. I always adorn my pizza with a generous quantity.

You "rent" the cart for a refundable quarter. You get your quarter back when the cart is returned. Not a big deal and there are no stray carts taking up parking spaces. Yes you sack your own groceries. I prefer that and use the self-serve lanes at stores that offer them. I hate it when clerks bounce my carefully selected produce.

There are a total of 5 grocery stores in my town - 2 SuperWalmarts, an Aldi, a Food Pyramid, and a Consumer's IGA. Aldi generally has the lowest prices. If one makes careful selections one will find certain items to be of adequate to good quality and therefore a good value. I regularly buy their milk, mixed nuts, and pistachios. I have purchased limes, mushrooms, and bananas frequently; potatoes, onions, cauliflower, broccoli and berries on occasion. I once bought rib eye steaks and they were fine. I find their line of plastic bags and plastic film almost as good as the name brand and way better than Walmart's brand. Their aluminum foil is adequate. The baby dills are decent but I didn't care for their relish. The organic spring mix in the clamshell usually looks bad. Once it looked OK so I tried it and it was OK but just barely. I never purchased anything that was infested or spoiled. Once I bought some green bananas that never ripened. They both replaced them with a new bunch and refunded the purchase price of the original. I have to drive almost an hour to get to a Sprouts or Sams and farther to get to Whole Foods. I do so every 3-4 weeks but clearly have to cherry pick from the local stores for most things. Fortunately, we have a great farmers market and I go every Saturday.

I have a recipe (original source unknown but something similar was published in Real Simple) for a roasted lemon vinaigrette. Lemon halves and garlic cloves are roasted in the oven. The resulting lemon pulp and juice, roasted garlic, salt, Dijon, honey and olive oil are emulsified. It is an excellent dressing for salads, fish and many vegetables, especially broccoli.

Instant coffee - purchased for use in a bread recipe ( http://www.foodlovermagazine.com/recipes/try-classic-russian-black-bread-recipe/5799 if you make it, beware of over-proofing and slashing too deeply, I have done both twice); possible the most delicious bread I've ever made Bisquick - purchased for making pineapple coconut upside down cake, developed from a recipe from someone I trust; they said the cake was just as good as if made from scratch and my husband loves it http://forums.egullet.org/topic/147429-your-daily-sweets-what-are-you-making-and-baking-2014/page-15?hl=%2Bcoconut+%2Bpineapple+%2Bupside+%2Bdown+%2Bcake#entry1984355

I'm no expert but wouldn't hesitate to use a different oil.

I tried deep frying sweet potato fries once. Not crispy. I hope you can figure something out, I will try to duplicate your results. BTW, have you tried starting Yukon gold fries in cold oil? Works well but the serving size is limited to what will fit in your biggest suitable pot (I use my LC brasier).

I keep canned refried beans in the pantry for nachos when I don't feel like cooking. I buy what I think of as a good brand, add a bit of minced epazote and a small piece of a frozen pureed chipotle in adobo and the beans are actually pretty good.

Thanks for reporting. I almost bought some of the recommended potatoes to give this recipe a try even though I long ago gave up the quest for a crisp sweet potato fry. The closest I have come is in the link below. It's the coating that is crisp but it does mimic the texture of a crisp fry to a certain extent. http://bewitchingkitchen.com/2014/07/24/crispy-cornmeal-sweet-potato-fries-2/ I have had good luck with what I think of as a chip (ie. very thin slices) by using the microwave, and to a lesser extent, a slow oven.

I've not seen anyone mention a slow oven overnight. After roasting or braising chicken I put whatever is going into the stock/broth in a heavy pot (sometimes the one used to cook the chicken - saves on dishes!). Add water to barely cover, bring to just under a simmer on the cook top and put in a 225F oven overnight. It generally does not result in a large volume of liquid but I roast chicken frequently so there are many small containers in my freezer.

Beef tendon puffs. They may not seem exotic to many here, but they were unusual, delicious (salty, beefy, crisp, light yet decadent), and something I've never seen in Oklahoma (or anywhere else for that matter). I rarely go someplace I have already been when I travel to San Francisco, but I will go back for these. Here's a link to a pic: http://www.foodspotting.com/places/857038-alta-ca-san-francisco-/items/1544324-beef-tendon-puffs

I cut the root end off of grocery store (organic because that's what I buy) celery and plant it. Some grow, some rot. The ones that grow are too strong to eat raw but are great for cooking and have lots of leaves. Do you put the lemongress in soil or keep it in water? I am interested in trying to grow ginger but all the roots in the stores around here seem quite mature. Do you think they would work? Late last fall I dug up a little tomato plant from near my composter. It volunteered without ever being watered and recieving very little sun. I dug it up and planted it in a big bucket. I put it in my greenhouse and it is now about 2 feet tall and has 4 or 5 tomatoes and lots of buds. Soon I will get it out of the greenhouse as it is getting pretty hot in there during the day. I also plant a few plants in the garden every year but they do not thrive as it is too hot here. I hope the volunteer has enough of a head start that there will be a decent number ripen before the inferno of July and August.

Check in the camping dept, got mine there for just a couple dollars. I put it in the dishwasher sanitize cycle between uses.

Andie, best wished for a speedy recovery. What breed? We had Goldens. Shelby, when I fry I put newspaper down on the nearby exposed surfaces. I have an induction cook top so it's safe. I would use foil if I had gas or electric.

I just saw Bobby Flay serve smoked salmon on potato cakes made with a combination of mashed and grated potatoes. Looked good.

Going to the Artisan Cheese Festival, by chance? If not, but you have free time, the Friday and Saturday evening events are really fun. Given all the food and drink included, both are well worth the cost of admission. http://artisancheesefestival.com/